16 simple tips to make effective powerpoint presentations

Do these things to make effective

PPT presentations

16 simple tips

What’s in this presentation?

• Reinforce message + structure all the time

• Format slides for focus

• Rework your text, tables and charts

Reinforce

message + structure

all the time

Put your key message on the 1st slide

(Example = My first slide)

Why make people wait?

(More visual examples follow this slide…)

Tip no1

Enjoy climbing, but be safe

Concentrate on sales efforts until 2015

Tip no2

Transform agenda slides into conclusion-slides

Its all about the pyramidAnd you already have those conclusions defined

(Compare the following 2 slides)

www.ispoint.org

Agenda

• Who is ISPO? – Our Mission

• Why is important that you partner with ISPO?

• How can you support ISPO?

8

www.ispoint.org

Agenda

• ISPO = Interdisciplinary organisation

• Partner with ISPO = Make a difference

• 3 ways to support ISPO

9

Tip no3

Make sure your slides titles are messages for that particular slide

(Compare the following 2 slides)

Try using some kind of “rolling-menu”

to always remind people

where they are

(See following 2 slides for examples)

Tip no4

We live in a NEW WORLD

• Global connected WORLD

• CULTURE of sharing + choice

• Infinite TOOLS = infinite possibility

NW

Environment

Culture

Tools

WORK

Motivation

Management

ILV

People

Time

Directions

Method

14

Motivation 3.0 = Intrinsic

• Motivation 3.0 = Intrinsic

• Enterprise 2.0 matches culture

NW

Environment

Culture

Tools

WORK

Motivation

Management

ILV

People

Time

Directions

Method

• Autonomy

• Mastery

• Purpose

•@

da

nie

lpin

k

15

Use different formatting

on “structure separating slides”

(Like slide 3 .. And the next one)

So people understand

the “big structural change”

in your presentation

Tip no5

Format for focus

Consider using background colour to make

your actual points (text) lighter

Your eye is trying to let light IN,

so why have the background in light?

Better to let in the content, right?

(I’ll do that from now on)

Tip no6

It is even less tiring for the eye as people

watch your presentation

Of course, you will need to make a different

copy for printing, or the ink will run out

..and the company template may not allow

you do it, but there is always a workaround

(Like on the next slide)

20The stuff you are obliged to have on each slide can stay…

See what I mean?

• Just put a dark box somewhere

• And write in light colours

• ..whilst sticking to the brand

guidelines

The problem with THIS presentation

Is that there are too many things going on,

that we have lost consistency in formatting

The brain notices such changes and assumes

there is a reason for them

So be consistent in your formatting

Tip no7

But if you want to bring focus

to one specific pointone specific pointone specific pointone specific point,

feel free to

make a drastic change in formatting

(see next slide as well)

Tip no8

23

Use visuals to reinforce your point

more quickly for the audience

(compare next 2 slides)

Tip no9

MOST INFORMATION TENDS

TO BE PROCESSED VISUALLY

Some studies have shown that

up to 79% of information

is processed visually

…whatever that means!?!

MOST INFORMATION TENDS

TO BE PROCESSED VISUALLY

79%

Avoid using visuals we’ve all seen before

(seriously…

that SAME guy

is in

EVERY CORPORATE PRESENTATION EVER!!)

Tip no10

He’s even in the next slide TWICE !!

And don’t use the first page

of Google image results

ever again!!

(What? Wait? There’s a page 2 ??!?)

33

I’m so bored of all this teamwork and growth…

Don’t just throw on images anywhere

Line up white space to make it easier to read

(compare next 2 slides)

(be careful … its going to get painful)

Tip no11

e.g road rash

Superficial wounds

Common during sports + play

Prone to infection

e.g road rash

Superficial wounds

Common during sports + play

Prone to infection

And if pictures really

speak a thousand words

why not

drop all the text

and just make them big HQ images?

(check next slide… if you dare….)

Tip no12

OK, I’ll play nice from now on

Rework your text,

tables and charts

Oh, look… time to change structural section again

Limit the amount of text on your slides

I’m cheating, because I need you

to read every word

But if you’re reading while

I’m standing up there speaking,

its no good

Tip no13

Tip no13

• Max. 3 , 4 or 5 bullet points

• Font size 24 - to - 48

• 6 or 7 words MAX per bullet

• White space between bullets

FYI:

When you show a table like this,

somewhere in the world

an innocent accountant dies

(See next slide…)

44

Limit table contents

to the strict minimum,

add some focus

and

give it a good title

(The next slide is better…)

Tip no14

46

But honestly,

charts are SO much better

for presenting your numbers

(Follow the tips on the next slides…)

Tip no15

ACCORDING TO GENE ZELAZNY,

THERE ARE

ONLY 4 CHART TYPES…

EACH TYPE CORRESPONDS TO THE

TYPE OF MESSAGE YOU HAVE

Perceived importance of activities vs. Time spent

SO LOOK AT YOUR NUMBERS

DEFINE YOUR MESSAGE

THINK OF THE RIGHT TYPE

…AND MAKE A CHART

(LIKE THESE????)

WE HAVE CLIENTS IN DIVERSE SECTORS,

BUT 60% ARE FROM FINANCE

(I TRIED TO BE MORE CREATIVE WITH THE NEXT CHARTS…)

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

NU

MB

ER

OF

NA

TU

RA

L D

ISA

ST

ER

S

THE NUMBER OF NATURAL DISASTERS HAS

INCREASED OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS

REVENUE IN $ FIRST 10 YEARS

STAR WARS IS THE HIGHEST GROSSING MOVIE

SAVINGS WERE REGULAR THROUGHOUT THE YEAR,

EXCEPT DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASONE

UR

OS

SA

VE

D P

ER

MO

NT

H

Ave = 300 euros/month

If you see this slide,

it ought to suggest a new section,

right?

But actually …

There’s 1 more tip just for the end …

Summary and closing is important too

Copy paste the agenda, then message slide

.. to remind people of your key points

Tip no16

What we saw…

• Reinforce message + structure all the time

• Format slides for focus

• Rework your text, tables and charts

Do these things to make effective

PPT presentations

16 simple tips

61