HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations (HBR Guide Series)

Know When to Animate

When things move, eyes are drawn to them. So animation is a powerful communication tool—but only when applied judiciously and in a way that enhances your message.

It’s tempting to include every feature and flashy effect that’s available—but that would be like adding rhinestones to every outfit in your closet. You’d be blinded by all the bling when you opened the door, and you wouldn’t know what to pick.

Effective animation:

• Shows how things work: Use animation and motion to control eye movement as you reveal how things are put together, explain changes, show direction, or illustrate sequence. If, for example, you’ve got a stack of boxes showing how parts of your software application fit together, you can provide information ...