Have you ever felt like your presentations lack pizzazz? Adding a few simple tricks to your slides can go a long way in making your presentation more engaging. Whether it’s adding animations, adding eye-catching graphics, or using the color red for emphasis, these little tricks help make the difference between an ok slide and something that will leave a lasting impression on your audience. Here are some tips and tricks to spice up that boring slideshow!
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Start with a simple layout
Designing a presentation is an art form that requires creativity and attention to detail. Designing a standard layout for your presentation is the best way to make sure everything has the right proportions. The layout of a presentation contains the visual components that make up your presentation. The best part about designing a presentation is that you can use your creativity to make something unique, which will help you stand out. Plus, having a set grid will save you time in the long run.
Add animation to your slides
Some animations make a presenter’s messages more engaging and easier to follow. Animated transitions can direct the audience’s eyes from one section of the slide to the next, making it easier for them to follow along. It also helps if you have multiple points you want to show on each slide. For example, if you had three bullet points on a slide and wanted to emphasize a certain point in your presentation, animation can help draw attention to that point. Animations can also be used throughout presentations or in specific sections of them. For example, if you were giving a talk about social media marketing, you could use animation at the end of every other sentence or so while talking about branding strategies on platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Pick the right colors
The colors you choose for your presentation can make or break it. For example, red is known to be a powerful color that grabs attention and increases arousal. What does that mean? If you want your audience to take action, use red! You might also want to consider colors that are opposite one another on the color wheel. Opposite colors work well because they provide contrast to each other. So, if you’re using green in your slides, try adding orange! That way, people will notice those bright colors and take notice of them. You could also use a triad of colors in the same hue family- but with different saturations (lightness or darkness). This technique makes it easier for viewers to distinguish between elements and enhances the overall design of your presentation.
Use graphics in your slides
Graphics can be a great way to help your audience pay attention. For example, if you’re talking about a new product release, consider adding a picture of the product to your slide. Or if you’re trying to drive home a point about production, you might add an image of manufacturing lines or cars being made at a factory. The images can also serve as helpful visual aids in more abstract presentations like those related to finance or science.
Choose relevant images to your topic
One of the simplest ways to spruce up your slides is by adding relevant images. Choose images that are related to the topic you are presenting on, so they will make sense to your audience. If you have any images that might be on your slides, try searching for them on Google Images, or use the find function on PowerPoint’s file menu. For example, if you are giving a presentation about food safety, then use pictures of various foods.
Use symbols and shapes to emphasize points
Using symbols and shapes to emphasize points can help break up the monotony of a line graph or table. Plus, it’s super easy to do! You can use arrows or boxes as a visual cue for your audience so they know what you’re talking about. For example, when discussing the pros of a certain marketing campaign, you could highlight the benefits by adding a box with an arrow pointing upwards. To show an increase in conversion rates, you could use a triangle that points up.
Add captions for further clarification
If you’re presenting information that might be confusing to the audience, adding captions for each slide might help to make things clearer. Captions should be short, but they still need to provide a level of depth so people don’t feel like they are missing anything. For example, if you were trying to explain what an acronym means, your caption could say “Acronym: Xyz. XYZ stands for XYZ.” This way, when someone sees the slide with the acronym, they know what it means without having to search back through your slideshow for context.
Conclusion
Learning how to design a presentation that engages your audience is an invaluable skill. Nobody wants to sit through a presentation that is boring, not relevant, or difficult to understand. By applying these simple design tips to your slides, you can become a more confident and effective presenter. You can add captions, animations, and graphics to your slides to make them more memorable. You can also use eye-catching colors and symbols to emphasize your points. With these simple design tricks, you’ll have the confidence to create a presentation that will wow your audience.
