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When using PowerPoint slides you want them to actually help and raise the quality of your presentation, not simply exist alongside it. The best way to do this is to ensure that your slides do not simply restate what you are saying. You should not be reading from your slides. Really, you want PowerPoint presentations to contain as little text as possible. Having to read text will distract your audience, even if only unconsciously, from what you are telling them. With this in mind, keep your text to a minimum and present it in a way that is easy to read, such as a bulleted list. So, if you can't put all your information onto your slides, how are you supposed to tell your audience everything that can't fit into your speech? Handouts! Make a one or two page handout, for each audience member or for people to take at will, which contains a section for each slide or portion of your presentation. Here you can put extra information or key points of information that were included in your presentation. Graphics are what make a really engaging PowerPoint presentation. These can provide your audience with a new way of looking at what you are trying to tell them. They can provide information which may be difficult for you to convey in words, such as charts and graphs. You will want to be sure, however, that they actually add to your presentation and do not simply provide a distraction. With the above information in mind, you will want to be absolutely sure that you do not include unnecessary visuals or audio. Examples would include transition animations, clip art, sound effects, and cluttered templates or background images. These are the features which tend to make Powerpoint presentations boring, dated, and unhelpful. They distract audience members and add nothing to the presentation. They even hinder the audience's ability to absorb information.
Streamline text. Give handouts. Use informative graphics. Cut unnecessary sounds and visuals.