At the time of doing best powerpoint presentations or similar applications, it is important to have good ideas. Many times, the information we want to share is interesting, but if we fail in the execution, the result is not useful. Content and form are the main aspects to consider when we want to achieve a good presentation.
In this article we explore some of the best ideas for your PowerPoint presentations. Approaches, strategies and proposals that you may be able to incorporate into your projects to make presentations much more attractive and to continue improving your communication of objectives. Some of the tips and ideas are focused on concepts from the world of design, and others on communication in general.
Simplify text for better PowerPoint presentations
The presentations that are made through PowerPoint or other similar platforms, such as Prezi, should be a complement to the presentation. It is not wise to write large portions of text, since the content must be visually dynamic and easy to observe. For large amounts of data and reflections, there is oral presentation. The best presentations are those where the text is the minimum necessary, so that the slides support your presentation. To improve the result in your presentations, the key is to use simplified text in the form of a conceptual map.
Summarize the presentation in 3 points
You can put together a very long presentation, but the heart of it is What you need to show must be able to be summarized in no more than 3 key pointsThe key is to have them well defined and they are part of a communication strategy that in English is called takeaways. They are the main ideas that anyone who sees the presentation should take home when the presentation is over.
The audience will probably not remember what was said in 90% of the slides, but the three main points should be clearly explained. You can reinforce them by adding them at the end of the presentation, summarized. This way you give a strong closure to the idea you want to convey.
Sort content for better presentations
It's interesting Think of presentations as storiesLike any story, it must have an introduction, a plot, and an ending. Topics must be grouped intelligently to make the plot coherent, and this is also necessary in PowerPoint slides. It is a good idea to prepare a detailed script of what you want to communicate and share. If you have started another presentation, review the slides to give each project a good continuity.
Don't take risks with sources
From a graphical perspective, Fonts for text are very relevant. It often happens that some users want to play with font sizes to add variations and visual effects, but it is best to follow Guy Kawasaki. “You should not use a size smaller than 30 points.” In addition to size, typography is another parameter to consider. There are some very ornate ones that end up being inconvenient for reading a presentation from a distance.
Embed fonts in PPT
Maybe you've ignored the previous advice for better presentations, but that's a possibility. If you are going to use non-standard fonts, make sure they are embedded in the file. Otherwise some computers may not play them correctly. To embed a font in your file follow these steps:
- Open PowerPoint Options.
- Enter the Save section.
- Press the Embed fonts in the file option.
There are two different ways to embed. One adds only the characters that are used in the presentation, and the other saves all of them. This second option enables other users to edit the text later even if they do not have the font.
Maintain a design line
La consistency in design is key to achieving an attractive presentation. While many designers are against templates, one obvious advantage is that they allow you to maintain style. They use the same sizes, fonts and styles from one slide to the next. This doesn't mean that your presentation has to be monotonous and repetitive, but by incorporating images you can give it variety and always maintain the same line in terms of design.
It is much more practical to add variety to a presentation with images and multimedia content, rather than playing with sizes, fonts and typography. Always strive for simplicity and coherence, so that the content is the protagonist of your presentation.
Look for quality images
El Visual section of the presentations is very important to achieve the best results. Therefore, it is advisable to make a good selection of images before closing a slide. If you download images without paying attention, you will end up throwing away the efforts made to centralize the content. Nowadays, there are numerous websites from which you can download high-quality, royalty-free photos. A good selection to illustrate your presentation can make the difference in the final result and in the audience's appreciation.
Avoid clipart and watermarked stock images. The former are very outdated and detract from the final result, creating a bad impression on the audience. And watermarked images show that the work was done in a rushed and amateurish way.
Include the video or use YouTube
A very awkward moment in a PowerPoint presentation This is when you try to open a video but externally. The presenter exits the presentation, opens a folder and tries to run the video, but the PC does not have the necessary codecs or it simply does not work. Avoid this by inserting the video directly into the slide.
this is done by pressing the Insert – Video menuAnother option is to embed the video directly from YouTube. This can cause problems, very rarely, but it should be taken into account. Make sure you have an Internet connection and click on the video link on the slide so that the online hosting from the YouTube channel will automatically open. This way you can achieve better presentations quickly and easily.