6 Epic Tips To Supercharge Your PowerPoint Presentation Skills

PowerPoint Presentation

We’ll need to make sure you know how to use Microsoft PowerPoint before you can start working on your presentation. The capacity to properly deliver ideas and information is one of the most basic professional skills you’ll need to master.  Giving a presentation is a fantastic way to teach people what you know while also aiding your own learning. You’ll almost certainly deliver a lot of presentations at work, so this is a crucial skill to master. This article will teach you how to give an effective presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint.

How to Make the Most of Microsoft PowerPoint
You’ve undoubtedly sat through a couple of PowerPoint presentations and maybe even given one. For years, PowerPoint has been a standard in presentations. You’ve gained a vital skill to your toolbox that employers will value if you know how to utilize PowerPoint efficiently. Giving a good PowerPoint presentation, on the other hand, requires more than just knowing how to use the software.

PowerPoint is simply a visual aid; it is not the presentation itself.
One of the most common PowerPoint blunders is making the slides the focal point of the presentation rather than using it for what it was designed for: as a visual aid. Your audience should always be the center of your presentation. Consider what kind of visual aid you’d use if you didn’t have PowerPoint to communicate with your audience. Would you be willing to bring a photograph? Do you want to make a graph? Do you want to bring something with you? What kind of interaction would you have with the visual aid?

You can decide how a visual aid would help improve your presentation once you start thinking about the audience and message first. If your slides are packed with bullet points and text, or if you’re just reading your slides to your audience, you’re relying on PowerPoint too much. Consider the following two instances to have a better understanding of this critical concept.

Instead of using the slide as a visual aid, Slide A is using it as a presenter’s notes. Because it is so text-heavy, it is less likely to resonate with their audience, who may miss the key point. The use of a photograph as a visual aid in Slide B provides the audience something to relate to. It gives them background and helps them focus on the key idea.

Text and bullet points should be kept to a minimum
Slides with a lot of text are difficult to read and uninteresting, as the example above shows. Your text and bullet points should be limited to your primary points. PowerPoint isn’t meant to be used as a word processor or for taking lengthy notes. To put it another way, no one should be able to read your PowerPoint instead of listening to your presentation. Consider the following instances to demonstrate how crucial this distinction is.

It can be difficult to let go of a favorite quote or passage, but as Slide C shows, too much material will overload your slide and your audience. Slide D, on the other hand, highlights the most significant aspect of the phrase and includes an image to help the audience connect with it. If you’re concerned that your slides will be too brief, remember that you may still include the entire statement in your presenter notes and read it while presenting your visual aid.

Transitions and animations should be kept to a minimum.
PowerPoint has a lot of tools and possibilities, but you may get carried away with animations and transitions if you’re not careful. Use only one or two styles of transitions and animations as a general rule. Remember that PowerPoint is a visual aid platform; you don’t want your visual aid to be so distracting that no one can pay attention to your message. On the contrary, you want your visual assistance to enhance your presentation rather than detract from it.

The theater and the movie have a lot in common. The cast and director have failed if the set or special effects are the most remembered aspects of the show. Always keep in mind what you want your audience to do.

Make good use of typography
The style and appearance of your text is referred to as typography. In a presentation, you should use large, easy-to-read font sizes. PowerPoint has a plethora of font choices. Here are some fundamental typography tips to help you get the most out of your work.

Choose a sans-serif font for headings and a serif font for text, or vice versa. A serif is a little line that runs from the end of a stroke or letter to the beginning. The word “sans” means “without,” hence a sans-serif typeface is one that lacks serifs. Serif fonts are sometimes referred to as “Roman,” whereas sans-serif fonts are referred to as “Gothic.” Consider the samples below, which demonstrate how serif and sans-serif fonts compliment each other.

Slide F’s graphic complements the slide’s concept of education benefiting families. It’s more genuine, and your audience is more inclined to connect with it. It also demonstrates that you put forth a little more effort to pick the correct image rather than grabbing a random clip art image off the internet.

Stick To A Theme
Microsoft provides a variety of themes and layouts to help you organize your presentations. Make sure to use the template if your firm has one. If you’re going to use a PowerPoint theme, change the color scheme as well to make your presentation stand out. Keep in mind that everyone has access to the same templates, which means they’ll be misused. Consider creating your own template using the “Slide Master” capabilities if you’re more comfortable with PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Training with Microsoft
Depending on whatever version of Microsoft Office you’re using, Microsoft gives basic instructions. We’ve put together a few tutorials to help you get started. To learn more, click on the links below for the PowerPoint version you’re using.

PowerPoint 2013 Training

• Create Your First PowerPoint 2013 Presentation (Links to an external site.)
• Basic Tasks for Creating a PowerPoint Presentation (Links to an external site.)
• PowerPoint 2013 Videos and Tutorials (Links to an external site.)

PowerPoint 365 Training

• Quick Start (Links to an external site.)
• What Is a Slide Master? (Links to an external site.)
• Insert a Picture in PowerPoint (Links to an external site.)
• Start the Presentation and See Your Notes in Presenter View (Links to an external site.)
• Add, Change, or Remove Transitions Between Slides (Links to an external site.)
• Add, Change, Hide, or Delete Comments in a Presentation