Tip 119: Avoid bullet points

When you create a new PowerPoint slide, you will notice that PowerPoint defaults to creating a slide with bullet points. As a result of this setting, many presenters and their audiences have come to believe that a good standard presentation would consist of bullet points. It has become the norm, and audiences have come to expect that your presentation would have bullet points.

However, bullet points are intended for lists. So unless you are showing a list of items – such as a shopping list, or a list of components, or a list of tasks – it is not natural or appropriate to display your presentation with a bullet list.

You are giving your presentation for the benefit of your audience. But from the audience’s point of view, being presented with a list of factual statements can be a boring experience.

Although reading out a list of bullet points makes your presentation easy for you and makes your job a lot easier, from your audience’s point of view, it makes your presentation feel formal, rigid and stiff. Believe me, you do not make it easier for your audience to love you if you subject them to an afternoon of bullet points.

So rather than spending your presentation talking around the bullet points on your slides, why don’t you try alternative strategies such as giving your presentation in the form of a story. Design your slides to be used smoothly and simply to enhance and support your points as you tell the story. This can be done equally for technical presentations as for business presentations.

Reserve bullet points for when you want to display lists.

Although many speakers will find this advice counter-intuitive and alien, I assure you that it is a tremendously liberating experience and a powerful way to shift the focus of your audience’s attention away from the slides and onto you, the speaker, which makes for a far stronger connection between you and your audience. You will not be disappointed with the results!

"Wow! This guide and handbook made a huge difference to my delegates at my online workshop. They loved everything we did. Thanks to Dr Mandar Marathe's book I developed my presentation skills quickly whilst enjoying all the new concepts and ideas this book offers in a very easy to read and practical manner.
 
All professional speakers, trainers and sales people should get a copy of this book!"
- Ash Ali, Online Marketing Expert & Founder of Sandalstore.co.uk

Table of contents
(Click to view sample pages from the book)

Introduction
About the author
How to use this book
Who needs this book?
Chapter 1: Planning for your presentation
Chapter 2: Preparing the delivery
Chapter 3: Preparing effective PowerPoint® slides
Chapter 4: Preparing a handout
Chapter 5: Rehearsals
Chapter 6: Just before the presentation
Chapter 7: Last-minute tips for confidence
Chapter 8: Delivering the presentation
Chapter 9: 'Any questions?'
Chapter 10: After the presentation
Chapter 11: Final Thoughts

About the author

Dr Mandar Marathe graduated from Southampton University with an honours degree in Biomedical Sciences in 1998 and a Bachelor of Medicine degree in 1999. He holds advanced qualifications in Emergency Medicine and in Toxicology.

He juggles a career as a doctor working in Accident & Emergency, while raising three children with his wife, writing books, and endlessly surfing the internet looking for the next "big thing".

With almost two decades of public speaking experience in both academic and professional arenas, he is today an enthusiastic and popular educator who is well qualified to share his ideas about what makes a successful speaker and a powerful presentation.

Dr Mandar Marathe is the course director for the FCEM Course.