Ha! Nobody Can See the Bottom Half of Your Slides

Here’s a problem I see at virtually every single convention conference I go to.

There are breakout sessions.

It’s not the main hotel conference room where the ceilings are 50 100 feet high in a giant 50 foot screen.

It’s a couple of regular hotel rooms put together the dividing separation wall has been taken out and it’s sort of a long narrow room.

The ceiling may be only ten twelve feet high and now someone is setup a PowerPoint projector a screen and it’s theater style seating only.

Everyone is flat on the same plane.

So what happens.

Anyone who is it on the front row can’t see the bottom half of the screen.

What does that mean.

That means when you’re putting up some complex screen whether it’s got text or complex charts and you’re referencing parts of it nobody other than the individuals on the front row can even see it.

So what do they do.

You’re talking about stuff that they don’t understand can’t see.

They’re checking email so part of the test you need to have for your PowerPoint is can someone still get it if they’re not seeing the whole thing.

Maybe they’re only seeing half of it.

That’s the beauty of a strong image.

When you have one strong image you know they don’t see the bottom half of it they still get it.

You’re talking about it their own mind can paint the image of the rest of it.

So you need to test what your slide is going to look like for the worst seat in the house.

So my recommendation if this is an important presentation put it on the computer you’ll be using put it on the screen you’re going to see it go to the back of the room and sit down.

See what you see.

Chances are you will be appalled at your own slide in that environment and that’s what’s relevant is not relevant.

What you see in a perfect environment sitting in front of your own desktop or your own laptop it’s how real people in the real world see it.

So my recommendation if it’s an important presentation get there the day before if nothing else get there the morning before and or the morning of.

And look at it.

Have a colleague sit in the front row you sit behind that person in the back.

See what you see.

You can’t see it if it’s confusing to you.

It’s really going to be confusing to the rest of the audience because you already know what’s on the slide.

A confused audience isn’t going to understand you they’re not going to remember it.

They’re not going to do what you want.

So you’ve got to test your slides from the worst seat in the house.

It’s still got to work to that person.