TIP: Too many times people use their powerpoint slides as a big, onscreen version of their crib notes. That is tremendously disrespectful to the audience, and it really interferes with your ability to get a message across. 

If you put your crib notes into the “notes” field in your PowerPoint slides, you can see them in “presenter view” and they’ll help you remember what you were going to say without interfering with the experience your audience is having. Then, use the space that moving your crib notes off screen opens up to display beautiful, moving, relevant images. You’ll be glad you did, and they will be too! 

Action Guide Questions:

Have you ever made the audience the enemy with your text heavy slides? If you put all the bullet points into the notes field of your slides and had a big blank slide to work with, what picture could you use to convey the point and the emotion you want to convey? 

Without being goofy or ridiculous, what are some of the actual emotions you want to convey with your talk? Better yet, what emotions would have a positive impact on the outcomes of your presentation? Excitement? Passion? Comfort? Urgency? Inspiration? Safety? Sorrow? Joy? 

If you had to lay out the emotional arc you’d like to occur in your speech, what would it look like? Beginning with confusion and worry, then moving to interest and curiosity, followed by connection and understanding, and then ending with joy and surprise? Try creating an arc like this for your speech, and then think about what you need to include in your speech in order to create that arc.

In the next unit, you’ll learn how to get over any nervousness you may have about public speaking.