Planning to sell:

Presentation technology such as PowerPoint is now widely used by businesses, but there are some ways to make your presentation stand out.Do:Arrive in time to set up equipment and to solve any technical problems,Rehearse the presentation so you're comfortable with the material and you can make eye contact with the audience, rather than constantly having to refer to notes.

Check that your presentation can be read from a distance and limit the use of font types, colours and excessive wording. Make sure there is lots of clear space.Have hardcopy printouts, in case of technology failure. Include testimonials from other clients in the handouts - pick out key elements for the presentation. Use a friendly approach but use humour with caution. Dress smartly - the audience will judge your appearance as well as the presentation.

Make the presentation as interactive as possible, eg by posing questions to the audience on key points, to encourage a dialogue, rather than a lecture.Don't:Make it too long - get to the point quickly and explain why it is relevant to the audience.Talk to the screen and turn your back on your audience - what you say is more important than what is on the screen. Use long sentences and multiple bullet points on a screen. Phrases and keywords are much more likely to be remembered. Use too many colours or combinations which are difficult to distinguish between, eg red on black or green on brown.

Use serif fonts such as Times New Roman, which are not suitable for display purposes. It is better to use sans-serif fonts such as Arial. Use outdated tools such as Clip Art. Use colour photographs instead - but beware of copyright issues and use them only where relevant. Use animation, eg words flying in from the side of the screen - it is distracting and can make your presentation look amateurish. Use diagrams or charts that are overly complex - keep these for the handouts. Forget to double-check your presentation for mistakes. Your credibility will be damaged if you have failed to pay attention to detail.