We must have all at some point sat through lengthy PowerPoint presentations, and lost the plot of what’s happening half-way through the speech. What makes presentations so boring?

Well, most slides are filled with content in the form of long sentences and paragraphs, instead of projecting interesting visuals that capture the interest of school students, and executives in the case of an office environment. Imagine having to read 40 slides of content, one after the other. Exhausting, isn’t it!

The true deal is that each slide on the presentation must carry short and crisp bullet points that don’t exceed 5-8 words. The presenter must take the onus of being able to speak by taking cues from the bullet points, rather than reading word-to-word from the screen.

Here are some tips that will help you become better at making presentations and subsequently evolve as confident presenters.

#1 Keep it short & sweet

We cannot reiterate the fact that keeping simple bullet points and important words that facilitate the presenter only need to be included on the slide. The class should be paying more attention to the speaker and not the slide. The audience should be able to establish a connection between the topic that is being covered and the pointers on the screen.

#2 Maintain proper legibility

Trying out fancy cursive fonts is fun, but there’s no point using it if the audience is not able to read what is written. Pay special attention to font style and its size. Most popular fonts that ease the reader are; Arial, Calibri, Verdana, amongst others. There are as many as 700 font styles to choose from, however, a good presentation only makes use of legible fonts that suit the title and the body copy, so that one can quickly read the slide and then turn their attention to the speaker.

#3 Add Visuals

People remember facts easily when it is presented in a visual format. So focus on including attractive visuals on the slide to convey the message through well-made infographics. Even as a presenter, you would get more confidence while speaking if the slide is made well and looks presently pleasing. You may insert a picture saved on your local drive or add an ‘online picture’ by choosing that option from the drop down menu.

#4 Animate The Slide

Special animation effects add a bit of bling to the presentation and give it character. Also it draws attention to the points on the slide which are being spoken about vs. the points that have been covered or are not being currently discussed. There are many animation features available such as; fly in, fade, fly out, emphasis, zoom, and it is even possible to dramatize the visual or text by adding special sound features on its arrival. We suggest making use of these animations in moderation and not to overdo it, so that one doesn’t get distracted.

#6 Pay Attention To Image Layout

We have already discussed the importance of having visual images on the slide. However, how many are good enough, is the question? Usually, you can accompany 1 or 2 images on the slide, with the text beside it. Don’t try to cramp too many pictures, as it will only make the audience cringe and the emphasis will be lost. Your presentation is not a photo album!

In today’s digitally connected world, PowerPoint presentations have become a day-to-day affair in classrooms. Students are encouraged to submit their project work by making PPTs and presenting it in front of the class, such as to inculcate office etiquette at school level. Especially in IB schools across Dubai and other Middle East regions, smart boards and projectors are a must-have.

TechnoKids has devised a technology-based curriculum for K-12 schools to enthuse students about computers through a project-based approach. Here students learn for the very first time how MS Office works and make use of apps such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc. TechnoKids is quite popular in the UAE, as across the GCC regions. Total Words

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