Next month I’ll be speaking at Matt Bacak’s live event in Atlanta. I hope you will join me there, if at all possible, so that I can meet you in person and connect with you.
I was ready to give my presentation from my notes, but it turns out they want the speakers to use a PowerPoint. I hadn’t taught PowerPoint since I was a classroom teacher, so I opened the program to see how I could make it more professional.
After a couple of hours, I realized I needed to watch one of Jim Edwards webinars again. I’m in Jim’s monthly membership program, and a few months ago he taught a two hour webinar on creating a killer Powerpoint. At the time, I didn’t watch it because I didn’t think I would ever need it. Now I am very glad I am still in his program. This is not the first time Jim’s training has made a huge difference in my own online business.
I created most of my presentation while watching his webinar. This made it simple to apply the tips and techniques he was teaching, saving me time and frustration. Preparing a professional presentation is very different from teaching students how to use it to give an oral report in the classroom. I just have to add a few more slides and I will have included all of the information I want to share with my live audience.
Powerpoint has been given a bad rap for years now, but if you attend live conferences as often as I do you will see that some of the most respected speakers always share their information using this method. If it is done correctly, a Powerpoint presentation will get your message across to your audience clearly and succinctly, while giving you the opportunity to interact and answer questions throughout your presentation. This presentation method also allows you to position yourself as an expert on your niche topic.
Just like the web, PowerPoint has advanced. With its ability to use Flash and video, it can give you a powerful presentation advantage. If you choose to do the obvious and just project the words you are speaking, you loose the advantage of multimedia. Remember that people learn in different ways and that images, sounds (including music) and colors added to your words can make it more memorable for each person, regardless of learnings method. You also can leave vital contact information, such as a web address, in front of their faces long enough for audience members to learn it. Again, just as with your presentation, it must be done well.