Imagine you’re in a high-stakes corporate meeting, presenting a deck to a client. You click to the next slide, and suddenly, text spins onto the screen at 50 RPM like a game show reveal. The CFO raises an eyebrow. The room is silent. Your manager’s head in his palms. You’ve lost them. And perhaps your jobs.
Theatrics aside, animations in PowerPoint presentations is a delicate balance between engagement and distraction. Let’s break it down.
The Consulting Deck: Keep It Strictly Business
If you’re a consultant or a finance analyst building a deliverable, your slides are often your only vehicle of communication. They are meant to be sharp, structured, and to the point. Animations have no place here. Your audience wants crisp insights, not a Broadway performance. Most of the time you’ll send the PDF of the presentation anyways…
Why no animations in consulting decks?
- Your slides are often printed or turned into PDFs—animations don’t translate.
- The focus should be on insights, not effects.
- Decision-makers don’t have the patience for text that dramatically appears on a slide.
Presentations: A Little More Flair, But Keep It Classy
When you’re giving a live presentation (think keynote, internal strategy meeting, or investor pitch), animations can work IF USED SPARINGLY. The key is subtlety and purpose.
When to Use Animations
- Building up a point: Revealing bullet points one at a time helps control pacing and keep the audience’s attention.
- Illustrating a concept: Animations can show step-by-step processes in less overwhelming ways.
- Highlighting key takeaways: A slow fade or a slight zoom can draw attention to crucial insights.
How to Use Them
- Simple & Slow: Stick to “Appear,” “Fade,” and “Wipe.” Avoid anything that makes your slide look like a Vegas slot machine.
- Consistency is Key: Pick one animation style and stick with it across all slides.
- Keep It Short: No animation should last longer than 1-2 seconds. If it drags on, it’s just awkward.
The Final Verdict
Consulting decks? Hard no to animations. Keep it clean and professional.
Live presentations? Sure, but keep it smooth and non-distracting.
