For a business, a presentation is everything. Whether you’re standing in front of investors pitching your product, hosting an informational webinar, or posting lessons on your social media, your presentation can make or break you. I get it – you have an awesome product or service and want to shout it from the rooftops. Great! Just don’t let a boring powerpoint design hold you back. But you’re in luck because I’m here to share with you top 3 easy tips to make your slide deck seem like a Michael Bay movie. Ok, maybe without the explosions, but you get the idea.
1.) Make The First Seconds Count
Did you know that the human attention span is 8 seconds? Which is why, if you don’t grab your audiences’ attention within the first 8 seconds of your presentation, you’ve probably already lost them. Avoid the long intro and get straight to the point. If you find it hard to condense your message into a short and salient opener, go back to the drawing board. Watch Simon Sinek’s TED talk on starting with “why” and then go on a vision quest. Maybe not the last thing, but definitely brainstorm short, powerful messaging about your business.
Also make the point of your presentation directly relevant to your audience. If they don’t see how your product or service is directly relevant to them, again within the first 8 seconds, they will most likely check out or click out. First, craft a better title. Make your title catchy and use it to address a problem the audience might have that your business can solve. Then immediately show how you’re there to help. But even if your messaging is spot on, you could still lose their interest with bad graphics. Which brings me to my next pro-tip.
2.) Graphics, Graphics, Graphics
We are very visual creatures. So it’s only natural that we respond to dynamic, exciting graphics. And if your powerpoint design falls flat, you’re doing your business a disservice. After you make sure the style is on-brand for your business, create visual interest through unique graphics, videos, editing, and movement. Don’t use a standard powerpoint template and definitely don’t make every slide the same, mix it up between transitions. For example, declare a new topic by using a slide with a different background color or pattern.
Now, to drive home your pitch, effectively share information, and engage your audience, you must edit each slide to move the narrative along in a legible way. Each slide might present one idea, but most likely it contains many ideas. To create clarity in your narrative, try to visually focus on one idea at a time. Try out different techniques such blurring out everything on a slide except what you want to focus on.
Another graphic element that is particularly important is movement. On a basic level you could take advantage of the animation tools for the content on each slide. The next step would be turning your powerpoint design into a video. Finally, the ultimate step would be to skip powerpoint altogether and make your presentation a video – and better yet, a personalized video. Regardless of what you do, just remember that the design that people see says as much about your product or service as the words.
3.) Personalize Your Presentation
With the world at our fingertips (hello internet) organized by algorithms to show us products and news curated for each of us, we now demand personalization. Wouldn’t it be a game changer if you could personalize your presentations? From Tip 1, you’ve already carefully crafted the title and messaging to address a specific concern of your audience, but now you can take it a step further. If you’re reaching your audience through your existing database, you can leverage this information to personalize your presentation for each viewer. Interested? Then educate yourself about tools you can use to not only take your powerpoint designs to the next level through video, but also personalization. For example, if your presentation features a product, you can personalize the video with their name, geographic location, or past purchases popping up throughout the video. It doesn’t get more relevant for each and every viewer than that.
Conclusion:
A home-run strategy for your business presentations doesn’t have to be hard. With these 3 easy tips, you are well on your way to sharing information about your business, really connecting with potential customers, and ultimately increasing sales. Congratulations, you might even be the next Michael Bay of slide decks.
Leave A Response