Four ways to improve PowerPoint Presentations

Lifehacker has an interesting post on Harvard cognitive scientist Stephen M. Kosslyn and his four suggestions to improve Powerpoint Presentations.

The Goldilocks Rule
Present the "just right" amount of data. Never include more information than your audience needs in a visual image.

The Rudolph Rule
Rudolph the reindeer's red nose stood out from the other reindeers' and led them. Even small differences guide your audience to what's important. If you're presenting a piece of relevant data in a list, why not make the data of interest a different color from the list? Or circle it in red?

The Rule of Four
The brain can generally hold only four pieces of visual information simultaneously. Don't ever present more than four things at once.

The Birds of a Feather Rule
Organize information belonging to the same group by giving them similat visual tags -color or shape.

Read On...

Jay, from Bangalore

The Steve Jobs Secret

What is the Steve Jobs secret? He sells the Steak and the sizzle at the same time, says BusinessWeek Communications Coach Carmine Gallo.

How Steve Jobs does it:

1. Set the theme
2. Demonstrate Enthusiasm
3. Provide an outline
4. Make numbers meaningful
5. Try for an unforgettable moment
6. Create visual slides
7. Give 'em a show
8. Don't sweat the small stuff
9. Sell the benefit
10. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse

Read the BusinessWeek article here.

Find an entire chapter on the Steve Jobs keynote here.

Jay, from Bangalore

Business, is communication

Business used to be trading. Business used to be marketing.
Now, business is predominantly communication.

Steve Jobs. Robert Scoble. Seth Godin. Examples abound.

The Steve Jobs keynotes have been a netstopper for some time now.
Presentation Zen has six presentation tips from the Steve Jobs Keynote.

1. Develop rapport with the audience
2. Give them an idea of where you're going
3. Show your enthusiasm
4. It's not about numbers, it's about what the numbers mean
5. Make it visual
6. Save the best for last

Read On...

Jay, from Bangalore