Make It Sizzle! Creating Memorable PowerPoint Presentations

This course focuses on visual and verbal communication techniques that will help participants present more effectively using PowerPoint as a tool. It is not a technical course on how to work with Microsoft's PowerPoint software.

This course will be relevant for anyone who must prepare and/or deliver PowerPoint presentations and who wishes to increase their impact.

Research has shown that presenters using visuals conduct meetings in 28 percent less time and get proposals approved twice as often.

Good visual and oral presentations are essential to business success. Though many people have mastered PowerPoint, few turn out presentations that communicate their core message powerfully.

This one-day course guides learners through the process of designing and delivering an effective PowerPoint presentation.

Using case studies, participants will create a presentation, deliver it to the class, and receive peer feedback. In the process, they will learn the basics of good visual communication and effective delivery.

Participants will have access to additional valuable tips and techniques posted on this website.

This course was originally developed in response to a provincial government request, and has since been expanded, validated, and delivered to other organizations.

 

Upon completing the course, participants will be able to:

• identify the required content of a presentation and organize it effectively
• determine appropriate pacing
• determine optimal slide design, wording, and layout
• ensure continuity and clarity and make hierarchy of ideas obvious throughout
• select an appropriate combination of backgrounds, colours, fonts, and visuals
• list common font, graphics, and animation mistakes to avoid
• construct a short PowerPoint slide show on a specific topic
• import and format supplemental material from Word and Excel
• prepare for and deliver a live presentation that compels audience interest and attention throughout
• use Notes View to create useful participant handout materials quickly and easily
• attend to pre-session details and create a contingency plan
• gain audience rapport and reduce public speaking anxiety
• model effective delivery techniques and identify common mistakes to avoid
• exploit PowerPoint tools that facilitate discussion

Tell me about Pam Blackstone's qualifications...

 

This course lasts 1 day. Course fees include all course materials, printed and online.

The course uses lectures, discovery learning, demonstrations, skills modeling, and case studies to teach concepts and to reinforce learning. Working on their own from one of two case studies, learners will design a short presentation.

Class exercises are incremental, building upon one another as learners progress through the material. As participants learn each new skill, they receive an immediate opportunity to apply it to their presentation.

Later, they will receive an opportunity to deliver their presentation to the class and receive peer and instructor feedback.

Participants should have basic Windows and keyboarding skills.

Familiarity with PowerPoint software is essential. Participants should be able to:

• open, change, and save a PowerPoint file
• create a new PowerPoint document using a PowerPoint template
• add text and graphics to a PowerPoint slide
• format text and objects on a slide
• rearrange the order of slides in a slide show

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