1. How to Make a Good Scientific POWERPOINT Presentation
The key is “SOD”
Simplicity
1. Simple, but interesting, pictures
2. Little or no text
3. Simple & easily read fonts
4. No fancy slide transitions
5. No sound
Organization
1. Make your presentation flow
2. Right number of slides
Delivery
1. Polished performance

2. Pictures must be sharp & clear
Good Slides Showing Pictures
Pictures must be sharp & clear
Like this
Not fuzzy & out of focus
Like this

3. Good Pictures can make Effective Backdrops for Text
As long as:
the content of the picture relates to the content of the presentation (e.g. swamp ecology in this case)
The text is clear ( like this, not this)
C. There is not much text on the screen

4. SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND
Graphs & Charts must be Simple & Clear
Here’s an example – the graph is simple, but it is still not immediately obvious what it shows
SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT EASY TO UNDERSTAND

5. Collecting Localities
Effect of Fishing Pressure on Nautilus with major shell breaks
Fished
Populations
Collecting Localities
Unfished
Populations
Nautilus with major shell break

6. Here’s an example of a “bad” graphic slide
Graph is:
A. Too “busy”, i.e, complicated, to quickly explain
Hard to read because text is fuzzy and small
Too many unfamiliar terms
Too many lines

7. * This is about as complicated a table as can be used
Tables Must Also Be Clear and Simple*
* This is about as complicated a table as can be used

8. A Table that is too detailed to be useful in a slide presentation

9. DELIVERY
1. Don’t read lists from the slides – talk to your audience not to the projector screen
2. Speak slowly and clearly – enunciate
Accents are ok, but don’t use slang
4. Know when to change to the next slide
5. Practice your Presentation before you actually
give it

10. Planning Your Presentation
How many slides – you have 15 minutes
2. What parts of thesis project need slides
3. What should each slide show
4. How can a slide be made as simple as possible
5. How should the slides be ordered