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A narrated presentation is for a specific audience to which you would ideally
present in person or online in real time, but for practical reasons, you need
to record for later viewing.
While Microsoft PowerPoint is considered the default presentation tool for
presentations, you may consider using other presentation platforms or tools.
Just be sure the tool supports prerecorded narration.
Preparing for Your Presentation
As with any project, it is good to begin by creating an outline. This will help
you determine how many slides you will need to develop and how much
information you will need to present on each slide. It should also help
determine a logical order in which to present material.
Course Resource
Presentation Resources
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Be sure to
dedicate
enough time
to the
narrated
presentation
to get the
timing for
transitions
right, and
ensure that
the sound is
clear and the
narration is at
the right
volume.
Creating
Slides
A good
recorded presentation shares most of the same traits as a good live
presentation. Your presentation should not be an academic paper cut into
text-filled slides. You are giving a talk to an audience, so the narrative should
provide most of your ideas and argumentation. Be sure the themes either
flow or transition appropriately from slide to slide.
Here are some recommendations:
Keep slides uncluttered by using brief bullet points—only a few key
words each.
An easy way to make your presentation look more appealing is to use
one of the designs provided within PowerPoint.
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Adding images and/or clip art is another good way to add visual interest
to your presentation, but don't overuse slide transitions or animations,
as these can be distracting.
When you are citing sources of information on a slide, use a small font
size so the citations don't detract from the primary points.
Be sure to proofread carefully: Any errors on a slide will be particularly
noticeable because of the relatively small number of words.
When you record audio for each slide, a loudspeaker icon will appear in
the middle of the slide. You can drag this icon to a better position (often
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the bottom right corner of the slide) so it doesn't interfere with the
text.
Writing the Script
The script for your presentation can be a complete word-for-word
documentation of what you intend to say as each slide is displayed, or it can
be a much briefer set of notes to use as a reminder while you are recording
to ensure that you cover all the points. The latter approach is preferable,
because this makes it less likely that you will sound rushed or overly scripted
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when speaking. Keep in mind that if you were making the presentation in
person, you would not want to be reading your comments; instead, you
would want to make eye contact with the audience.
Here are some additional recommendations for your script:
Try to keep the amount of narration to less than two minutes per slide.
If you need to say more than that, create another slide so the audience
doesn't get bored.
Make sure the script and what appears on the slide are closely related
so the audience can easily follow what you have to say.
Don't simply read the material on the slide—add value by providing
additional information.
Recording the Narration
At this point, you have created and saved slides as a PowerPoint
presentation, and you have the script ready. Now it's time to record the
audio.
Here are a few general recommendations before you record:
If you are using a computer to record, use a headset/microphone
combination rather than using the computer's built-in speakers and
microphone for better audio quality. It isn't necessary to spend a lot on
a headset/mic (typically $20 or less), and you will be rewarded with
better sound quality and less background noise.
Make sure the headset/mic is installed and working. There are simple
programs on both Macs and PCs that allow you to test whether
recording is occurring and whether the sound quality is acceptable.
Choose a quiet location to record so that background noise is minimal.
When you begin recording, speak clearly and conversationally without
rushing.
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Remember that it's easy to redo the audio for a slide. If you're not
happy with the way it sounds, you can do it again.
Once you have completed and narrated the presentation, it is a good
idea to email the file to another computer. If you are able to watch and
listen to the slide show successfully on the second computer, you will
know that the audio files have been successfully embedded in the
presentation.
For Technical Support
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Below are
specific
recording
instructions
for some
common
tools for
presentations
:
Record a
Slide Show
With
Narration and
Slide Timings
in
PowerPoint
(https://supp
ort.office.co
m/en-
us/article/rec
ord-a-slide-show-with-narration-and-slide-timings-0b9502c6-5f6c-
40ae-b1e7-e47d8741161c)
Getting Started With Microsoft Sway (https://support.office.com/en-
us/article/getting-started-with-sway-2076c468-63f4-4a89-ae5f-
424796714a8a)
If you have technical difficulties with using PowerPoint, contact the UMGC
360 Help Desk, available 24/7:
Website: Help Center | UMGC (https://www.umgc.edu/help#)
Phone: 1-888-360-UMUC (8682).
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