Making powerpoint presentations are important. This is generally due to the reason behind the presentation itself. This could be a presentation for work, where you explain or propose an idea to a team, or maybe an interview where you need to prove that you can make and effectively deliver a solid presentation. It could also be for a school project, where you need to demonstrate your understanding of a certain topic or event. Whatever the reason may be, making a professional and eye grabbing powerpoint presentation makes all the difference to your audience. Here are some different things to think about when creating a presentation, and how to achieve it.
Choosing A Theme
One of the first things you need to decide when starting a powerpoint or google slides presentation project, is picking a theme. There are many built in options, and different powerpoint templates to choose from. It can be hard to make a decision a lot of the time. There are templates made for specific purposes, some will have slides divided into different sections, some will have pi charts, or other visuals. And all of them will have some sort of decoration to make them visually appealing to the audience. A common theme you’ll see throughout this article, is that keeping it simple is normally the best option. It’s worth shopping around, looking at websites like HiSlides google slides themes. These have a whole slew of additional themes made by creators and the community to look at.
Inserting Text
The next step in creating a powerpoint presentation is inserting your text, and information. This can seem really easy at first, since all you really need to do is type some words into the box, but the way it’s organized makes all the difference. Most people make the mistake of putting too many words on the screen at a time. This splits the attention of the audience, and can make them focus too much on reading what’s on the screen, rather than listening to your presentation. Just like with themes, it’s important to limit the amount of information on the screen at a time.
Images and Visuals
After inserting your text, it’s time for graphics. This could be a couple different graphs, showing trends or displaying numbers. And it can also be pictures. Again, keeping it simple is key. If you have too many pictures on the screen at a time, it can outweigh the words, or distract from your presentation. This is the same for a single picture with too much going on. Unless the point of the picture is to distract or confuse the audience, having a picture with too much happening has the same effect as having too many. It’s also important to make sure that you keep the visuals relevant. Having a picture that isn’t obviously associated with the delivery and meaning behind the presentation will also confuse the audience and distract them.
Keep it simple
Lastly, when displaying numbers and graphs it’s still important to tone it down and keep it simple. Too many numbers or statistics can get overwhelming fast. Imagine how difficult it would be to describe how a Cash Discount Program benefits both the merchant and the customer to someone who just wants to use their debit card. Sometimes its easier to just tell them that if they choose to pay with cash, they will get a discount, instead of trying to get them to understand how the merchant benefits from it as well. So make sure you keep it simple, but don’t make them feel stupid.
The Delivery
The delivery is the last and possibly most important part of the presentation. Making sure you don’t get cold feet is extremely important. Make sure every word you say is concise, and to the point. Don’t use too many connecting words, and treat words like “uh” and “um” like they’re the devil. Make sure you also keep it energetic and never sit down. Always stay standing up throughout the presentation, and engage the audience. Ask questions to keep them actively engaged.