Can You Spot 10 Mistakes?
TJ Walker posted a video online with some common speaking blunders. Win a prize if you can
spot them -- A contest from TJ Walker and Media Training Worldwide
You've probably heard this at least once before from me but I can't stress it enough!
One of the worst offenses you can ever commit when presenting a PowerPoint Presentation is to use a "build." A "build" is when you have a particular slide and you add an element to the existing slide. You 'build" one more element on top of the existing slide. Typically, this means you add one set of words on top of another set of words.
For example:
(Slide appears with this a company logo and text) "Media Training Worldwide"
(Below the text is just a blank screen)
Now, you hit your enter or page down button. Instead of an entirely new page coming up, your existing page remains. But now, something extra pops up:
. Media and Presentation Training for Executives
Now, when the enter key is hit again, more text emerges below, along side yet another bullet point.
. More than 100 media and presentation training DVDs, CDs, and books.
These bullet points can be added, seemingly, indefinitely.
The technology wizards at Microsoft have made this an incredibly easy function to use when you create your PowerPoint slides. Your peers will at some point use builds. Your boss likely uses builds.
Resist the pressure! Don't use builds!
Builds are childish, boring, ineffective and make you look like a dime-store tipping bird that bobs for water exactly once very three seconds.
Builds are a good way to trot out a bunch of boring text onto a slide for you to read. But why in the world would you want to do this to your audience? They are there to listen to you. If you want them to read one sentence at a time, give them a handout AFTER your presentation is over.
If you want to instantly triple the effectiveness for your presentations and all of the presentations of your colleagues, ban all builds immediately and permanently.
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More Insights from TJ Walker & Jess Todtfeld
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Upcoming Events
March 30, 2010
9:00 pm
During this TeleClass TJ will discuss:
- How to create action when you speak
- Body language: A few small changes equal big results
- PowerPoint: How to avoid putting people to sleep
- The best ways to quickly put your presentation together
- The secret to knowing every message and every PowerPoint slide without memorizing them!
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The Speaking Channel Newsletter is provided by Media Training Worldwide Media Training Worldwide provides more media and presentation training workshops and seminars (54 separate courses) than any other company in the world. Media Training Worldwide also publishes more than 100 presentation training books, DVD's, CDs, and other information products and is the largest presentation/media training publisher in the world. For a product catalog or more information on training services call 800-755-7220 or visit us online.
You've probably heard this at least once before from me but I can't stress it enough! 
