Making PowerPoint Work
Keys to effective PowerPoint slides
We’ll Cover …• Presentation structure
• Start and end with summaries• Just enough detail in the
middle
• Style– Colors– Text– Images– Syntax– Spelling
Presentation Structure
• Start and end with summaries– Tell them what your
going to tell them– Tell them – Tell them what you told
them
• Just enough detail in the middle– Avoid reading slides– Key points– Reminders
Why Summarize?
• A good listener typically gets 70% and will probably forgets most of that – Daydreams, distractions, noise
• Motivated listeners perform better• Explain why they should care in opening• Explain the importance in closing
Style• Colors
– When/where to use bright/dark colors• Text
– Size is important– Less is more
• Images– Adding interest– Adding information
• Syntax and Spelling– Fragments are ok– Break some rules– Why spelling is important
Color
• Color adds visual interest• Room lighting (windows, sunlight, night) plays
a role.– Use high contrast in general• Dark text on light background (best for bright rooms)• Light text on dark background (best for dark rooms)
• Projector lumens plays a role– With enough lumens it doesn’t matter
Color
• Too much color– Don’t make color a distraction
• The right colors– Like music notes, some colors don’t play well
together– Find good blends
• Simple choices– Built in schemes are good
Text
• Less is more• No one wants to read your presentation• Limit your self– 7 words per line
is usually enough– 7 lines per page– Rules are meant
to be broken• Have a reason for breaking it
Text
• Size matters• Use as large a font as possible• Back of the room viewing– Rules can vary with the
size of the room– sizes 18-24 may be too
small for large rooms• Bonus: large font
means less text
Images• Images add visual interest• Include relevant image– Clip art – Graphs– Aim for every slide
• Give the audience something to focus on
Images
• People process images faster than text• An outstanding graphic transmits more
information– Is more memorable– Carries more weight
We Covered …
• Style– Colors– Text– Images– Syntax– Spelling
• Presentation structure• Start and end with summaries• Just enough detail in the middle