One of the commonest tasks in the academic career is PowerPoint presentations. In most cases, you will be required to demonstrate your understanding of a specific topic by providing a detailed PowerPoint presentation. The initial submission can be a report, review, or an essay. The subsequent submission is usually a presentation, which can be done using PowerPoint slides. The role of the presentation is to confirm that you understand the contents covered in your previous submission, and that you are able to amply and satisfactorily communicate. Sometimes, formulating an appealing PowerPoint presentation can be a major challenge to you. Remember that you must achieve the highest score in your submissions, hence the need to come up with a professional PowerPoint presentation. Here is a guide on what you should do to achieve the best PowerPoint presentation:
Create A Title Slide
Your presentation should begin with the identification details, particularly the topic, your name, and other necessary details. It is important to ensure that the title page is appealing and attractive as a way of hooking the audience.
Develop An Outline
You must remember to have a clear outline of your presentation, preferably in the second slide. In this case, an outline provides a list of all items covered in the presentation. It is important to develop the outline in a chronological order, such that slides will be arranged in the order of the outline. That way, it will be easy for the audience and readers to quickly refer to a specific slide. If possible, the outline should bear the respective slide numbers under which you will find the detailed information. This will enable your audience to quickly refer to the content they are interested in.
Avoid Text-Heavy Slides
You must bear in mind that a presentation is usually a summary of the topic you handled in the form of a report, essay, or any other form of submission. Hence, you should not stuff up a lot of text in one slide. In fact, the provided points should be bulleted instead of using paragraphs. Make sure that a slide carries a maximum of 4 points, if not less. The idea is to ensure that the audience quickly comprehends the content, and that visibility is fully accounted for. The recommended font size for slide titles should be between 36 and 44, while font size for slide text should be between 28 and 32. Such font is large enough to be viewed from a distance during the presentation.
Apply Visuals
One of the best ways to create an appealing PowerPoint presentation is to apply visual elements. In this case, visual elements could be in the form of videos and pictures that are in context with the topic of discussion. With the right visuals, you can enhance what you are saying for an easier understanding within the audience. The main idea is to ensure that the visuals are in context with the text contained in the presentation.
Use Slide Notes Section
You will realize that there is a blank section at the bottom of each slide that allows you to put in the necessary notes relating to the contents of each slide. Utilize this feature to discuss your points in details when creating your presentations. Make sure that you are familiar with the notes before making your presentation.
Avoid Too Bright Neon Colors
A dark background works ideally in complementing the appearance of the slides. Instead of overly bright colors, you should consider dark but visually-complementing colors to avoid straining of the eyes among the individuals viewing the presentation.