Designing a presentation is difficult.
Not only are you putting ideas on paper – but you’re also communicating those ideas to others around you.
So you have to communicate the details you want, and in the most convincing ways possible.
Today, well help you with that. We have 5 tips on designing smooth and engaging corporate presentations.
Follow them, and enjoy amazing results!
#1 – Apply the 10/20/30 Rule.
It’s a standard in modern day “PowerPoint” representations. In fact, consider it a hard rule.
Here, you need to design a presentation that is…
- 10 slides long (maximum).
- Less than 20 minutes.
- Uses fonts large than 30 pt.
Why?
Slides are designed to provide a “summary” of each point you discuss. So you shouldn’t have too many of them.
As for time, 20 minutes is enough to get an idea across. Plus, it respects your audience’s attention span!
As for font size, you want the slide text to be clear in an auditorium – so you use a 30pt as a minimum size.
Simple Rules.
The 10/20/30rule comprises the bulk of your design approach. It governs your slide aesthetics and your speaker note structure.
And on the topic of those…
#2 – Keep Your Presentation Simple.
Don’t use complex words.
You need to treat your audience as first-time listeners on your topic. And that’ll often be the case (especially for project pitches).
You don’t want to sound like an academic. Instead, speak in everyday terms, and without sounding too casual.
Sentence Structure.
Keep them short, and don’t forget context.
You want your ideas to flow smoothly in a proper “cause and effect” chain.
Basically, you want your audience to construct their thoughts as you speak.
This leads to better engagement. Your audience will better absorb what you say, without feeling tired or disconnected!
#3 – Don’t Make it too Technical.
The occasional story helps, even in a corporate setting.
Stories keep your audience’s mind interested. It puts them in a state of suspense as you build up to the end.
Plus, stories are an opportunity to create analogies. And this helps you explain ideas perfectly!
Keep Them Real and Short.
Your entire presentation shouldn’t be the story. Instead, keep it a slide or two.
Also, keep your stories in the introductory portion of a slide show.
Stories are a way to prepare your audience for a new idea, so they naturally come first!
#4 – Don’t Do the Graphic Slide Yourself.
Now we come to the aesthetic portion of slide shows.
You might be the best public speaker people know. However, when it comes to designing slides, you might struggle a bit.
But no worries. There’s a way out, and you don’t need to hire a graphic designer either!
Use PowerPoint Templates.
PowerPoint offers many templates for slides. There are 1000s you can pick from when designing one!
Plus, you can always download custom templates suitable for the topic of your presentations (Source: PSlides).
#5 – Relax Before the Presentation.
Stage fright is a real fear. Public speaking is often cited as the 2nd most common fear for the majority of people.
And you might have that fears too. You might fear messing up in-front of an audience.
If so, just learn to relax. Learn how to calm yourself down before a representation.
You can do so in a multitude of ways. You can try breathing exercises, taking naps often, and reducing stressors around you.
But always remember, the number one method for relaxation is preparation.
Take the time to practice your speech and perfect it to remove the anxiety!