1. Springfield Public Schools Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations

2. Springfield Public Schools Topics to be Covered  Outline  Slide Design  Slide Structure  Fonts  Color  Background  Spelling & Grammar  Graphs  Animation  Conclusions

3. Springfield Public Schools Outline  Make the second slide an outline of your presentation.  Follow the order of your outline throughout your presentation.  Place main points on the outline slide.  Use the titles of each slide as main points.

4. Springfield Public Schools Slide design  Use no more than 7-10 lines of text per slide.  Use phrases and keywords rather than whole sentences.  Communicate clearly the importance of the keywords to your audience.

5. Springfield Public Schools Slide design (cont)  Use font size 32-50 for Title slides.  Use font size 20-32 text and bulleted lists.  Use the same background consistently throughout your presentation.

6. Springfield Public Schools  PowerPoint provides you with numerous slide templates.  You can find many built-in themes in the Themes gallery on the Design tab, in the Themes group or at http://office.microsoft.com/en- us/templates/CT101043291033.aspx?ver=12&app=powerpnt.exe http://office.microsoft.com/en- us/templates/CT101043291033.aspx?ver=12&app=powerpnt.exe  You also have the ability to mix and match a slide design with different theme colors, fonts, and effects to quickly create your own theme. Slide design (cont)

7. Springfield Public Schools  If you deliver your presentation in a darkened room, you should opt for a dark background with white text  If your presentation is in a lightened room, the background should be white with dark text. Slide design (cont)

8. Springfield Public Schools Slide Structure  Display one topic at a time:  helps your audience concentrate on what you are saying.  prevents your audience from reading ahead  helps you keep your presentation focused  Spend 45 seconds to 5 minutes per slide since you want to engage your audience and describe your keywords without rushing.

9. Springfield Public Schools An example of a Bad slide Structure  This page contains too many words for a presentation slide. It is not written in phases or keywords, only continuous sentences making it difficult for your audience to read and for you to present each point. In short, your audience will spend too much time trying to read this paragraph instead of listening to your presentation. Slide Structure (cont)

10. Springfield Public Schools FONTS  Use at least an 20 point font  Use different size fonts for the title, main points and secondary points  32-50-point font for title  24-32-point font for main point  20-24-point font for secondary point  Use a standard font like, Times New Roman or Arial  If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written  CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ.  Avoid using a complicated font.

11. Springfield Public Schools Color Use a font color that contrasts sharply with your background. – For example: a blue font on white background Use color to reinforce the logic of your structure – Ex: light blue title and dark blue text Use color to emphasize a point – However only use this occasionally

12. Springfield Public Schools Color (cont) Use color to support your message when you present. Your audience will have conscious and unconscious reactions to your color selection. Blue - Blue can communicate authority, responsibility and security. Red - a power color...daring, intense and dramatic. Green - the color of nature, is restful and soothing. Yellow says happiness, optimism, cheerfulness.

13. Springfield Public Schools Color (cont) Fun loving, positive and exuberant orange. Great for inspiring action. Cheerful, bold and energetic, orange tempers the daring of red with the happiness of yellow. Purple is the most stimulating of the cool colors. It is associated with royalty, mystery and sophistication. Brown is the color of the earth. Wholesome and homey, nurturing brown communicates stability and security. Gray is subtle and serene. Think mysterious fog or moonbeams. With its associated Silver or a bright primary color, gray is frequently used for technology products. Black is sophisticated, dramatic, powerful and mysterious. A great accent to other colors. Black communicates mourning and bad luck in many culture

14. Springfield Public Schools Background  Always avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult for your audience to read.  Always be consistent with the background that you choose.

15. Springfield Public Schools Spelling and Grammar  Proof read each slide of your presentation for:  Any spelling mistakes  The use of repeated words  Any grammatical errors

16. Springfield Public Schools Graphs  Use graphs rather than just charts and words:  Data in graphs is easier to comprehend and retain than raw data  Trends are easier to visualize in a graph form.  Always title your graphs.

17. Springfield Public Schools Animation  When using animation in your presentation:  Avoid  distracting animation  abundance of the animation  Be consistent with the animation that you use

18. Springfield Public Schools Conclusion  Use a slide at the end of your presentation to  Summarize the main points of your presentation  Use an effective and strong closing:  Your audience is likely to remember your last words.

19. Springfield Public Schools Conclusion (cont)  End your presentation with a simple question slide to:  Invite your audience to ask questions  Provide a visual aid during question period  Avoid ending a presentation abruptly

20. Springfield Public Schools Resources  http://www.powerfinish.com/template- color.html http://www.powerfinish.com/template- color.html