PowerPoint Advanced Concepts: The Importance of Design

At first most people see PowerPoint as a simple slide show program. Most user make common mistakes such as putting too much information on a slide, using a font that is too small, and so on. With experience and training they start to create better presentations and feel that they have reached the limits of PowerPoint.

Advanced users take the experience one step further. They understand that there is more to design than sticking words on a screen. There is a creative element that is the difference between ho-hum presentations that put the audience to sleep and dynamic projects that electrify viewers.

Focus On The Audience

The key to exciting and memorable presentations is to create a personal experience. Before PowerPoint is started up, take some time to think about the people who will be watching your presentation. Trying to use the same slides on several audiences is doomed to fail. In a perfect world, a presentation should be customized differently for every audience.

It seems obvious that a seminar about art industry trends to an audience of college students shouldn't be constructed the same as a presentation on Medicare benefits at a senior center, and yet a surprising number of people would create both projects exactly the same.

Instead, think about what makes the audience unique. One audience might want the classic presentation: black letters on white background, large fonts, maybe some bullets. Others might be drawn in by bold graphics or an emotional musical background.

Good Design Means Bigger Profits

Maybe you're convinced of the need for this level of PowerPoint advanced design, but that doesn't mean your boss is. A survey by Archetype Associates of 368 board members at Dow Jones companies revealed only one, Steve Jobs at Disney, with a background in design. Most executives just don't get the need for the bells and whistles.

However that attitude shows that these executives don't pay attention to the industry.

Peer Insight did a study of over 40 Fortune 500 companies and found the ones dedicated to customer-experience design were ten times as likely to outperform the S&P 500 as companies that didn't.

This survey was looking at product design, but PowerPoint advanced techniques apply as well. A company committed to good design incorporates that philosophy in everything from products to web sites to the annual report.

Your audience is your "customer" whether it is a sales presentation or a meeting about your company's new retirement benefits. When you make a strong, emotional connection the information is retained better and the viewer walks away with a better impression.

Get The Powerpoint Advanced Training You Need

Advanced design requires advanced techniques. Some people can pick up such complex practices on their own, but most do better in training courses taught by experienced instructors. Discussion with the instructor and the other students reveals a wealth of design methods that will give your presentations tremendous impact.

Take the time to learn PowerPoint design techniques to their fullest to create memorable presentations to be proud of.