How to Make a Great PowerPoint Presentation
The following post is from Chirag Shah M’17, co-founder of Rapidocc a 2016 SVP Wellesley business.
We all know the basics of a good PowerPoint presentation – captivating visuals, concise statements, and thoughtful animations and transitions. Though we know these factors make an excellent presentation, we don’t always employ them. Why? Because we’re more comfortable reading from slides as they were a storybook, not simply an aid to our presentation. If we’re confident enough, we should follow the aforementioned features, but also aim to excel with our presentation makeup. In this post, I will share a creative way to go from good to great in your PowerPoint presentation.
Embed Your Brand with Messaging or Visuals
Most recently, the summer venture program cohort attended the Boston TechStars demo day. Two of the companies, Taylor & Hart and The Daily Pnut, deliberately added messages that aligned with their brand messaging. For instance, the Daily Pnut’s concise points were witty, yet authoritative, reflecting the brand’s goal of being a daily newsletter which integrates humor and knowledge. On the other end of the spectrum, Taylor & Hart utilized the power of the testimonial to begin their presentation. But instead of a simple quote, the company started with a video about how Taylor & Hart was able to create a unique engagement ring for a unique couple.
How can you include concise statements or visuals that reflect your brand messaging? Begin with the following questions and steps.
- Create your PowerPoint as usual.
- Write down your brand messaging in 5-10 words in a word document.
- Create a table with two columns that allows you to brainstorm through statements and visuals with your messaging in mind.
- Extract each statement and place in the left column in distinct cells
- In the right column, write down three replacement options that reflect you’re messaging.
- Repeat the same for pictures. You can find additional pictures at unsplash, pixabay, or pexels.
- Integrate new messages and/or visuals into PowerPoint.
- Compare to check if messaging has been appropriately integrated.
- Revel in your great PowerPoint skills.
As an example of an easy visual change for my company, Rapidocc, which allows to doctor use their mobile device to provide quick, accurate care:
For my case, its easier to replace visuals. Statements can be tough for a technical healthcare application, but for consumer or information products, this is where you may want to focus. As another caveat, remember your audience. If your speaking to a general audience, you can apply these techniques, but if its to an advisor or investor, stick with the facts. Powerpoints are tricky, but I hope this articles gave you some thoughts on how you can make yours stand out.