PowerPoint presentation

Creating a PowerPoint Presentation

Do’s:

1. The presentation should walk through a logical flow of information. Know

clearly what you want to say before you start building your presentation and it

will flow better.

2. Maintain a cohesive train of thought and message flow.

3. Ensure design consistency; use a professionally-designed template.

4. Use a legible font and font size.

5. Be sure to use contrasting colors. For example, the font should be a light color

on a dark background and vice versa.

6. Clean and simple formatting makes all the difference.

7. Keep it simple. Use minimal content (follow the 7x7 rule) on each slide to get

your point across. The "less is more" concept is correct when it comes to

PowerPoint. Usually the purpose of a PowerPoint presentation is to provide

talking points for a presenter to use when speaking to a group. Therefore, if

you include sentences of information, your audience will be spending their

time reading your slides rather than listening to what you have to say.

8. Use visuals like charts and graphics only if it enhances the message. Ask

yourself if the text, graphic or animation you are about to add to the slide will

help or hurt the overall message.

9. Limit punctuation; avoid over-formatting your points.

10. Use color and animation carefully (only to enhance a specific point).

11. End with a summary slide of your key points. It is usually best to use paragraph

format on the summary slide; however, the summary may be bulleted.

Creating a PowerPoint Presentation

Don’ts:

1. Don’t use more than 5-7 bullet lines on a slide depending on your font size.

2. Don’t use periods at the end of bulleted items.

3. Don’t type sentences or paragraphs of text for bulleted items. Use a different

slide layout for a short paragraph of one or two sentences. Usually this is best

used on the summary slide.

4. Don’t use a bullet for only one line.

5. Don’t use slang terms in your presentation.

6. Don’t use pronouns such as I, me, my, etc.

7. Don’t use “Random” for any type of transition or animation element. Pick

something subtle and stick with it.

8. Don’t use unnecessary text animations or sound effects as they can distract

from your point.

9. Don’t use crazy fonts that no one else will have on their system—stick to

standard fonts.

10. Don’t use more than 20-25 slides per presentation.

11. Don’t read each slide when presenting your PowerPoint. Your audience could

read the slides themselves and do not need you standing up there doing it.

This is why you need to keep in mind that your presentation should be in the

form of brief talking points.