In my 20+ years as an international conference interpreter and professional meeting manager, I’ve discovered that professional-looking PowerPoint presentations may be more rare than you might think.

The whole point of investing in an international meeting is to share ideas, and the PowerPoint presentation is today’s premier tool for the purpose. But only if you exploit it to its full potential. Doing so can make the difference between a big old “ho-hum”, and being remembered for weeks, even years afterward.

Of course, most presenters I come across—and I have reviewed literally thousands around the world—are experts in one field or another, be it medicine, law, finance, or what have you.

But very few of us are “professional presentation people”.

After all, even seasoned presenters with powerful delivery skills find that they lack the time, the inclination, the PPT training, or all of the above, to put together a creative, dynamic, attention-getting presentation of professional caliber, to match the high level of their message. Sadly, I’ve seen way too many boring, busy, unintelligible slides, culturally-insensitive content, and audiences bored into an after-lunch nodding-nap. Or worst of all, smirking while whispering ironic remarks.

Yes, few things can be worse than having your audience distracted by a hastily-prepared slide show.

Worst-case? Failure to deliver an effective message. Effort wasted. Opportunity lost. Investment shot. Not to mention looking bad in a roomful of witnesses.

The presenters that have made the most impression on me over the years are those who use seamless, engaging delivery tools to convey confidence, top effort, and a clear, relevant message. I’ve found that these few individuals successfully impact and make a lasting impression on clients, superiors, and colleagues. Even on the competition.

MAX CROWE is the Executive Director of ALLIED CONFERENCE, a Panama-based agency which supports international gatherings in over 40 nations worldwide.  |  www.allied.bz