Sell your idea with powerful slides: 10 tricks for impactful presentations

This guide follows the original article “10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea, from TED’s in-house expert”, published by TED and provided by the Association of European Journalists (AEJ).

Follow these 10 tricks to create slides that don't just inform but also persuade and inspire!

1. Create a story before you create your slides

It's important to start with a clear presentation structure so that your slides serve only as a visual complement to your story, not dictate it. If the presentation is about a product, tell how it solves a problem for customers (donors) and arrange the slides so that they reinforce each step of your story.

Example: if you are talking about environmental innovation, start with the problem (pollution), then present the solution (new technology), and end with the success (reduced pollution and positive effect on society).

2. Keep the style consistent

A consistent style not only creates a visual experience but also reinforces the identity of your presentation. Use a colour palette that matches your message – if you are talking about sustainability, use green and earth tones.

Example: avoid using bright colours such as yellow and orange in the text. Only if you have a very important fact or statistic you want to highlight.

3. Use visual markers for transitions

When you're transitioning to a new topic, visual markers (a change in background or colors) will help your audience understand that it's time for a fresh start.

Example: if the first part of your presentation has a dark blue background, switch to a light background with pastel colors when you start the new topic. This creates a smooth transition and shows that you are discussing a different aspect.

4. Minimalism in the text

When presenting data or ideas, avoid putting in text that is too much or repeats what you are saying.

Example: if you want to present customer statistics, use only the numbers and the sentence “10% increase in sales last quarter” instead of explaining it on slides.

5. Visualize your ideas

Use images that give context or emotion related to your message.

Example: If you're talking about corporate social responsibility, choose an image of employees participating in charitable initiatives instead of just showing the company logo. This makes the idea more human and accessible.

6. Forget about unnecessary effects

There is no need for complicated animations or transitions to distract from your main idea.

Example: instead of using too many effects when changing slides, choose simple and smooth transitions that are not intrusive.

7. Draw attention with masking

If there's an important detail in an image you want to highlight, you can use masking.

Example: If you are showing a new website design, mask the rest of the image and gradually reveal the elements to highlight the importance of that particular part.

8. Pan large-scale images

This is especially useful when presenting websites or large maps that cannot fit on a single slide. Instead of scaling them, use the pan effect.

Example: if you're showing a detailed map of an international organisation or corporation's global location, pan across it to make the information easier to grasp.

9. Control the video content

Autoplaying videos can distract the audience, so don't let the video start without your permission.

Example: if you are using a video to present an opinion piece, set it so that it starts only after you indicate exactly what you want the audience to see.

10. Align the diagrams with the presentation style

If the charts or graphs you use don't fit the overall style of the presentation, you can rework them to fit your color scheme and fonts.

Example: instead of using standard graphics, draw them with hand-drawn lines and colors that match the rest of the slide design.

For even more complete information and tips, we encourage you to read the original article where you can find additional links and examples.