A PowerPoint presentation is probably the best way out there to present information while highlighting key aspects. It’s important to create a presentation which effectively highlights key points, connects with the audience and increases their retention of the subject. It can be said that successful PowerPoint presentations have one thing in common, they all have a unique story to tell. Keeping your audience intrigued and focused on the screen requires a well-created presentation. Your presentation shouldn’t be remembered, it must fall into the background and assist the points you’re trying to convey across the room. As far as slides are concerned, knowing what to include and how to format can result in more visually appealing presentations.
Bad PowerPoint presentations are a mere distraction for your audience. We all have sat through plenty of presentations till this date. Cluttered with many lines of text, disfigured graphics, disjointed slide flow and poor design can kill your presentation goals. Now, what makes a presentation better than others? It’s the gorgeous design, impactful slides and actionable takeaways. When it comes to creating a presentation, the process might sound exciting. However, it’s a little daunting as well. Designing slides, including graphics, setting the typography all requires some level of commitment. In this article, we will talk about out of the box tips to create outstanding PowerPoint presentations.
- Know Your Stuff
One should note that a presentation is not about the slides alone. It’s always about the message or vision you wish to get across people sitting in front of you. Before you even open PowerPoint and start designing, you should outline your presentation. Knowing your stuff means outlining key information so that you’ll know what to present and how. You should think about the narrative and purpose of the presentation before you start putting-in facts, figures and numbers in your presentation. Scripting your presentation can be handy too. Write whatever comes in your mind. This can provide you with an idea to structure presentation flow and how your audience will see it in a sequence. Always remember that a presentation only covers the crucial pieces, be it some paper, product design or work project, picking-up key points and highlighting them are important.
- Stick To Simple Designs
Picking a design which features a simple background is always advised. One should understand that simple designs are more advantageous than complicated ones. Simple presentation design is not just easy to read, it’s easy to make and it doesn’t overwhelm your audience unnecessarily. People generally start creating their presentations upon high-contrast, mismatched designs. This only distracts your audience from the topic. You can consider using free PowerPoint templates. They feature amazing design aesthetics and reinforce the brand value of a presentation in the minds of the audience. Even an award-winning idea can’t fetch you the attention of your audience if you don’t present it the right way. You are not there to read your presentation, your presentation design should do it for you. The moment your presentation design stops selling itself, your viewers will stop relating with you.
- Readable Fonts and Colours
The font and colours which you choose to incorporate in your presentation play a crucial role. Colours and fonts appeal to your audience’s emotions and also influence their decision-making abilities. Different colours evoke different moods and feelings. For instance Red evokes love, energy and passion, Blue signifies trust, honesty and calm, etc. Especially for business/marketing presentations, colours and fonts when used the right way have a major impact on conversions. Picking the right font is important for presentation success. It is the font of your slides which promotes clarity of purpose and casts the first impression on your audience. The right choice of colours and fonts can make your presentation a branding tool as well. Coherency and consistency in a presentation are attained when fonts and colours are the best fit.
- Use Animations Sparingly
Nothing is more distracting than unexpected exorbitant animations. Animations might look amazing at first, but they certainly irritate the audience. You should always pay attention to the eye flow. In simpler terms, try to avoid including animations that fly from all the angles. However, it doesn’t mean you should avoid animations at all. You should use animations sparingly. Subtle effects and minimal animations can be added to the presentations. A good use case for animations can be while you address bullet points, they should appear at the back. This engages your audience. It is advised to limit the animations to menus, charts and maps, animations should be not more than in 1/3 of the total slides. Try to stick to general animations for the whole presentation and maintain consistency. Timing and duration play a great role when it comes to garnering attention with animations.
- Charts and Graphs
Probably the most lucid way to support your message, charts and graphs significantly improve the credibility of a presentation. By using these, you can easily present the details which support your point. Charts and graphs simplify the ideas and complex stats. They also help your audience extract more useful information from the data. Moreover, no one likes reading numbers and analytical figures right from raw text, these add interest to dry data. Including infographics, colourful charts and high-quality graphs can do wonders for your presentation goals. Always remember that the less is always more. Charts, graphics and graphs help you cut non-essential text and figures from a presentation. These should be intelligently used. The purpose of a presentation is information communication. A presentation which resonates well with the audience is a sure killer!
A presentation goal can be anything. Whether you need to convince your boss to support a fresh campaign, gain the trust of your stakeholders or to close a deal with a prospect, captivating presentations can be a win-win. Whatever you say, your presentation must support you. Everyone has to communicate at some point of time in career, these tips can be really handy for all.
