Five Tips to Take Your Marketing Presentations From Good Enough to Great
It can be easy to slip into the routine of cutting and pasting
relevant content into a PowerPoint, adding some stock images, and calling it
good. But doing that will kill your presentations. Instead, with a few simple
design tips, you can create more convincing and engaging presentations and
to avoid the dreaded "Death by PowerPoint."
1. Hook them in the first slide
Think of your presentation as a story. If readers are not hooked
from the first page of the book, chances are they won't keep reading. It's the
same with your presentation's first slide. If you manage to get your audience's
attention right from the start, you have a much better chance of retaining it
for the rest of the presentation.
In the words of the former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki, your
presentation should start with the "shock and awe." Don't begin with
the background story. Go right into the coolest stuff that your product or
service can do or make a provocative statement.
Another winning strategy is to pull them in with a question.
Asking something such as "How many of you have ever done X?" or
"What would you do when Y happens?" immediately engages your
audience. It's even better if the question comes with an element of surprise.
For example, ask a question and give three possible answers, then surprise them
by saying none is the correct. Your audience will be already engaged (they've
been thinking about the answer) and intrigued to learn more.
2. Follow the billboard rule
Chances are that you've heard about the 5-5-5 rule for
PowerPoint: no more than five words per line of text, five lines of text per
slide, or five text-heavy slides in a row. It's about time to put this rule to
bed, since that's content overkill for today's distracted audiences.
The key is to avoid
overcrowding slides with words: A human brain can't do two things at once, so
don't expect your audience to be reading through your slides while also
listening to you.
How many words is
ideal? Presentation coach Nancy Duarte recommends the billboard rule.
Billboards must be worded and designed to allow the drivers to comprehend the
message as quickly as they're driving past it. Follow her rule when creating
your slide, and practice with a coworker to ensure it takes a reader no more
than three seconds to grasp the message on each slide.
There are some
exceptions to this rule, such as when you're using a quote. But use quotes
sparingly, and pause long enough when you're presenting to let your audience
digest them.
3. Ditch bullets
There's a reason
you've never seen a billboard with bullet points: They're not effective at
grabbing attention or leaving people with a lasting impression.
This habit can be one
of the most difficult to kick because it's something most marketers have always
done. The No. 1 problem is that bullet points will start to make your
presentation feel like a written document (in which bullets can be effective).
A good alternative is
to make each point into its own slide and strengthen the message of each one
with colors or images. Or, if it pains you too much to omit bullets altogether,
at least use them sparingly and with large spaces in between the bullets so
they can be easily consumed.
4. Use masking to make
images more impactful
Visual storytelling
does a more effective job of getting a message across in nearly every
situation. To direct an audience's attention even more effectively, and to the
specific parts of the slide, employ an imaging technique called masking. When you
mask, most of the slide looks as if it's is covered in an opaque tape or is
faded, except for the part you want your audience to focus on.
This technique is
especially useful if you have to present complex data or graphs on a single
slide; it helps prevent your audience from getting overwhelmed and not knowing
where to focus.
5. Draw on visuals to
boost retention
No matter how
important and valuable the information you provide, two days after your
presentation people will have forgotten 80% of what you said.
You can greatly
increase retention by using relevant, emotion-grabbing visuals. Our brains are
much better at processing and retaining visual information than verbal
information.
That's because 90% of information that is transmitted to the brain
every day is visual, and, according to studies, our eyes need only 13
milliseconds to see an image. What's more, some reports find that
visuals increase retention by up to 400%.
Balance is key with
visuals, so don't pack your deck with images, gifs, and videos that will make
it "noisy." Be selective in choosing visuals that support your key
message.
Also, choose real over
fake whenever possible. People can't typically see themselves in stock photos,
whereas they can in lifestyle images.
If you need help with your email, web site, video, or other presentation to promote your company, product, or service, please give me a call at 440-519-1500 or email me at john@x2media.us.
X2Media can help you target your content and get your message to the audience in a way that it not only seen and heard, but remembered.
Until next month. . . .remember. "you don't get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression." Always make it a good one!!
From X2Media I would like to thank you for your time.
John E. Hornyak
X2Media, LLC
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