Presenter Tip: When necessary, use words

There’s a quote out there from St. Francis of Assisi where I’m told he said, Preach the Gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words.

I think we presenters could learn something here.

Isn’t it funny that we often feel like the more words we can pack on a slide, the more intelligent we’ll come off?

Isn’t it funny that we often feel like the more words we can pack on a slide, the more intelligent we’ll come off?

I just got off a web conference by an industry analyst (I won’t say which industry or which analyst). Most every slide was packed (and I mean top to bottom) with words.

I fell into sort of a visual drunken word daze as my eyes glossed over the mirage-like black and white and the monotone of the speaker murmured like a lullaby, soothingly luring me to lay my head on my desk.

I resisted, however.

Instead, I thought I’d share my reaction in hopes that we can all do better at presenting.

I’m not saying that I’ve got the whole presentation thing down, but I think it’s fair to say that if we have a powerful rich media solution for our webcasting or training needs, we should do our best to make it work for us.

My Tip

So my tip for us is this: Use images that make your points, so your words don’t have to.

Use images that make your points, so your words don’t have to.

That, or buy stock in Starbucks.

What tips could you offer to make slides (or presentations) more engaging?