Creating presentations doesn’t have to be tedious, as there are now plenty of options and means to create a solid presentation. While PowerPoint still remains a top favorite, presentations have more than just simple slides with text. Today, the most engaging and effective presentations use visuals, vivid images, and videos to give a clear picture to the audience.
Still not sure about how to get started? Keep reading to know how you can create engaging slideshows in just a few easy steps:
Determine The Key Message You Want To Communicate
Any presentation or slideshow needs to define precisely what you want to communicate. What is the key message you want your audience to take back? What kind of information would you like to share in this slideshow?
The first step to creating a stellar slideshow involves suitable materials, messaging, and content. You can gather this through research or craft the information yourself.
Know Your Target Audience
Once you know what to communicate, it is important to understand who you are talking to. Knowing your target audience is key to any successful presentation. It should cover the high-level points about a specific topic or theme and include relevant information that your audience will want to know.
To understand your target audience, start by asking some key questions like:
- Who is your target audience?
- What are they expecting from the presentation?
- What do you want to communicate to this audience?
- Is there any additional information that you’d want to include? Anything that you may want to exclude for this particular group?
- What is the stage of this discussion? Is the audience completely fresh, or are they familiar with the topic you are presenting?
Tell a Story
Once you have the content and know the audience, it is time to start thinking about the story. Structure your presentation to follow a set narrative or theme so that it feels more like a story.
A simple storyline for any slideshow can have an introduction, agenda, key highlights, details about the subject, supporting points, and a conclusion, and end with either a Q&A or a firm call-to-action.
Limit Text, Use Visually Appealing Content Instead
In a world where the attention span of a human is less than that of a goldfish (~ 4 seconds), having too much to read on a slide will bore the audience. Instead, think of ways to communicate your message through visuals and narration.
You may break your slides up into multiple sections and elaborate on them while presenting, or limit them to only the key information that you’d want your audience to know.
Use Bullets And Animations Efficiently
Similar to the previous point, keep the text short and simple. The ideal way to present is using bullets or short sentences, making it crisp and easy to read.
You can even add transitions or animations to the text and other elements, enabling them to appear when you want them to!
Wow The Audience With Images And Videos
Instead of explaining a concept using words, can you show what you want to communicate using images or video? Can these add value? If yes, that’s what your slideshow needs!
Using traditional PowerPoint and presentation tools makes it slightly challenging to add videos, images, and animations, so most presentation makers shy away from using them.
With an online slideshow maker and several other tools available today, you can simply combine your photos or videos into your presentations, montages, or slideshow and make a strong impression!
Leverage the Power of Music
Most presentations and slideshows in the digital era aren’t just narrative or dynamic; they also have background music and animated sounds that add a lot of energy. Set the right tone for your presentation with the power of music, and witness magic as it happens!
To find the apt music or sound effect for your slideshows, you may explore the library in Powerpoint, add a soundtrack you are familiar with or use an online tool to help you find copyright-free music which can be searched by theme, mood, artist, and more.
Keep the Slideshow Short and Simple
Have you ever watched a 1-hour or longer documentary and been able only to recollect its key highlights? Your audience will also have a similar recall and attention span, making longer slideshows difficult to stay connected with.
Remember the golden rules of a slideshow:
- Visuals should be the prime focus; use text to add value
- Not more than five words per bullet
- 3-5 bullets per slide
- Spend no more than 2 minutes per slide
- No more than 10 slides in a presentation
- Ensure that your entire presentation is 20-30 minutes maximum, with a Q&A at the end
End With a Clear Conclusion and Next Steps
Once you have completed your slideshow, ensure that you have a powerful ending. The conclusion can provide a summary of your discussion or the key takeaways. If your story has to end with a vital question, make sure you end with that question and create the right impact.
Also, do not forget to include information about your company, your products, your contact details, and other important information that your audience will want to know at this stage.
Practice and Perfect!
Done creating your slideshow? Don’t forget to go through your content and rehearse before presenting in front of an audience.
By practicing on your own, you can make the final touches to update the slideshow to match your rhythm and add/remove content that may not be necessary. This will also help you be confident and know that you have given your slideshow your 100%.
We hope these tips have been helpful in creating a solid slideshow for your audience.
However, there is a better and more engaging way to create stellar presentations in today’s era to present your content and keep the audience hooked throughout. Using slideshow creators, you can easily create lucid and engaging slideshows, imbuing them with more aesthetic appeal.