Hi there, Small Biz Tech Girl here, ready to help you put the power of the Internet and technology to work for your business.

Have you ever heard the saying "Death by PowerPoint?" Most speakers consider PowerPoint and other presentation programs to be a necessary evil. But if you must use PowerPoint presentation at your next public appearance, how can you make sure it complements and doesn't kill your speech?

Before we go on, here's a word from our sponsor for all you PC users out there.

What do you do when you're not at your office computer but need to access files from it? The solution is simple. GoToMyPC is the best way to access your office PC from anywhere you happen to be. Simply log on to GoToMyPC dot com and your office desktop instantly appears. Access all your documents, network resources and programs, even transfer files. Try Go To My PC free Today for 30 days! Just visit GoToMyPC.com/podcast. That’s GoToMyPC.com/podcast for your free trial.

Now back to presentations.

Presentation Solutions

Throughout this podcast, I'm going to be referring to PowerPoint, not because I'm recommending this software by Microsoft but because the brand name has become synonymous with "presentation software."

There are, of course, other presentation software products out there such as the presentation solution built into NeoOffice or iWorks Keynote for Macs and Open Office or WordPerfect Office for PCs.

There are also Web-based solutions such as SPresent.com, Preezo at P-R-E-E-Z-O.com and ZoHo Show which you can get to at ZoHo.com.

What Makes a Presentation Work

If you see an incredible PowerPoint presentation with few words, several images, and a handful of pages, chances are the presenter has read and avidly follows the work and theories of Garr Reynolds. Reynolds is the author of the book Presentation Zen and the corresponding blog at PresentationZen.com. I recommend that you at least check out his blog and subscribe to his blog's RSS feed.

PowerPoint is not the silver bullet of presentations. Let me quote Edward Tufte, a professor at Yale University, from his article on Wired.com:

"If your numbers are boring, then you've got the wrong numbers. If your words or images are not on point, making them dance in color won't make them relevant. Audience boredom is usually a content failure, not a decoration failure."

I wholeheartedly agree with those comments.

Points to Remember

If you remember nothing else from this podcast, here are three things you should remind yourself each time you start working on a PowerPoint presentation:

1. Ditch bulleted and numbered lists. Don't use your presentation as an outline for your speech projected on a screen. Try to encapsulate your thoughts on each topic into a single sentence and put that sentence on a slide by itself to start the conversation with your audience.

2. Let images punctuate, not dominate. Find a handful of photographs or illustrations that enhance your message, but be careful not to lift copyrighted materials from the Web. I'll address free and affordable stock imagery and clipart in a future podcast.

3. Customize your background. Don't use the easy but overused design templates your presentation software provides. If you aren't a designer, hire one to create a template that is uncluttered and clearly branded with your company's logo and look.

Here's a quick and dirty tip for putting your PowerPoint presentations online as a backup when you're preparing for a speech. What happens if your computer dies right before a presentation? You should always back it up on a CD or DVD, but you can also upload it for free online on sites such as SlideShare.net and Scribd at S-C-R-I-B-D.com.

If you don't have an Internet connection at your speaking engagement uploading your slides is still useful after you finish your presentation and people ask where they can get a copy of your slides. Just give them the link to your slides saved on the Web.

Bottom Line: Don't use PowerPoint as a crutch. If you find yourself relying too heavily on presentation slides, try going cold turkey and presenting without them. Then ease back into using slides sparingly and thoughtfully.

That's all we have time for today. Visit the show’s website at smallbiztechgirl.quickanddirtytips.com for links to all of the sites mentioned in the show. If you'd like to ask a question or request a topic for Small Biz Tech Girl, e-mail me at smallbiztechgirl@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a message by calling 206-339-6279.

And remember to visit GoToMyPC.com/podcast for your free 30-day trial. That's GoToMyPC.com/podcast.

Small Biz Tech Girl's Quick And Dirty Tips For Boosting Your Business With Digital Tools is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips network at quickanddirtytips.com.

Tune in for another business boost from Small Biz Tech Girl, the host who’s not afraid to go under the Internet's hood & get a little dirty!

RESOURCES:

PowerPoint is Evil - http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/ppt2.html

Presentation Zen - http://www.presentationzen.com/

For Macs:

NeoOffice - http://www.neooffice.org/

Keynote/iWork - http://www.apple.com/iwork/keynote/

For PCs:

Open Office - http://www.openoffice.org/

WordPerfect Office - http://www.corel.com/

Web-based:

SPresent - http://www.spresent.com/

Preezo - http://www.preezo.com/

ZoHo Show - http://www.ZoHo.com

SlideShare - http://www.SlideShare.net/

Scribd - http:/www.scribd.com