The Emotion of Animations and Transitions

Animations and transitions are to PowerPoint communication what your verbal pauses and body language are to spoken communication. When you're speaking, your words convey the heart of your message, but the nuance is carried by the tone of your voice, the pauses between words and the way you hold yourself when you speak.

If you stepped on stage slowly with your eyes on the ground and then slowly lifted them to the crowd and said in a hushed voice: "We must all mourn the loss of our great leader." The crowd would mourn with you.

If you marched out on stage with your head held high and loudly proclaimed: "We must all mourn the loss of our great leader!" While pounding your fist on the podium. Then the crowd would fall into line as a military company.

If you pedaled onto the stage atop a unicycle while wearing a clown nose and then danced around while saying: "We must all mourn the loss of our great leader." The crowd would laugh at the joke.

PowerPoint animations are just as varied in the response they request from the audience. A subtle fade versus a sudden swipe across the screen carries a different connotation. Large, loud and garish animations are best used with similar content. If you're wanting to make subtle points, use subtle animations and transitions.

What rules do you have about using animations and transitions in your presentations?