Job interviews, sales meetings, keynote speeches or staff training; there are many occasions when we need to prepare a presentation. The thought of public speaking can set off the butterflies in your stomach! However, when you’ve planned and prepared an impactful set of slides, you can start with confidence. So, what are the 10 questions you need to ask before designing slides for a presentation?
1. Who am I presenting to?
If you want to engage the audience, you need to be clear about who they are and what they want or need to know. Be curious about their current knowledge level, who else is presenting at the event and, ideally, the priorities or values held by the audience. And, what are they expecting from you? Are they attending to be upskilled, convinced, informed or entertained?
2. What is the most important message I want to communicate?
Identify the core aim of this presentation. Is it to drive action, challenge thoughts, secure funding, get your dream job or win a client? With a clear vision in mind, you can start to map out the key information that supports this aim. The common theme is to ensure your primary message is memorable.
“Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest” Leo Babauta.
3. How can I make the presentation memorable?
Audience engagement is essential for a memorable presentation. This can be achieved with interactive elements, emotive storytelling, striking facts or humour. In addition, the more senses you can connect with, the better, so you might build on audio and visual content by passing an object around or describing a distinctive aroma. However, the engagement tools used must be relevant to the core message and the audience, otherwise you might just confuse them!
4. How will the slides be structured?
Slides are all about clear and concise communication. They support your presentation and highlight the core message. Limit each slide to one point that you reference in your verbal delivery. Ideally, there will be no more than one sentence and/or three bullet points per slide and a maximum of 10 slides in your presentation.
5. What visuals will illustrate the core message?
Visuals are not purely decorative; they play a powerful role in communicating your message. Infographics condense data into a consumable format, images deliver instant comprehension and emotional connections, while video clips introduce a fresh perspective. On this point, good-quality visuals are a must. No one will be convinced when faced with a blurry or pixelated vision.
6. Can I evidence my point?
You’ll be passionate about your message, but the audience may need a little more convincing. So, research and include facts, case studies and accreditation to validate your points and provide reassurance. An icon, infographic, video clip or quote could present this without the need for wordy content.
7. What font shall I use?
The answer might be determined by your brand guidelines or it might be personal preference, but either way, readability is key. Some audience members might be sat at the back of the room, others may have visual impairments. Consider a strong contrast between the font and background colour, adequate spacing between lines and 30-point minimum size for all written elements.
8. How can I ensure design consistency?
I’ve mentioned text, images, icons, video and more, so how do you ensure that varied content comes together with design consistency? A standard layout and style across all slides are key. Stick to one font and limit colours to fit your brand or chosen palette. You need to consider what element on the slide draws the eye and ensure this delivers impact.
9. How will I conclude the presentation?
You need a conclusive end that effectively summarises the points you’ve been building through the slide. It could be a call to action, an inspiring quote, a question for consideration or an emotive image, but it needs weight. You might emphasise this by saying something like “If you take just one thing away from this presentation, remember…”
10. Does the presentation need editing?
You’ve planned and prepared, now it is time to practice and refine. Stand up and deliver your presentation, keeping a check on timings and the flow. Ideally present to someone who will offer honest feedback. Microsoft PowerPoint has some tools to help you: Rehearse timings and Rehearse with Coach, if you can’t find a willing practice audience.
Check: did the slides successfully emphasise the key points? Were there elements that were confusing, long-winded or unclear? Did you hit the right tone and expression in your delivery? Edit as required and practice some more. Then, you’ll have the confidence for a knockout performance!
Creating Impactful Presentations
Polished presentations are one of the branded document services that I provide. So, if you agree with the points I’ve raised, but haven’t got time to implement them, contact me.
I’ll ask you to send me the core content and an outline of what you need to achieve. Then, I’ll create slides with a personalised layout, logical structure and engaging format.
“The PowerPoint template Dee designed was not only visually appealing but also highly functional. The layout was intuitive, making it easy for me to add content while maintaining a polished look. The colour scheme and graphics were aligned with my brand identity, which has greatly enhanced the overall impact of my presentations…I would highly recommend her services to anyone looking to elevate their professional materials.”
Bobby Keer – B&N Finance