We all have had the experience of sitting through a presentation made using PowerPoint. Good presentation decks connect with the audience and get the point across. The bad ones divert attention away from the theme of the presentation, and often the viewers start wondering just how many fonts did this guy actually manage to fit into these slides. So, the next time you deliver a presentation deck, make sure to use the 5 PowerPoint tricks to wow your audience.

Write then Design

The process of writing down a presentation begins before you turn on the computer. As it turns out, PowerPoint is an effective way of delivering a presentation, but it sucks at writing one. Use a sketchpad or Post-it notes to write down the headlines, starting with the title of the presentation. Lay out the Post-it notes so you can see the whole story. Adjust the headlines by swiping around the notes. Make sure the headlines are in a logical order. The title slide, in particular, should pique interest, such as “Help us Choose the Company Tagline.”

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Basic Presentation Layout

For an academic or official presentation, try not to be too flashy. Just download a free PowerPoint theme with a simple background and basic charts & tables. Less is truly more when it comes to presentation layout. Use a standard font such as Helvetica or Calibri and maintain font size throughout the headlines (36-40) and body text (24) respectively.

1 Point Per Slide

Follow the golden rule, “one point per slide” to transfer the message clearly to the audience. By doing this,  your total slide count will increase as well. Keep the total number of slides less than the total number of minutes you have to deliver the presentation. In order to achieve this, revise and edit the slides again and again.

Less Text Says More

Bullet lists are available in most free PowerPoint templates. Write 5 words or less per line using bullet points. Less text is comparatively easy to read for the audience. A presenter’s job is not to merely read the slide text but to explain the idea behind the text.

Use Images to Make An Impact

Use graphs and charts to illustrate data and make comparisons. Avoid using such charts and graphs that merely jazz up the presentation. Your aim is to deliver the message as clearly as possible.

A picture is worth a thousand words. Use stock images from iStock, Pexels and UnSplash to take the audience on a journey and to add a new dimension to your message. These PowerPoint tricks  are easy peasy. In order to implement them, there are tutorials available, such as How To Use Photographs in PowerPoint or How to Make Presentation Video. Learn PowerPoint to become an attractive prospect for employers.