Tip 109: Slides should not be the focus of your presentation

Your audience has come to see you, listen to you, interact with you, be moved by you and your message, and gain something from you. The focus of this encounter with your audience is you.

Slides are a tool for you to get your message across to your audience.

The slides are the visual aids that complement and support your spoken word. The slides are not the reason that people have congregated. They have come to see you. You are the “star of the show”, not your slides!

Your slides should be appropriate, memorable and helpful for your audience. Make sure that they do not distract or confuse your audience, or allow your audience to lose rapport with you. Slides should be an aid to communication, not a substitute for it.

"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.