Hi Crystal

> I have chosen to use Power Point for hard and soft copy... can
> anyone tell me the pro's and cons of using this application
> please?

> I find Power Point easier to use and present with as oppossed
> to Word.

> Can you tell me if it is professional enough to present my
> plan?

Obviously this is only my opinion - others will differ - but Power Point is for presenting information - Word is for prcessing words (and it's not very good at that but that's a whole separate issue).

Therefore I would say PP is the logical choice for presenting info - and judging on how many events I attend that don't use PP, I'd say others agree. (Not that it necessarily makes it right - but in this case I think it does.)

I went to a seminar late last year. No PP - just two flip charts, drawing on them by hand as he went. The novelty of that approach alone was great - and his presentation didn't seem to suffer - he had our attention all the way. And, interestingly, this was a presentation by a web developer - it was free - and it was informative. As one who started off quite sceptical, I was highly impressed by the whole thing.

Back to PP, it's definitely professional, but without knowing your target audience, venue, etc, it's hard to say much more. Also it depends on how much you know and use PP. For example, you can have notes to accompany the presentation - but the question is are they enough?

I guess thinking about it a bit more, the quantity of text on each slide is something else to bear in mind. Lots of highly detailed info in tables, for example, may require another way of looking at it.

I'm not sure how familiar you are with the broader subject - but that is important. For example, if you present lots of text, then you're getting back into Word territory. While that doesn't necessarily mean as much as it should, I'd suggest you should be using a serif typeface for text - whereas for the headlines of presentations in PP, the sans serif is fine. I notice as I type that this message is using a sans serif typeface - which is strange. Fortunately messages here tend to be short. (If you're not familar with this, rest assured that this isn't just personal choice - there's a signifcant body of research which proves that oridnary text is easier to understand if it uses serif typefaces - I forget the exact details but it may be something like 30% easier to read.

You've also got to consider what you're going to leave with them - and when they get it. For example, if you give them a hand-out at start or mid-point, they're likely to devote part of their attention to that - instead of what you're saying. OTOH, if they have to look at detailed tables, etc, then they may need those at the appropriate point.

Of course we haven't looked at everything - for example I'm assuming your venue supports an overhead projector. I did wonder about the lack of hi-tech stuff in the web seminar I attended. It's possible one factor in his use of low tech stuff is that he presents around the country - and possibly overseas - at a variety of venues. By using the low-tech approach, he is self-contrained - doesn't need to worry about the venue.

I've started to get into detail I never intended - just getting carried away. I don't know you, but assume from your question this is new territory. Whatever you do, KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid - don't take the last word personally - it's just part of the very memorable saying). As you gain experience, then you can bring in more complexity. You have to realise the MS develops it's software for the mass audience - and even then some of the things it does don't make the best sense. But generally it's safe in most situations. Just work out what's needed to achieve the best result and be careful about changing the default values.

Best wishes

Phil Astley
www.businessacademy.co.nz