Stop Death by PowerPoint

Training professionals earn a living by motivating and supporting change. And to master their presentation and speaking skills, they often enlist the help of presentation coaches and software such as PowerPoint. But PowerPoint and the world around contain hidden traps that reduce the effectiveness of almost every presentation. The following five tips offer suggestions to keep the next presentation on target and on your participants' minds: 1. Give the attendees something to keep them engaged. 2. Prepare the presentation first and use it to guide the written report. 3. Limit the amount of time you spend on each slide to between 30 seconds and 60 seconds. 4. Script each slide, but do not read it. 5. Start the presentation before they arrive and finish it after they leave.