Effective PowerPoint

Get Your Message Across

Effective PowerPoint

• Be Seen– Make sure your text is big enough– This is 28 point Arial– Anything below 24 points is too small

Effective PowerPointUse contrasting color schemes

(design templates)

These colors contrast

These colors don’t contrast

These colors contrast (harder to read?)

These colors don’t contrast

These colors contrast (harder to read?)

Effective PowerPoint

• Be Clear– Use a sans-serif font (Arial, Verdana)– Serif fonts are harder to read on-screen

– Italics are harder to read on-screen– Use bold or color for emphasis

Effective PowerPoint

• Simple is best– Basic light colored background and

dark text– Avoid distracting images– Limit transitions, animations, and

sound effects– Don’t get hung up on looks

Effective PowerPoint

• Plan– Plan Ahead (remember your purpose)– Plan Carefully (get it under control)– Don’t make it up as you go along.– Sample Planner

Effective PowerPoint

• Don’t read your screen– Remember, PowerPoint presentations

shouldn’t be used as cue cards. Bullet points should prompt you. Besides, your audience will read faster than you will talk. Plus your back will be them. Which leads to the next point…

Effective PowerPoint

• Avoid long sentences– 6 words per line– 6 lines per slide– Understanding vs. Overload

Effective PowerPoint

Use images to communicate…

Effective PowerPoint

…Not to decorate

Effective PowerPoint

• Always save to the hard disk– Floppies/Zip disks stink– Periodically save to network– USB “Flash” drives are great!

Effective PowerPoint

• Use PowerPoint Shows– Bypass the PowerPoint Interface – File > Save As… PowerPoint Show– File name ends in .pps

Effective PowerPoint

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