I was intrigued when I read the assignment for my Advanced PR writing. As embarrassing as it is, I have never done a Power Point by myself. In a group, maybe, but this is when I tell the tech-savvy classmate the facts and he or she types it into Power Point. I am a senior undergraduate and about to start my full time job. It is about time I learn how to make a visually stimulating presentation instead of just reading the bullets from the PowerPoint. The last thing I want is for my audience to fall asleep!
The reading from our class booklet was about two world-renowned business owners: Steve Jobs (Apple) and Bill Gates (Microsoft). Not only are their products competitors, but the CEO’s presentation style is opposite. Gates uses slides that are average and largely unmemorable. Bill Gates is a remarkable man so why isn’t his PowerPoint presentations up to par? Most likely because his slides contain complex ideas accompanied by cluttered images.
Steve Jobs uses large visuals to complement his discussion. For example, if there is an important statistic, he will flash the number in bold on the screen all by itself. In most cases, the human brain tends to look at images and relate them to words rather than relating words to images. Using full images as a background while highlighting the text, is attractive to viewers. Steve uses this style to tell a story in a natural way while still stating his point. Bill Gates’ images relate to his discussions but they do not help his narration very well. One way this happens is by cramming too much information into one slide.
From this reading, I am convinced that a visual stimulating presentation will help ideas stick in the audiences head. It is important for presentations to be visually stimulating so you can provide concrete, memorable facts. Steve Jobs proves he has done just this. With the help of creative and easy to use software such as iWork and PowerPoint, memorable presentations are more than possible. To see the video of Steve Jobs Keynote speech visit: Macworld2007.
(Image courtesy of businessinnovationinsider.com)
