More slides, less time, less satisfaction

As a presenter, you are creating more presentations with more slides, but you are less than happy with the time it takes, the quality of the result and the amount of time you actually rehearse. These are the findings of an Internet survey conducted by PowerPoint MVP Geetesh Bajaj and presentation coach and author Claudyne Wilder.

The survey, conducted over two and a half months in 2004, polled 750 professionals who create slideshows and deliver presentations as part of their jobs. Sixty-one percent of those surveyed said they create between one and 30 electronic slideshows annually, and two-thirds present the slideshows in front of an audience.

Although the respondents are creating and presenting regularly, only 22 percent of them said they were "very satisfied" with the quality of their presentations. And 25 percent of the respondents suspected that some of their presentations were "a waste of time."

From the survey results, Bajaj and Wilder were able to identify four major trends: