Effective PowerPoint

Get Your Message

Across
Effective PowerPoint

• Be Seen
– Make sure your text is big enough
– This is 28 point Arial
– Anything below 24 points is too small
Effective PowerPoint
Use contrasting color schemes
(design templates)
These colors contrast
These colors don’t contrast
These colors don’t contrast
These colors contrast (harder to read?)

These colors contrast (harder to read?)

Effective PowerPoint

• Be Clear
– Use a sans-serif font (Arial, Verdana)
– Serif fonts are harder to read on-screen
– Italics are harder to read on-screen
– Use bold or color for emphasis
Effective PowerPoint

• Simple is best
– Basic light colored background and
dark text
– Avoid distracting images
– Limit transitions, animations, and
sound effects
– Don’t get hung up on looks
Effective PowerPoint

• Plan
– Plan Ahead (remember your purpose)
– Plan Carefully (get it under control)
– Plan for Disaster (next mouse click?)
Effective PowerPoint

• Don’t read your screen

– Remember, PowerPoint presentations
shouldn’t be used as cue cards. Bullet
points should prompt you. Besides,
your audience will read faster than
you will talk. Plus your back will be
them. Which leads to the next point…
Effective PowerPoint

• Avoid long sentences

– 6 words per line
– 6 lines per slide
– Understanding vs. Overload
Effective PowerPoint

Use images to
communicate…
Effective PowerPoint

…Not to
decorate
Effective PowerPoint

• Always save to the hard

disk
– Floppies/Zip disks stink
– Periodically save to network
– USB “Flash” drives are great!
Effective PowerPoint

• Use PowerPoint Shows

– Bypass the PowerPoint Interface
– File > Save As… PowerPoint Show
– File name ends in .pps
Don’t be
afraid!
Who needs
bullets?
 Don’t use
PowerPoint
as a crutch
 Simple.

Remember?
Effective PowerPoint

• ???