Have you ever sat through a presentation and wondered if it was designed by your grandma? Or maybe you yourself have been the culprit, delivering a slide deck that lacked energy and enthusiasm. No matter how engaging you are as a person, if your slides do not pop off the screen, chances are your presentation will not be as effective as you hoped.
As presenters, many of us settle for lackluster designs in the hopes that we can make up for it with our humor and smile. But the reality is that an engaging presentation design is a vital part of the presentation package.
But don’t worry. By implementing these 4 easy tricks you can create not just an engaging presentation design, but one that pops off the screen and leaves your audience wowed.
Elevate your text using icons.
At Ethos3, we talk a lot about the importance of minimizing text on the screen and replacing it with visuals. While this is ideal, it is not always possible. Sometimes you simply need to have more text on the screen. By using icons in tandem with your text, you associate a visual representation with the written word which will help to anchor the thought in your audience’s mind. Next time they see an image similar to that icon, your content will pop in their mind, creating a lasting message.
Class up your content with a simple border.
Adding a simple and clean border around your slides or text is an easy way to add a classiness to your presentation. It draws your audience’s attention to what you have placed value on and subconsciously places an emphasis without your ever having to say a word. It is vital that this border be simple and clean with a contrasting color to make it pop. Too complex, and you risk your slides becoming busy; not contrasting enough, and the border will be lost within your slide and ultimately wasted.
Use one point per slide.
In an effort to keep the overall slide count down, you may be tempted to add multiple points to a single slide. While this helps with the number of slides, it hinders your audience’s ability to retain what you are presenting. Chances are, if you find yourself with cluttered and confusing slides, your audience won’t pay any attention to them, and all that hard work will be for nothing. By keeping to one point per slide, you will keep your slides clean, simple, and easy to follow.
Stick to photos with similar filters.
Stock photography is a vital tool for anyone looking to design a slide deck. But with so many options, it can be easy to end up with a presentation that lacks cohesiveness. Selecting photography that has a similar filter will keep your design clean and connected with minimal work on your end. At Ethos3, we recommend starting with photos that represent your brand and then selecting photos that support those elements while sticking to the same filter. This ensures that the stock photography is supportive of the overall look and feel of your brand.
Designing a clean presentation that pops does not have to be difficult. By implementing these 4 tricks, you will not only wow your audience but you will increase retention as well as long term engagement. The average person listens to a lot of presentations over their lifetime; make sure yours is one they actually remember.
Don’t have time to worry about design? Let us do it for you. Contact the team at Ethos3 today to find out how we can help.
