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The words ‘corporate presentations’ have unfortunate connotations of middling slides and dull, snoozeworthy content – and too often there’s no thought given to proper format and structure. While its fashionable to blame PowerPoint for bad presentations, improper use of the application is the real problem.
But you don’t have to be a PowerPoint master to take steps to improve your presentations. The PowerPoint designers at Manchester-based presentation design agency Buffalo7 have outlined 3 simple things you can do to immediately improve your slides and bring more engagement to the meeting room.
Buffalo7’s Quickest Ways of Improving Your Presentations offers the following advice:
1. Reduce Text on Slides
Make sure that each slide in your presentation contains just one idea or concept. It’s better to deliver content your one piece at a time – with each leading into the next – than to brain dump your information all at once.
A ‘one point per slide’ approach enables you to focus your audience’s attention – it’s easier to absorb meaningful sequences of information than trying to process multiple messages simultaneously. It also provides a logical hierarchy for your content, making clear any omissions and helping you to tell a story with your presentation.
2. Lead with Visuals
Wondering how you’re going to communicate more complex ideas to your audience with less text? Do this by making use of relevant, powerful imagery.
There’s wisdom in that old cliché that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ – just think about how much easier it is to understand something when you see it in action than it when someone tries to explain it. Studies have also indicated the effectiveness of visuals in aiding retention.
This is true for presentations, too – so let visuals lead your messaging and actually enhance what you’re saying. Don’t shy away from bold, dramatic images that help communicate your points in interesting ways.
3. Visualise Any Data
Data can do wonders to back up your messages and bolster your credibility, but it’s easy to get wrong: pasted Excel sheets look terrible and don’t lend numbers any meaning.
Of course you’ll want to use data to analyse metrics, plot goals and explain costs, but visualising this information is important: it adds context and makes the material more memorable. Simplify your quantitative information: only include data points that are directly relevant and offer support to your messages. Then present these figures in an interesting way: either in a large font on their own slide or with a graph that goes beyond the usual formats.
To read more on Buffalo7’s tips for quickly improving your presentations – and to find about about its PowerPoint presentation services – visit: http://buffalo7.co.uk/powerpoint-designers
