Preparing PowerPoint Presentations Graham Seibert Copyright 2006 This is a segment of the draft version of a large syllabus. I need your feedback to improve it. There is a voice recorder capture your suggestions during the presentation.

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright A short history of technology Excel 1.0 Word 1.0 PowerPoint 1.0

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright PowerPoint 1.0

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright Organize Use Word Outliner to figure out the order of the presentation Use Send To (or Copy in older versions) to get the outline into PowerPoint Rules of thumb: –One slide per minute –Three main bullets per slide –PowerPoint is only an organizing tool. You are the storyteller. Don't tell the whole story with your slides. –Don't let the effects detract from the story. Screwy backgrounds Exploding bullet points Slide-to-slide changes in style

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright Minimize Clutter on the page Extent of detail in the story –Pitch the story to the lowest common denominator –Respect the inherent differences between written documents and oral presentations Demands on listener memory –Let the slides guide the audience through the story –Remind listener orally of the theme and organization

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright Practice It feels weird to talk to the walls in an empty room. As a teacher: –Emphasize the necessity of doing so –Enforce the given time limits To be fair to students who honor them To reinforce the practice of rehearsing Encourage the students to record and listen to their presentations to catch –Mistakes of fact, pronunciation and grammar –Bad verbal habits

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright Design The slide master –Choose a style and stick with it –Use logos (school logo, whatever) –Number pages –Identify pages (your name, etc.) Use the master to apply systematic changes as necessary in slides. Make each slide legible across the room to a listener with bifocals

Drama Use effects only if they fit the story Assembling pictures to tell the story is a good use for a graphics package. Example: Item Characteristic Curves showing Item Difficulty Item Discrimination

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright Sturm und Drang PowerPoint can handle.wav files –Sound bites may add some drama –Narration, in the odd circumstance that the presenter cannot be physically present PowerPoint can handle video Focus on eye candy usually detracts from the organization and quality of the story –Don’t encourage it –Consider setting school policy to forbid it

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright Common Mistakes with PowerPoint Reading instead of talking to the slides Making text and images too small Failing to use graphics, or using poor graphics Putting more effort into using PowerPoint gimmicks than polishing the story Failure to practice Failure to time the presentation

Using Powerpoint Graham Seibert Copyright Conclusion View PowerPoint from in terms of its original intent: a presentation organizer Keep the slides big, bold and simple Use razzle dazzle judiciously Practice repeatedly, with a stopwatch and a voice recorder