10 top tips for designing and presenting great slide shows Effective PowerPoint 10 top tips for designing and presenting great slide shows

1. Keep the points simple Use the contents page • If it is a book or report look for the contents page. Identify any chapters that you think maybe of particular relevance and focus on them. Again start from the introduction or the conclusions. You can find your way through a chapter or section by using the subheadings. Use the contents page Start with introductions and conclusions Use subheadings Explain that bottom three points say the same thing as the top point. Only quotes should be typed out in full (although a sound file would be better).

2. Keep the background simple Keeps a clear, clean design

2. Keep the background simple Keeps a clear, clean design Avoids distractions

2. Keep the background simple Keeps a clear, clean design Avoids distractions Allows good contrast

2. Keep the background simple Keeps a clear, clean design Avoids distractions Allows good contrast Prevents confusion

2. Keep the background simple Keeps a clear, clean design Avoids distractions Allows good contrast Prevents confusion Avoid PowerPoint’s own templates

3. Keep the text clear 40 point 44 point 36 point 24 pt minimum 36-44 pt for heading Contrast colours Good Bad Bad Good Bad Good Good Bad Good Bad

3. Keep the text clear 24 point minimum 40-44 for heading Contrast colours Don’t use black on white Explain that B&W is worst colour combination for people with Dyslexia. Pale colours can still be used effectively as next few slides show (slide 12 has a simple gradient if you want to make it a bit more interesting)

3. Keep the text clear 24 point minimum 40-44 for heading Contrast colours Don’t use black on white

3. Keep the text clear 24 point minimum 40-44 for heading Contrast colours Don’t use black on white

3. Keep the text clear 24 point minimum 40-44 for heading Contrast colours Don’t use black on white

4. Always have a good picture “My PowerPoint presentation went so well, I had it made into a tattoo!” Photographs are fantastic Cartoons are fun Diagrams are useful No picture? Why a slide? Just SPEAK it! Remember not to click after cartoon – it comes in automatically Explain that you blank out the slideshow (see slide 20) to get attention back to you and just say stuff that was just going to be words anyway. Remember that words themselves can be a graphic (in boxes or explaining a particular point like in slides 9-10).

5. Use a full sentence as your title Show where you are going! This is called the signalling principle – the title should explain the IDEA of the slide NOT just something like “Marketing Principles” or “Second Quarter Projections”.

6. Animate quickly and simply Avoid transitions

6. The next slide?

6. Animate quickly and simply Avoid transitions For text use: Appear Wipe, from left (very fast) Fade (very fast) For graphics use: Dissolve in Appear Fade

6. Animate quickly and simply Nothing fancy It will only end up really annoying your poor audience Keep it quick Or you try to read or recognise it before it has fully developed!

7. Never just read the slide This is the thing that annoys more people about PowerPoint presentations than anything else. It is boring! Keep something back! Read the first paragraph slowly and deliberately with your back to the audience – to make the point!

8. Take control of the show Use B or W keys Change to pen (Ctrl P) – E to erase Hide the pointer (Ctrl H) Move to specific slides Use B and W keys after first point to show how it works. Change to pen after graphics have come in. Ask the audience (as an example) whether they think what you see or what you hear is the most important in a PowerPoint presentation. Use line and gate numbers by each graphic to show how you could use a pen. Use slide number and enter to move to specific slides (remember to come back to this one – slide 20)

9. Be very careful with sound No whooshes No chimes No lasers No typewriters Great for learning languages… …or adding a bit of realism! French Hello Goodbye Thank you Français Bonjour Au revoir Just click to start French bit – the rest of the language bit comes in automatically. Merci

10. Give out great handouts People will listen! Don’t use Handout option Send to Word?  

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