Today, we're going on an adventure through the treacherous world of PowerPoint, where boring slides lurk around every corner. But fear not, brave presenters! We're here to expose the 7 deadly sins of bad presentations and arm you with the tools to banish boredom and unleash slide greatness!
Sin #1: Perfectionism—The Perilous Pursuit of Pixel Perfection
Have you fallen victim to the dark side of perfectionism? We've all been there, spending hours fine-tuning the tiniest slide details while the clock ticked away. But let's be real—our learners care more about engaging content than pixel-perfect slides. Embrace progress over perfection and channel your energy into becoming an engaging teacher instead of a slide-tweaking maniac!
Sin #2: Rigid Branding—The Tyranny of Visual Shackles
Corporate branding is important, but let's not suffocate creativity in the name of conformity. Break free from the chains of headers, footers, logos and taglines that restrict your canvas. Instead, infuse your slides with personality. Embrace a balance between brand essence (color scheme and voice) and visual expression, ditching unnecessary color bars and freeing your content to shine like a shooting star!
Sin #3: Fancy Fonts—The Font Fiasco
Ah, fancy fonts—the sirens of the slide world. While they may look cool, they can lead to legibility nightmares and compatibility chaos. Stick to tried-and-true fonts like Arial for universal readability. Remember, readability saves lives—well, at least the lives of your audience's eyes!
Sin #4: Reading the Slide—The Curse of the Slide Parrot
Picture this: you're delivering a presentation, and all you do is read the text right off the slide. Yawn! Break free from the curse of the slide parrot and let your slides complement your spoken words. Less text, more conversation! Be the presenter who adds value, not the one who repeats what everyone can already read.
Sin #5: Lists—The Labyrinth of Bullets
Bulleted lists, oh the horror! Rows upon rows of soul-sucking bullets. Break the cycle and discover new ways to visually present information. Engage your audience with captivating visuals that tell stories, spark curiosity, and leave bullets in the dust. It's time to break the chains of the bullet labyrinth, and make each “bullet” its own slide!
Sin #6: Arbitrary Slide Limits—The Myth of Slide Overload
Forget the slide police! There's no limit to the number of slides in your virtual realm. Embrace the freedom to create as many slides as you need, so that each slide has fewer words, making it more visual and captivating. Each slide is a canvas for your creativity and storytelling prowess. So go forth, fearless presenter, and unleash your slide magic without restraint!
Sin #7: Weak Handouts—The Curse of the Boring Companion
Let's banish boring handouts to the depths of the presentation underworld! Don't clutter your slides with handout material. Instead, let your slides shine as visual marvels, while your handouts serve as companions that engage and guide learners with more complex content and blanks to interact with. Keep the energy high, the slide content visual, and let your handouts become invaluable resources for continued learning.
Join the Slide Revolution
The time has come to break free from these deadly sins of PowerPoint! Reflect on the sins that struck a chord with you—how can you become a rebel… in a good way?
