Whether you’re lecturing to a classroom or offering statistics to a room of shareholders, it’s important to create strong, high-impact PowerPoint presentations if you want your audience to retain the knowledge you give them. Here are just five tips for making the most of your slides.
1. Stick to the Basics
You don’t need fancy fonts or colored text. In fact, some experts say that these “noisemakers” are only used to cover the fact that valuable information isn’t being offered. If you find yourself tempted by red-and-purple letterheads, reconsider the quality of your content.
2. Increase Your Font Size
Always go a size bigger than you think you need. Not only will this ensure that people in the back will be able to read your sides, but it will also strengthen the impression that your words are worth noting.
3. Maintain Your Contrast Levels
Ideally, you’ll leave text and background colors alone; there’s a reason why the default choice for PowerPoint presentations is black text on a white background. If you absolutely have to change them, however, be sure to maintain the contrast between the two. Don’t use a green font on a blue background.
4. Stay Uniform
Nothing will throw off your audience faster than a sloppy presentation. Keep your titles the same size; space your text with the same kerning; maintain the same widths in your formatting. Use the same templates for every slide, too. The only thing that should change is the information, not the set-up of the slides.
5. Add More Graphics
A picture is worth a thousand words. Don’t be afraid to inject your presentation with images, charts, infographs and even an animated GIF or two. Visual information will draw the eye much faster than large chunks of text, and it’ll make a more lasting impression as well.
These are just five things to keep in mind as you create your PowerPoint presentation. For more tips and tricks, get in touch with PowerPoint specialists like the ones at eSlide.com. They’ll guide you through the process of crafting intelligent and dynamic displays.