Presentation design tips that works best for a zoom call.
We have entered into a new era for presentations in 2020 where reliance on Zoom calls and other such conferencing platforms for our presentations is commonplace. Amidst a global pandemic, small and large companies are considering real-life meetings alike, as their last resort, in accordance with their respective local government regulations and social distancing norms.
There is now an increasing pressure on presentations themselves to be effective and impressive with little dependence on human intervention for successful communication. This could mean more hardships as it brings with it the need for requisite reforms on how presentations are traditionally created and designed. It has suddenly become increasingly important to ensure the quality of a presentation manifold, in order to make communication easier and more effective.
We can all agree that there is no true replacement for in-person communications, but times have changed, and so must we. Adapting to constantly changing environments is important in today’s world for businesses, and it beckons for a change in us too!
We at Slyds, have been designing corporate presentations and pitch decks for clients worldwide and have had to bring about some major changes in the way we operate, to suit the ‘new normal’. Some of the elements that would be highlighted previously are no longer relevant today, and vice-versa.
So, for the love of presentations and its enthusiasts, we’ve compiled a brief list of changes that you may find helpful and relevant to implement in your own presentations — to increase effectiveness and improve your chances at a successful Zoom call.
Here goes!
1. Make Effective Intro Slides with Bold Call To Actions
After years of increasing screen sizes in the hope of accommodating more work, today the good old ‘less is more’ haunts us back — in other words, we are back in business with our humbling twelve-inch laptop screens.
Where previously, a group of people would be looking at a large-sized presentation, now they are bound by a limited ‘screen real estate’. Designing Intro slides with bold call to actions will not only prompt the participant(s) of the call to pay due attention to the information in the slides but also increase their (short-lived) interest. It also provides more insight into the content of the upcoming slides, thereby creating healthy anticipation. So, preferably use this opportunity to include a relating background image combined with bold and attractive textual content.
2. No more than 3 points on a single slide!
Three is just right. It’s not less, it’s not more. Read that again.
Three points on a slide is an ideal sweet spot between stripping information to an extent where it makes very little sense and crowding a single slide with illegible information. Long paragraphs of information seldom seem to attract any readers.
Include only three very brief and specific points on one slide. Not more. Most screens have just enough real-estate to grab the attention of a viewer when there are fewer points on a slide. It’s safe to surmise that every reader mostly has a very poor attention span. So give them what they will most likely savour!
3. Avoid Graphs
Yes, avoid graphs! Why? Because no-one can see them on the screen now.
Instead, use a highlighted number accompanied by the source graph in a smaller fashion, use the freed-up pixels to enlarge the size of the number that you want to highlight. With due credits to ‘graphical representation of facts’, which were in fact very much recommended back when presentations were done in person They were a great way to represent legitimacy and proved to be an apt way to represent data. However, graphs have taken a backseat now. Numbers drive your vehicle today! Steer on!
4. Use as many images as possible
It does not matter how many slides your presentation increases by, because of images. Photographs and images speak louder and convey messages in a quicker way than text and speech would, for it encourages participants to try and decode a message. It plants a seed in the minds of the viewers — a seed that grows into interest and a larger degree of attention.
So let your images do the talking!
5. A clear timeline!
If your presentation demands the need for a timeline, try and compress your timeline into a maximum of four key events. Timelines have their way of inciting curiosity and are a very powerful tool for storytelling; participants are always interested to gain more insight into the journey of a product cycle or the events that led to a specific product and/or service.
6. Use Vectors, Graphics and Icons
Vectors and graphics are the life-support for your accompanying text. There is no guarantee that one will read every single word that you’ve put on your presentation. However, they WILL read a few words and look at the accompanying image and/or graphics to form their own version of the message to communicate on the specific slide.
Use relevant graphics, and refrain from using one just for the sake of decorating your slide. For, it can convey the wrong message. Use quality graphics from trusted and reliable sources.
7. A Big Bold Thank You slide!
There is a time after your presentation when you invite questions from participants. This moment calls for the good old ‘Thank You’ slide. Remember, this slide serves a larger purpose than simply thanking the concerned. It is the perfect opportunity for you to put up your contact details, your email, website, et al. Your name, your business’s name, seeps into their minds while they constantly are presented with this single slide for as long as the questions roll — thereby ensuring your presentation is remembered.
At the same time, it is very important to not flood this slide with unnecessary details and only keep the necessary contact information: active/important social media profiles, website details, email id for correspondence and contact number, ideally. Keep an attractive background preferably, something that relates to your business, its ideology, philosophy or product.
Voila! Sounds pretty simple right? Make sure you give us a cheer if this blog did any good to you, at all. We hope you find these tips helpful to increase the effectiveness of your presentations. Because ours surely turned out that way!
Last two cents from our side —
challenges come and go, but let’s learn to adapt ourselves to trying and peaceful times with an open mind.
For, life has its own way to ‘present’ a problem to us, and we must have our own way figured out to ‘present’ a solution.
Stay safe, and present online!
Thank you!
