4 Tips to Improve Your Presentation Slides

Editor's Note: Take a look at our featured best practice, Storyboarding and Presentation Writing (33-slide PowerPoint presentation). You may have heard that management consultants spend the majority of their time cranking out PowerPoint slides. There is much truth to do this--and for good reason. A PowerPoint presentation is not only a great communication tool, it is also the form of most consulting deliverables--i.e. the [read more]

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Whether you are a finance specialist, a marketing expert, or giving a presentation for academic purposes, it is always a challenge to ensure your presentation is captivating enough. Slides that are made with minimal effort or are just blocks of text or haphazard diagrams usually do not intrigue an audience and will not help the presenter succeed with their goal. Here are a few tips to improve your presentation slides keeping both content and design in mind.

1. Text Should Be Replaced with Graphs

The golden rule of writing no more than 6 words per bullet point still applies but to keep your audience enthralled, you need to have diagrams and graphs that prompt thought and discussion. Limit words as far as possible and use images and well-constructed diagrams to communicate important information. PowerPoint itself has many options for the conversion of bullet points into graphical displays. You can also use transitions or pop-up icons so that specific points only arise when you are ready to talk about them. This will prevent the dreaded phenomenon of listeners losing track and reading ahead from the slides.

2. Images Are Easier to Process

As any neuroscientist will tell you, human brains are far faster at processing and understanding pictures than they are at deciphering words. The use of images therefore can really help upgrade any presentation because you can express your knowledge of a subject while allowing the audience to look at a few pictures. Images also aid in faster cognitive responses so you will have less trouble getting them to understand complex concepts or theories if that is indeed the subject of your presentation.

3. Custom Templates 

Most people use PowerPoint to craft presentations but since it only has a limited number of templates, your slides can become unoriginal as well as similar to other people’s slide themes. Invest a little extra in original templates or custom-designed ones so that you can stand out from your competitors.

Many companies make their own corporate templates to signify a uniform brand image so seek templates that will help you in branding. The key is to stand out, not blend in! With custom templates, you can always choose to have certain graphics such as logos or symbols reappear on each slide. PowerPoint Gantt chart templates for example use a brilliant customizable event and activity planning format perfect for business goals as you can add dates, tasks, and descriptions as per your needs.

4. Use Images As the Backdrop 

A presentation with a plain white background can become dull very quickly but if you use an image as a background for your slides or multiple images for the purpose, they are instantly eye-catching and maintain the audience’s attention. Use a semi-transparent feature to make sure the image colors are not too overpowering and the text can still be read easily.

Using a larger and bolder font can also help the text appear more clearly. Always use pictures to which you have the copyright or simply find a fitting image from Creative Commons. Diagrams and graphs also look more interesting with an image background but always design them with darker colors like red and black.

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