Audio can improve a presentation, but more often than not, it makes one worse.
The biggest problem is technical uncertainty. Will the laptop connect to the room’s speakers? Is the correct audio output selected? Is the volume controlled by the computer, the television, the sound system, or a mysterious wall panel no one understands?
Then there is the audio mix. Music may be too loud, dialogue may be too quiet, and sound effects may blast through the speakers at three times the volume of the presenter.
Everything worked during the test, of course. It always does.
Do Not Add Sound Just to Add Sound
Music and sound effects do not automatically make a presentation more professional or engaging.
A swoosh when text appears adds very little. A drumroll before an ordinary bullet point is more distracting than exciting. Background music can make it harder to concentrate on the presenter.
Before adding audio, ask:
Is your audio additions helping the audience understand, feel, or remember?
When there is no clear answer, leave it out.
When Audio Works Well
Audio is most useful when it has a specific purpose:
Embedded Videos
Videos most often need sound, especially for interviews, demonstrations, or customer stories. Test the volume in advance and make sure music does not overpower the dialogue.
Add captions whenever possible. They help with accessibility and also serve as a backup when the speakers suddenly decide they are no longer part of the presentation.
Reinforcing an Important Idea
A short, consistent sound can emphasize a word or concept you want the audience to remember.
For example, you might use the same sound each time the phrase “Report It” appears. Eventually, the audience begins associating the sound with the idea of quickly reaching out to the IT Department with emergency online security issues.
Yes, it is a little like Pavlov’s dog, but it works. Try not to overdo it.
Separating Major Sections
A short musical cue can signal that the presentation is moving into a new section. This works especially well in longer presentations or training sessions because it gives the audience a quick mental reset. Search stock music libraries for “bumpers” or “stingers” (shorter).
Keep it brief. You are changing topics, not starting an intermission.
Be Careful With Background Music
Background music can work during an opening, break, activity, or closing screen. It is much harder to use while someone is speaking.
Even quiet music can compete with the presenter, especially when it includes lyrics. Use only instrumental songs or search for “karaoke” versions of songs you might want to use. Test the music while speaking at a normal volume, not by itself.
Another note: watch out for copyright, especially when streaming live onto YouTube. It can now automatically detect if you are using licensed video or audio and stop your stream immediately, locking your account temporarily! (Yes, this actually happened to me….)
Be Careful With Background Music
Background music can work during an opening, break, activity, or closing screen. It is much harder to use while someone is speaking.
Even quiet music can compete with the presenter, especially when it includes lyrics. Test the music while speaking at a normal volume, not by itself.
Silence is not a technical failure.
When You Want a Full Audio Mix
When you want background music, sound effects, video clips, and a speaker’s voice blended together smoothly, a regular slide deck is probably not the best format.
That kind of audio works better in an edited video, where every level can be adjusted in advance, or in a live broadcast stream with software that can properly mix each sound source.
Trying to control all of that manually during a presentation is possible, but it can quickly turn one person with a slide deck into an underqualified audio engineer.
Always Have a Backup Plan
Your presentation should still work without audio.
Videos should have captions. Important information should not exist only in a recording. Musical transitions and sound effects should be optional.
When a sound does not play, move on. The audience will survive without it. They may not survive five minutes of watching you repeatedly click the speaker icon while saying, “It worked earlier.”
Audio can support a presentation, but only when it has a clear purpose. Test it, control the volume, and use it sparingly.
Just because you can make your laptop make a “swoosh” sound every time you click the mouse does not mean you should.
