Presentation Rules

It is well known that visual information is perceived easier and better remembered than textual or audio. This is the structure of the human brain - an attractive and understandable picture can overshadow any bright phrases of even the most charismatic speaker. That is why the presentation allows you to make the speech memorable, and the audience - more susceptible to information. To achieve maximum efficiency, you just need to follow the simple rules for creating an effective presentation.

Rule 1. Creating a presentation begins with a study of the structure

An important stage in the creation of any presentation is the study of the structure. It should be logical and exactly match the course of the performance.

When designing the presentation structure, remember that the fulcrum for the slides and their sequence should be the target audience. The choice of visual images depends on the degree of preparation, level of education, interest and bias of the audience.

A typical presentation structure does not exist, although the following basic rules should be followed:

• title slide: it reflects the topic of the speech, information about the speaker, his position and, if required, the name of the event;

• slide content: used in large presentations, divided into chapters, useful for navigation of listeners and speaker;

• semantic slides: they are the core of the presentation, the ideal chronology for semantic slides is from general to particular;

• final slide: contains the speaker’s contact details.

When creating a presentation structure, the main burden falls on the elaboration of semantic slides. At this stage, it is important to understand which image is best to illustrate this or that thought. If important figures appear in a speech, this is an occasion to display them on a slide, which will allow viewers to focus on information. In the event that statistics are given and the values ​​are compared, the information will ideally look like a bar or pie chart. If it is necessary to reflect the process in time - let the information be presented in the form of a timeline with numbers or facts.

The information presented in the form of such images is intuitive, which allows listeners to perceive it faster.

Rule 2. Effective Presentation - Short Presentation

Having decomposed the theme of the speech into visual images, we should proceed to the most painful stage - the removal of unnecessary slides.

In this work, it should be remembered that increased attention of the audience falls on the first 15 minutes of the speech. All slides that fit into this time period should be as saturated with meaning as possible. On average, a 40-minute performance contains between 15 and 20 slides. A larger number of slides can only tire the audience, which will negatively affect the overall feeling of the performance.

When working on sorting, you should be prepared to sacrifice slides such as:

1. Beautiful, but not informative slides - this category should include massive charts and diagrams weighted with small details;

2. Extensive quotes - as a rule, a presentation can contain no more than one bright and accurate quote;

3. Multilayer beautiful photographs that are not supported by the speaker’s speech: with such slides, the speaker simply abuses the attention and time of the audience, so they should be abandoned.

Rule 3. Images are more important than text

A presentation is a product that should be at least 75% composed of visual images. And here the arsenal is by no means limited to such Power Point template solutions as SmartArt and primitive block diagrams. But you also need to choose visual elements wisely.

• Charts are better than tables. Tables have a pronounced clerical style. Often they begin with a column called "No.", followed by densely chopped graphs filled with long text. But often from such a documentary presentation you can move away with the help of diagrams, which is better perceived by the audience.

• Photos are better than drawings. The presentation of resorts in Egypt can not do without high-quality photos of the Sphinx, and the story of the new menu of a fashionable restaurant can not be imagined without juicy images of the dishes themselves. Following this rule, whenever possible, it is better to use photographs, rather than clip art.

• Icons are better than text. In cases where it is possible, it is better to use icons and other pictures. It is important that they be understood accurately and not cause ambiguity. Following this rule, logos, coats of arms of cities and flags of states are better than text.

Rule 4. One slide - one thought.

Often during presentations, students photograph slides displayed on the screen. This is flattering to many speakers. But in vain! Often, the listener does not take a photo of the slide because he liked the idea, and not for posting on social networks. Just the semantic content of the slide is so rich that it is impossible to comprehend it during a short demonstration. The photo is taken not for memory, but for homework.

To avoid this, it is enough to follow the rule - on one slide there can be only one thought. Presentations should not be exploited in order to simplify the speaker’s fate as much as possible. Only the most important figures, facts and texts should be displayed on the slides. Everything else should either be spoken or omitted altogether.

You should also be careful about slides that are entirely composed of text. Even if they comply with the rule, and contain only one thought - there should be no more than 15 words per slide. Moreover, experts recommend using the largest possible font so that even the back rows can see the content.

Rule 5. Colors are primary

There is a misconception that the presentation must be bright. Choosing bright colors of the palette, it is often difficult to skillfully combine them. On this score, experts recommend that there should be no more than 3 colors in one slide. The ideal option is to comply with this rule throughout the presentation.

It is important to remember that the presentation should be aesthetically pleasing, therefore it is best to use the color combination table, which can be easily found on the Internet.

The hardest thing to follow is the 3-color rule when charting with multiple categories. On the one hand, they need to be painted so that they differ from each other, on the other, there is still a background, logo and other colored elements. You can solve the problem using shades. Largest values ​​can be painted in intense colors, smaller ones in more pale colors, and so on.