At one time or another, we’ve all been held captive by a boring, unimpressive or confusing presentation. Follow these do’s and don’ts to engage your audience and make a great impression with a power point presentation that is effective and memorable.
Do’s
1. PRESENTATION. Limit your slides to ten, your presentation time to twenty minutes, and use at least 30-point type.
2. ONLY NEED TO KNOW. Present only the information that needs emphasis.
3. WHAT’S IN IT FOR ME? Tell a story that solves your audience’s problem while also engaging them.
4. EASY TO UNDERSTAND. Keep it simple. Too much information can be overwhelming. Instead of concentrating on your message, your audience will be busy reading your slides, pulling focus away from you.
5. REGULARITY. Use a template for consistency throughout.
6. PLAN B. Have a backup plan in the event of a technology malfunction.
7. ONLINE TOOLS. Utilize free online tools to enhance your presentation, such as background patterns, textures, and infographic templates.
8. INTERESTING. Contrast and complement. Use dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background.
9. NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE. Use one font for headlines and another for body copy.
10. THE SAME. Use the same font throughout for all your headlines.
Don’ts
1. PITHY. Don’t use more than one thought per line, with no more than six words per line.
2. OFFER BREVITY. Don’t use more than six lines per slide.
3. WORD CASE. Avoid using all caps.
4. EASY TO LOOK AT. Don’t use more than four fonts in one presentation.
5. RESTRICT. Don’t use too many slides. Shoot for one slide per minute.
6. PLEASING PICTURES. Use only professional photos or stock photos, no clip art.
7. OFFER SIMPLICITY. No funky dissolves (like star wipes) to transition to next slide.
8. INSERT UNIFORMITY. Don’t use a variety of borders or backgrounds. Remain consistent throughout your presentation.
9. NO DISTRACTIONS. Don’t use too many colors on one slide. It’s distracting.
10. TELL. Don’t read from your slides. Speak to your audience.
