2. MAKING MISTAKES IN POWERPOINT (Never write titles in capitals only since it’s harder to read)

3. Dont use script fonts either...  (because they are very hard to read from a distance)

4. Choose your colours wisely…  The default colours are the best  Too many colours look un- professional  Some colours can be very hard to read against some backgrounds  Text is even harder to read against a graduated background

5. Don’t add too much text… The maximum number of words you add to a slide should be 50. If you add more then the text will be too small for the people at the back to read. As a result they will give up and chat or doodle or whatever. Remember the purpose of the presentation is to act as a focus for your talk. It should be a set of subheadings to draw people’s attention to what you are saying. If you really need to give them a lot of information then put it on a printed sheet and give it as handouts. This bit is 50 words. That’s enough!

6. Don’t add too many bullet points  Bullet points or numbered items are good!  They keep you focused on the item.  You can change the shape of the bullet and the number style.  You can use images as the bullet.  You can make the bullets appear one at a time.  You can animate the bullet point.  You can add far too many bullet points.  Seven bullets is too many.  The more you add the smaller the text gets.  Eventually the people at the back will not be able to read the text because it will be too small.  It looks cramped with this many bullet points.  Even if you can read this from the back of the room, remember that not everyone may have such good eyesight

7. Pointless images  There’s no point in adding images just because you like the picture.  Pictures add interest but are a distraction if they are not related to the text. Animated pictures are particularly bad at this.

8. Don’t add too many pictures… In general a single picture is good. It helps you get a point across. It can be ok to add a second picture Add many more and you lose the effect

9. Avoid silly animation TThis one takes forever to complete and bores the viewers IIts not easy to read text which spins ……or swivels BBouncing text gets irritating