I've just got myself a copy of Duarte's Slide:ology. I tell you know, it is a MUST-READ for any one  who has ever put up a presentation using the ugly templates Powerpoint comes with. Or anyone who has an idea who would like to find an effective way of presenting it.

So what struck me most in the book though, is there manifesto:

Chapter 12

Manifesto: The Five Theses ofthe Power of a Presentation

Treat Your Audience as King

They didn’t come to your presentation to see you. They came to find out what you can do for them. Success means giving them a reason for taking their time, providing content that resonates, and ensuring it’s clear what they are to do.

Spread Ideas and Move People

Creating great ideas is what we were born to do; getting people to feel like they have a stake in what we believe is the hard part. Communicate your ideas with strong visual grammar to engage all their senses and they will adopt the ideas as their own.

Help Them See What You’re Saying 

Epiphanies and profoundly moving experiences come from moments of clarity. Think like a designer and guide your audience through ideas in a way that helps, not hinders, their comprehension. Appeal not only to their verbal senses, but to their visual senses as well.

Practice Design, Not Decoration

Orchestrating the aesthetic experience through well-known but oft-neglected design practices often transforms audiences into evangelists. Don’t just make pretty talking points. Instead, display information in a way that makes complex information clear.

Cultivate Healthy Relationships

A meaningful relationship between you, your slides, and your audience will connect people with content. Display information in the best way possible for comprehension rather than focusing on what you need as a visual crutch. Content carriers connect with people.

---taken from Duarte's Slide:logy