7 Tips That Will Make Your PowerPoint Better Than Ever Before

When was the last time you gave a PowerPoint presentation and no one turned to their phone to check email or play "Word Cookies"?

If the answer is never, it's time to rethink the details of your PowerPoint and learn ways to keep your audience focused on your presentation.

Research has shown that you can keep people interested in your PowerPoint by:

• Ensuring that your type is at least 24 point, so even those in the back of the room can easily read the information. Also, don't get cute with the typefaces or headlines. You're trying to convey information, and you distract the audience when you switch things up.
• Using the sans serif typeface instead of serif typeface when writing captions. Serif typeface (the one with the little feet) can become grouped together awkwardly and make reading difficult. Typefaces such as Alegerian also can be tough for your audience to read.
• Only using white backgrounds on your PowerPoint if the room is going to be partially lit. You can give your audience eye strain if you use a white background in a dark room and cause them to see "after images" when they move their eyes.
• Employing warmer colors for your text compared to what appears in the background. Warm colors such as red and yellow will appear to be in front of cool ones such as blue or green because of how light is focused in the eyes. Such a practice will allow your audience to automatically focus on the text instead of the background.
• Making sure your title grabs attention by using a more eye-catching color. That way they focus on your key thought before jumping to other images or text.
• Using a more eye-catching color for the title compared to the text so that audience members focus on the key thought first.
• Avoiding any deep, heavily saturated blue color. The eye can’t focus on it properly and it will even appear blurred around the edges.