{"id":2697,"date":"2022-06-17T08:07:41","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T06:07:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redelandschaften.de\/?p=2697"},"modified":"2025-08-24T07:30:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T05:30:34","slug":"use-power-to-get-to-the-point-with-your-presentation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drstephenwagner.com\/en\/use-power-to-get-to-the-point-with-your-presentation\/","title":{"rendered":"Use Power to get to the Point with your Presentation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Great visuals capture attention. But the full impact often comes in revealing something surprising about it. At the same time, many people mistake PowerPoint as a script to read content during their presentation. In this blog we will highlight some of the major mistakes using PowerPoint, at the same time demonstrating the real power of how to get to the point with your presentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Intelligent content needs an emotional implementation. Communicate rational facts emotionally, since data leads to judgements, not decisions. When logic meets emotion, messages are not only heard but also understood.<\/span><\/p>\n

If using PowerPoint or any other presentation software, you should work with photos and images: Emotional and colorful visuals are more likely to be noticed than plain text. Large letters attract attention and cause a faster, longer, and more emotionally loaded audience reaction compared to small fonts.<\/span><\/p>\n

What do you reveal in your first Slide?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Compare the two following slides and decide which one raises audience attention. The first slide is too colorful and not consistent in terms of style and font. Do we really need to include each single institution and sponsor? While this might be requested by your organizations, it is of no extra value from a pure presentation perspective. The second slide reduces information to a minimum, mentioning both speech title and speaker combined with an impactful image.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The latter is to be discussed: You may prefer a more factual approach in a business context or while defending your PhD thesis. On the other hand, the illustrated slide creates a more emotional effect and might be appropriate for informal event or a Science Slam. Another aspect to consider is title length: Especially research titles are too detailed. I suggest using a short, catchy title. If appropriate, combine it with a more precise subtitle including key expressions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clean up your Slides: Maps are Storytellers<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The next slide is cluttered with unnecessary information. We do not need to share exact locations of research sites in a presentation. Map descriptions are of no extra value either. Even the title \u201cResearch Area\u201d is redundant since we can mention it verbally. In the example at hand, I suggest enlarging the map to the full slide while removing table and figure descriptions without substitution. Depending on the target audience, we do not even need to share the research area as being a part of Spain. It might be appropriate at an international congress or while presenting outside Europe, but it is redundant in Western Europe and definitely in Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Tables out, Visuals in!<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Some presentations highlight detailed results in complex tables. Those who see the following table for the first time will need some time to read in and see all the details.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As a presenter you are however challenged to ensure that your audience can quickly grasp your content. Tables might be fine for your PhD thesis and publications, while a visual presentation should translate complex information in a stepwise approach. For the following visual slide, you may want to start with the image and location before highlighting the main results (here: a graph of CaCO3<\/sub> contents in soil). After explaining those results, you can also include a brief conclusion as on the top of this slide.<\/span><\/p>\n

Images not Text on Slides: Less is more<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The following two slides have been discussed in a former blog contribution already:<\/span> https:\/\/redelandschaften.de\/en\/present-with-pechakucha\/<\/a><\/p>\n

What stands out on the first of these slides are at least four aspects, highlighting some common mistakes regarding presentation slides:<\/span><\/p>\n

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