Dec 30 2008

PowerPoint Design Principle #2: Control

Are you in control of your slides? (c) iStockPhoto/Andy Gehrig

Are you in full control of your PowerPoint presentation? (c)iStockPhoto/Andy Gehrig

In a previous article, I covered the first PowerPoint design principle of consistency. In this article, I’d like to explore the principle of control. Many PowerPoint users fail to realize they control many aspects that determine the success or failure of their presentations. Seemingly insignificant decisions in the presentation design stage can come back later to haunt the presenter when the presentation is delivered. For example, choices about what content to include, how to introduce the content, or what “special effects” to use can make or break presentations. Continue reading “PowerPoint Design Principle #2: Control”

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Dec 17 2008

How to Create a Sexy Curved Arrow in PowerPoint

When you’re trying to highlight a key part of a chart or table, you may want to use an arrow. It’s fairly easy to create an arrow in PowerPoint 2007, but it is not as obvious how to create an eye-appealing curved arrow. I find that curved arrows are frequently better than straight arrows because they can bend around other important data points in a chart or table rather blocking them. And let’s face it — straight arrows are very boring. Continue reading “How to Create a Sexy Curved Arrow in PowerPoint”

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Nov 11 2008

PowerPoint Slides: How to Balance Simplicity with Detail

Many presentation experts recommend keeping your PowerPoint slides as simple as possible. How do you balance keeping your slides simple with providing your audience with ample information? On one hand, you don’t want to necessarily pack your business presentation with too much information leading to a death by PowerPoint experience for your audience. On the other hand, you worry about providing insufficient details for them to deeply understand your topic and apply what they learned. I will review four different tactics that you can use to overcome this challenge: Continue reading “PowerPoint Slides: How to Balance Simplicity with Detail”

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Nov 01 2008

PowerPoint Design Principle #1: Consistency

Are your slides consistent like clockwork? (c)iStockphoto/Sabrina Dei Nobili

Too frequently business presentations resemble a rough mishmash of different colors, fonts, and formats. If these slides were a meal, the variety of options on your plate would leave you with some level of indigestion. If you want to enhance the professional look and feel of your slides, you should ensure they are consistent. Continue reading “PowerPoint Design Principle #1: Consistency”

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Oct 09 2008

PowerPoint Ninja Toolbox: Drawing Guides

Any aspiring PowerPoint ninja needs to be familiar with a subset of important features within PowerPoint. Through a series of PowerPoint Ninja “toolbox” articles, I will cover some of these key features. Whether you’re using PowerPoint 2003 or 2007, the Drawing Guide feature is very useful as you design new slides. Continue reading “PowerPoint Ninja Toolbox: Drawing Guides”

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