A FEW PRESENTATION RULES

WHY TALK ABOUT “RULES?”

1. the “rules” aren’t so much rules as they are conventions—aspects people are used to and comfortable with

1. you have to know the rules to be able to break them

• you have to know your audience to know whether or not it’s appropriate for you to break the rules

RULESET #1

do not copy and paste entire paragraphs into your slideshow; rather, whittle your arguments down to a few key points per slide

include no more than three or four bullet points per slide

use short—but descriptive!—phrases in your bullet points

RULESET #2 make sure each slide has a clear,

descriptive heading

use a large, readable font face and size for your headings

use a medium, readable font face and size for your bullet text

RULESET #3 adopt an overall design scheme that

lends visual consistency to your slideshow

avoid garish, distracting backgrounds (just because PowerPoint lets you use them doesn’t mean you should)

make sure your visual content—photos, icons, clipart, etc.—complements the purpose and focus of your presentation

RULESET #4 read and review and proof and proof

and edit and polish and proof

make sure there are no spelling errors, grammar errors, or typos in your slideshow

RULESET #5 test your presentation!

if you created it on a Mac using PowerPoint 2003, test it on a PC

if you created it on a PC using PowerPoint 2007, test it on PowerPoint 2000 and 2003

SLIDESHOWS THAT HURT PEOPLE

MOTION (AAAAAHHHH!!!)

On the move and on and on and on and on and on

Wow. That was NOT cool.

Slideshow Designs > Lessons Learned

templates are just templates—they are starting points

be sure to choose a template that complements the content of your presentation

familiarize yourself with the resources available to use to customize your slideshows (like Microsoft’s download site, where you can download tons of PowerPoint templates)

Slideshow Basics > Lessons Learned

PowerPoint and other applications are incredibly powerful ways of visually and textually and orally presenting information

but only if used well

Presenting

note that you will only have approximately 10 minutes for your presentation, so plan your time carefully—practice and prepare

Because we cannot always be sure of how the computers will act in this room, be sure to both load your Pp presentation to a thumb drive and online somewhere (email?)

IF YOU HAVE A MAC: do NOT drag images into Pp: use the “insert” function or they will not show up on a PC

What to Cover in Presentation

Your overall main topic (use my headings from the Packets page as a way of thinking about this)

The main points of discussion in your topic

At least one powerful quote (or two) for each point of discussion

Discussion questions for the class

come to class unprepared—present for 2 minutes or present for 20 minutes, and/or if it’s clear that you haven’t thought much about your presentation

be rude to other presenters—if you’re texting, or if you’re typing away during a presentation, this is INCREDIBLY rude.

• Have one person do all the talking. Everyone must participate

What not to do

Things to consider leave yourself plenty of time PRACTICE your presentation Add appropriate images to make it interesting and

add meaning