1. Guidelines for making Presentations

2. Presentation Software
The purpose of presentation software is to create a visual presentation commonly known as a slide show
Using an effective presentation will help your audience connect to the subject
While PowerPoint is the most popular, programs like Apple’s Keynote and the cloud-based Prezi are popular

3. Basic Rules--Layout Select one design scheme and stick with it
Design template: prepared designs that can be applied to a presentation; typically contain graphic designs, formatting, fonts and color schemes
Be consistent
Fonts, point size and color
Layout of placeholders: a boxed outline on a slide that can be used to insert text or objects
Use the SAME background on each slide

4. Basic Rules—the Message
Don’t try to dazzle the audience with graphics or style but with the information
The medium is not the message---the information is the message

5. Basic Rules--Contrast
Contrast is Important
For Paper
Dark text on a light background
For Projection
Light text on a semi-dark background

6. Colors
Reds and oranges are high-energy but can be difficult to focus on for very long
Greens, blues, and browns are mellower, but not as attention grabbing
Reds and greens can be difficult to see for those who are color blind

7. Basic Rules--Alignment
Generally, left justify bullets
This keeps things neat . . .
And easy to follow
Do not center bullet points,
it makes the text ragged
and hard to read and follow with your eyes

8. Basic Rules--Graphics
Use graphics only when needed—otherwise they can detract from the presentation
Images should relate to the message and help make the point

9. Basic Rules--Graphics
Centered graphics don’t leave a lot of room for the information that you need to present

10. Basic Rules--Graphics
Place graphics off center
More room for text
Better balance
More pleasing to the eye
Left placement leads the eye to the text

11. Basic Rules--Graphics
Work WITH the design template when positioning graphics and text boxes

12. Basic Rules--Capitalization
AVOID ALL CAPS, IT IS VERY HARD TO READ
Title Cap Is More Formal
all lower case is inappropriate
This is an example of capitalizing the first word.
Less formal
Easy to type and fewer decisions

13. Basic Rules—Font Choice
Your audience should determine your choice of font, size, and color
Avoid script and decorative typefaces except on title or division pages
If there was a large quantity of text, this font would be difficult to read
So would this one

14. Basic Rules—Too Much . . .
One of the most common mistakes in creating a presentation is to place too much information on the screen. This can cause the reader to become more distracted from the speaker just like you are now. Audiences are much more receptive to the spoken word. Type only the key information needed--not every word! If you need more space, use more slides. They’re free! Or use the Notes section of your slide show to add the information you need to present.

15. Basic Rules--Text
6 x 6 rule: A good rule of thumb is to have no more than six lines on a slide—with no more than six words per line
Personally, I prefer the 7 x 7 rule

16. Basic Rules--Text Keep text easy to understand Keep font size large
Consider the size of the room or the distance from screen
Title size—approximately point
Bullet size—32 point
Rarely use anything less than 24 point

17. Basic Rules--Movement
Avoid excessive animation
Animation: the way text and objects move during a slide show
Keep transitions to a minimum, using a maximum of 3-4 per presentation
Transition: a feature that can be applied to control the way slides move on/off the screen

18. Basic Rules--Proofread
Always check spelling, capitalization and punctuation!
Be consistent
Caution By default, spell check will not catch errors in words that are keyed in ALL CAPS; change the setting in options window to prevent that from happening

19. Basic Rules--Preview View your presentation ahead of time
Colors can display differently on the TV or projection screen than they display on your monitor

20. Basic Rules--Copyright
Remember the copyright law
Cite your sources on a slide at the end
If you publish a presentation on the web, be sure you have the rights to use the images, video, audio and data that you included in your presentation