Over the years I have presented hundreds of times. Some of those presentations were to clients, prospects, association board meetings or at conferences. During that time I have dramatically changed my style. I try not to have very wordy slides and found that adding pictures can make a huge difference to your audience. Here is what I believe pictures can do for you:
- Keep your audience interested
- Can really drive home a point
- It can illustrate how creative your company can be
- Used correctly can add some humor to the presentation
- Is very easy on the eyes
- Makes it easy for attendees to follow along
- Will help the presenter not lose their place on the slides
- Makes it very easy for the presenter to transition from one point to another
Here are some examples of pictures I have used in presentations in the past:
Problem Solving
Perseverance
Stay focused. Don’t drop the ball
Think a little bit out of the box
And on the lighter side, here are some recent pictures that I just used for a company presentation:
I think people enjoyed the pictures more than hearing about my vacation. I realize pictures and funny pictures can’t be used in every presentation, but I do believe they can be very effectively used at the right time.
- What do you do to keep your presentations fresh?
- When do you use pictures in your presentations?
I look forward to hearing your comments.
Stephenie Gordon says:
I give an end of the year presentation every year to our staff. Because our staff doesn’t meet people from the other offices; i always try to include pictures of other offices and from conferences to help them feel connected!
Also, i just want to mention the one thing; Presenters out there, don’t read your presentation word for word! the slide show should be a summary, not the entire presentation!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Stephenie,
I couldn’t agree with you more. Recently I actually went to a conference where the person apologized for having too many words and charts on the slides – if you are going to say and do that…. Don’t bother to present! You have lost at least 1/2 the audience.
Thanks for your comments.
Merrill
Paul Kirch says:
One of the best lessons I ever learned was the 6×6 rule which is essentially no more than 6 words per line and no more than 6 lines per slide. Some times you have to break the rule a little, but it’s a great guideline. Yes Merrill, I do remember some of the things you taught me.
In reality, this really helps keep the slides focused, as Stephanie suggested, on a summary. It also makes you avoid using complex charts and other such information. If I include anything complex like that in a PowerPoint I’m leaving behind, I often will add them to an Appendix for their reference and not use them during the presentation.
The use of pictures is really powerful and helps keep the audience engaged. I also really like to try and use engaging questions as well. If done properly, you can really get people engaged without getting the presentation off track. It’s very easy to lose an audience, so anything you can do to keep their attention on you and your presentation is well worth the effort and planning. And at the end of the day, it’s all about the preparation.
kath says:
Merrill,
Love this topic. As we do corporate events, we see a lot of PPT presentations.
No matter how mad your PowerPoint skillz may be, remember that no one attends an event to see PPT presentations – they want to see and hear the presenter. You could have the most expert and informative PowerPoint deck ever created but, if you can’t be interesting and engaging in your delivery, you might as well have Carrot Top give it for you
Could not agree more with Stephanie – please do not read your presentation to the audience. Less is always more…
thanks!
kath
Michael Mitrano says:
Hi, Merrill. I could not agree more. I notice that you make similar use of images in your blog, and have a question for you (and others). Can you suggest good sources of these kinds of pictures?
With kindest regards,
Michael
Merrill Dubrow says:
Michael,
Good question. I use a few things:
Google images is really good
I also work with someone who is very creative (thanks KW) and can take pictures and with Photoshop make them look awesome.
I would be curious what others use.
Thanks.
Merrill
Connie Ruben says:
Merrill,
I think a lot has to do with your audience. I’m learning the younger generation do not like power point presentations, even with pictures. They want interaction. They need to be engaged in the process. If they feel they are being lectured to, in any way – they just shut down. On the other hand, us “old forks” like and maybe even crave the comedy we receive in the funny pictures or using graphics that allow us not to think too much about the message we are receiving.
Connie
Merrill Dubrow says:
Connie,
Your point is very valid. They do want interaction. I recently spoke to a MBA class and used a few video’s they seemed to go over very well and drive home a few points.
Thanks for your comments.
Merrill