Brian Fugere and several co-authors wrote a great book called Why Entrepreneurs Talk Like Idiots, a look into the terrifying world of corporate language. I’d like to suggest a sequel called Why Business People Create Slides That Put You To Sleep.

You have seen these people. You’ve probably been to their hearings. They have 495 slides that they read to you one by one in a monotone voice with no facial expression and expect you to follow along in a font that even your ophthalmologist couldn’t translate.

For starters, most of us can read on our own, thank you very much. Second, assuming we can read, maybe the presenter should send us the slides and spare us the presentation?

Am I being too sarcastic? Maybe. However, I spend most of my time coaching people through critical presentations and meetings for which they have spent a lot of time designing and perfecting slides, but little to no time thinking about their message. Creating slides is not communicating. According to the English dictionary, communicate means “to converse,” “to impart,” or “to connect.” The only thing that connects most slideshows is the plug that you insert into the socket to run the projector.

So what’s a presenter to do?

Nobody came to see a slide show. Before you create a single slide, think about what you want to say. What do you want people to think, do, know, or feel when you finish speaking? If the slides collapsed, could you still tell the story? If your answer is no, then your message is confusing and you don’t really own your material. Write your talk first, and then create slides that reinforce what you’re saying instead of using your slides as a script.

Talk, don’t read. Reading is for the eyes. Listening is for the ear. It’s important to create slides that speak in phrases, not sentences, so you talk instead of reading. Eliminate words like, if, the, in, on, and of. Instead, use 3-5 words per line to reinforce what you’re saying so people will listen instead of reading the slide. Look for opportunities to reveal the lines to prevent people from reading ahead so you can focus your attention where you want it.

Don’t put everything on the slide. What works in print doesn’t always translate to slides. Your job is to help listeners understand the information. If you clutter the slide too much, they’ll read item Z while you keep talking about item A. Instead of cutting and pasting data from a study, create colorful charts, graphs, and images that highlight the data, evoke emotion, and make the information more relevant. That’s what listeners remember.

Think about the headline. Look at each slide and ask, “What is the headline and what does it mean to the people in the room?” Then think about how to guide them through the information. For example: “Look at the purple box on the left compared to the yellow box on the right. It’s almost twice the size. That means we’ve doubled our profits.” While each slide doesn’t need to stand on its own, it should have a reason for being there, like making a point or driving a message home.

We don’t do it like that here. Just because others chatter doesn’t mean you have to be boring too. Think of each presentation as a great opportunity to inform, persuade, or sell your point of view. If a slide deck has been designed for you, you still need to find ways to personalize the information and create moments your audience will remember. If you’re asked to present every single slide, that doesn’t mean you have to read every point. Provide a general description and tell the audience that the details will be available in writing later.

Hit them on the head. His first words determine whether or not his audience tunes in. So why do people need a slide to tell the audience what they are going to talk about? Don’t you know why you’re here? When they open their mouths, hit them over the head with an engaging story or example that grabs their attention so they understand why you should care. Ask what’s in it for them?

Finally, create slides for the people in the back of the room. Use color, large fonts, and contrast. Remember, every time you talk, you are connected! Find ways to stand out and set the bar a little higher so people are eager to hear what you have to say.

Copyright (c) 2008 Karen Friedman