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IntroductiontoSlidePresentations.pdf

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Introduction to Slide Presentations

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Overview

The Four Cs of Effective Slide Presentations

Overview

This tutorial will introduce you to the "best practices" for presenting information in slide

presentations. The tutorial uses examples created in PowerPoint, which is a software program

found in most Microsoft Office Suite packages.

Mastering the art of organizing your thoughts, culling the most important information from your

sources, and presenting the information clearly will help you stand out and succeed throughout

your professional life. It is important to design your presentation in such a way that it will have

the desired effect on your audience, whether you are encouraging them to take action or to

simply understand something new. For example, for a scientific audience, use symbols and visual

images that will appeal to that group of people. If you are selling a new product to a potential

customer, think of images and colors that will appeal to that audience.

What follows, therefore, offers "best practices" that will work in most situations. Feel free to

incorporate these ideas into your presentations and to be creative in communicating to your

audiences.

This tutorial is divided into two sections:

• The Four Cs of Effective Slide Presentations

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Slide Presentations

The Four Cs of Effective Slide Presentations

The four Cs of effective slide presentations are

1. clear—Is your presentation organized? Does it have a beginning, middle, and end?

2. concise—Does your presentation exclude extraneous information? Do you use precise

language?

3. clean—Is your presentation easy for your audience to read and understand?

4. comprehensive—Does your presentation include everything that should be covered or

evaluated? Does your presentation explain important concepts so that your audience will

understand?

We will discuss the four Cs below.

1. Clear

Your slides are a road map for a possible oral presentation. Make sure you and your audience can

follow along by doing the following:

Begin your presentation with an introductory title slide, including your name and the

date of the presentation. Don't forget to include the name of your project as well! Center

the information* and use a large (at least 30-point), easy-to-read typeface.

* Some designs, such as those shown in figure 1, automatically align titles to the left or

right margin rather than centering them.

Figure 1

Examples of Introductory Title Slides

Figure 2

Introductory Title Page for a Slide Presentation

• Choose a background format that supports the content of your presentation. For

example, if you are doing a presentation on technology, use a background that has sharp

edges and a modern design. If you are doing a presentation on elementary education,

consider using the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) that are commonly seen in

those settings.

After the title slide, you can choose from a variety of formats for presenting information.

The "default" slide format gives you a place to put the title for that particular slide

(usually at the top of the slide) and a larger space for information. Be sure that the title

and the content of the slide match.

• Give each slide a title so that your audience knows where you are in your presentation.

Figure 3 is a basic presentation slide with an area for a title and a large space for content.

Figure 3

Example Presentation Slide

You may want to choose a slide format that shows comparisons, as in figure 4. Note that

you cannot have a long and complicated written comparison. Instead, slides let you show the audience representative, brief comparisons and contrasts between ideas.

Figure 4

Example of a Comparison Slide: Vague and Clear Terms

In figure 5, columns are again used to show word choices you might make for different

audiences. In the left column is "jargon"—terms that are familiar to businesspeople, technology

developers, and journalists. On the right are phrases that might be used in place of the jargon

for a more general audience.

Figure 5

Example of a Comparison Slide: Jargon and Clearer Terms

• Make sure each point builds on what the viewer has seen in previous slides.

• Consider doing an outline of your content. Here is a sample outline:

1. Title page

2. Introduction to the project

1. History/definition of terms: Background the audience needs to know (1–3

slides)

2. Main points to be covered in the presentation (1–2 slides)

3. Point #1: Introductory slide to Point #1 and 2–3 other slides 4. Point #2:

Introductory slide to Point #2 and 2–3 other slides

5. Point #3: Introductory slide to Point #3 and 2–3 other slides

6. Other relevant points, questions, issues, recommendations (2–3 slides)

7. Conclusions: Main findings and future possible actions (1–3 slides)

2. Concise (but Illustrative)

Your slide presentation should enable your audience to understand the points you are making.

The presentation should thus not drift into irrelevant or extraneous material—the simplicity

principle applies.

You will also prepare a script to go with each slide. In the script, imagine what you will be saying

to the audience at that point in the presentation. Prepare the slide to support and enhance—

not restate—what you are saying in the script. The dullest, least effective PowerPoint

presentations happen when the speaker merely reads what is on the screen. Although the slide

has the key information, you explain it and show how the information on the slide fits into the

big picture.

The following will give you an idea of how a script and a slide support each other.

Figure 6

Slide with Script

Script for PowerPoint Slide "Solomon Asch—1950's"

In the 1950s, psychologist Solomon Asch used a series of tests to see whether people's need to

conform was stronger than their sense of what was true. For example, in a group of people, Asch

would place a test subject who did not know that he or she was the only person who was not "in"

on the purpose of the test. Next, the "researcher" would ask the group to look at a slide

containing lines of various lengths, like the four lines shown here. The group would be asked

which line is the same length as Line A. They would deliberately choose an incorrect answer,

while the test subject would be the last person to respond. Because the test subject did not want

to be different from the group, he or she often felt compelled to agree with the group when they

selected the wrong answer (D, instead of C, for example).

Typically, each group was asked about several similar images. Each time, the group picked an

obviously incorrect answer, and 75% of the test subjects went along with that wrong answer at

least once during the test.

The following tips will help you apply the simplicity principle in your slides:

• Stick to the topic on the slide. You may confuse your audience if you discuss

information for which you have no slide. Similarly, do not discuss information that comes

later in the presentation while you are still on an earlier slide.

• Use bullet points and write in phrases, not sentences. Figures 7–10 are examples of

how to change sentences to phrases for slide presentations.

Figure 7

A Slide with Wordy Text (Example 1)

Figure 8

A Slide with Concise Text (Example 1)

Figure 9

A Slide with Wordy Text (Example 2)

Figure 10

A Slide with Concise Text (Example 2)

• Use clearly drawn tables and figures to communicate data that would take too many

bullets to explain.

• Insert other visual elements, such as links to YouTube videos or a company website,

only if they add meaningful information to your main point.

It is tempting to put too much information on each slide, especially with tables. If you have a

table in your paper, think about ways to simplify the information so that people can absorb it.

For example, can you summarize the information in the table below in two or three bullet points?

Your audience would likely peer at that table and struggle to make sense of the data instead of

listening to what you have to say!

Note, however, that although this table was fabricated only for illustrative purposes, there is a

"source" at the bottom. To avoid confusing the audience and to show that you have done good

research, be sure to credit the source of the information in any tables you use in your PowerPoint

presentation.

Figure 11

Table with Confusing and Excessive Information

When looking at the table in figure 11, the audience will try to figure out what the trends are in

sales. You might replace this table with the bullet list in figure 12.

Figure 12

Table Converted to Clear Bullet Points

Remember that less information in a more concise format works better for visual presentations.

Photographs can often help you make the kinds of points that would require too many words in

your talk. For example, if you want to explain nonverbal behavior between two people, show

images of good and bad nonverbal behavior so that people can better understand what you

mean. Think about juxtaposing images if you are showing "contrasts," but be sure the

differences are relatively obvious and do not require a detailed explanation.

One of the mistakes that student presenters often make is to include photos or clip art only for

decorative purposes, not for informative purposes. Remember that all of your visuals should help

your audience understand your presentation. Do not include extra graphics simply because they

are cute—they must have explanatory value.

If you use hyperlinks in your presentation, make sure the links work and go exactly where you

want to take your viewer. Also, give the link a title and explain why you are using it, both on the

slide and in your script. Be sure to include the source of the link on your References page.

3. Clean

Your PowerPoint presentation, just like any other presentation or assignment, reflects both you

and the work you've done. Here's how to make it polished and presentable:

Don't overload your slides with too much text, graphics, or data. Have no more than

four points on each slide, preferably three. Use 24-point typeface so that you do not overload the slide.

Rather than crowding too much information onto one slide, divide it into three or four

slides. Every time you begin a new topic, consider having an "introductory" slide with

basic information that will prepare your audience for the next two to four slides about

that topic.

In addition to being text-heavy, the slide in figure 13 is hard to read because the title is

written sideways and the background is dark.

Figure 13

Slide with Difficult-to-Read Text: Example 1

The slide in figure 14 is hard to read because of the image used in the background. Although

images can create visual interest, they may also produce clutter. Err on the side of simplicity in

your PowerPoint slides.

Figure 14

Slide with Difficult-to-Read Text: Example 2

• Let graphics like tables, logos, and graphs make your point if they can. A picture

can "speak" a thousand words but use graphic elements judiciously. Remember to explain

your graphics during your presentation. The audience may need guidance to see what

you want them to see in the graphic. The speaker needs to point out what the audience

should take away from the slide.

• Select a clean slide format. The slide format should have contrast, but not so much

that it will be visually tiring to the audience. If you use PowerPoint, click Design in the

toolbar to see the different options for slide formats.

• If you are using PowerPoint, you will notice that it gives you a "Project Title" slide as the

first slide. After that slide, you can choose from a variety of arrangements from the Home

tab. Click Layout to see the choices.

• Do not invest a great deal of time in creating interesting "swipes" to go from one slide to

another. Fancy special effects can detract from your talk.

• Use a light background and a darker color for the written text. If you will be giving

the presentation in person, check to see how the projection of the slides affects their

appearance.

• Use the same slide format throughout the presentation.

• Use an easy-to-read typeface.

o Verdana, Arial, and other sans-serif typefaces are usually effective. Avoid "script"

typefaces, which are difficult to read. Below are various typefaces, all sized at 12

points.

Serif Sans Serif (preferred for

PP)

Garamond typeface has serifs, or

"tails," on its letters. It runs

together and is hard to read on a

slide, but it has a nice look in a

written report.

Arial typeface is clean and

easy to read.

Times New Roman also has serifs.

You might use this typeface in a

written report. In PowerPoint, use a

larger font size to make this kind of

typeface legible.

Verdana has a slightly more

open feel than Arial.

Script typefaces, such as Monotype

Corsiva, are also difficult to read.

You would use this typeface only for

invitations or other formal purposes.

Comic Sans MS is good for