 Guidelines for Digital Presentations February 2010

Know Your Topic  Research your topic  Know your material  Create storyboard or outline  Slides are designed to supplement your presentation---not to BE your presentation

Text  Avoid too much text (words) per slide  No sentences, bullets  3 to 4 bullets per slide  No periods, question marks, or exclamation points  No ALL CAPS

Number of Slides  One minute per slide  Five minute presentation – 5 slides  Ten minute presentation – 10 slides

Slide Layout  Title at top  Left to right  Top to bottom  Important information at top of slide

Fonts  Use easy to read fonts  Arial, Times, Veranda  Use only two different fonts  One for heading  One for content  Size – no smaller than 24 pt

Color  Use contrasting color for background and text  Light background color: dark text color  Dark background color: light text color  Avoid patterned or textured backgrounds  Use same color scheme for whole presentation

Graphics  Use graphics only when add to the message of the slide  Graphics face the middle of the slide  Size your pictures before inserting  Use Preview to size pictures

Design Template  Choose a template that doesn’t distract from the content  Make sure text can be read in back of room  Make sure graphics don’t get lost in background

Animations and Transitions  Apply animations only when they make a point  Use sound only when it makes a point  Be consistent with animations for titles and bullets  Choose only one type of transition

Music  Only instrumental music  Play throughout presentation or group of more than two slides