Make it Move...Make it Memorable
By Kevin Lerner, Exec. Director of The Presentation Team

Don't let your presentation go to waste by having your slides appear all at once with static items on screen.  Deep within PowerPoint are features that can make your presentations jump to life. Dynamic animations, captivating transitions, and lively sound effects are all available to the savvy presentation developer. All it takes is time for preparation and a desire to push the envelope of average presentations. 

Adding animation and movement not only makes your presentation more dynamic and interesting but also more memorable.  Here are 7 lucky strategies for working with animation in PowerPoint:

1. Guide the eye along with animation.  Bring in each item (or groups of items) one at a time with fly/zoom animation effects.
2. Don't go too wild with animation effects.  Sometimes a simple wipe transition is just as effective...and big 3D transitions like page turns can choke a slow/old computer system.
3. Introduce large blocks of text letter-by-letter with a Zoom animation and 10% delay.
4. Where appropriate, add mild sound effects to each effect (like a whoosh or click).  Be cautious on this; sometimes sound actually detracts from a presentation.
5. Keep your transitions relatively consistent...and tame.  Just because PowerPoint has many effects doesn't mean they all need to be used in your presentation.
6. On screens that are already fully displayed/animated (or a full page graphic), use a rectangle filled with 50% yellow to simulate a highlighted block and animate it over items that you want to highlight.
7. Leave enough time during development to add effects.  Whether you add the effects all at once, or as you're working on each slide, try not to get caught with having a great looking presentation without the effects to match simply because you ran out of time.

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