How do you use animations and transitions wisely and sparingly?

2 Simplify your content

One of the biggest slide mistakes is to overload your slides with too much information, text, or graphics. This can make your slides hard to read, understand, or remember. To avoid this, you should simplify your content and focus on the key points you want to highlight. Use bullet points, keywords, or phrases instead of full sentences. Use charts, diagrams, or images instead of tables or lists. Use colors, fonts, and contrast to emphasize important elements and create hierarchy.

4 Practice and test your slides

Another common slide mistake is to assume that your slides will work perfectly without testing them beforehand. This can lead to technical glitches, formatting errors, or unexpected results that can ruin your presentation. To avoid this, it is important to practice and test your slides several times before your presentation. You should check the compatibility and functionality of your slides with the software and hardware you will use, as well as the readability and visibility of your slides on the screen or projector. Additionally, you should ensure the timing and synchronization of your slides with your speech and cues, as well as the clarity and relevance of your slides for your audience and context.

5 Get feedback and improve your slides

The final step to avoid common slide mistakes is to get feedback and improve your slides based on it. Feedback can help you identify and fix any issues or gaps in your slides that you might have overlooked or missed. You can review your slides critically and objectively, and ask someone else who is familiar with your topic, audience, or presentation format for their honest and constructive opinion. Additionally, observe and listen to your audience's reactions and responses during and after your presentation, and ask them for their feedback and suggestions.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?