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Hello Community members,

 

As we continue to navigate the evolving world of work into remote collaboration and virtual selling, knowing how to connect with your customers and peers without the face-to-face interaction is more critical than ever. Last week, @Nadia Vieira​ shared a timely and relevant post on “Top Tips to Give a Great Product Demo.” Today, I will be diving into another similar topic: How to Create Compelling Slides.

 

1.    Know your audience

First and foremost, you need to know who you will be presenting to in order to build a sound and fitting slide deck. Just like writing InMail messages or sending emails, the information you want to deliver and how you deliver it depends on your audience.

 

2.    Focus on the message and the bigger picture

Before you start building your slides, know what ideas and information you want to share so that you can structure and design the deck accordingly. Don’t get caught up with the smaller details like number of slides, transitions, etc. at the beginning. Focus on your message, there will be time to fine-tune those later.

 

3.    Start with and include an outline / table of contents / roadmap

Whoever you are presenting to probably isn’t as knowledgeable as you are on the topic, or at least they might not know the full/big picture like you do. Make it known to your audience what they can expect from the presentation and make it easier for them to follow.

 

4.    Use a template or corporate-branded colors/fonts

Consistency is key. Your slides should be not only visually appealing but also clean and easy to read. If your company has created corporate brand visuals and PowerPoint templates for you to use, make sure to follow them and stick to approved colors and font so that you are able to stay on brand.

 

5.    Incorporate captivating visuals (i.e. infographics, photos, charts)

We have all heard that a picture is worth 1,000 words, so decide on the story you want to tell and the imagery you want to paint for your audience wisely. Visuals are powerful and can make the presentation more memorable when used correctly.

 

6.    Use a larger font size and fewer words

We are also all aware that less is more when it comes to the text on a slide. Keep the words as short as possible in order to get your points across, but don’t forget to make the font size big enough to read as well.

 

7.    Practice, practice, and practice

If you’ve successfully built a wonderful slide deck but failed to practice or prepare, your delivery would not have the same effect and could turn into a dealbreaker. Practice your slides so that you, too, know the flow of the presentation and when a transition could be coming up. A final reminder as I’m sure we all know by now as well: don’t read off the slides.

 

So, what do you think? I’d like to know if you have any best practices or advice on building compelling slides for a presentation. Or have you seen any great examples that you can share with the rest of the Community? I look forward to hearing your ideas and learning from you!

 

Thank you, and I look forward to the discussion!

Eva C. 

Love the topic! I'll answer with a link: https://www.slideshare.net/alecabral/rocking-your-presentations-a-quick-guide-on-how-to-get-on-stage 😀

 

Thank you so much for sharing, @Alejandro C​! And love how you responded with a presentation yourself 😃

 

I particularly liked slide 4 and 16. Although they may be simple reminders, they are definitely key! As presenters and speakers, we should be aware that everything we do up on stage or a podium communications (i.e. body language, tone, energy) and that ultimately, we are the message. 😊

@Eva Chen​ This is really off-topic for sales nav, but I'm happy you decided to write about this. I love being on stage and I happen to speak at anything between 10 and 20 events a year, regardless of their size or location and I have a routine I keep to. It starts like this:

 

  1. I start with some brainstorming, usually with who hires me or with who wants the presentation. If it's just my content, I usually skip steps 1 through 3.
  2. I create a storyboard of the presentation. Add as many concepts and slides as I can. I make it as long as possible. I outline content by type so when I go and build it I know if I need video, music, offline, etc. I basically focus on the story.
  3. I start trimming it down, and down until the core message is there plus some extra fat
  4. I then start working on the powerpoint which takes most of my time.
  5. Once it's done (with a lot of editing), I start practicing. I walk and talk, talk and walk. I do it on camera, I do it in front of my wife (best audience ever), I make it funny and sad, I dance and sometimes I even yell. With that, I find and prevent the gaps in the story.
  6. And then I stop for a while, maybe a day if I can, and then try it again. If I can't go at it at once, then I know something's wrong and I fix it. Sometimes that means creating a mind map (or memory palace) for the presentation and that works just fine.

 

Best part? I can train anyone on this flow :)

 

Alejandro

@Alejandro C​ — Just another reason why you're a Community Champion and why we value your insights and feedback SO much! 😄

 

Thank you for the detailed breakdown and itemized steps. I found myself reading that from your perspective (or as someone about to give presentation/speech to a large audience), and I could visualize it! Such useful advice and powerful notes for the rest of us to follow. Anyone who can be coached by you is lucky and well on their way to being a great speaker! 😊

 

P.S. I remember for the presentations I gave in high school, I definitely followed your step 5 and 6! (Although back then I just practiced in front of a mirror and told myself to pay attention to my facial expressions and body language as well.)

@Eva Chen​  this is great! I wish I had this info years ago when I was finding my way in PowerPoint land!

Thank you, @Tamika B​! Me too, and hopefully these are great reminders for those who are already a slidedeck master for years. 😊

 

If you've discovered any new insights or best practices, please do share!

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