Today’s average employee has a true love/hate relationship with slide presentations. In an era where the average adult attention span has fallen to a mere five minutes (compared to 12 minutes just 10 years ago), it’s interesting to note that some people would rather do their taxes (21 percent), go to the dentist (20 percent), or even work on a Saturday (18 percent) than sit through a boring slide presentation, according to SlideRocket’s ‘Death by PowerPoint’ survey. Additionally, 32 percent of audience members report having fallen asleep during a boring presentation, and 30 percent have gone as far as to sneak out. However, the power of a truly great presentation, particularly those used in training sessions, remains an enduring concept for today’s corporate trainers to explore.
Slides Done Right
Great presentations can be motivating, inspiring, and will leave the audience wanting more. Done correctly, presentations have the power to educate and inform the workforce, improve job performance, share opportunities for career advancement and peer leadership, build relationships, and provide visibility.
To ensure your audience is not making a beeline for the door or catching a quick nap during your presentation, here are some tips to make your slides both entertain and resonate:
- Make a solid first impression. Your opening slide has the power to make or break your presentation. The audience’s first impression is decided based on your first slide. Ensure that you tailor this slide to capture your audience’s attention based on a balance of best practices and their specific interests. Use eye-catching visuals and concise language.
- Tell a story. Consider traditional storytelling methods and structures when developing your slides. Determine your plot and support it with data and arguments to reach a pivotal climax (the middle and final slides). Provide a setting and consider characters and conflict. Conclude your presentation with actionable tasks that will lead your audience to a memorable ending.
- Provide an ongoing theme. Design plays a huge part in whether or not you capture the audience’s interest. Content is important, but you also have to make sure your slides are attractive, cohesive, and inspire emotional response. Elements of a comprehensive theme include background, font, layout, and images/multimedia content.
- Keep things concise. Don’t overwhelm your audience with information. You should keep the content on your slides concise and limit the number of slides in the presentation. Here’s a quick guide: 30-minute presentation (five to10 slides), one-hour presentation (five to 20 slides). Use one main point and 15 words or fewer per slide.
- Establish credibility. You need to develop trust with your audience in order to retain their attention. Evidence often is required to validate an argument, so establishing trust in a presentation can be done through proven data points.
- Make an impact. To alleviate possible discomfort and distraction, make sure your presentation doesn’t resemble an eye chart. Use the three-foot test: If content or images are blurry when you step three feet away from your monitor, your audience will not be able to see it clearly during the presentation. Enlarge the information and repeat the test.
Tech, Tools, and Toys
Now that your content and messaging is perfected, it’s time to look toward improving your presentation style. Modern technology makes this a relatively easy (and fun) task.
- Fonts: Make sure your fonts pass the “blah” test. Using fonts outside the mainstream selection provides instant impact. Choose fonts that help convey the mood you are looking to achieve. You can grab free fonts from Websites such as Dafont, 1001 Free Fonts and Fontsbytes, or pay for unique fonts from premium sites such as MyFonts, Fonts.com and FontHaus. However, as a general rule, don’t use more than three fonts in a presentation. Add visual interest by varying the weights, styles, and slants, as well as strategic sizing and coloring.
- Color: Color is a powerful tool for conveying meaning, emotion, and generating a response from your audience. Studies show that color influences between 60 and 80 percent of a customer’s purchasing decision. You can implement this color psychology within your presentation to extract the ideal emotional reaction from members of your audience so they ultimately “buy” your message. As a best practice, limit your slide to three colors, using colors that are opposite each other in the color wheel.
- Tech tools: Even the best presentations can be rendered ordinary by old-school technology. Instead, consider technologies that incorporate custom backgrounds, multimedia tools, and social integration to lift content into a more personal and engaging performance. Use apps and presentation technology to take your slides to the next level. Some favorite tools include Prezi, SlideShare, Easel.ly and Animoto —all of which spice up boring slide presentations. Or try presenting to colleagues through iMeet and bring all the pieces together in an interactive virtual meeting.
The “It” Factor
Interaction and engagement are the keys to creating successful presentations. Use your space wisely and don’t feel compelled to use slides just for the sake of tradition. After all, Steve Jobs once said, “People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint.” Remember that YOU are the key element in the presentation, so if the slides aren’t adding value, ditch them. Focus on looking your audience in the eye, and encourage constructive interruptions such as questions and dialog. Try presenting only one idea and one slide during a 10-minute meeting. Build trust by including aspects of your personal life, such as favorite quotes, family photos, or personal anecdotes.
Finally, always end your presentations with a “one more thing” for the audience to think about. It should be something shocking, exciting, or surprising. Examples may include a game-changing announcement or a new product or teaser for exciting things to come. “One more thing” helps you close your presentation on a positive tone and will kick the dull out of your presentations for good.
To learn more about the ever-changing landscape of technology and techniques that go into a presentation, download PGi’s free eBook: The Little Black Book of Presentation Ideas.
Pete Lubeski is senior manager of Learning Development for PGi, a global leader in virtual meetings. He has more than 16 years of experience in providing instructional excellence to support corporate initiatives and promote employee learning and development.
