Top Ten Powerpoint Crimes

This morning I read this fantastic article on the BBC, written by Jane Wakefield "How to avoid 'death by PowerPoint". It was great, and I felt like she was reading my mind! I'm partial to a good presentation, in fact if I do say so myself, I'm quite good at creating a fairly impressive presentation: keep it simple use cool images and you've got yourself a top notch presentation. The reason a presentation exisits, is so you, yes you, can engage with your audience, present your material and use the slides to back up your ideas with brief points.

• 

  Gear System Shadow

• 

  People Holding Hands Around the Glob

• 

  Stacked Pebbles

• 

  Thumbs Up

• 

  Archery Board

• 

  Missing Piece

• 

  Business People running a race

• 

  Shaking Hands

• 

  Rosettes

• 

  Business People around Laptop

In Jane's article she referenced the findings from Pickit and Eyeful Presentations, who together listed the top 10 images to avoid in presentations. Not only did this have me laughing out loud, it brought back all those memories of terrible, terrible powerpoint presentations I've had to sit through.

Pickit and Eyeful: Top 10 Images to avoid in a presentation:

1. Cogs

2, Images of people holding hands around the globe

3. Stacked Pebbles

4. Thumbs Up

5. Archery Targets

6. Jigsaw piece being fitted into puzzle

7. Businessperson poised to run a race

8. Handshakes

9. Rosettes

10. Groups of businesspeople staring intently at a monitor

Are you Guilty?

Are you guilty of the handshake, cogs or thumbs up? Have you seen them lately in a presentation? Death by powerpoint is no way to go, stay away from these top ten images, keep your presentation fresh, clean and to the point, and here's a thought, do you really need to use slides?