Brainalicious

Public (mind) Speaking - Use The PowerPoint Effectively

No comments

By Paul Hata

 The software application PowerPoint (PP) has been a revolution in public speaking particularly in the business world.It is easy to use, available with almost every implementation of the Microsoft Office suite and it’s reliable. If you can use Microsoft Word, you probably have the skills to put together an effective presentation using it.

But just like anything else, there is a right way and wrong way to give a talk using it as a speaking tool. If you have ever sat in on a presentation where the speaker used it unwisely, you know that the tool can become as much of a curse as a blessing to a public speaker. So it’s good to have some guidelines on how to use it to help your presentation and not hurt it.

Knowing in advance some of the problems that can disturb your talk if you use it unwisely can help you in the design of your slides. For one thing, it’s a good idea not to put too much text on a Powerpoint slide.

If you put a long paragraph of information up on the screen, you will see people squinting to try to read it all. And even if the section of your talk refers to that text, you put your audience in the position of trying to read that text or listen to you. And either way they go, part of your message will be lost on them as they try to keep up.

PowerPoint comes with some really fun special effects like fonts and special effects like fade in or other ways text can be revealed on each slide. Avoid the temptation to get too cute with these effects.

It’s always nice to have a little humor in your presentation but if your slides are overly “cutesy”, it reduces the credibility of your talk. Also if every slide uses a different special effect, color scheme or font, not only is that distracting to the audience, it makes you look like you just discovered it and had to play with all of the toys it has. So establish some consistency in how each slide will look or behave and stick with it through every slide.

Another great device that PowerPoint offers is to allow the software to change slides for you on a timed progression. In that way,it can change the slide every two minutes allowing you just the amount of time you want between slides.

While this is also very slick, it is a dangerous toy to use because it can cause you to stumble while doing your talk. You have to have you talk planned to a high level of precision to carry off that kind of talk and if you pause too much, have a question pop up or any other disturbance in your script, it will move on when you do not. So use this feature with caution.

Above all, do not turn your back on the audience to read a PowerPoint slide to them. This is the number one most common mistake people do when speaking using it.Turning your back on your audience is always a bad idea. So if you must discuss what is on the slide, do so facing the audience. But to turn your back and then read a slide to them is insulting and boring to your audience.

It is far better not to have the text information on the slide but just a series of bullet items that are ticklers for the presentation you are giving. This approach assures that it remains a tool that you are using not a tool that is using you. And that makes you the boss of PowerPoint which is the way it should be.

1000s of Education,Training,Scholarship & Children Services.Click Here -

WorldEducationPages.com,

WorldTrainingPages.com,

WorldScholarshipPages.comand

WorldChildrenPages.com

How To Open A Youth Center
By Paul Hata

 Perhaps it is the dream of every community to put up a youth activities center for their teens. A lot of youths are now into some things that older people call dark activities. Just by looking at a teenager, you can immediately tell if he/she is troubled.

Teens who are too obsessed with youth-related fashions, drugs, alcohol, rock music, etc. are wrecking their lives, one way or another. If the community leaders want to provide the youth with more constructive and healthy activities, a youth activities center may be the answer.

So, how can a community open a youth activities center? First and foremost, the community should come up with a plan. The community leaders should be able to identify the right location for the activities center. Most communities are not able to put up an activities center due to budgetary constraints. Local government support is very important. The community leaders should consider asking help from the local government to fund their plans for putting up a youth activities center.

Once the area is secured, the building facility should be constructed. If the community leaders are able to solicit funds, construction is not a problem. After the center is finished, the staff should be hired. The community can even get volunteer services from the parents because the center is just for their teens. With the community and the parents helping one another, the youth activities center will be finished soon.

After everything has been organized, the various services of the center should be determined. Some of the things that the activities center can offer are counseling services, social activities, homework assistance, and a lot more. The center should be open to all the youths of the community who are willing to join. Other centers usually set an age limit, specifically 11 to 17 years old. Your center can also set age requirements although 11-17 is fine and this is usually the adolescent years.

The youth activities center should secure the necessary operating permits so that the center can operate smoothly and for it to be considered a legal facility. The center should set office hours when the office staffs are available. Make sure that the center has a telephone number, fax number, online site, and email address.

Since the youth activities center requires maintenance and has expenditure, the youth members should pay a one-time membership fee. Once they are a member, the youths can take part in the various youth activities like teen chat, counseling, homework assistance, music, video games, field trips, special events, movie nights, volunteer community programs, job training, crafts, arts, and sports (basketball, volleyball, football, swimming, etc).

The youth activities center should have youth leaders before it starts the full operation. The youth leaders will be responsible for the member youths. Leadership trainings should also be conducted so that when the time comes for the existing youth leaders to leave there will be new leaders to guide the group.

So there, now you know the different things that you have to take care of if you want to put up a youth activities center. It involves a lot of money, time, effort, and dedication. The community, parents, and the local government should join hands in order to make this plan a reality.

If a youth activities center is put up in a community, all the youths will be provided with an excellent facility where they can have all the fun.

1000s of Education,Training,Scholarship & Children Services.Click Here -

WorldEducationPages.com,

WorldTrainingPages.com,

WorldScholarshipPages.comand

WorldChildrenPages.com

Your Online Guide For Everything Good For The Brain

mind puzzles

Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 7:55 am and is filed under education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.