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Many MRKT courses require you to submit projects in PowerPoint. The development of this skill is one of the MRKT program intended learning outcomes. The tips here, along with the many useful tools you can find online (some of which are listed below, in the Webliography), will help you present your best work.

With the help of this guide, you will soon find developing PowerPoint presentations easier than writing a paper!

Mastering the art of organizing your thoughts, culling the most important information from your sources, and presenting the information in a clear way will help you stand out and succeed throughout your professional life.

· In reviewing this guide, be sure to check out the examples in the Do This, Not That section. These will be either a refresher of points you've already learned or a tutorial for getting started in PowerPoint.

· If you'd like more information, either on making or on presenting a PowerPoint project, check out the resources in the Webliography section.

Happy PowerPointing!

Some form of presentation software is included when you buy a computer these days, and if you don't have PowerPoint or similar software, you may want to consider purchasing it. Don't forget to check out the UMUC student discounts on software products:

Here are the four Cs of effective PowerPoint presentations:

1. clear—Is your presentation organized?

2. concise—Does your presentation avoid extraneous information?

3. clean—Is your presentation easy to read?

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

We will discuss the four Cs below.

1. Clear

Your PowerPoint is 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.

· Include an index of the other slides and their corresponding slide numbers, similar to a table of contents, on the slide following your title slide.

· Give each slide a title or subtitle (that matches with the ones in your index) so that your audience knows where you are in your presentation.

· Number your slides using the slide number function in the Insert menu on your PowerPoint menu bar.

· Don't get too fancy with your numbering system (e.g., A.2.c.iii). Stick with two levels at maximum (e.g., 1.a). Use any topic numbers given in the project description in your syllabus as a guide.

· Select the best words to make your point.

· Avoid ambiguity.

· Avoid excessive jargon.

· Pay attention to aesthetics! Slides should not be dull. Remember, you want your audience (including your instructor) to stay awake.

2. Concise

Your PowerPoint presentation should enable your audience to understand the points you are making. The presentation should thus not drift into irrelevant or extraneous material. This means that the KISS principle applies (keep it simple, silly).

If you will also be giving an oral presentation, prepare it ahead of time and decide carefully on what you will say to supplement your slides. The audience will want to pay more attention to you than to the PowerPoint.

The following tips will help you apply KISS in your slides:

· Address only the topic required in each part of the presentation.

· Use bullet points, not sentences. Bullet points generally begin with a verb, not a noun.

· Use tables and charts to communicate data that would take too many bullets to explain.

· Only insert other visual elements, such as links to YouTube videos or a company website, if they add to your main point.

· Be sure to check your links before submitting the presentation to your instructor.

· Include in your slide the source of the link and the reason why the link should be followed.

· Use endnotes, not footnotes, for your bibliographic references.

· Reference only those sources you used for your presentation, not all the sources you found while conducting research.

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:

· Avoid white backgrounds.

· Use the same slide theme throughout the presentation.

· Use an easy-to-read font:

· OVERALL: Times New Roman and Verdana, Arial, and other sans serif fonts are usually effective. Avoid "script" fonts, which are difficult to read.

· TITLE SLIDE: 44-point font, bold

· SUBTITLE SLIDES: 28–34-point font

· TEXT: no less than 12-point font

· Edit your slides. Are there points you can eliminate or tighten? Any typos?

4. Comprehensive

Review your final presentation to make sure that it includes all key information. Cross-referencing with the grading rubric is a good idea to ensure that your work is comprehensive and that you have given yourself the best chance to earn maximum points.

· Resist the urge to do a "brain dump." It won't impress your instructor if you include everything you found out about or thought regarding the topic.

· Make every bullet point relevant to your thesis.

· Don't duplicate your points. Say it once—say it right.

· Don't add graphics just because you can. If a graphic element does not speak to the topic, do not include it.

· If you want to add supplemental information, do so in an appendix. Be sure to reference it on the appropriate slide, telling your audience why the information may be beneficial.

Example 1

· Provide clarity by using the numbering system from the project description in the syllabus.

· Use colors and fonts that are easier to read.

· Use your bullets to make concise points (the bullet points here do not function the way bullet points used in PowerPoints and other documents should).

· Provide links to product information not critical to the points you are making (or include this information in an appendix) so that the audience can view it if inclined.

· Include quotes, citations, and references if needed and use endnote numbering for the references.

Here are some slides on the same subject that are much more visually and textually appealing:

Photo source for slide 1: Wyzik, 2003, Flickr. Used with permission under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Example 2

· Use the logo, which should appear on every slide pertaining to a company or product (you don't need to obtain permission from the corporation to use the logo, so long as it is used solely for the purposes of the assignment).

· Use graphics to reinforce your points.

Here is a slide on the same subject that is much more visually and textually appealing:

Photo source: sun dazed, 2008, Flickr. Used with permission under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Example 3

· Don't forget to endnote your references. In this case, the information came from the Best Buy website, which is not listed as a source.

Here is a slide on the same subject that is much more visually and textually appealing:

Here is a list of resources you may find useful as you put your PowerPoint together.

Tips on Effective PowerPoint Presentations