One of the most common things you'll hear people say is, "Our business is built on relationships."
Some of those same people will then proceed to present with a deck that starts with a slide that says "Good Morning" and ends with a slide that says "Thank You," as if they couldn’t manage to say those four words were they not displayed on the screen.
Though we include PowerPoint training modules in our other programs, we've never used a deck for our Executive Seminar. We want our students to see they can engage audiences and make messages clear without relying on slides. We do, however, take time to address presenting with a deck—because we know that's real life for nearly everyone.
Here's our simple three-part recommendation for using PowerPoint without sacrificing the opportunity to build those all-important relationships.
1. Open by putting yourself front and center.
For any message, we recommend you work on how you can open strong. When using PowerPoint, here's a way to start that sets you up as the valued source of information and creates rapport with your audience:
- Keep the opening image simple: A photo, a title slide, or even send the screen to black.
- Move forward, command attention, and let the audience know why your presentation has value for them.
- Then, only after you've established yourself and your topic, do you go to your deck.
2. Make sure every slide has a clear purpose.
Buckley coach Karen Kalutz has always urged speakers to look at every slide and ask: Does this slide make a complex idea easier to understand? If so, that's a good slide.
We also urge speakers to consider what happens when they put everything they want to communicate on the slide, because this is what we see: Audiences read your slide rather than listen to you.
Instead, consider:
- When you keep slides simple, you have a valuable role to play as the presenter.
- You demonstrate your knowledge by not having to read from the slide.
- If they can read everything on the slide, they don't need you to present it.
3. Close the way you began.
Just as you established yourself and your topic at the start, put yourself front and center to wrap things up. Plan a conclusion that summarizes key points. Identify next steps if that's appropriate.
You want to leave them with a strong impression of you, your capabilities, and why they'll value working with you:
- Keep your last side simple, so attention is focused on you.
- If you plan to take questions after you present, instead of a generic "Questions" slide, consider showing bullets of your three key points or showcasing your main idea.
- After Q&A, be sure to conclude again. Last words linger, and you want the message they walk away with to be yours.
Your solid foundation for consistent success.
Of course, there are many techniques you can use to improve your presentation deck and how you deliver it. But we find that when speakers make this approach their foundation, they put themselves very quickly on track to make a better impression and build those sought after relationships.
LEARN MORE
Opening strong is one of the best ways you can improve every presentation, often without a lot of time and effort. Find guidance for creating a strong open here.
Simple slides make better slides. Here are three easy ways to get there.
When you can't make your slide simple, you can still deliver it more effectively. Here's how to keep their attention and get your message across
