Have you ever thought, is my presentation enticing enough? Am I using my branding effectively to convey my story?
I’ve created these 7 Top Tips to creating a beautifully crafted presentation for you to consider and use to tell your story in a way that’s effective and holds your audience’s attention—because after all, we all love to hear your journey.
Top Tip No. 1 – Using your Brand Colours
Once you know what your presentation is going to be about, the next thing you need to do is to write your copy for each slide and decide on your imagery and what type of diagrams or pie charts you require.
Using your brand colours throughout your presentation gives it a strong sense of identity—and I’m not just talking about your logo. Your brand is also your colours, fonts, imagery, and the language you use.
Use your brand colours to their full potential. If you only have two colours in your logo, try coolors.co/palettes to find colours that match your brand.
Find the right blend so everything feels unified—this becomes your signature style. Even images and illustrations should have a similar look and feel.
When you next create your presentation, think about your colours and apply them to your slide deck.
Top Tip No. 2 – Consistent Look and Feel
Consistency isn’t just about colours and fonts. Keep slide layouts uniform. Use the same font size and position for headings and body text across all slides.
Take your colours through to diagrams, pie charts, tables, and illustrations. Use imagery consistently—choose a style of photography, or stick to warm or cool tones for a coherent feel.
Apply this consistent look and feel to your slide deck for a polished result.
Top Tip No. 3 – The Rule of Six
It’s proven: your audience can only focus on six things on your presentation screen at once.
If you must use bullet points, limit them to four per slide—six should be the absolute max, and even that’s pushing it. Less is more. This helps keep your audience’s attention.
Top Tip No. 4 – Using Great Imagery
Great images illustrate your product and evoke emotion. Consider vintage or retro styles, tints, or filters for a unique brand look.
Cut-out imagery can be dynamic and direct attention where you want it. If you have brand photography, now’s the time to show it off.
Remember, we process 10–12 images per second—so use imagery that makes your message memorable.
Top Tip No. 5 – Pie Charts and Diagrams
Pie charts, diagrams, and tables help present data visually. They keep things engaging and make facts and figures clearer and more digestible.
Infographics (icons, charts, symbols) are ideal for simplifying complex ideas. When you create them, think creatively and always use your brand colours.
Top Tip No. 6 – Animations and Transitions
Used well, animations and transitions add movement and professionalism. PowerPoint’s Morph transition brings smooth movement to text, shapes, and images. Path animations can bring slides to life and keep your audience engaged.
Use animation to inform, entertain, and keep attention, but don’t overdo it.
Top Tip No. 7 – Did You Know
Once you’ve completed your slide deck, PowerPoint has features to further enhance your presentation:
- You can export your presentation as an .mp4 video and even add music or voiceover—slide transitions help create a video-like experience.
- Cameo (added to PowerPoint in 2022) lets you appear on your slides during online presentations—top right corner usually works best as content is often centred or left.
