Tools and tips for quick, slick presentations
BY CHUCK GREEN People in computer ads make life and death presentations without breaking a sweat. I hate people in computer ads. For real people, at least most of the ones I know, making a big presentation is a daunting task. You must know your material inside and out, practice until at least four in the morning, and if you plan to use visuals, design images that supplement, not circumvent your presentation.
There is nothing more striking than a well produced slide. Project one across a twenty foot screen in a darkened auditorium and you'll experience the real power of words and pictures. The image is crystal-clear, the colors are intense and the impact is big, bold and unforgettable. Overheads and video don't even come close.
The effects and production values that cost $100 or more per slide a few short years ago can now be generated from your desktop for fewer than $10. The secret of success is a combination of the right tools, a good script, clear visuals and quality production and duplication.
Choose your weapon
I'll leave it to you to decide among the top presentation software contenders. Adobe Persuasion, Harvard Graphics, Lotus Freelance, Microsoft PowerPoint and others offer an impressive arsenal of features. They not only create output for high-resolution slides, overheads and printouts—they help you outline your presentation, design images, chart data and present the big show, on screen, complete with animation and sound.
Lacking a dedicated program, desktop publishing programs such as QuarkXPress and Adobe PageMaker, and illustration software such as Macromedia FreeHand and Adobe Illustrator can also be used to output high-res slides.
It was less than fifteen years ago that most slides were created by setting type, producing artwork, shooting and striping negatives and adding color. Today, production is dramatically simplified, but the recipe for a good presentation remains the same.
Start with a script
No matter how short or long your presentation, a script or a detailed outline is the first step and the glue that holds things together. By writing out word-for-word what you want to say, you will flesh out ideas and invent the phrases and imagery that make a dull presentation dynamite. Don't try to memorize or read the script for the actual presentation, use it instead as a foundation from which to speak.
As with all types of printed or spoken communications, the message is king. Use the script to present the problem, to offer your solution, to fill in the detail and ask for action.
Compose everything from the audience's point of view, not your own. Lead with a thought that engages the audience. For example, you might ask a rhetorical question, present a customer testimonial or challenge a common misconception.
When you're finished, put your script to the test: Have you addressed the audience about their issues in their terms? Have you presented a clear solution? Have you condensed your story into a few unforgettable ideas?
Illustrate your words and ideas
Once you have a compelling story, the next step is to illustrate it with equally compelling visuals. A good presentation takes advantage of the interplay between what is being said and what is being shown.
To do that, create a separate slide for each basic idea. As you switch from slide to slide, plan to read the slide word-for-word or at least to acknowledge it. If you don't, you'll lose your audience as they read the slide themselves.
Use master pages and guides to establish and maintain the position of basic elements so they don't jump around the screen. It is more than a little distracting when a title or logo suddenly shifts a foot to the right as you change from slide to slide.
Keep your text to no more than 15 or 20 words per slide. Make it a readable size with plenty of breathing room between points. In most cases, one or two fonts is all you'll need. Keep type sizes consistent and don't overuse attributes such as bold, italic, all caps and underlines.
Establish a simple color scheme at the outset and use it throughout the presentation. Then introduce small doses of other colors along the way to add emphasis. You might also try altering the color scheme to highlight an important transition.
Light backgrounds show scratches and dust, so white or light colored text on a dark background color works best.
Use charts, graphs and graphics to clarify information and to explain difficult concepts but don't overdue it. Keep your charts simple and your artwork relevant to the subject. A stack of coins and bills could be considered relevant to a financial presentation. A subtle texture in the background adds visual interest. But little floating boxes and circles or other decorative doodads are distracting and in most cases irrelevant.
Photographs of important people, places and products are often a better way to build your case and break the monotony of text slides. A few carefully chosen images can add real interest and better focus to your presentation.
Produce high-res magic
To produce high resolution 35 millimeter slides, plan to send your files to a service bureau. Your local bureau may have a suitable system or you can try one of the many slides services that advertise nationwide.
They will load your files on a “film recorder” and capture the images on film. Film recorders range in price from $3000 and $80,000 so, as you can imagine, quality varies dramatically. Its a good idea to see samples or do a test run before you commit to output an important presentation.
Some slide services offer two-day turnaround for as little as a few dollars per slide. Duplicates of a portion or all of the same slides can be had for even less.
The most important tip? Talk to a technical expert at your service bureau before you produce your first slide. These folks process slides every day and they have already found and solved most of the problems you might experience using a particular program.
Our local expert, Michael Damrath of Riddick Corporate Marketing (Richmond, VA), contributed to the points above and offers these universal tips:
Define the right printer Find out what type of film recorder your service bureau uses and ask what type of printer to define in your document setup.
Begin with the right page size Set your page size to a standard slide two by three ratio. If you're using a standard 11 inch landscape page, that translates to a page depth of 7.33 inches.
Keep within the image area Depending on the slide mount you're using, keep the text at least a quarter or half inch from the edge so information is not cropped off when you mount the slide.
Provide the right file Many service bureaus prefer that customers send files right from the program rather than PostScript printer files. This allows them to review and change settings that might cause problems.
Slides are a quick, inexpensive and impressive way to make your point. With today's tools and some time-tested methods, you can make presentations that entertain, educate and move people to action.