Simple tips for using Powerpoint in a presentation

These simple tips for using Powerpoint during presentations can ensure they remain a useful tool which supports your message, rather than a distraction, or even an embarrassment.

Our experience of sitting through many presentations over the years is that many speakers use them as a crutch, spending too much time reading from their screen, rather than talking to their audience.

And far too often, their slides mimic their research or report, with far too much text for anyone to absorb easily.

The problem is that the more text you have, the less people will listen to what you’re saying, because they’re too busy reading your sides.

If you want to engage your audience, however, you need to connect with them

Here are our simple tips for using Powerpoint during presentations:

Keep the content simple, without too much text or too many images or text
A single strong image can be very powerful
Make sure images are sharp: what works on your monitor may not work on a large screen
Make sure your images are copyright-free or you own the copyright
Frame headings as questions as it is more inviting
Use a maximum of four bullets
Make sure your grammar & spelling is correct
Text should be a minimum of font size 16
Use minimal text, with short summary sentences – you don’t necessarily need to use full sentences
Give people time to read the slide
Justify your copy to the left as this is easier to read
Have a consistent style, font, size and colour
Use smart art & PPT design ideas to add interest
If you’re using quotes, add an interesting image, bold important words and using different fonts and colours
Use animations – but keep them simple
Know how your animations work
Use a clicker so you don’t have to return to the laptop each time you want to change slide

These tools are particularly useful: Unsplash for copyright free images, PPT Design Ideas, Smart Art and Icons within PPT. You can also do presentations in the brilliant graphic design platform Canva.