如何提高PPT演示技巧？

    准备之前，搞清以下几个问题：

    1. 演示对象：了解演示的目标受众。坐在礼堂里的那些普通人是什么样子？体会他们的感受，想象他们的特点，描绘出他们的形象。对于你将要演示的主题，他们的理解能力达到了怎样的水平？根据受众量身设计演示内容。不要过于高深，也不能过于肤浅。只要你能将受众形象化，从他们的角度来思考问题，你便可以与他们产生一种情感上的联系。

    2. 原因：了解你的动机。你为什么要进行这次演示？你希望通过演示达成怎样的目标？是要吸引投资者吗？或者使科学领域的受众认可你工作的有效性？演示只是在营销自己的内容，但并不能取代你的主要内容（融资时，需要演示一套详细的幻灯片与度量指标；发表研究报告时，需要演示一篇论文）。演示是帮助你实现战略目标的武器之一。

    3. 演示内容：了解语境。你的演示需要什么样的广义语境？是体验日的一部分？是学术会议的一部分？或者是在一次公司会议上？是融资活动还是慈善活动？是产品演示吗？你的语境应该能驱动你演示的内容和意图。

    4. 了解比基尼准则——露的部分要足够多，但盖住的部分也要足够多，这样才能激起听众的兴趣。大多数人总是忍不住想将自己知道的一切都放到一张小小的幻灯片当中。这会吓到听众，让他们感到迷惑。演示的目标应该是激起听众对你的工作的兴趣，最终帮助你实现目标。从本质上而言，演示更像是一个开场白，用途是吸引对方的注意力。

    营销思维

    当你演示的时候，你其实是在进行营销[最终达成“销售”——不论你有怎样的打算]。养成这种思维。你不可能一蹴而就，直接就能将重要的创意卖给客户。你需要经历一系列阶段才能卖出你的想法。首先要让别人知道你的产品，然后产生兴趣，最终让他们做出“购买”决定。你的演示应该优先完成前两个阶段，详见下文。

    正式开始准备

    1. 幻灯片不能作为会上分发的文字材料。不要分发毫无意义的幻灯片打印材料。用MS Word或InDesign等文档创建工具准备一份在会上分发的文字资料。

    2. 幻灯片不是用来阅读的，当然也不是用来打印的。[听众在阅读的时候，便不会听你演讲。]关键是让听众与你产生联系。令你的受众对你产生兴趣。不要超过7-10个单词。只要听众喜欢你的创意，他们就会阅读文字材料以了解更多内容，然后与你进行更详细的交流。

    3. 准备脚本。幻灯片不是让你用来朗读的小抄。不要依赖幻灯片。要有一份可靠的脚本，并用投影仪补充你所说的内容。要不断彩排。每次我没有经过彩排便进行演讲的后果，很快便会在听众当中反映出来[无聊]。

    4. 走上空无一人的讲台。进行重要的演示之前，在大厅内空无一人的时候提前走上讲台感受一下。在讲台上踱步，感受真实的现场氛围。找到在家中的自在感觉，让自己全身心投入到演示现场。

    5. 进行现场预演。在我最近一次演示中，我们没有进行技术预演，果然出现了技术问题，我失去了宝贵的几分钟。一定要保证技术方面不会出故障。

    6. 穿舒适的衣服。你应该感觉这些衣服便是你身体的延伸。我有一套最喜欢的西装，那是我在七年前买的，之后在最重要的演示场合，我从来都不穿其他衣服。我已经将它变成了一种仪式，穿着它就像是一位身穿铠甲的骑士。那套西装让我战无不胜。只要穿着它，我就能感受到之前那些演讲给我带来的好兆头，推动着我，让我充满信心。

    Before the preparation

    1. Who: Understand the target. What does an average person sitting in the auditorium look like? Feel them, imagine them, draw them. What level of competency do they have in the subject you are going to present? Tailor the content to your audience. Never try to go over their heads or beneath their feet. Once you start visualizing the audience and get them into their heads, you can make an emotional bond with them.

    2. Why: Understand your motive. Why are you presenting? What are you planning to achieve after the presentation? Is it to attract investors? Is it to convince a scientific audience about the validity of your work? The presentation is just the marketing of your content and cannot be a replacement for your main content (a detailed deck & metrics in case of fund raising & a paper in case of a research presentation). The presentation is one of the weapons that should lead you to that strategic objective.

    3. What: Understand the context. What is the broad context of your presentation. Is it a part of a demo day? Is it part of an academic conference? Is it a company meeting? Is it a fund raising event for a charity? Is it a product demo? The context should drive your content and intent.

    4. Understand the Bikini rule of life - Reveal enough and conceal enough to spark interest. Most of us have the temptation to dump all the stuff we got into the poor little Powerpoint. That leads to intimidation and confusion. The goal of the presentation should be to spark that interest in your work so that your target comes towards you. In essence it is a conversation starter by gaining their attention.

    The Marketing Mindset

    When you are presenting, you are actually marketing [to eventually lead to a “sale” – of whatever you are attempting]. Get into that mindset. You can never sell someone an important idea through a single shot. You need go through a series of stages in the process of them buying your idea. First get them to be aware of your product, generate an interest and eventually lead them to process that leads them to “purchase”. Your presentation should do the first two stages below.

    Preparing for your presentation

    1. The powerpoint deck is not a handout. Don’t be that guy handing out irrelevant printouts of your powerpoint. Prepare a document handout prepared through a document creator like MS Word or InDesign.

    2. The powerpoint deck should not be a readable one. Certainly not a printable one. [If they are reading, they are not listening to you]. It should be to connect. To get your audience to be interested in you. No more than 7-10 words. Once the audience like your idea, they should have the handout to read more and then come to you for a much detailed walk through.

    3. Prepare a script. Powerpoint deck is not your cheat sheet to read from. Don’t rest on that. Have a strong script and use the projection to complement what you say. When you have finished rehearsing, rehearse hard. Whenever I present without rehearsing, the result shows immediately in the audience [boredom].

    4. Get to the empty stage. Before an important presentation, get to the stage when the whole place is empty. Pace the stage and let the physical world consume you. Feel at home and let the environment absorb you.

    5. Do a dry run. During one of my recent presentations, I didn’t do a tech dry run. Not surprisingly the tech melted down and there was precious minutes lost. Make sure the technology doesn’t fail you.

    6. Be very comfortable with the clothes you are going to wear. You should feel those clothes are an extension of your body. I have a favorite suit I bought 7 years ago and I don’t wear any of my other suits for the most important presentations. I take it ceremonially and feel like a knight in his armor. That suit provides the cloak of invincibility. Once I’m in, I feel all the good omens from the past presentations come in and push me and give the confidence.