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Did you know that using a PowerPoint presentation can be one of the most effective ways to address a large group of people? With such a variety of learning styles, using a visual presentation allows you to reach a large group of people – particularly those who need to see it to believe it. What better way than to create a stunning PowerPoint presentation?
Have the data, but lacking that polished finish? A good way to start is to look at templates to get an idea of which style suits you and your presentation. By accessing numerous templates at http://Microsoft.com you be able to create stunning presentations. Looking at an individual slide or downloading an entire sample presentation can inspire you to be more creative with the content that you include in your own presentation. There are many charts and diagrams in different templates that can really spark your creativity and give you additional ideas to give your presentation a professional look. While looking through the samples, consider that if you are wowed by the slides, graphics, or charts, your audience probably will be too.
What works? There is no magic formula, but there are amazing presentations. With the ability to create almost anything imaginable, there is no limit to what can be included in your presentations. Vibrant colours, sleek graphics and stylish photographs all contribute to making a great presentation even better.
What does not work? Avoid the overuse of clip-art. Although there is some good quality clip-art out there, too much in a presentation can be distracting and give it an unpolished, unprofessional look. That is not to say that there isn't a time and a place for a cleverly placed clip-art picture. Another thing to watch out for is wordiness – before adding a slide filled with text, consider adding the supplemental information in a handout.
Handouts are another great idea because you are providing your participants with additional information which adds value to your presentation. The added bonus of using handouts is that you are giving your participants additional information, which includes your contact information (a great instrument for making new connections and contacts).
Try to tie in visual cues that will help people remember and associate images with you or your company. The key is to make yourself, your presentation, and your information valuable and memorable.
Are you excited with your Powerpoint presentation? Before you get yourself ready and show off it to your friends, colleagues, and even your clients, you have to go back to your checklist. There are actually 5 things that you need to keep in mind in order to have an effective Powerpoint presentation.
What You Should Remember
1. Check the fonts. You may think that you can do anything with the fonts in your Powerpoint presentation. You're wrong. There are certain things that you have to consider, one of which is the font size. You have to ensure that the texts will remain visible even from at the farthest corner of the room. Hence, for your title, the ideal font size is between 36 and 40. For the body of your Powerpoint presentation, you can go for anything not less than 24. You also have to avoid using ultra-stylish font, especially those with too much curves, as they are harder to read. Arial, Times New Roman, and Verdana are the most suggested.
2. Check the Powerpoint templates. You also have to think about the Powerpoint templates that you're going to utilize. It's highly ideal to select one that you can use all throughout the Powerpoint presentation. Moreover, you are advised to stick with Powerpoint templates that are professional-looking and not too flashy. However, if you have a general theme in mind, perhaps in line with the product you're trying to launch or the purpose of the meeting, then you can go for themed templates. For instance, if you're going to talk about the city during the 1960s, you can make use of vintage-inspired Powerpoint templates. There are a lot that you can choose from these days. All you have to do is to surf the Internet.
3. Minimize the use of too much animation. Flying texts and complicated slide transitions should be used sparingly during a Powerpoint presentation. Not only are they unnecessary, but they can also drive the attention of your audience away from the meat of the discussion. They may sometimes be too annoying. They can also add more file size, which makes the Powerpoint presentation a lot harder to share to others or send through an e-mail. The images, videos, and even sounds should only be used if you want to emphasize something.
4. Choose your images well. Just like texts, you should make sure that the images can be seen even by the last person sitting at the back. Or else, they will appear to be pixilated once you increase the screen size. If the images are really small in nature, you can make use of a size converter, so you can magnify them. You may also have to avoid utilizing copyright-protected pictures unless they are yours or that you've asked permission.
5. Practice. Look for some time where you can practice your spiel together with your Powerpoint presentation. There are times when you have to jump from one slide to another, which you should get accustomed to. You don't want to break the momentum or invite monotony during your discussion.