3 Tips for Making a PowerPoint Presentation that Engages, Informs and Delights

Jul 28, 2016 Glisser

We’ve all sat through presentations that have put us to sleep. Long, badly designed and delivered with about as much passion as a kid eats lettuce – a presentation delivered poorly can slow down time like nothing else.

Of course, none of us want that for our own presentations, but how do we avoid it? In this guide, we’re going to share with you our three tips to making a presentation that engages, informs and delights. So, let’s dig in.

1) Pay attention to design

It might sound simplistic but if you’re asking people to sit there and pay rapt attention to your presentation, you’re going to struggle if you’ve got bad design. Pay attention to the little details. Cool PowerPoint templates are one thing, but the font you choose is just as important.

A nice background for your PowerPoint presentation is key, but don’t forget about the layout of your on screen text. With good design, the words you write on screen are given the space to breathe, and can really help drive home your points.

2) Don’t overload on information

When it comes to your presentation, think more about what needs to be on the screen, rather than what you want. Left to our own devices, many of us would fill each slide with our thoughts, but that doesn’t make for an engaging presentation.

Instead, follow the advice of Apple’s Guy Kawalski, who says a slideshow shouldn’t contain more than 10 slides, shouldn’t last longer than 20 minutes or use a font smaller than 30 point. Instead, use the information on the slides as key facts which you elaborate on, or quotes which expand your sentiments.

3) Make it interactive

Being talked at for an hour is nobody’s idea of fun. Instead, make your presentation an interactive experience. Regardless of who you’re presenting to, audiences have questions, thoughts and want to chime in on the things you’re saying.

By giving them an outlet to do just that, like Glisser's interactive presentation tool, you’ll be bringing them into the experience too. Whether it’s a corporate party or a classroom full of students, there’s no scenario which can’t be benefitted by improved interactivity.

This article originally appeared on Glisser.