Have you ever been to an event where a PowerPoint presentation was used to educate the audience, and you had to be like ‘Whoa, I have got to learn how to make one of those?’.
Do you use PowerPoint to present information but feel you have not gotten to that peak of creativity yet? Welcome to this article and let’s put you through how to become remarkably creative with PowerPoint.
PowerPoint is a presentation software that allows a user to create impactful computer-based slideshows. We can use it for educational, professional, and seminar presentations for schools, companies, institutions, and conferences. Presentations created with PowerPoint are a collection of slides with audio and visual effects designed to deliver information to an audience.
The following are tips to enhance your creativity with PowerPoint.
Learn How To Use PowerPoint Well
Learning about PowerPoint can advance your ability to use it well. To start, it will be helpful to learn the terms and functions of PowerPoint. How you can change themes or how to use the toolbars effectively.
There are online classes on PowerPoint that you can take on several platforms. Videos on using PowerPoint are also available on the internet. You do not have to be a professional before you know how to use PowerPoint, but it’s an advantage if you know how to use it well.
Keep Your Audience In Mind
Before you create your presentation. You must keep your audience in mind. Ask yourself important questions like ‘What is the demography of my audience?’ For example, if you will present to an audience made up of 70 percent teenagers, your presentation should engage and be filled with terms they can relate to.
If it’s an audience of elderly people, a respectful and relaxed but not boring tone is a good idea. If it’s an academic audience, have some technical but easily understandable terms. Knowing about your audience will give you direction when creating your slides.
Use PowerPoint Templates
Instead of building from scratch, you can take a shortcut by using templates. Nowadays, a variety of templates for PowerPoint presentations can be easily gotten from the internet. These templates come in different styles and designs and with several themes that can enhance your presentation.
Keep It Simple
The success of any PowerPoint presentation lies in its simplicity. If you overload your presentation with details and complex images, you may lose your audience to their phones or sleep. Make your content simple and relatable. Put in one idea per slide and don’t make the mistake of overcrowding your slide with details. Refrain from using ambiguous words and use bullet points instead of long sentences.
Brevity Is Better To Hold Attention
Because of our increasingly digitized lifestyle, the attention span of the average human is less than ten seconds. That’s very short. We recommend one minute per slide when you are presenting. Use brief sentences, not over eight words per sentence for each slide, a maximum of 6 bullets is advised.
Images And Design
The best presentations always have the audience making emotional associations with the content. Choose your graphics carefully, and be consistent with your color, bullet, and font style on every slide.
Use images that will also help convey information to your audience. Depending on what you are presenting on, we recommend inspiration and nature-based images for presentation.
Animate Your Presentation
Adding animations can improve your presentation and give it that creative outlook. It can draw in the attention of your audience when you are just about to lose their attention. However, avoid using too much exciting animation, so it won’t take away the audience’s focus from your content.
Use Simple Bright Colors
You should use simple colors that will help convey your message in your presentation. The color of your text should be in clear contrast to the background of your slide.
For example, if you have a red background, your text should be in white. Be careful not to use similar colors for the text and background, so your audience can see your message.
Make It Unique
You can do this by adding personal experiences or telling stories to teach the audience something new. It’s your presentation, so use your rules while also giving the audience due consideration.
It is worthy to know that the most creative presentations also have elements of humor.
Explore
Explore your wonderland of creativity. There is no fixed rule for using PowerPoint. It’s you who will present. Expressing your personality in your presentation will add that creativity and give your audience a pleasurable and memorable experience.
Practicing your presentation before you deliver it allows you to engage your audience and leave a lasting impression on them. Practice so you can understand your slides well, reduce mistakes and nervousness and achieve your goal with confidence.
