Slides to Avoid: The Unused
February 25, 2007 Filed in: Slides to
Avoid
We've probably all seen this happen: The speaker has
either not made good use of his or her time, or the
presentation is actually designed for a different
time allotment than that given in the current
situation. Suddenly, the speaker turns to face the
screen and begins clicking through slides and bullet
points, either just reading the headers to the
(literate) audience or making no comment at all.
If you are rapidly skipping slides, you are sending your audience mixed messages. This material is obviously important enough to include on the slides, but it's trivial enough to skip. Only you know what the real importance is to your talk, and that will affect how you handle these slides during preparation.
If all of your slides are important, then you need to be practicing your talk to make sure your timing allows all the material to be covered. It sounds elementary, but practice is a very important element for a good talk. On the other hand, if you know you aren't going to be using these slides, remove them from the presentation entirely. Create long versions and short versions of your deck if you know you'll be presenting the material differently in different settings.
Skipping through slides effectively pulls your audience out of the attention they were giving you. You want your talk to be a smooth experience for your audience. Skipping disrupts the flow. It's something we are used to seeing, but commonality does not make it a good practice. Get your timing down ahead of time, or remove slides as needed. Keep your presentation as fluid an experience as possible for your listeners.
If you are rapidly skipping slides, you are sending your audience mixed messages. This material is obviously important enough to include on the slides, but it's trivial enough to skip. Only you know what the real importance is to your talk, and that will affect how you handle these slides during preparation.
If all of your slides are important, then you need to be practicing your talk to make sure your timing allows all the material to be covered. It sounds elementary, but practice is a very important element for a good talk. On the other hand, if you know you aren't going to be using these slides, remove them from the presentation entirely. Create long versions and short versions of your deck if you know you'll be presenting the material differently in different settings.
Skipping through slides effectively pulls your audience out of the attention they were giving you. You want your talk to be a smooth experience for your audience. Skipping disrupts the flow. It's something we are used to seeing, but commonality does not make it a good practice. Get your timing down ahead of time, or remove slides as needed. Keep your presentation as fluid an experience as possible for your listeners.