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"When is this presentation going to end?" I wondered. "George's
information could be interesting, but his transparencies distract because they're
so poor -- typewritten, black on white, no illustrations. Ugh. And he uses the
projector horribly -- focused after he started his talk, walks in front of it,
never turns it off. Quite a contrast to Melanie's polished presentation before
him. Let me out of here!"
Sound familiar? Have you sat in a presentation that was hampered by a tool that was supposed to enhance? I have. Too many times. So I'd like to help you avoid the ineffective and integrate the dramatic. Your visuals can enhance and dramatize your concepts. It's simple, but not easy. You, like Melanie, will have to do a little work. But if you do, your speeches will be better remembered, and so will you. You can make a better impression than George.
Definitions
First, some definitions. Transparencies are also known as flimsies, acetates, foils, vu-foils, and overheads. The "stage" on an overhead projector is the glass area where the transparency is placed for projection. The "head" is the box-like part at the top of the arm coming up from the stage. The head is used to focus and position the projection on the screen.
The podium or riser is what you stand on (for large audiences). The lecturn is something you should not stand behind.
Now that we have the general lingo down, let's go over transparency do's and don'ts.
Room Set Up
It's always good to send your requirements to the meeting planner ahead of time as well as remind him/her of your needs a few days before.
When I request an overhead projector from a meeting planner, I also ask that it be placed on a 3' by 3' skirted table in front of the room or on the risers. This table gives me room for my transparencies.
I also request that, if possible, the screen be placed in the corner of the room at an angle. This allows more people to comfortably see the images. Many rooms now have fixed screens so cornering the screen is not always possible.
Melanie arrived at the meeting at least one half hour early. This is wise because you will often have to reposition the overhead and screen, or even reorder them if the hotel/meeting coordinator forgot.
One of the pluses to using transparencies vs. slides is that the room lights can be kept up. This means not only can your audience take notes easier, but you can see their faces and how they're reacting to your comments. Turn off any spotlights which shine on the screen.
Focusing and Positioning
Melanie had focused and positioned the image on the screen before anyone arrived. Had George done this, he would have appeared more professional. Do this at a break if another speaker is on before you. Avoid doing this after you are introduced.
If the screen is free-standing, it may have a 6 to 8 inch arm extending from
the top of the stand to hold the screen. If possible, set the top of the screen
forward as much as possible. The top will be about 4 to 6 inches
forward of the bottom. This will help correct any "keystoning," which
is when the top of the image is larger than the bottom.
When people are already in the room, I focus by putting a transparency on the projector stage upside down and backwards so they can't read it ahead of time.
Position the image by tilting the head so the image is as high up on the screen as possible. A common mistake I see is when speakers have not positioned their image correctly and the audience members have to crane their heads to see the images. This is distracting to the audience. If your image is crooked, it can sometimes be corrected by adding height to one side of the projector. Add a book or papers under both small legs on the side which projects the lower image.
General Guidelines
Don't go overboard with your use of overheads. You can overwhelm the audience and become distracted yourself with placing them correctly.
Frame your transparencies with either the standard cardboard frames or "flip frames" by 3M. The latter are easier to store in file cabinets and to travel with. However, they also collect dust which makes the transparency look dirty because they form a plastic envelope around the transparency, open on two sides.
Presentation Tips
Melanie stood to the side of the screen and out of the way of the audience's view of the image. She talked to the audience, not to the screen or the projector stage. Don't turn your back on the audience to read the transparency -- if possible, read from the projector stage.
Don't walk in front of the screen while the projector is on.
George could have appeared more polished if he had turned the projector off when he wasn't discussing what was on the screen. Turn on the projector only when a transparency is on the projector stage. Don't take the transparency off before turning the projector off. The large white image projected when there's no transparency is annoying.
However, don't continually turn the projector on and off. That can be distracting too. Turn if off when there are time gaps between transparencies. When you are showing several transparencies in quick succession, you can adroitly slip one under another as you take the top one off.
When you place your framed transparency on the stage, make sure there aren't any "light leaks" -- places where light shows around the outside of the frame. Some frames are not large enough to cover the whole projector stage. When light leaks appear, simply move the transparency up or over (before you turn the projector on) and slip a piece of paper under the bottom or side of the frame to block the light.
You can also mask the stage if all your transparencies are too small for this projector. Use the 1 inch wide white 3M Post-It-Note tape so it won't leave residue on the glass like masking tape would.
Eliminate extraneous paper by putting your notes on your transparencies. Melanie wrote directly on the frame. Since I use the flip frames over again, I write my notes on white (not yellow) Post-It-Notes. The white is less noticeable to the audience.
When you won't be discussing all the items on the transparency at one time, use revelation. Reveal one item at a time so you keep the audience focused on what you're saying, not reading ahead. Place a piece of paper under your transparency and pull it down as you discuss the subsequent items.
Putting the paper under the transparency helps you in two ways: 1) the projector
fan is less likely to blow the paper off, and 2) you can read what comes next.
I also like to move my whole transparency up when I am using revelation so there
is only a small part of the list showing at one time. I want to avoid projecting
any information in that deadly
bottom one-third of the screen (people have difficulty reading this information
as other's heads are often in the way). Then I may reveal the whole transparency
when I am reviewing that section.
Instead of using your finger to point to an item on a projected chart, use a pen, pencil, or other pointed object. I find a letter opener works well because of its shape.
Melanie also used the overhead projector like a flip chartÑfor spontaneously writing her ideas and the audience's response. This works well with large audiences. Be sure to write legibly, and avoid -- you guessed it -- the bottom one-third.
Effective Transparency Design
Many people evidently believe typewritten transparencies are fine. They are fine unless you want the audience to read them. If you do want the audience to read your words, make sure the letters are at least 1/2" high.
Choose a few easy to read, sans serif, type faces/fonts (e.g., helvetica) to add interest and emphasis. Use upper and lower case lettering for easy readability. All capitals are hard to read. Avoid stylized, hard to read script.
One transparency per idea; 6 or fewer words per line; 6 lines maximum per transparency are guidelines to go by.
Use clean transparencies. When your transparencies get scratched or dirty,
throw them away and get new ones. Remember, these represent you. To protect
them, tape a clear one on the top and bottom of the framed dramatic ones so
you can throw out the clear one when it gets
scratched. This is much less expensive (approximately 35 cents each) than having
new dramatic ones made.
Drawings and cartoons can help illustrate your points.
Research suggests that pictures stimulate the right side of the brain and words stimulate the left. Melanie helped us remember her pointsÑby stimulating both sides. If George had done this, his audience could have focused on his comments easier.
Color copiers and printers have made it very inexpensive to create color transparencies. Color, like illustrations, stimulates the right brain and helps keep your audience's mind focused on your presentation.
In order to give a "family" appearance to their presentations, some people like to use the same color(s) on all their transparencies. Personally, I think this is boring for the audience. As an audience member, I like a variety of color combined with appropriate illustrations.
If you are using cartoons, letter the caption (remember, minimum of 1/2 inch) and place at the top of the cartoon. This goes against what we are familiar with because we usually read cartoons in magazines and newspapers, not on a screen. Remember the bottom one-third of the screen is virtually useless. Make it easy for the audience by putting the words at the top.
If you follow these simple guidelines you, like Melanie, can dazzle your audiences with your transparencies as much as your comments. Remember, I said you'll have to work to learn to use the projector smoothly and produce dramatic transparencies. But it's worth it to project your best, isn't it?
Copyright 1985 Morgan Seminar Group
Rebecca L. Morgan, CSP, is a dynamic speaker and seminarist. She is the author of four books, "TurboTime: Maximizing Your Results Through Technology," "Calming Upset Customers," "LifeÕs Lessons: Insights and Information for a Richer Life," and "Professional Selling." For information on her speaking services, books, and tapes contact her at 1440 Newport Ave., San Jose, CA 95125, 408/998-7977, 800/247-9662, fax: 408/998-1742, rebecca@RebeccaMorgan.com, www.RebeccaMorgan.com. Please contact Rebecca for permission to reprint or repost this item.
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