1. PowerPoint Dos and Don’ts

2. Graphic Design Issues Use Contrasting Colors Use Readable Fonts
Limit Text Per Slide
Use Bright Background Colors
Use Simple Muted Background Images
Avoid Excessive Motion
Down with Cutesy Sounds

3. Use Contrasting Colors
Good
Bad
Good
Bad !
Good
Bad
Good
Bad
Good

4. Use Readable Fonts San Serif fonts are most legible on screen
Cursive fonts fall out of legibility quickly
Cutesy fonts aren’t easy to read either
A different font that has bold letter strokes can work well
Serif fonts can be used but are harder to read especially from the back of the room
Not all computers have the same fonts

5. Limit Text Per Slide
Large font size increases legibility and forces the issue of limiting text per slide

6. Use Bright Background Colors
To sleep perchance to dream…
Dark background colors with the lights off makes it hard to take notes and easy to sleep
Light background colors make it easier to take notes and harder to sleep
Think about trying to find your seat at the movies…in a night scene or day scene

7. Use Simple Muted Background Images

8. Avoid Excessive Motion
When your slides have too much motion
The point your are trying to make
Can get lost
In all of the commotion

9. Down with Cutesy Sounds
I can’t even bring myself to make an annoying sound to go here.
‘Nuf said

10. Technical Issues

11. PowerPoint File Size
PowerPoints can be very small if there are no images, or sounds or video
PowerPoints can be huge if you insert uncompressed images
PowerPoints can be small if you insert compressed images
Local computer use file size is not an issue as long as you can transport the file
Web access file size is a huge issue 1mb = 5 minutes download on a modem

12. Don’t work off of a floppy disk
Microsoft Office files automatically make a backup as you work—this backup is the same size as your file
You need file size x 2 available on your working drive
Largest file possible reading and writing from floppy is 700kb when this is exceeded the crash is often unrecoverable
Floppy disks are prone to lose data independent of all else

13. Images – compress outside of PowerPoint
PowerPoint does not compress images
Work in some other graphics package to compress your images before inserting them into PowerPoint
Microsoft has a tool for Windows XP called Image Resizer which will allow you to compress your images
The Gnu Image Manipulation Program will let you compress and edit your images this is open source software and is available for free

14. Audio – embedded or linked
Small audio clips will automatically be imbedded in PowerPoint
Large audio clips will be linked
Be sure to include linked clips when transferring a PowerPoint with externally linked files otherwise your presentation will lack that which will not exist on the computer to which the presentation has been transferred

15. Video – always linked PowerPoint can run video
PowerPoint links to video move the video with the PowerPoint
Make sure the computer to run the presentation has the codec to run the video
Test the PowerPoint before hand to avoid fix or be aware of problems

16. Using PowerPoint on the Web
Small PowerPoint files can be linked directly
Export to HTML doesn’t do a good job—proprietary XML in frames which is not ADA compliant
UNCW official solutions
OpenOffice can read and write PowerPoint files it creates clean HTML and is easy to use (open source)
PDF files are a viable alternative
Adobe Acrobat
PDF Creator (open source)
Open Office (open source)

17. Pedagogy Issues

18. Giving out your PowerPoints: yes or no?
Personal preference
Concerns over class attendance
Learning requires multiple passes at information
Don’t undervalue your “performance” as a lecturer

19. Not just a lecture tool--can be used as a prompt with group discussions
Make a slide that poses a question and have the next slide answer the question
Can make slides that have multiple choice question and link to correct/incorrect answers with explanations

20. Can be used to keep record of group brainstorming
Remember the same program that presents was used to create
Seek input and record
Post to the web as a record of class conversation

21. Don’t over pace your presentations
Once you have all of your information clear in your head and down on slides it is easy to tear through at a breakneck pace
Nervous presenters go too fast
Check your audience for comprehension
Let their note taking hands have a little rest
Include time for discussion

22. Contributors Dr. Charles Ward Dr. James Reeves Dr. Russ Herman
Dr. Gabriel Lugo
Dr. Ron Vetter
Shane Baptista