Using PowerPoint effectively supports learning, it becomes a powerful tool.  Below is our five point guide for using PowerPoint as an effective supportive tool.

1. Display clear objectives

Build and share objectives using verbs such as create, analyze, evaluate, reflect, and build.

2. What are your learners doing? Are learners sitting passively watching you read a presentation? 

Plan strategies enabling learners to explore, discuss, experience and ask questions. Slides guiding participants through activities are useful prompts.

3. Facilitate rather than lecture? Take the pressure off  and free up time to connect with learners.

Design activities that are active and readily personalized. Group work and 
Q&A deepen the learning experience. Slides containing deep questions honing in on the big ideas are effective.

4. Use visuals to support learning? 

Use PowerPoint slides with visuals that provide hooks for learners to hang their understanding on. 

5. Summarize key learning points?

Following a session of exploratory and active learning, ask learners to provide a list of the key points learned, compare learner's key points to your own.

PowerPoint is a great learning tool, but if presentations are used to display lecture notes,  contain loads of slides, lots of text and you plan to read to the audience, remind yourself that PowerPoint is a tool to support learning and maintain fluidity through a learning experience, it is not designed to deliver effective learning experiences.

Designing workforce training that builds meaningful learning experiences takes skill, and an understanding of teaching and learning methodology.

Learning is a process as well as an experience, each learner brings their own understanding into a training scenario. Contract consultants plan training with this learning process in mind. 

The Learning Process

Facilitation
Consultants help trainers learn the art of facilitation, guiding learners to construct new learning. The process begins with training needs analysis, then a learning proposal. An objective learning specialist helps identify relevant stakeholders, partnering with companies to build learning objectives and an energetic learning experience, which is adaptable and fits the needs of the business and the workforce.

Beyond Training 
Workplace training can be designed to encourage employees in different subject areas and departments to communicate and work together, this can strengthen workplace morale and efficiency, providing opportunities for face-to-face communication. 

Building in time to allow learners to construct meaning and to network, provides opportunity for unplanned conversations and innovation; this has potential to enhance the ROI in unexpected ways.