Modified from http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/slides.html Presentation Visuals Modified from http://www.writing.eng.vt.edu/slides.html

Presentations can be viewed from three stylistic perspectives Structure and Speech Visual Aids Delivery This slide is a repetition of the mapping slide and indicates a transition to the second topic to be discussed: visual aids. In a shorter presentation, I often delete this slide. One point worth noting is that in teaching this material, I try to give the students a model for presentation slides that they can use in their own presentations. That is why I am careful to map this presentation. Visual aids include presentation slides, handouts, demonstrations, and films. The slides in this section of the presentation focus on the design of the most common type: presentation slides. By presentation slides, I mean still images that the speaker gives to the audience. These images could arise from computer projections, overheads, 35 mm slides, or flip charts. While I discuss presentation slides in more detail on later slides, I usually discuss demonstrations, films, and handouts here. In this discussion, I mention general advantages and disadvantages of each category. I also caution students about common problems that can occur: films that have too much dead time (because of television, audiences these days are sophisticated); demonstrations that fail (Murphy’s Law); and handouts that distract (for instance, a single object passed around in a large auditorium). In using this presentation slide, consider discussing problems that you have witnessed with films, demonstrations, and handouts in scientific presentations. (CSP, Chapter 4) Archives, Cal-Tech

One type of visual aid that deserves reflection is the presentation slide This slide is a transition slide for a discussion about designing slides for technical presentations. Corresponding discussions about presentation slides appear in Critical Error 5 of The Craft of Scientific Presentations. Note that the example slide is a strong example (see discussion on pages 144-145).

Audiences remember more when you use well-designed slides Hear See Hear and See An important issue about presentation slides is whether they should even be included in a presentation. In other words, when do the advantages of using presentation slides outweigh the disadvantages. The principal disadvantage of having slides is disruption. Whenever a speaker projects a slide, the audience’s attention turns away from the speaker and onto the screen. For that reason, in designing slides, the presenter has to consider whether that disruption is warranted and how to design the slides such that the disruption is minimized. This slide brings out the major advantage of using slides in a scientific presentation: namely, that the recall of the audience has the potential of going way up when the speaker uses effective slides. The key word here is “effective.” Many slides shown in scientific presentations are not effective. For instance, many slides contain too many words, far too many for the audience to read. Worse yet, many presenters place those words in all capital letters (almost nothing reduces the reading speed more than using all capital letters). Another problem is that many headlines of slides do not orient the audience. Yet another problem is that the bodies of many slides contain long lists (5, 6, or even 7 items). Slides having these problems can actually reduce the percentage of recall because the audience becomes sidetracked in the presentation by being puzzled over what is projected. For that reason, the design of slides is important. (CSP, Pages 113-115) 10 20 30 40 50 60 Recall (%)

No matter what type of projection you use, you must make certain decisions What format to choose? This slide is a mapping slide for a discussion about designing presentation slides. The slide raises two questions about the design of slides: what format to choose, and what information to include (and, equally important, what information to exclude). The next few slides discuss what format to select. Following that are slides about what information to include and what information to exclude. On this slide, in introducing format, I discuss the question of whether it is better to have presentation slides in the portrait (vertical) or in the landscape (horizontal) position. Every artist with whom I have consulted feels strongly that the landscape position is better. One reason is the viewing perspective of the audience. With the landscape mode, the upper parts of the projection screen are better used. With the portrait mode, though, the lower parts of the projection have to be used, which means that people sitting behind the first row may not see everything. (CSP, Pages 115-117) Included What information to include? Excluded

Choose a format that is easily read Choose legible type Arial BOOK ANTIQUA Choose a helpful layout This slide depicts a few format decisions that engineers and scientists should consider when designing presentation slides. First, the speaker should choose a typeface that can be quickly read. Because sans serif typefaces are readily accepted by audiences for presentation slides and because sans serif typefaces are quickly read, they are a logical choice. Many artists advocate that the typeface be bold so that it stands out. Moreover, artists avoid all capital letters on presentation slides--almost no typographical choice slows the reading more than choosing all capital letters. In addition to typeface choice, the speaker should be careful about having too much information on a presentation slide. Too many words or too many images will intimidate the audience--many will not even try to understand the slide. (CSP, 117-122) words words words

Color can distinguish a presentation Color is discussed on pages 122-125.

Color affects how fast the audience can read Interestingly, the color combination that is read most quickly is not black on white, but black on yellow. Color is discussed on pages 122-125. The color combination that is read most quickly is black on yellow.

Color affects how fast the audience can read The color combination should have a strong contrast—the example on this slide does not. Color is discussed on pages 122-125. What is important is that the combination has contrast—the one on this slide fails to do so.

Color affects how fast the audience can read Avoid combinations involving reds, greens, and browns. Many people cannot distinguish those colors. Color is discussed on pages 122-125. Combinations of red, green, and brown are difficult for many people to read

Color affects the emotions of the audience Avoid a hot color such as red or orange as your background color. Color is discussed on pages 122-125. Avoid having a hot color such as red or orange as your background color.

http:// www.me.vt.edu/writing/csp.html Recommended here is a sentence-headline design that quickly orients the audience The sentence headline succinctly states the main assertion of the slide Body supports with words with images compressor combustor turbine Headline Body This slide discusses the layout of a presentation slide. When a speaker projects a presentation slide, the audience turns their attention from the speaker and to the presentation slide. The audience tries to gather quickly the purpose of this projected slide so that they can focus back on the speaker. For that reason, most artists recommend a headline/body layout for presentation slides. The headline orients the audience to the purpose or assertion of the slide, and the body supports the headline with words and images. (CSP, pages 125-129) What is difficult for students and many academics to accept about the way I’ve presented this arrangement is the use of a short sentence rather than a phrase for the headline. The reason that I use a short sentence for all slides, except for the title slide, is that I am designing slides that not only serve the presentation while the speaker is on stage, but also serve the presentation afterwards (when the audience looks back at the slides to remember what occurred) and serve the next speaker who might use these slides (when the original speaker is not available to make the presentation). This design of having a sentence headline is advocated at both Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. The next slide discusses the value of a sentence as opposed to a phrase headline. Finally, notice that the headline begins in the upper left corner, which is the first place that most audiences look for information (a centered headline is not read as quickly). Slide templates that your students can download exist at http:// www.me.vt.edu/writing/csp.html

Secondary flows enter the primary flow through film-cooling holes and dilution jets Combustor Simulator Turbine Vanes Secondary Flow Primary Dilution Jet Film-Cooling Holes Example slide that use the headline/body format of the national laboratories. Notice that a phrase headline, such as “Secondary Flows,” would not have been nearly as effective at orienting the audience during the presentation and not effective at all at orienting the audience two weeks later, when they viewed this slide as a handout. The work comes from the Experimental and Computational Convection Laboratory at Virginia Tech (VTExCCL), which uses this sentence headline design for all their presentation slides. (CSP, Pages 125-129) This issue of using a sentence headline as opposed to a phrase headline is probably what most distinguishes my text on scientific presentations. The design advocated by the book stands in stark contrast to the design advocated by the defauts of Microsoft’s PowerPoint. The argument for this different design of presentation slides spans pages 113 tp 152 of the text.