PowerPoint Experts Archives

Information Retention: Remembering PowerPoint Presentations

Posted on July 4, 2018May 3, 2023 by Rick E

Given the amount of information you cram into your presentation, getting people to remember all of it is a feat in itself.

This is why people have different ways of presenting. Some like to build an emotional bond with their audience while others provide hard data and analytics.

It doesn’t matter which type of presenter you are if the audience doesn’t remember anything about it. You have to give them something that will stick for as long as they will keep remembering your brand.

If you’re hiring presentation specialists, expect to receive a deck that is nothing short of impressive. This makes it easier for your audience to remember the information you’re feeding them.

Retention Rates

People retain information in various ways and while there isn’t a manual on what works best for everyone, adults retain approximately 10% of what they see; 30%–40% of what they see and hear; and 90% of what they see, hear, and experience—this, according to the National Highway Institute’s “Principle of Adult Learning & Instructional Systems Design.”

The way your audience retains information is vital in presentation design because the more effective and engaging it is, the more people will remember it at the end of the week.

It’s worrying if you’re eyeing for a favorable business decision and you end up giving a mediocre presentation. This results in investors having already forgotten what you’ve said a week later, and likely that your information won’t be considered when they need to reach a decision.

The phrase, “Content is King,” may be overused, but it stays true, even for presentations. Make sure they remember a catchy headline, powerful quote, or striking image.

How exactly can you make your presentation more memorable?

Visual Impact

Instead of using bullet points, use images that resonate with the audience. This inspires them to act, making it easier for them to retain information for much longer.

Visuals shouldn’t distract the audience, but rather, reel them in and help them become engaged in the discussion.

Print Collateral

Brochures, flipbooks, executive summaries—if you want to provide more information without taking much of your audience’s time, have handouts ready by the end of your presentation. That, or you can provide downloadable versions of your PowerPoint so they can look over it and check if they’ve missed anything. These provide notable facts and figures essential for business decisions that might have to be made in the future.

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Stop filling your slides with fluff and instead, make your message clear and concise. Have your key points ready and focus on what you want to get across, and be prepared for whatever they might throw your way at the end of the presentation.

Make sure your PowerPoint presentation contains memorable features that will leave a lasting impression on your audience. If you want to make sure that it’s effective and engaging, rehearse, and apply whatever feedback you receive from peers.

Typography, Is It Really Important?

Posted on May 23, 2018May 3, 2023 by Rick E

The font you use for your deck is part of presentation design. If your content is mostly text—facts and other relevant information, you should be mindful of which ones you use.

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Good fonts might go unnoticed in an awe-inducing presentation. If you make a bad choice, there is nothing that could hide it—not the colors, not the images.

If you get your presentation customized by a PowerPoint expert, take note of how they make everything come together, even when there are two to three different fonts in the deck.

What is Typography?

To get technicalities out of the way: typography is a type of visual art. It refers to the creation and arrangement of written words. This encompasses all aspects of the text, from font to readability.

In presentation decks, typography is not only used to convey ideas, but to also set the mood and evoke emotion from the audience.

So, you might be asking why it matters—the answer is simple: it retains reader attention. As a writer, designer, and presenter, your audience’s attention is the best gift you can ever receive. Earning their trust and engaging them at the first slide are as valuable as maintaining this until the end.

Here are a few things to remember if you’re applying typography to your presentation:

Match the typeface to the brand’s message
Avoid clashing colors or backgrounds
This is meant to engage and not distract

Fonts and Information Retention

Designers always take these two functions into consideration. Look at it this way: while they would purchase a fancy display font for the header, using the same font for the article below it would be difficult to read through.

This all depends on the designer and how they’re going to incorporate intricate fonts into the presentation as these are helpful when it comes to retaining information—it doesn’t matter if it’s about art, history, or science. In fact, in a study published in Cognition, an academic journal, psychologists from Princeton and Indiana University conducted an experiment where they had 28 men and women read about three species of aliens.

Half of the participants that read in easy-to-read font (Arial, black, 16 pt) answered correctly 72.8% of the time while those who reviewed the material in hard-to-read font (Comic Sans MS or Bodoni MT, lighter shade, 12 pt) got it right 86.5%.

Apart from the layout, design, and content of your custom PowerPoint presentation, typography is one of the aspects that you wouldn’t want to miss out on. While everyone is attentive about the substance of your pitch, your audience will still look at how you present your words on the screen.

If you want to create a presentation, but don’t know where to start, you’ve come to right place. With SlideGenius, we help you get the word out by creating professionally designed decks. Feel free to browse our portfolio and see what we’ve done in the past!

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References:

Donahue, Elisabeth. “Font focus: Making ideas harder to read may make them easier to retain.” Princeton University. October 28, 2010. www.princeton.edu/news/2010/10/28/font-focus-making-ideas-harder-read-may-make-them-easier-retain

Carey, Benedict. “Come On, I Thought I Knew That!” The New York Times. April 18, 2011. www.nytimes.com/2011/04/19/health/19mind.html

The 10 Most Important Slides in Every Presentation

Posted on May 9, 2018May 3, 2023 by Rick E

Pitch decks are important if you’re looking to introduce a new product or service to the Board or a group of potential investors. This should excite them about your idea and engage them in a conversation that, hopefully, leads to an investment or approval.

If you’re looking for investors, you could start by customizing a PowerPoint presentation that has all the necessary information that potential stockholders may ask from you.

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Elevator Pitch

This section should contain the main idea of your presentation. State the key takeaways that your audience can expect by the end of your pitch. If you can, try explaining it in one or two sentences.

Problem

Why do stockholders need to invest in the product or service that you’re pitching? Address the issues that customers face—tell a story and make it relatable. State why these need to be solved—consider this a prelude to the solution that you’re about to introduce.

Value Proposition

Identify your target market—demonstrate its size and if it’s niche, much better. State how you hope to position yourself within it and use the data to scope the problem you’ll be solving.

Product/Service

Introduce the product or service that should solve the issues you’ve suggested earlier. Go through its specifications and how it differs from what the competition offers. Here’s where you prove its uniqueness and value for necessity.

Business Model

Explain how the product or service will generate revenue. Clarify whether this is a premium or budgeted offering and how its pricing fits into the existing landscape.

Roadmap

If you already have early adopters of the product, then talk about that. Your investors will want to hear about their feedback and see tangible proof validating that your solutions work to solve the problems addressed earlier.

You can also talk about your milestones on this slide. State some goals that you have achieved so far and identify the next steps you plan on taking.

Marketing & Sales Strategy

Outline the marketing and sales plan. Identify key tactics to get the product to prospective customers.

Gaining customers can be difficult, especially if you’re an emerging company in an already-existing market. Because of this, it’s vital that you show that you have a solid grasp of how you’ll reach your target market and have a clear understanding of which sales channels you’ll be using.

People behind the Product

Introduce your team—everyone who had lent a hand in the research, development, and manufacturing process of the product you’re presenting. Talk about the management team’s experience and expertise as well.

Competition

Whether you’re operating in existing or niche markets, give potential investors a rundown of the qualities and other attributes that set you apart from the competition. Show them why they should pick you instead of the other players on the market.

Financials

Your audience needs to see sales and cash flow forecasts in your presentation.

When you show these to the panel, don’t overwhelm them by providing spreadsheets that are difficult to read. Instead, use graphs, diagrams, and charts that will show financial information vital to the discussion.

The goal of your presentation deck is to pique your investor’s interest. It has to provide the necessary information about your company, as well as the products and services you offer. You want them to ask for more details, which is why a solid custom deck is vital for your sales pitch.

Download free PowerPoint templates now.

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References:

Lavinsky, Dave. “Marketing Plan Template: Exactly What To Include.” Forbes. September 30, 2013. www.forbes.com/sites/davelavinsky/2013/09/30/marketing-plan-template-exactly-what-to-include/#4c9610a33503

Ashe-Edmunds, Sam. “How to Introduce Teammates During a Presentation.” azcentral. April 13, 2018. yourbusiness.azcentral.com/introduce-teammates-during-presentation-10553.html

James, Geoffrey. “How to Give a Flawless Elevator Pitch.” Inc. July 2, 2014. www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/how-to-give-a-flawless-elevator-pitch.html

Are Visuals in Business Presentations Actually Helpful?

Posted on May 2, 2018May 3, 2023 by Rick E

Visual aids upgrade your speech, as the combination of content and design add flare to your presentation. These make your pitch more understandable and allow your audience to follow the discussion with their eyes.