Tips on Using Powerpoint in Safety Presentations

George’s Safety Reflections – SEE MORE HERE

Power-point can be a very valuable aid to your presentation but only if used correctly

The use of Power-Point presentations

There are 4 very common mistakes with the use of Power-Point presentations.

Stuffing far too much material on the presentation, the need to constantly display the company logo is particularly inappropriate in my view.
Font size too small for those at the back of the room to read it. A particular problem with an older audience
An over-reliance on the technology, you should be prepared for a power failure or for some other reason an inability to use the technology.
Too many presentations, many presenters foster “Death by Power-Point” (Too many or over reliance on them)

Tips for preparing presentations.

Keep them simple and visually strong
Use keywords not sentences or phrases
Bring it alive with colour and clip-art
Make sure it says exactly what you mean
Big font
Use a sequence of presentations to build to a point you are making
Use strong colours for font, black, dark blue, dark purple etc.
Dark blue, dark green, dark red contrasted with a strong yellow background can be visually appealing.
Some people get annoyed if you read to them what they can easily read for themselves on the screen
Slow down your pace to allow sufficient time for your audience to read what is on the screen
Always check your presentation can be read from the back of the room
Incorporate as much multi-media into the presentation as possible, it is relatively easy to incorporate video into power-point
The wise learning facilitator uses a wide range of learning methodologies

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George Robotham

George was a Legend in the Safety World who passed away in Sept 2013 but left us with a great legacy

Latest posts by George Robotham (see all)

How To Write a Safety Report - September 9, 2022
Safety Communications - May 29, 2022
Risk assessment tips - April 27, 2022
How to Write Safety Procedures - June 30, 2021
How to Give an Unforgettable Safety Presentation - June 3, 2019

I have worked in OHS for most of my working life, many years in the mining industry including over 10 years in a corporate OHS role with BHP. Since leaving the mining industry I have worked in a variety of safety roles with a variety of employers, large & small, in a variety of industries. I was associated with my first workplace fatality at age 21, the girl involved was young, intelligent, vivacious and friendly. Such a waste! I was the first on the scene and tried to comfort her and tend to her injuries. She said to me “George, please do not let me die” We put her on the aerial ambulance to Rockhampton base hospital where she died the next day. I do not mind telling you that knocked me around for awhile. Since then I have helped my employers cope with the aftermath of 12 fatalities and 2 other life-altering events. The section "Why do Occupational Health & Safety" provides further detail but in summary, poor safety is simply very expensive and also has a massive humanitarian cost. My qualifications include a certificate I.V. in Workplace Training and Assessment, a Diploma in Frontline Management, a Diploma in Training & Assessment Systems, a Bachelor of Education (Adult & Workplace Education) , a Grad. Cert. in Management of Organisational Change and a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Hazard Management. I am currently studying towards a Masters in Business Leadership. Up until recently I had been a Chartered Fellow of the Safety Institute of Australia for 10 years and a member for about 30 years. My interest is in non-traditional methods of driving organisational change in OHS and I have what I believe is a healthy dis-respect for many common approaches to OHS Management and OHS Training. I hold what I believe is a well-founded perception that many of the things safety people and management do in safety are “displacement activities” (Displacement activities are things we do, things we put a lot of energy into, but which when we examine them closely there is no valid reason for doing them). My managerial and leadership roles in OHS have exposed me to a range of management techniques that are relevant to Business Improvement. In particular I am a strong supporter of continuous improvement and quality management approaches to business. I believe leadership is the often forgotten key to excellence in most aspects of life. I hold the Australian Defence Medal and am a J.P.(Qualified). I have many fond memories of my time playing Rugby Union when I was a young bloke.