5 Things to Know For Presenting an Important PowerPoint - Guest Article from McKenzie Jones

In the corporate world, presenting your ideas via Powerpoint is a fact of life. Whether you are pitching an idea to upper management or impressing a client, it’s important to know how to make the most of this presentation software. Blowing away your colleagues with your PowerPoint prowess can be the key to getting that big promotion or winning that new contract. Here are some tips to take your slideshows to the next level.

Create a Clear Plan

An agenda is a list of topics with time estimates. It should include:

 

• An outline of what you’re going to talk about

 

• How long each topic will take (and if it might get pushed back)

 

If you’re addressing a group, the audience will want to know what they can expect from your presentation. They want to know what they will hear and how long it will take. They should also know when they can expect breaks or other activities. The agenda gives them this information in an easy-to-read format. It also gives you the freedom to deviate from it as needed without losing track of where you’re at in terms of time allocation.

Provide Simple Details and Be Sure to Connect Them

Forcing your audience to wade through a complex argument will confuse them and make them lose interest. Use simple language, sentences, words, and ideas. Examples of these include:

 

• Simple metaphors: “It’s like you’re sitting on the sidelines of life waiting for someone to tell you what to do next.”

 

• Simple analogies: Analogies are great when used properly. They help people understand new concepts by relating them to familiar ideas or events in their lives.

 

• Simple jokes: use simple jokes that will help the audience remain focused. Avoid extreme jokes that can be offensive to the audience

 

Use Bullets and Short Phrases to Get Your Point Across

Bullet points, short phrases and short sentences are key to making your presentation easy to understand.

 

• Bullet points make it easier for your audience to follow what you’re saying and help them avoid getting lost in a sea of words

 

• Shorter sentences and short phrases are easier for people to process than longer sentences. Always keep that in mind when writing out your presentation’s text. The longer the sentences the higher the chance of losing the audience’s concentration

 

Limit the Amount of Content on Each PowerPoint Slide

During your presentation, you’ll want to limit the content on each slide. Doing this can keep your audience focused on what is being said and not get distracted by too much visual information. Some people take this further and create a consistent design throughout their PowerPoint presentations. For example, they might use the same color scheme or font throughout the presentation; however, you have to decide how far you go with consistency.

It’s also important that all slides have a similar font size (12 pt), style (Times New Roman), and color (black). Whether you’re giving a presentation at work or presenting to clients in your business, having the right tools is essential. You don’t have to be a PowerPoint expert, but a few tips can make it easier for you when designing and creating your slides.

Make Your PowerPoint Data Readable in Multiple Formats

The key to making an excellent PowerPoint presentation is enrolling in a PowerPoint design course. You will learn how to make your presentation readable using the right font and proper arrangement of slides to avoid clattering. The tip is to use large font size, a clear, easy-to-read font, and one that’s easily visible on both a projector screen and a mobile device screen. You should also make sure the font will look good when you convert from Powerpoint to PDF documents for handouts.

Conclusion

When putting together a presentation, the most crucial thing you can do is state your goals and then choose the best way to achieve them. After that, you’ll want to make sure your visuals are as clear and readable as possible. Finally, remember that there are many different ways that presenters use visual aids. Know your audience well before starting work on any slides or other materials. Always have backup copies of everything you might need during your talk, for example, handouts. Make sure all content comes across in both written form through captions/notes if necessary with extra audio cues.

McKenzie is your typical Midwestern gal. When she is not writing or reading, she can be found training for her next half-marathon, baking something sweet, playing her guitar, or cuddling up with her golden retriever, Cooper. She loves watching football, fall weather, and long road trips. Follow McKenzie on Twitter to stay up to date with her latest content. To read latest news from Ashley Kate, visit our news centre.