Discover how to create better presentation content and improve your PowerPoint presentations.

Welcome to the 123PPT Presentation Articles and Advice section for Creating Content.

These articles provide insight, input, and commentary to help you improve, develop, and increase your presentation skills.

In addition to articles relating to creating content, we have compiled several categories, listed in the right hand menu to help you find advice and critique of interest to other areas of presentation production and delivery.

As we try to cover as many areas as possible, should there be any aspects of content and content creation, that you would like to see greater covered, then please send us your thoughts. We promise to review every mail and correspondence, and will do our upmost to cover every area and topic that you suggest, to provide you with the assistance and help so that you may achieve all your presentation and communication goals.






Presentation Articles concerning Content and Content Creation subject themes can be seen below:

• Why are there so many bad presenters?

By Scott Harvey, Managing Director, The Impossible Media Group

At a conference I visited last week the audience was asked to grade each presenter from 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest score and 5 the highest. Sadly there was not a grade for the different aspects of each presenter, only this "overall" marking scheme, so in reality the score would return little value to the organizer.

For example, the first speaker was a very good speaker, but their PowerPoint presentation was simply awful. Very slow, very intense, and as a result the audience were already falling asleep by 10am! As a result I had no option but to give the speaker a 1 on the scorecard. A great pity, because in a more open system only the presentation itself would have scored lowly. So why is it that despite all the professional PowerPoint templates, PowerPoint plug-ins, and help available, people still produce such poor presentations?

• Do we really need PowerPoint templates?

By Scott Harvey, Managing Director, The Impossible Media Group

For many the thought of a conference, convention, meeting, or business event spells the opportunity to present a new product, service, or solution.

For others, it can quickly become the dread of presentation paranoia, and in an effort to appear professional, to gain audience attention and credibility, presenters often find themselves decorating and adding all sorts of unnecessary effects to their presentations. But at what point does a PowerPoint template become a liability and create a negative effect?

At what point must we view our presentation and conclude that the PowerPoint template does enough to present our ideas, thoughts and key arguments?

• Don't present your brand and undermine your business

By Antony Eikeland, Communication Consultant, 123PPT.com

It's strange how so many organizations produce a corporate PowerPoint presentation template; a "one size fits all", template for all corporate presentations.

Whereas Gandalf and the other characters in the film franchise, "The Lord of the Rings", may have come to terms with the concept of "One ring to rule them all", it's sad to see so many presenters undermine and destroy their organizations credibility, by believing that one template will present for all.

And whilst you, as indeed most every organization, do not have the budget of a Hollywood blockbuster available at your disposal, there are ways to ensure that your brand keeps its integrity, and your audience made to feel as though your efforts were made for them. Not for a previous presentation, or indeed, as the sole template for everything.

But did you know that there are ways to achieve this without it having to cost you the middle earth?

• Making Presentations in December?...Ba Humbug!

By Roger Downes, Presentation Consultant, 123PPT.com

December is always a strange time of year. Most companies try to motivate their employees for that "final push", that final last gasp effort to raise the fourth quarter and overall annual profit margins. They dangle the bonus carrots in front of them in an effort to gain that extra momentum. Throw the Christmas parties and tell their employees how happy they are with what they've achieved, but what they might even be able to achieve if they improve this and that the following year.

It's a strange time, because as an employee you feel you've reached a point where you deserve that winter break. You deserve some time off, you know whatever you do now won't effect your bonus a great deal, and your only motivation are the passing minutes that pull you ever closer to your last working day of 2010.

Whilst across the table, it's a strange time if you are an employer. At some point following the end of December, and most definitely in the weeks that follow there after, an accountant is going to present you with figures that will either make you shine like a angel in front of your board, or prep you like a turkey about to get stuffed.

So what role can presentations play to help you avoid a roasting when the confetti is swept away come January? And how can you show your employer that your efforts in December will pay dividends in January?

• Has technology helped your presentation?

By Jonathan Stock, Presentation Consultant, 123PPT.com

More often than not presenters use bullets, transitions, and effects in an attempt to "Wow" us with their message. But do they help? Does the use of technology support and strengthen the value of your content, or does it merely shoot it full of holes leaving your audience at a massacre?

• Visual corporate boredom.

By Charles Henry, Designer, 123PPT.com

If every organization has a unique profile, a unique brand, a unique product, and a unique message, then why do so many presentations look the same?

In a world where communication and design is one of the single most important assets to leverage competitive advantage, why do so many organizations fail to make an impact?