Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Presentations: The Do's and Don'ts

Presentations are something that is used in business, in school are several other facets of life. I have made presentations for school since ever since i was young, not to mention the various presentations I made to try and convince my parents to get me things like a puppy when I was in grade school.

In this weeks lesson the do's and don'ts of presentations were explained. If I only knew then what I know now. The lesson this week is not only important for our assignments, but it is useful information that we as ISM students can bring into the real world. 

When composing a presentation the first thing you need to do is create a storyboard. Close your laptop and grab a piece of paper and a pencil and start sketching what exactly it is you want to get across in your presentation. Include pictures, topics, points and anything else you feel is relevant. 

Next look into how you can successfully present your information. Don't put too much text on one page, and don't put a page full of bullet points in your presentation. Instead stretch that page out into separate pages with the bullet point and a visual, for example. Make your readers feel an emotional connection to what you are saying with the non-verbal aspects of your presentation.

Something to be aware of when making your presentation and adding images is not to use copy-righted material. Use websites such as Flicker and Google Images to find non copy-righted material. 

After your material and images are on your presentation, look at the ascetics of it. Make sure it appeals to your target audience. Make sure the colors you have chosen blend well together. To create a custom color theme for your Power Point go to Kuler.com

A couple more do's and don'ts and you will be on your way to having a rockin' presentation. Make sure you chose a font and size that is legible and don't make it move on your page. The idea is to make it so your readers can actually read and understand what you are saying. 

Always remember the 5 rules of presentations by Duarte Design: Treat your audience as king, spread ideas and move people, help them see what your are saying, practice design, not decoration and cultivate healthy relationships. 

Keep all of this in mind and your next presentation is sure to be a successful one!

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