Jan 07, 2016
Power Point Design:
The do’s and the don’t
Adapted from
http://www.iasted.org/conferences/
plus what I have learnt from my own presentations and those of others.
The Outline of this presentation
• Outlines and Slide Structure• Design: Fonts, Color and Background• Graphs: Types and purposes• Accuracy: Spelling and Grammar• Conclusions• Questions
Outline
• Use slide 1 and 2 to outline your presentation.
• Follow the order of your outline.• Only list main points on the outline and
the title of each page.
Slide Structure - Bad
• If you put every word you want to say on the slides. Your slides will be too crammed with information. The audience will try to follow the information without listening to you. It is better to put only headings and phrases which are main idieas on the slides. It is easier for you as a presenter to present and easier for the audience to follow the key messages that you want to convey in your presentation.
•
Slide Structure – Good
• List bullet point headings, not complete sentences.
• Include not more than 6 points per slide.• Avoid wordiness: Use key words and
phrases only.
Slide Structure – Good
• Show one point at a time: • Will help audience concentrate on what
you are saying.• Will help you keep your presentation
focused.
Slide Structure - Bad
• Do not use distracting animation.
• Do not go overboard with sound effects.
• Be consistent with the animation that you use.
Fonts - Bad
• Fonts - Bad• If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written
• CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ
• Don’t use a complicated font
Fonts - Good
• Use at least an 18-point font• Use different size fonts for main points and
secondary points– this font is 24-point, the main point font is 28-
point, and the title font is 36-point• Use a standard or common fonts
Color - Bad
• Using a font color that does not contrast with the background color is hard to read
• Using color for decoration is distracting and annoying.
• Using a different color for each point is unnecessary– Using a different color for secondary points is also
unnecessary• Trying to be creative can also be bad
Color - Good
• Use a color of font that contrasts sharply with the background– Ex: blue font on white background
• Use color to reinforce the logic of your structure– Ex: light blue title and dark blue text
• Use color to emphasize a point– But only use this occasionally
Background – Bad
• Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or difficult to read from
• Always be consistent with the background that you use
Background - Good
• Use backgrounds such as this one that are attractive but simple.
• Use backgrounds which are light.
• Use the same background consistently throughout your presentation.
Graphs - Good
• Use graphs rather than just charts and words– To facilitate visualization, comprehension &
retention of the data
• Add titles and explanation of the features of graphs
Table- Not so good
January February March AprilBlue Balls 20.4 27.4 90 20.4Red Balls 30.6 38.6 34.6 31.6
Graphs-BadItems Sold in First Quarter of 2002
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
January February March April
Blue Balls
Red Balls
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
East
West
North
Sales
1st Qtr2nd Qtr3rd Qtr4th Qtr
Graphs - Bad
20.4
27.4
90
20.4
30.6
38.6
34.631.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
January February March April
Blue Balls
Red Balls
Graphs - Bad
• Unnecessary minor gridlines.• Too small fonts.• Illogical colors.• Missing titles.• Distracting shades.• Too many graphs in one slide.
Graphs - Good
Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
January February March April
Blue Balls
Red Balls
Graph-Good
• Graphs are better than tables.• One graph for one slide.• Different graphs for different purposes.
Pie chart
Sale of crops by quarter
1st Qtr2nd Qtr3rd Qtr4th Qtr
Jan-Mar Apr-Jun Jul-Sep Oct-Dec0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
High endMid-levelLow end
Bar chart
Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 Category 40
1
2
3
4
5
6
Series 1Series 2Series 3
Spelling and Grammar
• Proof your slides for:– speling mistakes– the use of of repeated words– grammatical errors you might have make
• Please have someone else check your presentation!
Conclusion
• Use an effective and strong closing.– Your audience is likely to remember your last
words.
• Use a conclusion slide to:– Summarize the main points of your
presentation.– Suggest future avenues of research.
Questions??
• End your presentation with a simple question slide to:– Invite your audience to ask questions– Provide a visual aid during question period– Avoid ending a presentation abruptly
Q and A’s
Q: Number of slides for a presentation?
A: Presenters often spend 1 minute on 1-2 slides.
Other resources
• http://www.cob.sjsu.edu/splane_m/presentationtips.htm
• http://thepowerpointtemplates.com/?gclid=CJnNpPP4u64CFWGH4godrg7AIQ
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNG0etmnwuk