Add animation to Supercharge PowerPoint
By Kevin Lerner, Exec. Director of The Presentation Team

We live in a world of constant motion. And yet, in the world of presentations, most PowerPoint productions remain as motionless as a picture on the wall. Even the simplest of animating and screen transitions can add impact to an otherwise dull presentation. But the effects of effects extend beyond mere showmanship; animation can actually serve to create a more memorable and polished presentation.

Benefits of animation

• More accurate synchronization/integration with speaker topics
• Perception of greater preparedness, quality, and professionalism
• More clarified explanation of topics or visuals (i.e. time-related info, or org. charts)
• Greater audience attentiveness and memory retention
  

Some stalwart presenters still stick to the notion that a static slide (all bullets shown at once ala 35mm slides of the past) is the best way to visually support a speaker. But numerous studies have shown that animation provides a psychological edge for presenters and a more enjoyable experience for audiences.

Simple PowerPoint animation is often the most effective (albeit conservative) method to animating text and graphics. The more "exciting" effects within PowerPoint are often too whimsical for the average business presentation; ask yourself if you would ever see any of these effects on a television program.

One effect that's nice for text is the zoom effect applied letter-by-letter. The fade-in effect or dissolve works gracefully for graphics and text. And don't forget the simple wipe or dissolve for no-nonsense displays.

Animation advice

• Don't get so consumed by developing the content of the presentation that you neglect to add animation.
• Don't get so consumed by adding cool animation effects to your presentation that you neglect to add content.
• Too much animation can be detract from the message; just because the effect is in PowerPoint doesn't mean it should be used.
• Be relatively consistent in your animations. Don't jump from dissolve... to wipe...to boomerang...to spiral in, etc. Avoid the randomize effect.
• Make sure the end-user's computer can handle the animation.
• Test the presentation in screen show mode to ensure the animation and its timing are correct.

Though PowerPoint is a powerful and commonplace tool for presentations, its animation features are somewhat limited. To help energize PowerPoint, consider Crystal Graphics' PowerPlugs, a series of add-ins for PowerPoint designed to spice up slides in a number of ways. Four volumes of animation and transition effects provide more than 200 ways to keep audiences mesmerized between slides, with stunning 3D visual effects and realistic synchronized sounds. Discover more PowerPoint Plugins and Crystal Graphics' products here.

With compelling graphics and a polished delivery, the animated presentation will likely be remembered as a winner, and can often spell the difference between average and exceptional. Go forth and animate!

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