Whether you are hosting a webinar or web conference, you need to find effective ways to express your ideas. One of the most common tools business people use for this purpose is a PowerPoint presentation. Understanding how to effectively use PowerPoint during your web event will ensure the highest level of success for your event.
Use Text and Images
You may be tempted to fill your PowerPoint presentation with text so everyone can follow along with what you are saying. However, using only text will leave many of your viewers in the dark. Research has shown that some people learn better through visual stimulation, while others learn more from listening to or reading information. Because you don’t know which type of learning style each person in your audience possesses, it is important to use a mixture of both for your webinar or web conference. Don’t be afraid to use text, but make sure you mix in photographs, charts, diagrams and other illustrations to appeal to the visual learners.
The Seven and Seven Rule
When you are creating the text to use on your PowerPoint slides, it is important to make sure you follow the seven and seven rule. This rule states your slides should have no more than seven lines of text with seven words or less per line. Not only is this more visually appealing, you want your webinar audience to pay attention to you above your presentation slides. The text on your slides is meant to serve as bullet points of what you will talk about, not everything you want people to know. They should be listening to you, rather than reading your slides.
Offer a Handout
When people attend a web conference, they can benefit from having a physical handout in front of them, just like they would receive at an in-person event. If your attendees receive a handout, either by mail or email, your words gain credibility because they are in print. It will also allow your attendees to pay attention to you and your PowerPoint presentation instead of taking notes. Finally, this handout will allow you to give the audience more information without breaking the seven and seven rule with your presentation slides.
Involve Your Audience
No one wants to sit through a webinar or web conference and just listen to someone talk throughout the entire presentation. You need to be able to engage your audience with your PowerPoint slides to help keep their attention. Implement thought-provoking questions into your presentation, even if you don’t expect an actual response. However, this will be even more effective if you actually ask for a response from your audience. When anyone responds, either vocally with a microphone or through the chat box, make sure everyone is aware of the answer given. Encourage more than one response to keep everyone involved.
Slow It Down
Many people have a tendency to speak quickly when they are presenting with a PowerPoint presentation. Whether it is a case of the nerves or you simply don’t realize you are rushing through the points, it is important to make a conscious effort to move through the material at a slower pace. If your fast talking is a case of too much information and not enough time, reduce the amount of information you plan to present and schedule another webinar or web conference to cover the additional material. It is also important to insert pauses after introducing a new idea in your presentation, as well as after you have asked a question to allow everyone to really think about their answer.
Other Practices
There are a few additional tips you should follow when conducting a PowerPoint presentation during a webinar or web conference:
- Be consistent with each slide, keeping the same color scheme, logo, font and background.
- Use a combination of text and images on all slides. Keep headlines short and concise. Language should be descriptive and engaging for the best results.
- Keep your slides as uncluttered and clear as possible. Label all images and leave out any images that don’t work toward portraying your message.
- Always site any data you use, attributing it to the exact source from which it came to ensure its credibility.
Follow these tips and you can make your next PowerPoint presentation at your webinar or web conference a success.
