We all remember those presentations that seem more like articles that you need to read on the screen, or even worse, those presentations that had tons of complementary information that you had no time to read. Creating a good presentation is not just about what you include but also about what you leave out. It is entirely possible to have too much content in your presentation, but it is something that you can easily avoid if you follow a few simple principles and ideas. 

Simplicity is key

When creating your presentation, remember that your presentation slides are there to retain the audience’s attention and to help your audience hone in on the important details. While there might be a lot of interesting information that you could include in your slides, try to limit yourself to the key elements, the information that you want your audience to remember immediately when they think of your presentation.

That key information can be presented in keywords, graphs, imagery, or illustrations. The visual variations that you use in your slides will allow your audience to be able to focus their attention on your presentation without getting lost in a wide sea of information.

Avoid Using a Lot of Text

A presentation is meant to be both an auditory and a visual experience. If you use large amounts of text your audience will be inclined to start reading it and as such, they might not be able to simultaneously pay attention to what you are saying. While giving your audience too little, could lead to them being bored, giving them too much text could lead to information overload, and as such, they might be unable to retain all the information that you have presented.

The 7 by 7 Rule

The 7 by 7 rule can be an easy-to-remember rule for when you are making your first few presentations. Essentially, it calls for each slide to have a maximum of 7 lines. Each one of these 7 lines will ideally have a maximum of 7 words. While you do not strictly have to follow this rule, it is a general rule that can help you downsize the content in your slides to 7 lines with 7 words each.

Statistics

When presenting statistics in your presentation, try to keep them separate from all other text. This will allow them to be the main focal point.

The Rule of Three

Another guideline rule that you can use is the rule of three. Essentially, this rule suggests that your entire presentation should be comprised of three points or less. This will allow the audience to pay more attention to your key points without losing track of your presentation’s progression. This rule is generally used for presentations that are 15 to 30 minutes long, for longer presentations you may need to add a few extra main points.

Text and Graphics

To create a balanced presentation, it is recommended that you use different graphics, illustrations, and imagery in between all those text slides. This will provide your audience with visually stimulating cues that will retain their attention. Imagery can also have a powerful impact as it can evoke emotion, as such it might make it more likely for your audience to remember your presentation.

Final Thoughts

To create the perfect presentation, you need to use a nice design theme and template that allows your viewer to not be overwhelmed by the material that you are presenting. If you need advice and assistance on how to create the perfect design presentation, we recommend that you can check out our blog and service for more information by clicking here.