"I have PowerPoint" "I can produce cool looking PowerPoint Slides" "Therefore I am a speaker who can represent my organization to others"

The above faulty logic has led to a flood of poor presentations that waste time and cost organizations millions of dollars in lost sales and productivity every year. The flaw in the above logic should be obvious, but for too many managers and professionals, the above logic is accepted without question.

If you own a hammer and a saw, does that make you a skilled carpenter? Of course not you say. You need more than tools to be a carpenter. You need training in use of the tools, experience using the tools in the context of making furniture and a passion for the piece you are making. If it is so obvious in carpentry, why isnt it obvious when it comes to presentations?

But some will argue that PowerPoint is a software tool that should be treated differently than hand tools. OK, how about this analogy. Just because you have a word processor like Word installed on your computer, does that make you a novelist or author? Of course not you say. You need skill at writing, passion for the topic and an ability to make words come alive off the page. Again I state, if it is so obvious for Word, why is it not obvious for PowerPoint?

I think the answer lies in a commonly held fear of public speaking. The fear of speaking in front of a group is so common and so intense that people will look for any way to help overcome it. And PowerPoint is just the latest convenient way to do so. Thirty years ago, overhead transparencies were the crutch that people used. But the prevalence of PowerPoint has made this particular crutch available to more people than ever before.

Many great speeches are given without any visual aid at all. Just look at the classic speeches by Martin Luther King Jr., Winston Churchill or John F. Kennedy. None of them used PowerPoint. Did the absence of visuals hurt their speech? Not one bit.

If you are asked to give a presentation, the best way to overcome the fear of speaking is to be so comfortable with your material and message that it becomes a conversation with the audience. Dont even consider what visual support may be useful until you have thought through the structure and content of the message. When you have your key points and supporting sub-points outlined, then consider whether PowerPoint will help bring the points to life by adding a visual dimension to your presentation.

When creating your slides, keep good design principles in mind. Pick contrasting colors, use big enough fonts, and avoid the annoying animation and sounds. And since you will know your topic so well, you can avoid the trap that many presenters fall into which is to use PowerPoint as a teleprompter. They have all of their text on the slide and simply read each slide to the audience. Audiences cite this as the most annoying thing a presenter could do. Keep the text to key ideas that you will expand on with what you say.

The cost of the faulty logic that having PowerPoint makes you a speaker is twofold. There is the cost of preparing the presentation that wont be effective and the bigger cost of everyones time that is wasted watching the ineffective presentation. And in any medium or large sized organization, these costs run into the millions per year.

I believe that PowerPoint can be a valuable way to express ideas and concepts that add to the understanding of an audience. But the use of PowerPoint as a crutch to overcome the fear of speaking has given PowerPoint a bad reputation. Its not the tool that is the problem, it is the use of the tool. Just like a good hammer in the hands of an unskilled person hits more thumbs than nails, PowerPoint in the hands of a presenter unaware of how to use it causes pain to those who are forced to sit through the presentation.

Increase your effectiveness and productivity by properly thinking through each presentation and using PowerPoint appropriately to add to the message you are delivering. And stop inflicting "Death by PowerPoint" upon your audiences.

Dave Paradi is the co-author of Prentice Halls Guide to PowerPoint, a text used at the Wall Street Journals #1 ranked MBA school, and his ideas have been featured by international publications. Daves practical not technical approach and customized presentations have audiences walking out of his sessions with ideas they can begin using immediately. He offers a free PowerPoint e-course, newsletter and articles on his web site at http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com

Powerpoint Background Slides Tips
There are various tools available in the computers, for your web designing and writing. One of them is the tool, Microsoft Powerpoint. This powerful tool is used to create professional looking presentations and slide shows from scratch or by using it...

Tax Professionals Vs Doing Your Own Taxes
Taxes for the most part are simple and easy. You just plug in the numbers in the tax software and hit "continue" This is true for millions of taxpayers, just like it is untrue for millions and millions of other tax payers.A qualified tax professiona...

The PowerPoint Myth
I use PowerPoint. I use it sparingly. People do not want to listen to someone narrate slides rich in text and details. People want to be engaged by a speakers words, charisma and delivery style. If I can make the complex, simple, I use PowerPoint...

Tips on Starting a Powerpoint Presentation
So you plan to start on a powerpoint presentation. Before starting on the presentation, you have to make some preparations. You have to first organize your presentation. You can do this by making an outline of the major points of the presentation, an...

PowerPoint Sermons 5 Tips for Preachers
Although PowerPoint has been around for years, there is still a lot of misuse. Just because we can does not mean we should. Here are five tips to strengthen your sermon with PowerPoint.1. Clean screen. Keep your images clean, not cluttered. Use one c...

Creating a Good PowerPoint Presentation
A good PowerPoint presentation can be used to present your business idea to a large audience effectively. Making a good PowerPoint presentation is an easy task with lot of menus and helpful features that comes along with this software. Each PowerPoin...

Top 6 Reasons Why You Need a Remote for PowerPoint Presentations
A top complaint from audience members is that many presenters put too much emphasis on PowerPoint and technology while neglecting the message and interaction with participants. One way to deliver more effective presentations that improve your connect...

Holding Yourself Accountable After You Quit Smoking
There are many reasons why accountability is important after you quit smoking. It is just too easy to convince ones self that having just one cigarette is okay. Almost every person that has quit smoking has probably had that exact thought go throug...

Motivational Keynote Speaker … Bring Your Team Together!
In terms of business management, the services of a motivational keynote speaker can heighten the overall effectiveness of the front-line manager and staff. The manager does not have to be overly concerned about the necessity for planning when conside...

Inspirational and Motivational Speaker…The Key to a Successful Meeting!!
The process of organizing the resources internally to hire an inspirational and motivational speaker is quite easy. The manager can contact a speakers bureau and ask for an inspirational and motivational speaker or can go to the Internet and use one ...