Many millions of people work with PowerPoint today. The qualifications range from complete beginners to absolute experts. While PowerPoint agencies, for example, are mostly made up of specialists who work with this program on a daily basis, there are, on the other hand, many users who struggle with the software. Especially if you often have to deal with PowerPoint without having a good command of the program, some habits quickly creep in that stand in the way of a successful PowerPoint presentation. We’ll show you five bad habits you’re better off not getting into in the first place.
Sometimes PowerPoint experts Called in to save a presentation. Damage often has to be repaired, which can sometimes be quite time-consuming. Time-consuming corrections cost money. It is much better if certain problems do not arise in the first place. We present some of the “popular” mistakes here.
Texts and diagrams are inserted as images
At first glance, it looks passable on the slide: A text or a diagram has been inserted as an image. Why can this become a problem? Quite simply, the respective content can then no longer be edited. For example, if you want to update such a chart with new numbers, you need to create a new diagram. For example, if you want to enlarge or compress the chart (image), the image may become blurred. In the same way, you cannot adapt your chart to new designs and colors.
Use of too large font size
There is a delicate balance to be struck when choosing a font size for a presentation. We recommend that you do not go below font size 14, as it is too small for your audience. And if your text has to be size 10 or 9 to fit on the slide, you have too much content on the slide! You should make sure that your text emphasizes and supports the visuals rather than dominating them.
Using fonts that are too large also makes it difficult to create levels of hierarchy within passages of text. Larger objects require more attention, so your audience will interpret larger text as more important. If the entire text is very large, your audience will have to spend a lot of time to see the relationships and order between the information. Concentration quickly wanes, and important messages are not grasped.
Delete and/or move placeholders
If they set up your template correctly, it is built around guides. Placeholders are placed in a specific location to make them look balanced and professional. If you move these elements around, the individual foil elements will quickly look a bit awkward and haphazard.
Remove AnimationeN
Animations that have been specifically inserted at certain points in your PowerPoint presentation (if they are really high quality) can actually enhance a presentation. Animations can help highlight information, direct attention, or illustrate a process. Today, animations are often considered out of date and are sometimes simply deleted when slide sets are revised. But if you place good animations well, you can convey important messages better.
Show PowerPoint slides in normal editing mode
When you work on your PowerPoint slides, you do it in edit mode. You are familiar with this. Fatal only if you present in this mode out of habit. This looks very unprofessional and makes a bad impression. Always switch to the slide show when you want to show your presentation. Nothing ruins a good slide faster than seeing it in edit mode. It looks messy, the slides are way too small, and the audience is distracted by everything else on the screen. The branding that leaves an impression is that of the presentation creation platform, not your slides.
The instructor view brings you special advantages. In this mode, you can view your presentation along with your speaker notes on a computer. The audience sees your presentation in the usual presentation format; only you see the notes on your monitor. The presenter view provides several tools that make presenting even easier: Speaker notes are displayed to you in large, clear type. Thus, you can use it as a script for your presentation.
In Speaker View, you can also darken or lighten the screen if you don’t want your audience to see the presentation for a while , for example, when you are answering questions.
Conclusion: Sometimes it is small omissions and bad habits that detract from the impact of a presentation, or make corrections unnecessarily difficult. Attend a good PowerPoint course at a good presentation agency where you will quickly learn how to use PowerPoint professionally.
