August, 2002 Article Submission Journal Archives ABOUT FSO Financial Services Online (FSO) is the first and largest financial services publisher and portal on the Internet. Our publications include Financial E-News, Financial Services Journal Online and Messages From The Masters, which are available at no cost on our Portal http://www.fsonline.com ADDENDUM: This Newsletter is published by Financial Services Online, Inc. and distributed on a complimentary basis to members of NAIFA, subscribers of the Virtual Sales Assistant(TM) and selected other recipients. It is designed to provide financial service professionals an overview of the events and happenings that may affect their business. If you would like additional information on any items or the sources used, please e-mail us at e-news-list-admin@ e-news.fsonline.com Contact: Carolyn Hersman chersman@comcast.net Copyright © 2002 Financial Services Online. Reprints and/or permission to reproduce Financial Services Journal must be obtained in writing from the publisher, Financial Services Online. LEGAL NOTICE Please read these important legal notices concerning this publication About NAIFA Founded in 1890 as the National Association of Life Underwriters, NAIFA is comprised of 900 state and local associations and represents the interests of 90,000 life and health insurance agents and financial advisors nationwide. Many of NAIFA's members are NASD-licensed registered representatives or registered investment advisors. Benefits of membership include legislative and regulatory representation, education and training, and networking opportunities. The NAIFA umbrella includes the Division of Financial Advisors and three specialty organizations: the Association for Advanced Life Underwriting (AALU), the Association of Health Insurance Advisors (AHIA) and GAMA International.		The Dilemma of Too Many Choices How to Make Your Slides Work for You by Steve Kaye, Ph.D. When you go out, do you wear all of the clothes in your closet? You know, do you wear all of your shirts, tops, blouses, pants, slacks, skirts, ties, scarfs at the same time? Of course, you realize that would make you look ridiculous besides somewhat bulky. So, you don't. You wear one outfit that makes you look good. And yet, many people put everything in the closet on the slides they prepare for their business presentations. They use every option, feature, font, color, icon, animation, background, and trick available in their computer. The result is a design disaster that would be appropriate only for a psychedelic rock concert. Here's how to make your slides work for you rather than fight against you. 1) Keep it simple. Complexity requires more of your time and makes it difficult for people to follow your message. Recognize that people need to understand something in order to be impressed by it. Thus, take the easiest possible approach when planning and designing your exhibits. 2) Use a plain background. White makes it easy for people to read the text that appears on it. This is why books are printed on white paper. Avoid patterns, designs, and faded pictures. These distract people and make it hard to read the text printed on them. Avoid dark or loud colors. These make it painful to look at your slides. 3) Use one font for all of your slides. And that font should be either Arial, Helvetica, or a similar block (sans serif) font. Avoid all script, fancy, and art fonts. Block fonts are known for their legibility, which means they are easily recognized at a distance. In contrast, serif forts (such at Times) are known for their readability, which means they are easily read when viewed up close. 4) Use mixed case. People use the patterns formed by lower case letters to identify words viewed at a distance. On the other hand, words printed in capital letters appear as ambiguous rectangles. Therefore, use mixed case for all of your text, even titles. 5) Make it large enough. If you plan to introduce a slide with the words, "I know you can't read this," then you are creating a useless exhibit. People feel irritated with information that they can't see or read. Test each slide by looking at it from a distance of 10 ft. Then delete or enlarge anything that you find difficult to read. 6) Show only key words. Avoid putting the complete text of your presentation on your slides. Instead, show an outline of key ideas, main points, and critical concepts that you want the audience to remember. As a guide, each slide should contain no more than a title and a maximum of six lines of supporting information. 7) Use large type. I recommend using at least 36 point type for titles and at least 24 point type for text. If you use a smaller point size you will find that people have difficulty reading the information on your exhibits. In addition, using large point sizes will force you to show only the essential words that support your presentation. Your slides will work best when they support your presentation rather than replace it. Remember, you are the presentation. That means you will be more interesting, more informative, and more animated than your slides. Steve Kaye works with people who want to be better leaders and with companies that want to develop better leaders. He has written three books, published over 90 articles, and produced six collections of poems. He has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and 20 years of experience working for major corporations. Steve's innovative workshops on leadership skills have informed, inspired, and entertained people nationwide. Find out more about his programs by visiting http://www.stevekaye.com and learn more about a new career management system at http://www.ablecareer.com.