Within the almost 40 years since PowerPoint was launched, there have been numerous books, webinars, and workshops on how you can use it (and different related instruments) to create eye-catching, efficient shows.
So, why accomplish that many presenters nonetheless create slide decks that include dense, complicated textual content and pictures? Each time I hear somebody say, “Apologies for the attention chart” when displaying a super-text-heavy slide, I feel to myself, why on the earth would you make the viewers take a look at a slide that is unattainable to learn?
We create shows to attach and talk with an viewers—and sometimes, to inspire them to motion. To try this successfully, we have to observe a course of that ends in content material that’s clear, related, and constant.
An necessary a part of that course of, and one thing that few presenters do properly, is pondering visually to create the best impression.
Incorporating visuals into your shows isn’t merely an aesthetic alternative; it’s a strategic determination that may considerably improve the effectiveness of your message. By utilizing photos, infographics, charts, movies, or props, you possibly can have interaction your viewers, enhance understanding, and increase retention.
On this weblog, we’ll discover why and the way it’s best to leverage visuals to remodel your shows and thereby, enhance your communication abilities and impression.
Let’s get began.
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The Science Behind Visible Studying
People are inherently visible creatures. Research present that our brains course of photos 60,000 instances quicker than textual content. Which means incorporating visuals into your presentation not solely helps convey your message extra successfully, but in addition aids retention.
In response to the cognitive Twin Coding Idea, combining verbal and visible info enhances studying by creating a number of pathways within the mind. That is significantly necessary in a presentation setting, the place the purpose is to speak concepts clearly and memorably.
Let’s begin with one of the best course of for creating your presentation . . .
A 3-Step Course of for Crafting Highly effective Displays
When requested to make a presentation, the very first thing most individuals do is go straight to PowerPoint (or different software program) to both open a deck they’ll tweak or begin designing from scratch. Sadly, it’s not one of the best course of.
The trail to creating your slides ought to begin with a contemporary take a look at who you’ll be presenting to and what you should accomplish.
In our 90-minute workshop, PowerBlox™: Efficient Presentation Design, contributors study a 3-Step course of for crafting highly effective shows with sturdy visible content material:
Assess Your Viewers
If you would like your content material to attach along with your viewers, you should take an audience-centric strategy. If you happen to don’t, you threat delivering content material that’s both complicated or isn’t related to them, which can end in a waste of their time and yours.
So, begin by asking your self, “Who’s my viewers, what are their wants and expectations, and what are the context and function of my communication?”
Plan Your Content material
When you’ve analyzed your viewers, use a confirmed framework to plan your content material. One software we frequently use in workshops is the PREP mannequin.
This mannequin works properly while you’re pitching an thought, asking for a choice, or encouraging your viewers to take any motion step.
Right here’s an instance of how the mannequin could possibly be used:
Talking of AI, strive utilizing it as a primary draft to assume by way of and fill in your framework (if your organization permits it). Be sure you refine it so it matches your genuine voice.
When you end, use your accomplished framework to prepare your presentation deck. As you try this, search for areas the place you possibly can condense textual content to focus in your primary message and cut back the overall variety of slides.
Design Your Presentation
Efficient presentation design has 3 overarching qualities:
One instance of Readability is utilizing a headline assertion to immediately focus your viewers’s consideration in your primary message:
It’s necessary that your headline assertion, whereas concise, isn’t obscure. If the headline on this slide was “Cloud decisions,” it wouldn’t talk the exact key message.
Shifting on to Relevance, keep in mind that to maintain your viewers engaged, each slide aspect must be instantly linked to your primary message. Once more, supporting particulars can at all times be provided to your viewers both earlier than or after your presentation.
Consistency is equally necessary in your presentation design. This contains utilizing a uniform colour palette, font, and format. Consistency creates a cohesive look, making your presentation really feel skilled, on-brand, and simpler to observe. That stated, you possibly can construct in constant selection to prepare content material circulation. Current PowerSpeaking Reside! panelist and designer Hala Hachem suggests utilizing colour to separate completely different sections of a presentation to assist your viewers transition to completely different content material.
Now let’s take a deeper dive into the ability of pondering visually to create extra high-impact shows.
Design Your Slides
First, let’s take a look at how too many presenters design slides:
What’s incorrect with this strategy? Merely put, it confuses slides with paperwork. Slides ought to spotlight a key message and minimal information factors. Each of the examples above merely have an excessive amount of element for an viewers to absorb throughout your presentation. To not point out the truth that they’ll squint and attempt to learn your slides as a substitute of listening to you.
If there are content material consultants within the viewers who desire a deep dive, commit a devoted portion of your speak to them. For everybody else, ship an appendix after the presentation after they can select to learn it or not.
Subsequent, let’s take a look at how textual content and pictures can work collectively to speak a message rapidly and clearly—or not.
The earlier than slide has a obscure headline and bar chart, background imagery that’s not significantly related to the content material, and an excessive amount of bulleted textual content. In distinction, the after slide has a transparent, concise headline assertion, minimal textual content that focuses on the primary message, and world imagery and easy information factors that exactly assist the advice to increase globally.
Right here’s one other instance. If you happen to have been an viewers member, which slide would you rapidly grasp (and keep in mind later)?
Seeing a sample right here? Clear, minimal textual content that’s centered on what’s most necessary, mixed with a easy picture that illustrates it, is the best technique in slide design.
Talking of textual content, communications advisor and PowerSpeaking Reside! panelist Rebecca Morgan made a degree price underscoring: Introduce only one thought per slide. This can be a rather more highly effective approach to make sure your viewers remembers your key factors.
As well as, in the event you completely should use extra textual content, use the 5x5x5 rule:
This mannequin displays our emphasis on readability, relevance, and consistency.
Readability (5 phrases per line): Limits phrase depend per line, guaranteeing factors are straightforward to learn and perceive at a look.
Relevance (5 strains per slide): Reduces info on every slide, serving to the viewers give attention to what actually issues.
Consistency (5 slides per subject): Retains content material organized, with a gentle tempo and construction, making the presentation straightforward to observe.
Lastly, let’s discover the various kinds of visuals you should use in a presentation.
Visuals: A World of Impression
I’m going to begin with a sort of visible help that hardly anybody makes use of in a presentation or speak: props. Typically, they’re the quickest, strongest method to talk a posh idea or high-stakes message.
I’ll always remember an government who walked right into a convention room to handle a group about an enormous problem the corporate was dealing with. He stood for a second, then pulled wads of payments from his pockets and threw them on the ground. Then he stated, “We’re throwing away cash by not addressing this downside. Throwing cash away.”
How’s that for a quick, arresting, memorable visible?
And since few folks use them, they’re highly effective as a result of they introduce the aspect of shock—or what we name sample disruption. Disrupt the sample with a compelling visible and also you spark folks’s consideration.
Have to clarify to a bunch of managers that your group doesn’t have the sources to sort out a brand new mission? How about holding up an empty steel toolbox? Need to congratulate and acknowledge your group for racing towards the clock to finish a essential deadline? How about waving a checkered race-car flag as you begin your speak?
You get the image. So, get artistic. Be memorable.
Listed below are extra forms of visuals you possibly can make use of in slide design, plus notes on how they’re greatest used.
Charts and Graphs
Information-driven shows profit vastly from charts and graphs. Whether or not you are displaying gross sales tendencies, survey outcomes, or demographic information, visible representations could make your findings clearer. Use bar graphs, pie charts, or line graphs as wanted, however guarantee they’re straightforward to learn and interpret. At all times spotlight essentially the most vital information factors to information your viewers’s focus.
Listed below are a few of their greatest makes use of:
Diagrams and Flowcharts
For processes or methods, diagrams and flowcharts can simplify advanced concepts. These visuals assist audiences perceive relationships and sequences, making it simpler to observe alongside along with your narrative. Be sure that any diagrams are clear and labeled appropriately to keep away from confusion.
Photographs and Images
Excessive-quality photos can evoke feelings and create a connection along with your viewers. A strong {photograph} can illustrate a degree extra successfully than phrases alone. Select photos that reinforce your message or evoke the emotions you need to convey. For instance, in the event you’re discussing the impression of local weather change, a hanging picture of a melting glacier can function a robust visible cue.
I really like the unconventional thought Michael Baldwin, award-winning promoting and branding skilled, and PowerSpeaking Reside! panelist supplied just lately. He urged everybody to consider themselves as photojournalists, cell telephones in hand, awaiting scenes worthy of {a photograph} in our on a regular basis lives. As he suggests on this video clip, the payoff could be a library of unique photos which might be all yours, with no inventory picture charges or permissions wanted!
Infographics
Infographics are a improbable method to current advanced info in a digestible format. They mix graphics and textual content as an example tendencies, comparisons, and information in a visually interesting approach. When designing infographics, give attention to readability and ease. Be sure that the important thing factors stand out, and keep away from overcrowding the visible with an excessive amount of info.
Movies and Animations
Incorporating quick video clips or animations can add dynamic parts to your presentation. A well-placed video can reveal an idea or illustrate a case research successfully. Simply be cautious concerning the size; preserving movies quick ensures you keep the viewers’s consideration and keep on schedule.
Last Ideas . . .
I hope you’ve discovered these insights and methods helpful. In the end, the purpose of any presentation or speak is, or must be, to supply one thing of worth to your viewers in a compelling and memorable approach.
Bear in mind to maintain your visible content material easy, clear, related, and constant to make sure your presentation resonates along with your viewers. The ability of visuals is simple, so harness it to raise your subsequent presentation to new heights.
Need to Be taught Extra?
If you happen to’d wish to study extra about elevating your shows and talks with highly effective visible content material, take a look at our 90-minute workshop, PowerBlox™: Efficient Presentation Design. Individuals study to storyboard their content material, apply designing slides in order that they’re compelling and memorable, and extra! This focused workshop can function standalone skill-building, or higher but, as a useful add-on to one in all our complete flagship packages, like PowerSpeaking®, HighTechSpeaking®, and Talking Up: Presenting to Choice Makers®. Shoppers inform us that combining a program with one in all our centered PowerBlox™ workshops helps leaders and groups refine their message even additional!
Carrie Beckstrom, CEO
Chief Govt Officer, PowerSpeaking, Inc.
Carrie is obsessed with main the PowerSpeaking, Inc. group in serving to organizations—at firms like Genentech, eBay, Autodesk, and Gilead Sciences—develop highly effective communication abilities that encourage folks and get outcomes. “Our function is to make nice folks even higher at what they do day-after-day. That features changing into efficient world communicators who construct optimistic relationships and drive enterprise ahead.”
Previous to becoming a member of PowerSpeaking, Carrie loved greater than 30 years’ expertise within the studying and improvement trade, the place she led award-winning groups.
