Powerpoint presentations have become integral for churches today as they use them for making an impact on the congregation. The reason is simple- visuals are always more appealing and memorable than speeches. However, you cannot just expect church volunteers to come up with professional-grade presentations. Unless you have an in-house designer volunteering to pitch in, this will be easier said than done. So what can you do to make your worship slides more impressive? The idea is to make them visually appealing while getting across the right message to the congregation. Beyond the basics of design and content, here are some tips to prepare and execute the best worship slides.
Choose the right background
First things first, the background is the most important element when it comes to creating appealing worship slides. You need a background that matches the theme of the worship presentation even while being clear and non-distracting. As a rule of thumb, make sure that the text is clearly visible over the background from near and far. Choose colors that offer a strong contrast from the text as they make it stand out. Avoid overlaying text on images and videos because it interferes with readability.
Use reader-friendly fonts
Before you start ideating the messaging for the worship visuals, you need to pay attention to the fonts. Even the best content will not have any impact unless the congregation can read it. Don’t opt for a fancy font because it may not be legible to the audience. What’s more, it may even be distracting because too much stress is on aesthetics! Instead, pick something that is simple and easy to read, even from the last rows.
Create content that delivers value
Next and perhaps the most important aspect of worship slides is the content because it actually passes the message to the audience. Before you start working on content, consider the audience and the message you want to deliver in the session. Always invest in high-end content for worship backgrounds, while ensuring that it is compelling and offers value to the worshippers. Simplicity in messaging is the key. Also, make sure that it is not too long because the audience may lose interest.
Keep limited text on each slide
Once you are sorted out with the content, its presentation is the next challenge. You may have great content but it will fail to make an impact if you present it wrong. Decide the number of slides you would want to have and distribute the content on them. Keep the text limited to 3-4 lines on each slide so that they are readable. Also, this keeps the audience engaged and waiting for the next slide until the end of the presentation. Connectivity between slides is also better if you keep the text limited.
Be consistent with grammar
While messaging in content matters, grammar is also important. You need to comply with the grammatical rules such as the correct use of capitalization and punctuations. Be extra careful about the spelling as well because even small errors grab attention and can be distracting. Worship visuals should always be nice and clean. So it is always advisable to double-check for smallest errors before going live.
Sync with audios and lyrics
Since worship presentations are accompanied by audios and lyrics, everything should be synced. Remember that the entire experience needs to be consistent to hold the attention of the audience and make it memorable. Be creative with the mix of lyrics and slides so that the congregation enjoys the worship presentation from start to end. You can even use motion graphics to add an element of interest to the audience.
Set up the slides well ahead
With worship presentations, it is never good to take a chance and wait until the last moment. Set up all the slides well in advance before the actual presentation if you want a perfect experience for the congregation. Better still, a rehearsal or two with the song band is a great idea if you want to be fully prepared and confident. Get your slides double-checked by someone else to catch any errors or mistakes. If someone else is volunteering to put up the presentation with you, ensure that they are ready.
With worship presentations for your church, you should seek nothing but perfection. For this reason, you need to be creative and committed. Creativity enables you to create an impressive show with the most amazing worship visuals. Commitment, on the other hand, is essential to deliver an experience that the congregation would remember.