by MaryAnn Diorio @DrMaryAnnDiorio
"May we have your slides?" This is a common question that I often hear after I give a presentation. Although I used to give away my slides, I no longer do so. While at first my decision may seem socially unacceptable, there is good reason and good precedent for not giving away one's slides. In the long run, not giving away one's slides will benefit those who attended the presentation.
Several Reasons NOT to Give Away Your Presentation Slides:
1. Slides are viewed in the particular context of a specific presentation. When the slides are sent to those who attended the presentation, that context is lost. As a result, people will tend to have more questions about the information instead of fewer. Part of the effectiveness of a presentation is that the slides are shown in the context of your talk.
2. A presentation is not about the slides. It is about the presenter. The presenter controls the tone and pace of a presentation, moving from slide to slide according to his or her sensitivity toward the audience and its needs. Remove the presenter and you remove tone and pace and, ultimately, impact.
3. The moment you send your slide deck to others, you lose control of your presentation and the way it affects your viewer. This loss of control can result in a great disadvantage to the viewer who can then misinterpret or misrepresent the meaning of your presentation.
4. PowerPoint slides are editable. This is a big reason not to give away your slides. Anyone could simply make a few changes and use your slide presentation as his own. Most people will not use your slide deck for their own presentations. This would be a violation of copyright. But I have heard of instances in which people who received a slide deck did, indeed, use it for their own presentations.
While some people may get offended by a presenter's policy not to give away slides, you can mitigate their offense by offering them the following substitutes:
1. Your speaking notes. These are the notes you use to prepare your presentation. Put the most important information in your speaking notes. Slides should include major points only. Perhaps the biggest reason people ask for slides is that there is too much information on the slides. Too much information on slides makes it difficult for viewers to remember the information. So, they ask for a copy of the presentation in order to review it. When we place too much content on a slide, the result is a document, not a slide.
Slides should feature only the key points of your presentation, not the whole presentation. I am still learning how better to streamline my slides so that only the main points are listed.
2. A PDF file of your slides. A PDF file offers your slide images to others without relinquishing your control of your presentation to them.
Bottom Line
You want to control the way your message is delivered. And giving away your slides is not a good way to do that.
TWEETABLE
MaryAnn Diorio writes riveting fiction from a small, quaint Victorian town in southern New Jersey where the neighbors still stop to chat while walking their dogs, the houses still sport wide, wrap-around front porches, and the charming downtown still finds kids licking lollipops and old married couples holding hands.
Featured Image: Photo by Product School on Unsplash
Definitely don't get the raw slide files. Upload to places like SlideShare. This is what I do for all of my presentations. They are useful later for other blog posts, and even at the other places that pay me to write for them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this tip, Nile. I was not aware of SlideShare and will look into it. :)
DeleteMy students used to ask if I were going to post my class slides to the online class forum. My stock response was: “Sure. But they won’t really do you a lot of good without my spellbinding commentary.” Your presentation is indeed about you and your knowledge, and the slides are only there to support that. Good call!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your input. I love your "stock response" to your students. :) You are right about the function of the slides: to support the presenter and his or her expertise. Thank you for commenting. :)
DeleteGood fodder to think on. I personally make pdfs of my slide presentation and post them on a password protected page of my website. I do this for a few reasons: 1) It drives traffic to my website 2) It connects the participant to me in a relatable way. When I give them access to a special page they feel a connection to me of trust and approachibility 3) They are able to pay attention better in class without worrying they won't get the info on the slide. This is great information to consider as you become a presenter at conferences and yes, losing control of our presentation teaching is always a hazard whether we share our slides or not. I have found, when participants have my slides, it jogs their memory. But this is purely me, and you are not wrong in this thought process. As I said, great information to chew on. Lastly, as far as what I teach being reused. Well, I guess I look at that like this. I am there to teach and when I look back over my years in doing this, I realize what I teach is "nothing new under the sun." I learned from others who took the time to teach. I have gained valuable quotes and insights and it's wisdom I want to share. For me, and this is just me, I'm honored when someone else uses bits and pieces of my presentation to teach others. I always tell my class, "Anything on this password protected page is there for your use. I just ask that you don't give the password to others. This is something I have done just for you. You paid for this conference. This is my gift to you. It's not fair for you to pay for this conference and then give this link to all your friends who didn't pay to attend."
ReplyDeleteGreat article. Good information and lots to think about. Thank you for sharing a wealth of good info.
Thank you so much for your valued input. You make some very good points. As the Word of God says, "Iron sharpens iron." Blessings to you!
DeleteWhen I teach at in-person conferences, I notice people taking pictures of my slides. Most of my slides feature images only, as they are intended to serve as memory aids to enhance the content I am teaching.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. Yes, people do take pictures of slides. This is one reason I like to offer a PDF of my slides instead of the actual slides. With a PDF, all the slides are in one place for the person to review. Slides are designed to enhance a presentation. The presenter is still key since the presenter adds valuable commentary that does not appear on the slides.
DeleteThank you for this. I have people often ask me for my slides and I always feel guilty if I say no. This helps me feel better about saying no.
ReplyDeleteYou are most welcome, Shannon. Thank you for your comment.
ReplyDelete