Stories are such an integral part of humans. From folklores to the present day Netflix-dramas, there have always been stories surrounding us. Every society and culture has stories that have been passed down through generations. They are easy to remember and effective in influencing our way of life.
So if storytelling can be so persuasive, why do we not adopt it into our profession? Why not make use of this medium to communicate our ideas? Instead of simply throwing in some slides with bullet points, why not craft a pitch deck with a story? A presentation in a story format and attractive visuals, can be far more memorable for the audience.
Today, let us learn the art of visual storytelling and impress our audience with the best PowerPoint presentation designs they have ever seen.
What is visual storytelling? | Best PowerPoint presentation designs
Visual storytelling is the art of including visual elements like pictures, diagrams and videos to convey your story. It is an important communicative tool that can help presentations to be more engaging, motivating and impactful.
But why are they so effective? It’s because when listeners hear a story, they mentally transport themselves into the story. This experience makes the story and the message in it more memorable. So, for your next PowerPoint presentation design idea, make sure you tell a great story that leaves your listeners with a lasting impression.
To help you form a good storyline, you can follow this 4-step guide.
- Setting – It sets up the premise for your characters. It can be a quote, an anecdote, or a hard-hitting statistic.
- Characters – Your character can be based on real-life stories, an anecdote or any humanized element of the statistics you present.
- Conflict – Once you introduce your character, talk about the challenges the character faces. This acts as a bridge for the audience to go from “why the particular product” to the “how it can benefit”
- Resolution – Now solve the conflict.
10 visual storytelling tips to create an impact on your audience
We have compiled together a list of 10 PowerPoint presentation design tips to help you tell your story in the most appealing manner.
Begin with a powerful image
Start strong with a powerful image, aka a power image. The power image is used to invoke a strong emotion from your audience. It could be something that gets them thinking or something that tickles their funny bones. Whatever it may be, a good power image will grab the audience’s attention instantly and that’s exactly what we need.
Opt for the right fonts
Truth is, people are bored with the default Times New Roman font in presentations. Use different fonts like Raleway, Georgia, Montserrat, Futura, etc to give your presentation a fresh look. Besides this, the colour of your font also matters. Make sure the background colour and font colour do not clash.
Understand the psychology of colours
Did you know that colours influence emotion? For example, blue can make us feel loyalty, trust and peace, while green can make us feel growth, security and hope, and red can make us feel passionate and intense. So choose your colours based on the emotion you want your audience to feel. And always ensure the colours are uniform throughout your presentation.
Group similar visuals together
Group images that are of a similar style. It could be black & white vs. colour, modern vs. vintage, etc. Grouping similar styles makes the images go well together.
Avoid information overload
Too much information in your presentation can make it hard for your audience to grasp it. So always keep your slides simple and to the point. If you have additional information that you want to convey, then do so verbally rather than including it in your presentation. Include break slides in between content heavy slides to give the audience a chance to tune out.
Include text with images
Visual storytelling is all about using images. But instead of using just an image, try combining it with text. When it’s done right, the two elements will tie up neatly together. If creating a presentation is daunting for you, then hire a professional who provides PowerPoint presentation design services.
Convert mind-numbing data into graphics
If you’re presenting a pitch deck, chances are you have data and statistics to show. But this data, when presented in a text format, can be boring and incomprehensible. Therefore, convert the data into attractive graphics or charts to help them understand it better. Get cool PowerPoint presentation designs with compelling visuals from PitchWorx.
Use CSD charting
CSD stands for Categorical, Sequential and Diverging. Categorical charts contain data from different categories, so you’ll have to use different colours to indicate the different categories. Sequential charts contain data that changes with time. For this type of chart, you can use a single colour with varying saturations. Diverging charts indicate two opposites, like hot vs. cold. Use complementary colours to showcase the differences.
Follow the 6-6 rule
The 6-6 rule is extremely useful in avoiding information overload. The rule states that no more than 6 bullets should be present in a particular slide. And each bullet should only have 6 words. This ensures that your presentation doesn’t take away your spotlight as a speaker. Because, as an audience, we tend to read the presentation without paying attention to the speaker. To avoid this, follow the 6-6 rule.
Clear call-to-action
A pitch deck with no call to action can be confusing to the audience. Once you’ve given them the information, you need to tell them what to do with that information. A call to action could be anything from asking them to buy a particular product, support a cause, or even to contact you. The final action should be clearly stated.
Conclusion
To sum it up, presenting information in the visual storytelling format can make the presentation highly memorable and impactful. A well-crafted presentation with stories and great visuals helps the audience to grasp the information quicker and even remember it for a longer time. So adopt the above tips to create the best PowerPoint presentation design for your next pitch and impress everyone!
