Visuals are a great way to enhance your presentation. And for nervous public speakers, visuals are like an insurance policy. They can keep you on track, remind you of which information you’re discussing in which order and as an added bonus, they give your audience something to look at besides you. It’s fine to use PowerPoint—you don’t need to get too fancy with your visuals. Follow these general guidelines when putting together your slides:
- Keep lots of white space in each slide—don’t try to cram in too much info.
- Use contrasting colors that are easy to read, like black type on a white background.
- Put everything in a very large font size.
- Use bullet points and incomplete sentences.
Don’t be afraid to add some lighthearted, relevant humor, like a cartoon. Your audience will thank you for it if it’s done in good taste. Most public speakers try to use about one slide per minute of the presentation.