Based on the context and requirements, there are several methods to create PowerPoint presentations. Presentations, like other types of communication, contain fundamental ground rules that are frequently seen as cardinal regardless of what is being given.
Savvy presenters recognize that they cannot take the audience’s attention span for granted and must work strategically to make the most of the time they are given.
There has been a lot of studies done on presentation delivering strategies. We have created a list of some noteworthy rules that will help you in keeping your audience’s attention while delivering a presentation.
Why Is It Important To Capture The Attention Of Your Audience While Delivering A Presentation?
Different forms of media and communication focus on the concept of attention capture very seriously. Think about the last time you saw a TV commercial, the ad was probably a few seconds long, and the creators worked very hard to get the message across in those few seconds.
Every aspect was optimized fully aware that precious attention from the audience is likely to wander off if anything goes off subject in the advertisement.
There’s more: consider posters and banner adverts on websites, which are all created with space or time limits in mind, limiting how much time and attention the viewer can truly devote.
Consider PowerPoint presentations: the audience’s behaviour is unlikely to differ significantly: According to research, the average duration of concentrated attention span is 8 seconds, down from 12 seconds in 2020; there are enough distractions in today’s digital environment to drive these trends.
The basic lesson is that speakers must actively consider how to keep their audience’s attention. The ease of preparing slides with softwares like PowerPoint is a classic double-edged sword because it is so easy to add slides, text, pictures, and so on. Presenters often do too much without realizing it.
3 Golden Presentation Rules To Maximize Attention Span
Each of the following principles gives significant ideas for grabbing and retaining the attention of the audience. These rules can be used separately or in combination to meet your presentation’s unique needs and objectives:
1. 5-5-5 Rule
The 5-5-5 Rule aims to quantify the structure of a presentation. However, the number 5 digs further into the specifics of PowerPoint presentations and discusses arranging content inside a single slide.
The three 5s in the 5-5-5 rule stand for:
- 5 words – One sentence should not include more than five words (in a slide). This keeps the statement focused just on the objectives rather than constructing an entire tale around them.
- 5 sentences – A single slide should include no more than 5 phrases or lines of text. As a result, each slide becomes more approachable and readable for the audience.
- 5 slides – There should not be 5 text-heavy slides in a row in a presentation. Separate such slides, as much as possible. Having text-heavy slides follow after others might lead to information overload and boredom in the audience.
2. The 15-75-10 Narrative
Storytelling is one of the most effective tools in a presenter’s arsenal for creating business presentations. Without even realizing it, we as humans adore tales and absorb messages.
Narratively structuring your PowerPoint presentations is one of the best methods to do so. The 15-75-10 narrative rule states that:
- 15% Introduction: The Introduction slide should account for roughly 15% of the total presentation time, and it should include an introduction of yourself, if necessary, as well as the bigger notion that you plan to express throughout the presentation. You may also specify your touchpoints and objectives from the start.
- 75% Body: The presentation body, which accounts for around 75% of the presentation, is where each of your touchpoints is developed by utilizing content, examples, statistics, and facts relating to them. The body should respond to the topic’s what, why, and how inquiries.
- 10% Conclusion: The conclusion should take up the last 10% of your presentation. A nice conclusion is more than a slide with a thank you remark on it. A strong ending summarizes the presentation, discusses major areas of emphasis, offers contact information, includes a call-to-action, and encourages audience participation to recollect and review everything discussed throughout the presentation. Conclusions are succinct yet impactful elements of a presentation.
3. 10-20-30 Rule
Guy Kawasaki, a venture investor who is well-versed in producing and evaluating presentations, devised the 10-20-30 Rule. He developed this golden rule in reaction to hundreds of entrepreneurs proposing their ideas to him using thick 60+ slide PowerPoint presentations to convey something that might have been explained in ten minutes. While he developed the rule in the context of venture capital and start-up pitching, the 10-20-30 Rule can be applied almost to any company requirement.
The 10-20-30 rule states that each presentation should include no more than ten slides. The overall length for the presentation should not be more than 20 minutes. Furthermore, the font size for every content in the presentation should be no less than 30 px. The 10-20-30 rule works in the following way:
- 10 Slides – This is in regard to people’s attention spans and recalls abilities. For the typical person, clear and concise information is more beneficial than long-winded explanations and extensive descriptions. As a result, 10 slides are the optimal amount of slides to provide relevant information that can easily grab and retain the attention of your audience.
- 20 Minutes – After multiple periods of attention loss, this is the maximum time an audience is willing to give you. So, in order to keep the audience engaged and focused, try to finish your presentation within 20 minutes.
- 30 px Font Size – Every presenter confronts the challenge of including more information by choosing a small font size. Keeping the font-size: 30px also forces a presenter to keep their content concise and to the point, rather than depending on long-winded explanations squeezed into a page in 10px font size.
Wrapping It Up
It goes without saying that an effective presentation requires a solid framework. However, knowing the important rules that govern human psychology is critical for leaving an impact while presenting, whether to a group or an individual.
Using free powerpoint templates that pre-bake such insights and are particularly designed to attract the audience’s attention is a wise decision.It has never been simpler to create compelling, interesting, and successful PowerPoint presentations. In case you work with google slides, check out google slides templates to make effective presentations in a fraction of time.
Interesting Related Article: “Steps to the Perfect Business Presentation“