Tips for PowerPoint Presentations
All too often, great presenters are weakened by cheap-looking PowerPoint presentations. With a little creativity and ambition, it's easy to transform average into awesome. Here are some tips.
1. Create an outline
Making a list of topics you need to address and rank them into primary and secondary importance.
If time is short, you'll know what to cut out. It also clarifies your ideas. "An outline helps you focus first on your content and how
it's organized," "After all, isn't what you're saying more important than how you say it?"
2. No star wipes
Microsoft has given users dozens of ways to transfer from one slide to the next, with each new iteration offering more bells and
whistles. Avoid the temptation. "Just because PowerPoint has some really cool transitions doesn't mean they should be used,"
¡°Most of the time, a simple wipe or dissolve will suffice. Also, it's good to make the transitions consistent throughout your entire
presentation."
3. Choose your colors wisely
Using color can help convey meanings, make phrases stand out, and influence attitudes.
All of that information you learned in elementary school about primary colors and complimentary colors can be useful in
PowerPoint. Microsoft has some predefined color schemes in PowerPoint and they may be a good place to start. Microsoft also
suggests that certain combinations of text color on background colors work best: green on purple, violet on yellow, white on
black or blue-green on red. In graphics, try to choose one or more colors from the graphic to use in text, as well. It helps tie the
presentation together.
Use mid-range backgrounds and avoiding white or yellow text, which can be harsh on the eyes.
4. Use bullet points
It might seem to go without saying, but aside from direct quotes, the audience shouldn't be reading whole paragraphs on a
PowerPoint slide. That would be a real yawner.
5. More charts and diagrams, please
Pictures speak 1,000 words, the old saying goes.
That's why you want to sprinkle a variety of graphics into your presentation.
An organizational chart can illustrate anything from a company's chain of command to the families, genera and species of an
order of biological organisms, according to Microsoft. For charts, PowerPoint also comes with ready-made cycles, radials,
pyramids, Venns or target diagrams that you can customize to fit your pitch.
6. Be careful with sound and video
Audio and visual effects, particularly video, can slow down and even crash the computer during the presentation.
Generally, the simpler the presentation, the less chance of crashing.
If possible, test run the presentation on the actual computer you'll be using.
7. Practice your presentation
Presentations often don't work because speakers don't take them as seriously as traditional presentations.
Practice it as you would a regular speech. "By stopping even twenty minutes before your actual deadline, or showtime, you can
significantly enhance your message by taking time to practice and rehearse,"
8. double check your grammar and spelling
Nothing is more of a turnoff than a typo.
All the graphics in the world can't make up for a lack of proofreading.
9. If you don't need visuals, forget powerpoint
If you don't actually need visuals, leave your PowerPoint at home.
Only use PowerPoint when it's necessary.
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