It’s inevitable that in the corporate world there will be presentations to be made and therefore it’s likely that you or your team have been saddled with managing the development of a PowerPoint presentation. If your presentations are few and far between, the impact of improperly using PowerPoint templates is not likely as significant, but you may still find this information useful. However, if your company conducts presentations on a larger scale, read on because companies that produce a large volume of PowerPoint slides are, more often than not, bleeding out money unnecessarily year after year due to incompetent presentation production practices.

The Problem

Since the date of this article, I have been a graphic design and PowerPoint specialist working with some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, science communications, and financial companies for nearly 22 years. In that time, I have learned quite a bit about how to properly use PowerPoint to maximize productivity. All too often, I have stumbled upon a recurring problem that is a costly mistake on the part of those footing the bill for the production of their presentation slides. What I have noticed is that those who are entrusted with development and production of the PowerPoint slide decks do not start with what I like to call a “proper” PowerPoint template. The reason for this is simply because they do not know what a “proper” PowerPoint template actually is and, therefore, do not know how to effectively utilize a PowerPoint template to efficiently design, develop, and format a large volume of PowerPoint slides. Hence, their lack of knowledge ultimately ends up adding an exorbitant amount of production time to project timelines and, as the old adage says, “time is money!” In the end, the additional time inevitably drives up the cost of their presentation projects which, in turn, decrease their profit margins.

How Does Using a PowerPoint Template Save Production Time?

1. Eliminates the Need to Repeatedly Reinvent the Wheel 

PowerPoint provides us with the ability to use master layouts with content placeholders for multiple slides that will follow the same layout structure. An experienced presentation specialist will be able to build a PowerPoint template that has various master layouts for slides that use similarly recurring layouts throughout the presentation. All too often inexperienced presentation designers will create each slide as a one off and reinvent the wheel each and every time that same layout is needed.

Well you’re probably saying, “that’s not a problem, I can simply copy and paste the slide in slide sorter and then change out the copy or data…easy peezy!” Sure, sounds like that would be a logical solution, right? What happens in the event that post slide-review meeting it is determined that all of the header rows of those similar table slides are too small and need to bumped up 2 font points? No big deal if it’s just a few slides, right? But in the case where you have 100 of that same slide type, that change needs to be formatted manually 100 times. How much production time is needed to make those changes? Had those particular slides been tied to a slide master, that change would be implemented once and take affect across all 100 slides in mere seconds.

2. Allows For Instantaneous Layout Changes by “Snapping to Template”

So you may be wondering what “snapping to template” is. As I mentioned previously, PowerPoint allows us to create custom master slide layouts with content placeholders. When I use the term “snapping to template,” I’m specifically referring to the practice of taking content (be it a graph, table, text box, etc.) and “snapping” or anchoring it to the content placeholder of the applied slide layout. If the content contained within slides are simply floating around on the slide and are not anchored to a content placeholder (which is unfortunately all too often the case), the ability to quickly apply a different slide master layout without a need for major resizing and reformatting is not an option. Again, many may argue that it is not a big deal to reapply formatting and reposition content. However, these bad practices can add a heap of production time when there are a multitude of similar slides with complicated graphs that, for example, need to go from a 1/2 page layout to a 1/3 page layout.

Is It a PowerPoint Template or a PowerPoint Deck Masquerading as a PowerPoint Template? What’s the Difference?

There is a HUGE difference between the two and an experienced presentation production specialist knows what the differences are and is willing to educate their project manager(s) as to the reasons why it is imperative to start with a valid PowerPoint template from the project’s onset.

Companies can sometimes be their own worst enemy by employing or contracting presentation designers who are not aware of the differences between an actual PowerPoint template and a PowerPoint deck masquerading as a PowerPoint template. I’ve been down this road so many times with clients who truly believe they have a “proper” PowerPoint template that they’d like me to use for their slide deck.

The conversation typically goes something like this:

I’ve outlined a few key points below that will help distinguish an actual PowerPoint template from a PowerPoint deck that is mistakenly used as a template.

These are just a few of the key template characteristics that a properly formatted PowerPoint template should have addressed. Additionally, it is often helpful if the PowerPoint template designer also provide a style guide, especially for projects where there will be multiple people formatting slides for the same presentation. A style guide will provide approved guidelines for color choices for comparators, line weights, font sizes for the various components such as headers, subtitles, chart titles, x- and y- axis labels, etc., arrow types, global conventions, gap width for bar charts, and so on.

So Let’s Analyze How Misusing a Powerpoint Template Can Translate To Dollars and Cents

I’ve worked on some large-scale projects for pharmaceutical companies preparing for both FDA Advisory Committee and Regulatory meetings. Typically, there may be anywhere from 5 to 8 presenters, each with their own slide decks all tied to the same PowerPoint template theme. The decks are content-heavy with lots of scientific graphs, tables, and detailed information. There is usually a core presentation that may have roughly 100 slides, plus a library of back-up slides. As a part of the presentation support team, we normally format thousands of back-up slides. Depending on the meeting, the back-up slides typically number anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 slides. Of those, only 100 or so slides will be shown, but every slide has the potential of being shown. Which means that every slide must be formatted per the slide template. Whoa! That’s a whole lot of slides to work on! But, granted, the project timeline for these engagements usually runs anywhere from 4 to 6 months with 2 to 6 presentation production staff…sometimes more.

In these type of projects, having slides that are not properly tied to slide masters with content that is not properly anchored to content placeholders can be quite costly in terms of additional formatting time if the production team must format individual components on each individual slide rather than simply applying a slide master layout to multiple slides in one fell swoop.

So How Much Can “Lack of PowerPoint Knowledge” Cost?

Using the above example, let’s do the math using the worst-case scenario…

A back-up library of 10,000 slides. Let us also assume that the “lack of knowledge” cost factor adds a mere 5 minutes per slide. It can add more time but, for argument’s sake…we’ll say 5 additional production minutes per slide. As of 2019, the average standard rate agencies charge for presentation production support is $150.00 per hour.

10,000 slides x 5 minutes = 50,000 minutes

50,000 minutes / 60 minutes = 833.33 hours

833.33 hours x $150.00 = $125,000.00

Yes…you read that right! 5 additional minutes spent formatting 10,000 slides can add $125,000.00 in unnecessary production costs!

Ok…you’re thinking “ we typically only have 5,000 slides in our back-up library.” That’s still a whopping $62,500.00 in additional and unnecessary production costs! 

2,000 slides? $25,000.00 in additional and unnecessary production costs.

100 slides? $1,250.00 in additional and unnecessary production costs.

Are you starting to get the picture as to just how much money your company can be losing due to mere incompetence?

The Key Takeaway

When tasking an employee or contracting an agency with your presentation endeavors, it is absolutely worth the effort to ensure that you are involving presentation experts who work in a highly efficient manner by properly utilizing PowerPoint templates to develop presentation slides, meet deadline expectations, minimize production costs, and ultimately improve your bottom line rather than eating up your profit margins. 

For more information about how iSpeak CREATIVE can assist you with preparation for an upcoming meeting, please click here.

1. Structure Your Presentation

It depends on personal preference but there are a few different ways to do this. Some will create a story board of sticky notes or draw on a wipe board. Personally, I find that creating a simple text outline is the easiest way to go because of the time-saving benefit that allows copying and pasting from the outline directly into the slide deck. DOWNLOAD the iSpeak CREATIVE sample presentation outline.

2. Evaluate Your Presentation Environment

It is advisable that you find out, prior to delving into the design development of your presentation template, what the venue atmosphere is like. These specs should be heavily weighed and factored into the presentation design development. Below are some key questions I recommend answering prior to moving on to the design phase of your slide presentation project:

• Will the presentation be projected or displayed on a flat panel screen?

• Will the room be well lit, have ambient light, or be completely dark?

• Is the room a large ballroom or a small conference room?

• Will there be a printed handout to accompany the presentation?
  If so, will the handouts be printed in color or B&W?

3. Develop Your Design Theme

It is highly recommended that you use a presentation design template theme for your slides and preferably one that has been designed to coincide with your company’s branding. This will give your presentation a more cohesive look as opposed to appearing as if you just pulled slides together from all different sources.

4. Consider The Basic Design Elements That Make Up The PowerPoint Template Theme

I have come to experience, after so many years of assisting professionals with pulling together their presentations, that this is the area that most struggle with. Chances are, whether you’ve been tasked with this assignment, or have personally chosen to speak to an audience regarding a certain topic, you likely have quite a bit to share regarding the subject matter. You may even be regarded as a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) on the category. If that is the case, then you should have plenty of content to drop in but may struggle on how best to format it for maximum impact and comprehension. Below I have compiled a list of the most important design factors to consider.

A. SLIDE BACKGROUND

When it comes to design in general for presentations, form should follow function. I highly recommend keeping image backgrounds on the title and section break slides and only minimally branding the interior slide layouts.

DO:

• …use a branded company template whenever possible. As mentioned above, it’s always best to represent your company in a cohesive manner across all mediums including your presentation. Even if you don’t have a branded company template, you can at least tie in your company’s brand colors. For more information on how to customize your PowerPoint theme colors click here.

For more information on branded PowerPoint templates click here.

• …keep left and right margins equal and narrow. I’ve seen countless templates wherein the designer (who is sometimes also the presenter) tries to get “jazzy” with the interior slide background and add a curved design element that yields asymmetrical right and left margins. It only works in the initial design phase because it is visually appealing, adds interest, and may even include brand design elements. However, in the long run, it creates a production nightmare once actual content needs to be dropped in. Ultimately, the first thing to go is the asymmetrical background graphic that limits the content area. Trust me…keep it simple and symmetrical right from the start. You’ll thank me later. Alternatively, you can still have an asymmetrical option for interior slides. However, I’d advise not having it as the main interior slide layout.

DON’T:

• …use gradient background colors in the content area. It’s best to steer clear of gradient backgrounds and simply use a solid color because some content may contain graphics with various value hues or gradients that may drop out against a certain portion of a gradient background.

• …simply insert a JPEG image into the slide master and send it to the back. There is a proper way to use an image as a slide background and simply inserting it onto the slide master is not it. Doing so will not only increase your file size each time that particular layout is repeated, but if the deck is being circulated amongst team members, you risk someone inadvertently shifting the image or deleting it. A background image should be locked in place. For more information on how to properly use an image as a slide background or watermark please click here.

B. COLOR CHOICES

Though it may not seem like a major factor to consider, the colors chosen will determine the clarity of visuals and greatly affect how impactful graphics will be in conveying messages effectively.

DO:

• …use at least 8 to 10 highly contrasting colors. Choose color wisely for maximum impact, clarity, and legibility. High contrast is key. These can be saturated tones, muted tones, or a combination that work well together, but the key is that they be distinguishable from one another.

• …use the squint test. The colors you choose for your theme should pass the squint test. In other words, if you squint, you should easily be able to distinguish each color from the next…especially in a line graph.

• …consider your presentation environment. Earlier on I mentioned that a key consideration is the presentation environment. High contrasting colors are especially important in the case of projection environments (as opposed to an HD flat panel display), because the way in which colors show up on your laptop may deviate greatly when converted to the spectrum of light.

DON’T:

• …choose multiple shades of the same color as a color scheme. While many may all too often gravitate towards a monochromatic or analogous color scheme, opting to do so may jeopardize clear and succinct communication in presentations that are laden with charts and graphs. The reason is simply due in part to the lack of contrast or hue differentiation (especially with line graphs) whereby it becomes difficult to identify, even with a legend, which line represents which comparator.

  This is particularly true with variations of blue. On your screen there are endless blue hues. However, when translated to a projection environment, the various shades of blue you’ve chosen may default to only 2 or 3 distinguishable hues. This becomes a problem in such scenarios where a pharmaceutical company, for example, showcases a line graph that utilizes shades of blue for different dosage levels of the same drug. Unfortunately, they will often find out in the presentation environment that the audience cannot discern which dosage level they are referencing in their talking points because too many of the lines appear to be the same color.

C. FONT & TEXT SIZES

The most important question to consider when choosing fonts and text sizes for a presentation is:

“Can the person in the back of the room see this?”

I cannot stress enough the importance of legibility for a presentation. In terms of text sizes…
BIGGER is usually better!

DO:

• …choose font sizes that your audience will actually be able to see. Seems obvious doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s not as I have all too often come across tables with 5 pt text.

• …choose a sans serif font. While serif fonts may work well for printed documents, it is much easier to read san serif fonts on screen and when projected as the serif may get lost in bright lighting situations. The exception to this is in such cases when a serif font is an important and recognizable part of the company brand.

• …stick with the default fonts preloaded in PowerPoint. This will make things much easier in situations where you are working with other team members and the slide deck will be circulated.

• …use more than 2 fonts. Personally, I try to stick with one font as much as possible and just vary the font weight and/or color for emphasis whenever necessary.

• …vary font sizes unnecessarily. It’s amazing how simply formatting all the labels within a graph to the same font size will declutter a slide. A good rule of thumb for graph label font sizes is to determine what the absolute minimum size needs to be for any label within the graph and then make everything else that same size. The exception would be in the case where a graph has so many data points that the labels need to be tiny. In such cases, it’s ok to keep all the other labels on the graph to a more legible size and only scale down the size of the data point labels. If you need to emphasize the graph header label or axis labels, you can do so by making them bold, changing the color, or both.

5. Keep Content Balanced and Engaging

We’ve all heard of the saying “less is more.” Please, for the love of your audience, keep this saying in the back of your mind always when pulling together a slide presentation. Below are a few recommendations:

DO:

• …include a good balance of text and visuals such as infographics, tables, and simple animations. This is key to keeping your audience engaged and maximizes the likelihood that the intended message will be understood.

• …keep text to a maximum of 3 to 5 bullets per section. If the section requires more text than that, then there is likely an opportunity to convert the text into a visual graphic. For more information on custom infographics click here.

• …use the same animation style throughout. If you’re not well-versed in animation but feel like you’d like to incorporate it for that extra bit of oomph, keep to one or two animation affects at most and apply the same style across all slides that animate. For example, a simple fade or wipe right with similar timing keeps it clean and professional.

DON’T:

• …create a presentation that serves as a script for your audience to read along with you. Text should be kept to a minimum and bulleted text is always preferred over long, drawn out paragraphs.

• …incorporate every animation function that PowerPoint offers. Remember…less is more! The overuse of animation can quickly become obnoxious and, if completely over-the-top can, instead of emphasizing a point, have the opposite desired effect because the animation becomes a distraction.

6. Proof Everything…Thrice…and Then Have Someone Else Proof it!

We’ve all been there in the middle of a meeting, listening to someone present when the next slide comes up and your eye is immediately drawn to that typo right smack dab in the middle of the second bullet point. Oops! If you’re anything like me, you no longer listen to whatever they’re saying and can only focus on that misspelled word. I mean…I get it…there it is…right there for everyone to see. You think to yourself “didn’t they proof?” It happens! But it didn’t have to happen if only they had proofed it THRICE and then some!