We all know a bad PowerPoint when we see one.
They’re the ones that are hard to see, hard to read, hard to understand, or hard on our eyes.
…The ones that distract us from the speaker’s message rather than supporting it.
…That function as a script for the presenter, so we’re reading it instead of listening to them.
…With the crazy animations and slide transitions that ping and pop and swirl and flash and make us feel like we’re in a video arcade instead of a meeting.
The fact is that not only have most of us seen one, but we’ve probably done one ourselves. Who hasn’t looked back at a past ppt and wonder what in the world possessed us to try disappearing tricks and that zigzag transition?
Designing a basic, inoffensive PowerPoint isn’t really rocket science. Most of us can figure out that a black-on-navy color scheme probably isn’t going to work out too well.
However, in order to build a truly effective, attractive, and powerful deck, we need to get beyond the basics.
Here’s my formula to create slides that really pack a punch:
As soon as we open up the first slide, the audience knows what they’re in for.
Another run-of-the-mill, generic presentation?
An annoying one crammed full of extraneous graphics and dizzy animation?
Or might it be something different, something interesting, something they’ve never seen before? Something that actually enhances what they’re hearing, rather than distracting from it or that tells a completely different story?
There is a balance that must be struck between too little and too much. We must exercise both creativity and restraint to build a PowerPoint presentation that really has the power to make a lasting impression.
Creativity (a.k.a. avoiding the cookie cutter effect)
Building a powerful PowerPoint deck is going to take some time, thought, and effort.
If we want to achieve a great effect, our best option is not going to be using a standard template, a black-on-white color scheme, and generic clip-art graphics. Our audience has seen a hundred presentations with that exact same format.
It’s okay, but it’s flat and it’s boring and it’s not at all memorable.
What is the overall impression we want to project?
Through our presentation, we are trying to sell a message, so this is a good time to think like an advertiser.
Project the image we want – elegant, dynamic, multidimensional, wealthy, earth-friendly. Pick the most important quality that you want to get across. And stick to it.
Match the design to the message. Like illustrations in a picture book, we can use the slides to help us tell our story.
Make it our own. Even in a company where PowerPoint templates, guidelines, or style sheets reign over our creativity, we’ll usually find some room to use thematic graphics, or highlight key words or phrases with a pop of color (as long as it matches the company logo, of course). Whatever leeway we are given to play with layout, visual effects, graphics, fonts, or colors should be explored and leveraged to increase the impact of our slides.
Restraint (a.k.a. keeping it clean)
While we don’t want to look just like everyone else, there is another extreme to avoid.
Less is more when it comes to slideshow design.
Animation, sound effects, flashy themes, and crazy word-art usually prove to be more distracting than helpful. Keep it simple.
Use a consistent and streamlined theme, and put the hackneyed clip-art away.
Remember: it’s okay to leave some empty space. In fact, it allows the audience’s eyes to rest.
Keep the word count down – these are slides, not a script.
We shouldn’t be able to read the presentation from the slides. They aren’t a transcript, or even an outline, of our talk. The audience will wonder why we’re even there if they can just read the slideshow and get all the necessary information.
Think of slides as having one of three purposes: to summarize, supplement, or illustrate what we’re saying – not replace or duplicate it.
Use just a few lines of text per slide, highlighting key thoughts and phrases with bullet points.
If we have one particular point or quote that we really want to emphasize and have the audience remember, it doesn’t need to zoom onto the screen, spin around, and make a popping sound while it shoots confetti all over the slide.
Just put it on a slide all by itself.
During the presentation, give the audience a moment to read it, then read it aloud to them, then allow a couple of beats for it to sink in, and then elucidate.
This way, we ensure that they will remember the content instead of the special effects.
Try the formula: Creativity + Restraint = Powerful PPT for yourself. And you’ll see how easy creating a ppt can truly be.
Baker Communications offers leading-edge Presentations Training solutions that will help we address the goals and achieve the solutions addressed in this article. For more information about how our organization can achieve immediate and lasting behavior change that leads to success during presentations in any setting, click here.
