Believe it or not, visuals are the most effective way to express ideas and get people to nod their heads in agreement with you…which, of course, is the appeal of PowerPoint (not the nodding of heads, the visuals).

Before your next important presentation using Powerpoint, ask yourself the following five questions. The answers could make all the difference between being a good communicator and being a great one!

1. Does your presentation have a balance of words and imagery?
Ideally, a balance between words and imagery is best, but when in doubt, cut the copy. The more words you have, the less will stick.

2. Does your presentation resemble a rainbow or a 1940’s black & white film noir?
Neither is the right answer. I’m all for presentations that are full of life with the use of color, but make sure to use it judiciously. The use of too many colors will confuse not only the slide’s message, but the viewer as well, because the eye won’t know what to focus on first (or second or third for that matter). Color is a great tool for things like hierarchies and for making a presentation easy to scan. Make sure to use a color palette that is appropriate for the company or project involved—this will ensure that you only use those colors that have been pre-selected.

3. When you look at a visual slide, is it hard to understand?
Allow the visual to tell the story. Who wants to look at slides that say everything the presenter is saying? Last time I checked, PowerPoint was described as a tool to help present your ideas, not repeat your ideas word for word. (If repetition is your aim, however, you may want to consider a handout.)

Using metaphors is the best way to ensure an audience will remember your presentation. But sometimes choosing the right metaphor is the biggest challenge. If the metaphor or visual used doesn’t make sense even after some copy is added, then it’s not the right one.

4. Can you present each slide in less than 3 minutes?
If you are having trouble with how you will present a slide, it probably has too much information. The number of slides isn’t as important as what is on them. The fix: divide the slide into 2 or 3 concepts. It will appear much clearer. SIMPLIFY. Period.

5. Is there a “magazine” effect?
Within a presentation there should be key slides that make a viewer want to stop and linger. Like an intriguing magazine page, these slides should hold an audience’s attention but also make them want to see more. Key slides should contain the “meat” of your presentation and, taken collectively, provide the “glue” that holds your presentation together as a cohesive package. It is important to make sure these slides are worth looking at.

Finally, if you wouldn’t want to sit through your own presentation, chances are your viewers wouldn’t want to either. They want you to show them, not tell them. Use visuals to your advantage to get the buy-in you are seeking.

So, how do you take this paradigm and apply it to the biggest time guzzler in most people’s day—the inefficient meeting?

Here’s how. Every meeting should have an agenda and specific objectives. This information should be communicated to participants well in advance so they arrive prepared. Your meeting should also be run by a facilitator who brings well-formed questions to the table; these are considered time-management “gold.” Every item on your agenda should have specific, corresponding questions that are used to elicit information and move you on to the next item. For example, if your project has the agenda item Risk Planning, some questions might include:

• What are the top risks having the greatest impact to the business? What is the likelihood of occurrence?
• What are the mitigation strategies for each of these high risks? If mitigation is not viable, what is the contingency plan?
• Has every potential risk area been identified (technology, business, project, resource, customer, operational)?

An interesting thing occurs when the objectives and agenda are clear, the participants come prepared, and the facilitator keeps the discussion reined-in through the use of thoughtful questions: meeting objectives are met and meetings are adjourned on-time or early. Participants think, Wow! We finished everything on the agenda and I’ve even got some spare time to put back into my day…I love it. As the meeting owner or facilitator, you might even find participants actually look forward to your meetings as the most productive time of their workday. How cool is that?

– See more at: http://www.transaccelgroup.com/blog/2011/11/15/terminate-the-time-guzzler-inefficient-meetings-2/#sthash.A0bkSWDv.dpuf