What type of PowerPoint presentations do you create?
Do you convince and convert your audience or do you put them to sleep? Most of us want to create PowerPoint presentations that captivate the fancy of the present audience to educate them. Presentation programs like Microsoft’s PowerPoint give us the ability to create a visual companion to any presentation very conveniently and effectively. However, your success to use these resources successfully depends on a clear presentation strategy that considers what you want to communicate to your audience. This defines the way how your audiences are likely to respond to your goal. When we use a visual medium like PowerPoint, we must make careful efforts to craft an engaging story and then move on to accumulate supporting visuals that focus on our audience’s needs in a clear and meaningful way.
The Do’s of PPT Presentations
Use legible font size
36 to 40 points for titles is considered good. Body copy, which is properly bulleted, should be at least 24 points.
Be concise
Be concise with your content. A good rule of thumb in this regard is to cut the paragraphs down to sentences, sentences into phrases and phrases into concise keywords. Keywords help your audience focus on your message.
Maximum readability
Don’t stuff your presentation slides and be minimalistic with content. Use normal case and punctuate sparingly. Do not use “ALL CAPS” which seems awkward.
Make every word and visual of your PowerPoint presentation count
Every word and visual in your PowerPoint presentations should help you convey your intended message in the strongest possible way. Use appropriate PowerPoint presentation templates which support your message.
Limit the number of slides in a PPT presentation
A good rule of thumb in this regard is one slide per minute. Thus, if you are planning a PPT presentation of 30 min, restrict the number of slides to 25-30.
The Don’ts of PPT Presentations
Don’t overuse visuals and effects
Use sound, animation, and other visual effects to emphasize the key points, but don’t let them become distracting. Before using a visual in your presentation you should be convinced of its utility.
Don’t use more than 5 words per line or 5 lines per slide
Don’t use unnecessary words in your professional PowerPoint presentations
Do not use too many words
Do not use too many words or include non-essential information in your presentations.
Avoid hard-to-read color combinations in your
Color combinations like red-green, brown-green, blue-black and blue-purple etc. are hard-to-read. Avoid such color combinations in your professional PowerPoint presentations. Your aim should be using high contrast between PowerPoint backgrounds and text.
Proofreading is very important and mustn’t be skipped. After you’ve prepared your presentation slides, go back and edit everything. Take there are sentences left, try to replace them with keywords and crisp phrases. Take out presentation slides if you can live without any of those. Remove visuals if you have used more than you really required. Remember, PowerPoint presentation is a tool to enhance your presentation and the presentation itself. Don’t let your presentation slides overwhelm you and your message!