Does the thought of making a PPT get your palms all sweaty?

Well, you can change that. Here, we tell you how to hone your presentation skills, so that you look forward to it instead of approach it with dread.

For those who are lost, PPT is an abbreviation for the PowerPoint Presentation. This is a high-powered software tool marketed by Microsoft. They claim 30 million presentations are made with PowerPoint every day.

Basically, it is a tool used to present information in a slide show format. You can use text, charts, graphs, photographs, sound effects and even video with a lot of ease to present (sometimes boring) ideas, facts, trends, whatever information you want to.

So, whether your audience is your boss, your colleagues, a client, or students, here's how to make a killer presentation.
6 tips to make a GREAT presentation

When making the slides...

Shoot them with bullets

"Less is more on a slide show. Too much information on a single slide becomes unreadable, especially when it is projected on a big screen for a large audience," says Delhi-based Ajay Jain, CEO, TCP Media.

1. Present your content in the form of four to five bulleted points per slide; anything more and you end up creating clutter. Using bullets not only makes your slide readable, it also adds to the overall impact of your presentation.
2. Let your bullets be visible. Try to use a font size of 18-24.

3. Don't let each bulleted point be too lengthy. Limit it to six words in one line -- use short sentences.

4. Try to restrict it to six lines in a slide.

5. Contrast the text with the background.

6. To highlight certain important information, present that text in a larger font size.

Don't make it too animated

PowerPoint offers tremendous multimedia capabilities, but don't get carried away with flashy videos, music clips or graphics. Restrict it to certain slides, you don't have to employ it for each and every one.

"One of my students made a presentation on micro finance. It was a serious topic but every slide had background music and even the click of the mouse produced fancy sounds. This took away from the seriousness of the subject being discussed," says Madurai-based M Subramanian a senior faculty member with the R L Institute Of Management Studies.

Use the multimedia capabilities only for special emphasis or to demonstrate how something works. If you use animation excessively, your presentation could be labeled as 'school-boyish'.

Space it out evenly

Select the first of the three or more objects you want to space out, hold down the 'Shift' key and click the remaining objects you want evenly spaced out.

Go to the 'View' menu and select 'Toolbars', then select 'Drawing' to open the 'Drawing' toolbar. Once there, click 'Draw'.

A menu opens.

Click 'Align' or 'Distribute', then 'Distribute Horizontally' or 'Distribute Vertically' to align the objects you selected. Your slides will look balanced and dapper.
Making a presentation? Use mind maps

When presenting...

Your PPT is not a Teleprompter

Don't commit the cardinal sin of reading out your slides word for word. This is guaranteed to get your audience yawning and reaching for more coffee.

PPT slides are to be used as a visual communication aid and not as a teleprompter for the speaker.

"If I want my audience to make notes of important points, I usually provide hand-outs or leaflets after the presentation. This ensures the audience is listening instead of taking notes," says Mumbai-based Prabh Sharan, training manager with Kingfisher Airlines.

Get out of the way

Make sure you are not blocking the audience's view. Use a laser beam to identify the points on the screen, never your arm. A flailing arm is a distraction.

"In one of the college presentations, a colleague kept prompting us to read the slides but would not move away. We ended up reading the slides from his face as he was standing right in front of the projector," says Madan Ramachandran, an MBA graduate from ICFAI business school, Hyderabad.

Go slow
"In one of our routine university meets, a fellow academician flipped through a 15-slide presentation in about five minutes," says Delhi based Shanthi Chander, senior administrative officer, Indira Gandhi University. "At the end of it," he concludes, "we all had the same question on our minds -- what exactly just hit us?"
Don't rush through your slide show. Give about 30 seconds to two minutes for the images on your slide show to make an impact. This will also give you time to answer questions and make your point.

Do dummy runs
Don't make the first presentation to your audience. You should do the entire presentation by yourself (in front of a mirror, if possible). See how it flows and how long it takes.

If you are uncertain, maybe you could run it past a colleague or a friend. Ask them for feedback. Go through other presentations. if you have them, and see how others have done it. Recollect all the presentations you attended -- what you like about them, what you disliked about them, etc. Now, implement what you have learnt from all of this in your slide show presentation.

It's not just technology
PowerPoint may be a great piece of technology, but your effectiveness as a public speaker will eventually dictate the impact.

Dress smartly. Entertain the audience with some amount of planned humour. Share anecdotes and stories.

Don't talk in a monotone. Pack in enthusiasm and energy into your voice.

And, if you do goof up, never apologise -- take a breath, smile and move on. You will be surprised to know how many in your audience may not have even noticed the mishap until you made it obvious.
Become a superstar at telesales. Here's how
Smart tips...

Go blank: If you want the audience to take their eyes off the slides, just put the presentation on slide show mode and press 'B' on your keyboard.

This will blank out the screen and you will have the audience's attention. Press 'B' again and you are back.

Add speaker notes: Worried about forgetting your script? Here's a smart solution.

Go to the slide for which you want to add notes. Go to the 'View' menu and select 'Notes'.
Click the text placeholder and begin typing your speaker notes. Only YOU can see these notes, so your audience will leave your presentation, impressed with your ability to say smart things at the right time. Try it out, it's really cool.

Navigate: If you have to navigate through slides, you can simply type in the slide number and press 'Enter'.
3 golden rules for effective communication

A powerful presentation is not a matter of chance. It takes a lot of preparation and practice, but the thundering applause from your audience will make it all worth it.

So bring out your shining new slide show and wow even the toughest audience.

Sunder works as a trainer with a leading BPO in Delhi. He can be reached at sunder.ramachandran@gmail.com.

Are you a pro at designing PowerPoint presentations? Share your tips with other Get Ahead readers.

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How to be a superstar at telesales

One of the greatest challenges when making a presentation is to prepare for it.

Most of us sit down, pick up a sheet of paper, and our minds go blank.

We don't know where to start.

Or we may have so many ideas that we don't know how to organise them.

Or we don't have enough information to choose a format or decide on the points to be covered.

And this is why I recommend the book Use Both Sides Of Your Brain, by Tony Buzan. It helps put presentations on the right track.

A significant part of the book outlines a technique which Tony calls Mind Mapping.

This reduces the time it takes to develop a presentation, a report, an article, or a letter by approximately 50 percent.

Mind Mapping also allows you to use words to visually relate concepts and information in ways that are more enlightening than note taking or outlining.

It helps in deciding how you want to present the information.

It also enables you to focus on the content and the sequence of the content.

A mind map helps you see not only what is there, but also what is missing.

Here are the fundamental aspects of Mind Mapping:

1. Start with your central thought.

Write the premise in the middle of a blank sheet of paper.

Then list the first idea that comes into your mind.

Next, note down any related points.

As you exhaust ideas on a topic, move to the next idea. Note down related points.

Repeat this process until you have exhausted all the ideas and related points you want to cover.

2. Be free-flowing.

One of the models I use for the mind looks like a pinball machine.

It can bounce around very quickly to numerous ideas before it comes up with a logical conclusion.

We have all had this experience at some point or the other: someone says something to you.

You pause for a minute and then reply. Your listener asks where in the world your response came from.

You reply, "You said this, which reminded me of that, and that made me think of that, and that's why I said that to you."

For you, the thought progression was very logical, but anyone else looking at it may not see how you got your reply from the original statement.

The Mind Mapping technique accommodates this type of bouncing around better than either note-taking or outlining.

3. Use only key words.

Often when taking notes and creating an outline, we use too many words.

Most people think faster than they write.

(The human mind can think 1,200 to 1,600 words a minute. On an average, most people only write freehand 25 to 35 words a minute. The best of us can type a little more than 100 words a minute.)

The key concept is to think in bullets and jot down one or two words that capture the concept. This way, you won't slow down your thinking.

4. Allow yourself to bounce around.

You might be on your third or fourth key idea and, suddenly, you think of something that fits back with idea number one.

Stop. Bounce back up, add the idea, and continue. That's okay.

5. Feel free to connect things that relate.

When two topics relate to one another, simply draw an arrow to connect them.

Draw the arrow with the same colour as the rest of the mind map or with another colour to clearly highlight the intended connection.

6. Try short bursts.

Time yourself for five minutes.

Then take a break. Sit back. Look at your mind map.

Do something else.

Then, spend another five minutes adding, modifying and adjusting.

Remember, Mind Mapping is your tool. Let it work for you.

Many people, when exposed to Mind Mapping, say, "I could never show this to my boss."

A mind map is not necessarily for others. It is primarily for yourself.

Use the mind map, not as a report, but to dictate or type the report.

Use it to make sure that all the elements you want in the report are there before you start.

Suresh Bharwani is the chairman and managing director of Jetking Infotrain Ltd, a hardware and networking institute. He has developed his own executive skills programme, Smartrain, which includes the latest training concepts and aims to propel growth, and concentrate on finding the complete manager within oneself.
How to make a GREAT presentation
Merril Diniz September 27, 2005


A friend of mine who had to make a presentation recently was completely stressed out just thinking about it.

Where do I begin? What format do I use? How do I present my project so that it seems as impressive as possible? He was so tormented by these questions that he developed a severe mindblock and kept postponing his preparation.

"I don't know where to begin," he said, not for wont of ideas, but because he had too many swirling about in his head!

Somewhere down the line, he also realised he did not possess enough information to choose a format or decide on the points that should be covered.

Should he have been so anxious? No! Instead, he should have been excited since his presentation posed both a creative and intellectual challenge.

When presented with challenging tasks such as these, we often do not know how to organise our thoughts -- be it an all-important presentation that could be the turning point in our career or a toast at a friend's wedding. Map your Mind

Dolly Biswas, who heads the commerical art department at Mumbai's B D Somani Institute of Art and Fashion, beats such mental blocks by resorting to a strategy called mind mapping.

"Start with the 'core' word. Then apply your mind to think rationally as well as laterally and list different words relating to the 'core' word. See where it leads you," she says.

If that sounds like new age management spiel, Biswas gives an example to make the concept clearer.

If you ask a child to pen an essay on 'The Circus', s/he may have trouble finding enough material to write 10 sentences on the subject. Try this approach instead. Ask her/ him to write down words connected with the word 'circus'. His/ her imagination will run riot, as the list gets longer with words like clowns, big tent, acrobats, lions, elephants, etc.

Now, using this list of words as a reference, s/ he can easily coin an essay of 10 sentences.

This is a basic example of how mind mapping can be used to think more clearly.

Mind mapping, as a technique, was put together by Tony Buzan, author of Use Your Head. In fact, a significant part of the book, which helps put presentations on the right track, is devoted to this technique.

Benefits of mind mapping

~ A mind map can halve the time it takes to develop a presentation, a report, an article or a letter.

~ It allows you to use words to visually relate concepts and information in ways that are more enlightening than note-taking or outlining.

~ Mind mapping a presentation helps you take a look at how you can best present your information, because it enables you to focus not only on the content, but also on the sequence of the content.

~ A mind map helps you see not only what is there, but also realise what is missing.

How to create a mind map

Suresh Bharwani, corporate trainer and CEO of Jetking, an IT training company, offers these tips on the mind mapping process.
i. Start with the central idea/ word

Write this premise in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Then, list the first support idea that comes to mind in the 12 o'clock position.

Next, note any related points. As you exhaust ideas on a topic, move to the 1 o'clock position and begin again. Continue clockwise.

ii. Let the thoughts flow

Do not restrict your thoughts or try to keep your thought process logical.

iii. Use only key words

Often, when taking notes or creating an outline, we use too many words.

Most people think faster than they write (the human mind can think of up 1,200 to 1,600 words a minute. On an average, most people can write 25 to 35 words a minute in freehand; the best of us can type little more than 100 words a minute).

The idea is to think in bullet form and jot down one or two words that capture the concept. This way, you won't slow down your thinking.

iv. Allow yourself to bounce around

You could suddenly find yourself thinking of something that fits with idea number one even as you are working on your third or fourth key idea.

That's okay. Stop, bounce back, add the idea and then continue.

v. Feel free to connect things that relate

When two topics relate to one another, simply draw an arrow to connect them.

The arrow may be drawn with the same colour as the rest of the mind map or with another colour to highlight the intended connection clearly.

vi. Try short bursts

Time yourself for five minutes. Then take a break, sit back and look at your mind map.

Do something else. Then, spend another five minutes adding, modifying, and adjusting your mind map.

vii. Mind mapping is a tool

Many people, when exposed to mind mapping, say, "I could never show this to my boss." A mind map is not necessarily for others. It is primarily for yourself.

Don't use a mind map as a report. Instead, use the mind map to help create the report. Use it to make sure all the elements you want in the report are there before you start.

Become a superstar in telesales. Here's how
Sunder Ramachandran March 23, 2006


Selling a product or service is always a challenging task.

Selling a product or service over the phone by making cold calls is even tougher.

More often than not, prospective customers tend to say outright that they are busy and disconnect the line.

So how do you, as a call centre sales agent, make your pitch and extract a positive reaction?

'I'm not interested'

This is a common knee-jerk reaction people have towards salespeople, particularly telemarketers. You may have used it yourself when you got that pesky call that interrupted your lunch.

In order to counter this, you need to stop 'selling' and start building a 'relationship'. You should avoid making a 'mini presentation' that most salespeople do about themselves, their company, etc. Focus, instead, on the problem your product solves. For example: "I am calling to see if you would be open to ideas about lowering the interest rate on your credit card or reducing your monthly bills on telecommunication, etc."

Notice that you are not selling your product at this stage; you are just focussing on the customer's problem or pain area.

Common mistakes

Most call centre agents are trained to provide as much information as they can to potential buyers in the vain hope that such verbal diarrhoea will translate into more sales.

This approach is always a mistake; it ends up overwhelming the customer. Remember, customers don't base their buying decision on information alone.
When was the last time we bought a product only based on a rational line of thought?

Customers have needs and they base their buying decisions around them. They couldn't care less about a company's full suite of products/ services. Their concern is solving their immediate problem and addressing a hidden emotional need, nothing more.

Here are some common mistakes new sales people make:
~ Lack of preparation.

There is an old saying: 'Success happens when opportunity meets preparedness.'
~ Not listening and talking too much.

Ninety per cent of salespeople never listen, which is why they are doomed to be ineffective.
~ Failing to close the sale.

Many studies show that 70 per cent of all sales people NEVER close the sale. The fear of hearing a 'No' stops them from even asking the customer to buy and close the sale. Believe in what you are selling and close the sale.
~ Poor or no follow up.

Follow up and follow through is where 90 per cent of all great sales are made.
~ Small thinking.

Want bigger sales? You must think bigger. Ask these questions: 'How high is high? What is my maximum potential?'
~ Failing to establish and/ or maintain a rapport.
~ Failing to really commit and establish yourself as an expert in your field
Prepare your pitch

Whether you are selling long distance phone connections or credit cards over the phone, the need is not the credit card but the convenience of being able to buy the desired product on credit.

This clearly makes the credit card just a means to an end; it also helps the phone sales agent align his/ her sales pitch accordingly. Unnecessarily detailing all the wonderful features of a product may make a customer wonder if they are paying for features that aren't applicable to their unique situation. Ultimately, it could even cause them to rethink their decision.

Sales over the phone can be tricky as the customer bases the decision on the agent's description of the product. The agent's sales pitch should be such that the customer can visualise the product and its utility. Sometimes, the depth of a sales agent's description can also cause confusion.

Telephone sales agents can eliminate the possibility of overwhelming their customers if they structure their sales scripts accordingly (a sales script highlights the key features and benefits of the product and provides answers to standard objections and questions). It can be handy, especially for new sales agents.

The challenge is to present the information in such a way that key information is retained and the customer is persuaded to make the buying decision. Sales agents must think through their scripts and focus on what is really important to the customer; they should then organise and structure the information appropriately.
Most people simply don't know how to put themselves across over the phone.
They do well, however, in face-to-face meetings. They dress well, make eye contact, use a firm handshake, present crisp business cards and smile warmly. The person who has to deal face-to-face with a prospective customer has a lot of props to rely on.
Quick tips
Here are some tips on developing a great telephone personality and improving your overall effectiveness
Speaking slowly and clearly

The tendency is speed up when one is nervous and this makes one sound like an amateur. Enunciate your words more than you normally do. Many people are in the habit of slightly slurring their speech, which does not create a good impression.
Keep smiling

Your customers are not in front of you but you still need to seem nice, open and friendly to build a relationship. Your smile will reflect in your positive tone and voice. It will also add warmth to your tone and make you sound real.

Write out your opening lines

Rehearse it, off the phone, many, many times. This will make you sound professional and organised, and therefore, credible. Your opening statement must always address your customer's needs.
What does your customer want?
What's in it for your customer?
Why should he/ she listen to you?
Have the answers to these questions ready. The first few seconds will determine the course of your call. You have to invest time to ensure you put your best foot forward.
Allow the customer to lead the process

The best way to control the sales interaction is to ask open ended questions. This is also the best way of learning whether or not your product or service meets the needs of your customer. Quality questions that uncover specific issues, problems, or objectives are essential in helping you establish yourself as an expert.
For example: 'Would you be interested in a lower interest rate and higher credit limit?' works much better than 'Are you looking for a credit card?'
Plan your telephone presentations in advance

Think out all the various scenarios you might be faced with and write it out. This is called pre-call planning or scripting.

It will help you remove some potential objections that the customer may have. It will also save you the embarrassment of being caught off guard when the customer asks you a question.

Keep in mind you can phrase anything positively, negatively or neutrally. Phrasing your words positively will help you get better results more easily.
Ask for the sale with conviction

This is also known as 'Closing the sale'. Is there any reason why you won't be enrolling in this offer today? Are going to join today? Would you like to pay for this through your credit card? Talk in a positive way and help the customer make a decision to buy.
Tape yourself for self-improvement

Listen to yourself carefully and decide in which areas you want to improve.

For example, if you don't like what you hear, you know why your customers are saying 'no' to you. Make an action plan. Focus on only one area at a time. When you feel comfortable, move to your next area and repeat.

One must remember that information consumes the attention of the listener; the more the information you pour in the minds of the customer, the less you tend to score with them.
It is important to remember the 'SW-SW-SW-WN' formula of sales -- Some will, some won't, so what, who's next.
Persistence is the key to sales success! Get back to your phone now and become a sales champion.
Sunder is a corporate trainer with a leading BPO in Delhi. He can be reached at sunder.ramachandran@gmail.com.What are you reading? Jeffrey Archer's latest thriller, False Impressions? Have you read Mary Higgins' latest - Two Little Girls in Blue? Did you simply love Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code? Discuss your favourite books on Book Lovers Discussion Group. Or at Lovers of Books. Join now!