The most important thing in your presentation is of course your message, your personality, and your commitment. But as support, you sometimes need different aids. This is where the Power point presentation comes in. Make a trustworthy presentation that will help you highlight the message – do my paper not overshadow it.
Here you get 7 good pieces of advice from our presentation expert. If you need more support, you can get an education or coaching from us.
1. Be prepared and have a clear message!
Think about whether you can convey your message in more ways than one. Do not think that it is possible to put together a good lecture. Think through what you want to say and structure your message.
A survey shows that the audience remembers 10 percent of a spoken message. Using images and text instead increases it the audience remembers to 20 percent. If, on the other hand, you combine speech, text, and image, you will remember up to 60 percent. So, mix and see if you can do it naturally.
2. Use the right colors for a contrast-rich presentation.
More statistics. Eight percent of men and about one percent of women in Sweden have defective color vision. Therefore, it is important to create a good contrast between text and background. Always strive for a dark text against a light background or light text against a dark background. Why not be bold enough to try black text on a white background? Also, be consistent with the colors.
A bonus effect of using colors that provide good contrast is that you can easily print your PowerPoint presentation on a black and white printer. It is often cheaper than printing in color.
3. Write large.
Remember that your text should be read at a distance. Your audience may even look bad. A rule of thumb is that the title should be between 36 and 48 points in size and other text between 24 and 36 points. The font you choose should be unadulterated and clean. An excellent, albeit a little boring, font is Calibri.
4. Write cleanly.
Resist the temptation to be too creative with the text look. Be creative with the content instead!
- Do not mix too much with italics, bold and underlining. It’s just getting messy.
- Be consistent with the fonts.
- Do not use CAPITALS as they are more difficult to read. If you want to point something out, you can use bold style instead.
- Avoid wild exclamations (Lorem ipsum !!!!).
5. Use few words and lines, and no more than one header per image.
Force yourself to find keywords. The keywords are a support for you and your audience.
Let graphics and drawings support your message.
Use photos and photos if they support your message in the Power point presentation. The image should add something, not distract from your message. The same goes for graphs and bars.
7. Use landscape or portrait images – not both.
In summary: Take it easy with graphics and colors. The pictures should support you, not replace you. Be consistent in fonts, colors, images, and layout. One headline per image and use keywords. A good rule of thumb is that if you have to apologize for what an image looks like – do not use it.
When you are now really happy with the Power point presentation, only the most important thing remains – the final check. In stressful times, it is easy to skip this part. The time saved you make, however, feels rather meager when you discover that the audience focuses on spelling mistakes or frogs instead of on the message itself.
Finally, some tips on the performance itself
- Test drive and practice with your material before “you go live”.
- Never turn your back on your audience. Stand next to the projector facing the audience and read from your script, not from the screen.
- Darken the projector using the b key during discussions. This allows everyone to focus on the discussion, and not on what is on the Power point presentation.
- If you use a PowerPoint slideshow – do not “whip” around with the mouse over the image. You know exactly where you are pointing, but your audience has a hard time seeing the little arrow. If it feels like you are moving the mouse in slow motion, you have good mouse handling.
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Now you have the recipe for a successful presentation by our presentation expert. Now do not forget to spice it up with your personality and maybe a little humor, so both you and your audience will have a pleasant and educational moment. Good luck!
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