Perhaps one of the most misused tools for presenting to a group is PowerPoint!
Every one of us has sat through a mind-numbing, statistics-filled, slide-by-slide delivery. My particular pet peeve is the slide with small print documents or illustrations where the presenter says, “I know you can’t read this.” I ask myself, “If we can’t read it, why are we looking at it”? The fact is, PowerPoint-type presentations can be a very effective way of doing what they are intended for, making your point. There is, however, a reason this type of presentation is not called a Power Paragraph. For a PowerPoint presentation to have the greatest impact on your audience, think about the old adage, “Less is more”. With that in mind, here are a couple of thoughts for maximizing the impact of your PowerPoint presentations.
- Keep your slides clear and simple. Pick a font, color, and background that appears on every slide. Multiple types can look confusing and unprofessional.
- For clarity, use contrasting colors between the text and the background and avoid patterns behind your text unless it is a barely perceptible gradient tone.
- You want to be sure that it is as easy as possible to read. You should limit your points to no more than five per page, three is ideal. Each statement should be a few keywords, not a description of what you are trying to say. Remember, you want the audience listening to you, not reading a screen.
- Animation can be very effective if used properly, such as having the points you are making appear one at a time. Some presenters think that words and images flying in and out for no reason make the presentation interesting—it is actually distracting,
- Illustrating your presentation can provide powerful reinforcement for the point that you are making. As the old saying goes, one picture can be worth a thousand words.
It is these same disciplines that are applied to producing Whiteboard Explainer Animations from Dean of Sales Marketing. By focusing on the spoken message and using the animations to make the point, A Whiteboard Explainer Animation is able to communicate your message in a way that is creative, concise, and compelling.
Terry Dean