Making the first five slides count

December 8th, 2009

We have all had to sit through them and we sometimes wish we could be somewhere else, crossing things off our ever growing ‘to do’ lists. Nevertheless PowerPoint presentations are inextricably linked into everyday business life, so how can we make sure that our presentations connect with the audience from the go get?

Cliff Atkinson, author of ‘Beyond Bullet Points’ believes you can command attention within the first five slides and the first few minutes if done right.

When planning your presentation content he offers the following checklist for the first five slides:

1. Do they orient your audience to the setting of the presentation?
2. Do they interest them by acknowledging their role in the setting?
3. Are you engaging them emotionally by describing a challenge they face?
4. Are you motivating them by affirming what they want?
5. Do they focus your audience by offering a way to get from Point A to Point B (Call to Action)?

To help you structure your next presentation and create a story that will engage and motivate your audience download this free story template kindly provided by Cliff.

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