©2009 Anemone Graphics. All rights reserved. PPTinRealWorld_Slides.ppt PowerPoint ® in the Real World How to Apply Top-Notch Skills to Challenging Presentations.

© 2009 Anemone Graphics. All rights reserved.

PPTinRealWorld_Slides.ppt

PowerPoint® in the Real World

How to Apply Top-Notch Skills to Challenging Presentations

Carol YoungclausAnemone Graphics

PowerPoint is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation

YOU CAN TRANSFORM YOUR NEXT PRESENTATION

FROM A YAWNER …

© 2009 Anemone Graphics. All rights reserved.

PPTinRealWorld_Slides.ppt

To a Real Dazzler!

… With Just a Few Simple Guidelines

and Some Slick Tricks

©2009 Anemone Graphics. All rights reserved.PPTinRealWorld_Slides.ppt 4

Lesson Plan

1. Introduction

2. Design 101

3. Presentation Planning

4. Locating and Choosing Images

5. Program Skills

6. The Business Side of PowerPoint

7. Communication

8. What to Do When You Get Stuck


1. Introduction


The Four Key Elements to Successful Presentations


The Four Key Elements to Successful Presentations

1. Design SenseTo organize data into an attractive, logical and understandable layout

2. Program SkillsTo enhance your productivity and to take full advantage of PowerPoint’s rich set of features

3. Business SenseTo understand the content at a high level, to choose appropriate colors and images, and to ensure that the presentation complements and enhances, rather than competes with, the presenter

4. CommunicationTo foster collaborative interaction with the author and prevent errors due to misunderstanding


esign is not just about “pretty”

• Good PowerPoint design is as essential to your presentation as good personal grooming

• Good design organizes information in a way that:– Attracts and holds audience attention and interest

– Enhances comprehension

– Presents a positive impression of both the speaker and the material being presented

– Remains memorable long after the presentation ends

• Good design can be achieved with any page


What the Experts Recommend

• Really huge bulleted text

• Really succinct text

• Really high-level concepts

• Uh, really out of touch with reality

Simplicity


What You Will Really Be Working With

• Complex ideas distilled onto a single page: “War and Peace on the head of a pin”

™

• Disorganized charts

• Faxed copies of penciled sketches

• Illegible handwriting

• Seemingly unmeetable deadlines

• A migraine

Complexity


What You Will Need to Succeed

• Design principles to help you tame complex and/or disorganized slides

• Sufficient knowledge of the topic to decode illegible writing and understand intent

• PowerPoint expertise to make it faster, easier, better

• Communication skills to work with the author on areas of ambiguity

• Aspirin

CopingSkills


The Experts Are Not WrongBut …

• The concept of “no more than five bullets per page” is ideal but rarely realistic– Not every PowerPoint document is intended to be a

presentation

– Often speakers plan to “talk to the slide,” using it as a high-level visual and distributing paper copies that the audience can refer to during or after the presentation

– Even when a slide’s content cannot be read from the back of the room, good design will help the speaker illuminate the concept

• A complicated page is not an excuse for a messy page– Careful visual planning can overcome clutter

• Understanding content improves design ability– If you don’t know what something means, ask

– Your input has value—know when to speak up (with tact) and when to stand down (with grace)


2. Design 101


The Four Basic Principles of Design*

*1994, Robin Williams, The Non-Designer’s Design Book

1. AlignmentThe first Clutter-Buster—organizes information and guides the viewer through the page

2. ContrastThe second Clutter-Buster—creates visual drama and interest to capture and hold viewer attention

3. ProximityGrouping related elements establishes the hierarchy of information—the most important points are most prominent

4. RepetitionRepeated themes (font, color, image style) establish a look and feel to “unify” a document


Some Basic Examples:Alignment

Before

Title is centered and too highCallout boxes are ragged and

inconsistent; text placed in boxes over autoshapes rather than typed into them

After

Callout boxes replaced with high-contrast titles over a more easily readable three-column format

Note the increased white spaceAlso note contrast, proximity, repetition


Some Basic Examples:Contrast

Font differences are so slight that they look like errors

No focal point on the pageWide rows of small text are difficult

to readOverall impression: dull

Before

Strong title in upper-lower case with plenty of white space leaves no doubt where to begin reading

The same font as the lead-in paragraph, but in grey, organizes the sub-points

Also note alignment, proximity, repetition

After


Some Basic Examples:Proximity

Inconsistently placed grey boxes do not help the reader sort through the information

Before

Parallel placement of the columns and separated summary box helps step the reader through the information

Note: only summary text is centered and unnecessary elements have been removed for a cleaner appearance

Also note alignment, contrast, repetition

After


Some Basic Examples:Repetition

Every column has a different fill, creating chaos on the page

Charts are slightly different in size and inconsistent in placement

Boxed chart titles increase clutter

Before

The same fill is used for all columnsAxis labels are sufficient to differentiate

the categoriesContrasting chart titles minimize clutter Also note alignment, contrast, proximity

After


Okay, But What Can Be Done About This?

Typical matrix in a

typical mess


What a Difference!Same

matrix, same type

size, better layout


Compare Them Side-by-Side

Centered titles in CAPS (hard to read, take up too much real estate, appear amateurish under most circumstances)

Sloppy lines, messy highlighting boxesUnnecessary vertical lines create clutter

Before

Upper/lower case titles, strong contrastInserted table for precise lines and fillsCarefully aligned text makes vertical

lines unnecessaryBetter organized white space

After


White Space Is Powerful

• White space (which refers to unused background, not a specific color) is not dead space—it is a dramatic and dynamic visual tool

• Carefully arranged white space is an essential component of contrast

• If your page is very dense with text, try adjusting paragraph spacing and/or line spacing to give it more “air” (be sure to change the layout to avoid defaulting to the master when page is copied)

Resist the urge to fill the page!


To Learn More …

Contact Anemone Graphics

• Email: [email protected]

• Phone: 781-933-9755

• Write to: Carol YoungclausAnemone Graphics2 Park DriveWoburn, MA 01801

©2009 Anemone Graphics. All rights reserved. PPTinRealWorld_Slides.ppt PowerPoint ® in the Real World How to Apply Top-Notch Skills to Challenging Presentations.

Documents

page slide

repetition slide

document slide

introduction slide

misunderstanding slide

yawner slide

stuck slide

grace slide