PowerPoint Skills – Top 10 Tips
Here are some of our top tips that are really easy to put into effect.
Just using a few of these will start you off on the right foot.
PowerPoint Skills Top 10 Tips
Here are our PowerPoint skills top 10 tips that are really easy to put into effect.
Just using a few of these will start you off on the right foot.
1. Blank the Screen
Push the “B” key and the screen will go dark.
Push it again the screen will come back on.
Audiences are easily distracted by having a bright image next to you.
2. Use a Clicker
Using a clicker (a remote control for PowerPoint) will allow you the freedom to move around and use all of your presenting area.
Every clicker will have the forwards, back and blank button.
3. Jump to the Slide you Want
Typing the number of a slide say “ 14 “ followed by the return key will take you directly to that slide.
This enables you to navigate by jumping backwards or forwards through your presentation.
4. Think Visually
A picture paints a thousand words.
The brain needs an image to be able to think.
PowerPoint is a visual medium so at every opportunity, think visually.
5. One Thought per Slide
The audience has to understand your idea within seconds.
6. Use all your Real Estate
You only have so much space on a slide, so make the most of it.
Fill the slide with the important images.
7. The 10, 20, 30 Rule
If you don’t know where to start, use this, as a guide.
10 slides maximum
20 minutes maximum
30 font size minimum
If you MUST use words, make them so big they become an image in themselves.
Also fewer, bigger words are quicker for the audience to understand.
8. Make Sure You do all the Work
Death by PowerPoint happens when you make your audience think so much they get tired and give up.
Don’t make them tired! One of the seven laws of presentation success is that audiences sleep, so make sure you have the presentation skills to keep your audience engaged and motivated throughout.
You have a captive audience, so do all the work for them so they have to think as little as possible.
9. Start with PowerPoint last
Do all your prep about what you want to say and the order of how you say it before opening PowerPoint.
Only then think, “What will help the audience”?
PowerPoint Skills Top 10 Tips
10. You are more Important than the Slide Show
No matter how good the show is, in the end, it is always you they buy.
If this weren’t true we would just send people a copy of our wonderful Slide Show and wait for them to call.
You make the Presentation – the Slide Show backs you up.
Lastly, if you’d really like to be frightened into making the effort to use some of these tips, have a look at some glaring examples of
What Not to do with your PowerPoint
See also PowerPoint – It’s You They’ve Come to See
PowerPoint Skills Top 10 Tips
Tom Bodell Impact Factory PowerPoint Skills Expert
Impact Factory runs
Open Powerpoint Presentations Courses
Tailored Powerpoint Presentation Training
Five-Day Elite Presentation With Impact Workshops
and personalised
One-to-One Powerpoint Presentation Coaching
for anyone who is interested in
