15 ways to improve your PowerPoint for a more fulfilling presentation

1. THE JOY
OF DECKS
15 ways to improve
your PowerPoint
for a more fulfilling
presentation
2016

2. Are you stuck in a rut? Doing
the same old things with your
PowerPoint presentations
and wondering why you still
don’t feel satisfied?
Well here are 15 easy ways
to re-ignite that fire.

3. “If I had an hour to
solve a problem I'd
spend 55 minutes
thinking about the
problem and 5
minutes thinking
about solutions”
- Albert
Einstein
1. Be clear on the question before you answer it
Just think how much easier it is answering a question once you know what it is.
And Albert should know, he answered some big questions.

4. ONLY MAKE ONE POINT
ON ANY SLIDE
It will make it easier to present, easier to play with the order
and easier for someone else to present if they have to.
2.

5. 3. Write slides on things that move
It’s very easy to get bogged down in front of a screen. So write each point down on a bit of
paper and move them around to get the right flow before you even open PowerPoint.

6. 4. Make sure you fit your headline onto
one line
It just looks much nicer than what I have done here.

7. 5. And make them interesting, like this
If it works to sell a newspaper, it should work to hold
your audience’s attention for a couple of minutes.

8. 6. Strip out details to show a pattern
+£40m
2010-2014
You can put the details in the leave-behind. How many bar graphs do you see
every week, and how many do you remember?

9. 1. Tell them what you are about to tell them.
2. Tell them.
3. Then tell them what you have just told them.
7. Repeat your main point throughout
You will be lucky if people remember one thing from any presentation, so start
with that one thing – and repeat it in different ways.

10. You are here
8. Tell people where they are in your deck
That way, people are less likely to have a suicidal expression on
their face when you are presenting – which is always good.
A B

11. 9. Use pictures to set the
mood or highlight a point.
In this case, a point about ‘new beginnings’, ‘making a
head-start on the day’ or ‘the business landscape’.

12. 10. Or that we need to change our focus
Or that flies like windows, if you want to be literal about it.

13. 11. Look for fonts you like and steal them
Most of us aren’t graphic designers so just borrow stuff that looks cool.

14. 12. Present in under 20 minutes
Most people can only concentrate for 20 minutes at a
time. And it already works for The Simpsons.

15. 13. Put something personal in it
Like this picture of a train that I took. Or it could be a picture you
took this morning on your phone, or an anecdote.

16. 14. FILL THE
SPACEIt can help make a more confident presentation
(Or maybe look like you have anger issues).

17. 15. When you’ve finished, check that it is clear
“If you can't explain it
to a six year old, you
don't understand it
yourself”
- Albert Einstein
If my daughter can understand it, you should be ok.

18. I hope that helps you find
new levels of satisfaction.
Good luck!
James Appleby is a Communications and Media
Planner who likes telling stories and taking photos.
Twitter @jameswappleby1
Flickr jamesappleby857