Solving the PowerPoint Predicament: Using Digital Media for Effective Communication

Chapter 1. Planning an Effective Presentation

If you’re going to give a presentation, have something to say. For most presenters, the blank page (or slide) is the first major hurdle.

I still remember playing chess at summer camp—I was an average player with the ambition to excel. Then one winter I read an elementary book on chess openings that covered just the first few opening moves. The following summer I became one of the better players just by applying some basic strategy—and setting up my pieces in a strategic and organized fashion before I dove into the match.

If writing were that easy, I’d be out of a job. But there are also certain tried and true principles for formulating our presentations, many of which we can learn from experts in the ...