Have you ever watched someone give a PowerPoint presentation and wondered why it felt so off? Was it a cringe-fest that the whole room had trouble looking at?
It might be hard to put your finger on it, but there are some general rules for using PowerPoint. When people don’t follow them, they don’t just lead to presentations lacking in aesthetics, they lead to presentations that flop.
So how can you ensure that your PowerPoint presentation is one that will go over well?
Keep reading to learn about five PowerPoint tips that will help take the presentations and slideshows you make to the next level.
1. Keep It Simple
One of the first five things to do with PowerPoint is to understand that there’s a time and place for noise, but it’s not when you’re trying to transmit information to important people.
Try to follow the 5/5/5 rule: don’t have more than five words of text per line, don’t have more than five lines of text on a slide, and don’t have five slides with a lot of text in a row.
2. Limit the Number of Fonts You Use
While all Microsoft Office products contain exciting fonts that you can use, it’s best to keep them simple as well.
Try not to use more than three types of fonts in your presentation. Aside from the font style, this rule also applies to font size and format (italicized, underlined, etc.).
3. Make Sure Your Audience Can Read Your Slides
While using an image as a background might make sense in your head, will your audience be able to read it, especially if they’re far away?
Make a point to choose a color palette that not only looks good, but that lets your audience see everything they need to. You should be able to find a balance between the two, but when in doubt, put clarity before aesthetics.
4. Be Professional
Aside from choosing simple fonts, you’ll also want to avoid using clipart graphics and an excessive amount of animations. Doing so can appear childish, and will take away from the message that you’re transmitting.
Try to use graphical and visual elements sparingly to compliment your work, as opposed to taking away from it.
5. Practice, Practice, Practice
You can craft the best PowerPoint in the world, but if you don’t spend time going over it beforehand, it’s not going to go over well.
Run through it a few times beforehand to see how it flows, and to ensure that you know what to say. PowerPoint also has a rehearsal timer that you can use to help practice.
Take Advantage of These PowerPoint Tips
Whether you’re giving a presentation to a board of investors or your 10th-grade science class, knowing how to use PowerPoint can make the process easier. Remember these PowerPoint tips the next time you’re crafting a presentation, and you can be certain that it will go off without a hitch.
Do know have a better understanding of how to use PowerPoint? If you do, remember to take a look at some of our other blog posts for more helpful guides and tips.
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