And, here we go. Our first task toward visual interactivity is converting text to rich visual content. Pretend I am training you how to remove the background from a picture, as we saw in the last video segment. I could make a slide like the one shown here, with bullet points representing the steps necessary using graphics editing software. Obviously, though, it will be better for you to actually see these steps in visual form, rather than trying to imagine what they look like with words. So, let’s improve this slide. Oh, and by the way, as an interesting aside, those of you using PowerPoint 2010 now can remove a picture’s background reasonably well without graphics software using PowerPoint alone. Pretty cool. Anyway, back to our slide …

Step 1: The most important thing to do before anything else may sound silly, but it’s critically important. Look at your slides and ask honestly, “Do I really need to show all this?” Many PowerPoint users fall into a trap of believing everything SAID must be dutifully shown, resulting in slides that look like a speaker’s notes. That’s not necessary. This first point, for example, is worthless. We can simply show the picture and talk about it instead.

Analyze your points and decide: Can I just say this information verbally without displaying anything at all, or, otherwise what kind of concrete, visual imagery will help me explain, clarify, or expand upon words I say? If you really can show something useful, great! Otherwise, trying to force a visual display where nothing is needed only wastes your development time. And, yes, if you’re in the habit of reading from slides like speaker’s notes, break that habit right now. As slide text disappears, your natural conversational eloquence will flourish in its place, resulting in better performances.

Step 2: The next vital step is to separate individual ideas onto their own slides. This slide, for example, has three bullet points left after we decided to say or show the other two points. Therefore, I’ll make a slide for each. Having ONLY one idea per slide is important because our ultimate goal is to create what amounts to visual vocabulary, specific messages for the eyes that can be individually displayed and reused over and over, in any order.

Step 3: Shorten the text in points to express ideas in as few words as possible. We’re going to dump all but four words from this point. Think of your slides as billboards. While cruising down the highway, you don’t have time to read a paragraph of text on a billboard. You pay attention to maybe 4 or 5 words at most. In the same way, while listening to a speaker, it’s almost impossible to read a long sentence of text on a slide and simultaneously pay attention to what the speaker is saying. You’ll do one or the other, or often neither.

Having single, very condensed, powerful phrases on slides let’s audiences quickly glance at the concept, digest its meaning in two or three seconds, and then return focus to the speaker—where it should be. A slide like this might sit in the background, for example, while you frame a new topic.

Step 4: Now comes the fun part. How can we altogether replace some of these single text phrases with purely visual content? That’s a profound question with many answers. So, here are a few tips, with additional resources you can explore later.

In this video, the focus will be mostly on use of pictures. If you do nothing more than include meaningful pictures on slides, your presentation effectiveness will take a giant leap forward. Notice I said MEANINGFUL pictures. That single word distinguishes you as a true visual communicator compared to a beginner.

To be meaningful, a picture has to help your cause in some way. Some images are helpful and some aren’t. Be sure to download the free picture roles guide available on this Web site to gain a better understanding of the difference.

For example, perhaps I go back to my original slide and think, “Gee, I want it to be more visual so I’ll insert a picture of a guy working on his computer here … that kind of relates to the theme of digitally altering a picture, doesn’t it?” And that’s exactly what most PowerPoint users do with pictures.

But think about this slide from a viewer’s perspective. Has the image really improved anything? Does the slide now communicate additional helpful or relevant information? Or, think of it another way. If the picture were removed, would the audience understand less, be less emotionally impacted, be forced to only imagine what you are saying, or otherwise lose important context?

If the answer is YES to such questions, the picture probably really does belong on the slide. If NO, it is purely decorative and has little or no value. Clipart and generic stock photos usually fall into this category. Sometimes decorative photos are even harmful. They attract attention and yet leave people subconsciously asking, “Why is that picture there? It doesn’t do anything.” In that case, your presentation materials come across as cheap and uninteresting, not much different, in fact, than just leaving them as pure text.

A meaningful content picture is different. If I started the training session by showing this image, for instance, and said, “Here’s the picture we’ll use to demonstrate removing a background,” this picture now, in this context, is true content. People gain information by seeing it and thinking about the upcoming actions that will take place.

In the same way, when screenshots give learners a preview of upcoming procedures, those images are meaningful, too, as examples. Or, perhaps I place images side-by-side to provide a before-and-after effect. Here pictures play the role of comparison contrast, giving opposing perspectives. Pictures of products, and products in use, are meaningful. Pictures of real people, places, and situations are helpful if they add depth or additional relevant detail to what you are saying verbally. Again, see more discussion of these topics in the picture roles guide.

Certainly other forms of visual expression are valuable, as well. Video of products in use and animations showing changing conditions or processes can be interesting and instructive. Graphs and diagrams are useful, sometimes. Just be sure such items have a simple design. And, you may want to make such visuals interactive with zone navigation so that a presenter can drill down into extra detail if needed, as shown here. We also recommend using on-and-off animated highlighting to circle values, emphasize a bar, point out something of interest, or de-emphasize content. Learn these techniques by completing the animated highlighting advanced tutorial in the workshops area of this Web site.

Finally, you can see hundreds upon hundreds of visual content examples while working through Aspire’s video workshop sessions. All sessions were made, in fact, by creating visual content on PowerPoint slides and then turning that content into video, just like the video sessions you’re seeing right now. Numerous sample sessions are available in the Workshops menu. Go check them out.

In the next video, you’ll expand visually interactive presentation skills even further by adding navigation to slides.