PowerPoint Tutor

Contents Part One: How to Use PowerPoint Part Two: How to Create Slides Part Three: Design Tips

Part One How to Use PowerPoint Step 1: Create an outline for your speech. Step 2: Look for ways to highlight key points visually. Step 3: Create PowerPoint slides that are interesting and eye- friendly.

Options Photos Drawings Animations Video/Audio Words (but just a few!) See Chapter 9 in text for more details. In a speech on starfish, you could show this slide while discussing the best locations for finding starfish.

Wrong Way If you show one wordy screen after another, your listeners will get bored and fatigued.

Right Way If you display a graphic and a few key terms, while giving details in a conversational voice, you can keep listeners interested and engaged.

Part Two How to Create Slides 1. Open PowerPoint. 2. Choose the option Design Template. 3. Choose a simple, uncluttered template. 

4. Choose an appropriate AutoLayout. 5. Enter text and/or images. 6. Choose Insert and then New Slide. 7. Proceed, as in steps 4 – 6, until all slides are finished. 

8. To add extra text or images, choose Insert and then click on either Picture or Text box. 9. Choose File and then Save. 10. Select a filename.

Part Three Design Tips Some basic principles For more information, see Chapter 9 in text.

Strive for simplicity. Only one to three images per screen As few words as possible 1 1

Speak, don’t scream. 2 2 Excessive colors and artwork are distracting and fatiguing.

Avoid loud backgrounds. 3 3

Use high-contrast colors. Dark text on a light field Light text on a dark field 4 4 A thoughtful, well-delivered speech is a gift to your audience.

Avoid low-contrast colors. 5 5 A thoughtful, well-delivered speech is a gift to your audience. If colors are too similar, they blend together. Red + green = invisible words to some people who are color-blind

Use easy-to-read fonts. 6 6 Use crisp, readable fonts: Formata Arial Lucida Sans Avoid decorative fonts: Old English Script Snap ITC

Use upper and lower case. 7 7 Upper & lower: easier to read “Life began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between.” — Diane Ackerman ALL CAPITALS: hard to read “LIFE BEGAN IN MYSTERY, AND IT WILL END IN MYSTERY, BUT WHAT A SAVAGE AND BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY LIES IN BETWEEN.” — DIANE ACKERMAN

Use keywords with bullets. Sample bullets:   Words and phrases – superior to complete sentences Sometimes complete sentences are unavoidable. 8 8

8 8 a The Acme Grocery Pledge We offer the freshest produce. Your satisfaction is guaranteed. We will deliver anywhere, anytime. Too wordy:

8 8 b The Acme Grocery Pledge Freshest produce Guaranteed satisfaction Unlimited delivery Audience gets main idea. You provide the details. Audience gets main idea. You provide the details. After trimming:

9 9 Use large font sizes. Titles: 44 points or larger Main bullets: 28 points or greater

Choose images over words. Use pictures whenever possible. Not every slide needs text. 10

Use tasteful art. 11 Drawings nicely complement the text.

12 Avoid inappropriate art. The Titanic’s collision with an iceberg was a tragedy. A “cutesy” drawing is inappropriate.

Size images properly. Don’t enlarge to the point of fuzziness. Don’t shrink to the point of confusion. 13 Small images may look okay to you, but remember, you know what they’re supposed to be. Will your audience know … from across the room?

14 Avoid common blunders. Too many different fonts Inconsistent font sizes Different colors on every screen You can prevent these blunders by using Design Template and AutoLayout (as recommended in Part Two above).

Final Advice Practice several times with your slides and equipment. Use PowerPoint only as a helper. YOU – not technology – should be in control.