by Grant Mckenzie

Created on: March 04, 2009   Last Updated: June 13, 2009

A perfect Powerpoint presentation is one that everyone sees, but no one notices. This may seem counterintuitive until you realize that the presentation is not being made by the slides; it's being made by a person. The quality of information and life of the presentation rests with the speaker, not the visual aids. Powerpoint is meant to support the speaker, not do the job for them. Keeping this simple fact in mind can help create highly effective Powerpoint presentations.

The first step to creating an effective Powerpoint presentation is to create an effective overall presentation. This means the information being presented should be something that is useful to the audience and the person making the presentation is well rehearsed. If the information is irrelevant or redundant, then the presentation will be ineffective with or without Powerpoint. If the speaker is stumbling over their words, speaking too softly or monotone, or not engaged with the audience, no amount of Powerpoint will be able to overcome it.

Once the information and the speaker are in place, the next thing to remember is that Powerpoint is only a visual aid. Simple bullet points that summarize the highlights being presented are all that is necessary for most applications. Graphics and charts should simple and as general as possible. The more detailed the graphics and charts, the more difficult it will be for your audience read. If a detailed graphic is necessary, try to zoom in on only the part that is necessary to make the point.

Powerpoint has a variety of capabilities for a variety of applications. Just because it can do something doesn't mean it should. Cartoons, sound effects, and fancy transitions have their place, but many people use them out of place. They end up distracting the audience from the presentation rather than keeping them engaged. If you are addressing a comedy convention, then a cutsie sound effect with a clown leaping onto the screen may be appropriate, but this is rarely the case in a business environment.

In summary, an effective Powerpoint presentation is simple, professional, and focused. The presentation should be made by a speaker who knows the material and can present it in a conversational manner. The Powerpoint presentation should not draw attention to itself; the speaker should be the one to draw attention to the Powerpoint. Simply remembering that Powerpoint is a tool to provide visual aids to a speaker who is giving a presentation will go a long way toward making Powerpoint presentations more effective.

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