10 SIMPLE TIPS FOR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION; 5 DOs and DON’Ts
How to create an effective PowerPoint presentation
For professionals with public speaking opportunities, such as speeches or meetings, PowerPoint can be a useful tool. Here are suggestions to make your PowerPoint presentations more effective:
1. Assess your audience
When creating a PowerPoint presentation, the target audience for your slides should be your first priority. This pertains to both your audience and your method of presenting your slides. A presentation on a scientific advancement for a group of scientists, for instance, is likely to differ from one on the same information for the general public. Likewise, a presentation made to be used independently of a speech may be different from a presentation made to support a speech.
2. Organize your information
It’s helpful to arrange the information you want to include before creating slides. You can sort which information to include on slides together by categorizing the various pieces you wish to convey. This can also assist you in prioritizing information and figuring out what you can omit from your presentation to make it shorter or more time-effective.
3. Plan out your document
Make a plan for your PowerPoint presentation after sorting your information. To suit your preferences, you can modify the level of detail in your planning procedure. You may prefer working from a more loose plan, such as a brief outline of the overall theme on each slide, or you may prefer a detailed plan that covers the specific pieces of information to include on each slide.
4. Highlight key terms
When making a presentation, it is better to use it for important information rather than lengthy blocks of text. When using your slides as a presentation tool, viewers can recognize each slide’s key points while your discussion goes into more detail. This enables you to quickly present the reader with the most important information as a standalone set of slides.
5. Keep it legible
It’s important to take into account the visibility of all elements on each slide when creating slides. This is crucial when presenting to a large group because not every participant may be able to see your slides as clearly as you do on your computer screen. To display your text clearly and make it simple for readers to read, choose font colors that stand out against the background.
6. Stay consistent
Choosing a consistent theme and sticking with it throughout your presentation is preferable to using the variety of visual elements and font options that PowerPoint offers. This consistent approach can help to create a professional appearance. By removing distractions, you may be able to make a stronger impression on those who are watching the presentation and aid them in staying attentive.
7. Add graphics and videos
The capability of PowerPoint to embed multimedia components is one advantage it offers as a visual aid for presentations. Your slides may become more visually appealing and contain crucial information by adding graphics or videos. An explanation video or a chart showcasing the most important information from your presentation, for instance, can be added to your speech to give those listening to it a deeper understanding.
8. Close with a summation
To help others remember the key points of your presentation, adding a summary slide at the end of each section or your entire presentation can be beneficial. This can aid in recall and enhance the overall beneficial effects of your presentation. You may also benefit from a summary slide, which offers a smooth way to wrap up your presentation.
9. Practice your presentation
It is advantageous to practice before giving an oral presentation using slides. This gives you a chance to practice delivering any speech that goes along with your slides and to spot any potential changes. Additionally, it helps you practice navigating through your slides, which could make your presentation more impactful.
What is PowerPoint used for?
PowerPoint is primarily used by people to create visual aids for presentations. You can share important details or images with the audience through the presentation’s slides in a PowerPoint document to improve both your clarity and their understanding. You can also use PowerPoint to make standalone presentations that viewers can read and interact with without an introductory speech.
Tips for PowerPoint slides
When creating a PowerPoint slide show, what you leave out can be just as important as what you do. Consider the following advice as you create your slides:
1. Avoid crowding your slides
Although including more information in your presentation may be advantageous, packing too much information onto a single slide can make it challenging for viewers to follow or recognize the key points. When creating your slides, consider the content density. Consider breaking up a slide into two or more slides if it feels crowded in order to make the information more understandable.
2. Limit use effects
You can apply a variety of transitions and effects to elements in your presentation using the PowerPoint software. This can include effects that apply to specific elements in your slides, like movement, or transitions between one slide and the next. Although using these effects frequently can distract from your presentation, they can also make it more interesting. When using slide transitions, for instance, pick a straightforward transition—like a fade or a wipe—and stick with it throughout the presentation.
3. Carefully word your slides
It’s important to refrain from reading continuously from your PowerPoint slides when giving an oral presentation with them as a supplement. The slides for a presentation benefit those watching you. Keep your eyes on the audience while speaking to them in order to be more clear and establish a stronger connection. You can use index cards to prevent yourself from seeing your slides or use your slides as brief bullet points to guide your discussions.
4. Speak clearly
It’s crucial to speak slowly enough during speeches so that everyone in the audience can understand you. When PowerPoint slides are also provided, this can become even more crucial. By keeping your presentation’s tempo steady but understandable, you give your audience the time they require to read your slides or take in any visual components you use.
5. Use data wisely
Making a slide with a lot of information but no context for it could make your audience feel overwhelmed. Avoid slides that are mostly made up of data unless you are presenting to a group where you expect your audience to understand complex, data-focused slides. Instead, by explaining why the data you include is important and what it means, contextual information can help your audience understand the pieces of information you include.
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FAQ
What are the do’s and don’ts of PowerPoint?
- DO: Stay Concise.
- DON’T: Overdo the Special Effects.
- DO: Use Humor.
- DON’T: Just Read the Slides.
- DO: Look Up!
- DON’T: Rush.
- DO: Be Bold and Direct.
- DON’T: Over Rely on Clipart.
What are the 5 Rules of PowerPoint?
- Treat your audience like king.
- Spread ideas and move people.
- Help them see what you are saying.
- Practice design, not decoration.
- Cultivate healthy relationships.
Do and don’ts slides?
Keep your audience from feeling overloaded by adhering to the 5/5/5 rule by keeping each slide’s text brief and to the point. Some professionals advise adhering to the “5/5/5 rule”: five words or fewer per line of text, five lines of text per slide, or five consecutive slides with a lot of text.
