Build Better Presentations: Part 2

If you follow our blog you'll know that we are advocates for bringing the same level of design and writing to PowerPoint presentations that one finds in other professionally developed communications. (See our first post on PowerPoint Design.) Here's the second rule we live by:

Rule 2: Limit Bullet Points and Text
Instead of filling your slides with bullet point after bullet point, pare your message down to one main idea per slide and unpack the idea verbally.

Compare these two slides below, the first which uses a traditional PowerPoint layout and the second which uses a much cleaner layout.

Which one do you find more visually pleasing? Which one do you think will be more likely to catch an audience's attention and to communicate the message?

How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint: Rule 1

Keep it Simple

PowerPoint slides shouldn't steal the show—nor should they be a complete script for the presenter. They are meant to emphasize your key points in a visual way.

To give your point emphasis, float it in a sea of white space. Remember that the less information you put on your slide, the more clearly your message will come across to your audience.

Resist the temptation to resort to slide after slide with bullet points, also—since studies suggest that this format is one of the fastest ways to lose your audience.

For example,  look at these two slides from a presentation by João Paulo Alves on simplicity:

See how powerful white space can be.

If you are trying to communicate too much visually, simplify your message in order to communicate your key points.

 

We'd like to hear your thoughts on great presentations you've seen—or on how you're improving your own presentations.