Give a Business Presentation | The 3 Keys to Setting up a Great Slide Presentation
There are three keys to setting up a great presentation using PowerPoint or other software for the creation of slides to accompany what you say. I’m going to explain the 3 keys below:
Key 1 - Layout
Your layout is the first key factor to tackle when you begin to create your presentation. Consider your layout to be like the skeleton of your presentation. Just as our skeletons support our bodies, your layout should support your message and provide structure.
The easiest way to set up your layout is by using the PowerPoint masters, which are templates for your presentation. Using the masters is as easy as using your company letterhead. The letterhead is always set up for you: your logo, address, and other pertinent information are always there and they’re always in the same place. This is the same principle for the masters.
There are two masters you need to set up in your presentation: the title master, which controls your title slides, and the slide master, which controls every other type of slide (i.e., bulleted list, chart, or blank slides).
Key 2 - Consistency
The second key to setting up your presentation is consistency. Consistency comes in many forms. You must be consistent in the following design elements:
your placement of text and images,
your font styles and sizes,
your backgrounds,
the style and treatment of your imagery,
your charts.
Key 3 - Color
Color is the final key to setting up your presentation. Our colors set the mood, tone, reactions, and expectations for our presentations. Certain colors are best suited for your background, while others are better for foreground elements such as text or charts.
There are two families of colors, the “hot” and the “cool.” The “hot” colors are reds, oranges, and yellows. These colors are best suited for your foreground elements. They draw attention. The “cool” colors are best suited for your background.
These colors are blues, greens, and purples. They’re also OK to use in foreground elements, but you have to make sure they’re lighter or darker than the background color. If you want to use a “hot” color for your background, reduce the hotness by taking some of the saturation (intensity or purity) out of the color, so it’s dull, not bright. Hot colors are not the best for backgrounds, but if you have to use them, this is the answer.
The Messages of Colors
Colors have subliminal messages. When you know what they represent, you’ll know when and how to use them. The following are the emotional representations of the “hot” and “cool” family of colors plus white and black:
Blue. This is the most popular background color, because it’s peaceful and soothing. It’s linked with contemplation and patience. Blue is calm, credible, conservative, peaceful, and trusting. Since so many people like blue, it’s a safe choice for a presentation. Blue is the background color of choice in over 90% of business presentations.
Green. This is an excellent background color for presentations that require interaction with the audience and/or feedback. It’s restful and refreshing. Green is harmonious, envious, growth, money, and relaxation. Also use it as a highlight color.
Purple. Another good background color, purple is impressive and spiritual and encourages vitality. Use darker shades for backgrounds and lighter shades for accents. But be careful: too much of the lighter shades of purple can be detracting because it tends to be humorous. Purple is vital, spiritual, whimsy, humorous, and detracting.
Red. Red is hot! It’s a dominant color that calls attention to the message and stimulates audiences to take action. Red is moti- vating, but also represents pain. As an accent color, it works well to catch and hold attention. A note on financial presenta- tions: don’t use red as an accent color for bullets or numbers— you’ll definitely send the wrong message, since red in account- ing traditionally means loss, not profit.
Orange. Another hot color, orange is an excellent contrast color against a dark background and a good choice for text or accents. It’s a powerful and cheerful color that encourages communication. Orange is happy, concentrating, intelligent, and rebellious. Use orange as an accent color.
Yellow. The last hot color, yellow stimulates the brain and pro- motes decisiveness. Use yellow for text or accents—it’s an excellent contrast color against a dark background. Yellow is bright, cheerful, enthusiastic, optimistic, and warm. Use yellow in text and bullets, but be careful: big areas of bright yellow can be irritating.
White. White is usually used as a text color with dark blue and other dark backgrounds. You can use it for titles or text. White represents a fresh canvas, but add some accent colors if you use it as the main background color. White is freshness, new, innocent, neutral, and pure.
Black. Black symbolizes a clean slate. It’s used for emphasis and is associated with finality. Black is sophisticated, independent, emphatic, and final. Large areas of black add emphasis and highlight your information. It can be used as the center frame for a background.
