PowerPoint Presentation Dilemma: Should You Explain Potentially Confusing Words?

Hi everyone,

I would like to know if it is necessary to add explanations to words in a PowerPoint presentation. That is, words which might create misunderstanding or mean something different in another context, even though they might call for interaction or further explanation.

Thanks. 🙄🙄

Hi,

I believe PowerPoint presentations should be clear and concise. Using explanatory words, as mentioned in your email, can be confusing for the audience. Instead, consider incorporating high-quality images or clip art to enhance the effectiveness and meaning of the presentation.

Dear Beatrice,

From your query, I understand that this might be an initial stage where you are making a PowerPoint presentation (please do not take it in a wrong way). I would always advise you that anytime you make a presentation, you might think that everything you have mentioned is correct, but it's better if you consult a senior colleague to review your presentation before you send it to a senior authority or present it to people. You have to ensure that all contents are well-researched since today we have search sites that are highly efficient in providing good information.

Regards, Meenal Thakkar

Dear Beatrice,

From your query, I understand that this might be an initial stage where you are making a PPT. (Please do not take it in a wrong way). I would always advise you that anytime you make a presentation, you might always think that everything you have mentioned is correct, but it's better if you consult any senior/colleague to review your presentation before you send it to a senior authority or present the same to people.

Regards,
Meenal Thakkar

PowerPoint's tool of making notes at the bottom could be a solution to the confusion. You can mention what you mean by a certain word and use it for future reference.

Dear Friends,

In a PowerPoint presentation, if new terminology is used with which the audience may not be familiar, a brief explanation of such words may be required. However, in general, the PowerPoint presentation should not contain too much text. The speaker should not read the slides; instead, they should only refer to the bullet points written on the slides.

Many times, the speaker has so much text on the slides that he/she keeps on reading, as if reading a book, and has no time to even look at the audience! This way, you lose all the power of the PowerPoint presentation!! (The audience is also powerless to do anything to you.)

Regards,
Nishikant

Hi,

A basic rule with all slides is the rule of 6x6, i.e., not more than six words in a line and not more than six lines on a slide. The more text you have on the slide, the more muddled it will become. Also, you want to draw focus to yourself when you are presenting and not really the slides in the background.

Additionally, the audience will then tend to run ahead of you, and in most cases, presenters tend to start reading off the slides, which becomes really boring. Feedback from most audiences in this regard is almost always "we could've done that ourselves."

You probably want to use some power words and phrases on the slides and then talk and explain the points listed. This way, it gives you greater control over what you want to talk about and also helps mold the presentation as per audience inputs.

Hope this helps! V

Beatrice:

I do Seminar Presentations around the world, and have found that using only keywords on the PowerPoint slide makes for the most effective presentation.

If you have a photograph, clip art, or diagram which depicts the point you are making in your presentation, it's much better to use this than many words—and with only a short caption. Verbally tell your attendees what you need to communicate.

My entire presentation process, in fact, has moved to using PPT only as a backdrop for the presentation.

What you are sharing with the group to whom you are presenting is much more important than the PowerPoint presentation. It becomes even more important if you are able to use the power of the visual with the explanation of the concept through oral communication.

To drive home this process even further, share an anecdotal story with your group which illustrates the point in a context that they will understand. I find that if I'm speaking to IT groups, using IT language in a humorous way tends to lock them into the presentation. If I'm speaking to a medical group, I find an anecdotal story from medicine.

Generally speaking—and some experts in PowerPoints will argue this with me—the less written on the PowerPoint slide—and the less animation you put into the slide—the better. Keep the presentation focused on what you are saying, not flying words or spinning pictures, words that appear out of nowhere or visuals that appear as if by magic.

Simple, well-developed themes with anecdotal backdrops seem to hold the visual and audio "attention" of the audience the best. And do you know what is the most important? Have fun with what you are doing! It's absolutely contagious.

Hope that's helpful. Let me know if I can help you further.

Alan

Dear Friends,

I want to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for our company (an IT training company) to provide job assistance to our students pursuing courses from our company. Can anyone please help me out?

Dear All,

Thank you for your valuable feedback. As far as the PPT part is concerned, we do follow the 6/7 Rule of designing PPTs. The background and text must be in bright colors. Only about 15 slides per presentation are allowed on platforms such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, IBM, and Accenture.

Thank you.

The Role of PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoints are 'facilitators,' never 'replacers.' They must NEVER be overdone, they must NEVER be too many, and they must NEVER be cramped with information. They must NEVER put you—the presenter—away from the limelight, yet they must ALWAYS bring life, energy, and color to contrast and/or cajole, helping the audience build and maintain a lasting relationship with you.