To deliver a powerful presentation, you'll need two things: persuasive words and exciting visuals. Moreover, it is crucial that they both team up to inform your story.
But what if we were to tell you that your visuals matter a lot more than your words? Don't believe us? We've got science to back ourselves:
According to the content marketing institute – 90% of the information that reaches the brain is visual, which means that our brains prefer visuals over spoken words. Also, we remember 80% of the items we see, 20% of what we read, and 10% of the items we hear.
This means that visuals are extremely the most important factor of a presentation simply because they aid long-term retention and help you deliver impactful and engaging presentations. Let us now understand how you can use visuals to your advantage and deliver powerful presentations.
How Visuals Will help you Deliver Powerful Presentations
Substitute Text with Graphics
Survey your presentation and try to get rid of text wherever possible. Stay away from verbose slides and bullet points. Consider PowerPoint as a graphical oral appliance substitute text with visuals like icons, charts & graphs, infographics, etc.
If you use bullet points, use no more than 4 on a slide where each point doesn't have more than 5-6 words. Bullet points should be used as prompts, and also the explanation must be left towards the spoken words. Too much text can distract the crowd away from you.
Choose Your Fonts Wisely
Readability always comes first. Select a font that can be easily read and understood. You'll need a font that has tall lowercase letters that aren't squished together. Letters must have ample space together. Verdana and Georgia are the best fonts for PowerPoint presentations because they are not overused and rank high on readability.
Know Your Colors
Colors and emotions are inextricably linked. Colors can spark a variety of emotions, depending on the type of shades and hues used. To find the best color for your PowerPoint presentation, you have to learn about the different color palette schemes. They are:
Monochromatic, Analogous, Complementary, Split, Complementary, and Triadic. Read this blog on building visually effective PowerPoint slides according to vision science principles.
Use Professional PowerPoint Templates
Designing a presentation with strong and captivating visuals on your own can be extremely time-consuming. You can spend hours still not experienceing this perfect result, or maybe you do, but could it be worth it when you spend hours doing the work?
The quickest way of framing a visually appealing and impactful presentation is by using professional PowerPoint templates designed to give you the best looking visuals without the hassle of designing them yourself.
Presentation templates at SlideUpLift are made by professionals who understand vision science principles and business needs to create effective business PowerPoint templates. These templates make sure that you don't have to worry about the visual aspects only about your presentation’s content.
So, do give PowerPoint templates a try. SlideUpLift offers a wide collection of Free PowerPoint Templates to help you get started.
Shapes Matter
Shapes are great influencers of the mind and can have an immense impact on the way we feel about an idea. We automatically connect with shapes as they give a basis to the physical world.
There are several shapes which you can use to improve your presentations' visual appeal:
- Triangles
We relate triangles to mountains, and a mountain can signify a hard task/goal that can be achieved by reaching the peak. The triangle base represents the capability to execute the task, the sides signify the journey, and the peak represents the task/goal itself.
Triangles are ideal for representing – company goals & mission, problem-solving processes, or highlighting key strategic initiatives.
Source: SlideUpLift
- Squares and Rectangles
These shapes are omnipresent, and that we see them everywhere in the form of doors, computers, buildings, etc. We connect with them because they look secure, balanced, and simple.
When used properly, these shapes can perform wonders by providing a sense of structure and flow for your presentation.
Source: SlideUpLift
- Circles
A circle can work wonders to create the whole slide together and instill a relaxed and relaxed feeling. Circles are wonderful in helping the viewer concentrate on the main point of interest, thereby increasing audience engagement. Circles can be used for highlighting – a business process, continuity, or interconnection/strategy.
Source: SlideUpLift
- Lines
Lines may seem dull and uninteresting, but they can be extremely helpful in improving the slide’s overall look. Lines provide structure and provide the slide a proper definition. For instance, a content-stuffed slide can be made comprehensible by drawing lines and making sections. Multiple horizontal lines can make the slide appear bigger/wider, and multiple vertical lines makes it appear taller.
Source: SlideUpLift
