Effective PowerPoint Slides for Professionals: Engaging Presentations for Business & Education | Perfect for Meetings, Training & Conferences

Early in the book "PowerPoint Slides That Work!: Show + Tell for Grownups," the author points out that people are unable to simultaneously read and listen. If everyone doing a presentation were to take just this single fact to heart, a majority of PowerPoint slide decks would be instantly improved. I shudder to think of how many times I’ve sat through a lecture on a fundamentally interesting topic only to be absolutely bored by slide after slide packed edge-to-edge with bullet-pointed paragraphs that served as a distracting background to a presenter who continued to speak, seemingly about something else, or worse, read each word on the screen to the audience. A simple point? Yes, but many of us who squirm at the idea of attending such presentations communicate information in the same way when it’s our turn. This goes to the essence of why Steven B. Levy’s book is significantly more valuable than a multitude of others about PowerPoint that provide mostly technical information about the program but don’t teach how to use it effectively. Rather than merely offering instructions, this book teaches valuable underlying concepts. This isn’t to say there isn’t any “how to” advice in the book. There’s practical information about layout, style, fixing existing presentations, and creating new ones; as well as recommendations for effectively using bullets, images, and Smart Art. However, far more useful than the information it provides about using PowerPoint as a tool is the logic it offers about good presentations because, when applied, these points will increase a speaker’s effectiveness in all future situations.In addition to being informative, the book is both sophisticated and fun, and juxtaposes content-suitable quotes from Shakespeare with recommendations like, “When in doubt, leave ‘em out!” The author’s credentials at the back of the book make it apparent why he knows his stuff: If 35 years of project management and business experience that includes 17 years as the head of major departments at Microsoft were not enough, he continues to be a frequent lecturer himself.As a training manager, I found myself saying, “Yes!” repeatedly as the book reinforced concepts I try to incorporate into my own presentations, and I learned a number of new tricks, too. Well before I’d finished it, I’d decided to make this book required reading for my training staff, to give a copy to my manager, and to recommend it to others at my company. The way I see it, the more people who read "PowerPoint Slides That Work!: Show + Tell for Grownups," the fewer death-by-PowerPoint presentations we’ll all be subjected to.