PowerPoint animations: Best practices

PowerPoint animations can add value to your presentation, improve communication effectiveness and keep viewers engaged. Without an occasional animation to mix things up visually, your presentation will come across as monotonous. While animations are a great way to enhance your presentation, this doesn’t mean that every slide must have an animation. Overuse of animations can overwhelm your audience and distract from the valuable information you are trying to share. Striking the right balance can ensure your audience has a positive experience.

When creating a PowerPoint presentation, remember that content comes first and the purpose of the presentation is sharing the information, not impressing the audience with your animations. The animations are meant to visually enhance your presentation without distracting from the content. They should serve a purpose, such as drawing attention to key information, telling a story or communicating a process. Simple and subtle effects on text, graphics, charts and other elements can boost engagements and reinforce points. The fading and appearing animations are effective subtle approaches, rather than the more dynamic fly-ins and spins. When using content effects and animations, be consistent by using one or two types of animations throughout. Make sure that the animations follow the same direction (e.g., text appearing from top to bottom or graphics appearing from left to right) and that slide transition animations are uniform. Consistency is key.

PowerPoint animations and transitions can enhance your slides but keep these tips in mind when creating a cohesive and visually appealing presentation. Set up either automatic or on-demand transitions based on your presentation style. Animations can be powerful tools in presentations and can enhance effective communication and engagement when properly used.

If you need help finding the perfect balance between engaging and informative in your presentations, reach out to AOE today.