We wanted to tell you about our latest Insider’s Insight - Ta dah! - An Insider’s Insight into creating better slide presentations [1]. We are very proud of this issue. At some point everyone of us has undergone ‘death by PowerPoint’. Such experiences have given presentations a bad rap. And yet, they can be a powerful means of communication. So what differentiates a good presentation from a poor one? When preparing a slide deck you need to view it as a multi-dimensional project, where each dimension must work in harmony to the benefit of the whole presentation. We can’t help you with the subject matter or make you a better presenter but we can make sure that your slides are first-class and best serve your presentation. There are six disciplines to master when you want to design excellent slides: text, typography, bullets, colour, images and themes. We provide suggestions on how you should use each of these to create a killer presentation (and how to avoid some of the more obvious mistakes).
Creating an impactful PowerPoint presentation involves a balance between clarity, design, and storytelling. Here are the key elements to ensure your presentation stands out:
Define a Clear Objective and Storyline
- Start with the end in mind: Be clear on the purpose of your presentation—whether it’s to inform, persuade, or motivate your audience.
- Tell a story: Organize your slides in a logical sequence, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Storytelling engages your audience and helps them retain information better. Avoid overloading your slides with too much information.
Keep it audience-centered: Tailor your content to your audience’s level of knowledge, interests, and needs. What do they want to take away from the presentation?
Minimalism and Simplicity
- Less is more: Focus on one idea per slide. Avoid overcrowding your slides with text and images. Each slide should reinforce the core message without overwhelming the viewer.
- Keep text minimal: Use bullet points sparingly. Stick to keywords or short phrases. You, as the speaker, should elaborate on the content rather than relying on slides to speak for you.
Visual Design
- Consistency in design: Maintain a consistent design by using the same fonts, colours, and layout style across all slides. This keeps the presentation cohesive and professional.
- Font and readability: Use clear, legible fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri. The font size should be large enough (at least 24pt) so the audience can easily read from a distance.
- High-quality visuals: Incorporate relevant images, charts, and graphs that support your narrative. Visuals should clarify complex data or illustrate key points, rather than serving as mere decoration. Ensure that visuals are high-resolution and professional-looking.
- Use white space: Allow plenty of empty space on each slide to improve focus and readability. This also gives your content room to “breathe.”
Use of Colour and Contrast
- Colour psychology: Choose a colour scheme that enhances the mood of the presentation. For example, blue conveys trust and professionalism, while green suggests growth and calm. Avoid overly bright or clashing colours.
- High contrast: Ensure there’s enough contrast between text and background colors so that your content is easily readable. Dark text on a light background or vice versa works best.
Effective Use of Data and Infographics
- Simplify complex data: When presenting data, simplify charts and graphs to focus only on the most relevant information. Overly complex visuals can confuse your audience.
- Infographics and diagrams: Use infographics or flowcharts to represent processes, relationships, or timelines. They visually break down complex ideas into easily digestible pieces.
Engage with Animation and Transitions (but sparingly)
- Subtle animations: Use transitions or animations to emphasise key points or guide the audience’s focus, but use them sparingly. Excessive animation can distract from the content and appear unprofessional.
- Consistency in transitions: Stick to one or two types of transitions throughout the presentation for a smooth, consistent experience.
In conclusion, focus on clear messaging, engaging visuals, and concise content. Keep the design simple, the data clear, and always practice to ensure a smooth, confident delivery. Aim to finish strong rather than letting your presentation whimper at the end. By combining thoughtful preparation with these design principles, you can captivate your audience and make a lasting impression. We thought long and hard before writing this Insider’s Insight. The obvious thing was to ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’. However, we concluded that there are a plethora of of guides on how to develop great presentations filled with examples - and yet people still create and give poor presentations. What we have tried to do is put together a brief document where every sentence has something useful to convey.
References
- Ta Dah! An Insider’s Insight into Creating Better Slide Presentations. Niche Science & Technology Ltd., 2017
