Use PowerPoint like a flip chart–draw as you speak

A flip chart can be a great way to present. You write or draw as you talk. Yes, people have to wait until you finish writing or drawing, but the process is very engaging to the audience. If you’re old enough, you may remember teachers writing on the blackboard as they taught. It was a slower time!

But as you write or draw, your audience has time to think about what you’re saying.

This technique is especially helpful when you draw. For example, you might show a process or a configuration. Your picture helps people understand what you’re saying and they get the point with you as your drawing unfolds.

You can use PowerPoint in the same way, in Normal view. You might want to reduce or eliminate the side and bottom panes, but you don’t have to. Then just use PowerPoint’s drawing tools to create a diagram. You draw as you speak.

You don’t have to get it perfect. Just like a flip chart diagram can be a little messy, so can your slide. If you want to use it again, you can fix it up later. The point is just to bring your audience with you on your story, as you explain it. Don’t distract them by making lots of unnecessary adjustments. But you might want to practice first! Unless of course, you decide spontaneously to draw — then just let it happen!

You can do this live or on a webinar — it doesn’t matter.

Here’s a 1-minute video that shows me creating the diagram above.