SlideRocket Presentations Tip – 5 Best Practices For Using Handouts
Handouts are a great way to enhance your presentation, serving as a valuable reference tool for your audience members. Yet, most speakers simply print out and distribute copies of their slide set, rendering their handouts somewhat useless.
Here are the five valuable tips for most effectively using presentation handouts:
1. Content is Key
The primary goal of handouts is to provide your audience with additional background materials during the session, and/or valuable reference materials afterward. In other words, handouts should do more than just repeat what’s already on your slides. They should expand on that content with additional quotes, examples, tables, and figures, to validate and drive home the points your making.
2. Focus on Readability
While handouts should not be long documents, like the slides they compliment, they do need to be easy to read. Use a clean font, in at least 12 point size. And make sure graphics and images are large enough so all details and labels can be easily viewed. And though you’ll want your handouts to have a sharp, professional look, it is best to avoid colored paper or fancy layouts that may distract from the content.
3. Leave Room for Notes
Each member of your audience will take interest or find importance in different portions of your presentation content. Additionally, you may make mention of certain facts, or cover certain topics that aren’t spelled out specifically on your slides. Therefore, you’ll want to make sure that your handouts give attendees room to jot down key points.
4. Double-Check Your Work
Nothing will hinder your credibility more than a handout full of typos and mistakes. Proofread carefully to ensure proper spelling and grammar. And, make sure you have a handful of spare copies, in case your audience is larger that originally expected.
5. When to Distribute
Should handouts be given to audience members before or after your session? Well, that depends. If they will need to refer to it as your speaking, or if they will need to take notes, then it is best to distribute them beforehand. But, if the handout content mirrors what’s on your slides, and you want to prevent them from reading it as your speaking, or even jumping ahead, then it is best to wait until you’re finished.
Want more valuable tips on effective presentation creation and delivery? Review our archive of presentation tips and check back every week for new posts.
Jon Thomas, Presentation Advisors
January 21, 2010 @ 4:32 pm
I really like that you made the point that whenever possible, wait until you’re finished before distributing handouts. I have two viewpoints about this topic.
1. Rarely do slides of any kind need to be handed out prior to a presentation. It’s akin to handing moviegoers the script as they walk into the movie. They’ll undoubtedly either read ahead and/or completely ignore you (especially if they’re students) because they believe they can just reference (or study from) the slides. Many people claim they need the slides to take notes, but notebooks work just fine. The slides are just a visual reference and don’t need to live past the end of the presentation (except in the audience members’ minds!)
2. Far too often presentations are designed in order to kill two birds with one stone: Act as visual slides during the presentation and a detailed handout after. When this is attempted, neither are accomplished. The slides have too many words and minutia to act as an effective visual backdrop, and they have too little information to act as a true informational takeaway. Two separate entities need to be created. First, being the visuals. These only need be loosely related to the point at hand because you (as the presenter) will be filling in the blanks. Second, create a takeaway. This is helpful when it involves both images and text. Since this is meant to be read and not projected, more attention to facts and figures can be given.
Nat Robinson
January 22, 2010 @ 1:07 pm
Agreed. You don’t want to have your handouts be a crutch for your presentation. The onus is on the presenter to engage the audience with a performance rather than relying on the slides or the handouts to get them through the content.
We should add that more and more frequently “handouts” are being offered in the form of digital downloads for iPhone, Kindle etc. which is great from a “saving trees” POV but it will be really interesting to see how users can annotate these with their own notes or if they’ll even need to.
Thanks for your feedback.
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January 22, 2010 @ 7:31 pm
[...] their brilliant post, “5 Best Practices for Using Handouts” and learn to love paper again. Our favorite? #3 “Leave room for notes. ” [...]
Trisha Ferrand
February 2, 2010 @ 1:21 pm
Hi,
You need a proofreader, and I am happy to volunteer. On this page you twice use the word “your” when you should instead use “you’re” ["to validate and drive home the points your making . . ." and " . . . prevent them from reading it as your speaking"]. And you use the word compliment when what you need is complement: ” . . . like the slides they compliment.”
Thanks for all your excellent presentation tips!