Go Pro with PowerPoint

Presentations are a constant in the business world and increasingly, people are expecting PowerPoint presentations to enhance your verbal message. Below are a few simple tips that will help you step up your game for your next presentation, adapted from ReadWriteThink.org.

• Don't try to "wow" your audience. Transition effects and jazzy slides are okay on occasion, but your audience will be overstimulated if every slide looks like it could belong to a circus.
• Too much text is too much. Keep points to 3 to 6, to be safe. To keep the presentation, bring each bullet point out one at a time, as you discuss them. Remember, though, avoid jazzy transitions for each line. I once had a professor teach me the 6 x 6 x 6 rule for presentations: no more than 6 letters in each word, 6 words per line and 6 lines per slide.
• Experiment! Don't be afraid to give video or sound clips a try... if your presentation is appropriate for it. Annual sales report presentation? Probably no video clips. Recap of the annual weekend retreat? Let's see some videos and photos! One website to try is Animoto. It's free and allows you to upload photos and short video clips to make a video. Free music and backgrounds spice things up, too!
• Colors say a lot. One professional I recently spoke with suggested doing some research on your audience. Which college did many of your audience members graduate from? What pro team do they watch in their free time? There are also certain cultural connotations with colors. Think to yourself: how does a hot pink powerpoint make you feel versus a cool blue?
• Typeface says a lot, too. FunStuff or Curlz MT are probably not your go-to fonts when it comes to a professional presentation. There are two basic types of fonts: serif (include a curl or tail, like Georgia) and sans serif (no extra "do-dads," like Arial). Sans serif has a more modern look and is your better bet in today's world of design.
• It's not all about design. This may seem odd on a design blog, but your content should the drive the design, not the other way around. Think short sentences, action verbs and simple grammar.