Limit Your Points to What People can Handle
07/09/09 17:05 Filed in: Presentations
People have a limited capacity for listening to and absorbing information presented orally, even with the help of visual support. Keep this fact in mind when you choose the arguments to highlight in the middle of your presentation. As a rule, plan to support your main argument with three to five major points. (Never go beyond seven points. After that number, research shows that all listeners hear is blah, blah, blah...)
Another effective way to organize your supporting arguments is in radiating groups of three. This is what I call the Russian doll approach. Start with three major points. Then expand each one with three sub-points. You can repeat this design ad infinitum, keeping in mind that each level you add will greatly lengthen the time required to deliver your presentation. To shorten the presentation, just eliminate levels of sub-points and hide the slides that illustrate them. In other words, pop smaller dolls back into larger dolls.
Following this method will allow you to deliver the same presentation whether you have 5 minutes or an hour and 15 minutes to fill.
Another effective way to organize your supporting arguments is in radiating groups of three. This is what I call the Russian doll approach. Start with three major points. Then expand each one with three sub-points. You can repeat this design ad infinitum, keeping in mind that each level you add will greatly lengthen the time required to deliver your presentation. To shorten the presentation, just eliminate levels of sub-points and hide the slides that illustrate them. In other words, pop smaller dolls back into larger dolls.
Following this method will allow you to deliver the same presentation whether you have 5 minutes or an hour and 15 minutes to fill.