Top Ten lists of most hated things about Power Point are heavy with one word—boring, boring, boring.

Next on the list are “the speaker reads the slides” and “I can read faster than the speaker can speak, so just send me the deck and let me get out of there!”

By reading to the end of this article, you will have 7 uncommonly powerful techniques to incorporate into your next presentation.  These techniques will pretty much force you not to be boring and will keep the audience’s attention.

1)      Insert blank slides throughout your deck: The mechanics are simple. Insert blank slides intermittently throughout the deck and color those slides black.

Why? When you have great content to speak, using blank slides allows you and the audience to concentrate on that content. This content may include things such as props, exercises on a handout, audience participation, reading from original sources such as books, newspapers, and magazines. You might quote something you read online by reading a hard copy you have printed out.

2)      Mix up the colors. In your photos and graphics, use a broad palette of colors.

Why? Your audiences crave and respond to stimulation. Branding experts and design theorists will insist that your slide deck include only the approved colors so that you are always reinforcing the brand identity. I will go to the mat to argue against this when it comes to slide decks.  Brain research shows that human brains dismiss things that seem to be like other things they have experienced before. Keep their attention with variety.

3)      Embed sound. Include the sounds of nature, travel, street noises, music, crowds talking, cheers and others.
Why? It’s the brain again! Sound is stimulating and causes the person to pay attention longer and more intently. Examples: (1) Embed the sound of people talking into a still photo and deepen the attraction of the spoken message. (2) When you make a point about the speed of your technology, embed the sound of a super-sonic jet. It’s just short and surprising and you’ll see people jerk to attention and focus on you.

4)      Use video instead of still photos.

 Why? If your speech is to make a difference at all to the audience, it must generate a sense of action and lead to accomplishment. Use short videos to accompany your content about taking action and getting results. Examples: (1) You’re the CEO speaking about the company’s strategic goals. Show a video of customers using your products or of your people delivering your services. Video makes the results come alive. (2) You’re speaking to a group of prospects. Show a video of satisfied customers, talking to each other about how your company worked with them and the results they have enjoyed since becoming your customer.

5)      Use photos instead of graphic illustrations.

 Why? Many companies create graphic illustrations of their technology or their deliverables. These are pretty boring visuals as it is, and using sterile graphic illustrations make them more boring. Examples: (1) If you’ve got a technology product that’s housed in a box, try to photograph the inside of the box rather than draw a graphic of what’s inside the box.  Then describe the technology in the box creatively, with analogies and metaphors. Focus on the outcomes or results, rather than the inner workings. (2) Many deliverable are provided in digital format, so companies show a graphic of what that digital product looks like. Surprise your audience by printing out the digital deliverable and taking a photograph of the printout. Bring a hard copy along, and hold it up at the same time. This brings to life something that is otherwise very hard to get excited about.

6.       Use build capability to create visuals with depth and texture (not because something is too complex)

Why? Think of this as building a 3-dimensional object. This forces you to tell a story about your concept, rather than dwell on all the dry details or specs or segments of a process.  Examples: (1) A client was presenting its solution to an RFP regarding a live training system. The chief engineer began with a “plain vanilla” military vehicle and gradually told the story of how their system works by “installing” it on the vehicle using the slide software build capability. This captured the audience’s attention. Once he showed them the finished vehicle, they were quite interested and stay tuned in as he discussed the components of the system. (2) If your topic is teambuilding, build the team on a slide by using photos to show the selection of the (actual) team leader, the various team members and their final consolidation into a cohesive group.

7)      Increase the ratio of visuals to text slides

Why? Visuals offer the broadest opportunity for variety (and brain stimulation) and for the speaker to demonstrate their inner knowledge and passion for their topic and audience. Think about why you want to include a particular slide; then find a visual that makes the essential point. Show the visual while you’re speaking. The visual will grab the audience’s attention quickly and pull them in as they try to figure it out, compared to bullets which they read quickly, and then they’re ready to move on.  You’ll find that visuals unlock your own thinking about your ideas, expanding it and helping you speak in an interesting way about the point.

Try just one of these 7 uncommon power point techniques in your very next presentation. One new technique will help you transition from what you’re used to (i.e., comfortable with) and experience for yourself the increase in audience attention as well as your own enthusiasm for speaking. Then try another one, and another one, until you’ve incorporated all 7 into your normal bag of presentation tricks. You’ll see for yourself that you don’t have to forgo Power Point altogether—rather you can make it work for you so you get the results you are hoping for when you speak and present.