What should never be done in PowerPoint

[Glen Millar]

Hi,

I never really use this forum for an opinion, but....

I've seen a couple of recent examples where folks have given a live
presentation. The introduction started like this:

"I'm sorry if I don't seem to know what I am talking about tonight, but this
is the first time I have seen this presentation and I haven't had time to
prepare".

If anyone is using PowerPoint to speak publicly, don't do that, please. It
is nonsense to not prepare and then apologize. Fix it. It is that simple.

--

Regards,
Glen Millar
Microsoft PPT MVP

Tutorials and PowerPoint animations at
the original www.pptworkbench.com
glen at pptworkbench dot com
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[Steve Rindsberg]

I've seen a couple of recent examples where folks have given a live

presentation. The introduction started like this:

"I'm sorry if I don't seem to know what I am talking about tonight, but this
is the first time I have seen this presentation and I haven't had time to
prepare".

If anyone is using PowerPoint to speak publicly, don't do that, please. It
is nonsense to not prepare and then apologize. Fix it. It is that simple.

So you're saying that there's no need to tell the audience in advance that you
don't respect them enough to do some minimal preparation because they'll work
that out for themselves soon enough?

Then again, if the point is to make the audience dislike you, a bit of advance
notice gets the job done faster. And then you can all go out for a drink, no
need to waste time on the presentation. Yours or the audience's.

And once you're in the bar and everybody's looped, there's still no need to
apologize. The name of the game is PowerPoint Karaoke, you're It, and
everybody *knows* you've never seen the pressie before. That's the whole
*point*.

 

[Martin Conradi]

This tends to happen at the highest levels - the President, Prime Minister,
Queen, CEO or whatever get handed the script as they walk to the podium and
have to deliver it as if it is their own words. There is a simple and well
understood way of doing this. But the team behind him/her has to have
thought it through and be very professional.

Martin

 

[Echo S]

Exactly.

--
Echo S [MS PPT MVP] http://www.echosvoice.com
What's new in PowerPoint 2007? http://www.echosvoice.com/2007.htm
Fixing PowerPoint Annoyances
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/powerpointannoy/index.html
PPTLive! Oct 28-31, New Orleans http://www.pptlive.com

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

This tends to happen at the highest levels - the President, Prime Minister,
Queen, CEO or whatever get handed the script as they walk to the podium and
have to deliver it as if it is their own words. There is a simple and well
understood way of doing this. But the team behind him/her has to have
thought it through and be very professional.

And you can bet that Her Majesty doesn't call attention to it ahead of time.
<g>

 

[David M. Marcovitz]

And you can bet that Her Majesty doesn't call attention to it ahead of
time. <g>

-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================

Loyola subjects, before I begin my remarks, I want to let you know that the
footman to the undersecretary of royal affairs just handed me this speech,
so if my speech does not conform to the "Queen's English," I apologize and
will have him executed.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Loyola subjects,

You've been working there too long, David.

;-)

 

[Guest]

I have always considered PowerPoint to be the ultimate cheat - and I mean
that in a good way. Remember giving speeches and only being allowed to use 3
notecards? Now you can have as many as you want, the text is big enough to
see, you don't have to worry about dropping them, and it gives your audience
something to look at besides you. If you know the topic well enough, it
should not make a huge difference if you have not seen the PowerPoint - If
you don't know the topic, you should not be presenting it.