colors are the most successful Tip 1 Flat colors are the most successful

Flat colors help the text be the primary focus Flat colors help the text be the primary focus. They are also good background from most original or borrowed images. Suggested text color Suggested text color Suggested text color Suggested text color Suggested text color Suggested text color

Template slides are also good and do most of the work for you But you can still customize the templates to suit your presentation or personal preference

Same template, different visual impression!

If a white background worries you or feels too bright…… …..You can choose a slightly off white color and still have that clean appearance If a white background worries you or feels too bright……

Tip 2 Fonts are crucial

Times New Roman is tried and true but can loose impact in a larger room Creative fonts while fun can be hard to read and lack professionalism Calibri (Body) or Calibri (Heading) are good choices If your computer system has Helvetica make sure to use it! It is statistically and visually the most successful font. If your system does not have it, Segoe UI is the font that is most similar.

Most publishers and presenters suggest size 32 font for basic text. Headings should be impactful but not detract from the body of your text Most publishers and presenters suggest size 32 font for basic text. But some fonts may look better or worse depending on what size you choose.

Text Can work against you Tip 3

Does this look familiar? Presentations with multiple paragraphs of text have shown to significantly decrease the attention span of your audience. This takes away from the effectiveness of your presentation. As humans have a hard time reading and listening at the same time, this chunky paragraph format tells them to read this instead of listening to you.

Let your slides breathe.

This is more visually appealing Do not use the slides as a manuscript This is a manuscript This is more visually appealing

Break up your bullet points into separate slides. Even though the legal profession is verbose… ..help the audience pay attention to your words… …and not the words on the screen… You deserve the attention! Slide 1 Even though the legal profession is verbose… Slide 2 …help the audience pay attention to your words… Slide 3 ..and not the words on the screen. After all… Slide 4 You deserve the attention!

Tip 3 An image is worth a thousand words

Images catch people’s attention and are easy to remember. This is a crayfish. It has no relevance but it caught your attention right?

But paste on to your background like this! If you are using clipart or stock photos on a non-white background, look for images with a transparent background. You can simply Google “[x] clipart/image + transparent background”. It adds to the professionalism of your presentation. It will look like this when you copy it. But paste on to your background like this!

8 out of 10 will be inspired by this example presentation! Info graphics can act as successful images as well 8 out of 10 will be inspired by this example presentation!

The Microsoft Suite can do this for you too. The SmartArt tool has a variety of infographics to use for multiple purposes.

1st 2nd 3rd Whole Parts Individuals Group Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 1 1st 2nd 3rd The SmartArt does the visual work, you just in put your text. The graphics range from simple to complex designs. You can even customize the colors to fit just like you customize your template colors.

Remember to use large font. Keep it clean. Keep it simple. Remember to use large font. And you’ll be good to go!