Avoiding “Death by PowerPoint”
Conclusion
Of all these presentation tips, the one
that is the most important of all is to practice. Practice, practice, practice—especially
out loud, and if possible, in the space where
you will be presenting. Like most things that
lawyers do, there is no substitute for preparation. I hope these tips have been helpful
to you and that they will be helpful to your
future audiences!
____________________
Beth McCormack, Esq., is an Associate
Professor of Law at Vermont Law School,
where she teaches Legal Writing, Appellate
Advocacy, and Arbitration. Prior to joining
the faculty at VLS, she practiced in the litigation department of the Boston law firm
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and
Popeo, P.C.
http://instagram.com/p/W2BuMLQLRB/
(last accessed, Dec. 16, 2014).
15
Director of action films like Transformers,
Pearl Harbor and The Rock.
16
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
23ypkgYO4Rc (last accessed, Dec. 16, 2014).
17
Go to “Print” and in the box that says
“Print What,” look for “Notes” in the drop
down menu. This will print out a slide a
page with a space for you to write down
notes for that slide. You can also “Print [3
or more] Slides per Page” and give a com14
plete copy of the presentation as a handout (after the presentation is over).
18
http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_
you_are?language=en (last accessed, Dec.
16, 2014). Incidentally, Professor Cuddy
is a great presenter! Notice her engaging opening and her artful use of slides;
throughout the presentation, Professor
Cuddy is the star, and slides play only a
supporting role.
____________________
See, e.g., Greg Johnson, Sweat the Small
Stuff, 40 Vt. Bar J. 37 (Fall 2014); Brian Porto, Making it Sing: How Rhetorical Techniques can Improve your Writing, 40 Vt.
Bar. J. 36 (Summer 2014).
2
PowerPoint, Microsoft’s software program, creates electronic presentations
through a series of slides that you can run
from your laptop. It is sold as part of Microsoft Office and is on at least two hundred and fifty million computers around the
world.
3
Prezi and Apple’s Keynote are other
types of presentation software that have
features similar to PowerPoint.
4
Ian Parker, Absolute PowerPoint, New
Yorker, May 28, 2001, p. 76.
5
See id. Mr. Parker also writes about a Virginia mother who prepared a PowerPoint
titled, “Family Matters,” for her two daughters who were not doing their chores.
6
For ways to avoid these errors, check out
my last article in the Vermont Bar Journal:
Quick Proofreading Tips for Busy Attorneys, 39 Vt. Bar J. 30 (Winter 2014). Those
tips work for PowerPoint presentations,
too.
7
Change the font color in the “Master”
view, and the font will automatically change
for all of the slides.
8
See Carlol L. Schlein, MS PowerPoint
Tips—The Key to Effective Visuals Is Avoiding Overkill, 18 Law PC 1 (Aug. 15, 2001).
9
Go to Google, put whatever you want
an image of in the search box and search.
Then on the top of the results page, click
“images.”
10
Include your source at the bottom of
each slide or in one final slide at the end.
11
Click “New Slide” and then look for the
“Comparison” slide to line up your photographs side by side.
12
Logitech makes a good wireless clicker
for about $45. You can find it on Amazon
or at Staples.
13
Parker, supra note 5.
1
28
THE VERMONT BAR JOURNAL • WINTER 2015
www.vtbar.org