At least two people in the past week have noticed my lack of blogging and wondered if I'm OK. So, before social services are alerted, I thought I should explain myself.
I'm good thanks.
I've not been blogging because I'm trying to write a book about PowerPoint.
Long-time readers will point out that I've been, sort of, doing that for about 20 years but this time I've got to put it all in one place and actually check the spelling because I've got a proper contract.
And, most excitingly of all, Stef is going to design it. ie it's legit, it's a proper thing.
Even just typing this now makes me realise that I should share more of my progress on here. That'll make it better. I'm going to do that.
In the meantime, here's an outtake. I assumed someone would already have done 'The 48 Laws of PowerPoint' based on, but it seems they haven't.
So here's one:
The 48 Laws of PowerPoint
1. Don’t read the screen*
2. Lists
3. Use lists
4. Lots of lists
5. But 48 items is way too many - who thought this was a good idea?
6. Start with a story
7. End with an ask
8. Fill up the rest with ideas and images
9. Repeat the important things
10. Remove the word ‘key’
11. Make it shorter
12. Repeat the important things
13. Don’t read the screen
14. Arrive early
15. Respect the AV people
16. Be a bit bigger
17. Make it clear, concise and catchy
18. Or freewheeling, unpredictable and magical
19. Just be sure which one you’re doing
20. Repeat the important things
21. Arrive early
22. Double-check the tech
23. What will you do if your slides don’t work?
24. Press B
25. Make something very big
26. Make something very small
27. Make something rhyme
28. Finish on time
29. Actually, finish early
30. Never outshine the master
31. Sorry, wrong list
32. One hour of prep per one minute of talk
33. Repeat the important things
34. Demand change
35. Make it readable
36. Make it accessible
37. Make it memorable
38. Make it bigger
39. Remove the word ‘holistic’
40. No 3D
41. No pies
42. Slow down
43. Speed up
44. Repeat the important things.
45. Start with a story
46. End with a bang
47. Don’t read the screen
48. BANG
*But make sure that people who can't see the screen know what it says. See point 36.
Thank you for the nudge Christian : "...it was just that the common wisdom about presenting is to not read the slides but talk around them, but often that does lead to information just staying up there on the screen but not being spoken"