Using the Element of Surprise in Power Point Design

One way to make your PowerPoint presentation engaging is to throw in an occasional surprise. I’m not talking about wacky sound effects or jarring transitions. I’m referring to unexpected information that can stop your audience in its tracks. As a presenter, you want to lead your audience down a certain path. But if that path is too predictable, then your audience will subconsciously tune you out. It’s like reading a book. If you already know how it’s going to end, you’re less likely to finish it. So lets get back to our powerpoint presentation. Suppose your introductory Power Point slide talked about how more and more Americans were choosing salads over fast food for lunch. And your next slide had the following statistic; Over one-third of Americans are overweight. Not only was that unexpected, but it’s surprising enough to make your audience hang in with the rest of your presentation to find out why Americans are in such bad shape.