1. How to Make a Simple but Effective PowerPoint Presentation
A. Oral Speaking Skills
Assignment sheet criteria/gradesheet
B. Visual Design
Basic Guidelines for PowerPoint Design
The Four Principles of Document Design
Using Blank Space and Text Effectively
Materials are modified from “Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites” in Markel’s Technical Communication, © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's

2. Criteria: Oral Presentation Quality
Connection with audience, engaging
Composure
body position
eye contact
posture
Clarity of Voice
volume
articulation (pronounce each sound clearly)
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's

3. PowerPoint design has five goals:
to make a good impression on readers
to help readers understand the structure and hierarchy of the information
to help readers find the information they need
to help readers understand the information
to help readers remember the information
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 3

4. Follow these four guidelines for designing a PowerPoint presentation:
Use simple backgrounds.
Use conservative color combinations to increase text legibility.
Avoid decorative graphics and overly fancy transitions or animations.
All elements should have a clear purpose.
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 4

5. Understanding Sports Better
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?
Don’t kick a basketball
My suggestions is not to do this.
Basketball
Basketball, not a soccer ball
Source:

6. Follow these three suggestions to make text easy to read:
Keep the text short.
Chunk information.
Make the text as simple as possible.
Make sure the background does not interfere.
When using large pictures, limit the text.
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 6

7. There are four principles of design:
proximity
alignment
repetition
contrast
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 7

8. Proximity organizes this image:
Source: U.S. Department of State, 2011 <
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 8

9. Alignment organizes this image:
Source: Carnegie Science Center, n.d.
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 9

10. Repetition organizes this image:
Repeated format and colors for the font.
Source: Myers, 2007, p. 362.
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 10

11. Contrast clarifies this image:
Source: Lambert Coffin, 2010 <
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 11

12. Example of a Slide with Poor Contrast
Here you can see a basketball player making a mistake that would be penalized in real basketball game.
Source:
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 12

13. Margins and blank spaces have four purposes:
to limit the amount of information on the page, making the document easier to read and use
If printed out, to provide space for binding and allow readers to hold the page without covering up the text
to provide a neat frame around the type
to provide space for marginal glosses
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 13

14. make different impressions:
Different typefaces
make different impressions:
This paragraph is typed in Monotype Corsiva typeface. You are unlikely to see this style of font in a technical document because it is too ornate and too hard to read.
This paragraph is Times Roman, an effective typeface for text in the body of technical documents.
This paragraph is Tahoma, which has a modern, high- tech look. It is best suited for headings and titles in technical documents.
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 14

15. Case affects readability:
Lowercase letters are easier to read:
Individual variations are greater in lowercase words
THAN THEY ARE IN UPPERCASE WORDS.
Chapter 11. Designing Documents and Web Sites © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 15

16. Summary of PowerPoint Design
Keep the text short.
Keep the background simple.
Use contrasting colors to make text legible.
Be purposeful about the position of text and graphics.