Episode 052 -- Avoid Dairy and The 7 Deadly Sins of PowerPoint

 
2-Minute Tip: Avoid Dairy Before Speaking  
I love a big bowl of sugary cereal or a nice cheesy pizza. I used to drink mochas like water before I decided to switch to Americanos for weight loss (by the way, switching from mochas to Americanos will NOT make 30 pounds just fall off). So I like my milky, cheesy goodness.
 
But not right before speaking.
 
Dairy consumption promotes phlegm production. Excess phlegm means that when speaking you have to clear your throat more off, deal with being a little more stuffed up, and generally have to work harder to push your words out cleanly.
 
So save that beloved dairy consumption for after your talk.
 
Post Tip Discussion -- The 7 Deadly Sins of PowerPoint  
Over the previous few episodes, I've talked about the 7 Deadly Sins of Public Speaking. They are:
 
Droning on
Going overtime
Starting late
Failing to rehearse
Ignoring the audience
Getting dragged off topic
Using inappropriate language
 
This week, let's get a little more specific and talk about the 7 Deadly Sins of PowerPoint.
 
A lot of folks will complain that PowerPoint is the root of everything that is wrong with presentations and meetings today. They're wrong. The problem is people using PowerPoint badly or lazily. As a speaker, you can be much more effective with PowerPoint if you simply don't commit the 7 Deadly Sins of PowerPoint:
 
Eye charts
Excessive animations
Transcripts
Low quality images
Not knowing the content
Not knowing the software
Typos
 
Call To Action  
Are there more deadly sins of PowerPoint? Let us know in the comments below.
Check out the Strokecast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience, and one-handed banana peeling.
Avoid dairy before your next talk.
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