The Art of Presentation-Making (+ helpful sites to check out!)
- TBD Group
- Oct 31, 2019
- 4 min read
by Karen Casalme
Imagine you are all set to meet an important client. You are wearing your best corporate outfit. You can speak well and you are confident in what you're about to offer. There's only one problem.
Your presentation material sucks.
An effective presentation is incomplete without a great material. Filling their minds with information is as important as feeding their eyes good visuals. Here are some of the tips I can share with you based on the experiences and materials I have made in the past.
1. Look for an inspiration/template. Having an inspiration really saves you a lot of time in doing your material. What's great about technology is that inspiration can be found everywhere on the internet. Lots of things to explore, too!
My personal favorite site for looking inspiration is Pinterest. Try searching for "Powerpoint templates" or "Powerpoint design" and you will get tons of inspiration. You can even download some templates for free! Another feature I like about Pinterest is they craft your feed based on your likes, saves, and previous searches. It’s basically your own mood board.
2. Have your materials ready.
Color and font styles will bring your presentation to life. Once you have your pick, be consistent and you’ll be just fine.
Color Palette
It is always expected that the colors you choose should be the same with your brand, yet I believe you may always opt to look for similar and complementary colors. For any material that I make, I recommend a maximum of four colors.
Color Hunt helps you pick out a color palette for your presentation. You may click on your preferred color and it will automatically copy its Hex Code.
Canva Colors has four great features you can explore when choosing colors for your presentation.
Color Palette Generator - This feature allows you to upload a photo and Canva will extract the five dominant colors from it.
Color Palette Ideas - This is similar to Colorhunt. It provides preset color palettes you can use and copy.
Color Wheel - This feature gives you the freedom to play around two color combinations to see which ones look best.
Color Meaning - You can go through this feature for a more informative an in-depth discussion on colors which includes history, meaning, and even how to use them.
Font
Two fonts that go together can make wonders. There are four types of font - Serif, Sans-Serif, Script, and Display. If you don’t want to stress people from reading curly and artsy text, you might as well forget the last two. Okay?
To explain it simply, a Serif font has sharper edges. Sans-Serif has none.
For a clean and modern look, you may opt to use two Sans-Serif fonts. Here's an example.
For a more contemporary feel, you may use one Serif and one Sans Serif. Here's an example.
One perfect way to check out fonts that go together is by using Fontpair. You may try using two fonts and download the pairings of your choice. Check out their interface below.
3. There is one rule we shouldn't always follow.
The 7x7 rule states that in one slide, you should not have more than 7 lines and 7 words in each line. Take a look at this example:
In my opinion, less text is still better. Let the speaker do the talking, not the other way around. During my past experiences, a word, phrase, or question at the center of a slide is a powerful technique to get your audience hooked about what you're going to say.
Another personal tip is to use distribution if you have too much information. Try to distribute your content into different slides or into columns for greater emphasis.
4. Have photos and videos.
Photos and videos are powerful in your presentation as they are absorbed by the brain quickly compared to text. Maximize your slide space by putting in these visuals.
Enlarge photos when explaining big concepts to create a lasting impact, and add videos (not longer than 5 minutes, please!) to give justice to all the information that has been presented.
MWI TBD Cloud is where you can access all photos and videos of the projects we can offer. If you are running out of photos, you can put in stock photos and icons as long as it represents the intended message.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When using stock photos, always include in the slide that they are "for visual representation only" or "for visual purposes" to avoid misleading your audience.
Pexels is one of my go-to websites for free stock photos which you may use for your presentation, while Flaticon is where you can download thousands of free PNG icons.
5. You can always tailor the design but never the information.
As Megaworld International Property Ambassadors, you market properties across diverse cultures. There is usually the need to change the approach or design of presentation materials based on your audience. When this happens, you can always change your design as long as the key points are present.
MWI TBD Cloud provides all the information that you need to put into your presentation. Let this be your basis - and you'll have your facts straight.
6. Balance.
Don't overdo your material. Design is not the only thing that matters here. Your material must stand out with your content. It should not overpower the other. Getting the right amount of balance between design and content is really the formula to a great presentation material.
The art of presentation-making is a process. When done with an inspiration, proper preparation (and bottles of patience), it will end splendidly.
I hope I was able to help. You may always reach me at kcasalme.global@megaworld-marketing.com for more tips. Happy Designing and Selling, everyone!
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