@ffolliet would be proud... (1)

I'm touched that I have become a touchstone for presentation matters amongst a fair number of twitter followers. It is encouraging to have people send me their latest presentation and ask for my opinion before they deliver it. Or to hear of adventures in presentation to come. 

It really isn't that bulletpoints, in themselves, are evil but how they affect the presenter, the presentation and ultimately the audience. @NatalieBlencowe will deliver a great talk which has text in it. That isn't forbidden!

Breaking away from using your slides set as your script or prompts is difficult. It is impossible if you leave large quantities of text on the slides. So reduce it. Simply ask yourself "Why?" and reduce the text on the slides.

Why do you need to tell us this is the "introduction"? Why do you need to annotate your picture? Why do you need to list the 43 causes of pseudo pseudo hypo aldosteronism? Why do you need sentences? Why do you need to lead your audience as though they are five year olds? Why does THAT need to be on the screen? Once you take a little text off, then keep asking "Why is this still here?" and you will find increasingly that much of the text is redundant, often it is there simply to annotate sections and is doesn't add to the imagery of p2.

It is difficult. At first, there is no denying that, it is a Giant Step. Once you start to reduce text in your presentations you will recognise a dramatic improvement in the reception of your presentation. As @NickFerran commented that once he was freed from his script he could engage with his audience and they, in their turn, liberated from reading his slides, could listen. The next presentation will have even less text and you are on your way. Reduce, reduce, reduce.

Go on, take that step and start to reduce the text. Make me proud.