Effective presentations are visually engaging both in terms of the Powerpoint slides or other visual aids used and the way the presenter engages with the audience.
How to create great visual aids
- Keep the writing to a minimum
Only include your key points on your slides; be succinct
- Use images
Use pictures, graphs or other visual elements that are relevant to what you are talking about, but make sure you get these from Creative Commons sources so you don't breach Copyright laws!
- Have a consistent design
Use the same font and colour scheme on each slide.
Ways to engage your audience
Some simple things you can do in your presentation to make it more engaging for the audience are:
- Pace your speaking so the audience is able to follow
- Smile
- Pause when you need to
- Make appropriate gestures, such as pointing to your visual aids.
Answering questions
Your audience may also have questions about the points you raise in your presentation. Don't let questions fluster you:
- Repeat the question in your own words to make sure you understand it
- Ask the questioner to clarify anything you don't understand
- Don't be afraid to pause before answering the question
- Answer the question as well as you can.