Hi, I'm Meredith from HubSpot.
And today I'm going to show you how to design a good PowerPoint
presentation.
If you enjoy this video, don't forget
to like it and subscribe to our channel.
Post any questions or suggestions
you have in the comments below.
Let's get started.
Have a presentation coming up that involves PowerPoint
slides?
Creating the content and design for a new presentation
can be a tough task.
Between outlining, designing and finalizing the details,
it's not uncommon for a few questions to pop up.
Where's the best place to start?
Are some steps better to take before others?
How can you make sure you aren't missing anything?
And how on earth do you master those essential design
tricks that can take the presentation
from good to great?
We're here to make the process a little easier for you.
With the following tips, you'll be
able to navigate PowerPoint like a pro.
The first step is outlining your content.
First, decide on a working title and the main takeaways.
A working title is more specific than a topic.
Think, how the right nutrition can strengthen your kid's bones
instead of raising healthy kids.
Once you've got your working title,
make a list of the main takeaways of your presentation
to begin giving it some structure.
While you outline, it's important to keep
your specific audience in mind.
Ask yourself, what do your audience members already know?
What new information can you teach them?
What are they expecting from your presentation?
What's going to be interesting to them?
What will keep them focused and engaged?
Next, formulate your content as a narrative, if possible.
This may not apply for more formal presentations
that have rigid structures, like performance reports.
But for presentations that have more flexibility,
presenting your content as a narrative
can be much more compelling.
Stories appeal to people's emotional side in ways that
information, facts and figures can't.
They help you relate to your audience.
And in turn, they'll make you and your message
far more interesting for your audience.
Next, collect relevant data and examples
to boost your content's credibility.
While big statements can help you set the stage,
supporting those statements with evidence
will make your argument more interesting and credible.
But don't just slap random stats on your slide
and expect to wow your audience.
Be sure your data comes from a reputable source,
and that you're presenting it in a way that's
easy to understand, like through accurate charts and graphs.
Now it's time to focus on outlining your PowerPoint
design.
Pick a color scheme.
Whether you decide to use two, three or four different colors
in your presentation is up to you.
But certain color combinations go together better than others.
Pick colors that support the tone of your content,
solve for legibility, and don't distract
from what you have to say.
Next, design your slide backgrounds.
In PowerPoint, less is more.
You don't ever want to let the design distract
from your message.
But at the same time, you want to get more creative
than a plain white background, even if you're
going for a very simple design.
PowerPoint has pre-designed templates available
that you can use as a starting point.
To browse these templates on a Mac, click on the slide
or slides you want to add the template to.
Then click the Design tab at the top of the screen.
To browse these templates on a PC, click on the slide
or slides you want to add the template to.
Then click the Design tab at the top of the screen.
In the background group, click the arrow
next to the background styles to open up the theme gallery.
You can use one of these premade templates
as a base to customize and add your own creative spin.
Next, it's time to format your content for maximum impact.
The most basic design work is done
and it's time to start filling in the information
on your slides based on the text outline you created earlier.
First, create a skeleton of how your slides will
flow by adding a title slide, all your header slides,
and maybe a few supporting slides in between.
These slides shouldn't be complex,
just titles and headers, a few tidbits of information,
some details you want to remember down the road,
and only the one or two images you're
positive you want to use.
You'll add more slides and fill in the rest of the information
and images later, I promise.
You should start with a strong opening.
Whether you like it or not, your audience
is going to make value judgments about you, your organization
and your message within the first minute
of your presentation.
Want to ensure you start your presentation with a bang?
The folks at the London Speaker Bureau
suggest beginning with a dramatic sharp opening,
like a challenging question or poll.
For example, you might say, everybody close your eyes.
Now raise your hand if you've ever been rude to someone.
You might also use a powerful statistic or a personal story
that your specific audience can relate to.
However you choose to begin, be sure it engages
your audience immediately, both intellectually and emotionally.
Now fill in the text on your slides using concise language.
Your slides are there to support the speaking
components of your presentation, not replace it.
If your slides contain too much information,
like full sentences or paragraphs,
then your audience members won't be
able to help but read the slides instead of listening to you.
Plus, that's boring.
Instead, use slides to enhance keywords and show visuals
while you stand up there and do the real work, telling a story
and describing your data.
When it comes to your slide text,
focus on the main phrases of a bullet point
and cover the details verbally.
Finally, you should end with a strong take-home message.
A lot of people get lazy with the end of their presentations,
but you want to end with a bang, just like you started with one.
Leave your audience with something they'll remember,
something that'll make them think, and maybe even mobilize.
Want to make your presentations even stronger?
Click the link in the description below.
Thanks for watching.
If you enjoy this video, be sure to like it and subscribe.
Let me know how you're doing in the comments.