6 Common Mistakes To Avoid In PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint, with no doubt, is one of the most sought after applications for many years now. Most of us, even as kids had started using it to prepare our school presentations.

Over the years, with version upgrades and changing user preferences, PowerPoint has undergone updates that mainly involve its features and aesthetics. But the essence has remained the same and today we can even find free PPT templates that are equally amazing.

But often, when we have ready access to countless attractive templates, it becomes confusing to choose one that will work best for our specific requirements. We will most certainly find new templates every time, but what we need to understand, is whether the template is right for the project that we are working on.

While choosing the wrong template can ruin a presentation, there are certain other elements too that need careful consideration. The following are the 6 most common mistakes we make, that must be avoided while making a PowerPoint presentation -

1.        Unnecessary use of animations.

We agree that animations are pretty tempting and eye-catching, but what is the use if it does not allow your content to reach your audiences? Adding special effects and adding some more of them will make your presentation look like a 10-year-old’s school presentation.

2.        Abnormal fonts.

Fonts play one of the most important roles when you create a presentation. If you go through the list of fonts, you will find many different types that catch your attention, but might not be suitable for your presentation. The purpose and audience of your presentation must be considered and the font chosen accordingly.

3.        Weird contrasts.

PowerPoint includes different colors and backgrounds. When it comes to writing on a background that is not white in color, choosing just any color for the fonts might create an after-effect that is very weird. For example, if you choose a black background and the font color that you use is red, then we suggest you change the color of either the background or of the font. The contrast is enough to ruin your entire presentation no matter how hard you have worked on it.

4.        Overcrowding texts.

Unlike MS Word, MS PowerPoint uses diagrams, pictures, and words altogether. A lot of times, we fear the use of too many slides in a single presentation, and we end up cluttering a limited number of slides. This not only gives a messy look but also screws the entire content.

5.        Over usage of bullet points.

While using bullet points makes the presentation look more organized, its over usage might make it look childish. Diamond, square, or round, using all these all together will make the entire presentation look messy.

6.        Using the images available in PowerPoint.

When you make a presentation, images play a vital role in sending your message across to the audience, but, only using the images available in the application is a big no. You should try to add images from other sources, taking care of copyrights, and enrich the presentation.