Posted on Oct 31, 2014
LT Jessica Kellogg
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Death by powerpoint
I'm putting together a PowerPoint briefing. In my experience, PowerPoints are such a mind numbing way to convey information. Do any of you have any tips for making PowerPoints more engaging or interesting?

Thanks in advance.

****************EDIT*********************
Thank you all for your advice and suggestions.
Posted in these groups: Train2 Training34f01b88 MicrosoftE5739c5f PowerPoint
Edited >1 y ago
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Responses: 29
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SSgt James Howerton
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I know this is a bit off the way the topic was meant, but for me the biggest "attention getter" I ever had was once when I had a regularly weekly operations briefing scheduled to present to some Officers in my unit (I was an E-4 at the time) and in walked a two-star Marine General. Although he was extremely gracious to everyone in the room, myself included, his entering definitely got my attention. I remember at the time thinking, "Please Lord, let my alignment be correct." By alignment I mean the military alignment of a Marine Corps uniform. Luckily, it was and everything went smoothly.
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MSG Greg Murry
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Know what you're talking about--really!
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MAJ Jeff Coulter
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The purpose of Powerpoint is to provide bullets that facilitate discussion/lecturing. Do NOT try to put everything you have to say on a slide, and for the love of all that's holy, DO NOT read your slide(s) to the audience. That can get you killed.
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LTC Battalion Commander
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Amen brother!
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PO2 Maxwell Jones
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I was lead refrigerant tech on the boat (SSN) and so I ended up doing all engineering department and ship's training for refrigerant systems, and all training required a power point. Because other than a picture of the refrigeration cycle, the power point didn't really do much good, I liked to choose obnoxious color combinations for the unimportant slides (most of them). Blaze orange and lime green, yellow and magenta, dark grey and light yellow, and lime green and hot pink became my go-to colors for slides that I didn't actually want people to focus on because the information was better explained with a white board and interactive discussion.
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PFC Michael Sims
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Do you have access to a graphic designer?
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LT Jessica Kellogg
LT Jessica Kellogg
>1 y
Fortunately, I am a graphic designer.
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PFC Michael Sims
PFC Michael Sims
>1 y
Lol, Aw too easy. Use Adobe flash, and you could possibly get away with using Adobe After effects. Do you know how to use these programs? I am in school for graphic design now I graduate next year. I could try to help out.
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PFC Michael Sims
PFC Michael Sims
>1 y
Ma'am I also did not consider the time it takes to put together such presentation. I feel that power point could be very useful and as a lower enlisted personnel, I would recommend using video, I think information could be relayed a lot easier this way simply because it can be a lot more engaging or easier to grab and maintain attention.
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LT Jessica Kellogg
LT Jessica Kellogg
>1 y
Thanks. I think, given more time, it would be better as a video (I really want to make one of those whiteboard animation videos), but I'm not sure if I can pull off a good product this quickly.
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CW5 Sam R. Baker
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The photo cracks me up! WHY? My daughter is a Midshipman and she says that the Naval Academy thrives on sleep deprivation!
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Cpl Robert Clark
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I suggest adding a voice over.
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SFC Intelligence Analyst   Atl
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>1 y
By William Shatner?
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TSgt Scott Hurley
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Add animations and hope for the best....
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CPT Platoon Leader
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That is a horrible picture. I've always liked a power point that started with a video. It draws the viewer in and creates a interactive learning environment. Try to use good illustrations and pictures. Maybe throw some sounds and transitions that do not distract from the subject matter. I can however remember a presentation I had to give on COIN( Counter-insurgency) and sometimes there is no way around the boredom. Best thing you can do is give breaks, ask someone from your audience to read the slides, and pray information is retained.
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SGM Robin Johnson
SGM Robin Johnson
>1 y
Sir, I have been assigned many of those 'boring' topics as well, and will share the viewpoint that helped me in case it is useful for you in the future. Even if boring at the outset, I know that it must be needed for a reason, and I went back to why was it necessary and what was the use for the Army and the unit and the Soldier? Kind of like the old METL crosswalk. From that, I could derive some rationale for the importance to the audience, and build on that. And the enthusiasm the speaker brings to a subject carries over. It may not do the job entirely but it is a starting point and it helps.
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