I’m sure the mere mention of a PowerPoint presentation is enough to make some people cringe and can instantly conjure up memories of dull and unenthusiastic lectures. Since Whittaker Associates presents several webinars and seminars every year, we strive to make our support materials as visually appealing, interesting, and relevant as possible. So we jumped at the chance to attend a discussion about presentation design put on by our Chamber of Commerce and a local company called The Image Group.
The presentation earlier this month focused on creating professional and effective PowerPoint presentations. A quote they mentioned by Albert Einstein states that, Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. When we think about presentations of any kind, this definitely holds true. Some more pointers that The Image Group suggests for simpler presentation design are:
· Keep word count to a minimum
· Standardize your slides using only 2-4 colors and 2-3 fonts
· Make sure the background and text have good contrast
· Do not use excessive flash animation
· Ensure all bullet points on a slide come up at the same time
· Use high quality photography
Finally, always remember that you and your words are the core of the presentation. The PowerPoint and any visuals should only be used to support key points. The less interaction you have with your PowerPoint, the less chance there is for technical issues that can mess up the flow of your presentation.
To view the slides from The Image Group’s presentation, click on this SlideShare link.