Power Point Presentation Tips

Power Point Presentation Tips

Introduction & Outline

l Make your 1st slide a title page, and your 2nd slide an outline of your presentation

l Follow the order of your outline for the rest of the presentation
l Only place main points on the outline slide
– Ex: Use the titles of each slide as main points

Slide Structure

l Use 1-2 slides per minute of your presentation
l Write in point form, not complete sentences
l Include 4-5 points per slide
l Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases only

l Show one point at a time:
– Will help audience concentrate on what you are saying
– Will prevent audience from reading ahead
– Will help you keep your presentation focused

l Do not use distracting animation

l Do not go overboard with the animation

l Be consistent with the animation that you use

Fonts
l Use at least an 18-point font
l Use different size fonts for main points and secondary points
– this font is 24-point, the main point font is 28-point, and the title font is 36-point
l Use a standard font like Times New Roman or Arial

l If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written

l Capitalize only when necessary; it is difficult to read

l Don’t use a complicated font

Color
l Use a color of font that contrasts sharply with the background
– Ex: blue font on white background
l Use color to reinforce the logic of your structure
– Ex: light blue title and dark blue text
l Use color to emphasize a point
– But only use this occasionally
l Using a font color that does not contrast with the background color is hard to read
l Using color for decoration is distracting and annoying.
l Using a different color for each point is unnecessary
– Using a different color for secondary points is also unnecessary
l Trying to be creative can also be bad

Backgrounds
l Use backgrounds (such as this one) that are attractive but simple

l Use backgrounds which are light

l Use the same background consistently throughout your presentation
l Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult to read from
l Always be consistent with the background that you use


Illustrations
l Use high-quality graphics including photos
l Use high-quality images available on line
– Never simply stretch a small, photo to make it fit your layout.

Graphs
l Use graphs rather than just charts and words
– Data in graphs is easier to comprehend & retain than is raw data
– Trends are easier to visualize in graph form

l Always title your graphs

Spelling and Grammar
l Proof your slides for:
– speling mistakes
– the the use of of repeated words
– grammatical errors you might have make

l If English is not your first language, please have someone else check your presentation!

Conclusion

l Use an effective and strong closing
– Your audience is likely to remember your last words

l Use a conclusion slide to:
– Summarize the main points of your presentation
– Suggest future avenues of research

l End your presentation with a simple question slide to:
– Invite your audience to ask questions
– Provide a visual aid during question period
– Avoid ending a presentation abruptly

Works Cited Page

l Use MLA citations
l Cite all sources actually used