modeldocs CHAPTER 13DES IGN ING AND DEL IVER ING BUS INESS PRESENTAT IONS

17

Figure 13-1 Selecting an Appropriate Presentation Visual

• Provide detailed information that audience can examine closely

• Extend a presentation by providing resources for later use

• Reduce the need for note taking and aid in audience retention

• Can divert audience’s attention from the speaker

• Can be expensive

• Facilitate interaction

• Are easy to use

• Are inexpensive if traditional units are used

• Require turning speaker’s back to audience

• Are cumbersome to transport, can be messy and not professional looking

• Are not reusable, provide no hard copy, and must be developed on-site if traditional units are used

• Are simple to prepare and use

• Allow versatile use; prepare beforehand or while speaking

• Are inexpensive and readily available

• Are not easily updated and are awkward to use

• Must have special acetate sheets and markers unless using a document camera

• Pose potential for equipment failure

• Are useful to demonstrate an idea

• Can compete with the speaker for attention

V I S U A L A D V A N T A G E S L I M I T A T I O N S

HANDOUTS

BOARDS ANDFLIP CHARTS

OVERHEADTRANSPARENCIES

ELEC TRONICPRESENTATIONS

35MM SLIDES

MODELS OR PHYSICALOBJEC TS

P a r t 2 : P l a n n i n g 18

Figure 13-2 Writing Effective Slide Content: Poor (left) and Good (right) Examples

Humor• Important element in any presentation

• Easy connection with the audience

• Gets attention

• Alleviates boredom

• Reduction of mental tension• Discourages con�ect

• Enhances comprehension

• Shouldn’t embarrass people• Ethnic jokes are inappropriate• Profane language is de�nitely not recommended

Value of Humorin a Presentation

• Establishes a connection with the audience

• Increases audience’s willingness to listen

• Makes message more understandable and memorable

• Alleviates negativity associated with sensitive subjects

The revised slide

• Includes a descriptive title that captures major idea of slide—as value of humor.

• Omits items unrelated to value of humor. Specifi cally, “important element in any presentation” is a verbal transition, not needed on slide, “shouldn’t embarrass people” and related subpoints will appear on a separate slide focusing on tips for using humor.

• Collapses remaining content into a few memorable points that use parallel structure for clarity and grammatical accuracy (singular action verbs).

• Proofreads carefully to avoid misspellings that damage credibility, such as ”confl ect” in original slide.

Figure 13-3 Engaging Conceptual Slide Design: Poor (left) and Good (right) Examples

Business Presentations

Rated boring andunbearable in a surveyof 200 U.S. corporatevice presidents

How Well Do BusinessPresentations Measure Up?

Survey of 200 corporate vice presidents, 2005

Boring andunbearable

Boring andunbearable

The revised slide

• Uses descriptive title that captures central idea of dissatisfaction with typical business presentation.

• Selects images that imply intended message—ineffectiveness of business presenters; enlarges images for slide appeal and balance.

• Pares text to emphasize central idea and eliminates bullet as bulleted list must have at least two items.

• Moves source to less prominent slide position to add credibility to research data while keeping focus on central idea.