Effective Presentations

Do’s & What are some do’s & don’ts? Don'ts

Start with an Action Plan What is the goal of your presentation? Write out a draft first Start with an interesting opening Keep it SIMPLE! The PowerPoint should COMPLEMENT your presentation – it is NOT the actual presentation

NO ‘Reading’ People tend to put every word they are going to talk about on their PowerPoint slides. Although this eliminates the need to rehearse and actually review the material you are presenting, it can have the unintended affect of causing most people in your audience to either lose interest in what you are saying or actually put them into REM sleep where they will…

get little out of your presentation. Remember that slides are just a visual aid -- if you overload them, the audience will end up trying to read the slides and not paying attention to you.

Use Bullet Points Bullet points instead of full sentences 6 by 6 rule No more than 6 words per line No more than 6 lines per slide Utilize the entire slide You want to try and create some balance It is a good idea to write notes in the note section to remind you of key points to hit!

How about this? Is this visually appealing? Font Point Sizes Can you read this? How about this? Is this visually appealing?

Font Point Size Titles should be between 36 to 44 point This is 44 Font Point Size Titles should be between 36 to 44 point Text font size generally should be > 24 point This is 24 point Limit the variety of font styles to < 3 per slide Do NOT forget the Last Row??????

Contrast Does this offer good contrast? Dark backgrounds work well with light text colors Is this any better? Remember that what looks good on your monitor does not necessarily look good on the big screen.

Colors Use appropriate colors Not TOO bright High contrast Try for color consistency

Slide Transitions/Movement Too much movement is BAD! It is distracting to your audience Avoid effects that diminish your point Right to Left – it is easier to read

Graphics Clip art, images and photos are wonderful Do not over use them!!!!!!! Are they necessary for your presentation? Don’t use too many animation effects! They are VERY distracting

Before you present Practice! Practice! Practice! Check for spelling and grammar errors Know the room Get comfortable with the equipment Make notes that can be utilized with the presentation

Finally - NEVER……… Turn your back on the audience

Remember Keep it SIMPLE Practice Smile