Oral Presentations with PowerPoint The College at Brockport SUNY Suggestions For Preparing Power Point Slides Our appreciation to: Herma Volpe-van Dijk, Associate Project Director, CSTEP/McNair Program Jim Georger, Lecturer, Delta College

First Slide/Title Slide Include: Your name Collaborators’ names Faculty advisors’ names Your university and academic program Date

Powerpoint Slide Text Keep language short/to the point Avoid long paragraphs Use only a few bulleted points per slide

Powerpoint Slide Graphics Make sure pictures, graphs, etc. are relevant, appropriate, labeled, and in focus.

Pitfalls to Avoid Do not crowd slide with too much information, text, or graphics- might strain audience members’ eyes and attention.

Pitfalls to Avoid Do not simply read from Powerpoint slide- audience members’ attention will waiver.

Pitfalls to Avoid Avoid using too many slides. Audience members need enough time to absorb the information on each slide- fast movement from one to the next may leave them confused.

Pitfalls to Avoid Avoid using too few slides. Audience members will focus on your slide and its content, even if you have moved on to different topics. When you do not have new slides to complement those new topics, consider using a blank slide.

Pitfalls to Avoid Special effects in PowerPoint are fun for presenter, but some audiences find it irritating! Do not let Powerpoint effects overshadow content Use special effects on Text Slide only when making an essential point

Helpful Formatting Hints Choose fonts and graphical styles that are clean and simple Choose dark print on light background (especially if printing handouts) or light print on dark background. Be careful superimposing text over pictures

COLORS APPEAR DIFFERENTLY ON COMPUTER SCREENS AND PROJECTORS