Some basic notes:

Know your audience!  Different talks for different audiences.

Old adage is tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, then tell
them what you told them.  Not a bad idea, but not absolutely necessary.

In bad powerpoint, slides are just speakers' notes. Reminders. They exist for 
the benefit of the speaker, not the audience.  This is not a good thing.

Start with paper, and draw out what the slides should look like.  Do *not*
start by sitting at a computer.  Far too limiting.

As we talked about in the case of good papers, start by making an outline.  

1.  Plan on approximately 2 minutes/slide.
2.  Do not write sentences!
3.  Do not reat your slides!!
4.  Do not let the technology get away from you
5.  Make eye contact - slides are an aid to your delivery, not the meat
6.  Practice, practice, practice ... key is to be relaxed and engaging

Some very useful/entertaining web sites:

• How to give a good presentation: Excellent information, *lame* acting.

• How to do give a good presentation: A bit stiff, but some good stuff. (Needs to check his title, though! :-)

• Conquering Death by Powerpoint

• Doug Jeffries Pretty decent talk about presentations as a whole

• TJ Walker Powerpoint presentations: Cut the words out

• TJ Walker Don't read from powerpoint

• TJ Walker Powerpoint without the slides

• Terri Sjodin: Power Point Presentations Parts of this are pretty good

• Powerpoint talk on Molecular Bonding Humor. :-)

• Don McMillan How NOT to use powerpoint (Humor. :-)

• Public Speaking Public Speaking How-to video from the 40's. Amusing, but also useful.

• Speech Website How-to website relating to giving speeches

• It's the story, stupid Excellent page on how to make/give presentations