Jan 16 2010

How to Keep Your PowerPoint Creativity Flowing

Must...finish...this...presentation (c) Shutterstock

Must...finish...this...presentation. (c) Shutterstock

It’s getting late, and you’re the last one in the office besides the late-night cleaning crew. With the soft buzz of a distant vacuum in your ear, you wonder how you’re going to bring everything together in time for tomorrow’s big presentation. You stare blankly at the empty slide in front of you, thinking just a few more slides and you’ll be done. Two hours later, tired and hungry, you’ve made some progress (if you call one mediocre slide progress) and even the cleaning crew has gone home now. Continue reading “How to Keep Your PowerPoint Creativity Flowing”

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Oct 24 2009

Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Five

No more sloppy bullet points!

No more sloppy bullet points! (c) Shutterstock

Well, we finally arrived at the last day of my Bullet Point Boot Camp. We’ve covered several different topics:

On this last day, I’m going to finish up the last two topics related to bullet points — content and delivery. Continue reading “Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Five”

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Oct 13 2009

Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Four

Like real bullets, it's not as fun to be on the receiving end of bullet points.

Like real bullets, it's frequently not as fun to be on the receiving end of bullet points. (c)Shutterstock

You’ve survived the first three days of Bullet Point Boot Camp (day one, day two, day three), and now we turn our attention to a popular and controversial topic — the appropriate usage and text density of bullet points.

FACT: Presenters like bullet points more than audiences do. Bullet points can be relatively easy to pull together. You can do a brain dump into your slides, and then the bullet points serve as a helpful guide/outline for your key points as you present them. Continue reading “Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Four”

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Sep 21 2009

Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Three

Messy desk

Messy desks or decks? (c)ShutterStock

On the first and second days, I covered consistency and the actual bullets. Now I’m going to turn my focus to bullet point layout and structure. Before I dive into this area, take a moment to think about your desk. What does it look like? Is it cluttered or clean? Continue reading “Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Three”

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Sep 15 2009

Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Two

Like makeup, bullet points should be noticeable but not distracting.

Like makeup, bullet points should be noticeable but not distracting.

On the first day of Bullet Point Boot Camp, I covered consistency in relation to bullet points. Before we get into more meaty topics surrounding bullet points, I didn’t want to ignore the actual bullet points themselves and how they can become problematic if you’re not careful with them.

Like make-up, the actual bullet points in your presentation should be noticeable but not distracting. You want people to be able to easily scan your main points and not be diverted by dysfunctional bullet points. Continue reading “Bullet Point Boot Camp – Day Two”

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