In this post, we’ll look at how you can create effective presentation visuals slides that connect your audience with your message. At Emaze, we truly believe in the visual superiority effect. That’s why we bring you an amazing presentation software that helps you engage your audience.
“Audiences respond better to visuals that get them thinking.”
Steve Jobs’ presentation in 2007 which launched the iPhone is known as one of the best presentations ever made. Like many others, he realized that telling an interesting story is far more important than presenting dry data. This has made his presentation easy to understand, elegant and spectacular. It has strengthened his ideas while increasing audience alertness.
You don’t really have to be Steve Jobs to give a good presentation, but the use of visuals is very important to help you tell an interesting story. Visual convey a powerful message about your ideas and your brand, so it is essential to get them right.
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
The human brain processes information more effectively when it receives pictorial rather than textual terms. This means that using slides with visuals considerably helps the audience to understand your message. People may not remember exactly what you said, but they will remember a strong image or video. Audience remembers the positive feelings they experienced during your presentation and associate your brand with clear communications and intelligence. The results speak for themselves – simple and spectacular presentation to new customers makes them believe in your idea (and more precisely, believe in you).
Visuals have one role – emphasize your message.
Like everything good in life, choosing a visual in order to “buy the heart” of the audience is a process that requires thought and creativity.
FIRST OF ALL, Do not go crazy
A common mistake is to choose different colors and fonts per slide. This may confuse the audience and even annoy them. You must be consistent and choose the colors carefully. There are colors that affect the atmosphere and the tone of things you say. For example, “red” is usually used to emphasize extreme or prohibited things. Bright pastel colors convey hot energy and excitement while dark colors are considered much more serious and important.
You also need to think of the presentation environment. Is the room light or dark? If the room is dark, it is best to choose background with shades of dark, and light font color. If the room is light, you should do the opposite. Also, avoid adding visuals that can divert attention, such as logos, exaggerated patterns or images packed with details.
Understand your audience
Before you design your presentation, make sure you know who your audience is! Choosing visual elements for a presentation should be compatible with the crowd which you turn to. Remember that sometimes not everyone in the room speaks fluent English, so native phrases can be replaced by a picture that conveys the message without the language barriers. Also, videos can add a deeper meaning to things. You can reinforce the message by an informative video clip that explains the subject in detail, or create a fun atmosphere using a cartoon or funny video.
Think outside of the box
In Steve Jobs’ presentation that launched the new MacBook Air, he wanted to emphasize the fact that it is easy to carry the laptop. Instead of shouting the dimensions and weight, he put the Mac into a brown envelope to emphasize its small size. This kind of creativity is essential for the memory effect on the audience. People see a lot of visuals every day but such unique creativity can strengthen both your professional impression on the audience and the audience engagement to the brand.
Break the lines
In order to deliver complex messages, you should refrain from explaining them on the same slide. Instead, you can summarize some key points of information or alternatively split it to several clear, easy to understand slides. Another tip is to give tangible elements to the audience.
All you need is K.I.S.S
Keep It Simple and Short .The 10-20-30 Rule offered by Guy Kawasaki says that a good lecture should be no more than 10 slides, no more than 20 minutes and have no text smaller than 30 point font. Even if your idea is revolutionary, you must learn to take the pearls out and showcase them. Each slide should communicate one main idea. You should prefer visuals over text. For example, you should use a graph instead of a list of numbers. If bullets are necessary to convey the message, try to write one keyword in each and tell the rest of the content orally.
Tell a story & practice
Telling a story is a skill in itself. It is a skill that depends on charisma, confidence and experience in life. Do not be afraid to reveal layers of a story like: “How I thought of the idea?”. Another tip is to practice and get ready for the presentation. You should be able to glance at each slide and know exactly what you want to say.
