Can you do it
Mark Caulfield Comm 300 Organizational Communications
Spring 2018 Dr. Reardon
Chapter 12 Power Point Research:
Fonts
Power Point presentations are great for many different reasons, whether you are trying to sell your product or presenting your parents with your Christmas list, a Power Point can be easy to get your selling point or overall topic across. However some minor adjustments and key elements make some much better than others, for example according to the article 10 Font Tips for Presenters, www.thoughtco.com simple fonts that are large enough to see from the back of the room, you also have to be careful on the color of font that you use, if you use bright colors or colors that blend in easily with the background you may be able to tell the difference slightly on your computer screen but once you put the presentation through the projector it will be extremely difficult for your audience to see.
Theme
The overall theme for you Power Point is just as important as the font, talking about matching the font color to your theme is extremely important. Your theme should match your topic, if you are presenting in a business environment than you should keep the theme plain and simple with neutral colors. If you are presenting to young kids you want to brighten the presentation up with a more vibrant feel to keep the kids interested during your entire presentation. However avoid over the top themes and transitions between slides these can harm the presentation just as much as it helps, it can distract from your presentation topic and your point will not get across. The article Top Ten Slide Tips from www.garrreynolds.com help me realize how big of a difference small things can make.
Visual Aid
Adding pictures to your Power Presentation may be the most simple and effective step you can take to a powerful and successful Power Point. Especially with a younger audience or an unclear topic, pictures and or videos can be a great aid in assisting you on getting your point across. This tip may seem like a no brainer, but we all know and have been in previous classes where it is a blank white screen with words and no pictures for 40 slides, very dry and difficult to pay attention to. The article 10 Tips for Using Visual Aids on www.wittcom.com does a freat job at emphasizing this point.
Avoid Reading Directly From Slides
This has been drilled into student’s heads since we first began making Power Point presentations in middle school. It is unprofessional and wrong to read directly from the slides, you should use bulleted points and main topics on your slides and then have note cards or memorize what you want to say about the different topics. It is most likely your audience can read so don’t waste your time or yours reading directly from the slides. The article 5 Reasons ‘You Shouldn’t Read From Your Slides’ on www.ethos3.com does a great job explaining why you should not read directly from your power point slides.
Body Language
The final suggestion on presentations is your body language, it can make or break the presentation. Not everyone is a phenomenal public speaker, but it is also not an impossible skill to learn. It comes with time and practice, staying calm and not fidgeting really can keep your audience focused on your presentation and not on what you are doing. The article ‘While You’re Talking, What is Your Body Saying?’ on www.totalcommunicator.com does a great job at emphasizing this point.
Works cited:
Hamilton, C. & Kroll, T.L. (2018). Communicating for results: A guide for business and the professionals (11th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage.
Russell, W. (n.d.). 10 Font Tips for Powerpoint That Every Presenter Should Know. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from https://www.thoughtco.com/font-tips-for-presenters-2767402
Top Ten Slide Tips. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2018, from http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips/design/
5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Read From Your Slides. (2017, February 14). Retrieved February 21, 2018, from https://www.ethos3.com/2014/07/5-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-read-from-your-slides/
Using Visual Aids | Ten Tips. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2018, from http://wittcom.com/10-tips-for-using-visual-aids/
Presentation Skills: Body Language. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2018, from http://totalcommunicator.com/body_article.html