Not long ago, I was asked to give a speech for a small organization. I arranged with the co-chair to have a projector and laptop available. I was fine so I confirmed availability the day before and they assured me they had the projector and laptop, although they were having some trouble connecting them. No big problem! If necessary, I could put my technical expertise to work and connect the two cables together without much trouble. No sweatshirt.
So I walk in the next morning and what do I see? It has been many years since I last used an overhead projector during a speech. And needless to say, he wasn’t really ready to do it now. Fortunately, I had brought my own laptop and projector, so I was able to continue. But the experience made me think.
Long before PowerPoint and computer-generated slideshows, and long, long before cheap pocket LED projectors (Thanks TP Pearsall), there were only three ways to display a graph when speaking. You could use a very expensive photographic slide. You could use a flipchart. Or you could use an overhead projector.
As nice as it is to have the equivalent of photographic slides for every speech, I found there were a number of advantages to the overhead projector. And that the skills learned on those dinosaurs have helped me use more modern equipment more effectively.
So here are seven tips to help you effectively use an overhead projector during your speech (with a bit of an update).
1. Maximum 4 points per slide — but 3 is better. Stop trying to write a novel. Your audience can only process four points at a time using this medium. In modern times, it’s best to keep it to a maximum of three points. Your audience probably doesn’t have the attention span for four points.
2. A picture is worth a thousand words. Pictures or graphics are always better than a word. They are retained and require less processing by our brain.
3. Two pictures are worth a dose of Sleep-Eze. Just because one image is better than 3 lines on the slide, don’t try to put two or more images on one slide. One is the max unless you’re making a movie!
4. The audience doesn’t have binoculars: match your slide to the size of the room. The 30 point size is the modern equivalent rule for PowerPoint presentations. The size of the room determines how big the projection must be in order to read it. For every ten feet, your projection should have letters that are 1 inch tall. So if the farthest point in the room is ten feet away, the letters should be 3 inches tall. (Hello Pythagoras).
5. Tape the slide to the front so you can face the audience. Don’t read the slide. In fact, don’t look at the slide. Keep a copy on your desk so you can look at it as you face the audience.
6. Turn off the top when you are talking This was originally intended to protect the lamp. But it really allows your audience to focus on what you’re saying instead of trying to read your slide.
7. Brochures are for reading, overhead projectors are for fixing. Never, ever read the slide aloud. If you have so much written on the slide or so little to say, your audience will already be done reading by the time you start rolling. Always talk around the points on the slide. And never, ever face the screen.