How to Create a Slideshow in PowerPoint

This blog is only peripherally about slideshows and PowerPoint.  However, some tips might be useful.  (I had excellent assistance on this post from Humphrey, Roger, Ian, Shelley, Ellen, Caroline, David, Stellar, John, Neil, Max and Thomas, active participants in the trainingzone group 'PowerPoint Users'.  This is a great group to join, especially if you are using PowerPoint as a trainer.)

I should note that these tips are also relevant for other presentation software.

As you can see, once I started I couldn't seem to stop:

1. Start with your purpose and audience - jot down some notes so you can stay focused.
2. Plan it on paper first (this may be anything from a list of bullets or a series of boxes representing slides to comprehensive storyboards).
3. Include an introductory slide with your name and contact details (if relevant), and copy this slide to the end too.
4. The less you put on a slide the better.
5. Each slide generally should include one idea.
6. A picture doesn't say a thousand words, and that's the point of it.  Pictures, like words, must be clear and succinct.
7. Insert a black slide where you want the full focus on you, and a pause from the slideshow.  (You can also spontaneously toggle between the current slide and black by pressing the b key on the keyboard; or pressing w to go to a white screen.)
8. Stick to a simple colour scheme (not slavishly, but certainly diligently).
9. Mix your font sizes rather than mixing your fonts.  (Like many design rules, this one is made to be broken.)
10. 'Build' complex graphics one or two elements at a time, either by having lots of slides, each with a bit more of the graphic, or by using the 'animation' functions if you are ok with them.
11. For a long session, consider 'topic slides' so you can (verbally) 'set the scene' for each new topic.  (In PowerPoint 2010 you can use 'section slides', which are particularly useful in long slideshows.)
12. If you are confident or feeling adventurous, avoid using a standard PowerPoint template - they are recognisably not your work.
13. Although PowerPoint lends itself to a linear approach (one slide after another in a fixed order), consider a non-linear approach - to do this well, you need to know your slide numbers (they can be typed in to jump to a particular slide); or you could create 'hyperlinks' at useful junction points in your presentation.  (Hyperlinks can even be added to elements on the Master Slide, such as your logo.) 
14. Another non-linear approach is to use a tool like pptPlex or prezi.  (Disclaimer: I have developed in pptPlex, but not prezi.)
15. Consider limiting the number of bullet points and the length of sentences.  Such as 3-5 bullets, with none longer than two lines if you need people to pay attention.  If you need them to take away specific content, you may add more information, or supplementary information in handouts or slide notes.
16. And importantly to avoid embarrassment or worse, before the session run through the slides in 'presentation mode', to check for obvious and avoidable errors.  Do this at home, and then again at the venue (to check for readability from the back of the room and other issues).

I will cover handouts in another post.  For now I suggest that you create a handout from your slide content, and avoid the standard PowerPoint-generated handouts.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Choosing a Format - Project Planning

(This is a co-post with the one called "Visual Facilitation - Project Planning".)

Sometimes a project is a bit complicated, or people are unsure how to get it started, or there are a bunch of stakeholders who do not necessarily see eye-to-eye, or the project manager is new to project management and seeking some direction.

These are great opportunities for facilitation.  As facilitator you get to work with people who are passionate about the topic and getting ready to fully immerse themselves in it.  And its great for the participants.  When the facilitator is external to the project, the project manager, project director (if participating) and other stakeholders can participate, rather than getting caught up in determining the process.

At these sessions I believe the two most important things to establish are:

1. Why is the project being undertaken?
2. What does the project need to achieve?

Sometimes these can be answered almost immediately; other times you can spend hours.  Either way I have always found this time well spent.

You can ask these questions directly, or sneak up on them.  I quite like to sneak up on 'big questions' like these.  For example, you might ask 'What specific events led to this project being identified?' or 'If this project is successful, what will be different?'  The first question is a good one to ask everyone to answer individually (ask them to write down their answer).

The second question is potentially lots of questions - there are 'tangible deliverables', 'tangible short and long-term outcomes', 'intangible immediate outcomes' and 'intangible short and long-term outcomes'.  And probably more I haven't thought of.  Tom Peters talks about BHAGs (big hairy assed goals).  And I like to ask people about their 'aspirational objectives'.

I don't think this post would be credible if I was unable to provide some examples, so here goes:

1. Why is the project being undertaken? should be answered by examining current conditions, such as "I have so many tools that I cannot park my car in the garage" or "My partner will leave me if I service my motorbike in the kitchen again". 
2. What 'tangible deliverables' does the project need to achieve? could be answered with "building a shed which is also a workshop".
3. What 'tangible short and long-term outcomes' does the project need to achieve? - "a space where I can keep my tools and service my motorbike".
4. What 'intangible immediate outcomes' does the project need to achieve? - "new skills in shed building" and "my partner appreciates that I'm making an effort".
5. What 'intangible short and long-term outcomes' does the project need to achieve? - "a space apart in which I can do my own thing" and "household harmony".

Some other questions that you may need to answer include:

1. What is the project called?
2. Who are the key stakeholders?  And what role do they need to take in the project?
3. What keeps/could keep the project manager awake at night?
4. What intermediary outcomes could be achieved 'along the way'? 
5. And one possibly for another session:  How will we get there? (tasks, people, resources, funds, etc)

As usual flexibility is important, as the session may not go as you expect.  Or more likely, you will find out that a particular topic that you expected to breeze through actually gets you caught up.  Or something you expected to take up a lot of time is finished almost before it started.  This could be the topic of a whole post, but for now I'll just suggest that you bring a lot more topics/questions than you expect to be able to get through.

Watch for cues from the participants, as you (and maybe a small number of participants) might be intrigued by a topic that others have no interest in.  Also, pull up before you exhaust people - a couple of half-days are much more likely to be fruitful than one full day.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au

Choosing a Format - Knowledge Cafe

A while ago I facilitated a Knowledge Cafe on project management at CQUniversity.  It was a big event for me, as I had never facilitated a session quite like this one.

The usual aspects of this approach include:

• Inviting people to come and participate in a workshop on a session of interest to them.
• Telling people what is expected of them during the workshop.
• Asking people to join small groups (in this case 4's).
• Asking people to answer questions in their groups.
• Asking people to report back points of interest that came up in their groups.

The unusual aspects of this approach include:

• Asking half of the people to rotate to another table after some time, and answer the same questions at the new table.
• The facilitator does not take down everyone's input and commit to taking action.
• Expecting people to take their own notes, and take action as they see fit.

I did quite a bit of research for this session.  The main place I went was David Gurteen's knowledge website (click here).  I loved his story about travelling to London for public lectures, ending up in the pub, and finding that the most valuable information sharing happened in the pub rather than at the lecture.  You could also try Wikipedia (here).

The Knowledge Cafe is a subversive process.  It is not about generating a list of strategies and actions for implementation in a centralised manner.  It is about helping the people with influence and capacity to see a way forward for their piece of the puzzle.  It is about embracing the complexity of the system we work within.  It is about energising people with influence and about giving voice to those without influence.  It is about exposing people with influence to a range of knowledge, opinion, fact and emotion around their area of influence.

Knowledge Cafe Layout

I enjoyed introducing this session.  I told the participants that Knowledge Cafe is subversive. I don't know whether they believed me. I also stated that it is 'more art than science; more conversation than action plan'.

One of my slides included: NOT Listing strategies & actions or Feeding into operational plans.  But it IS Gaining insight, Developing professional network, Embracing system complexity and Taking your own notes.

The participants were asked to answer:

1. What’s the Uni up to in terms of project management?
2. Where to from here with project management?

In the introduction I explained that if the people participating hear anything that needs action, it is up to them to do something about it.  Even after this, at the end some people expressed disappointment that no-one was taking away the findings to take action.

Apart from this criticism, the feedback was generally positive.  People went away with extended networks; a greater appreciation of the range of project management roles being undertaken at the University; and a range of things to do to pursue project management excellence.

...Geoff
www.performancepeople.com.au