Slide Karaoke is problem #1 with most presentations today. Slide Karaoke is when a presenter puts up a slide with a bunch of text with bullets on it and then proceeds to read each bullet to the audience.
Here’s the problem with Slide Karaoke other than the fact that presenter insults the audience by reading to them like a bunch of schoolchildren. You see, the audience can read about three times as fast as the presenter can speak so the audience finishes reading well before the presenter finishes speaking and then they sit there bored and probably sullen. In fact, if you have been in meetings recently I’ll bet you were a victim of Slide Karaoke.
So how does the Modern Presentation Method help you solve this problem? It’s as simple as 1-2-3.
#1 – Convert Old Slide to a Slide Notes Slide
Take the old slide and move all of the text to a new slide built using the Slide Notes slide layout that is in every template I put up here on the blog. The Slide Notes slides are a hidden slide and won’t project on the screen, they are there to hold the detail. Here is an example of a before and after.
| Before Slide | Converted To Notes Slide |
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#2 – Create a Content Slide and Apply a Layout from the Template
Read the new notes slide and see how many points you are trying to make. In this example, there are only three points. Now all you have to do is add a Content Slide and apply one of the slide layouts that match the number of points you are trying to make. In this case, I applied the 3 Points – Style A layout below. The audience will see this slide as it’s not hidden like the Notes Slide. Here is an example of the layout before and after it is filled out.
| 3 Points – Style A Layout | Layout Filled Out |
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#3 – Spruce up the Content Slide with Graphics
Last, add some graphics to the right of the content that will help the audience remember the key points. In this example, I went into my graphics library (also part of the Modern Presentation Method) and found these three. The final slide looks like this.
The Result
The resulting slide is cleaner and much easier for the audience to understand. They key points jump out at the audience! The graphics take advantage of something called the Picture Superiority Effect, which helps the audience remember the key points for later recall. Last, all of the important detail remains in the slide notes so if you give the PowerPoint deck to the audience as a handout, all of the important details stay with the deck. In other words, problem solved.
Note: I should point out that all of my templates are in 16×9 format. I will add versions in 4×3 in an upcoming post.
Thanks for tuning in.
DK
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