The Ted Commandments of Effective Presentations

excerpts from National Conference for State Legislatures "Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations"

source:  http://www.ncsl.org/

Included in this overview:

• Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations
• 7 Deadly Sins of PowerPoint Presentations
• Design Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Presentation Advice for Ms Kellys class

Tips for Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• Use the slide master feature to create a consistent and simple design template.  Be consistent with elements such as font, colors, and background.
• Simplify and limit the number of words on each screen. Use key phrases and include only essential information.
• Limit punctuation and avoid putting words in all capital letters. Empty space on the slide will enhance readability.
• Use contrasting colors for text and background. Light text on a dark background is best. Patterned backgrounds can reduce readability of text.
• Avoid the use of flashy transitions such as text fly-ins. These features may seem impressive at first, but are distracting and get old quickly.
• Overuse of special effects such as animation and sounds may make your presentation “cutesy” and could negatively impact your credibility.
• Use good quality images that reinforce and complement your message. Ensure that your image maintains its impact and resolution when projected on a larger screen.
• Limit the number of slides. Presenters who constantly “flip” to the next slide are likely to lose their audience. A good rule of thumb is one slide per minute.
• Do not read from your slides. The content of your slides is for the audience, not for the presenter.
• Do not speak to your slides. Many presenters face the direction of their presentation rather than their audience.
• Do not apologize for anything in your presentation. If you believe something will be hard to read or understand, don’t use it.
• When possible, run your presentation from the hard disk rather than a USB or online source. Running from those locations may slow your presentation.

 Presentation

• Plan carefully.
• Do your research.
• Know your audience.
• Time your presentation.
• Speak comfortably and clearly.
• Check the spelling and grammar.
• Do not read the presentation. Practice the presentation so you can speak from bullet points. The text should be a cue for the presenter rather than a message for the viewer.
• Give a brief overview at the start. Then present the information. Finally review important points.
• It is often more effective to have bulleted points appear one at a time so the audience listens to the presenter rather than reading the screen.
• If sound effects are used, wait until the sound has finished to speak.
• If the content is complex, print the slides so the audience can take notes.
• Do not turn your back on the audience. Try to position the monitor so you can speak from it.

Design Tips for Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Fonts

• Select a single font such as Arial or Helvetica. Avoid fonts such as Times New Roman or Palatino because these fonts are sometimes difficult to read.
• Use no font size smaller than 24 point.
• Use the same font for all your headlines.
• Select a font for body copy and another for headlines.
• Use bold and different sizes of those fonts for captions and subheadings.
• Don’t use more than four fonts in any one publication.
• Clearly label each screen. Use a larger font (35-45 points) or different color for the title.
• Use larger fonts to indicate importance.
• Use different colors, sizes and styles (e.g., bold) for impact.
• Avoid italicized fonts as these are difficult to read quickly.
• Avoid long sentences.
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.
• Limit punctuation marks.
• No more than 6-8 words per line
• For bullet points, use the 6 x 6 Rule. One thought per line with no more than 6 words per line and no more than 6 lines per slide
• Use dark text on light background or light text on dark background. However, dark backgrounds sometimes make it difficult for some people to read the text.
• Do not use all caps except for titles.

Design and Graphical Images

• Use design templates.
• Standardize position, colors, and styles.
• Include only necessary information.
• Use colors that contrast and compliment.
• Too may slides can lose your audience.
• Keep the background consistent and subtle.
• Limit the number of transitions used. It is often better to use only one so the audience knows what to expect.
• Use a single style of dingbat for bullets throughout the page.
• Use the same graphical rule at the top of all pages in a multi-page document.
• Use one or two large images rather than several small images.
• Prioritize images instead of a barrage of images for competing attention.
• Make images all the same size.
• Use the same border.
• Arrange images vertically or horizontally.
• Use only enough text when using charts or graphical images to explain the chart or graph and clearly label the image.
• Keep the design clean and uncluttered. Leave empty space around the text and graphical images.
• Use quality clipart and use it sparingly. A graphical image should relate to and enhance the topic of the slide.
• Try to use the same style graphical image throughout the presentation (e.g., cartoon, photographs)
• Limit the number of graphical images on each slide.
• Repetition of an image reinforces the message. Tie the number of copies of an image to the numbers in your text.
• Resize, recolor, reverse to turn one image into many. Use duplicates of varying sizes, colors, and orientations to multiply the usefulness of a single clip art image.
• Make a single image stand out with dramatic contrast. Use color to make a dramatic change to a single copy of your clip art.
• Check all images on a projection screen before the actual presentation.
• Avoid flashy images and noisy animation effects unless it relates directly to the slide.

Color

• Limit the number of colors on a single screen.
• Bright colors make small objects and thin lines stand out. However, some vibrant colors are difficult to read when projected.
• Use no more than four colors on one chart.
• Check all colors on a projection screen before the actual presentation. Colors may project differently than what appears on the monitor.