Guidelines for making Presentations

Presentation Software The purpose of presentation software is to create a visual presentation commonly known as a slide show Using an effective presentation will help your audience connect to the subject While PowerPoint is the most popular, programs like Apple’s Keynote and the cloud-based Prezi are popular

Basic Rules--Layout Select one design scheme and stick with it Design template: prepared designs that can be applied to a presentation; typically contain graphic designs, formatting, fonts and color schemes Be consistent Fonts, point size and color Layout of placeholders: a boxed outline on a slide that can be used to insert text or objects Use the SAME background on each slide

Basic Rules—the Message Don’t try to dazzle the audience with graphics or style . . . but with the information The medium is not the message---the information is the message

Basic Rules--Contrast Contrast is Important For Paper Dark text on a light background For Projection Light text on a semi-dark background

Colors Reds and oranges are high-energy but can be difficult to focus on for very long Greens, blues, and browns are mellower, but not as attention grabbing Reds and greens can be difficult to see for those who are color blind

Basic Rules--Alignment Generally, left justify bullets This keeps things neat . . . And easy to follow Do not center bullet points, it makes the text ragged and hard to read and follow with your eyes

Basic Rules--Graphics Use graphics only when needed—otherwise they can detract from the presentation Images should relate to the message and help make the point

Basic Rules--Graphics Centered graphics don’t leave a lot of room for the information that you need to present

Basic Rules--Graphics Place graphics off center More room for text Better balance More pleasing to the eye Left placement leads the eye to the text

Basic Rules--Graphics Work WITH the design template when positioning graphics and text boxes

Basic Rules--Capitalization AVOID ALL CAPS, IT IS VERY HARD TO READ Title Cap Is More Formal all lower case is inappropriate This is an example of capitalizing the first word. Less formal Easy to type and fewer decisions

Basic Rules—Font Choice Your audience should determine your choice of font, size, and color Avoid script and decorative typefaces except on title or division pages If there was a large quantity of text, this font would be difficult to read So would this one

Basic Rules—Too Much . . . One of the most common mistakes in creating a presentation is to place too much information on the screen. This can cause the reader to become more distracted from the speaker . . . just like you are now. Audiences are much more receptive to the spoken word. Type only the key information needed--not every word! If you need more space, use more slides. They’re free! Or use the Notes section of your slide show to add the information you need to present.

Basic Rules--Text 6 x 6 rule: A good rule of thumb is to have no more than six lines on a slide—with no more than six words per line Personally, I prefer the 7 x 7 rule

Basic Rules--Text Keep text easy to understand Keep font size large Consider the size of the room or the distance from screen Title size—approximately 36-40 point Bullet size—32 point Rarely use anything less than 24 point

Basic Rules--Movement Avoid excessive animation Animation: the way text and objects move during a slide show Keep transitions to a minimum, using a maximum of 3-4 per presentation Transition: a feature that can be applied to control the way slides move on/off the screen

Basic Rules--Proofread Always check spelling, capitalization and punctuation! Be consistent Caution . . . By default, spell check will not catch errors in words that are keyed in ALL CAPS; change the setting in options window to prevent that from happening

Basic Rules--Preview View your presentation ahead of time Colors can display differently on the TV or projection screen than they display on your monitor

Basic Rules--Copyright Remember the copyright law Cite your sources on a slide at the end If you publish a presentation on the web, be sure you have the rights to use the images, video, audio and data that you included in your presentation