Using PowerPoint Like a Pro
I’ve seen a lot of PowerPoint presentations in my lifetime. As a millennial and college graduate, I sat through presentation after presentation multiple times a day, every day, through high school and college.
It’s just us here so I’ll be honest, I’ve suffered through some subpar PowerPoint presentations – some with too much text, some with the most miniscule text, or some with a creative variation of font that was indecipherable, and don’t even get me started on the dizzying transitions.
Just when I thought I had seen it all, I was dumbfounded when I discovered that real, live people in the working world hadn’t a clue what composes an effective presentation.
Oh, the travesty.
(I realize I’ve probably just made a gross assumption and have lumped you in it. Please accept my deepest apologies if I have offended you.)
Now, in the “real-world,” I still can’t escape PowerPoint presentations – and I’m willing to bet that you can’t escape them either.
Since we can’t escape them, let’s at least be good at them, shall we?
Here are a few tips for *PowerPoint beginners and pros alike:
Light Background/Dark Text
The general idea of a PowerPoint is to be a visual aid to your audience. If the audience can’t read what’s written, they’ll become distracted by trying to read your slide, and they’re likely not listening to what you’re saying.
You’ve lost your audience.
Don’t lose your audience. Make your presentation effortless for your audience to follow.
One of the best ways to keep your audience engaged is through readability. The best way to ensure that your slide is readable is to keep your background a light color (nothing harsh on the eyes) and to keep your text a darker color.
You don’t necessarily have to use a white background with black text. You may choose to use a light gray background with navy blue text for example.
2/3 Principle
There’s always that one presenter who tries to fit everything on one slide. Don’t be that guy (or girl).
I like to practice the 2/3 principle – keep all text to the top 2/3 of the slide. All white space should be left to the bottom 1/3 of the slide. Using the top 2/3 is a good rule of thumb to keep your slides neat, uncluttered, and readable.
Text Size and Default Settings
Font size is always a tricky component of designing a presentation. PowerPoint has default font sizes for its templates. These default sizes are not always the most effective for your presentation.
You’ll need to take variables into account such as how large the room will be that you’ll be presenting in or how large the screen(s) will be.
As a general rule, avoid using text size smaller than 32-point.
The font you choose will also determine what size will work best. While we’re on font, keep it simple and readable by choosing a sans-serif font.
Visual Aid vs. Crutch
It should be noted that your presentation should be used as a visual aid – only. Don’t be the one who reads each slide to the audience. You should be able to give your presentation without relying on the PowerPoint as your crutch.
This is the perfect place for me to transition to Key Points, Lists, and Bullet Points. See below.
Key Points, Lists, and Bullet Points
In short, use them.
Transitions vs. Animations
I touched on transitions already, and you’ve probably gathered my not-so-subtle opinion about them.
What are transitions? Transitions are the change that takes place when transitioning between slides. PowerPoint offers quite the selection of creative transitions.
A word to the wise – your lecture on foreign policy is not the time to be creative.
What are animations? Animations are the effects you may add to the content on your slide. Again, PowerPoint offers creative options here. Please choose wisely.
In short, transitions and animations should be used with taste. If they distract from you while you’re presenting, avoid using them and stick to the simple “none” option for transitions and “appear” option for animations.
Your audience will thank you later.
Gifs, Videos, and Photos
When using multimedia in your presentation, be mindful of your audience. Gifs can be fun when used tastefully and typically for a younger audience.
Videos can also add an extra dimension to your presentation. Do make sure you’ve embedded the video properly into your PowerPoint, and do make sure you’ve practiced playing it. Nothing is more awkward than watching a speaker desperately try to get a video to play. An uncooperative video breaks the flow in your presentation.
Be sure you’re able to play the video confidently or don’t use it at all.
Photos are often common in PowerPoint presentations, and they’re simple to add. Do make sure that any photos you use are complementing your message, not distracting from it. Also, be cautious of overlaying text on a photo. When in doubt, place the text above or next to the photo.
Well, there you have it. Implement these tips in your next PowerPoint presentation; and you’ll crush it, no doubt.
And, please, go be something, anything – but subpar.
*Microsoft PowerPoint® is one of the most widely used and (in my humble opinion) one of the more user-friendly presentation software so I’ve chosen to address PowerPoint specifically. These tips, however, can be applied across other platforms as well, including Prezi, Keynote, and the dozens of other options out there.
(December 2017)
It’s just us here so I’ll be honest, I’ve suffered through some subpar PowerPoint presentations – some with too much text, some with the most miniscule text, or some with a creative variation of font that was indecipherable, and don’t even get me started on the dizzying transitions.
Just when I thought I had seen it all, I was dumbfounded when I discovered that real, live people in the working world hadn’t a clue what composes an effective presentation.
Oh, the travesty.
(I realize I’ve probably just made a gross assumption and have lumped you in it. Please accept my deepest apologies if I have offended you.)
Now, in the “real-world,” I still can’t escape PowerPoint presentations – and I’m willing to bet that you can’t escape them either.
Since we can’t escape them, let’s at least be good at them, shall we?
Here are a few tips for *PowerPoint beginners and pros alike:
Light Background/Dark Text
The general idea of a PowerPoint is to be a visual aid to your audience. If the audience can’t read what’s written, they’ll become distracted by trying to read your slide, and they’re likely not listening to what you’re saying.
You’ve lost your audience.
Don’t lose your audience. Make your presentation effortless for your audience to follow.
One of the best ways to keep your audience engaged is through readability. The best way to ensure that your slide is readable is to keep your background a light color (nothing harsh on the eyes) and to keep your text a darker color.
You don’t necessarily have to use a white background with black text. You may choose to use a light gray background with navy blue text for example.
2/3 Principle
There’s always that one presenter who tries to fit everything on one slide. Don’t be that guy (or girl).
I like to practice the 2/3 principle – keep all text to the top 2/3 of the slide. All white space should be left to the bottom 1/3 of the slide. Using the top 2/3 is a good rule of thumb to keep your slides neat, uncluttered, and readable.
Text Size and Default Settings
Font size is always a tricky component of designing a presentation. PowerPoint has default font sizes for its templates. These default sizes are not always the most effective for your presentation.
You’ll need to take variables into account such as how large the room will be that you’ll be presenting in or how large the screen(s) will be.
As a general rule, avoid using text size smaller than 32-point.
The font you choose will also determine what size will work best. While we’re on font, keep it simple and readable by choosing a sans-serif font.
Visual Aid vs. Crutch
It should be noted that your presentation should be used as a visual aid – only. Don’t be the one who reads each slide to the audience. You should be able to give your presentation without relying on the PowerPoint as your crutch.
This is the perfect place for me to transition to Key Points, Lists, and Bullet Points. See below.
Key Points, Lists, and Bullet Points
In short, use them.
- Use key points or short phrases to keep your audience engaged and following the presentation. Avoid using too many full sentences.
- Lists will help your presentation look more organized and keep a nice flow.
- Bullet points always look nice. If you are going to use bullet points, make sure you have at least three. Avoid ever using a bullet point for one point. Two bullet points aren’t aesthetically pleasing either.
Transitions vs. Animations
I touched on transitions already, and you’ve probably gathered my not-so-subtle opinion about them.
What are transitions? Transitions are the change that takes place when transitioning between slides. PowerPoint offers quite the selection of creative transitions.
A word to the wise – your lecture on foreign policy is not the time to be creative.
What are animations? Animations are the effects you may add to the content on your slide. Again, PowerPoint offers creative options here. Please choose wisely.
In short, transitions and animations should be used with taste. If they distract from you while you’re presenting, avoid using them and stick to the simple “none” option for transitions and “appear” option for animations.
Your audience will thank you later.
Gifs, Videos, and Photos
When using multimedia in your presentation, be mindful of your audience. Gifs can be fun when used tastefully and typically for a younger audience.
Videos can also add an extra dimension to your presentation. Do make sure you’ve embedded the video properly into your PowerPoint, and do make sure you’ve practiced playing it. Nothing is more awkward than watching a speaker desperately try to get a video to play. An uncooperative video breaks the flow in your presentation.
Be sure you’re able to play the video confidently or don’t use it at all.
Photos are often common in PowerPoint presentations, and they’re simple to add. Do make sure that any photos you use are complementing your message, not distracting from it. Also, be cautious of overlaying text on a photo. When in doubt, place the text above or next to the photo.
Well, there you have it. Implement these tips in your next PowerPoint presentation; and you’ll crush it, no doubt.
And, please, go be something, anything – but subpar.
*Microsoft PowerPoint® is one of the most widely used and (in my humble opinion) one of the more user-friendly presentation software so I’ve chosen to address PowerPoint specifically. These tips, however, can be applied across other platforms as well, including Prezi, Keynote, and the dozens of other options out there.
(December 2017)
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