"PowerPoint slides are like children. No matter how ugly they are, you'll think they are beautiful if they are yours." - Scott Adams, The Joy of Work

Many people hate PowerPoint because unprepared speakers often bore audiences. The typical slides consist of endless bullet points and visually distracting images. A poor presentation can terrorize an audience and it can kill a meeting, a sale or even a company.

Unfortunately, PowerPoint is the staple of business communications and is used daily by millions of people trying to communicate critical messages. Marshall Makstein, co-founder of eSlide, insists that when PowerPoint is “used correctly, it can be helpful in communicating complicated information and bring life to a new idea or product.“

Makstein suggests getting a slide template professionally made. This investment pays endless dividends. Slides look consistent and the presenter can work faster using it. A professional template makes it easier to mix slides from various decks created by different people working on the final presentation.

Ten simple tools help you make PowerPoint slides that get results.

Keep things aligned

One of the easiest ways to make slides look more professional is to use an alignment tool on the drawing toolbar. It aligns by top, bottom or sides. It helps distribute items evenly across the page.

When you eyeball presentations on a computer, the items may look right, but when you project them on a bigger screen, the alignment may be off. It’s one of the easiest quick clean-up tools to give slides a polish.

Use colors that work together

Color is one of the most powerful ways to present information because it conveys specific meaning. Become familiar with the color wheel. Again, color combinations may look different when you project them on a big screen and they can impact the presentation's effectiveness.

Keep font and background simple

On the day of the presentation, beautifully formatted slides can turn into a font fiasco if the on-site system does not have the presenter's pretty font installed. Use the most common fonts like Arial, Times New Roman and Courier New—they will always be there.

To save custom fonts for the presentation, use the Save Options dialog box, select the Embed True Type Fonts and select Embed all characters. Then, pick one background color and three additional colors of text. A neutral background with a texture can work better than a solid color.

Use art and pictures to enhance the slide

Go beyond clip art that merely breaks up the bullets. Every visual should make the information on the slide more memorable. Go easy on the transitions and the special effects because they can distract the audience.

People remember visuals more easily than text and numbers. A visual can function like a mnemonic to remember various points in the presentation. For example, if there are five key points to be made, use an image that can be associated with each point like the spokes of a wheel.

Insert a screenshot

A screenshot of an open browser window can be added as a graphic. Click the screenshot button or use the screen clipping tool to select part of a window.

Use bullets, not sentences

A good bullet point is a short quick phrase, not a long sentence. It is meant to shoot directly into the audience’s mind. It should not require a period. A bullet phrase long enough to require a period should be a sentence in the speaker notes.

Start with dummy text

Focus on formatting the slides and fill in the words later. Use “=lorem()” in the placeholder, and get Lorem Ipsum type of text.

Use SmartArt graphics converter

SmartArt can make that boring list of bullets look nicer. This converter button creates graphics for the presenter and makes individual slides look more inviting with one just click.

Teach with speaker notes

The worst mistake that a speaker can make is to turn their back on the audience and read off the slides. Use the Presenter View feature in Powerpoint to help you organize speaker notes. The idea is to teach, using the presentation as an anchor for what you have to say.

Present more slides, less content

It is always better to have more slides with less on them. The audience will spend too much time quickly reading the slides before they start to listen to the speaker. Remember that PowerPoint slides are highlights of the message. Don’t confuse presentation slides with slide handouts, which can have the full story in the notes section.

“The presentation slides should just be the key or power points,” says Makstein. Get it?

Each PowerPoint release has different features. In the 2010 version, you can turn your presentation into a video. Commit to using PowerPoint correctly in 2012.

What are your favorite PowerPoint tools for presentations that get results?