Sebastian was kind enough to share his presentation tips with me, so I thought I would post them here for all to enjoy. Who knows, maybe someone will be inspired to create their own ultimate (or worst) TEDTalk and find themselves on the front page of TED.com like Sebastian did.

Lies, damned lies and statistics (about TEDTalks)

For starters, here is Sebastian’s TEDTalk for those of you who have yet to see it. It’s only six minutes long, so I highly recommend watching it now.

(Click Here if you can’t see the video)

Presentation Software and Design…

Sebastian used PowerPoint for his presentation software, and took the time to create his own theme and color palette based off the “pen-on-paper” look he was going for.

The font is a commercial font from Linotype called Linotype Feltpen — it’s not a free font but he was willing to pay extra for something unique.

Custom Drawings…

According to Sebastian, all the graphics were done in PowerPoint and took a lot of time and energy to create. Take for example the following “drawing” — the figurine isn’t actually a drawing at all, but instead it’s a combination of free-form shapes and Linotype Feltpen font characters:

More free form shapes are found throughout the presentation including arrows, arcs, and highlighting circles that are reminiscent of the old Intel logo.

Slide Transitions and Animations…

Unfortunately not all animations are shown in the video, but you can catch a few of them when the camera shows Sebastian and his slides on stage. Sebastian used a variety of fades, slide pushes, and motion paths to fit large drawings and oversized content onto a single slide.

I’ve embedded an example where a push transition is used to introduce the slide, and is followed by motion paths to introduce the various parts of the chart. If the Quicktime animation fails to show below, then you can download the Quicktime file to view it: Slide_Animation.mov (~400Kb in size)

Preparation and Advice…

Sebastian spent four hours and 10-20 iterations to get the slides and story to their final form, and an additional four hours were spent practicing the final version. In total, eight hours were spent to get the delivery just right which is pretty incredible for a six minute talk.

Although Sebastian didn’t consult any particular resources for this presentation, he does follow Presentation Zen and has read Slideology for inspiration and advice.

As for his own advice, Sebastian offers this tip:

Be ready to ruthlessly remove anything from the presentation which doesn’t serve its purpose. This is much harder than it might sound, especially if you think it is a nice idea or something you are passionate about.

In Conclusion…

As always I hope this information is useful, and I hope it inspires you to take your presentation to the next level. Last but not least, here’s the TEDPad that Sebastian developed just in case you want to take a shot at creating the ultimate or worst TEDTalk possible.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

There are two things that send me over the edge when it comes to slideshow design, the first is generic circa 1995 slideshow templates and the second is unusable slide real estate. There’s nothing I can do to eliminate generic slideshow templates other than to tell you to avoid them like the plague, but there is definitely a lot you can do to combat wasted slide space.

Keep in mind that I’m not here to pick on companies or organizations who have opted to let their branding take precedence over practicality, but rather I’m here to tell you that you can brandify your slides without having to sacrifice slide space.

Ignite Phoenix Slideshow “Before”

During my tour as the Ignite Phoenix Slideshow Guru, one of my main goals was to give presenters more slide real estate to play around with while keeping the Ignite brand intact.

The standard Ignite slideshow template served its purpose, but adding full screen landscape or portrait images was problematic without cropping out large parts of the image (as shown below). Even worse, it left the slideshow creator wondering if they should ditch the theme altogether, or cram their content into the remaining free space.

Ignite Phoenix Slideshow “After”

After trying to figure out how to best accommodate the Ignite and O’Reilly logos, I came up with the following slide design.

The design isn’t perfect, but it does allow users to utilize more slideshow real estate versus the original design. There are still problems when featuring a large image in a portrait layout and the logo is definitely smaller than before, but a large projection screen usually takes care of the latter problem.

In addition, Keynote users can opt to allow objects on the slide to layer with the master slide, allowing the bottom Ignite bar to layer on top of an image and act as a watermark of sorts. The O’Reilly logo is also a text placeholder where presenters can add their Twitter handle if they so desire. Last but not least, the center section of the bar can be used as a place to add photo credit.

Unfortunately, PowerPoint doesn’t allow objects on the master slide to layer with objects on a regular slide, but crafty PowerPoint users can easily copy and paste the Ignite bar into their regular slides if layering is something they need.

Ignite Slideshow Template Downloads

The Ignite Slideshow Template files (found below) have been tested on the latest versions of Keynote and PowerPoint, but may require some tweaking on older versions of the aforementioned software. Also, the PowerPoint file was tested on Windows XP but may require some tweaking on Mac versions of PowerPoint due to the differences in the way PCs and Macs render fonts.

• Keynote Light and Dark Ignite Slideshow Template (Zip File)
• PowerPoint Light and Dark Ignite Slideshow Template (Zip File)

You’re more than welcome to download the templates and take them for a test drive, and I highly encourage you to adapt them to your own particular situation — feel free to send some link love my way as well if you’re feeling generous.

Speaking of link love, I would like to thank the following designers for allowing me to use their creations to construct this theme:

• A Little Motivation by Spargett (used for the dark background)
• Fine Aluminum via iStockphoto (used for the light background)

I’m hoping the slideshow templates serve as inspiration for your own themes, and feel free to share any other useful and inspirational slideshow themes in the comments below.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

photo credit: jessi.bryan on Flickr

Post Scriptum: Organizers of local Ignite events can swap out the Ignite logo with their own custom logo. You can obtain the logo file from the O’Reilly Ignite-in-a-Box package that is sent to organizers who request it — the font used in the Ignite logo is called Insignia.

Microsoft is king when it comes to over-engineering applications, and this everything but the kitchen sink philosophy has resulted in some interesting uses for PowerPoint.

As you already know PowerPoint can be used to create Twitter backgrounds and bore unsuspecting coworkers into a coma, but did you know that it can also be used for the following?

PowerPoint Resume Design

Productivity expert and graphic designer David Seah has an awesome tutorial that shows you how to design a killer resume using PowerPoint.

The great thing about David’s tutorial is that it’s based on his own resume, which was designed after scanning through 100+ resumes to see what did and didn’t work with existing designs.

PowerPoint Movies

I found this video via PowerPoint Heaven and can only assume that it took a lot of work to create, so I would advise against doing something this elaborate unless you’re a glutton for punishment. What you could do is use images and PowerPoint’s animation tools to create a simple tutorial, banner ad, or informational video for your site.

If you’re a PC, you can use a free trial of Techsmith’s Camtasia to create your video; and if you’re a Mac, then just use the Save As Movie… option in PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Vector Photo Editor

Vector graphics are usually reserved for apps like Illustrator and FreeHand, but this tutorial from Mark Normand shows you how to create vector graphics using PowerPoint.

Of course, you won’t be able to save the graphics in a vector format (e.g. AI, SVG), but you could easily create the effect in your presentation or on your site.

Interactive 3D Objects

High School student Lauren Johnson created this interactive 3D plant cell for a class project in 7th grade. According to Lauren,

I used action buttons, triggers, and other settings, and hyperlinks to create interactivity. By just clicking on an organelle inside of a plant cell, one can see the name of that organelle. Then, by clicking on the name of the organelle, the viewer can see more detail. Here I used animation effects (entrance, exit, and motion paths) to demonstrate how the organelles work.

Lauren’s original file can be downloaded by individuals running a genuine copy of PowerPoint 2007, but non 2007 user can visit Mark’s tutorial on creating 3D people for business graphics as a primer.

PowerPoint Art

I’ve always maintained that PowerPoint is not a substitute for Photoshop, but examples like Jerry’s PowerPoint Apple are seriously making me reconsider my position.

Jerry has created a basic PowerPoint art tutorial that shows you how to use PowerPoint’s curve and formatting tools to create your own works of art. You can also find the PowerPoint Apple file from above on Jerry’s PowerPoint Heaven profile.

In Conclusion…

PowerPoint isn’t putting graphic designers out of work anytime soon, but it’s definitely a tool to take advantage of when you don’t have access to programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, FreeHand, or InDesign.

By the way, feel free to leave a comment with any uncommon uses for PowerPoint that you’ve discovered!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

If your slide shows have lost their mojo, then this blog post is for you! Unfortunately, we fall victim to bad slide shows on a regular basis, and I’ve concluded that this lack of inspiration leads us to create dull slide shows of our own. Of course, my theory is completely unfounded and it’s something I concocted on the spot, yet being inspired wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, right?

Anyway, here are a few inspirational slide shows that will hopefully spark some creativity in your next design and get you thinking outside the slide!

How To Make A Tangible Product In Phoenix by Dean Heckler

Dean is a technical consultant and software designer, and in his spare time he runs Heckler Design which creates awesome products like the OneLessDesk. Dean’s presentation is actually 95% text, so what stands out the most is how he avoids bulleted lists and uses color to emphasize certain words. This particular presentation was given at the October 29th, 2008 Ignite Phoenix #2 event and you can watch a video of the presentation by clicking here.

• Presentation Software: Apple’s iWork Keynote
• Presentation Font: Helvetica Neue (Condensed Bold)

Surviving Your Commute by Daniel Davis

Daniel Davis of Steam Crow is a local Phoenix illustrator and designer. In 2008, he launched a daily web comic called the “Monster Commute” which chronicles life on an endless monster freeway; you can view his comic by visiting http://steamcrow.com and you can watch video of the presentation by clicking here.

• Presentation Software: PDF via Adobe Illustrator and InDesign

Changing the way we look at things by Brian Shaler

Brian Shaler is a Flash Developer who experiments with data visualization and interactive interfaces to find new ways for people to interact with data. This presentation, along with the previous two, was given at the October Ignite Phoenix event and you can watch a video of the presentation by clicking here. What I like about Brian’s presentation is the use of online tools to convey his ideas, which is something anyone can do if they feel that a standard chart is too dull.

• Presentation Software: PDF via Adobe Photoshop

Wufoo Demo by Wufoo.com

I’ve actually mentioned Wufoo on this blog several times in the past and really like this recent slide show they put together. What stands out the most is 1) how nicely they integrated their company branding into their slides, 2) their abundant use of eye catching colors, and 3) their simple text slides. I also like how they used color to differentiate various terms in slide 22.

• Presentation Software: Apple’s iWork Keynote

Educating clients to say yes by Paul Boag

Paul Boag is the co-founder and creative director at Headscape; he also speaks regularly on web design and hosts the longest running and most popular web design podcast over at boagworld.com. This slide show was part of his presentation given at the 2008 Future of Web Design event and you can watch the video from his presentation here.

• Presentation Software: Apple’s iWork Keynote

In Conclusion…

This is by no means a complete list of all the great slide shows out there, but they caught my eye since they’re simple and effective. Now it’s time to hear from you, what great slide shows have you seen and why do you enjoy them? Feel free to leave your answer in the comments below.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

With that in mind, it’s worth taking a look at Brain Shaler’s new Crappy Graph Builder the next time you’re in need of a humorous break to keep your audience from an impending slumber. The Crappy Graph Builder gives users the option to create a custom line graph or Venn diagram complete with axis labels and text inserts. Once you’re done perfecting your crappy graph, you can submit and share your graph with friends and other crappy graph users. If you want to use your graph in a presentation, you can either take a screen capture of your graph and paste it into your presentation, or you can right-click your graph and save the image to your computer then insert it into your presentation.

Of course, it’s worth noting that a crappy graph can be utilized anytime your homework, business plan, thesis, blog, et cetera is in need of some comic relief and/or a unique way to get your point across. Yet regardless of how you decide to utilize this crappy application, it’s definitely a nice tool to keep in mind whenever you need a little humor to liven up your presentation.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Michael Wesch is an assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University, and his “Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing US” video has received more than 1.7 million views on YouTube since it was first added on January 31st, 2007. Professor Wesch runs the Digital Ethnography blog with the help of several KSU students and the result is something along the lines of a Web 2.0 research course where the blog functions like a classroom; the video itself is described as “Web 2.0 in just under 5 minutes.”

I came across the video via Shaun Andrews’ blog (I would’ve found it earlier had I subscribed to Mark’s blog) and while reading the video’s description, I found out that a higher quality version was available for download on MediaFire. Being the obsessive compulsive person I am, I decided to make use of Viddler’s generous 500mb file upload allowance and posted a higher quality version of the video for people to share and enjoy. If you would like to embed the video on your own blog, just copy and paste the embed code shown below to ensure that the video does not appear distorted.

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="476" height="399" id="viddler"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/58bbc59b/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/58bbc59b/" quality="high" width="476" height="399" allowScriptAccess="always" name="viddler"/></object>

Please visit Professor Wesch’s Digital Ethnography blog for a transcript and more information about the video.

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Post Scriptum: The track used in the video is “There’s Nothing Impossible” by Deus and is available for free HERE.

There’s a video by Karl Fisch entitled “Did You Know?” that has been making the rounds since August of 2006. The presentation was originally intended to get the faculty of Arapahoe High School thinking about new and different ways to prepare their students for the world they will be entering after High School. The video has gone viral and Karl has been gracious enough to share all the materials he used to create the presentation, including his data sources.

I caught word of the video through a coworker who directed me to Scott McLeod’s version. Scott removed the Arapahoe H.S. specific slides and reduced the presentation from 8 minutes to 6 minutes. I then took Scott’s version and 1) changed the background and font, 2) reworded a few of the slides, and 3) added an upbeat soundtrack to keep people from fazing out. Please note: although some of the slides are reworded, none of the original information has been modified or changed.

If anyone is interested in using this latest version of the video, all I ask is that you include a link back to this post for the correct embed code. The embed code (shown below) contains the original video dimensions of 476px wide by 356px high. Using different dimensions may cause the video to appear distorted.

<object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="476" height="398" id="viddler"><param name="movie" value="http://www.viddler.com/player/af664400/" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><embed src="http://www.viddler.com/player/af664400/" quality="high" width="476" height="398" allowScriptAccess="always" name="viddler"/></object>

All the credit for the presentation goes to Karl Fish and Scott McLeod, so please visit Karl and Scott’s websites for all the materials and info behind the video.

Karl Fisch’s original post: Did You Know?
Scott McLeod’s original post: Gone Fischin’

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

Would I be brash in proclaiming that Steve Jobs is to presentations what Micheal Jordan is to the game of basketball? I mean the guy has completely rewritten the rules when it comes to creating and delivering a presentation. Gone are slides chocked full of text and bulleted lists, or busy backgrounds and tacky Clip Art. Instead, we get a simple, light font on a dark gradient background, minimal text use, and gorgeous images that must be crafted by graphic designers just for the presentation itself. (I seriously wonder how that works? Does he just call someone up and greet them with a “Hey, I need a close-up shot of some headphones – and make sure the wires are coiled into a perfect circle… and the plug is lint free and polished to a mirror finish, thanks.”)

So I decided to take some screen shots of the slides from the presentation that I thought were worth pointing out…

I’ve used one of these maps in a presentation before, but Steve takes it one step above by using an iPhone icon that is not only a different color than the other smart phone icons, but also a tad bit larger (please bear with me as the screen shots are a bit blurry). Although the size and color doesn’t have an actual value attributed to it, it automatically adds a second and third dimension to help differentiate the iPhone from the rest of the “similar” competition. I also like how he put all the phones on a level playing field by using the same icon and theme for all the phones instead of representing each phone with it’s respective logo. Side note: It’s funny to think how much of an impact a competitive positioning map like this can make when there are no actual values assigned to the x & y axis; you wouldn’t be able to get away with this in all presentations unless you had some supporting data and research to back up your claims – but hey it’s Steve Jobs.

This slide was brilliant and so unexpected. By the way, does anyone know why sarcasm seems to be much more effective in conveying humor than other forms of humor, or is it just a personal preference? Anyway, I’ve noticed that Steve Jobs always seems to catch the audience by surprise with a laugh, which is good considering that attention spans usually run around 20 minutes max during a presentation (if you’re lucky), and most of his presentations seem to run an hour at the minimum.

Okay, I’m cheating a little here since this slide is actually from last year’s September keynote where Jobs introduced the next generation iPod Nano and Shuffle. In this slide, Steve is explaining how 70% of automobiles being produced are iPod ready. What I like most about the slide is the way the percentage is integrated into the image itself, whereas most people would have the text and pictures adjacent to each other. Even the Chrysler 300′s shape seems to fit perfectly in the slide as an SUV would be too tall and an exotic car would be too flat and wide. I guess a Hummer, Scion xB, or Volvo might have worked as well, then again they’re not all iPod ready so there’s my answer.

In my 5 Steps to PowerPoint Presentation Enlightenment, step #1 is to watch Steve Jobs give a presentation. And I think it still holds true especially if you want to break the usual PowerPoint presentation mold that most companies and individuals have conformed to. I know that Steve Jobs spends a lot of time getting his presentations just right, but a good presentation can only help your cause especially if you’re plugging your idea or business concept.

Anyway, I hope this post at least gets you thinking about ways you can enhance your PowerPoint presentations, and if you haven’t had a chance to check out my post about presentation tips, here’s the link:

5 Steps to PowerPoint Presentation Enlightenment

As always, feel free to leave a question or a comment!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur

“The true path to PowerPoint presentation enlightenment is to realize that PowerPoint is a tool that’s intended to enhance your presentation, not deliver your presentation for you or distract from it.”

It sounds obvious, but know this – your audience will begin reading your PowerPoint slide the moment it appears in front of them before you can even begin presenting it. And more often than not, they will finish reading the slide before they begin paying attention to what you’re actually saying. So when PowerPoint is used incorrectly, your audience will already know what you’re going to say before you even say it. Thus, PowerPoint is giving the presentation – not you my friend.

Yet those who have reached PowerPoint presentation enlightenment do not suffer from this destructive PowerPoint tyranny. Instead, they have wrestled back control of their presentations from PowerPoint itself, and eliminated the distractions in the process. Now it is time to summon your inner presentation Shakti and learn how to become one with your PowerPoint presentation – these next 5 steps will show you how…

“5 Steps to PowerPoint Presentation Enlightenment – Wrestling Back Your Presentation from PowerPoint”

STEP #1: Watch Steve Jobs Give a Presentation
Begin your journey down PowerPoint presentation enlightenment by watching Steve’s September 2006 announcement. If anything, catch the first 10 minutes and 1) note the simplicity of the slides and how they effectively and immediately get their point across, and 2) note how the slides emphasize the current point or topic only when Steve turns his attention to them. These are 2 key takeaways which we will explore further in the following steps. (FYI: Although Mr. Jobs does not use PowerPoint himself, you can easily accomplish the same results with PowerPoint – just read on)

STEP #2: Trim the Fat from Your Slides – Less is More!
- Less TEXT is More… Most individuals can only hold 5 to 7 items in short term memory, and as was mentioned before, your audience will read your slides before they begin listening to you. So, you want to ensure that your slides effectively and immediately get their point across. Start by reducing the amount of text on your slides as much as possible. Long lists of bullet points should be avoided at all costs. Instead, utilize brief, “to-the-point”, 2-3 word statements that help reinforce the point you’re making. Do not use complete sentences unless you’re stating a quote or need to keep the original statement accurate. A good rule of thumb is no more that 5 statements and a total of 10 words or less per slide.
- Use an “Easy-To-Read” Font… The extra decorations on serif fonts tend to cause blurring and eyestrain when projected on the big screen. Trim the fat from your fonts by utilizing a sans-serif font for ease of reading.
- Utilize a simple, dark background… Also, try eliminating busy and distracting backgrounds. A light font on a simple, dark background will do two things. First, the dark background will help eliminate glare (and keep your audience from going blind). And second, the dark background will help emphasize the lighter font. Click on the thumbnails below for a quick and dirty tutorial on creating a simple dark background.

STEP #3: Enhance Visual Appeal – Add More Eye Candy!
- Use Pictures… Forgive me for I’m about to spew the most overused and obligatory statement when it comes to pictures, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Yet the old adage is true and in your journey to PowerPoint presentation enlightenment, pictures are a downright necessity.
When possible, use a relevant picture or image to help reinforce your point. For an added bonus, use Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator to add some extra appeal to your images. This particular 3D pie chart was created using Illustrator’s 3D extrude and bevel function. Adobe has 30-day free trials available for download from their site if you’re not looking to purchase new software. There are also some free Photoshop alternatives in GIMP and Paint.NET.

STEP #4: Stop With The Animations – Simply Fade!
No matter how much you’ve grown to love the box, blinds, checkerboard, fly in, and fly out animations, it’s time to let go. No seriously, just put them down and walk away… and don’t turn around. The fact is that these animations are very distracting and a little amateurish in my opinion; they rank up there with animated GIFs and flashing banner ads. Yet if you’re dead set on using some type of animation for your transitions, then settle for a simple yet sexy fade in and fade out. I’ve attached an example (tested on PowerPoint 2003 only) PowerPoint presentation that shows just how nice a fade in and fade out can be, and have included a brief “beginners” tutorial below. Keep in mind that you can also pack more onto a slide by fading in one set of objects while fading out an existing set of objects.

STEP #5: Use a Storyboard – Begin and Finish Strong!
- Tell a Story… Storyboarding is a visual technique used by film and advertising directors to plan out a film or scene. For the budding PowerPoint presenting guru, storyboarding can be used to plan out your key points, visuals/images, and the order in which you present slides. Storyboarding can also ensure that you effectively make use of all the time allotted to you by planning out how many minutes you will spend per slide.
- Begin and Finish Strong… According to the serial position effect, items presented first and last have the best chance of being recalled after your audience has moved on with their lives. Think of it as an opportunity to make a great first and last impression. Use this to your advantage by covering your most important key point at the beginning of your presentation, and restating all your important key points at the end of your presentation.

So now that you’re well on your way to PowerPoint presentation enlightenment, I will give you a few bonus tips to keep you from becoming a distraction after PowerPoint has ceased to do so.

“5 Bonus Tips to Keep YOU From Becoming a Distraction”

BONUS TIP #1: Learn to use PowerPoint
No seriously, I’m not being sarcastic here. If you don’t feel comfortable with PowerPoint, or feel that you are not completely utilizing all the features of PowerPoint, then spend some time tinkering with the program and learning about it. This is a definite must if you’ve ever found yourself completely lost in front of an audience after PowerPoint experienced a hiccup.

BONUS TIP #2: Get a Laptop and Wireless Mouse
Of course this isn’t a necessity, and you might not always have the capability to connect your laptop to the projector being provided, yet there are several benefits to having a laptop and wireless mouse for your own presentation. First, you will be able to practice your actual presentation at home and not have to worry about any compatibility issues between your PowerPoint file and the system it’s being used on. Second, you can use your own purchased/custom fonts that may not be available on all computers. And last but not least, a wireless mouse will keep distractions at a minimum since you don’t have to advance your slides manually with the keyboard/mouse, or ask an assistant to advance the slides for you. Of course, bringing your own equipment might be a pitfall if your laptop or wireless mouse decide to break that day, yet it is something to consider nonetheless.

BONUS TIP #3: Plan Ahead, Memorize and Prepare, and Plan for the Worst!
- Planning Ahead… Always make an effort to find out what equipment will be available, and what options you will have for your presentation. There’s no use in bringing your own laptop if you cannot connect to the projector, and there’s no use in using audio if there are no speakers to play your audio with.
- Memorize and Prepare… If you’ve reached PowerPoint presentation enlightenment, you will quickly realize that your PowerPoint presentation cannot stand on it’s own, so it is up to you to memorize what you’re going to say and practice, practice, practice! Remember, you’re giving the presentation now and not PowerPoint, so no more using PowerPoint as a crutch.
- Plan for the Worst… Of course you can never predict what might go wrong the day of your presentation, so be sure to plan on getting to the location early and having some type of contingency plan if your presentation were to fail on you. At the very least, have a copy of your presentation available with you on a thumbdrive or online in the case that something catastrophic happens.

BONUS TIP #4: Prepare Separate Handouts or Speaker Notes
Again, your newly refined PowerPoint slides will most likely not be understood on their own. So if you plan on handing out copies of your presentation to your audience, supplement your slides with speaker notes to explain what the slide is for. You could also prepare a completely different handout with all your key points and presentation summarized, yet that might more work than it is worth. If anything, your PowerPoint should already have your thoughts written down in the speaker notes, if not, it might be a good idea to start making that a habit. And speaking of habits…

BONUS TIP #5: Stop With Annoying and Distracting Habits, and Start with Good Ones!
In other words:
- Stop reading the slides!
- Stop fidgeting with your hands, the mouse, or things in your pocket!
- Stop saying “um” between every sentence!
- Stop pointing at your slides!
- Stop pacing or rocking back and forth!
…and…
- Start facing your audience at all times.
- Start speaking loudly and clearly.
- Start using good body posture; shoulders back, head high.
- And most of all, start speaking with passion and confidence!

After all, you’re the PowerPoint presentation guru now, so go out there and blow them away with your newfound PowerPoint presentation enlightenment! Have anything to share, say, or add – then feel free to leave a comment!

Sincerely,
The Closet Entrepreneur