Creating Effective
Power Point Presentations
© 2008
Marietta Reber
9/8/2008
Overview
Planning Your Presentation
 Writing Your Presentation
 Designing Your Presentation
 Presenting Your Presentation

© M.Reber 2008
Overview
Planning Your Presentation
 Writing Your Presentation
 Designing Your Presentation
 Presenting Your Presentation

© M.Reber 2008
Planning Your Presentation
Audience
 Purpose
 Topic
 Presentation Management

© M.Reber 2008
Planning Your Presentation –
Audience

Who is your audience?
 Is
your audience a layperson, executive,
technician, expert? Or a combination?
 What
are the characteristics and concerns of your
audience?
 How will you meet the needs of your audience?
© M.Reber 2008
Planning Your Presentation –
What Your Audience Wants



A presentation that is more than just reading
slides
A clear idea what you are talking about
Information they can actually use
 Not
so much information that they can’t remember
 Not so little information that they wonder why they
even listened to you

A lively interesting presentation that doesn’t
send them to sleep
© M.Reber 2008
Planning Your Presentation –
Purpose

Why are you giving the presentation?
 To
inform and increase level of expertise on
presented topic
“My specific purpose is to inform the audience about
the role of the two-party system in American politics.”
 To
persuade listeners with presented argument
“My specific purpose is to persuade the audience of
the need for stiffer penalties for running red lights.”
 To
sell a presented product
“My desired outcome is to have you buy this product.”
© M.Reber 2008
Planning Your Presentation –
Topic

What is the purpose of exploring this topic?
 Determine
if your purpose is:
To provide an overview of a broad topic or related
topics
 To provide an in-depth presentation of a specific
subsection of a topic


How do you break the topic down?
 Determine
the natural subsections of your topic
 Delegate tasks/subsections among group members
© M.Reber 2008
Planning Your Presentation –
Presentation Management

How do you meet your deadline?
 Create
an internal timeline with milestones and
reviews

Build in time for content reviews, grammar edits, merging
document portions, and ensuring format and styleguide are
applied consistently
 Consider
choosing a facilitator to oversee project
management
 Create checks and balances for completing
assignments
 Notify the instructor of any issues
© M.Reber 2008
Overview
Planning Your Presentation
 Writing Your Presentation
 Designing Your Presentation
 Presenting Your Presentation

© M.Reber 2008
Writing Your Presentation
Flow
 Information

© M.Reber 2008
Flow
Good Flow
 Develop Flow
 Build Presentation with Flow

© M.Reber 2008
Flow – Good Flow

An effective PowerPoint with good flow:
 Organizes
information logically
 Transitions smoothly between slides
 Presents information in context, e.g. from
general to specific
 Breaks down complex ideas into smaller
concepts and addresses them one by one
© M.Reber 2008
Flow – Good Flow

A presentation with good flow:
 Answers
your audience’s questions before
they think to ask them
 Leads your audience through the topic and
subsections
 Keeps the audience focused on content
through clearly developed slides
 Helps your audience link concepts
© M.Reber 2008
Flow – Develop Flow

Develop the flow of the presentation on
paper before you create slides
 Write
out all information to be presented on
paper or in WORD.
 Use individual pieces of paper or Post-Its for
each point if useful for arranging flow
 Group related items together and ensure
information flows smoothly from one group to
the next
 Organize and move around groupings until
the flow becomes clear
© M.Reber 2008
Flow –
Build Presentation with Flow

Create overview slides to outline for the
audience what you are going to tell them
the 1st or 2nd slide an outline of presentation
 Repeat overview slides at the beginning of each new
section if presentation is lengthy
 Make


Follow the outline for the rest of the presentation
Place only main points on outline slides
 Allow
audience to orient themselves during the
presentation by repeating section titles in individual
slide titles
© M.Reber 2008
Flow –
Build Presentation with Flow

Introduction Slide:


Outline Slides:






Use several hierarchical levels of overview slides if necessary
State main points of presentation
Follow described structure
Start broad, finish specific
Rank Information: include only what NEEDS to go on the slide
Content Slides:



Contains title of presentation, date, presenter name
Cover detailed information based on outline
Use as many slides as needed, as many as 1-2 per minute
Final Slide:


Audience will remember last thing they hear, so make it matter
Put a blank slide at end – it provides a non-distracting
placeholder for discussion
© M.Reber 2008
Writing Your Presentation
Flow
 Information

© M.Reber 2008
Information – Research
Use reputable sources for research such
as academic articles, interviews with
professionals, books, etc.
 Document information and sources
 Collect more information than you need for
the slides
 Anticipate questions the audience might
have when researching your topic

© M.Reber 2008
Information – Selection

Present essential information: not too
much
 Leave
out minute details
 Limit use of examples and tangential
information
 Exclude unnecessary or contradictory
information
© M.Reber 2008
Information – Selection

Present essential information: not too little
 Information
on slides should be selfexplanatory and complete
 A number, cryptic sentence, or unexplained
image is not useful information
 Slides should clearly present the topic and
content of presentation in an obvious way and
develop the basic ideas comprehensibly
© M.Reber 2008
Information – Grammar
Avoid abbreviations and acronyms not
obvious to audience
 Eliminate personal pronouns or articles
when it makes sense
 Use whole sentences or fragments, but be
consistent
 Limit punctuation marks
 Use present tense when possible

© M.Reber 2008
Information – Slide Density
Write maximum 2 lines per bullet
 Limit 6 bullets per slide
 Avoid long sentences
 Keep slides simple and understandable in
a few seconds
 If a slide contains too much information,
split it in two

© M.Reber 2008
Information – Structure
Slide Structure – Good




Use 1-2 slides per minute of your
PowerPoint presentation
Write in point form, not complete
sentences
Include 4-6 points per slide
Avoid wordiness: use key words and
phrases only
Slide Structure – Bad

This page contains too many words for a ppt
presentation slide. It is not written in point
form, making it difficult both for your
audience to read and for you to present each
point. Although there are exactly the same
number of points on this slide as the previous
slide, it looks much more complicated. In
short, your audience will spend too much
time trying to read this paragraph instead of
listening to you.
© M.Reber 2008
Overview
Planning Your Presentation
 Writing Your Presentation
 Designing Your Presentation
 Presenting Your Presentation

© M.Reber 2008
Designing Your Presentation
Templates
 Format
 Font
 Visuals

© M.Reber 2008
Templates

Choose template carefully
 Background
images and busy templates
distract from content
 Unobtrusive templates showcase content
 Text should contrast strongly with background
Dark text on a light background are easy to read
both on the projector and on handouts
 Choose a color scheme and template that will not
empty the toner when you print handouts

© M.Reber 2008
Templates

Use slide master feature for consistent and
simple design template
 Change
slide master settings at
View – Master – Slide Master
 Make changes to the fonts, sizes and look of master
slide as needed


Add copyright, name, date, and phrases like
“confidential” in slide master footer for company
slides
Design your own presentation template if you
have the time and ability
© M.Reber 2008
Designing Your Presentation
Templates
 Format
 Font
 Visuals

© M.Reber 2008
Format
Use font, size, and color consistently and
parallel in titles, text and bullets
 Use the same transitions and animations
for whole presentation
 Use only basic animations and transitions

 Fancy
animations are distracting and become
annoying quickly
 Transitions should be quick and unnoticeable
© M.Reber 2008
Designing Your Presentation
Templates
 Format
 Font
 Visuals

© M.Reber 2008
Font






Use font size 24 - 48 point to make sure slides
can be read from the back of the room
Font size under 20 is nearly unreadable from a distance
Use basic serif and sans serif fonts since fancy
fonts can be hard to read
DON’T WRITE TEXT IN ALL CAPITAL
LETTERS, IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ
Be careful with colors
Use colors for emphasis but plan well
© M.Reber 2008
Font
Use as few different fonts and sizes as
possible
 Use sans serif fonts for a clean look and
readability
 Use font size to indicate hierarchy

 Make
the font size of titles larger than text
 Use a smaller font for sub-bullets or body text
© M.Reber 2008
Designing Your Presentation
Templates
 Format
 Font
 Visuals

© M.Reber 2008
Visuals – Types
Flowcharts and other conceptual drawings
 Graphs and charts
 Photographs and clipart
 Tables

© M.Reber 2008
Visuals – Uses

Use graphics to depict:
 Objects,
parts, or features of an object
 Actions or movements
 Orientation or position
 Concepts or a progression of ideas


Summarize and condense information and make
it easy to access through a visual
Allow international communication
© M.Reber 2008
Visuals – Flowchart
Source:http://www.chass.ncsu.edu/training/MSPowerPoint/Tips/tips.html
© M.Reber 2008
Visuals – Graphs
Graphs - Bad
Graphs - Good
Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002
100
90
90
100
80
90
70
80
70
60
60
Blue Balls
50
Blue Balls
Red Balls
50
40
Red Balls
38.6
40
34.6
31.6
30.6
27.4
30
30
20.4
20
10
10
0
0
January

February
March
April
January
February
March
April
Use graphs rather than just charts and words



20.4
20
Data in graphs is easier to comprehend and retain than raw data
Trends are easier to visualize in graph form
Always title graphs
© M.Reber 2008
Visuals –
Photographs and Clipart


Use professional photographs, not clipart
Make sure images maintain impact and resolution when
projected on a large screen
Source: http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html
© M.Reber 2008
Visuals – Tables

Tables organize information for quick
comparison
Visuals Comparison Chart
Type of
Visual
Flowcharts
Level of
effective High
-ness
Graphs
Photographs and
Clipart
Tables
High
High
High
© M.Reber 2008
Visuals


Generally, you should be able to explain a graph
or a table in a few minutes
Overly dense graphs or tables are difficult to
follow
 If
necessary, break up into several slides
 Be sure not to use a font size under 22 points for
tables or graphics to keep them readable
 Tables or graphics imported directly from print
material are generally bad for slides



Fonts are too small
Information is generally too crowded and dense
Made for close-up reading, not distant viewing on a screen
© M.Reber 2008
Visuals – How Not To Do It
Pathogenesis of a BAD SLIDE that is
too crowded and confusing
Useful Information
Related information that is not connected to anything
Difficult use of color
That doesn’t clarify
Misplaced arrows that not exactly on target
Over
Colored
Inconsistent
Labels VE
?Label
Inc
on
R
T
I
C
A
L
sis
ten
tL
ab
el
Inconsistent Label
Inconsistent
Label
Boxed Text That Goes Out
Of The Box
How is this
connected
Poor Box
Total Confusion Hinders Presentation
Source: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&q=powerpoint+presentation+too+much+info&start=10&sa=N
© M.Reber 2008
Overview
Planning Your Presentation
 Writing Your Presentation
 Designing Your Presentation
 Presenting Your Presentation

© M.Reber 2008
Presenting Your Presentation
Rehearsal
 Testing
 Interaction
 Handouts

© M.Reber 2008
Rehearsal

Use slides as a guide



Slides only give audience basic information you fill out orally
Never consider slides a substitute for oral presentation
Use the slides as reference, not as exclusive
information

PowerPoint slides are an aid for the presentation, not the
presentation itself
 Audience wants to hear what YOU have to say on the topic,
not just read slides

Navigate slides with ease


Spend enough time as necessary to explain a slide
Split an information dense slide into more than one slide
© M.Reber 2008
Rehearsal – Single Presenter





Practice introducing yourself and the topic
Synchronize your spoken presentation with your
slides
If you encourage note-taking, allow audience
time to do so and include in timing presentation
Plan your presentation to allow time at the end
for questions and answers
Practice non-linear navigation in PowerPoint to
allow jumping ahead or back without paging
through all slides
© M.Reber 2008
Rehearsal – Multiple Presenters
Combine individual presentations into one
before presentation day
 Determine how to break down total
presentation time among presenters and
their respective subsections
 Decide who introduces the group and topic
 Estimate correctly how long it really takes
to cover all information among presenters

© M.Reber 2008
Rehearsal – Multiple Presenters

Practice a smooth transition from one presenter
to the next
 Transfer
the controls and move on smoothly without
interruption
 Practice introduction of next speaker and topic

Do a practice run of the entire presentation with
transitions with all presenters present
 Ensure
all presenters have sufficient time for their
portion of the presentation
 Allow for extra feedback on each presenter
individually
 Allow time for questions
© M.Reber 2008
Rehearsal –
Important Navigation Shortcuts

Practice shortcuts to make moving around in
presentation easy
 Up, Page Up, Mouse Wheel Up: Previous Slide
 Down, Page Down, Mouse Wheel Down, Left-Click:
Next Slide
 Type number and press ENTER: go to specific slide.
NO visual feedback as number is entered
 B – Blank screen: displays black screen. Useful if you
want audience to stop reading
 W – White screen. Displays white screen. Similar to
'B', but less jarring if presentation has a white
background
© M.Reber 2008
Rehearsal –
Important Navigation Shortcuts
– Hide pointer. Makes on-screen arrow cursor go
away. Cursor normally disappears if not moved for a
few seconds
 CTRL-P – Pen mode. Lets you write on your
presentation. Not recommended for many laptop
pointing devices
 E – Erase pen marks
 Esc - Terminate slide show
 F5 – Start slide show
A
© M.Reber 2008
Presenting Your Presentation
Rehearsal
 Testing
 Interaction
 Handouts

© M.Reber 2008
Testing

Test presentation on actual presentation system
BEFORE presentation





Things can and do go wrong
One system may have different versions and requirements and
than another system and the presentation cannot run
Slides may be unreadable from back seats and have to be
changed
Unusual fonts may be unreadable on a different system
Bring presentation on several media in case one source
fails.



Use a memory stick or CD
Send as an attachment to an online email account
Print handouts for audience
© M.Reber 2008
Presenting Your Presentation
Rehearsal
 Testing
 Interaction
 Handouts

© M.Reber 2008
Interaction





Don’t read from your slides. Slides are for the
audience, not you.
Don’t read to your slides. Face the audience, not
the screen.
Don’t apologize for your slides. If a slide is hard
to read or unclear, don’t use it.
Don’t turn off all lights. Light keeps the audience
from falling asleep and lets them take notes if
they want.
Do interact with and engage your audience.
© M.Reber 2008
Interaction
Speak at a comfortable speed. Do not
speed up to cover more information!
 If you have a hard time talking to groups,
present to a few members in the audience
in different locations of the room.
 Remember, you know more than your
audience and they want to learn from you!

© M.Reber 2008
Interaction

Remember that a good presentation is a
story
 Give
a brief overview of information at the
start
 Present information
 Review important points in the conclusion

Allow for audience responses and
questions
© M.Reber 2008
Presenting Your Presentation
Rehearsal
 Testing
 Interaction
 Handouts

© M.Reber 2008
Handouts
Provide a hard copy of your slides to allow
viewers to focus on you, not note taking
 If you are a knowledgeable and engaging
presenter, don’t worry that the audience
won’t listen to you
 Handouts allow the audience to take notes
directly on relevant slides
 Presentation should still make sense if all
the audience has is the handout

© M.Reber 2008