How to Make a Presentation Deck that Doesn't Stink | Christine vs. Work
Harvard Business Review・9 minutes read
Christine Liu faces challenges with slide deck creation for work, while Dan Zedek stresses the importance of engaging the audience and organizing content effectively, suggesting avoiding clutter and overloading slides with unnecessary elements. Research shows short audience attention spans, emphasizing the need for concise, engaging presentations that incorporate personal traits and account for audience expectations, utilizing visuals to enhance key points with sparing use of color and animation.
Insights
- Dan Zedek stresses the significance of audience engagement and efficient content organization in presentations, cautioning against cluttered slides and emphasizing the importance of concise, engaging delivery.
- Research underscores the limited attention span of audiences, around six to seven minutes, underscoring the necessity for clear, visually appealing presentations that integrate personal elements to establish connections and resonate with viewers effectively.
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Recent questions
How can I improve my work presentations?
To enhance your work presentations, focus on engaging the audience and organizing content effectively. Avoid cluttered visuals, excessive photos, colors, or text on slides. Incorporate personal traits to connect with the audience. Start with an outline, highlight key points, and use visuals to enhance information. Use color and animation sparingly and purposefully to support your content.
What are common mistakes in presentations?
Common mistakes in presentations include cluttered visuals, reading directly from slides, and overloading slides with unnecessary elements like excessive photos, colors, or text. To avoid these errors, focus on engaging the audience, organizing content effectively, and incorporating personal traits into your presentations.
How long is the audience's attention span?
Research shows that the audience's attention span is around six to seven minutes. This highlights the importance of creating concise and engaging presentations that capture and maintain the audience's interest throughout the duration of the talk.
Why is understanding the audience important in presentations?
Understanding the audience's expectations and background is crucial in designing visuals for presentations. By tailoring your content to meet the audience's needs and interests, you can create more impactful and engaging presentations that resonate with your listeners.
How should I use color and animation in presentations?
Color and animation should be used sparingly and purposefully in presentations to support the content effectively. Avoid overwhelming slides with excessive visual elements and instead focus on using color and animation to enhance key points and emphasize important information in a clear and engaging manner.
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Summary
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Effective Presentation Design: Engage and Simplify
- Christine Liu struggles with creating slide decks for work presentations, feeling overwhelmed by the task.
- She discusses common mistakes in presentations, such as cluttered visuals and reading directly from slides.
- Dan Zedek emphasizes the importance of engaging the audience and organizing content effectively.
- Zedek advises against overloading slides with unnecessary elements like excessive photos, colors, or text.
- Research shows that audience attention span is around six to seven minutes, highlighting the need for concise and engaging presentations.
- Zedek suggests incorporating personal traits into presentations to connect with the audience effectively.
- Understanding the audience's expectations and background is crucial in designing visuals for presentations.
- Zedek recommends starting with an outline and focusing on key points, using visuals to enhance rather than repeat information.
- Color and animation should be used sparingly and purposefully to support the content of the presentation.
