You have prepared a great presentation, but your slides look dull and boring. How can you make them more attractive and engaging for your audience? Here are some tips to improve the visual appeal of your slides and boost your confidence as a presenter.
One of the easiest ways to make your slides look more professional and cohesive is to use a consistent theme throughout your presentation. A theme is a set of colors, fonts, backgrounds, and layouts that you can apply to your slides. You can choose a theme from the options provided by your presentation software, or you can create your own custom theme that matches your brand or topic. A consistent theme will help you create a visual identity for your presentation and avoid distracting or clashing elements.
Establish a color palette and stick to it. Choose complementary colors that create a cohesive look. Utilize a consistent font style and size throughout your slides. Apply a unifying design element. This could be a specific shape, image style, or background pattern.
Another common mistake that can make your slides look cluttered and confusing is to include too much content on each slide. You don't need to write everything you want to say on your slides; your slides should only support your main points and key messages. To simplify your content, use bullet points, short sentences, and keywords instead of long paragraphs. You can also use charts, graphs, icons, or images to convey your data or concepts more effectively. Simplifying your content will help you focus on the most important information and make it easier for your audience to follow and remember.
Declutter your slides. Remove unnecessary text, graphics, or animations. Focus on key takeaways. Use bullet points and keywords instead of paragraphs. Let visuals do the talking. Replace lengthy text with impactful images, infographics, or charts
A simple way to make your slides look more appealing and dynamic is to add some contrast to your design. Contrast is the difference between the colors, shapes, sizes, and fonts that you use on your slides. Contrast can help you create visual hierarchy, emphasize important elements, and create interest and variety. For example, you can use a dark background and a light font, or a large image and a small text, or a bold headline and a regular body. You can also use contrast to create transitions, comparisons, or highlights on your slides.
Ensure high contrast between text and background. Black text on a white background is classic for readability. Consider using darker backgrounds for lighter text colors. Play with text color for emphasis. Highlight important points with a contrasting color, but use sparingly.
Images can be a powerful tool to enhance your presentation, as they can capture attention, evoke emotions, and illustrate your points. However, if you use low-quality images, such as blurry, pixelated, or stretched images, you will undermine your credibility and professionalism. To avoid this, you should use high-quality images that are relevant, clear, and appropriate for your presentation. You can find free or paid images online, or you can use your own photos or graphics. You should also make sure that your images are properly sized, cropped, and aligned on your slides.
Ditch the clip art and blurry photos. Use professional-looking images that complement your content. Consider using data visualizations like charts and infographics. They can be visually appealing and effective for complex information. Ensure images are relevant and support your message. Don't just add visuals for decoration.
Animations are the movements or effects that you can apply to your slides or objects on your slides. Animations can help you add some interactivity, excitement, and fun to your presentation, as well as guide your audience's attention and reinforce your points. However, you should use animations sparingly and wisely, as too many or too flashy animations can distract or annoy your audience. You should also make sure that your animations are consistent, smooth, and relevant for your presentation.
Subtle animations can enhance transitions. Avoid flashy animations that distract from your content. Use animation to emphasize key points, not every bullet point. Less is more. Overly animated slides can be overwhelming
The final step to improve the visual appeal of your slides is to review and test them before you deliver your presentation. You should check your slides for any spelling, grammar, or formatting errors, as well as any inconsistencies or inaccuracies. You should also test your slides on the device and screen that you will use for your presentation, as well as on different browsers and platforms, if applicable. You should also practice your presentation with your slides, and ask for feedback from someone else, if possible. Reviewing and testing your slides will help you ensure that they look good and work well for your presentation.
It is simple: it is better to present without slides as to present with bad slides. A presentation is way more than your PowerPoint. It is (1) the combination of great content and story, (2) any kind of visuals and (3) your performance and personality. Guess what the most important thing is… It is you. Not your slidedeck. Neve focus on your slides!