Like real bullets, it's frequently not as fun to be on the receiving end of bullet points. (c)Shutterstock
You’ve survived the first three days of Bullet Point Boot Camp (day one, day two, day three), and now we turn our attention to a popular and controversial topic — the appropriate usage and text density of bullet points.
FACT: Presenters like bullet points more than audiences do. Bullet points can be relatively easy to pull together. You can do a brain dump into your slides, and then the bullet points serve as a helpful guide/outline for your key points as you present them. More…
Messy desks or decks? (c)ShutterStock
On the first and second days, I covered consistency and the actual bullets. Now I’m going to turn my focus to bullet point layout and structure. Before I dive into this area, take a moment to think about your desk. What does it look like? Is it cluttered or clean? More…
Like makeup, bullet points should be noticeable but not distracting.
On the first day of Bullet Point Boot Camp, I covered consistency in relation to bullet points. Before we get into more meaty topics surrounding bullet points, I didn’t want to ignore the actual bullet points themselves and how they can become problematic if you’re not careful with them.
Like make-up, the actual bullet points in your presentation should be noticeable but not distracting. You want people to be able to easily scan your main points and not be diverted by dysfunctional bullet points. More…
Please keep Corporate America beautiful -- no bullet points!
Most presentation experts like Seth Godin and Cliff Atkinson are not big fans of bullet points. In fact, every time someone uses bullet points in a presentation slide, I believe Seth Godin sheds a tear. Many of these experts have initiated a “bullet point” backlash - advocating for a more visual approach with less text. This visual approach is really well-suited to strategic presentations (e.g., keynotes). However, most tactical presentations - the everyday variety that we see multiple times each week at work - depend more heavily on bullet points. More…
One year of blogging! (c)iStockphoto / Sandra O'Claire
It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since my very first article in which I compared PowerPoint presentations to sushi. Since then I churned out sixty-five more articles over the course of several late nights and weekends (no more Xbox Live). I’ve enjoyed blogging a lot and look forward to adding more articles in the future as long as my wife and kids allow me to. More…
