PowerPoint Certification Presentation Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When planning a presentation for a mixed audience of technical and non-technical stakeholders, what is the best approach?
- Use only technical jargon to appear credible
- Layer the content so core messages are simple, with detail in appendix slides (Correct answer)
- Avoid charts and data entirely
- Split the presentation into two completely separate decks
Correct answer: Layer the content so core messages are simple, with detail in appendix slides
Layering content lets non-technical executives grasp the message while technical detail is available in backup slides.
Question 2: Which slide is most critical to include when presenting a business proposal in PowerPoint?
- A slide listing the presenter's biography
- An agenda slide at the beginning
- A call-to-action slide that specifies next steps (Correct answer)
- A bibliography slide at the end
Correct answer: A call-to-action slide that specifies next steps
A call-to-action slide drives the decision or next step the audience should take after the presentation.
Question 3: What does the 10-20-30 rule (Guy Kawasaki) recommend for PowerPoint presentations?
- 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point font minimum (Correct answer)
- 10 minutes, 20 slides, 30 words per slide
- 10 slides, 20 words per slide, 30-second transitions
- 10 points, 20 slides, 30 minutes
Correct answer: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point font minimum
Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule: no more than 10 slides, 20 minutes of speaking time, and at least 30-point font.
Question 4: A presenter is planning a 45-minute session. How should they typically allocate time between slides and Q&A?
- 45 minutes of slides, no Q&A
- 30 minutes of slides, 15 minutes of Q&A (Correct answer)
- 10 minutes of slides, 35 minutes of Q&A
- 25 minutes of slides, 20 minutes of warm-up
Correct answer: 30 minutes of slides, 15 minutes of Q&A
Reserving roughly one-third of the session (15 minutes) for Q&A is a standard best practice for 45-minute presentations.
Question 5: Before building slides, a presenter should first define which of the following?
- The color theme and font pairing
- The key message and desired audience outcome (Correct answer)
- The number of animations to use
- The slide count and file size limit
Correct answer: The key message and desired audience outcome
Defining the core message and desired outcome shapes every content and design decision that follows.
Question 6: Which planning technique involves writing each key point on a single card or sticky note before building slides?
- Storyboarding (Correct answer)
- Slide sorting
- Slide Master creation
- Presenter view setup
Correct answer: Storyboarding
Storyboarding lets presenters sequence and rearrange ideas before committing to slide layout.
Question 7: What is the primary purpose of creating a presentation outline before opening PowerPoint?
- To automatically generate slides using the Outline view import feature
- To establish a logical narrative flow before visual design decisions are made (Correct answer)
- To set the slide count required by PowerPoint's wizard
- To choose animation timing in advance
Correct answer: To establish a logical narrative flow before visual design decisions are made
An outline ensures the story structure is sound before visual details distract from content decisions.
PowerPoint Certification Presentation Planning 2
When planning a presentation for a mixed audience of technical and non-technical stakeholders, what is the best approach?