When it comes to working as a certified court reporter, you probably see a lot of PowerPoint presentations. Professional presentations come up on a daily basis, and having a slide show that’s professional can help a case by bringing a point home and having a big impact.
Humans are able to be influenced, and there are a lot of ways that you can sway the opinion on a jury through a PowerPoint that is professional and effective. You’re going to want to read on and discover more about making a PowerPoint that is going to help a case and not hurt it.
Write Up An Outline
You may find it helpful to come up with an outline first. Putting the thoughts you want to come across into a notebook will help you figure out where you should get started. Outline slides before you start and you can use the draft and start creating a storyboard for the PowerPoint and figure out what text and photos you need.
Keep It Very Simple
After all, the best way to get the attention of others is to keep it as simple as you possibly can. people are not going to always understand what you’re saying if you use the fancy words or the fancy text and fonts or backgrounds with formats. Keep it all clean and simple– that’s the professional way and you won’t leave any room for misunderstanding.
Keep the Information and Text Minimal
Information on the slides needs to be minimal. It’s going to help the jurors stay focused and not get distracted. Basic text and talking points is a good idea– don’t crowd it up too much!
Ensure That Images Are Sized and Add Audio/Video Clips
You want to ensure that the images are placed correctly and it all looks just how you’d like it to. Crop it the way that you would like and resize until it reaches its desired point. Adding audio or video clips will keep viewers engaged, making the presentation interesting and getting people to pay attention.
Use A Tool For Highlighting
A highlighter tool can be used to go over documents. You can go to a black background using white text or change things up over to yellow text, giving it a highlighted effect.
Evaluate It and Rehearse
Come up with a list of times that slides will play, having the presentation go along smoothly. A pace where everything is not going too fast or going too slow may be just right. Look at the presentation carefully, evaluating what is working and what isn’t. Also be sure to rehearse how you’re going to present this.
Get Assistance If You’re In a Time Crunch
Know what you’ve got to do for this PowerPoint? If you do not have that much time at all to get it done, you’re going to need some help. Have someone look through and point out what is working or isn’t. It can be a trusted friend, intern, company, assistant. Get it done and make sure that you love it either solo or with some help!