How to prepare a presentation. Mini-course for the programmer

I, like many other programmers, have a weakness: I really like various meetings meetings, where new projects and ideas are discussed. All presentations in my presentation are divided into 3 types: a dreary reading of the academic performance of the head of the transport department, a demonstration of the system from the hands and the presentation of ideas and solutions using the presentation builder. If programmers are familiar with the demonstration of the system from the hands of laboratory laboratories at universities, and monotonously reading texts, “banyun cats,” are gradually dying out as a class, then our brother’s presentations are obviously strained. Managers have either completed or viewed the “young presentation builder” courses, then the youth limited themselves to books such as “PowerPoint Lessons in 24 Hours” or even worse, once they saw it and studied this product of the bourgeois economy. Therefore, viewing their presentations causes nausea, not to mention the fact that they are often interrupted, causing a “live” communication. Orientation in their presentations is impossible and often meaningless. But in order to create beautiful presentations you need a little bit. I will try to make a list of "instructions for programmers", what can not be done and what is needed.

1. The 10/20/30 principle.

About him already wrote on habrahabr. Briefly, the principle stands for 10 slides in a presentation, 20 minutes of time for a presentation, 30 in type in the text on a slide. The problem is that this rule is mainly aimed at large presentations for clients and investors. To demonstrate small presentations, in a narrow, "family" circle, you need to meet 2 times less time. The most beautiful mini-presentations that I saw fit in 3 slides and 5-6 minutes. The main thing in the numbers 10/20 is the duration of the slide. It should be no more than 2 minutes, but preferably not less than the same time. If you can't explain a slide in 2 minutes, break it up into several slides. If you talk about a slide for less than a minute, connect it to another slide, or discard it.

2. The best presentation - the lack of presentation.

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At the presentation, people gathered to listen to you and see the show. Do not give him a presentation. This is the main principle of presentations. If you are showing a layout - show the layout. If you show a working system, show how good your system is. If the chip - show the chip and how to do it. If you are preparing a company anthem, sing it, finally. But if you have nothing to show, or to show something live is very difficult, collect the presentation. Well, and if such an assembly has gone, remember: The presentation is you and your story, what is shown on the wall is additional materials. Therefore, it is preferable to use objects on presentation slides in the following order: diagram, figure, graph, table, text. Yes, yes, the text on the presentation should be used only when it is impossible to say anything else, and not when it is necessary to say something.

3. Do not create porridge on the slide

Do you remember the magic number seven, plus or minus two ? This psychological principle of understanding should lie in your slides. Slide must consist of no more than 5 objects. It is from five, not from seven, or, God forbid, from nine, because The “purse” of a person’s memory consists of 5 monosyllabic words. From these objects it is necessary to subtract the length of the header in monosyllabic words (N). In total, you can use no more than (5-N) objects on the slide itself. This means that if the slide is a test slide, then you can use no more than (5-N) shootouts, each of which will have one monosyllabic or specialized, understandable to all, keyword. If the bullet contains a complex, non-specialized, then such a bullet will “cost” as many as the monosyllabic words of which it consists.

If a diagram is drawn on the slide, then try to simplify the diagram to (5-N) blocks or links between them, depending on what you are focusing on. If there is a drawing on a slide, then there should be no more than (5-N) distinct objects on it.

Graphs, charts and tables are 1.5 times better remembered by the brain, because consist mainly of numbers. Therefore, if you use graphics in your presentation, then, in my opinion, it is permissible to use no more than (5-N) * 1.5 values. Do not be lazy to sign your chart, I personally, and not I alone, I don’t like graphs without signatures and numbers, when I don’t see numbers, I get scared feeling that I’m being deceived.

4. Do not rivet an empty slide.

Here I will express my opinion. At the institute, on a diploma, we were taught that the presentation should end with a blank slide with the words “Your questions?”. So, there is nothing clearer and more pleasant when the slides run out, and there will be a black color or a general presentation diagram and the presenter who emerged from the dark will say: "Please ask your questions." Why is it even read? After all, they are not down-downs ...

Also, it is not necessary to create a “Zen” presentation, consisting of slides, on which there is only one heading, without diagrams and detailed drawings. At least it just looks silly.

5. Be stylish.

Almost every company has a “brand book”, according to which a designer has lovingly prepared a template for presentations. At worst, in Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 there are about 40 standard themes and 6 colors for them. And yet, the vast majority of programmers use the standard scheme: white color presentations and black letters on it. Try to look at the light bulb in a dark room for 15 minutes, which is a presentation, and you will understand what your listeners feel and why they are angrier dogs. If you have even the most interesting report, and the listeners are angels, you can look at the light bulbs for 15 minutes without distracting, causing real animal aggression, which they naturally throw out on the stimulus, i.e. you, the narrator.

A counter-example of this item is a presentation in the style of children's blogs on LiveInternet. An incongruent blend of fonts, colors, and background pictures hits the brain as well as heavy metal, performed by a classical symphony orchestra. Of course, there are fans of such creativity, but most still prefer the classics. Try to avoid bright colors and unnatural fonts in business presentations. Leave the Comic font for kindergartens and elementary school.

Pay special attention to the title. An ideal heading is considered to be a heading made in the same font, almost the same color and a little, by 30 percent, an increased size.

A bit of pictures. Your listeners guess that you know where the insert picture menu item is. Therefore, before inserting a picture into each slide, consider whether it is worth it. Thought? Think again. Of course, one picture replaces 1000 words, but will it replace them in this case? And most importantly: is it harmoniously considered the style and color scheme of the presentation itself?

6. Avoid excessive animation.

I do not know what kind of evil genius came up with moving animation in presentations. It’s not easy to replace the speaker with any departure of the phrase from abroad on the screen, but to distract from the course of the narration is easy. A moving object for a person, as for any animal, is either food or danger. Therefore, a person is distracted by him subconsciously, forgetting both the course of the story and the need to listen to the narrator, especially if it comes to dinner. Do not distract the person from the topic. Leave the animation to the professionals. Personally, I have never seen the appropriate use of such animation in presentations, which was prepared by a “non-designer”.

And the most important principle: No presentation will replace human communication.

Good luck to you speeches.