© 2008 Steve Toms >4 possible answers appear here. >Pick the best; click the arrow box. home box >Click home box to return to this screen. >Ready to start? Click the green box Jump to How effective are your PowerPoint skills? Take this short 10-question quiz. Start your quiz by clicking the screen icon below or by clicking on the Slide Show menu and either View Show or From Beginning.

© 2008 Steve Toms What do audiences say is the greatest turn-off when watching a PowerPoint presentation? >Lasts too long. >Too many slides. >Inconsistency from one slide to the next. >Too much information on a slide

© 2008 Steve Toms What information should appear on your final slide in a presentation? >Thank you. >Do you have any questions? >Contact information for obtaining details. >Major benefits of the presentation

© 2008 Steve Toms What’s foremost in the mind of an audience at the beginning of your presentation? >How long will it last and what’s in it for me? >Credibility of the speaker? >What will be covered and how it will be structured? >What do I have to do, and when?

© 2008 Steve Toms What’s the biggest audience turn-off when presented with graphs or charts? >Lack of color and labels. >Tossing too much information at one time. >Waiting too long to make a point. >Not leaving it on the screen long enough

© 2008 Steve Toms How many screens should be included in a 15-minute presentation? > 7 >15 >30 >It depends…

© 2008 Steve Toms What’s the purpose of providing captions for both images and charts? >Gives the audience more to look at. >Uses up empty space on the slide. >Assigns the presenter’s intended meaning. >Ensures the point is made without having to actually say it

© 2008 Steve Toms How much text should appear on 1 screen? >As much as can adequately fit. >Only 3-4 major points. >One-word bullet points are best. >8-10 lines in paragraph form

© 2008 Steve Toms What do audiences say is the most annoying delivery trait of poor presenters? >Not first reading what’s on the screen. >Talking too fast or too slow. >Not moving from behind the podium. >Using the mouse or laser pointer to highlight important information on the screen

© 2008 Steve Toms What color combinations do audiences find the most appealing? >Dark text and light-colored backgrounds. >Text over colorful graphic or photos. >Textured backgrounds with yellow text. >Black backgrounds and white text

© 2008 Steve Toms Where should you stand when delivering a PowerPoint presentation? >To one side of the screen behind a podium. >Directly in front of the screen. >Position should complement what’s being shown. >In front of the screen to be able to point to important information

© 2008 Steve Toms Sorry, try again…

© 2008 Steve Toms Absolutely correct. Effective speakers set up and follow consistent layouts to keep the audience focused (tuned in). Changes in color, type fonts and sizes—even placement of images—should be purposeful. If not, expect to lose the attention of at least half of your audience. This also applies to animation and slide transitions Next question Value-added tip: Fast fly-in and crawls of complete lines of text are annoying. Try fades, wipes, and ascend/descend.

© 2008 Steve Toms Right. The final message you impart should be a review of the big idea and major support points in your presentation. Keep this slide displayed during post-presentation discussions and Question/Answer sessions Next question Value-added tip: Simply reverse your agenda, using the facts and figures that support your major point. End with the first, or primary benefit of the presentation.

© 2008 Steve Toms Spot on. Your audience has 2 major questions: 1.“What’s in this for me?” (Why should I pay attention?) Think of this as formatting the mind for what’s to come. An agenda (roadmap) tells your audience what to expect. 2.“How much of my time will you be taking?” Complete the agenda by saying how long you plan to speak Next question Value-added tip: Going over your allotted time limit is the second-most annoying trait of poor presenters. If you need more time, ask the meeting director or audience for permission.

© 2008 Steve Toms Right again. Never display a complex chart or graph without first preparing your audience for what it’s about to see. (“Let’s look at market share in the form of a pie chart, with our share in blue.”) Data should be presented in chunks*: 3-4 elements at a time Next question *Value-added tip: First build the chart. Then deconstruct it into blocks of 3-4 elements. It’s called “chunking.” It keeps your audience focused on the screen. (Click the link at the bottom of the “Chunking Data” presentation at

© 2008 Steve Toms You’ve got it. There’s no magic number. Presenters who follow the “show it; say it; change it” technique vary the number of slides, depending on how many examples are required to make their point. Want fewer slides? Use entrance>exit animations to layer sets of points, one after the other Next question Value-added tip: Follow the rule of changing something every 30 seconds: tone of voice, movement, asking a question, giving another example. Animating text tips can be found at htm

© 2008 Steve Toms You’ve made your point. If your audience doesn’t share your intended meaning, it will invariably assign its own— and that might not be what you intend. Captions are a must if you plan to hand out printed copies of your slides Next question Value-added tip: Avoid captions by asking audience what an image means. It’s great for discussion and giving others a reason to tune in.

© 2008 Steve Toms Exactly. When your audience senses an ever-expanding list of points on the same screen, it reads ahead. It then tunes out while you’re still discussing the first point. Have more than 4 points? Break them up into groups of 3-4 on separate screens Next question Value-added tip: One-word bullet points are not as effective as 5-7 word phrases. Change the color of bullet points already discussed so the audience stays focused on the current point. Tips to do this at

© 2008 Steve Toms Ingenious. If you don’t first read what’s on the screen your audience wonders whether to read the screen, watch you, or tune out. Most tune out. When you want the attention on you, nothing should be happening on the screen, such as unread text or new images. See the value-added tip below about black screens. “Show it; say it; change it.” Next question Value-added tip: Want a fast method to make the audience look at you? Hit the Shift+B key to make the screen go black. When you’re ready to return to the screen, hit Shift+B again.

© 2008 Steve Toms Most accurate. The key is contrast. Everyone reads documents and periodicals in this format, usually black ink on white paper. We start at the top, reading left-to-right, top-to-bottom. Failure to follow this format results in as much as a 50% reduction in comprehension Next question Value-added tip: Readership studies confirm that reverse text boxes (light type over dark backgrounds) are more difficult to read. In fact, audiences tend to skip them altogether.

© 2008 Steve Toms You’ve done it. Purposeful movement is a key to keeping or regaining the attention of your audience. Never stay in the same place too long (invoke the 30-second rule). Move towards audience members who appear to have tuned out: it usually brings them right back into the action. Another way to regain attention: stop speaking. Silence really is golden How did you do? Value-added tip: Want to know what needs revision? Deliver your presentation to a group. Give someone a printed copy of your slides. Ask them to circle the specific slide element whenever several audience members tune out. If your PowerPoint support person doesn’t know how to fix it, consult a professional.

© 2008 Steve Toms Congratulations! If you answered 8 or more on the first click, you should be teaching PowerPoint workshops. >Correctly answered 5-8? You’re ready for an advanced or coaching workshop to fine-tune your presentation style. >Correctly answered fewer than 5? Time for a refresher on basic skills designed to make you an effective presenter. >Question or comment? Steve. Steve >End this quiz. As a reward for completing this quiz, click the blue box at the lower right.

© 2008 Steve Toms Advanced skills and coaching sessions focus on refining unique presentation styles. > 1-5 participants having successfully completed PowerPoint Master Class > Participants have existing presentations they wish to refine > 2 sessions on 2 different days, ranging from 4-8 hours/session > From $2,500 (for 5 participants) to $5,000 for individuals Want to know more? End this quiz PowerPoint is merely a tool. Effective presenters deserve tips to custom-tailor their presentations to match their personalities. As a reward for completing this quiz, click the blue box at the lower right.

© 2008 Steve Toms PowerPoint Master Class covers the basics and focuses on the bells and whistles. > 7-15 attendees; 4-hour session at client’s office on weekends, evenings, or extended lunch periods > Attendees have working knowledge of PowerPoint; bring notebook computers > Workshops are hands-on and skill-building, focused manipulating text/graphics and delivery > Topics and timing dictate the rate Want to know more? End this quiz Research support Those successfully completing this class are eligible for private coaching sessions. As a reward for completing this quiz, click the blue box at the lower right.

© 2008 Steve Toms Value-added resources—just for you. Click here Click here for FREE on-line PowerPoint tips, including a step-by-step guide to basic animation. Some of the 13 shortcuts: > How to fade text in and out between bullet points > How to order animation sequences > How to play music continuously over several slides > How to animate complex charts End presentation Click box to retake quiz