I am currently taking a FACTE course on Effective Presentations. We are working in different types of videoconferencing tools and even PowerPoint, trying to avoid the Death by PowerPoint. When this statement came out a few years back, everyone tried using Prezi or Google Slides or Haiku Deck instead, hoping to make their presentations more interesting. I never thought that the tool was the problem, instead it was the way we were using it. Here are a few tips for PowerPoint success:
Use the same background for all the slides. When in doubt use one of the Design Templates that came with PowerPoint. These templates guarantee a professional looking background every time.
Pick high contrast colors. High contrast means light letter on a dark background for example. High contrasting colors makes it much easier to read the slides. When in doubt use one of the Design Templates that came with PowerPoint. This guarantees high contrast colors.
Use one good picture or graphic per slide. PowerPoint is a visual medium so please use pictures and graphics. Just make sure the pictures are relevant to the topic and large enough for the audience to see and appreciate them.
Use minimum of 36 pts for the font size. Remember you’re making a presentation and not an eye exam. Your audience should be able to read the slides without binoculars.
Use maximum of 5 lines of text per slide. Use bullet lists and phrases rather than whole sentences. Plan to explain the bullets and phrases as part of your oral presentation.
Please don’t read the slides to your audience. Generally, all the members of your audience are literate. Instead of reading the slides to them use the slide as a launching point to tell them more about your topic.
Check your spelling and grammar. Nothing distracts the attention of your audience more than spelling & grammar errors.
Use good presentation skills.
- Be loud enough (but don’t yell).
- Practice your presentation before you present.
Use Unsplash for beautiful and Creative Commons photos.
TO KEEP ON LEARNING: If you’re looking for more ways to improve your PowerPoint presentations try searching the internet for:
PowerPoint backgrounds or PowerPoint layouts or PowerPoint templates
Better PowerPoints or PowerPoint tutorials
Source: www.180techtips.com
I would be happy to do a PowerPoint presentation on how to create and deliver an effective Presentation to prevent Death by PowerPoint! Just ask. If I have enough interest, I will schedule a workshop for this.