How to Craft a Great PowerPoint Presentation For the First Time?

Most people are afraid to do things they have never done before. The reason is quite simple. They are frightened of a failure. If you are assigned to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for the very first time, you must also know this feeling. Right? You are not sure you can handle it. The voice in your head whispers to you, “What if I fail? It would be a total disaster!” Calm down. In sober fact, it is not as difficult as you think. So don't rush to give up. This article will help you make your first presentation brilliant and memorable. Are you already intrigued? If so, leave everything aside and keep reading.  

Preparing a PowerPoint presentation usually requires a considerable amount of time. Since you are a novice, it is highly likely that this task may take you several days. Therefore please don't put it off until the last moment. Believe me, this is a sure way to fail. So make sure you have enough time to carry out a research, jot down some major points and create awesome presentation design. 

Even if you are not familiar with PowerPoint, you shouldn't worry about it. To ease your life, there are many ready-made Powerpoint templates at your disposal. So you don't have to create layout design yourself. You are lucky to have such a magic wand, aren't you? All you have to do is to pick the template that suits your needs the best. 

When selecting the PowerPoint template, you should remember that simplicity is a key to success. This is a golden rule. Yes, you got it right. The presentation design should be simple and clear. Choose light colors for the background of slides. It may be light blue or light yellow. You can also leave it white. Сonversely, the font color should be dark. Black or navy blue would be a good choice. Thus, the written text will be readable. 

As for the font, you should select the traditional ones. This can be Arial or Times New Roman. Yes, it's very predictable and even boring. But the point is, such fonts are easy to read. This is of great importance. Weird fonts may look funny, but they are hard to read. As a result, your audience won't be able to understand the slides. What a shame! 

Animation elements and visual effects are considered as a tricky thing. They are often needless. They don't add any value to your presentation. Instead, they divert the attention of the audience so they cannot focus on what you're telling about. Also, your presentation will look overloaded because of them. It is better to have a simple yet high-quality presentation. It will be appreciated higher.

Don’t write too much text or statistics on the slides. Remember that PowerPoint presentation is not an essay. Don’t waffle. You are supposed to be as succinct as possible. To make slides readable, use bullet-points. But don't abuse them. Keep in mind that one slide should introduce one thought. You should adhere to this rule whenever you prepare a presentation.

It is always good to have a choice. There are many various options in powerpoint templates collection. But you should choose wisely. Don't pick the first available pattern. This is a bad idea. It is better to spend more time but to select a good one. 

They say that the first step is always the hardest. But practice makes perfect. Follow the aforementioned guidelines. They will help you create a top-notch PowerPoint presentation on the first try. And believe in yourself no matter what.