The Do s and Don’t s of Presentations and Powerpoint m.p.mcguigan@bath.ac.uk

Aim of the presentation Presentations need to be given for many reasons and in many different situations Formal Informal Research Concept pitch Sales Make sure you know your audience and the aim of the presentation is very clear

Know how much time you have and plan the presentation accordingly Research presentations usually 15mins: 10–12min presentation & 3-5min questions 20mins: 15min presentation & 5min questions Aim for no more than one slide per minute of presentation. Do not over-run

Slide Design A balance between Interesting Informative Nice to look at Easy to read

Slide Design: Background Your choice of background has a huge influence on your slides Plain backgrounds boring but very easy to read Dark text on light background Light text on dark background Be very careful of your colour combinations Need contrast between background and text Some colours just don’t work!

Slide Design: Background Can make background more interesting by Adding shading Powerpoint background template Background design Be very careful that background does not distract from slide content Feint designs can be good Good to use plain background with simple picture or motif to personalise your slides

Slide Design: Font Which of these lines do you find easiest to read?

Slide Design: Font Times New Roman - Which of these lines…. Arial - Which of these lines…. Verdana – Which of these lines…. Tahoma - Which of these lines…. Comic Sans - Which of these lines…. All 32 pt

Slide Design: Font Size 32 pt font is easy to read 28 pt font is still fine 24 pt is ok but if you just use this you are likely to have too much text on the slide 20 pt is getting small and difficult to read 18 pt should only be used for small details Never use anything smaller that 18pt

Slide Content: Outline Many people recommend starting with an outline of the contents and structure of the presentation Structure Slide design Presentation Skills Example research presentations Discussion and feedback Conclusions

Slide Content: Structure Introduction Background and work that has lead to the current study Hypothesis/Question Methods Results Unlike a research paper you normally discuss your results as you present them Conclusions Implications, take home message and further research

Slide Content Try not to cover too much information on each slide: one point per slide. Don’t have too much text! Try not to have large blocks of text Where appropriate use diagrams and pictures to illustrate your point Schematic diagram of experimental set up Picture of data collection Make sure pictures are relevant

Slide Content: Tables and Graphs In most research presentations the results are presented in the form of Tables and Graphs MAKE SURE THE AUDIENCE CAN READ THEM

Slide Content: Graphs If you paste a graph straight from Excel The lines are too thin The lines are often colours that you cannot see Axis titles are too small

Slide Content: Graphs Title Grey background shows pasted straight from Excel Lines too thin Axis labels Font too small Axis labels

Slide Content: Graphs

Slide Content: Graphs Don’t use light blue Use contrasting colours

Don’t try to fit too much on one slide Slide Content: Graphs Don’t try to fit too much on one slide

Slide Content Results Start by describing the graphs and tables What the axis are What each of the lines represents What the graphs shows What does it all mean? Discuss the results in relation to your hypotheses and previous research

Slide Content Conclusion Arguably the most important part of the presentation Make sure your ‘take home point’ is very clear What are the implications of this research?

Slide Content Remember to… Cite the sources of your information The author(s) and date of the reference are usually sufficient It is NOT necessary to give a list of references at the end of your presentation Acknowledge any assistance you have been given

The more you do the easier they will become Presentation Skills Don’t go too fast Remember to breathe and take pauses Try to engage your audience – eye contact Try not to read from notes PRACTICE!!!! The more you do the easier they will become