You’ve been practicing for weeks. You’re wearing your best outfit and your best smile. But what about your slide deck? Is your presentation media ready to shine, too?
The slide decks we create are too often afterthoughts. We need to remember what a crucial role they play in helping to create our image and communicate our message. An outdated or ineffective slide deck can quickly undermine your presentation. So today, let’s take a look at 4 reminders that will help you make sure your presentation media is up to the task.
1. They are for the audience.
Your slide deck isn’t meant to help you remember what to say. It’s not your notes. A great slide deck is a companion to your content. It should help the audience enjoy the presentation more. Aaron Weyenberg is an expert at creating incredible slide decks. On the TED blog he says, “Too often, I see slide decks that feel more like presenter notes, but I think it’s far more effective when the slides are for the audience to give them a visual experience that adds to the words.”
2. They should be visually appealing.
If your presentation media is full of text, you aren’t using it correctly. In fact, presentation expert and author Nancy Duarte says that if a slide has more than 75 words, it has turned into a document. When you stand up to speak, you have the power of your words and your nonverbal communication (like tone of voice, volume, facial expression, and body language). Presentation media gives you the ability to introduce more forms of communication: pictures, movie clips, audio, graphics, charts, etc. Save the words for your message and the visuals for your presentation media.
3. They should be consistent.
I used to watch Project Runway when Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn were the hosts. Tim would always remind the designers to make their collections “cohesive.” In other words, there should be some repetitive elements that tie the pieces together and show how they relate. The same is true for your slide deck. It shouldn’t look like a different person designed each slide. There should be repetitive elements of font, shape, color, or imagery. Check out our presentation design portfolio for a few ideas of how to make a slide deck consistent.
4. They should be simple.
One of the biggest mistakes beginning presenters make is to throw entirely too much into their slide decks. And I get it. All those bells and whistles and animations on PowerPoint and Keynote can be tempting. But when it comes to slide decks, less is more. Your job as a presenter is to use your visuals to enhance your spoken message without distracting from it. The more you throw into your slide deck, the harder it is to find that crucial balance.
Use these 4 simple reminders to make sure your presentation media is functioning like it should to make your message both more enjoyable and easier to understand. And make sure it supports and reflects all the hard work you put in as a speaker.
Don’t know where to start when it comes to designing a slide deck for your presentation? We can help. Get in touch with one of our expert graphic designers or presentation coaches now.
