Designing an Effective PowerPoint Presentation

During your life, you will probably need to present something to a class, a teacher, or an employer. Microsoft PowerPoint is an effective tool for making slideshows. However, the slideshow is only as effective as its presentor. Keep these tips in mind when creating a PowerPoint presentation.

 

Preparation

Know your audience:

• What does your audience know about the subject?
• Will they be familiar with any technical terms you may be using?
• How will you make the subject interesting to the audience?

Use this information to create your content and choose an appropriate title.

 

Organization

• Introduce the material you will be presenting
• Organize the body material in a logical manner
• Include a conclusion to remind the audience of what you have covered
• Remember to keep your audience focused on you, rather than your slides.  Limit your slides to only the necessary information

 

Headings

• Keep headings simple
• Use parallel construction
• Do not use all capital letters
• Use a sans-serif font

 

Contrast

Use subtle contrast between the background and the text to ensure the audience will be able to easily read the PowerPoint slide. Avoid bright hard-to-read colors, such as purple and yellow.

 

Font

In her book Technical Communication, Dr. Brenda R. Sims offers the following suggestions for typeface and type sizes:

• Use 28-32 point type for text
• Use 36-44 point type for headings
• Use sans serif type
• Use upper- and lowercase letters, not all capital letters

 

Content

• Keep information relevant
• Limit graphics to those that relate to the material
• Avoid using templates
• Keep your theme consistent
• Use charts only if they are simple and easy to understand
• Do not use animations or clip art
• Limit the amount of text on each slide

 

Further Reading/ Works Cited

Gallian, J.A. (2006). Advice on Giving a Good PowerPoint Presentation. MathHorizons. Retrieved on March 10, 2010 from www.maa.org/students/undergrad/Gallian.pdf

Sims, B. R. (2009). Technical Communication. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing Company.

 

 

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