A PowerPoint that Pops: 5 Techniques to Wow Your Audience, Part 3

A PowerPoint that Pops: 5 Techniques to Wow Your Audience, Part 3

Tip #3: Animation is your best friend when used correctly.

An effective PowerPoint normally includes animation that keeps the audience engaged throughout the presentation. Problems occur when we get carried away and animate everything on each slide, making it cluttered and distracting to the viewer. Plus, you can forget about distributing the presentation electronically. Too much animation makes the file too large to send via email on most servers. The bright side is that animation can turn your basic slides into a true “show” if you follow these simple rules:

·         Less is more – Don’t design your presentation so that every letter, picture and sentence zips across the screen. It will distract the viewer from the important information you are trying to share.

·         Use automatic instead of manual transitions – This allows you to engage the audience without having to worry about triggering the next animation. Use manual transitions only when you need more time to talk before proceeding to the next slide.

·         Animate words, not sentences – The purpose of animation is to emphasize a particular point you are trying to make. If you choose to animate a sentence, you must be consistent and animate all sentences (see last tip on consistency).

·         Use medium speed – Medium speed allows your viewers to read the information without having to wait for it to load. If the speed is too slow, your presentation will become sluggish and it may disengage your audience.

·         Be consistent! – Animations should be consistent throughout your presentation. For example, if you set up your logo to fade in at the bottom of one slide, the same should occur on subsequent slides.

Remember: Animation is a simple way to make your presentation interactive and fun, but if used improperly, it can frustrate and disengage your audience.