I monitor tweets for WebEx and I can't tell you how many times people complain about WebEx when what they are really complaining about is the painful presentation they are being forced to endure. I have to say, I feel their pain. No one wants to be the victim of a bad presentation.
Last week, a tweet reminded me that sometimes people forget they need to adapt when presenting online.
From @ jtroyer: Webex and slide transitions are really not getting along this morning. Note to self: eschew PPT transitions. John is right. Transitions and animations are not great for a web meeting. There is a slight time delay as data moves between points and anything that requires extra movement can jeopardize the elegance of your presentation.
Use PowerPoint More Effectively
WebEx is a great way to work together or make a sales presentation, but it's important to remember you actually have to work a little hard to be engaging and compelling. I went back and found Guy Kawasaki's great rules for PowerPoint. The 10/20/30 Rule that focuses on making you edit your slide deck to be as pithy and interesting as possible. The essence:
10 slides. Guy says this is the optimal number of slides because humans can't process more than ten concepts in a single sitting.
20 minutes. The whole pitch should take no more than 20 minutes. If you book an hour, that gives you nearly 40 minutes for questions.
30-point font. That’s the smallest your text should appear anywhere in the deck. If you make the text smaller, you’re going to be tempted to just pour your whole narrative onto the slides and read from the deck — which is a fatal error which will cost you your audience’s respect and attention.
Of course, you can adapt this to meet your needs but you get the point. Keep it simple, powerful and encourage interaction - which is especially important during a web meeting. You need to pause. Make space for comments and discussion. Toggle between slides and your web cam.
Interestingly, Microsoft published a short list of PowerPoint tips that can be very useful during a web meeting. In Presenting with PowerPoint: 10 Dos and Don'ts, they stress the key to good PowerPoint is using it right. The slides aren't the sizzle, you are!
Do you have other tips for web meetings? We'd love to hear from you. We hope this helps for those of you on the "guest" end of a WebEx. We share your desire for good meetings!
