PowerPoint^® With Pizzazz

What kind of impression are you making when giving PowerPoint presentations? Contrary to popular opinion, using PowerPoint does not automatically mean a stellar performance. However, with the right skills, making a PowerPoint presentation can help you make a great impression.

How do you go about making a PowerPoint presentation with pizzazz? Here are seven ways to create a PowerPoint presentation that’s sure to please:

Keep slides consistent- When creating a PowerPoint presentation, use a consistent page setup and background. Ensure fonts, margins, and spacing remain constant throughout the PowerPoint presentation. Choose an appropriate background color or image, and stick with it. If you aren’t consistent when creating your PowerPoint presentation, your audience will have a tough time following you when you are giving your PowerPoint presentation!

Keep slides precise- Bigger is never better when it comes to PowerPoint slides. When creating PowerPoint presentations, type short phrases rather than sentences. The fewer words you add to your PowerPoint slides, the better. Consider this–when you’re making your PowerPoint presentation, wouldn’t you rather have your audience listening to you than reading the slides over your shoulder?

Limit number of slides- People have attention spans … some long, some very short. To avoid losing anyone, limit your PowerPoint presentations to 10 slides per 30 minutes. With this in mind, when making PowerPoint presentations, you will have three minutes to discuss each slide. If you can’t discuss the content of a slide for three minutes, you don’t need the slide.

Select legible font size- There is no point in creating a PowerPoint presentation if no one can read it. The size of the room, the number of people in the audience, and the seating arrangement will all dictate the best font size to use when creating a PowerPoint presentation. As a general rule, font size should always be a minimum of 30pt.

Apply appropriate color schemes- When creating a PowerPoint presentation, carefully consider the use of color. Color is important to keep your audience engaged … and awake. However, using the wrong font color and/or the wrong background color can make a PowerPoint presentation tough to read … or, worse … dizzying. Choose colors that are easy on the eye, look good on-screen, and provide a mood to suit your PowerPoint presentation.

Use animations sparingly- Animations can be fun and, when used correctly, can make a PowerPoint presentation stand out. However, too many animations detract from the message. When creating a PowerPoint presentation, only use an animation if it makes sense with the content of the slide, it is tasteful and appropriate to the audience, and you didn’t place an animation on the two previous slides or the two following.

Keep file size manageable- A long wait for a PowerPoint slide to come up gives the audience time to tune out. When creating a PowerPoint presentation, keep the file size low enough to avoid those unnecessary wait times. Practice in advance so that when making a PowerPoint presentation, you are able to talk through those wait times with appropriate and helpful information.

Focus on Presentation

After creating a PowerPoint presentation with pizzazz, it’s imperative that you practice your presentation. Making a PowerPoint presentation is really just making a presentation using PowerPoint to help convey your message, so focus first on the presentation. Here are five ways to present your PowerPoint more effectively.

Face the audience, not the screen- Your audience is not interested in how well you can read. They want to hear what you have to say. When giving a PowerPoint presentation, engage your audience. Look them in the eye. Avoid looking at the screen because when looking at the screen, your back is to the audience.

Avoid blocking the view of the screen- Depending on the layout of the room and the seating arrangement, it may be difficult to not block the screen while making a PowerPoint presentation. If you can avoid blocking the screen, then don’t block the screen. If you can’t avoid blocking the screen, then move around so you’re not blocking the view of one person or one section of the audience for the entire presentation.

Take your time- You took time to create a PowerPoint presentation for your audience. Take your time going through it with your audience. When making a PowerPoint presentation, it’s usually beneficial to take a deep breath between each slide. If you’re taking a deep breath every 30 seconds, you’re going too fast!

Practice using PowerPoint- Just like any good presentation, making a PowerPoint presentation requires practice. Practice your delivery. Practice your timing. Practice your PowerPoint presentation, as if you were in front of the audience.

Smile- A smile says you’re enjoying yourself. If you aren’t enjoying yourself while giving a PowerPoint presentation, how can you expect the audience to enjoy it?