Human Resources Discussion Response to Classmate: Brainstorming PowerPoint Design

Hello Professor and classmates, 

The Importance of Effective PowerPoint Design in Training Presentations

A training presentation can make or break the session. A thought-provoking, yet well-designed and placed content promotes memorable learning for the audience to engage in and take away useful knowledge. The purpose of training, in the main, is rather to make sure that people remember things and use their knowledge in real life than to actually be passed on information.

PowerPoint Design Resources

• Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds

This book by Garr Reynolds tries to convince the user about the impact of a presentation that can be created simply, clearly presenting an argument with storytelling. He advocates visual over text and proves that the slide must have less information so that only the essential message is conveyed, striking an emotional feeling in the audience. Practical advice that a presenter may also draw from the book is that an effective communication technique will help reach a connection with the audience.

Presentation Zen is an official rich resource hub featuring numerous blog posts, case studies, and examples of effective presentations. It allows for the facilitation of discussions around effective presentation design and offers insight into how to engage audiences and enhance delivery skills. The site offers a number of useful resources that will appeal to the beginning and advanced presenter alike in their quest for improvement.

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint by Guy Kawasaki

The following informative article by Guy Kawasaki provides a simple rule for great presentations: use no more than 10 slides, take no longer than 20 minutes, and use no font smaller than 30 points. This method is about clarity and conciseness, making sure the audience does not lose attention in too much detail.

DO’s and DON’Ts for Designing PowerPoint Presentations Recommended

Do’s:

• Include High-Quality Visuals: Use relevant pictures, schemes, and infographics that will help you drive your message home and make it clearer.
• Keep it simple: A single idea per slide. Sometimes, less is more, do not overload your audience with all the information.
• Practice Your Delivery: Rehearse your presentation multiple times to build confidence for the real delivery.
• Stimulating the Audience: Add interactivity to your training, including questions or discussions, in order to make the session much more alive.

Don’ts:

• Avoid Crowded Slides: Avoid placing too much information on one slide, your audience may get confused.
• Don’t Read from Your Slides: Slides should be cues to talk about a point in detail. This would make the presentation more interactive and conversational.
• Avoid complicated graphics, which may engage your audience in figuring it out instead of understanding what you’re trying to say; keep your graphics simple and to the point.
• Avoid small font sizes: This is a way of ensuring the text is readable from behind the back of the room, using font no less than 24 points.

Key Ingredients for Your Training Presentation

• Clearly Define the Objectives: Make sure you have set an agenda of specific learning outcomes desired to be achieved by the audience at the end of the session.
• Visual Aids: Use visual aids to reinforce understanding and retention.
• Apply Engagement Techniques: Allow for interactive elements like polling, Q&A, or group discussions to take place to engage participants directly.
• Structure Your Content: Set up your presentation in a way that will allow you logically to be introduced to the key points and then summarize. Practice and ask for feedback: You also need to practice many times and seek feedback from peers to refine your presentation delivery and content.

The bottom line is that effective PowerPoint design stands at the top of a list for successful training presentations. Insights from sources like Presentation Zen should be capitalized upon and applied in terms of suggested do’s and don’ts toward making sessions engaging and informative. The key elements described here-precisely those including definition of clear objectives, utilization of visual aids, and incorporation of interactive techniques-are what is necessary to maximize the full gamut of the training experience. Presentation skills become relevant in light of the rising focus on employee development within organizations. Effective training presentation would acquaint knowledge and foster interactive learning participation and retention. Presentation skills are practiced, and time and effort invested in designing effective presentations pay up in enhancing the effectiveness of the overall training sessions, thereby helping organizational success and growth of employees. Indeed, thoughtful design has many impacts that extend beyond the training room to create a culture of continuous learning and adaptability critical in today’s fast-moving work environment.

-Charmaine

Resources

Kawasaki, G. (n.d.). The 10/20/30 rule of PowerPoint. Retrieved from https://guykawasaki.com/the-102030-rule/Links to an external site.

Reynolds, G. (2008). Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery. New Riders. Retrieved from https://www.presentationzen.comLinks to an external site.