In his book, Presenting to Win: The Art of Sharing Your Story and Designing Your Slides, presentation coach and expert Jerry Weissman warns of something he calls “presentation-as-document syndrome.” It’s the tendency of presenters and audience members to treat presentation slides like documents, stand-alone reports that can be shared.
We are still battling this in 2022. But we are seeing an exciting shift in presentations that might just be the end of this syndrome. Last Thursday, we broke down 3 of the major trends in presentation design in 2022. We told you presentations are becoming more cinematic, they are using more data viz, and they are increasingly collaborative.
Today, we want to zoom in on that first trend and give you some tips on how to make your presentations more cinematic. If we can learn to think dynamically, enhance our slide transitions, and add music and animation, our presentations will take on a cinematic quality that meets the multimedia demands of 2022.
Cinematic Presentations are Dynamic (Not Linear)
In order to create presentations that look and feel more like movies and less like books, we’ve got to think outside the line. This might be more difficult than we imagine. We’ve been used to creating and consuming information in lines for a very, very long time. Even as I type this (or you read this), we can start to realize how strongly information and lines are connected. From the sentence, to the book, to the slide deck, everything comes in a line. What does it look like to think beyond that, more dynamically?
I think it looks something like this “infinite resolution” digital art piece. Take about a minute to watch it now.
Without going to that impressive depth, presenters can still take advantage of these same techniques. Here are two quick suggestions for how to accomplish this:
1. Zoom In or Out: Instead of simply switching to the next slide like flipping a page, consider zooming in or out to go to the next information you want to cover. Prezi is one of the best presentation programs for this feature. Check out what it looks like and some more information on how to use it here.
2. Use Morph Features: In PowerPoint, the Morph feature is one of the quickest ways to make your presentation more cinematic. This feature gives your slides a more seamless feel. Check out what it looks like and how to use it in this quick Microsoft tutorial.
Cinematic Presentations Incorporate Music & Movement
If you are afraid to add music and movement to your presentations for fear that it seems less professional, you aren’t alone. In fact, in a survey of over 300 people, Decktopus found that 32% of weekly presentations were created for academic purposes. When those high school and college students exit academia, they are used to creating presentations for school assignments. So no wonder so many people think these types of multimedia elements detract or distract from the “serious” work a slide deck needs to do; it’s what they’ve been taught. But there’s a marked purpose and audience shift between a class project and a sales pitch.
If our first tip is to switch from linear thinking to dynamic thinking, our second is to switch from academic thinking to entertainment thinking. A presentation which incorporates music and movement will engage your audience while also helping them retain the information. If you’ve never added these types of elements to your presentations, use these great tutorials to get you started.
Adding music
Find out how to add music to your Canva presentation here.
See how to add music to your PowerPoint presentation here.
Adding video
Find out how to add a video to your PowerPoint presentation here.
See out how to add video to your Prezi presentation here.
Find out how to add video and audio to your Keynote presentation here.
Once you start thinking dynamically and adding audio and movement to your presentations, you are winning the battle against presentation-as-document syndrome. Your slide deck isn’t a document, but an experience. One that captures your audience from the beginning to end.
The question now isn’t whether to add creative transitions, audio, or visual elements; it’s whether you should serve popcorn.
Need more help making your presentations cinematic? We’ve got you. Find out how we can help.
