Powerpoint Presentations

PowerPoint Presentations

Should you create your PowerPoint slides from scratch or should

you use a template? On this page we'll look at the advantages and

disadvantages of each approach and we'll give you some tips to

improve your results whatever you decide to go. You'll also find

links to other resources that will make a dramatic difference

to your presentations.

If you're interested in using the Scratch programming

language with PowerPoint click: Scratch programming.

Make the most of PowerPoint™ PowerPoint Presentation

Powerpoint™ is powerful - but it can be challenging

to create really professional-looking results. On this

page you can discover how to get great results in

almost no time.

Presentations are really important

Each presentation you make will add or subtract

from your business reputation. You can use the

opportunity to impress the people that matter

but if your presentations aren't better than average

that's not going to happen.

Avoid being a PowerPointSlob™

A PowerPointSlob™ is someone who is totally unaware

that their presentation is boring - even though it's been

thrown together in a few minutes. This type of presentation

is an insult to the audience but the PowerPointSlob™

really believes it's acceptable.

Take our PowerPointSlob™ test and find out who is the resident

PowerPointSlob™ in your organization. You'll also get some pointers

about what to avoid.

Template Choices

Let's compare using a PowerPoint™ template with developing a

presentation from scratch. There are several sub-choices in

each case. For example, the easiest thing to do is just load a

standard PowerPoint template from your PowerPoint directory.

Alternatively you could download a free template or buy one that's

been custom designed for a specific purpose.

There are advantages and disadvantages in each case.

Let's look at some of them:

(1) Use Templates

Templates are pages that have already been designed and formatted.

In theory all you need to do is fill in the blanks. The downside? Most

templates are similar in appearance and you end up with a PowerPoint

presentation that looks like all the other PowerPoint presentations your

audience has seen. You won't stand out.

If you are going to use a template then you should choose carefully and

make sure that it meets your exact needs. You will probably have to pay

for it but if it complements your message and helps you get your key

points across then it's a worthwhile investment.

You can also use backgrounds to enhance your presentation. Backgrounds

can be used on specific pages to provide atmosphere. Ideally you should

choose a theme that complements your message. You can

download free PowerPoint backgrounds here.

(2) Design a presentation from scratch

The second option is to use your design skills to develop something that

does stand out - in other words, develop your own unique presentation.

However, if you're going to take this route you must make sure that it's

polished and professional because your reputation depends on it.

Many businesspeople "design" their presentation by choosing a standard

background and then use default values for text boxes, fonts, spacing,

transitions, etc. The typical result, unfortunately, looks boring at best -

even to the casual eye.

If you're going to design your own presentation from scratch here are

a few tips:

Design your presentation

In this section we'll consider three key design areas that are

overlooked by many presenters. With a little thought you can

use them to design a very good presentation.

The most important elements

The most important element of any presentation is your message.

If it's not relevant or appropriate for the audience then no amount

of design expertise is going to make a difference.

However, you could have a perfectly crafted message and still fail

to make your sale because your presentation lacks credibility -

because it doesn't look professional.

Design Area 1 - Background

Let's start with the background. A plain white or colored

background won't look professional unless there are strong

design elements in the foreground. That usually means you

need photographs, drawings, diagrams or animations .

If your only foreground element is text (it shouldn't be) you'll

need a more elaborate background. Many off-the-peg backgrounds

use a graduated colors scheme.

You need to make sure that the color of your text doesn't clash

with the background and (even more important) doesn't disappear

where the colors are similar. In general, graduated color schemes

have had their day and should be avoided if possible.

Design Area 2 - Fonts

One reason that many PowerPoint presentations look the same is

because the designer hasn't bothered changing the fonts. Ariel is

the default font for most presentations followed by Times New Roman

and a handful of others. The few people that do change fonts often

go completely over the top.

You probably have scores of fonts on your computer. Look

through them and select two conservative-looking ones for

your next presentation. Select a sans-serf and a serf and

use one for the major headings and one for the bullet text.

Design Area 3 - Layout

The eye is amazingly good at identifying elements that are misaligned.

You can look at a PowerPoint presentation and immediately tell there's

something wrong without even realizing what's causing it. It might be

as simple as a text element that doesn't line up with a box on the page.

When you're laying out PowerPoint presentations start by looking at

the background. Are there any lines, boxes or color changes that

should be used as a primary or secondary reference? Use the design

features of PowerPoint - like the built-in guidelines - to their full

advantage.

Use the guidelines to position each element. Make sure that the

positioning (and the font size for each element) is constant throughout

the entire presentation - not just on a single page.

Close scrutiny

The presentation layout is very important because your audience will be looking

at it for far longer than they'd spend looking at any other document with a

similar amount of content. It's also up on the big screen so they'll see the

smallest design flaws and judge your presentation accordingly.

Bullet Points

Bullets points alone are not a good idea. There is strong evidence

that they actually detract from the message rather than complementing it.

You'll find more information about this in other articles on this site - but

the rules are simple:

(1) Never use bullet points as a reminder to yourself

(2) Never use more than four words in any bullet point (ideally one or two)

(3) Always complement the bullet points with graphics.

Use Graphics

Graphics are essential. Each page should have a photograph, a drawing,

a diagram, or an animation. Don't use the clip art that comes with the package.

The graphic you use should relate directly to the point you're making.

Don't use bland symbols (like two hands shaking or a skyscraper) unless

you can come up with a new slant on it.

Use Animated Graphics

Animated graphics can be very powerful - but (again) they must be

directly related to the point you are making in that specific slide.

If you choose properly they are very powerful because they will draw

attention to your key points. They will ensure that your audience will

remember those points long after the presentation. Click below to see

some examples:

Animated Graphics

Remember - use these animations to

re-enforces one or more of your key points.