Have you sat through a presentation where the speaker used a PowerPoint presentation? Or received a corporate presentation in PowerPoint? Maybe, you’ve also used PowerPoint at some point for your presentations? A lot of information today is conveyed and presented through PowerPoint presentations. The same way attire speaks about the person, people tend to form perceptions based on your presentation. As easy as it is to create presentations, it’s as easy to throw people off and lose their trust with a poorly planned PowerPoint presentation. It does not take a lot of technical knowledge to create better presentations. Take advantage of the many templates available with built in graphics and styles, infuse a bit of your personality and use these simple tips we’ve provided. These tips provide very concise and practical approach that anyone can easily apply. Use these tips to redo your existing presentations or make your planned presentations and create a greater impact. Take these 6 simple tips to create better PowerPoint Presentations and implement them today. See the change it brings to your overall presentation and the opinion people form of you. After reading this article you may want to visit some of the following links:

Tip #1 – Choose a simple template and one that

matches the context

With thousands of templates available, it is sometimes difficult to choose one. Some may appear

too plain and simple for your taste while the jazzy ones who definitely brighten up the presentation.

Remember here that irrespective of your personal attraction to certain styles and formats of templates;

keep in mind the audience and context of the presentation. 

For Corporate Presentations, choose a single color background or a two-tone gradient fill in muted colors.

Use conservative fonts like “Arial” or “Verdana”.  While for others, you can use more colorful and bright templates.

But ensure that the template matches the mood of the context and content is visible clearly. The background should

not interfere with clarity.

Tip #2 – Use a cover slide

Start with a cover slide that states the topic of presentation and/or a subtitle. It is a good

way of letting the audience know what they’re about to view. As you tend to judge a book by

its cover, a cover slide should speak about the contents of your presentation.

You can also include a graphic that reflects the topic. Maybe a thought provoking one or one

that stimulates the audience’s curiosity and interest.

Tip #5 – Use animation to add a little pizzazz to

your presentation

Transform you presentation to an animated, interactive one. Some amount of animation can add

interest to an otherwise plain presentation. Using animation is useful especially when you want to

delay the display of some information or want to present points in a sequence. You can use it to highlight

or draw attention to certain points in the slide. You can also use animation to add humor (if appropriate)

to your presentation. However, keep in mind that the animation should in no way take away focus from the topic at hand.

Using animation is quite simple. Select the text or graphic you want to animate. Go to “Animations” tool and

select “Custom Animation”.

Tip #6 – Keep it Short and Simple

No matter how extensive or intensive the information you want to present is, don’t run the risk of

a “never-ending-presentation”. Keep the number of slides confined to a maximum of 20 – 25 slides. Again, do not

overcrowd information in the individual slides. Don’t overuse graphics and animation. They tend to increase the

file size. You don’t want your audience getting frustrated – having to wait a long time for the presentation

to load/download. 

As always keep the purpose in mind – getting information across. Use simple language, avoid jargon, and

use short phrases and key words. The content should not overwhelm your audience. If you’re not sure, review

it – this time look at it from the audience’s viewpoint. As “experts” in our own fields, sometimes we tend to

overestimate the audience’s capacity to understand things. Just because things are clear in our mind and we

see the flow of thought doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the same for others. 

Finally, keep exploring the various features you can use with PowerPoint and keep experimenting. Creating

better and effective presentations is a skill essential not only in the corporate circle but also in other spheres

of work and society. Hone your skills and add “Power” to your presentations.