2 Minute Talk Tips

  This Week's Tip: Do you Need that Animation?   PowerPoint has lots of amazing animations and transitions. Unfortunately, many slide authors use too many of them. When a slide deck has too many animations it looks cheesy and amateurish.  It can also cause problems if you want to print slides or present via a webinar.  If you want to use transitions and animations in a slide deck, first ask, "Why?" or ask, "What will this animation do for me?" Think about how it will help you make your point, or think about how it will help your audience understand what you are telling them.   If it doesn't contribute to your message -- if it doesn't make you more effective -- leave it out.   Post Tip Discussion: Speak Deliberately   Many of things we do, we do on autopilot. We walk, talk, drive, watch TV, and snack without actually thinking about it. It's like we have background computer scripts running in our brains while we focus on other things. This can be helpful for some tasks, but it's not helpful for others.   A spea