Powerpoint Templates

Download these Christmas PowerPoint templates for the holidays and create your own slide presentations to enjoy with your family or coworkers. All you need to do is insert your own photos in the template and you are ready to go. To download go to free christmas presentation templates

Create a professional multimedia presentation with your national team’s players in minutes, all you need to do is download our free world cup multimedia template and drop in your fifa soccer players. Project the final presentation in a large screen or tv a big impact. To download go to free soccer world cup presentation template

What a great way to say I love you!  Create a valentines presentation for your love one by adding you own photographs to these powerpoint presentation templates.

Create a professional multimedia presentation with your team’s players in minutes, all you need to do is download our free superbowl multimedia template and drop in your mvp players. Project the final presentation in a large screen or tv a big impact. To download go to free superbowl presentation template

With hundreds of portable projectors on the market, the would-be buyer faces an overwhelming array of features and options. The following brief guide can help you choose the projector that’s right for your needs

The key features to consider are the following:

Resolution: The resolution is simply the number of pixels projected onto the screen. The more pixels you have, the more closely they are packed together, providing a smoother appearance to your image. The resolution is specified in terms of the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image. The most common configurations have names like VGA and XGA that serve as a shorthand way of referring to these the pixel resolution. They are:

VGA (640X480 pixels)

SVGA (800×600 pixels) Standard.

XGA (1024×768 pixels) High resolution, currenly the most common in laptops.

SXGA (1280×1024) The most common resolutions for CAD, GIS and other special graphic applications.

UXGA (1600×1280) Large format. The best choice is to purchase a projector that matches the number of screen pixels on the laptop computer that will be driving the projector.

Luminosity: Luminosity is the quantity of light projected onto the screen (i.e., the brightness). It is measured in terms of an international ANSI standard called lumens. The higher the luminosity, the brighter and more visible the projected image. The greater the distance between the projector and the screen, the more lumens you need for a clear image. To project a distance of 20 feet (unless the room is very dark) typically requires a projector with at least 1000 lumens.

Dimensions and weight: If most of your presentations will be made on the road, you’ll want a small, lightweight projector. Portable projectors typically weigh between 6 and 10 pounds, and the so-called “ultra portables” between 2 and 6 pounds. Look for a projector that includes a good, sturdy case to keep it safe when traveling.

The Room: The qualities of the room are crucial to a clearly projected image. A large room requires a projector with more lumens to reach the screen with sufficient brightness. Equally important is the lighting in the room itself. How dark can you make it? How much light will your audience need (for example, will they be taking notes, or simply watching the presentation passively?) Before the audience arrives, experiment with the lighting in the room by opening and closing blinds and turning on and off various sets of lights, so that you’ll know exactly what to do when it comes time to darken the room for your presentation.

Computer connections Make sure that your projector has connectors that are compatible with the laptop computer you plan to use with it. These are typically expressed in terms like VGA, S-Video, RCA, and sometimes by the number of pins on the interface cables (15-pin, etc.) This information is available in the “full specifications” part of the projector information.

Portable Projectors have other specifications in addition to these, such as Contrast Ratio, Aspect Ratio, and many other features, but the key parameters described above are the fundamentals that will help you make the right choice.

Template Ready is the source for quality powerpoint templates and professional presentations. Visit Template Ready before you start you presentation for resources, tutorials and templates.

Everyone knows that color can make a presentation more interesting and stimulating to look at. It can also convey information, as in the differently colored slices of a pie chart.

But color used improperly is worse than no color at all. Bad color choices or combinations can actually distract viewers from your message and can even cause unpleasant feelings in them. The following guidelines can help you use color effectively in your presentations:

• Too much color can be distracting. Resist the temptation to decorate your slides with a rainbow of colors. Graphic elements (such as charts) should never contain more than five colors; text slides should use at most two main colors and a third for highlighting.

• Keep the colors, and their meanings, consistent throughout the presentation. This will unify your presentation and give it a professional look.

• Even if you’ve chosen a harmonious set of colors, don’t use them arbitrarily. Let the colors to show the relationships between elements, with related things in related colors.

• As with the colors, keep the text (font) styles in your slides consistent.

• Don’t arbitrarily switch colors (of background, text, graphics, or anything else) during the course of the presentation. A change of color should only be used to emphasize key information or to indicate a change of topic or message.

• Don’t use red and green at the same time, because colorblind people can’t see the difference between them.

• Backgrounds consisting of more than one color should use dithering (a gradual blending from one color to the next) for easy viewing. It’s usually preferable to use a solid light color (light blue or gray) for the background with a dark color for text. This is the most effective combination for projected slides.

• To help maintain visual consistency, develop a template that you can use to create each slide. A template is just a basic slide containing the background colors, font style, and graphics that will be common to every slide.

• Test your color combinations on the actual projection equipment that will be used, or at least on a similar type of projector. The projected image will usually appear brighter and more vivid than it does on your computer screen. You may discover that your perfect color scheme doesn’t look so perfect when projected. It’s better to discover this while creating your template than during your presentation.

Color Meanings

Colors in themselves, of course, have no specifically defined meanings. Nevertheless, colors tend to carry subtle, subliminal emotions to viewers, whether by convention or by some natural perceptual process, and you should bear these traditional associations mind when making your color choices.

Color preference:

9% Choose Black - Reliability, Authority, Power, Constancy, Prudence Black feels formal and powerful. Formal clothing tends to be black for this reason.

20% Choose Blue - Tranquility, Intuitiveness, Trust, Loyalty Peaceful, tranquil blue relaxes the nervous system and increases productivity. People seem to retain more information when reading blue text.

3% Choose Brown - Credibility, Solidity, Strength, Maturity. The color of earth and wood, brown creates a neutral and comfortable environment.

13% Choose Green - Life, Growth, Abundance, Vitality. Green is the easiest color on the eye. It calms and has a neutral effect on the nervous system.

7% Choose Orange - Warmth, Happiness, Courage, Success. Orange is the color most associated with appetite. It has a broad appeal. Suitable for anything and anyone.

11% Choose Purple - Luxury, Wealth, Sophistication. Purple conveys a feeling of passion, romance, and sensitivity.

14% Choose Pink - Romance, Imagination, Fantasy. Pink feels calm and soft-hearted, with a tranquilizing effect.

12% Choose Red - Power, Warmth, Energy, Determination, Excitement, Passion. Red dominates and grabs attention. It stimulates people to quick decisions and increases expectations.

4% Choose White - Purity, Innocence, Sterility. White is cool and refreshing.

5% Choose Yellow - Enthusiasm, Light, Creativity, Spirituality. Yellow draws attention, feels warm, and is the most visible color of all.

Author Bryan Adams

The audience can make or break you. You may have heard that there are never bad audiences only bad presenters. There is a lot of truth to that. There are some cases where it’s just a bad audience, but a great presenter can bring them around, 90% of all audiences want you to do great because they don’t want to sit through a bad presentation.

You have most likely heard that the first 1 to 3 minutes of a presentation are the most important and it’s true. But what most speaking coaches don’t tell you is why.

Here are just a few reasons the first 1 to 3 minutes are so important.

1) That’s when you are going to build a connection with the audience.

2) Depending on where you are speaking and to who a lot of the audience may rather be somewhere else.

3) They may have had a speaker last month and are waiting to compare you to them.

4) Some attendees may be sitting with their arms crossed hoping you finish early.

5) A lot of attendees may be thinking “what’s this one trying to sell”.

6) Some attendees will be daydreaming of what they are going to do when you finish. They don’t want to be there but it’s better than work.

I could go on and on with different scenarios of what goes through the minds of the attendees before someone starts a presentation. How do I know, because I ask? I try and get 10 or 20 honest answers at every presentation I do. Do you? You should.

It seems like attendees have a force field up and the best way to bring it down is humor. Having the audience laughing in the first 1 to 3 minutes is the best way by far to get your presentation started.

Do your own research on the audience. Find out what their day to day life is like. If you are presenting to a company find out if there are any long running jokes or if there is a favorite place they have lunch, (you can most likely use it in a funny way).

Try to talk to a few people before your presentation. Find out how their day has been going so far and if there is anything different about today. You want to learn something that you can use in the opening of your presentation, something that you can make humorous.

It’s easy to get people laughing when you catch them off guard. Opening your presentation talking about something that has just happened that morning and making it funny will catch everyone off guard. You’ll have everyone laughing within the first 1 to 3 minutes.

Here are a couple of examples:

I gave a presentation at a Toastmaster’s L.A.C.E. training over the summer. It was at a college at the top of a hill and there was no easy way to get there. Once you got there, they seemed to make it as tough as they could for you to find where the training was being held. I was surprised anyone showed up. So I began my presentation with, “OK, all of you made it; training over.” The entire room started laughing. Everyone had been thinking the same thing I had been thinking: it was tough finding the place. I made some more remarks about how great they were for finding the place. We all laughed and I was off to a great start with my presentation.

I’m always on the lookout for great jokes that I can use and relate to different topics. I always have three or four fresh on my mind that I can use to open with and every now and then use during my presentation.

Here’s one opening that has not failed me yet.

I wait to see who the last person to come in the room is. I say hi and get his or her name, let them be seated and then begin. After being introduced I start off with, “I would have started earlier but I was waiting on (name). I wouldn’t dare start without _____. Are you ready? Do you have everything you need? Let’s begin.” For some reason, everyone finds it funny and ______ enjoys having the attention.

With all humor, it’s not so much what you say, as how and when you say it. I practice humor every day in every situation I can in my personal life, so when I’m on stage its natural.

Brian Adams is a published author and award-winning speaker. Born and raised in rural North Carolina, Brian did not just endure but purposely overcame his poverty stricken and abusive upbringing. He decided at a very young age that he was not going to be a casualty of his environment but instead an example of the human strength and willingness needed to succeed. He learned early on that we can be, do or have anything we want, no matter what we experience in life.

Through the years he has mastered several styles of martial arts which enabled him to lead numerous training seminars for the Los Angeles Police Department. While teaching children’s and women’s self defense classes, he realized it was more important to teach people mental self defense.

He recently sold his successful hardwood flooring business to pursue his true life’s passion—helping others succeed.

Through his new company—Endless Possibilities—Brian shares his enthusiastic, motivational, and entertaining seminars in which he reveals the strategies and techniques that he has learned throughout the years on how to control the conscious and subconscious minds, in order to look at the good in EVERY situation and learn from them.

Brian’s life is a true example of what one can accomplish regardless of one’s background.

To insert a sound file into a powerpoint presentation, follow these steps:

Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial. But too much nervousness can be detrimental. Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give better presentations:

1. Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Use personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget what to say.

2. Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as necessary.

3. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.

4. Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and any visual aids.

5. Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises. Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.

6. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.

7. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They don’t want you to fail.

8. Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem – the audience probably never noticed it.

9. Concentrate on the message – not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience.

10. Gain experience. Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide the experience you need in a safe and friendly environment.

http://www.toastmasters.org/

Only use a maximum of six (6) words on each line. Too many words is too much clutter and hard for your audience to read.

Only use a maximum of six (6) lines of text on each slide. If you have too many lines of text your audience will spend their time reading your slides and not listening to you speak.

Never spend more than two minutes on a slide. Your audience will start loosing interest at that point.

Keep slides clear and uncluttered. Avoid using many graphics or too busy with information - make your message clear.

Use animation where relevant but don’t overdo it. This feature can really highlight a key message… or distract your audience if not done correctly.

Use sound effects and movie clips to enhance your presentation. This is a great technique when it works! Be sure to test your presentation in the live environment before you show your audience. Just because it worked at home or your office… doesn’t always mean it will work when your audience appears.

Don’t talk to your Powerpoint … remember you have an audience that can read. Don’t insult the intelligence of your audience and assume they can’t read your slides. Use different words to the ones on your slides.

Keep your slides to a minimum – people want to hear your message not be distracted by too many slides. They have come to hear a real person, not an electronic presenter. Only use slides to enhance and reinforce your message.

Get creative with photos and images

Don’t use Italic font - it is too hard to read.

Avoid using all capital letters as it is also difficult to read. In email etiquette this is seen as shouting, PowerPoint could be interpreted the same way.

Create a master slide - this might include your logo and in your corporate colours to reinforce your brand.

Know how to navigate Powerpoint - in the event you press your mouse incorrectly or your system falters it is important to look like you know how to use this tool.