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There are 30 million PowerPoint presentations created every day, according to Microsoft. So what is a good alternative to PowerPoint that could help to engage or inspire your audience more effectively? Ginger's public speaking expert, Sarah Lloyd-Hughes gives her top PowerPoint alternatives
The biggest problem with PowerPoint is its popularity. Everybody is used to the format because we’ve seen thousands of PowerPoints before, so our brain starts to stereotype those images. Somewhere in our brain we think “I’ve seen this before SO many times. I’ve seen this image.”
The fact is you probably HAVE seen this image. The brand, the company logo, some bullet points, the title at the top of the page, perhaps a bit of clip art in the corner or a motivational image… as soon as the brain sees this on PowerPoint and recognizes it as familiar.
As soon as this happens, it’s less likely that you'll form a new memory about the presentation. The brain switches off, begins stereotyping, and thinks more or less I know this information. So no matter what the speaker does with that PowerPoint, they will be fighting to get the audience to remember their information and to hold their attention.
The idea is to simply just interact with your audience. Take volunteers and do a skit. Think creatively about all the possibilities available. Don’t just rely on PowerPoint. It’s actually quite a lazy route. It can seem like a lifeline to hang onto to remember your lines or to seem more professional, but if you want to give a really effective presentation it’s important to think outside the box.
If you do decide to use PowerPoint, utilize it in a creative innovative way. Do not list every little bit of the information you’ll be covering… unless you want a sleepy audience.
This showcase of inspiring female speakers is part of Ginger's work with game changing leaders.
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