how to make polished powerpoint presentations

how to make polished powerpoint presentations

Mastering the Art of Polished PowerPoint Presentations

1. Introduction to Effective Presentation Design

Designing presentations is an art. The first impression of the audience is primarily based upon the quality of the visuals put up in the slides. If acceptable, the audience stays. If not, they either switch off or get pre-occupied. Slides are primarily a visual support that aids audience understanding, increase retention, and boost the presenter’s credibility. Well-designed visuals can create a significant and lasting impression. Ultimately, it does not matter how well you know your subject or how well you prepare, if you can’t communicate well, your ideas will not be implemented. This essay will throw light on the importance of effective design in presentations and what mistakes should be avoided. The role of visual thinking and communication is addressed here, drawing attention to the underestimated value of design taken for granted by many presenters.

The main objective of the presentations is to communicate, share ideas, inform, inspire and influence. Yet, most of the presentations are cluttered with text, bullet points and long sentences which are copied and pasted from the speech. The audience may lose interest and confidence in the presenter if the visuals are not clear; they may not fully understand. The audience gets frustrated if it’s not well conveyed as they think that they have wasted their time. Moreover, designing is often considered as an additional or marginal benefit, when designers are available. However, careful use of simple, well-designed visuals will improve the interest and understanding of presentations. Effective visual aids help differentiate the details necessary for the listening and thinking audience from those required for future reference.

2. Creating Engaging Content

Create Engaging Content

The art of preparing a PowerPoint presentation focuses not just on crafting fancy slides but also on creating compelling and persuasive content. A presentation generally follows a story, so think about a story that you want to present. A format can be split into beginning, middle, and end, where in the beginning, a brief introduction can be given about what you are going to present. This is your chance to establish a rapport with the audience and get them interested in your presentation. Next, you can move on to the main part of the presentation, which carries the bulk of the information you plan to present. Divide the detailed information into subheads and ensure you present them systematically and under relevant subheads. Conclude the presentation with a short summary or key takeaways. The introduction and conclusion should be interlinked seamlessly with the middle part through key transition sentences or words.

Create a narrative for your presentation. It is important to prepare content that resonates with your target audience. So understanding your audience and their needs is a prerequisite for preparing successful presentation content. One way to understand the audience is to create a persona for potential attendees. A persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal audience. Develop the presentation content based on the persona’s attributes like age and gender, professional background, interests, and preferences. Develop stories that paint a picture of your message and engage the audience beyond traditional selling. If you want to go deep without any storytelling, ensure you prepare a script for the presentation. Since it is a PowerPoint presentation, prepare it with just the script content. Also, be prepared to go ad lib if need be. Consider creating detailed content, as this will help keep your presentation organized and on track. Undo the automated bullet tagging as it conveys boredom and sameness. Style your content layout, align it center, bold your title, content, and subtitles. Ensure the slides are in the form of a conversation that is increased support for the communication of ideas, making it much more effective in persuading the audience.

A well-crafted PowerPoint presentation engages your audience for the full duration of your talk. Remember that audience interest is at its peak up front and wanes at the end. Audience interest tapers off around the 20-minute mark, or possibly even earlier if your talk lacks clarity. Tackling big concepts first is usually best; that’s when paying attention is most intense. Use arguments for structuring the presentation and persuasive techniques for organizing content. Capturing and holding the attention of an observer is key to communication and particularly to presentations. This means – until you have captured their attention – they are probably not going to listen. Capture and keep attention by using a handout to increase attention.

3. Design Principles and Visual Elements

The design of your slide is an essential aspect of a polished PowerPoint presentation. A cohesive rough design is made up of these visual elements: layout, color, typography, imagery, and words. Layout supports color and typography, which are supported by imagery and words. Here we will explore some basic principles to guide you as you work through these five visual elements.

Layout involves arranging your content on the slide. Cleaning up and locking your grid will give your layout a polished look. Create hierarchy through size and placement to help the viewer read the content on the slide. The human eye needs to breathe; it can only take in bits at a time, so give the eye room and use padding on the slide and type. When you have a grouping of four or more similarly formatted items, group the group to solidify the connection. Do not be afraid of white space. Inexperienced folks feel the need to fill every inch of space. The use of color will also reinforce the message you are trying to communicate to your audience. The rule of thumb is “when in doubt, throw it out.”

Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make the slide more appealing. But more than that, typography is functional; it helps the viewer read the slide by creating hierarchy and clarifying movement. The goal is for your type to communicate, and the best way to do that is to not complicate it. Remember, your type should be between 14pt and 25pt — anything less and people will strain to read it, anything more will appear unprofessional. In most cases, you are presenting to a larger number of people, so make it as easy on your audience to take in the information as you can. For your content, use bigger and bolder text to indicate to the audience what they should focus on. The camp principle for fonts is to use sans-serif for headlines and titles and serif for body copy.

4. Mastering Slide Delivery Techniques

Part 4: Slide Delivery Techniques

Now that you are clear on your slideshow goal, have polished your PowerPoint slides, and are confident in your content, it’s time to think about a successful PowerPoint slide show in action. Before you show your PowerPoint slide, an important technique to master involves pacing and timing. If you are showing a succession of points, moves, or the slide is meant to be evolving over time, be patient and wait until the element has had time to evolve or settle in before advancing to the next. If you advance slides too early, you may disrupt a key point or step in the process. Typically, 2-3 seconds are sufficient for a reveal (like an image, quote, or statistic), and 8-10 seconds are typical for a text-driven slide. If you have a lot of text on a slide, consider revealing it in stages. Three bullet points can be split with the first point or two appearing the first time the slide appears. You can then proceed to read those points or move to new ideas before advancing to reveal the final talking point. The same five paragraph award can be revealed one pair of paragraphs at a time.

While you may have rehearsed and practiced the PowerPoint side separately, you also need to seamlessly link the two elements of the room together. This makes the presentation look like one continuous event. Transitioning involves making sure any microphones, remotes, and other tools are used covertly and swiftly. Stand to the side and do not walk in front of the screen or illuminate your figure with a projector. The primary speaker or presenter should normally be silent while the audience reads the PowerPoint slide or listens to any associated audio. A good rule of thumb is that the speaker should not speak while his or her words are competing with any sound or images of the PowerPoint slide. If you have additional resources, you can always use “packet training materials” as guidance for this section. Be sure any handouts or resources are prepared and distributed in advance should you wish them to be used together with the show.

5. Effective Use of Multimedia and Interactive Features

Given how animated and interactive multimedia presentations have become the norm, taking advantage of these features will make your PowerPoint unique and engaging. Audio, such as music or narration, must be relevant and preferably of high quality to enhance professionalism. Furthermore, music can be used as a means to create a unique atmosphere; a pop song will ensure interaction, while classical music will effectively convey seriousness and tranquility while also engaging the audience. The sound of clip art arriving on a slide creates a sense of humor and excitement, engaging the audience more than what is simply written in a slide. When used partially and strategically, video can also be beneficial; one can integrate a video segment on a slide (preferably on a topic that is somewhat more intense and lighthearted) and show it to the class in an animation. Motion animations will recursively engage the audience in a PowerPoint game. They can be beneficial in clarifying technical terms and symbols, such as an animation showing what a resistor is and how the voltage flows through it.

Interactive PowerPoint (e.g. polls, surveys, or quizzes) is a new form of asking the audience for an answer and active listening. The use of PowerPoint not only requires the eyes and reasoning but also the hands. In a professional setting, at least 80% of the population or 6 out of 10 individuals belong to the “Visual” learning style. This is why PowerPoint presentations are crucial, including visuals, music, games that enhance a sense of humor, learning, and active listening, as it encourages and engages your entire audience to interact, rather than just in visual form, for your lively presentation. There is no need to maintain a balance between minimal and sensible use in order not to overdo it. Using too much multimedia may not have the desired effect if a significant portion of the audience does not appreciate it as much as it should be appreciated. Evaluate the different perspectives of your audience based on their unique demographic features such as ethnic, age, gender, etc., as well as their data. If you envision a largely interactive millennial audience, for example, multimedia needs to be used more than you would have imagined.