Powerpoint format
PowerPoint
Contents
- Part One:
How to Use PowerPoint - Part Two:
How to Create Slides - Part Three:
Design Tips
How to Use PowerPoint
- Step 1: Create an outline for your speech
- Step 2: Look for ways to highlight key points visually
- Step 3: Create PowerPoint slides that are interesting and eye-friendly
Options
- Photos
- Drawings
- Animations
- Video/Audio
- Words (but
just a few!)
In a speech on starfish, you could show this slide while discussing the best locations for finding starfish.
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Wrong Way
- If you show one wordy screen after another, your listeners will get bored and fatigued
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Right Way
- If you display a graphic and a few key terms, while giving details in a conversational voice, you can keep listeners interested and engaged
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How to Create Slides
Open PowerPoint
Choose the option Design Template
Choose a simple, uncluttered template
Choose an appropriate Auto Layout
Enter text and/or images
Choose Insert and then New Slide
Proceed, as in steps 4 – 6, until all slides are finished
To add extra text or images, choose Insert and then click on either Picture or Text box
Choose File and then Save
Select a filename
Part Three
Design Tips
- Some basic principles
- 4:4 Rule (4 words / 4 lines)
- 6:6 Rule (6 words / 6 lines)
- Do not type PARAGRAPS in your PowerPoint slide design
Strive for simplicity
- Only one to three images per screen
- As few words as possible
1
Speak, don’t scream
2
- Excessive colors and artwork are distracting and fatiguing
Avoid loud backgrounds
3
Use high-contrast colors
- Dark text on
a light field
- Light text on
a dark field
4
A thoughtful,
well-delivered
speech is a gift
to your audience.
A thoughtful,
well-delivered
speech is a gift
to your audience.
Avoid low-contrast colors
5
A thoughtful,
well-delivered
speech is a gift
to your audience.
A thoughtful,
well-delivered
speech is a gift
to your audience.
- If colors are too similar, they blend together.
- Red + green = invisible words to some people who are color-blind
Use easy-to-read fonts
6
- Use crisp, readable fonts:
- Formata
- Arial
- Lucida Sans
- Avoid decorative fonts:
- Old English
- Script
- Snap ITC
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Use upper and lower case
7
- Upper & lower:
easier to read - “Life began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between.”
— Diane Ackerman
- ALL CAPITALS:
hard to read - “LIFE BEGAN IN MYSTERY, AND IT WILL END IN MYSTERY, BUT WHAT A SAVAGE AND BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY LIES IN BETWEEN.”
— DIANE ACKERMAN
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Use keywords with bullets
- Sample bullets:
- Words and phrases – superior to complete sentences
- Sometimes complete sentences are unavoidable
8
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8
a
The Acme Grocery Pledge
- We offer the freshest produce
- Your satisfaction is guaranteed
- We will deliver anywhere, anytime
Too wordy
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8
b
The Acme Grocery Pledge
- Freshest produce
- Guaranteed satisfaction
- Unlimited delivery
Audience gets
main idea.
You provide
the details.
After trimming
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9
Use large font sizes
Titles: 44-48 points or larger
Main bullets:
28 points
or greater
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Choose images over words
- Use pictures whenever possible
- Not every slide
needs text
10
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Use tasteful art
11
- Drawings nicely complement the text
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12
Avoid inappropriate art
- The Titanic’s collision with an iceberg was a tragedy
- A “cutesy” drawing is inappropriate
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Size images properly
- Don’t enlarge to the point of fuzziness
- Don’t shrink to the point of confusion
13
Small images may look okay to you, but remember, you know what they’re supposed to be. Will your audience know … from across the room?
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14
Avoid common blunders
- Too many different fonts
- Inconsistent font sizes
- Different colors on every screen
You can prevent these blunders by using Design Template and Auto Layout (as recommended in Part Two above)
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Final Advice
- Use Slide Numbers
- Practice several times with your slides and equipment
- Use PowerPoint only as a helper
- YOU – not technology – should be in control
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