All too often we see presentations that are full of text. That is because we too often start a presentation by opening PowerPoint and literally typing what we want to tell. From research we know that people are unable to read and listen at the same time. While the audience is reading out your slides, they miss the story you are telling alongside. In addition, we also know that 90% of this 'read' information is forgotten in a short time. The use of images and graphic elements ensures that 65% more information is remembered. Images therefore increase the understanding and the longer retention of the message. If an idea can be visualized, visualize it.

Words and images have a different effect on the viewer. With words we tend to form a picture in our mind. Images invite us to invent a story. An image also has the ability to touch the audience very directly. That happens immediately, before any words have been spoken. Image choice is therefore very important. Image choice The first page of Google Images rarely offers the right image choice. Go in search of original images that support your story perfectly. Also think about the symbolic value of an image. There are many databases (iStock, Getty, Pixabay, Pexels, …) where you can download images free and/or paid. Image colour Ensure unity in your presentation. By using different types of images, you disrupt that unity. Intensity of colours, camera angle, use of filters, … cause images to come across differently. You can also choose to edit your images yourself. If so, do it in the same way for all the images in the presentation. Image quality It is nice to place an image across the entire slide. Always make sure, though, that the quality of an image is good enough. If the resolution of an image is too small it will come across as blurred and 'jagged'. Resolutions for images: ·

• 4:3 aspect ratio - 800 x 600 pixels or 1280 x 960 pixels
• 16:9 aspect ratio - 1920 x 1080 pixels

Image frame

With the right framing, an image gains in power. So play with the image and try different croppings. Via 'Crop' you have various options to adjust this.

Using images in a presentation causes the file size to become larger. When you are completely finished with your presentation, click on 'Compress Presentation'. PowerPoint will optimise the images and remove superfluous parts of the image. This makes the file size smaller while the images retain their quality.