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Phoenix Public Speaking coaching and workshops

PowerPoint Tips to Make Your Presentation More Powerful

By Tim Fisher
Graphic Design Expert

It’s hard to believe PowerPoint has been around for more than 30 years. It has become a common tool used by most companies to produce business presentations. Although the program is easily accessible, not all presentations are successful. A well-designed presentation helps make your content more understandable, as well as more memorable. Unfortunately, good design is not a template in PowerPoint.

If you’d like to maximize the impact of your PowerPoint presentation, here are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind:

> Consistency: Use master slides to help give the presentation structure, and save you time as you create new slides. These also can be customized if needed.

> Focus: Don’t speak to your slides—talk to your audience. Each slide should support and reinforce your messaging.

> The Opener: Open with something surprising or intriguing that appeals to your audience’s emotions. This will quickly get their attention.

> Slide count: Limit the number of slides. If you are not sure, try to go with one per minute.

>Format: Never use paragraphs. Bulleted items are best—no more than six bullet points per slide. Try to avoid centering the copy. Left-aligned text is best, as it makes for a smoother read.

> Pacing: Animated builds (text that appears with a mouse click) control the pacing of the presentation. This keeps the audience focused on you and not reading ahead.

> Fonts: Stay with a few standard fonts and avoid trendy typefaces that are hard to read. Sans-serif fonts are easiest to read. Some of the oldest typefaces, such as Helvetica or Arial, never go out of style. Use varying weights for emphasis—never use all caps.

> Photos: One of the most common mistakes is using low quality, gimmicky photos. Keep in mind that quality images are a reflection of your brand.

> Special Effects: You’re not trying to make the next Star Wars epic. Avoid overused transitions, fly-ins, inappropriate animations, and sounds. These quickly become annoying and distract from your communication.

Using these tips will help you to have well-designed PowerPoint slides that support your key points and give you a more powerful presentation.


ABOUT OUR GUEST BLOGGER

Phoenix Public Speaking coaching and workshopsTim Fisher is the founder of Summation, a brand design firm in Scottsdale, Ariz. For 20 years, Tim and his team have worked with a wide range of clients, from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups. They provide brand development/brand revitalization, corporate identity, packaging, print, and website design. They especially enjoy working with smaller companies, developing their brands one project at a time.

Connect with Tim: Email | Website

 

 

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