Presentations – whether Keynote or PowerPoint – are a necessary evil in today's business world. We say evil because when you've seen as many bad presentations as we have, you'd think the devil invented PowerPoint too. Here is part two on how to build a better presentation and win the adoration of audiences everywhere.

1. Show and tell. Many presenters make the mistake of using their presentation as their main source of content. If your plan is to put every talking point on your slides, you may as well hand out your presentation and sit down. Think of how you can graphically get your point across. Keynote and PowerPoint are tools to help accentuate your presentation – not give it for you.

2. Keep it clean. So many times I've heard a presenter say, "You can't read this slide, but…" The result: the audience concentrating on deciphering your slide instead of listening to why you included it in the first place. Try breaking up the information over a few slides or creating a handout.

3. Basic font use. Here are some basics to using fonts properly in Keynote or PowerPoint. Use standard sans serif fonts like Arial or Impact. While it is possible to embed fonts using PowerPoint for the PC only, we recommend bringing the font with you if you are presenting offsite. Do not let your point size go below 20pt. Use no more than two font families throughout your presentation. Don't use all caps – it's perceived as shouting. Avoid italics if possible – the font tends to be thin and hard to read. Try making your point with a bold font instead.

Stay tuned for Part Three of the Presentation series where we will go into the importance of master slides and the proper use of animation and transitions.

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