10 Common yet effective tips to create a mind-blowing Presentation

The best thing about PowerPoint presentation is that it’s easy to create and follow. A presentation powered by the Microsoft PowerPoint shouldn’t be remembered. Instead, it has to portray into the background the vision and message you are trying to get across.

If there is any distraction that is not easy to ignore, then your presentation will subject to negative criticism. Whether it’s a wall of text with millions of lines, a deformed flow, poor images or complex design, bad presentations will deform the overall meaning of the message you’re trying to get across. Such a blunder will weaken your confidence and credibility as a professional, or speakers.

On the other side, a good presentation will build your reputation among professionals of your respective domain and give you an opportunity to gain a competitive edge.

Do not complicate your slideshow with unnecessary adjustments

Here, in this blog, we will try to underline some tips on how to create an effective Presentation without spilling the Ink. We will aim to cover everything that is necessary, and things that you should avoid. We will start by scratching the surface, and then, keep digging into the details of the process as much as possible. Such an effort will give us insight into the difference between a poorly designed and expertly created presentation, especially if the presentation is based on PowerPoint.

The classifications of tips are done in sections so you can cut straight to the advice you want and come back when you’re ready for the next step.

Here, you will learn how to write your presentation in a professional tone, design it like an expert, and prepare to deliver the message vigorously.

·         Don’t just focus on aligning the slides. Your presentation should speak your mind. Even if it is professionally designed, try to create a text that is easy to comprehend. Use the slides to add your thoughts but do not stretch it too much. Don’t make the slide itself the point of attraction in your presentation. Remember, a slide is just a part of your presentation, not the main focus.

·         Do yourself and your audience the mercy of not reading the slides. They have already learned how to read in the primary grade. Don’t insult them by verbally repeating the text. You can highlight a few hints but not the whole content. It annoys listeners to wait for you to complete the sentence, and then take more time to explain it. You only need to explain the material, comment on it, interpret it, but never just read it.

·         Always face the audience and never show your back. It is considered a rude gesture and makes you look like a rookie if you keep turning back every time just to have a look at a slide that is projected at your back. Instead, place a laptop in front of you to read the slides.

·         Avoid making bullets point with lengthy sentences. Try to make a short phrase, or stick to a single word. Rather, you can use bullet points as “major highlights” to draw listener’ attention. Now, the speaker can easily elaborate bullet points in a simple manner to help listeners get the concept.

·         Keep the text font on your slide bold and bright. If the font is small or light, it will infuriate your audience. Instead, try to choose a font that is clearly visible in the back of the room. The average font size used by professionals is 16, and some even recommend 18. Heading and titles should be at least 32 in size, and never express regrets by saying, “I apologize if the text is not visible to anyone”. Make all the slides visible and readable to everyone.

·         Keep your graphics and animation within the borders of necessity. PowerPoint offers you a lot of options to decorate your text content. Write-ups can fly in, shapeshifting, and texts contained in a bubble. If you add too much graphics, and images, the slide will look like a basket of fruits. For business presentation, this is quite annoying and unprofessional and gives the impression that you are a rookie. So keep it straight and simple.

·         Try to add simple graphs and avoid using Complex charts

·         Try to keep the same color combination on every slide. If colors on slides keep changing on every “click”, it will look like a rainbow. You are not painting on a canvas, so try to keep your wild imaginations out of it.  

·         Always start with a “Title” that explains the purpose of your presentation, and add sections for the detailed explanation.  

·         Try to compress the whole presentation as much as possible. Lengthy presentations may bore the audience. Eliminate less important slides and adjust the content on other slides. Try to focus on your verbal explanation, instead of pasting everything on slides. PowerPoint is useful only to visualize your idea or message, not to elaborate it.

To conclude, 

Fortunately, PowerPoint presentations are not as hard as they seem. By applying these instructions in your presentation, you can design and deliver your message with great precision and effectiveness.

Smith Julian is a Microsoft Office expert and has been working in the technical industry since 2002. As a technical expert, she has written technical blogs, manuals, white papers, and reviews for many websites such as office.com/setup.