Tips for Using PowerPoint Slides

A presentation made with PowerPoint slides is easy to make, yet it adds much more meaning to a presentation. That is the main reason why this program is used by educators, business people, and speakers all around the world.

Tip 1 – Use only a few bullet points in your slides

Bullet points on PowerPoint slides are okay to use in your presentation, but try to avoid them whenever possible. They are not effective, and studies have shown that only an hour after a presentation, most of the audience could remember only about 20 percent of what was on the slides.

Tip 2 – Never just read from the slides during the presentation

Nothing irritates and bores an audience worse than a speaker who has nothing to say and just reads from the screen. You might as well hand out a brochure if you do this.

Tip 3 – Use them as your tool, but you are the presenter

Remember that your information and explanation is the meat of the presentation. Use the PowerPoint slides as an aid to support what you say. Only put up information that is the most important part of your talk. The restof them are background material for information that you have to share. Visual aids can be very powerful in arousing a multitude of emotions in your audience.

Tip 4 – Find interesting photos, graphs, pictures, and other graphics to use

At least half of your presentation should have graphics and very little text. Visual aids like PowerPoint are intended to show something or to make a point. Remember that a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Tip 5 – Never write a paragraph

Very few people will read your paragraph – and many in the audience probably can’t even see it from where they are sitting. It is a big turn off to do this.

Tip 6 – Use bright color, but don’t overdo it so that the message is lost

Bright colors can enliven you as you speak since certain colors help speakers feel more enthused. It’s difficult to be enthusiastic when everything is black, white, and gray.

Tip 7 – Make sure that images, graphics, and text are large enough to be seen from the back of the room

Test your slides before you use them to be sure that they can be seen and read from the same distance that your audience will be sitting. Again, it’s a big turnoff for audience members who cannot see the screen.

Follow these tips, and your next PowerPoint slides presentation will be the best one that you have ever done.