Pro Tips for Better PowerPoint Presentations
Five Steps to Impress Your Audience
Giving presentations is a great way to educate and inform your co-workers, students, clients, etc. Using PowerPoint (or Keynote if you are on a Mac) makes it easy and effective, especially if your PowerPoint presentation consists of high-quality slides and is clear.
Fortunately, making good slides is rather easy - at least if you first read these easy-to-follow steps. Be ready to blow your audience away!
The above picture is by Bill McChesney.
1) The Rule of Thumb: 10-20-30
So-called 10-20-30 rule of keeping presentations is better than good. If you don't remember any other tips when you are making your PowerPoint slides, remember at least this rule.
10: You should have no more than 10 slides. If you have more, get rid of unimportant stuff and obvious and unessential things. PowerPoint slides should be just supporting your presentation, not be the main point.
20: Don't talk for too long; 20 minutes is a good maximum. Very long presentations get boring and probably contain some unnecessary stuff. PowerPoint presentations should be short and vigorous.
30: The minimum font size you should use is 30pt. Too small text is difficult to read, and big text makes it difficult to squeeze lots of text into one slide, which would be a mistake. Why? The step number three explains it. :-)
The above picture is by Tom Magliery.
3) Another Rule: KISS
Step one is about the 10-20-30 rule; now's time for another one: KISS. KISS stands for
- Keep
- It
- Straight
- and
- Simple.
The above picture is by Benedikte Vanderweeën.
4) Prefaces Rock
An introduction, even a short one, which tells the audience what you are going to tell and talk about is really helpful. It's so much easier for the audience to keep up when they know what you are going to talk about next.
If you know that there are some people in the audience who don't know you, be sure to introduce yourself.
You might also want to include an epilogue. If you do include, remember to thank the audience.
The above picture is by hjw223.
5) Practice, practice, and practice
You should know the subject so well that you could give the presentation even without the PowerPoint slides! That makes it easier not only for you but also for your audience.
Practice makes perfect.
Last but Not Least
I think that the most important thing to keep in mind when giving a presentation is this: remember to maintain eye contact with the audience, especially when the audience is relatively small.
Lastly, How NOT to Use PowerPoint
As a conclusion, be sure to watch this hilarious (but informative) video in which Don MacMillan explains how not to use PowerPoint.
How do you do your PowerPoint presentations? Wanna share some nifty tips & tricks? Say at least hello! :-)
