1. PowerPoint GuideLines
Engineering 10
PowerPoint GuideLines
Bruce Mayer, PE
Licensed Electrical & Mechanical Engineer

2. Student Presentations
During Meetings of 23Apr & 07May
Order Set by Random Number Generator
ANY Topic OK
Engineering topic preferred if possible
Counts as BOTH HW08 and EXTRA Credit
Worth a Total of 6 pts
And Do NOT have to do any more for HW08
HW08 alternative = Exercise 14.11
Write: Resume, Cvr Ltr, Thank You ltr
Previous PPTs: PinBall Wizard, BreakDancing, Civil War Cannons, Hacky-Sack; but hadron collider, artificial heart valves

3. Student Presentation Logistics
Done Using POWERPOINT
10-15 Minutes
5-10 Slides
Inform Me of Your Intention by F/12Apr
Bring Presentation on USB Drive
Instructor Will load PPT file onto presentation computer
Student will Deliver the Presentation with the Aid of LaserPointer Presentation Device

4. Student Presentation Logistics
If MORE Presentations than the Allotted Time → will go down the list
Will Do as many As Time Permits
Similar to Where-n-Why MiniPresentations;
Will Start at the top of the list and work down as far as we can
ALL Student Presentations will be Placed on Presentation Computer for instructor Review

5. OnCampus PPT Prep Resource
The Communications Studies Operation Maintains a COMMUNICATIONS LAB that is Available to ALL Students for FREE
The “Comm Lab” Specializes in Helping Students with PowerPoint Presentations
The Rm 803 CommLab Hours of Operation
Students should double-check time; above refer to Fa11 hours
Mon: 9-10:30, 12-3:15
Tue: 10:30-12, 1-2:30, 5-6
Wed: 9-10:30, 12-1, 2:30-3:15, 5-6
Thur: 10:30-12, 1-2:30

6. THE COMM LAB IS OPEN! What can Chabot students do in the Lab?
Prepare for any presentation with a peer tutor.
brainstorm topics
organize ideas
outline speeches
prepare speaker notes
prepare visual aides
rehearse delivery, individually or in groups
Record speeches for evaluation.
Communication Lab >>> Veronica Martinez 9/12/2012 2:12 PM >>>

7. Chabot “Std” PPT Template
The “Standard” Chabot College Template is OnLine at
I recommend using this

8. Presentation Training
The BEST Presentation Training →
Giving Presentations
There is No Substitute for EXPERIENCE in this Regard
PREPARE Carefully & Extensively
Do a POST-MORTEM Evaluation
Ask YourSelf: What could I have done BETTER

9. Student Presentation ScoreCard

10. Basic Power Point Guidelines
Some tips to make your presentations presentable

11. Compliment or Insult???!!!

12. Why Use PowerPoint Many People don’t Like PPT
They say it “Dulls the Senses”
So does someone Writing-on and Talking-to the BlackBoard
But it’s Basically an Automated OHP or DocCam
Just like an OHP or DocCam or BlackBoard it can be MISused

13. Basic Rules for Presentations
Contrast is important.
For paper…
Dark text on a light background.

14. Basic Rules for Presentations
For projection…
Light text on a semi-dark background
The eye is attracted to the light on the screen

15. Basic Rules for Presentations
Stick with a single background.
The background is the stage for your information.
Set the stage and leave it alone!

16. Basic Rules for Presentations
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.

17. Basic Rules for Presentations
Balance.
Do not center bullet points.
It makes the text ragged.
And hard to read and follow with your eyes.

18. Basic Rules for Presentations
Balance.
Generally, left-justify bullets.
This keeps things neat..
and easy to follow.

19. Basic Rules for Presentations
Balance.
Centered graphics leave little room for text.

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

21. Basic Rules - Capitalization
AVOID ALL CAPS – VERY HARD TO READ.
First Cap –
More Formal
Harder To Type And More Decisions.
This is an example of capitalizing the first word
Less formal.
Easier to type and fewer decisions

22. Use Restraint With Fonts
Employ only a few...stick to familiar fonts
Stay away from gimmicky fonts unless for a theme.
Keep type sizes consistent.
Serif vs. Sans Serif.
Serif  Classic – Sans Serif  Modern
DON’T USE ALL CAPS.

23. Easy to read (48 pt) Choose Fonts Wisely
Italics are more difficult to read.
Use bold when you want some words to stand out.
Font size
Easy to read (18 pt)
Easy to read (24 pt)
Easy to read (32 pt)
Easy to read (48 pt)

24. Avoid Text Overload
Having too much text on the screen can defeat the purpose of using PowerPoint. The slides begin to look like a jumble of text, making slides difficult to read and unrecognizable from each other. People will either try to read everything or copy everything down or they will lose interest. List only the key points. If you have more info to include use more slides or create handouts.

25. Animate Bullets & Graphics
Use Simple Animation to “Walk Thru” the Slide for the Audience
Audience tends to Read the ALL text when the Entire Slide Appears
Detracts Focus from the SPEAKER (you!)
Reveal Bullet Points ONE-at-a-TIME
EXPLAIN in YOUR WORDS the MEANING of the Bullet

26. 2D→3D Visualization Aids
Using Labels on MultiView Drawings to Visualize the 3D form
Label surfaces; e.g.,
Label vertices; e.g., 1,3 1 S 1 S 3 3 S

27. Use Solid Colors instead of fill Patterns on Charts
Patterns on bars or pie slices cause confusion.
Solid colors convey a clear bold message

28. Use Simple Tables to Present Numbers
Don’t OverDo the AMOUNT of Data presented in tables
Try not to make footnotes too small

29. Basic Rules That You Must Have to Have a Good Presentation.
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 distracted from the speaker…just like you are now. Audiences are much more receptive to the spoken word.

30. Basic Presentation Mistakes.
Too much information.
Reader gets distracted
Audiences are much more receptive to the spoken word.

31. Basic Rules Keep it simple.. Make bulleted points easy to read.
Keep text easy to understand.
Use concise wording.
Bullets are focal points.
Presenter provides elaboration.
Keep font size large.
Simply Animate Bullets & Graphics

32. Basic Power Point Guidelines
Build the Story…don’t give them too much info at once.
Stick with the same transition.
Be creative but leave some color choices to professionals.
Try Stick to the “6-6” Rule
Six words per line 
Six lines per page 

33. Choosing a Color Scheme
Beginners Should Stick with Power Point defaults or company standard templates.
What may look good on your computer may be unreadable when projected.
Remember to use strong, contrasting colors for Text.

34. The Color Wheel
Colors separated by another color are contrasting colors (also known as complementary)
Good CONTRAST
Adjacent colors (next to each other) harmonize with one another. e.g. Green and Yellow
Good BLENDING

35. Use Contrasting Colors
Light colors on dark background.
Dark colors on light background.

36. Background – Bad
Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult to read from
Always be consistent with the background that you use
No More than two Background forms

37. Clip Art & Graphics
A few excellent graphics are better than many poor ones.
Photographs can be powerful.
Use sparingly!

38. Martin Luther King Jr. Religious leader Civil rights activist Author
Poet
Minister

39. Martin Luther King Jr.
Religious leader
Civil rights advocate
Author
Poet
Minister

40. Good Chart  Clear & Concise

41. Bad Chart  Busy & Unclear

42. Some Comments
The Previous Tips are Good for General Interest Presentations
6 Words per Line, 6 Lines per Slide is Easy to Follow, But
Builds a NON-Archival Slide
If Handouts are Made, Audience MUST MAKE NOTES
This is at Least as Distracting as Too Much Text
Slide Set is not FREE STANDING

43. Comments cont.
You Don’t Want the Medium to Overwhelm the Message, But…
Presentation Should Show Respect for the Audience by
Being NEAT and Well ORGANIZED
Rehearsed Ahead of time if Needed
Made Available Either
In HardCopy
OnLine

44. Comments cont. Technical Presentations Tend to be Graphics-Heavy
c.f. Guest Speaker Presentations
The MOST Difficult Task in Slide Construction → Balancing
Information Overload
The slides look “Busy”
Insufficient Information
Leaves audience “in the dark”

45. Summary Need Careful Preparation Keep the Presentation Simple
Avoid “Busy” Slides
Too Much Text, Confusing Graphics
Keep Information Well Organized
Do NOT read from your slides verbatim
Remind the audience of key points at the end of the presentation