06 Mar 11 Mistakes to be Avoided while making and Delivering a PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint aided presentation is an integral part of formal presentation before the audience. It not only enhances depth of the presentation but also brings many more things on table like – easy to understand flowcharts and graphics, constant textual reminder, short and easy to comprehend points, sum up checklists towards end, a compact understanding of the entire topic. But while preparing and delivering a PowerPoint presentation speaker often loses focus and commits several notable mistakes. Don’t repeat these mistakes.

Too much of text

We are often tempted to overstuff our PowerPoint slides with too much of text and long paragraphs. Don’t forget presentation is all about putting points on slides and narrating or elaborating them in detail verbally. Don’t suffocate your presentation with too much of text. No one is interested in reading long texts. So write in bullets or points. Elaborate those verbally. Make sure you leave blank space in your slides.

Too much of animation

Many presenters love to show off their technical skills by animating each line or graphic of the slides. Remember, simplicity always sells. Don’t let the whoosh sound of your presentation distract the audience. It’s highly annoying when repeated. Keep slides simple, minimalistic, and elegant. Don’t animate each and every text or header or graphic element in it. Too much of rotation, blinking, floating, swinging of elements worsen a good content. Don’t use those animated sounds which are highly disturbing.

Baseless data

Presenters often put factual data, without mentioning the source. It’s a strict ‘no no’. Never put facts and figures, graphs without mentioning its source. No data seems authentic and valid without the source mentioned. People may doubt credibility of your presentation.

Reading out from the slides

Often presenters are seen doing nothing, but simply reading out whatever is there on the PowerPoint slide. It not only bores the audience, but also doesn’t add any value to the entire presentation session. You can add substantial value to a presentation only when you give your valuable inputs besides reading out from the slides alone. It also shows presenter’s lack of confidence, public speaking fear and lack of knowledge.

Make sure you avoid these mistakes.

Tags: Animation, Audience, Blank Space, Bullets, Checklists, Credibility, Factual Data, Flowcharts, Formal Presentation, Graphic Element, Graphs, Minimalistic, Paragraphs, Powerpoint Presentation, Powerpoint Slide, Powerpoint Slides, Presentation Powerpoint, Reminder, Simplicity, Whoosh

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02 Sep 09 Writing A Web 2.0 Resume

Sending in paper resumes when searching for employment is becoming obsolete, and for most jobs now only serves as an ancient reminder of the way things used to be done. Most jobs require electronic application and resume submission, it’s just quicker for a company to do things completely computerized. With that is the way reference checks are changing as the time of the internet takes a stronger foothold than ever before. Nowadays it’s not uncommon for an employer to turn to Google, or social networking sites like Facebook, or even Twitter, to get a feel for a potential employee.

By making ourselves so incredibly easily available on the internet, you may not even realize how these things can come back to haunt you in unexpected ways. Which is exactly why everyone should realize that with every resume, you almost need to prepare a web 2.0 resume alongside. Of course I’m not referring to an actual document you should write, but instead make sure that the internet smiles kindly upon you to anyone doing a search.

Google yourself and see what comes up, make sure you like what you see, or else strive to change the negative points. Nothing shows a good reference like going to a completely unbiased source, such as Google, and only seeing positive information. Plus simple search engine exploration like this is faster and easier than a company trying to track down your references on the phone to get a feel for your personality.

So here are a few tips for shaping up your Web 2.0 resume:

1. Make yourself available online. If you have a job, such as being a freelance writer, where internet recognition is very important, make sure that you’re easy enough to find. A company looking to hire a talented blogger isn’t going to turn to you if they can’t find your alias on Google within the first few pages of results.

2. Make sure that information is positive. You don’t want a new potential company Googling your name and then finding a post where all you do is bash your former employer. Nothing would turn off a new company more.

3. Create your own strictly professional web page, to act as an easy to read career resume. Make sure you’ve got an accurate career portfolio up, and go the extra distance by having a custom email address URL related to your website where they can contact you. Both factors will make you look informed, and prepared for what’s expected in the web 2.0 environment.

4. Social networking professionally. Make sure that you have professional alternatives to your social networking, and that you maintain relationships through them effectively. Keep things strictly business, to show that you are a hardworking potential employee that knows the difference between what is and isn’t appropriate.

Tags: Alias, Blogger, Electronic Application, Electronic Resume, Facebook, Foothold, Freelance Writer, Google, Personality, Positive Information, Reference Checks, Reminder, Resume Paper, Search Engine, Search Google, Simple Search, Social Networking Sites, Submission, Web Resume, Writing Resume

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06 Mar 11 Mistakes to be Avoided while making and Delivering a PowerPoint Presentation

Too much of text

Too much of animation

Baseless data

Reading out from the slides

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