Giving presentations is an important part of school. Whether it’s for a class project, a club activity, or a competition, you want your presentation to stand out and make an impact.
While the content and delivery are key, having visually appealing slides can take your presentation to the next level. Follow these 5 PowerPoint tips to create a memorable and effective presentation:
1. Choose a Simple yet Stylish Design Template
Start by selecting a professionally designed PowerPoint template as the foundation for your presentation. This will give you a unified style and color scheme to work with from the start.
Look for a clean, uncluttered template that won’t distract from your content. Stay away from over-the-top themes with lots of animation and flashy effects. Simple is best!
Using a premade template also saves you time instead of building a presentation from scratch. Many free and premium templates are available online to choose from.
2. Use High-Contrast Colors
When selecting colors for text and background, make sure there is plenty of contrast between them. Dark text on a light background works best for readability.
Avoid red or green text, which can be difficult to read, especially for those with color blindness. Bright colors like yellow should only be used sparingly as highlight colors.
Also be mindful of color contrast needs if you plan to print your presentation in black and white. Test it out first before the big day!
3. Limit Text and Bullet Points
Resist the urge to fill your slides with too much text in paragraph form. Your audience can’t read a novel and listen to you speak at the same time!
Instead, use concise bullet points and short key phrases to reinforce your main ideas. The 5/5/5 rule is a good guideline:
- No more than 5 words per bullet point
- No more than 5 bullet points per slide
- No more than 5 text-heavy slides in a row
Leave the detailed information for your verbal presentation. The slides should provide supporting visuals.
4. Use High-Quality Photos and Graphics
Images can help illustrate concepts and make your presentation more visually compelling. When adding photos and graphics, be sure they are:
- High resolution for clear display
- Relevant to your content
- Properly cited if not your own work
Carefully choose graphics that enhance your ideas rather than distract from them. And never use low-quality, distorted, or illegally acquired media.
5. Limit Transitions and Animations
It can be tempting to go overboard with PowerPoint’s transitions, animations, motion paths, and sounds. But just because you can make text fly, spin, dissolve, or bounce doesn’t mean you should!
Use subtle, professional transitions sparingly. And only animate elements if it truly enhances the content rather than just being decorative. Fancy animations will quickly become annoying and juvenile.
By following these design, formatting, and multimedia tips, you can create professional, polished slides to make your school presentation memorable. Don’t let poor visuals detract from great content. Take the time to create supporting slides you can be proud of.
