The 7 Basic Rules Of Proper Presentation Design
We've compiled a few simple rules for designing your presentations, so you can avoid the embarrassment of looking like an amateur. These tips are based on years of experience in the field and they come from experts who have helped many others design their own presentations...
Mistake: Not changing text size when you insert images into your presentation
Solution:
Insert the image, then use a slide to position it where you want it. Select Format > Make Text Bigger or Smaller. Change the font size by clicking on the text box and typing in a new size (in pixels) or by dragging one of the edges in to enlarge or shrink it.
Mistake: Not making sure that fonts are ready to use before you start your presentation
Solution:
When you go to change fonts, check the font family first (use the font name) and make sure it's available. If not, click on the More Fonts button... which will open a window with all of your settings. Once they are ready to use, click Close.
Mistake: Using only one or two colors
Solution:
Colors evoke emotions that have been proven scientifically to influence our responses and actions. In big presentations, these emotions can be powerful and can include both positive and negative affects on how we think about our business. But also consider the message you want to send with your colors. You could choose a particular color that evokes the right emotions for your business or you could use colors in a specific order to convey a meaning. For example, on an organization chart, green might represent finance while yellow represents human resources. The order of your colors can also be used to send a message; for example, you might use red at the top to signify “warning” or at the bottom to signify “danger”.
Mistake: Using too many fonts
Solution:
Fonts have different appearances and different meanings. Too many fonts can make your presentation difficult to read, especially if you have a lot of text. Your text doesn't have to be ridiculously small to benefit from using fewer fonts. For example, on an organization chart with a dotted-line pattern you might use the font Times New Roman for the title, and Calibri for the job descriptions. This works because most people can read Times New Roman at 12 point font and Calibri at 11 point font.
Mistake: Using too much color
Solution:
Color is all about making something stand out. The color of your background will make part of your presentation standout in the crowd through their eyes. Use the background color to help you tell your story by giving focus to something that is important to your presentation. In this case, always use a light background color. If you have a dark background, people have to pay attention so they can read the material clearly as opposed to a light background, where people can easily read it without paying too much attention.
Mistake: Not using consistent fonts throughout your presentation
Solution:
Using different fonts can be frustrating for audiences who are trying to read your presentation. Use just one or two fonts throughout your whole presentation–never more than three or four. You don't have to use the same font for everything; that's just overkill. Choose one font for the title and use it for the section headings, too. Use a different font for text and titles. You can choose even more fonts, but just make sure that they are compatible with each other so they look good when used together.
Mistake: Using only one or two colors
Solution:
Color evokes emotion and meaning. In big presentations, these emotions can be powerful and can include both positive and negative affects on how we think about our business. It is important to consider the message you want to send with your colors before you use them. And the choice of colors is also important because it plays a significant role in the way people will react to your presentation. For example, red is known to be a powerful color in many cultures. It has the ability to evoke emotions such as anger, passion, aggression and love. So when red is used in a presentation it can create a mood that can make the audience aware of what you want them to feel.
Mistake: Not using the “back” button
Solution:
You might think that when you close PowerPoint you don't need to worry about saving your work... but here's why you should use the Back button on your mouse or Track-pad every time you close PowerPoint: When PowerPoint closes if there were unsaved changes in your presentation it will open automatically and ask if you want to save your changes before closing. If you do not use the Back button before closing a presentation it will save your changes and move on to the next slide, even if it is unsaved. Not saving your changes could result in losing important data that you worked hard to prepare. Your presentations are very important and valuable–at least that's what this article says.
Mistake: Saving a presentation file without saving the other files as well
Solution:
Just about every PowerPoint presentation that you create has four important files associated with them: The presentation file itself, which contains all of the slides and any other material included with it, such as charts or forms; a "runtime" file (usually named with a .vbe or .bin extension), which contains the programming instructions required for PowerPoint to show the presentation correctly; a help file, which contains information about the presentation included with it; and a template file, which is meant to be a starting point for new presentations. Many users forget about the last two files. Users often forget creating the help file, but this can have some dangerous consequences when it comes time to distribute their presentation – one without any accompanying help files will not be properly searchable by users who need more information than what is contained in your slides themselves. Likewise, the missing template file can make it difficult for your slides to be opened in PowerPoint at all, let alone in PowerPoint on a different machine.
The easiest way to avoid problems related to these extra files is simply to make sure that every time you save your presentation, you also save the other associated files.
Mistake: Not paying enough attention to a "Web-ready" presentation
Solution:
When it comes to presentation software there are really two kinds of presentations you might need: One that is built just for your organization and is purely informational. The second one is when you are presenting information aimed towards the general public in which case you need something more stylish and flashy with animations and effects.
Conclusion:
The best presentations look like a brochure and use simple language. They grab your audiences’ attention, tell them what they want to know and then get out of the way. They are not a chore to read through. Your goal is to pique their interest and make them want to learn more by asking questions that they can quickly answer with a phone call or email. At times this might mean you have to create more than one presentation for the same audience just so you can take your time and make sure that each one is as effective as possible.