One rule for animation: if it does not serve understanding, delete it. The only animation you usually need is revealing elements one at a time as you explain them.
1 Your screen is not their screen
Switch it on from Slide Show → Use Presenter View. If the two screens come up the wrong way round, the Swap Displays button fixes it in a second — learn where it is before you need it in front of an audience.
2 Purposeful animation
| Use | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Revealing bullets one at a time | Useful | Stops people reading ahead and holds attention |
| Highlighting an element in a chart as you explain | Useful | Directs the eye to what you are talking about |
| One simple, consistent transition between slides | Acceptable | Gives a sense of sequence |
| Spins, bounces and fly-ins | Delete it | Distracting and unprofessional |
| A different transition on every slide | Delete it | Breaks consistency and draws attention to itself |
3 Before you walk into the room
Rehearse out loud
And time it for real
A PDF copy
A backup if the file fails
A copy on a USB stick
And in the cloud too
A trial on the room’s machine
Fonts, sound and the port
Anticipated questions
And backup slides for them
The closing ask
What you want them to decide
Five minutes of preparation prevents ten minutes of fumbling in front of management
Backup slides for questions
After the last slide, place detailed slides that answer the questions you expect — a cost breakdown, a supplier comparison, the effect of different scenarios. Do not show them, but have them ready if asked; producing one at the right moment leaves a strong impression of preparation.
Inspect the deck before you send it
As in Word: the file carries author data, speaker notes and hidden slides. Use File → Info → Inspect Document before sending the deck outside the organisation — your personal notes on the slides are not for anyone else’s eyes.
Chapter 1 summary
- Start with the message and the structure, before the program.
- The slide master sets consistency from one place.
- Visual hierarchy is made with size, colour and space.
- A chart answers a question, and its title is the conclusion.
- Purposeful animation only, with Presenter View and a PDF backup.
4 Test your understanding
Three quick questions
Pick the answer you believe is correct and you will see the result immediately.
1. You want your notes in front of you without the audience seeing them:
Presenter View gives you the notes, the next slide and the timer on your screen alone.
2. Which animation genuinely serves understanding?
A staged reveal keeps the audience’s attention on the point you are speaking to right now.
3. The most important precaution for presentation day:
What throws presenters most is a technical failure that five minutes of testing would have caught.