Visually Speaking

How do slide “designers” work with presenters to optimize the delivery of content? In a featured article published in October 2012 on Geetesh Bajaj’s INDEZINE blog, Tom Mucciolo shares his experiences of the creative collaboration techniques used by content creators to intergrate visual support across a diverse group of speakers.

Read the whole story: Slides and Speakers

It is interesting how a society makes psychological associations with colors based on appearances or cultural habits. Some of these associations shared in the United States include “red” being associated with danger and “green” being associated with money. While green is the color of U.S. currency, does “green” actually mean money? Read more… →

The paper-white display of your PC is not a distraction because you can look away whenever you want, or switch to a different program to alter your view of content. But when you watch a presentation, you are being asked to keep your attention fixed for a longer period, with no ability to change the display to the next image. To maintain attention, proper visual contrast is necessary in the design. Read more… →

A television commercial touting the business skills of a rising young executive only serves to make her look less than professional.

First aired during the 2010 Super Bowl, National Car Rental sends the wrong corporate message to would-be presenters in a corporate world. Read more… →

Many wonder when, where, or whether an identifying “logo” should appear on visual content. Some contend that after a few slides, the logo is no longer noticed, prompting others to argue “then why is it there?” Read more… →

There is a fine line between the use and the abuse of technology elements. In a featured article published in the PresentationXpert newsletter, Tom Mucciolo shares some techniques for incorporating animation, video, sound, and slide transitions into presentations.

Read the whole story: Keep multimedia from morphing into multi-mania

Certain color combinations may pose a problem for some people, particularly men. Some studies show that nearly 15% of men have a red/green deficiency. Other research suggests that close to 22% of men have some form of this deficiency. Read more… →

Having a typographical error, or typo, on a slide is not only embarrassing but distracting as well. Although some audiences may tolerate minor speaking blunders, very few, if any, will forgive spelling errors. Yes, we all make mistakes, but first impressions of printed errors leave many viewers unhappy. Read more… →

When you have related elements in the foreground of a chart, arrange them in a darker-to-lighter pattern from the bottom of the chart, upward. This “Earth-to-Sky” pattern is the way we view color naturally; that is, from the earth to the sky. Read more… →

It is important to limit the content on support visuals, as mentioned in the PowerPoint Slim-Slide Diet. But slide seduction is just as important as slide reduction. Just like with any other form of enticement, effective wording will change the perspective of your audience. Read more… →