Business Tip 14
Clarifying the Message

Some simple pointers that can dramatically improve the "look" ...
and clarity of your next business presentation

Making a presentation or analysis look good is an easy way to clarify and elevate the quality of the message - and something that is frequently overlooked. You don't have to be a designer to make a presentation look professional. Just follow these design tips and you can dramatically improve the look of your presentation and the effect it has on your audience.

Simplicity

Complicating the message with too much information is one of the most common mistakes that category and brand managers make and this is perfectly understandable - they don't want to leave anything out! But most buyers appreciate a message that is straightforward and easy to understand.

Instead of crowding everything onto one slide, put it on two. State the facts clearly and in as few words as possible (without being vague).

Consistency

Consistency of layout and of style goes a long way toward improving and differentiating your message. A common mistake people make is changing the position of headlines, bullets, charts and source text from one slide to the next. This is very distracting for the viewer because information jumps around the screen.

Define colors, fonts and styles to use in the presentation and stick with them. Avoid using too many "special effects" (bold, underline, shadow, 3D, italics, etc.). They often have the opposite effect of what you intend because they can draw attention away from your message and sometimes even make it unintelligible.

Professional

Creating clean, consistent presentations may be doable in-house, but making sure it is in-line with your brand, corporate or communication strategy may require the skills of an experienced graphic designer. Invest a few dollars for backgrounds and creative elements. Your brand image is worth it!

The data, products and accounts depicted in this example are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual data, products or accounts is purely coincidental.