There are many things in the modern working day that might not fill a person with joy, but few of them are so unpopular that they have a nickname that includes ‘death’. That is a honour reserved for PowerPoint presentations, and who can say they haven’t sat through ‘death by PowerPoint’?
When it comes to presentations, there is a better way. Whiteboard animation engages, entertains and informs your audience without feeling overwhelming or dry. Whiteboard animation makes the ideal PowerPoint alternative because it combines the strengths of PowerPoint presentations with tailored visual thinking and extra features.
How to make a boring PowerPoint more interesting
We’ll get on to how whiteboard animation can make your presentations better in a second. First things first however. If you are going to make a PowerPoint presentation - how can you make a boring PowerPoint more interesting and less torturous?
Avoid information overload
One of the biggest problems PowerPoint presentations often face is being packed with too much information. Slides bursting with text and bullet points aren’t helping anyone. Presentations work best when information is delivered with enough space to be understood and absorbed by your audience.
Not only does this remove some of the torture, it means you are able to make your points more clearly and memorably.
Use engaging visuals
As well as reducing the impact of your message, using too much text does nothing to help you engage or connect effectively with your audience well. This is vital as you invite your audience into the ideas and world you are trying to share.
Images and illustrations help you overcome this, capturing the essence of your ideas in rich and relatable images that support the points you are making.
Make your presentation flow well
One smooth slide doesn’t make a good presentation. Flowing well is an essential part of holding a viewer’s interest and attention during a PowerPoint presentation. If the way you deliver points is stilted and uneven, it can act as a block to people trying to take on and consider your message.
Keeping the energy up and presenting a natural, flowing way, you can avoid this and take people with you as you introduce them to your ideas.
Use a strong structure
Whether it’s a new IT policy or that time you almost climbed a mountain, there’s a story. The human brain is wired to learn using stories so structuring your presentation like this is a must. There are a lot of ways to structure your narrative, and we cover some of them in this script writing blog.
Why whiteboard animation makes a great PowerPoint alternative
Even keeping all these things in mind as you create your PowerPoint presentation, presenting in a way which spares, dare we say inspires, is a challenge. Presenting this way is also limited to the people in front of you or that you can reach through a recording.
Whiteboard animation is the ideal PowerPoint alternative. It allows you to engage and inform your audience more effectively, and it can do it on any device - from a smart phone to a smart TV, or at a live event. Whiteboard animations can do this because each one is made uniquely for you, embracing all of the presentation strengths mentioned above while bringing a whole host of extras.
The message
At the heart of any presentation is your message; sharing it is the whole point of your presentation. Whiteboard videos capture your message in a script, tailored to explain your ideas in the best way possible and appeal to your audience. A carefully considered script can use the perfect language to connect with your audience, in a way that feels like you or your brand.
Refining your message into a script allows you to ensure it is delivered just right by a voiceover artist and gives illustrators everything they need to transform your thoughts and words into visual thinking that captivates and explains .
Illustrations and Visual Thinking
Illustrators transform your message and script into rich, custom and targeted visuals using visual thinking. Visual thinking is the process of applying visual devices like cultural references, visual metaphors and creative visualisations of information or data. Combined with humour and charm, these devices allow you make the most of communicative power of visual of storytelling.
This delivers your message in a way that engages, informs and stays with your audience. Using the tools mentioned above, visual thinking gives you another superpower when it comes to explaining ideas. It can make connections between different points and show how ideas grow across the course of your animation by using animation to add new elements and layers to illustrations.
Animation
Animation guides your audience through your message, setting a good pace and framing your points and scenes in the best way for viewers to take them on board. Breathing life into characters and illustrations, it helps you develop ideas and points, and hold the attention of your audience.
Animation is also a great way to add moments of charm, humour (where relevant) and emotion to your message. It could be the facial expression of a character or the way a prop or part of the scene moves. These can be invaluable ways of connecting with viewers.
VOs, music and SFX
Sound plays a vital role in sharing your message and keeping viewers engaged. Whiteboard animation uses all of these to the fullest. A voiceover brings your script to life and adds a new layer of meaning to what is happening on screen.
SFX support illustrations and animations, boosting engagement and adding emphasis to important points being made. Adding music can help you set the right tone and help you hold attention better.
The reach and the impact
Crucially, whiteboard animation allows your message and presentation to reach a much greater audience. Whiteboard videos can be placed on homepages and landing pages, and be shared to potentially huge audiences on social networks. They also make a great addition to live events like book launches and training sessions.
The combination of illustrations, animations, onscreen text and a voiceover makes whiteboard animations memorable and their messages clear, no matter how complex or detail heavy. Finished with clear calls to action, this allows you to give your message the impact it deserves.
Whiteboard Animation - what the research says
When we first began creating the RSA Animates series and pioneering whiteboard animation, we were blown away by the audience response. To understand more about it, we worked with Professor Richard Wiseman, Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. Together, we compared a talking head video and a whiteboard animation that used the same voiceover.
We found that the whiteboard animation was:
66% more likely to be shared
resulted in a 15% increase in information retention
was rated 33% more entertaining
While PowerPoint presentations may hold some fond memories, if you want to share your message in an impactful, engaging and memorable way, whiteboard animations are the ideal choice. Each one is made bespoke just for you, your audience and your subject, and offers the creative freedom to deliver your message in the ideal way.
We have been making whiteboard animations since 2004. We’ve tackled everything from the rules of the golf to black holes. We would love to hear about your project or vision. Book a free creative consultation or contact us today!
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