4 Tips For Making Better Presentations with PowerPoint

Archit Kottapalli

PowerPoint: The undisputed King of software used to convince other people that you are doing something.

On a serious note though, it is an indispensable tool in both workplaces and classrooms. If you are called upon to make a presentation, you will be expected to make a PowerPoint presentation. More often than not, people go way over the top, using every feature at their disposal. The end result looks more like an eighth-grader’s arts and crafts project than a serious attempt to make a point.

To better help you understand what makes a good PowerPoint presentation and how its many features can be used optimally, we put together this article.

Keep it simple, silly!

When I was in high school, I loved to play with MS Office. Often, I would use every tool at my disposal to create some of the most extravagant presentations the world has ever seen. I was given the opportunity to assist a senior with a presentation one day. He had to present some ideas to the manager of the school, so I was excited to see how he would use every PowerPoint feature. 

However, to my surprise, his slides had a blank background and only the most subtle transitions. Curious, I asked him why. He replied that he wanted the chairman to focus on what he was saying rather than what was happening on the screen. 

PowerPoint may offer you many different styles and tools to enhance your presentation, but while making a presentation, it is important to remember that you are the centrepiece, not the presentation. Keep your fonts, slide backgrounds and transitions clean. 

Figure 1 -  some of these items do not belong. 

I am me 

Adding a personal touch to presentations is appreciated. It shows the audience that you took the time to add a bit of you to the presentation. Use the slide master view to create your own unique template. Don’t stick to the default fonts. Use colours that you think are relevant or relate to what you are about to say.

You do not have to be too creative here. If this is not your strength, do not spend much time on it. This is not a crucial part of your presentation, but if you do a shabby piece of work, rest assured, people will notice. 

Figure 2 -  this is the birthplace of creative glory.

Clean it up

Make sure all objects are properly aligned. This is more than aesthetics: If objects on your slide are not aligned with each other, it will reduce the overall quality of your slide and you run the risk of losing the listeners attention.

 Everything needs to fit in the slide. The last thing you need is for half a rectangle to vanish in the middle of a presentation. Also, ensure that the colours of objects in your slide do not conflict with each other and are clearly visible when a projector is used. Your audience does not appreciate unreadable text. 

 

Figure 3 -  nobody likes this.

6x6 by 6

This is an old rule that says that a good PowerPoint presentation must not have more than 6 slides, that each slide must not have more than six bullet points and that each bullet point must not have more than six words.

This rule may or may not be true, but one thing is for certain: Nobody likes a 57 slide presentation with tons of text in every conceivable corner.

Put enough on your slide to give you an idea of what to speak and to excite the audience. No more. Period. Use images instead! They can do much more than simple text and can better ensure that you and your audience are on the same page. Avoid clip art unless you are making a birthday presentation. Charts are another important tool that can be used to quickly summarize information.

 

 

What are your experiences with PowerPoint? How often do you use it and how do you use it? Let us know in the comments below. Do share this article if you’ve enjoyed it and as always, thank you for reading!