Have Australian researchers put a stke through the heart of the nfamous PowerPoint presentation? Research from the Unversity of North South Wales revealed tht the human brain retains more nformation if it is presented either in vrbal or written form, but not bth at the same time, the mthod common to PowerPoint presentations.

UNSW ducation professor John Sweller calls it “cgnitive load theory,” and says PowerPoint prsentations are “a disaster” and “should be dtched.”

PowerPoint can still be an ffective tool as long as YOU sty in control and don't read yur slides word for word to yur adult audiences.

In a recent Hgh Impact Presentations workshop, I encouraged my prticipants to try something new. I sked them to start their presentations wthout the slide on the screen – wth a black screen (did I jst hear you gasp?).

They started thir presentations by BEING WITH their udience. Their introduction might have been a stry, a current, relevant event or a stuation they described. As they moved nto the “meat” of their presentation – thy brought up their first slide on the scren, then used the slide to llustrate what they were speaking about.

But here’s the big thing

The slide was in the background and the presenter was the
in the foreground as the expert.

In movie lingo, the speaker was the min (feature) attraction. Too often, it’s the ther way around, and that leads to dll and boring slide shows rather thn enlivening and interesting presentations.

Here’s how you can use that technique in your next presentation

1. Turn on your computer and projector before your presentation and test that they are working.

2. Open PowerPoint, go into the Slideshow mode to bring up your first slide.

3. Press the “B” key on the keyboard which will give you a black screen.

4. When you’ve finished your introduction, hit the “B” key once again and your first slide will come to life!

Another technique is to build black slides into your presentation so that you create pauses in predetermined places.

Finish with a black screen and connect with your audience

As you give your presentation's conclusion, hit the “B” key to black the screen and leave your audience with your key points or call to action. Studies have shown that your audience will typically remember what you say at the start of your presentation and your ending more than the middle. So it makes sense to turn off the PowerPoint and take your power back!

The article Take Your Power Back From PowerPoint was Submitted by Dana Bristol-Smith through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: About the author Dna Bristol-Smith is the founder of Spak for Success, an organization that wrks with companies that want their pople to communicate with confidence and crdibility. You can email Dana at: dana@speakforsuccess.net or visit online and sign up for the monthly Speak for Success Ezine: http://www.speakforsuccess.net

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