1 - Introduction ~5 mins
Welcome
Your pitch deck already has the content and the readability pass. Today you add motion, but only the useful kind. One quiet transition and one purposeful animation can guide the eye; a fireworks show on every slide will bury your Something Real project under noise.
If you do not have {{code:07_project_pitch}} yet, you will build a three-slide practice deck in the guided activity (title, What it is, What it costs). You can transfer the same restraint to your real pitch when that file is ready.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Add simple transitions and animations only when they serve the message
- Compare too-much versus just-right effect choices
- Cut effects that distract from the pitch
- Add at most one subtle transition and one helpful animation to {{code:07_project_pitch}}
Warm-up
Think of the last video or social post that made you scroll past because too much was flashing at once. What one thing on screen would you have kept, and what would you have cut?
2 - Key Concepts ~4 mins
Motion on a slide is a tool, not a reward for finishing the deck. Use it the way a good creator uses a cut in a short video: only when it helps the audience follow the point.
Restraint rules for this lesson
- At most one subtle transition style on the deck (Fade preferred).
- At most one simple animation on a single content object where it genuinely helps timing.
- No sound effects, no spin or bounce, no animating every bullet on a list.
- If you are unsure, leave the slide still and rely on your voice.
Worked contrast (same pitch, two choices)
Too much: every slide whooshes in from the right; each bullet flies from a different edge; the logo spins on the title slide. A work-experience supervisor watching this would remember the chaos, not the project.
Just right: slides change with a short Fade; on the costs slide only, the €180 first-month total Fades in after you introduce the budget. Everything else stays still so the chart and your words do the work.
Your teacher will name the key terms (slide transition, object animation, serves the message, cut list) while you keep these four rules in front of you.
3 - Keep or Cut ~4 mins
Motion match: keep or cut
Before anyone opens Animations, work these as a class or in pairs. Match each pitch situation to the better motion choice. Prefer the calmer option when both could work.
| Pitch situation | Better motion choice |
|---|---|
| Moving from the title slide into the first content slide in a 2-minute pitch | One short Fade transition on all slides |
| You want the € total to appear after you say the number aloud | One Appear or Fade-in animation on that figure, On Click |
| A slide already has a clear bar chart and short labels | No object animation; let the chart and your voice carry it |
| Every bullet flies in from a different edge with sound | Cut the effects; static bullets are easier to follow |
| You feel unsure whether motion helps | Leave the slide still and rely on speaking |
Your teacher may also use the printed or on-screen matching cards from the worksheet pack.
4 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins
Build the just-right version on a practice deck only. In {{code:Project_Portfolio}} / {{code:07_pitch}}, create {{code:07_motion_practice}}: three slides for a simple bakery side-hustle pitch (title, What it is, What it costs). Put the figure €180 first-month total in its own text box on the costs slide. Add one Fade transition across the deck, then one Appear animation on that €180 figure. Preview, judge, and strip anything that fails the message test.
Do not edit {{code:07_project_pitch}} in this step. The real pitch is for the portfolio build later.
5 - Common Issues ~3 mins
Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| I cannot find Transitions or Animations | In PowerPoint Online, look for the {{btn:Transitions}} and {{btn:Animations}} tabs on the ribbon. In Google Slides, select a slide or object first, then use {{btn:Transition}} / {{btn:Animate}} in the toolbar so the right-hand panel opens. |
| Every bullet animates even though I only wanted one figure | You probably applied an animation to a whole text box full of bullets. Click only the one shape or text box that holds the key figure (for practice, the €180 total), or split that figure into its own text box, then apply Appear/Fade to that object alone. |
| The preview looks chaotic after "Apply to all" | You may have stacked different transition styles earlier. Set one quiet option (Fade), apply to all, then manually set any leftover wild transitions on individual slides back to None/Fade. |
| My animation plays before I am ready to talk | Change the start setting to On Click (not After previous or With previous) so the reveal waits for your click during the pitch. |
| I use Canva instead of PowerPoint or Slides | Keep the same restraint rules: one quiet page transition and one purposeful element animation. Open your Canva practice pages, use Animate on a single element, preview the full deck, and remove anything that fails the message test. |
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