Less is more with PowerPoint presentations

Heed these four tips when preparing a PowerPoint presentation:

1.  Keep slides clutter-free. Don’t take an “everything but the kitchen sink” approach. Nix the flashy images, quirky transitions and verbose text. All the clutter becomes like wallpaper, says Jim Confalone, founder and creative director of ProPoint Graphics.

2.  Use one image to sell each idea. When it comes to bullets, the rule is one line of text per bullet.

3.  Follow the same color schemes, fonts and logos as your company’s website or brochures. “There’s an assumption of what a PowerPoint is supposed to look like, and company standards fall through the floor,” Confalone says.

Treat a presentation as if it were part of the company’s ad or marketing campaign.

4.  Give the audience a break to prolong attention spans. Example: Apple CEO Steve Jobs, a master of the presentation, used this tactic: Insert a blank slide occasionally as a way for people to relax and maintain focus.

— Adapted from “5 Tips for a Great PowerPoint Presentation,” Inc.