We’re all so used to slides crammed with text, logos and ugly clip art that simplifying your visual aids can seem almost like a radical move.  But it can also be incredibly liberating.  For something different, try limiting each slide in your presentation to just one element– one image or one word.  (If you can’t quite work up the nerve to cut it down to one word, one sentence is OK too.)

I can almost guarantee that your audience will be impressed with how different your talk is from most of what they see.  And your performance is likely to improve, too.  Without the crutch of slides to use as a script to fall back on, you will

Simplify your slides

be forced to step into the spotlight and be the star of your show.  Sure, it sounds scary, but this is almost always a good thing.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you need a lot of slides with a lot of stuff on them in order to impress people with your work.  Realtors always tell people that if you want to sell your house, you need to de-clutter in order to make it seem appealing.  The same is true when you’re selling an idea.  Take out all the junk you don’t need and leave the best parts for people to admire.