When and Why to Use PowerPoint

        Though PowerPoint is everywhere these days, it doesn't have to be - and in many cases, it just plain shouldn't be.  People use PowerPoint too often as a crutch - they don't want to put in the effort to really know their presentation, and instead lean on the slides, basically just reading them to the audience.  This is a really fast way to lose all of your charisma as a speaker!  So, to decide when and why to use PowerPoint, consider the following:
   

• Concepts - Ideally, PowerPoint is good to display information that would be difficult to merely verbalize.  This includes visual information like structures, trends over time, photographic examples, diagrams of processes or models, etc.  These things absolutely justify the use of some kind of visual aid.  For example, explaining how a rotary engine works would be next to impossible without some kind of visual aid - ideally, an animation!  Make sure to think about how to present any given visual concept most effectively - more about this in the Content section...

• Bring the Audience Closer - When applicable, it's great to let an audience more fully appreciate a topic by bringing it closer to them.  This mean showing photos, playing sounds or videos.  This is especially important in vacation or venue presentations, where judgments or opinions will be based on as close an experience as possible to actually being there.

• Major Points - If you're determined to have text slides in PowerPoint, make sure it's only to reinforce major points.  Don't just list every single thing you're going to say as a bullet point - that's a LOT of text, it's very distracting, and it'll make your delivery turn to mush.  Keep sharp, and don't depend on your slides as a crutch!

• Business Precedent - Many PowerPoint presentations are meant to serve two purposes:  they're an aid for the presentation, but also a replacement or reminder of the presentation for anyone who missed or forgot it.  This is common in business!  "Oh, I couldn't make it to that meeting, but just forward me the slides."  Ugh.  But if this is the case for your presentation, I ask this:  consider making the slides purely visual, and put the important spoken content in the "notes" section.  They won't actually appear on the slide, but they'll be printed out with the slides (as long as you have them set to do that).  

• "B" and "W" Keys - It's possible (in fact, likely) that not ALL of your speech will be a good match for PowerPoint.  That's okay!  Just make sure not to try to use slides for parts of your speech that aren't right for them.  Instead, turn PowerPoint off - and it's easier than you might think.  The B key turns the screen black;  the W key turns the screen white.  Use whichever is most appropriate for your venue, when you don't need anything onscreen.  It's that easy - you just have to be brave enough to do it...

         Excellent, you now have a feel for when and why to use slides for your presentation; let's move on to how to pick a good Style....