I am now in the corporate world and ppts (power point presentations) are a “Look-I-did-some-work” tool here. Some great person has really done a good job by inventing this tool that simplifies the method of transferring knowledge. Personally, I love giving presentations as they give you a creative means to present information. I have attended a lot of presentations till now, but I can say that rarely have I seen a presentation that keeps you interested all the way till the end. You may blame me for my wrong conclusions as you may say that it depends on my interest to conclude whether a particular presentation is arid or interesting. But I too have presented on various topics and I think I have caught in the interest of those remote minds flying in eliciting dream lands. I would like to keep you informed that I am not an expert in this field, but this smattered information may be helpful for those who would like to improve on their presentation skills.
How easy is your topic ?
Understand what your topic will mean to your targeted audience. Usually, presentations are delivered to an audience who do not have complete knowledge on a particular chosen topic. So try to categorize your chosen topic into
a) A topic that is familiar to everyone. ( Ex: How to bathe your dog)
b) A topic that is a complete stranger to everyone. ( Ex: Dual chambered liquid propellant systems )
Gather information
Once you have categorised your topic, identify the tit bits of information that will go into your presentation. For example,
a) If your topic is “How to bathe your dog” then you don’t have to put in information starting from the evolution of dogs and their skeletal structure, the molecular structure of water etc. Your agenda should be as below
· What is a dog?
· What does bathing mean?
· Why do dogs need a bath? (Advantages)
· Steps to give your dog a bath.
· After care
· Precautions
b) However if the audience is unfamiliar to your topic which may be “dual chambered liquid propellant systems” then your presentation should cover the following:
· What is a chamber?
· What is a dual chamber?
· Where is a dual chamber used?
· What is a propellant?
· What is a liquid propellant?
· Where is a liquid propellant used?
· Dual chamber and liquid propellants – An amazing combination!
· The dual chamber liquid blah blah – What it actually is.
· Uses of the dual chamber blah blah.
· Advantages and Disadvantages.
· Conclusion
In the next part I will cover the following topics to help you present your PowerPoint slides better.
–Speaking while presenting
-Timing your presentation
–Confidence
Catch you Puys later!