6 Top Tips For A Perfect Technology Slideshow Presentation

Featured article by Allen Brown, Independent Technology Author

The best slideshows aren’t the ones that grab attention, instead, they are the ones that support you in engaging the audience. To get your message across clearly, your presentation style, lines of text, and the flow of the slideshow play a very important role. If your slideshow has a poor design, loads of text, or a disjointed flow, chances are your credibility as a professional may take a blow. Here, losing your credibility is something you should not worry about since we’ve prepared a list of 6 top tips for a perfect slideshow. With these few tips and tricks, you’ll feel more confident in your next presentation. So, what are the things you must do and avoid completely while preparing your next slideshow?

1.   Be A Minimalist

Your slideshow is meant to assist you in getting your message across in the simplest of ways. That’s it. You don’t need to complicate your presentation unnecessarily. Only add information that is vital for supporting your point. You mustn’t feel compelled to fill your slideshow with lots of texts or to fill any empty spaces with your logo or other graphical junk. Remember that it’s okay to have white space in your slideshow. Overusing graphics, logos, or text boxes only creates clutter in the presentation. The lesser the clutter, the stronger your message becomes. Keep it simple.

2.   How To Use Animation Most Effectively

Slide transitions and animations are a cool touch to any slideshow. These features are used to emphasize the importance of a particular subject or a keyword in your slideshow. However, these transitions must be used judiciously and only in relevant situations. Limit your animations and transitions to the bare minimum, or else you’ll bore your audience rather quickly. Remember to not place transition effects after every slide. Stick to being subtle and professional in your presentation style to have a perfect slideshow.

3.   Graphics Are Game-changers

The graphics and photographs in your slideshow must always be of high-quality. You can use your camera to get high-resolution images or find stock images online. If you’re using free stock images to create slideshow presentations, be cautious of copyright issues. Make sure to check the size and resolution of an image before using it for your presentation. If you try to stretch a low-resolution image, it’ll either pixelate the image or degrade the resolution further. Avoid using default graphic elements because chances are high that the audience has seen it many times before. Search and use fresh graphical elements to make your slideshow look crisp and interesting.

4.   Work On The Visual Theme Of Your Slideshow

Consistency is key. While preparing your slideshow, you must be sure that all the slides have a consistent visual theme connecting them. This does not mean that you directly use the pre-made templates provided by slideshow software such as PowerPoint or Google Slides because your audience might have seen the default PowerPoint templates countless times. Preparing your background templates is the best way to make your slideshow tailored to fit your needs better than prepackaged templates.

5.   Appropriate Use Of Charts

Presenting data in a structured format can considerably enhance your slideshow. Knowing the different types of charts can help you determine which chart suits you the best. If you want to show percentages to your audience, using pie charts is a good option. If you’re trying to show changes in quantity over time, you can use Vertical Bar Charts. Or if you want to compare quantities, then you can use horizontal charts. And if you want to demonstrate trends, Line Charts work the best.

6.   Use Colors Well

Colors can do more than increase an audience’s interest. They can invoke feelings and emotions,  they can help persuade and motivate as well. You should have the basic knowledge of how to use warm and cool colors to manipulate the text in your slideshow. Cool colors like blue and green work best for the background, while warm colors such as orange and red work best for the objects in the foreground. You can either use default color schemes for your slideshow or take inspiration from color palettes available online. The correct choice of colors can help you turn a good slideshow into a perfect slideshow.

If you want your slideshow to be perfect, you must choose your fonts well, use video in your slides, and emphasize through animations and transitions only where it’s appropriate. That said, remember that a slideshow is only as good as the narrator. Do not let your slideshow replace you as the narrator. The final tip for you is to never turn your back towards the crowd and read from your presentation. Consider these tips while making your next presentation, and surely you’ll have a perfect slideshow to present to your audience.