Whether your speaking to small, intimate groups or large audiences in a conference setting, PowerPoint presentations are an excellent aid for sharing your message. But they should be just that, an aid. Your audience is interested in you…your ideas…your message, so let’s make sure it doesn’t get lost.
Before putting any words on your slides, take the time to draft an outline. Is it succinct while still providing room to hit each of your main message points? Does it have a clear progression through the information that supports your story? Did you edit it down, once…twice…three times? If you answered yes, then your ready to start writing.
Now the next step is very important. As you write your content keep in mind that you are the main focus of the presentation, not your PowerPoint slides. Your slides should support you without taking attention away from you. Here are some simple tips to keep in mind as you write:
Keep your words to a minimum by punctuating your points, not writing them as full sentences
When showing charts and graphs of numerical data, be clean and keep graphical effects to a minimum
Make sure your audience can see your content by choosing a large enough point size for your text
Create more impact with an image instead of defaulting to using a slide of bullets
These quick PowerPoint tips are simple for a reason. There is an overwhelming amount of guidelines online, many of which are excellent. But when your under the gun to create a presentation fast, you can easily get lost researching and lose track of “creating”. So think about your next presentation, is there a lot riding on it? If you applied the basics outlined here but feel you need more design experience to engage your audience, you may want to consult the help of a professional team.
It starts with a phone call. We have a deadline and a few details. Can we do it? Check the production schedule, assemble the designers and developers, buy some pizza. Yes, we can do it! Tight deadlines often require compressing our typical work flow. Our team prides itself in listening to client story, extrapolating the message and focusing on the set objective. We have an established process that keeps us on track.
Polishing scripts while preparing artwork will be tricky, we know there may be some adjustments down the line but that is part of the process. Having a lead designer (LD) prepare artwork for developers ensures uniform style and a smooth streamline into production. Flash development starts slowly but builds momentum as we begin to share assets and motion techniques. Assigning a project manager (PM) with a nose for details keeps everything flowing in the right direction. Compressing a time line does not mean we skim over details. When each section of the project is finished our review team, account manager, PM, LD and creative director, critique the product. We know from experience there will be at least one round of tweaks before we present to the client. It is critical part of our process to ensure that we have met the high standards we have in place for each of our assignments.
Once the edit cycle is complete we post our files to a central location for deployment. How long does it take to convert these files to the final video format? “Do the math”, a favorite phrase around here, alerts our video producer to gear up for some weekend work. On Monday morning we push 14 videos to the client. Everyone take a deep breath, edits will be in tomorrow.
iPhone released their Sketches application this fall that allows users to “sketch” on their Apple devices. Apple advertises the application as a way to keep digital notes on your iPhone or iPod touch simply by drawing on the screen using your fingers. However, Sketches has quickly been picked up by artists and taken to the next level. Today in Art recently wrote a post featuring some of the extraordinary works of art that are being digitally created using the application.
Here were a few of my favorites:
iCoke
Jorge Colombo iPhone Drawings
Traveling Salesman
With art going increasingly digital, one has to ask how long real canvas will be the traditional medium? The works above simulate brushstrokes, and if I may say so, do a really good job of it. Do you think that digital art will soon take over traditional methods? Is that a good thing?
Engaging presentations are crucial for successfully captivating an audience. You have a lot to say, and all of it is good. But while it’s easy to fill your slides with text, it can be challenging to visualize that text into a presentation that promotes your message. So we would like to share with you some inspiration and some fundamental presentation guidelines, both from our own portfolio and from Slideshare, a San-Francisco based company that provides a platform for businesses and professionals to share their presentations online.
SlideShare recently announced winners for the ‘World’s Best Presentation of 2009′ and I have to say, the winning presentations certainly grab your attention. Among them are Dan Roam and Dr Tony Jones’ collaboration called “American Health Care: a 4-Napkin Explanation.” Voted as the winner of Slideshare’s Best Presentation of 2009. It’s clever, simple to understand and far shorter than reading the written health bills.
Let us know how we can help you improve your presentations. Check out our portfolio of completed projects.
Business Week's "The 21 Heroes of Data Visualization"
Turning information and complex concepts into intelligent design is part of what CGI interactive does daily. However, in the recent months, data visualization has become a greater topic of discussion.
In a recent article by BusinessWeek they profiled “21 Heroes of Data Visualization.” Included in this mix are Paul Prudence, Pedro Monteiro, and Brandon Martin-Anderson. Through data visualization they have been able to make maps, oil pricing, and sound frequencies look not just pretty…but pretty amazing. Not only are they appealing to the eye, but they hold valuable information. And it seems, this is just the beginning.
In recent weeks clients have been discussing the idea of data visualization and how they can integrate it into their marketing plans. Some recent examples I have seen include: http://www.wefeelfine.org/ and www.flickervision.com. Both of these sites apply data taken from the Internet and create a single hub of information through graphic representation.
Earlier this year, the talented creative team at CGI released the “Good Earth”. A site which takes inspiring news from around the world and presents it through a single, accessible platform: www.cgiinteractive.com/OurGoodEarth
Where do you see data visualization going in the next year? How can companies use it to start conversations about their brand and products?
