Have you ever watched a PowerPoint presentation that felt boring or hard to follow? Maybe it had too much text, dull colours, or no pictures. But if you don’t want to make your slide boring and dull, you can follow some tips, which will make your slide different, unique, and beautiful. In this blog, we will share some tips to help you create slides that are clear, professional, and visually appealing. Whether you’re presenting for school, work, or just for fun, these tips will help you impress your audience every time. Let’s dive in.
Simplicity is one of the best ways to present your slide. So, when making slides, less is more. It’s better not to put too much stuff on one slide, because too much stuff doesn’t look good; it will make your slide look messy and confuse your audience.
Still confused? Well, to make it more clear, let’s follow a popular rule, known as the 6x6 rule: use no more than six lines of text, with no more than six words per line. Instead of writing long sentences or paragraphs, you can use bullet points to show your main ideas. Because this will make it easy for your audience to understand your message without getting bored.
For example, instead of writing:
"PowerPoint is a software program developed by Microsoft that is used to create presentations consisting of a series of slides that can contain text, images, charts, and other multimedia elements."
You can write:
See, isn’t it easier to read? That’s why it’s better to use simple slides to help your audience focus on what you’re saying. Always try to keep it short and aim for no more than 8 lines and 30 words per slide. It will help you to keep your audience focused and interested.
Want your slides to look clean and grab attention? Who doesn’t want that? To make your presentation stand out, your slides should look like they belong together. This is called consistency, and it will make your whole presentation feel smooth, clear, and professional. And one of the easiest ways to get that polished look is by using a template or theme in PowerPoint. As we already know, PowerPoint offers ready-made designs with matching colours, fonts, and layouts that do most of the hard work for you. So, if you want, you can use PowerPoint’s built-in themes, or you can find huge free templates online. You can choose one from them and use it.
Colour can make your presentation or break it. So, you have to be very careful while choosing colours. You can choose colours that can help to match your topic and make your message shine. So, choose 3 or 4 colours that will work well together. It’s better to use colours that help your text pop, like you may use light background, dark text, and one or two bright colours to make important things pop.
Along with colours, fonts matter too. So, better to choose just one or two that are clean and easy to read, like Arial or Calibri. And whatever you choose, just stick with that because lots of fonts can make your slides feel all over the place. Keep it simple, stay consistent, and your slides will not only look better, they’ll keep your audience focused and impressed.
If you really want your slides to catch people’s eyes, pictures are just what you need to add to your slide. There is a classic phrase: A picture is worth a thousand words. So, without writing a bundle of words better to put some visuals that will help you deliver your message better. As they make things easier to understand, and way more engaging. But here’s the thing you need to keep in mind that your pictures should actually match what you're talking about. So, if you're giving a talk about animals, show pictures of animals, not random things like cars or buildings.
Make sure the images you use are clear and good quality, because blurry or stretched photos can make your slides look messy. And, you don’t need to take the photos yourself. You can visit some websites, like Unsplash and Pixabay offer tons of great images for free. Just make sure you're allowed to use them.
Also, give your content a little room to breathe. Leave some white space around your pictures and text so your slide doesn’t feel crammed. A clean, open layout is easier on the eyes and makes your message stand out. If you want to add a little extra style, you can include small icons, shapes, or design elements. Just don’t go overboard. Too much can be distracting. A simple, neat design with a few eye-catching visuals almost always works better than a slide packed with stuff.
If you want people to read your slides easily, even from the back of the room, make your text big and clear. Then, use a font size of at least 28 points so no one has to focus hard. And as we said earlier, stick to simple fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Proxima Nova. These are called sans-serif fonts, and they don’t have lines on the letters, which makes them easier to read on screens.
Also, make sure your text pops against the background. A good rule? Use dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background. Avoid colours that are too close, like yellow on white; it’s really hard to read.
To make your slide word or sentence stand out, you can bold it, italicise it, or change the colour. Remember, don’t overdo it. A little bit goes a long way.
Animations in presentations can really grab your audience’s attention. So, knowing how to use animation and when and what animation to use is a plus. You have to use animation wisely because if you use the wrong animation, or too much animation, then it might confuse people instead of keeping them interested. The key is to use animations carefully, like you can use animation while showing bullet points one at a time as you talk. This helps your audience focus on what you’re saying without getting overwhelmed.
PowerPoint has a neat tool called Slide Zoom. It lets you zoom into parts of a slide to highlight important stuff, like an image or a key fact. It’s like putting a spotlight on what matters most. But don’t go crazy with animations or transitions, as Envato Elements points out. Too much can make your presentation look messy and unprofessional. Keep it simple and purposeful, and your audience will stay hooked on every slide.
Every slide needs a title that tells what it’s about. A good title is clear and shows the main point of the slide. For example, instead of “Slide 3,” use “Why Recycling Matters.” This helps your audience know what to expect and keeps them interested. A strong title is like a signpost that guides your audience through your presentation.
When writing titles, keep them short and to the point. Make sure each slide has a clear purpose, and the title reflects that purpose. This makes your presentation easier to follow and more engaging.
Interactive elements are a powerful way to bring your presentation to life. They do more than just look good. If you really want your audience to stay focused, then adding interactive elements like videos, charts, or even quizzes can help you. You have to keep in mind that you're not just talking at your audience, you’re involving them. A short video can explain a complex idea in just a few seconds. An interactive chart lets people explore the data themselves, making it more personal and easier to grasp. Quizzes or polls can keep everyone engaged and even spark conversations. These tools turn a regular presentation into an experience. And when people are involved, they’re much more likely to pay attention and enjoy what you’re sharing.
Making PowerPoint slides that really stand out is easier than you might think. PowerPoint effects can make your presentation easier. And by following these tips, like keeping your slides simple, neat, and nice to look at, you’ll catch your audience’s attention right away. Use text that’s easy to read, add animations only when they help, write clear titles, and include interactive elements when they fit. These seven tips will help you create presentations that are clear, professional, and easy to remember.
Give these tips a try in your next presentation and watch how your audience reacts. Got your own tips or stories? Share them in the comments below.
Boring slides kill great ideas. Use these 7 powerful PowerPoint tips to wow your audience and make your slides pop like never before.
Suraiya Akthar Sumi
Choosing the perfect fonts and colours can make your slides look perfect and boost clarity, impact, and audience engagement in any presentation.
Suraiya Akthar Sumi
Learn how to change spacing in PowerPoint with this step-by-step guide. Improve readability and design for professional, polished presentations.
Ahsan Ahmed
May 24, 2024
November 30, 2024
November 1, 2024
December 2, 2024
October 26, 2024
October 31, 2024
