PowerPoint Online

5 Tips for a Successful Online PowerPoint Presentation

1. Make Use of Other Presentation Elements You’ve Seen and Like

It’s likely that by now, you’ve seen quite a few PowerPoint presentations. Make note of colors and styles that look impressive to you in other presentations that you see, and integrate them into your next online PowerPoint presentation. Often presenters will give you a copy of their presentation, and while you need to be careful to not directly copy their work (without their permission), and not use copyrighted images, using their layouts as a template can be very helpful in making an impressive presentation.

2. Do Not Overcrowd Your Slides or Use too Many Effects

While online PowerPoint presentations are usually easier for the audience to see (since it’s on their own screen, right in front of them), you still need to keep your slides clutter-free. Use text as key points that you speak to during the presentation. Use large fonts that are clear and easy to read, and only use images that are relevant and add to the presentation. Keep distracting slide effects and images to a minimum. Many web conference services that display PowerPoint, can’t handle complex slide transitions. Keep it simple and keep it clean.

3. Use Headlines Rather than Outline Heading

Strong headlines at the top of each slide can give your online presentation power and attention. Bullets should be used for your key issues that you speak to in relation to those headlines. 3-6 bullets per page is a good balance between enough retainable information, without cluttering the page.

4. Find Your Own Style

Find a style and look for your online presentation that you can keep consistent throughout. You may have a few different styles that you like to use, or new elements that you’d like to add, but only use one template style in any given presentation. Mixing and matching styles throughout a presentation makes it look less organized. The key to keeping your audience interested is to keep the presentation flowing.

5. Prepare for the Unexpected

Any online presenter can tell you stories about crashing software, audio/video not syncing, broken video cameras, microphones and any other number of mishaps that can take place during an online presentation. Talk with your web conference service provider about their software, the possible problems you may face while presenting an online PowerPoint presentation, and the steps to to take in the event an issue arises. Have your service provider’s phone number available so that you can contact them immediately if there are any issues with your presentation. You may also want to prepare a stripped-down version of your presentation that you can email to your audience so that you can continue presenting audio, even if the video presentation fails.