Designing an Appealing PowerPoint Presentation

PowerPoint has become the standard when it comes to business presentation. It is a powerful communication tool which can help speaker to present and sell ideas in more efficient way. Of course, this only applies when it is well prepared. Since it is most commonly used communication tool, it is worth a while to invest time an effort to learn about what elements makes the impressive presentation as well as the program itself.  Here are some tips on how to create effective and appealing PowerPoint presentation:

Slides 

• Include Presentation title, your name and date on the first slide. Speaker need to state what they are going to talk about at the beginning of the presentation.
• Colors must be chosen carefully. Color conveys different messages in different cultures. In North America, blue, green and purple are commonly used when presenting primary ideas
• Do not overuse the special effects. It may draw attention away from your messages. Try to keep the transition and animations consistent.
• Limit the number of slides. Do not create 30 slides for 15 minute presentation.

6-x-6 rule

Text

•  Use large and legible fonts for the text
• Keep the style of text consistent  
• Use bullets to improve readability
• Use 6-x-6 rule: max 6 bullet per screen; max six words per bullet
• Use colors that work well with each other. Use light text on dark background (vice versa); high contrast make the slides more legible.

Visual Overload

 Other Features

•  Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Use pictures, charts and diagrams to enhance the content
•  Do not overload the slide with too many visuals
• Use sound and videos if appropriate