Do you attend events where presenters still use slides with bullet-point lists on each slide? I certainly do.
Sometimes you can hear the audience audibly groan as they think, “Not another boring presentation where the speaker spends their time reading their slides with their back turned to the audience”.
Some things never change!
Others think they have added value by including random images of smiling people in meetings, all with perfect teeth.
Most of the time, the images have no relationship to the text, but they fulfil the need to have pictures on a slide.
To add insult to injury, the main purpose of the bullet points is to help the speaker remember to mention every dull fact about their organisation.
Would it be fair to suggest that when you attend events, you would be lucky if one or two speakers were engaging?
A success for the audience and the speaker would be if, a day or two later, people could remember the key messages you spoke about.
So, am I suggesting that bullet points should never appear on a slide?
Not at all.
Let me show you how I use one of the few slides in my presentations that contains bullet points.
This is how I use my objective slide early in my presentation.
Firstly, please note that the bullet points are numbered
On this slide, I want to discuss with the audience what the session or my talk will cover.
Most importantly, I ask the audience which objective matters most to them.
I ask them to pick a number, and when they do, I ask, “Why do you feel this particular objective is relevant to you?”
By using the objective slide interactively, your audience will tell you which objectives matter to them.
This is a great way to start a conversation early in the presentation, which engages both them and me.
If you have done your research well, the slide will give you confidence that you are on the right track, and it will reassure the audience that the event will add value to their lives.
In my next article, published on the 7th of October, I will share the slide I find most useful – for both me and my audience.
If my advice is helpful, why not explore how my upcoming Connect 2 Grow Programme can advance your career?
