Presentations with PowerPoint

2/12/14

Outline

• Start with a laugh

• Some basic ‘rules’

• Animation

• Hyperlinks

• Designs & Backgrounds

• General Presentation Skills

Life After Death by PowerPoint 2012 by Don McMillan

Results of the 2013 Annoying PowerPoint survey

• The speaker read the slides to us 72.0%

• Text so small I couldn’t read it 50.6%

• Full sentences instead of bullet points 48.4%

• Overly complex diagrams 30.8%

• Poor colour choice 25.8%

• No clear purpose 22.1%

• No flow of ideas 21.0%

http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/free-resources/latest-annoying-powerpoint-survey-results/

SOME BASIC ‘RULES’

Before you start

• PowerPoint is the aid – YOU are the presenter.

• Just send them the notes!

• Technology can add the presentation – make sure it does not detract

• Before you start:

Plan the presentation

Know the audience

Know the purpose

The 5/5/5 rule

To keep your audience from feeling overwhelmed, you should keep the text on each slide short and to the point.

Some experts suggest using the 5/5/5 rule: no

more than five words per line of text, five lines

of text per slide, or five text-heavy slides in a row.

Colours and Fonts

Your text should be easy to read and pleasant to look at.

Large, simple fonts and theme colours are always your best bet.

The best fonts and colours can vary depending on your presentation setting.

• Presenting in a large room? Make your text bigger than usual so that the people in the back can read it.

• Presenting with the lights on? Dark text on a light background is your best bet for visibility.

• Consider SmartArt where appropriate

Colours and Fonts II

• Use at least a 20 (24) point font for body text

• Use at least a 36 point font for headings

• If the projection screen is small or far from the audience, go to larger fonts

• Keep size consistent for all slides

• DON’T USE ALL CAPS- IT MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO READ

• Use bold when you want something to stand out.

• No more than 2 fonts per slideshow

• Serif fonts- fonts with “curves”- like Times New Roman can be hard to read

• Sans Serif fonts- clean, block fonts- like Arial or Verdana are the preferred fonts

USING ANIMATIONS

Don’t overload your presentation with animations

Before including effects like this in your presentation, ask yourself:

Would this moment in the presentation be equally strong without an added effect?

Does it unnecessarily delay information? If the answer to either question is yes, or even “maybe,” leave out the effect.

However….

• Story

• Make more engaging

• Help sequencing

Groups & LeadershipSir Ernest Shackleton- A lesson in

Leadership

Graphical Representation of an Up-Counter

Rising Edge of Input Signal

Input 0006

0

1

Reset 0002

0

1

3 2 1

CNT 205 / OUT 1007

0

1

3 2 10

Counts are ignored because Reset is ‘High’

Counts are ignored because Counter is saturated !

0 0 3 3 3 3 2 1 0 3 3

Graphical Representation of an Up-Counter

Rising Edge of Input Signal

Input 0006

0

1

Reset 0002

0

1

3 2 1

CNT 205 / OUT 1007

0

1

3 2 10

Counts are ignored because Reset is ‘High’

Counts are ignored because Counter is saturated !

0 0 3 3 3 3 2 1 0 3 3

Sequencing

• Too many bullet points detract

• People can read ahead…

• And get bored

• Draw attention to what you want…when you want

HYPERLINKS

Video Links

Embedded Links

Embedded Links

Hyperlinks Within Document

It’s sometimes useful to ‘jump’ from one point in the presentation to another without having to click through a lot of other slides

DESIGNS & BACKGROUNDS

Backgrounds

• Simple backgrounds may be best, make sure it does not overpower the slides

• Complex Designs may inhibit choices

• Monitor & Screen different

• Don’t be afraid to modify to suit

• Set the stage and leave it alone

• Stick with a single background for your presentation

• You might consider a different title slide

Groups & LeadershipSir Ernest Shackleton- A lesson in

Leadership

GENERAL PRESENTATION SKILLS

Parts of a Presentation

• Introduction

• Overview

• Body

• Conclusions

• References

Have Consistent Thread

Your ‘performance’

• The audience want you to do well and they can read

• Know your material (notes)

• Clarity of voice and presentation

• Handouts

• ‘Stagecraft’

Summary

• Have a clear message

• Use the technology appropriately

• Speak up and be confident