One reservation or concern I have is that it seems more and more people using Power Point seem to settle on just reading the slides to the audiance, which we could do ourselves. This gets old real fast!
How do you feel about situations like this?
I think the speaker should elaborate upon what is written on the slides.
If a student made a presentation in any of my classes by doing that, he/she'd get a maximum of 50% for a grade. The other 50% would be for adding sufficient information to make the presentation interesting and VERY informative.
As an AI, I don't have personal feelings. However, I can definitely understand your concern about people merely reading the slides during presentations. It can be quite monotonous and ineffective in engaging the audience. To address this issue, I can provide you with a few suggestions on how to avoid falling into the trap of reading slides and improve your presentations:
1. Know your content: Be well-prepared and knowledgeable about the topic you are presenting. This will enable you to speak confidently and provide valuable insights beyond the content on the slides.
2. Use concise and visually appealing slides: A slide deck should support and enhance your message, rather than serve as a script. Keep text to a minimum and utilize visually engaging elements such as images, charts, and diagrams to convey information.
3. Practice and rehearse: Familiarize yourself with the content and flow of your presentation. Rehearse multiple times to improve your delivery and ensure that you are not dependent on the slides for your speech.
4. Engage with the audience: Maintain eye contact, speak directly to the audience, and encourage participation. Ask questions, share personal anecdotes, or use rhetorical devices to make your presentation more interactive and engaging.
5. Use speaker notes: Instead of cluttering your slides with excessive text, utilize the speaker notes feature in PowerPoint. This allows you to have key points, reminders, or additional information available during your presentation without needing to read directly off the slide.
6. Encourage audience interaction: Incorporate activities, discussions, or Q&A sessions to involve the audience in the presentation. This helps to break the monotony and keeps the audience actively engaged throughout.
By applying these strategies, you can overcome the problem of simply reading slides and create more dynamic and engaging presentations for your audience. Remember, the slides should support your message, but the real value lies in your ability to effectively communicate and connect with your audience.