Download - Tips for Effective Presentations
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
DON‟Ts
YOUR BEST TO REMEMBER THE
FOLLOWING…
DO
Choose Serif fonts like
Times New Roman
They are harder to read on a screen
Use san-serif fonts like
Ariel, Gil Sans, or Century Gothic
They are easier on the eye
DO
Underline words for emphasis
People mistake these for hyperlinks and
they are harder to read.
Vary a font‟s size, or color
for
or group words together *
DO
*But avoid doing it all on one slide
Use visually complex fonts
Especially a variety of them
Choose easy to read fonts
&
Stay in a font family
DO
Use fonts that are smaller than
24 points
Any smaller and it can‟t be read easily from a distance
Back up about 2 feet
Watch your presentation
See if you can read everything
DO
with every new slide
Overload the
viewer
Change colors
Choose a color palette & layout style
And stick with it
DO
Fill up the screen with lots and lots informationwritten in sentence form. Or even bullet after bulletafter bullet. The visuals in your presentation shouldhelp guide your speaking, not replace it. Peoplecan read faster than they can speak, and theydon‟t want to hear you just read from the slides.Plus, the more you put on a slide, the smaller thetext will get and the smaller the text gets, theharder it is to read. Then, you will annoy youraudience as they try to follow along, but falter intheir attempts. An annoyed audience is not ahappy audience and an unhappy audience won‟treally give you the attention your hard andcarefully researched presentation deserves. Inother words, did you really read all of this? Wouldyou expect your audience to?
Choose only key points to highlight
Follow a 7 words / 6 lines guideline
Make every slide matter
DO
Use visually complex
backgrounds
Use backgrounds that don‟t
compete with the message
Go crazy with sound effects
and animations*
*Imagine many things spinning
& whizzing around on the page
Change the pace by adding
relevant video and website links*
DO
*Just make sure you‟ve loaded
those pages ahead of time
Include werds that are spellled
incorractly
Include incorrect information
Check your spelling
Proofread each slide
Make sure all information is correct
DO
Overload slides with images
Copy and paste images from the Internet
Choose images
that match
your message
DO
p.s. That„s jazz great
Dizzy Gillespie looking
for the right picture
Simply read off the screen
Practice ahead of time
Make notes for reference
Look at the audience
DO
Forget to review
your main points
Choose easy to read fonts &
backgrounds
Follow the same color scheme &
layout throughout
Use animation, sound, & images
with care
Proofread and spellcheck each
slide
Review your slideshow from a
distance & practice
Credit your sources
Web Resources
Credit your sources*
1. Colourlovers.com –
great for finding
color palettes
2. Flickr.com –
find free images
open to public use
3. Slideshare.net –
see how others approach the same
idea
DO
*Images can be sited throughout the presentation or
on the very last slide
Huber, Elaine. “PPT Dos and Don‟ts.” accessed Oct. 25, 2010. http://www.slideshare.net/elainehuber/ppts-dos-and-donts.
Desjardins, Jesse. “Steal this presentation.” accessed Oct. 22, 2010. http://www.slideshare.net/GlobalGossip/ steal-this-presentation-5038209.
Marcello, Tom. “Dizzy Gillespie – contact sheet.” accessed Oct. 26, 2010. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommarcello/435710613/in/faves-78239079@N00/.
Works Used & Consulted
THAT’S IT!
THANKS FOR WATCHING!
Created by K. Covintree
Fall 2010