5 Tips for Outstanding Powerpoint Presentations

by Solange Lopes | Jan 29, 2014 | Career | 2 comments

woman making Power Point presentation – cimaglobal.com

So you have this great idea to pitch to your manager? Or better yet, it’s time for the annual sales presentation, and you’re in charge of making the Powerpoint presentation. Or you’ve been assigned the task to create a slide deck for the boss, and while you may know the basics, you need the extra “oomph”…

I like Power Point presentations because they are to the point, they don’t need to be extra elaborate, and they give you a chance to showcase this amazing corporate sister, that is YOU! Here are a few points and tricks that I learnt over the years, that turned my Power Point presentations from elaborate, convoluted, and frankly overwhelming displays, to targeted, organized and to-the-point presentations that sparked long-term interest and commitment…

• Remember YOU are the show! It’s not the presentation, the elaborate slides, or the assortment of rainbow colors you’ve used that make the show. It’s YOU! So as invested as you may be in building the most memorable slide deck ever, keep in mind that your job is to speak to the content of the presentation and convey the message yourself..
• NEVER, EVER ( did I say EVER?) read your slides! The absolute worst you can do when making a Power Point presentation is to read your slides…unless, of course, you want to put your audience to sleep! As complex as your presentation may be, you need to know your material and topic to the T if you are to present it. If you are not able to memorize the entire presentation, memorize at least the first 2 and the last 2 slides! You can also certainly use Power Point’s Notes features to consult your notes on your computer as you are delivering the presentation. However, keeping your eyes on the screen for one second longer than necessary will definitely give out the impression that you’re reading, and not only bore your audience, but also tempt them to believe that you are not the expert you really are….which leads me to my next point…
• Build Trust! Along with mastering your presentation, you also have to build a rapport with your audience. What you show is one thing, but what you say is MOST important! This is a case of what you show vs. what you say! I’ll always remember a presentation I attended during my first years in corporate by a very talented corporate sister, who described places she visited in her career so vividly as she was making her presentation that I could literally smell the air there. Years later, I still remember her, and most importantly I still remember what she said!
• Combine Visual with Audio! To ensure optimal retention by your audience, give them both the visual and the audio aspects. Instead of just using endless sentences and words, or tons of boring bullet points in your presentation, use pictures and audio! Make it fun, inspiring, and captivating. Remember, YOU are the show, so you can always talk to the material being presented. Use your audio and pictures as a hook to reel in your audience, and then use your words to sell them on your ideas!
• Last but not least, do NOT say Thank You…just yet! What? Am I suggesting that you should be rude and omit to thank your great audience? No, that’s not what I am suggesting at all. However, in order to get your audience hooked until the end, avoid the big last “Thank You” slide. All it’s going to do is send the message that the presentation is over and they can disconnect now. Same thing for the big “Questions?” slide! After you are done making your presentation, you want your audience to still be engaged enough to keep asking questions or make additional suggestions. You want the momentum to keep on going, even as you wrap up your main topics. How do you achieve this? Present a blank slide at the end of the presentation. Awkward? Weird? Maybe, but it’ll keep the momentum going and your audience engaged, as they wonder what just happened. And after you’ve dug into their last questions and comments, now you can say…Thank You!

Any additional tips on making great Power Point presentations?

The Corporate Sister.