It is amazing, the impact a little limelight can have on a business; however, if you are hoping to impress rather than embarrass yourself, get to know the tricks. When you’ve started your own business, and the days of pointless high school group presentation are long gone, suddenly PowerPoint takes on whole different level of importance. Here’s 12 handy tricks to make sure you dazzle your audience and bring home your message when you need to stand in front of an audience and make sure your presentation shines!
1. Set a goal
What is it that you are hoping to get out of your presentation? Are you hunting for new clients, promoting your products or looking to increase your influence? Establishing a clear goal will make it easier to craft your presentation so do this first.
2. Choose a memorable message
Think about one main message that you'd like your audience to take away with them. Build your presentation around this core message, repeat it often and make it clear why your message matters.
3. Relate
Finding ways to relate to your audience will mean making a bigger impact. Tailor your presentation to show that you understand your audience, that you care about them and have real solutions to their problems.
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4. Remember your presentation title matters
Every good presentation needs a great title, otherwise, you may struggle to even attract an audience. Your title should promise benefits, provoke curiosity or even evoke concern; at the very least, make it sound worthwhile.
5. Use the right fonts
Your font will send a message all of its own; make sure yours is saying the right things. Choose your font to suit the mood of your presentation and keep in mind that Sans Serif fonts will be easiest to read.
6. Know your charts
There is a definite art to using charts in a presentation. As a general rule, use pie charts for representing percentages, vertical bar charts for depicting growth over time, horizontal bar charts for comparing quantities and line charts for representing trends.
7. Make colors work for you
Color can persuade, inspire and spark emotion, making it a crucial part of any good presentation. To make your presentation pop, use cool colors (blues and greens) for the background and warm colors (oranges, yellows and reds) for whatever you want to stand out.
8. Design your slides to make an impact
Your slides are there to reinforce your point, not give the presentation. Use single words, stats and short sentences on your slides and add meaning with what you have to say.
9. Use high quality images
Visual cues are known to increase information recall, so be sure to incorporate a few quality images. Including pictures of people will give your audience something to relate to, and if you want to look professional, avoid cheesy cartoons or clip art.
10. Keep transitions simple and use them sparingly
Go easy on the transitions, otherwise they are bound to be distracting. Use no more than two or three different transitions throughout the entire presentation and NOT in between every slide.
11. Invest in backgrounds
Your audience will be hoping for a unique presentation and your slide backgrounds provide a great way to deliver. For best results, steer clear of boring PowerPoint templates and instead invest in a professional design.
12. Use video and/or audio
Video provides a great way to show concrete examples and is a more natural way for your audience to absorb your message. Both audio and video content will make your presentation far more interesting and engaging, just don't overdo it.
A great presentation will have an impact. Expect to start a conversation, or reaction and to drive interest in your subject matter from the audience. If it's ok to share make your presentation public, don't forget to share your presentation on sites like Slideshare and Linkedin to spread the word! For the sake of your business success, master the art of presenting and take every opportunity to take the stage.
Comment on This Article:
What's your tricks to getting the most out of presentations? How do you stay cool and free from nerves when you present? Tell us in the comments below!
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Written by Jo Sabin on Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Jo Sabin is Head of Designer Community at DesignCrowd. She's led the company's public relations and social media programs since 2012. With more than ten years' experience working with Australian and international tech startups in the creative industries, Jo has been instrumental in meeting DesignCrowd's objectives in Australia and abroad. Get in touch via Twitter.
