APEX Award Entry (2026)

This 45-minute animated video module, “Presentation Design Tips,” explores how to craft a compelling verbal and visual story that leaves an unforgettable impression on your audiences. It’s the sequel to my 2025 APEX entry, “Using a Presentation Needs Assessment.”

Whenever you plan to deliver a talk in front of a live or online audience, you might choose to create a slideshow to amplify your message. But despite how common slideshows are, isn’t this often easier said than done? Many people don’t yet know what’s required to create an effective visual narrative, and are equally turned off by the ones other speakers produce.

Whether the presentations are for business, marketing, educational, philanthropic, social, technical, scientific, or some other purpose, the critiques are fairly universal:

• “They’re usually too bullet-heavy.”
• “The text is often too small to read.”
• “People tend to read from their slides.”
• “There’s far too much information presented.”
• “They’re dull and unimaginative!” And...
• “The animations whiz by so fast, they’re way too distracting!”

However, as much as we strive to finesse our slides, they don’t always produce the desired results. Our audiences might not “get” our most important points, or they may not feel inclined to take the actions we want. But here’s a recipe for success...

This module contains 7 parts, including 8 videos and a proprietary workbook:

• Click this link to open the course overview in Canva, where you can watch the videos and download the workbook.

• Click this link to download the workbook separately.

List of videos:

Introduction to Crafting Your Message & Designing Your Slides. You’ll see a preview of how to build a compelling message and visual story. (5 min.)

Part 1: Brainstorming & Evaluating Your Topic Ideas. This segment introduces the first of seven presentation-design dilemmas, and begins exploring tips on crafting your message. (5 min.)

Part 2: Focusing on Your Audience Rather Than Yourself. If you make your message all about you, it can cause attendees to wonder if they have any part in your story and what’s in it for them. (4 min.)

Part 3: Paring Down Your Topics to Avoid Audience Overload. Telling people everything you know about your subject reduces their attention, as well as their ability to absorb your key points. (5 min.)

Part 4: Reducing Text on Your Slides to Sharpen Your Message. Many of us learned to use mostly text on our slides, but cramming your slides with dense text and lists can overwhelm your viewers. (5.5 min.)

Part 5: Selecting Relevant Graphics to Support Your Narrative. We often aren’t sure how to use graphics or why they’re important. Yet failure to use relevant images can hinder people’s ability to anchor your ideas. (6.5 min.)

Part 6: Simplifying Complex Images to Increase Understanding. We frequently try to include too many fine points in our graphics, yet displaying excessive detail can decrease retention and recall. (5.5 min.)

Part 7: Choosing Special Effects Wisely to Amplify Your Message. It’s tempting to want to spice things up, but it's vital to strike the right balance and avoid overly-distracting, non-relevant effects. (6 min.)

More details about the project:

• Author: Adele Sommers, Ph.D., President of Business Performance Inc.

• Software used: PowerPoint, Vyond, and Canva.

• Music credits: Tune Peddler Josh Molen