Great presentations mean less, not more. Make 'em simple and easy to read, and DON'T TREAT YOUR PRESENTATION AS YOUR SCRIPT. Great presentations aren't made to be read.

1. MAKING GREAT
PRESENTATIONS
Ian Lurie
@portentint
ian@portent.com

2. This + links at
http://portent.co/wsaslides

3. THEIR DAD

4. I WORK ON THE INTERNET

5. I WORK ON THE INTERNET
I’M A NERD

6. I WRITE A LOT
SOLD 12 COPIES
(10 TO MY MOM)

7. I’VE DONE PRESENTATIONS

8. LET’S TALK ABOUT
PRESENTATIONS

9. LESSON 1:
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

10. THE GREAT TREE-TYING
CONTROVERSY OF 2008

11. WHAT DID I
JUST DO?

12. I TOLD A STORY

13. THAT’S WHAT
PRESENTATIONS DO

14. HOW THIS WILL GO
PLANNING
CREATING
QUESTIONS?

15. PLANNING

16. PRESENTATION ≠ SLIDES

17. PRESENTATION = YOUR INFO

18. THE GOAL ≠ PRETTY
PHHBBT
Apologies to My Little Pony

19. THE GOAL = MEMORY

20. PEOPLE REMEMBER STORIES
PEOPLE REMEMBER SMALL BITES

21. WRITE SLIDES
REHEARSE
TALK

22. STEP 1
WRITE

23. WHY = VALUE
ON ANYTHING

24. REALLY
really?!!!!
you can even take
notes on pinkie pie
you can even take
notes on pinkie pie
you can even take
notes on pinkie pie
you can even take
notes on pinkie pie
you can even take
notes on pinkie pie

25. WHY
HOW
WHAT

26. TELL ME WHY I SHOULD CARE
(STORIES WORK REALLY WELL)

27. THIS IS A LARGE, SEMI-AQUATIC
RODENT WITH THICK FUR.
yawn

28. IF YOU LIKE
DOG-SIZED
RODENTS THAT
ALWAYS LOOK
COOL, THEN
CAPYBARAS ARE
FOR YOU.
@!#*&
yeah.

29. I’M GOING TO
TELL YOU ABOUT
THE WEIRDEST
RODENT YOU’VE
EVER SEEN.
@!#*&
yeah.

30. THE ‘HOW’
SAY WHAT YOU’LL SAY
SAY WHAT YOU’RE SAYING
SAY WHAT YOU SAID

31. “HERE’S HOW THIS WILL GO”

32. WHAT = THE FACTS

33. PUPPIES
WHY: THEY’RE CUTE
HOW
THE GOOD
THE BAD
THE REALLY BAD
WHAT
1. TALK ABOUT MY PUPPY
2. THEY’RE DUMB
3. BUT THEY’RE CUDDLY
4. BUT THEY EAT CAT POO

34. MAKING THE SLIDES

35. TAKE WHAT YOU WROTE

36. GET YOUR FACTS

37. GET YOUR
IMAGES

38. NOW DO THE SLIDES

39. CLEAR > FANCY

40. CLEAN > MESSY

41. NOT CLEAR. MESSY.

42. NOT CLEAR. MESSY.
LOOKS AWFUL

43. NOT CLEAR. MESSY.
TOO
MUCH
TO PROCESS

44. NOT CLEAR. MESSY.
• Hey, check this out. If you can read all of this, I salute you.
This is some painful stuff.
• This is a ‘presentation’ that was designed to be read, not
heard. While that may be OK if you’re writing a report, it’s
not ok when you’re creating a presentation.
• When folks see a slide like this, their brains scream, flip
over and run away at top speed.
• Why? Because our brains respond best when they get to
absorb spoken words, emphasized by images or other
stuff.
• They’re NOT designed to absorb tons of written text on a
screen while someone reads that text to them. It causes a
total tune-out.

45. NOT CLEAR. MESSY.
• And no, adding a
random image or two
doesn’t help, either.
• This is still really hard
to read and it just goes
on and on until you
can’t read any more
and your eyes are
starting to water and
you’re sick of looking at
pictures and all you
want to do is move on
to the next class am I
right?

46. SLIDES ≠ A REPORT

47. CLEAR. NOT MESSY.
BLEEP

48. BLEEP
LOOKS COOL
CLEAR. NOT MESSY.

49. NOT BROKEN
DETAILED
BLEEP
CLEAR. NOT MESSY.

50. EASY TO
REMEMBER
BLEEP
CLEAR. NOT MESSY.

51. EASY TO
REMEMBER
CLEAR. NOT MESSY.

52. NO BULLETS

53. EVERY TIME YOU USE BULLETS
http://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/
4_Kittens.jpg/
800px-4_Kittens.jpg

54. EVERY TIME YOU USE BULLETS
http://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/
4_Kittens.jpg/
800px-4_Kittens.jpg
meep?
BULLETS KILL KITTENS
2011 – Dave Estment

55. EVERY TIME YOU USE BULLETS
http://upload.wikimedia.org/
wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/
4_Kittens.jpg/
800px-4_Kittens.jpg
meep?
ANIMATION KILLS KITTENS
2011 – Dave Estment

56. TIP #5
NO BULLETS
(except for lists)
noooo…
From University of Wisconsin-Madison
https://academictech.doit.wisc.edu/tags/tags/powerpoint?page=3

57. 1 FACT OR IDEA PER SLIDE
(SMALL BITES)

58. 32+ PT

59. COLORS FOR EMPHASIS

60. FOR SUPER EMPHASIS
VARY TYPE SIZES.

61. HIGH CONTRAST
NOT LOW CONTRAST

62. VARY SIZES AND SPACING FOR A
NICE SQUARE LOOK

63. VARY SIZES AND SPACING FOR A
NICE SQUARE LOOK
1: RIGHT-CLICK 2:

64. 3:

65. NO WIGGLING

66. NO SQUIRMING
(IT’S DISTRACTING)

67. CUT AND PASTE AND
IT WON’T MOVE

68. CUT AND PASTE AND
IT WON’T MOVE
it didn’t move
right?

69. PICTURES? SURE.

70. JUST MAKE THEM
MAKE SENSE.

71. JUST MAKE THEM
MAKE SENSE.
k thx bai

72. THEY SHOULD REINFORCE
WHAT YOU’RE SAYING

73. PRACTICE

74. DON’T LOOK AT THE SLIDES
(MUCH)

75. CHECK HOW LONG IT TAKES

76. THOSE PRESENTATION
ANIMALS?

77. image search, then

78. free to use or share

79. wuv you

81. PLAN
CREATE
PRACTICE

82. TAKE A BOW
IAN
IAN@PORTENT.COM
This + links at
http://portent.co/wsaslides