The biggest problem with most presentations: They're too long, have too many slides, and the type on those slides is so tiny that the people on the front row struggle to read it.
So try following Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint. Guy's a brilliant thinker and a venture capitalist, who has had to listen to far too many bad presentations.
The rule: A PowerPoint presentation should have no more than 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes and contain no type font smaller than 30 point.
Only 10 slides? If it takes more than 10 slides to make your point, then you probably don't have a point to make.
20 minutes? Keep the presentation tight. You'll keep the audience's attention. And if you have an hour for your presentation, that leaves 40 minutes for questions and answers - which is where the real work gets done.
30-point type? Most folks cram too many words on a slide. Besides being too small to read, it also tells the listener that you really don't know the subject. Plus, older readers can't read small type. If 30-point doesn't work for you, then use this rule of thumb: Find out the age of the oldest person in your audience and divide the age by two. That's your optimal font size.
Read Guy's blog to find out more.
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