10 Tips For Effective Powerpoints?

Question

I need 10 Tips for effective powerpoints. These things have to help me in the business world.

Answer 1

1. Don't be boring. Bland backgrounds, writing what you plan on saying anyway, being wordy, etc. will kill you.

2. Visibility/clarity is THE TOP PRIORITY. Use big, clear fonts. Use a background and colors that let the important stuff POP out. Don't clutter up things with fancy features unless they improve clarity. Clarity also refers to content- keep each point CRYSTAL CLEAR and understandable.

3. Decide what is more important- you, the Powerpoint, the handouts- and don't let them fight each other. If the Powerpoint is THE focus- make it shine! Transitions, animations, etc. with you standing in the back or off to a side.

4. Choreograph the presentation. Start strong, build towards a climax, ease people off, leave them hungry or totally satisfied- however you plot it, make it into a mini-drama.

5. Be consistant. Consistancy helps comprehension. Use a format that works and follow it thorugh. Use the consistancy as a tool- change things (colors, layout, etc.) between sections of the talk to reinforce the shifting of gears.

6. Know the power of color, images, fonts, etc. Each font has a specific 'feel'. Combine font and color and people will make certain assumptions just based on that.

{Experiment A: The company name is BlanCo. Come up with a font/color that would suggest that BlanCo is a bank... a lawyer's firm... a toy store... an architecure firm... a Mexican restaurant.}

{Experiment B: Write 'BlanCo' in a variety of fonts and colors. Ask some friends what kind of business each variation is. Notice the similarity of the answers? Just based on those two elements, you can create entirely differnet expectation!}

7. KNOW THE PROGRAM! This is one of the big mistakes- Powerpoint can do a ton for you, but if you don't know how to use it you cannot make the presentation shine as much as it could. For example, pros know how to build alternate slides and integrate them almost seamlessly into the program as the need arises.

8. Don't overdo it. Many beginners overdo the colors, boxes, number of slides, special effects, animations, sound effects, etc. KISS- Keep It Simple, Stupid! (Cub Scout leader variation: KISMIF- Keep It Simple, Make It Fun would apply as well!)

9. Inter-relatedness. The Powerpoint is only 1 part of the presentation in most cases. Make sure each aspect- Powerpoint, your talk, your dress, the handouts, props, etc. all are carrying their fair share of the message and are working together. Beginner mistake- slides say same thing as your talking points, and handouts are pictures of the slides. Why can't they just read the notes then and ignore you?

10. No idea- the missing element is probably your own creative flair- this should be YOUR presentation- reflect your personality, and you should know it intimately!

Answer 2

Sorry theres not 10, but heres a few pointers.

Try to be consistent and use the same background and fonts throughout your PowerPoint. This will makes it look more professional.

Use the spell check. Theres nothing worse than standing in front of a large group of people and having them laugh at your bad spelling.

Know what you need to include and dont add in any unnecessary information. Each slide should only include about 8 bullet points. Its easier for people to take in and it will stop people getting bored.

Try to keep it as short as possible; if you can help it. Watching them can be very boring its best just to use what you need.

Answer 3

1. Presentations should lead the eye steadily across and down (but not crowd) the page.
2. Keep your bullets short and to the point. Elaborate on them as much as you want but, they should only be a starter for your presentation, not the whole thing.
3. Use different change patterns. It's okay to use patterns or backgrounds as long as they add to not take from your presentation.
4. Review often before hand.
5. Practice.
6. Anticipate questions about the 5 Ws. Know the answer.
7. Interact with the audience.
8. Use voice inflection.
9. Relax, but be professional.
10. Organize properly.

Answer 4

1. If you are trying to bring a point across, be persuasive!
2. Project your voice to the back of the room. Use calm, lilting tones.
3. Smile!
4. Use attractive fonts and coloring, however; make sure they are legible.
5. Keep everything short and sweet.
6.If you are going to talk, don't type your speech on your PowerPoint. People can read!
7. Use charts and graphs to illustrate your thoughts.
8. Don't litter your work with animations.
9. Know what age group you are talking to, and adjust your writing to their ears.
10. If you are anxious, do your best to hide it.

Answer 5

I don't know if I can come up with ten, but my professors say to never make them incredibly colorful, crazy, so on. No special techniques with music and the sentences flying from out of the corners. Just keep it simple and make it easy to read. I also learned that if it's for an older crowd, you should use muted (dim) colors, if it's for a younger crowd, use slightly brighter/pastel colors.

Answer 6

Important points on the slides. Readability, don't use to many colours or it distract your reader. Pause between each slide. And timing

Answer 7

Be clear and concise (ie, short bullets, don't write out sentences).

SEE these sites for more tips:

http://www.microsoft.com/office/previous/xp/columns/column08.asp

http://kinesiology.boisestate.edu/kines442/tips_for_making_effective_powerp.htm