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How to Create Powerful PowerPoint Presentations

It’s the day before you’re due to give an important presentation and you haven’t yet prepared the slides you’d like to use. Hands up if this scenario sounds familiar?

Leaving your slide preparation to the last minute is a bit like buying a special outfit off the rack. It will do, but you know if you’d had just a bit more time it could have been tailored to fit perfectly.

Our number one tip for a top-notch presentation is to allow ample time to prepare both the content and the accompanying visuals. We can’t emphasise this enough.

When preparing to give a powerful, punch-packing presentation, be sure to give yourself plenty of time for the following:

Prepare inspiring and influential content – You need to think about why your product/service was built and how it solves your customer/clients problems, spend time thinking about how it’s going to save your customers time.
Customise the design – It’s easy here to use an already templated design, take the time to make it your own, be proud of what you have to offer.
Check for branding consistency – Use customised designs that match your brand and what you stand for; your logo, your brand colours and your presentation design need to be consistent. This is crucial for brand awareness – another step not to ignore because you are short on time.
Hunt down fitting and impactful visuals – Use images that reflect the feelings you’d like to have associated with your brand – spend time on quality images not free ClipArt – it really will make a difference to your overall presentation.
Test-drive it, make improvements, and test-drive it again – This phase is the only one you should be doing the day before the big event.

Each step can, and will, take time. By allowing yourself adequate time to do each step you’ll have a presentation that makes an impact, not one that is like watching grass grow – unless of course that is what you do for business!

Your audience is giving up their valuable time to listen to you, and they’ll certainly appreciate the efforts you’ve taken to ensure your presentation is magnificent rather than mediocre.

Remember that you have only one shot at this. One shot to sell what you have to offer. The impression you leave will be a lasting one. You want to make sure it’s favourable – don’t miss the opportunity!

While we are on the subject of presentations, here are 5 top blog posts from our archives we recommend you read.

If you’d like to know more about how to plan a presentation so it packs the most punch, get in touch with the team at Ideaseed. We’re the experts who can help you shine. But remember, we need time!