How to Prepare and Present a PowerPoint Presentation

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How to Prepare and Present a PowerPoint
Presentation
By John Stillian and Kristin Donley
Monarch High School
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Part 1 Mechanics of Making a PowerPoint
Presentation

• Organization, Fonts, Color, Animation, Transition
  etc.

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Presentation Organization

• Title slide
• Introduction slide with 3 or 4 bullets
• Body of paper slides
• These slides present your information
• Assume 60 seconds per slide for timing.
• Conclusion slide
• Wrap up, re-state the important points
• References Slide.
• Acknowledgements slide.
• Acknowledge anyone who helped but was not a major
  contributor and any funding.

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Setting up the Master Slide

• It is best to define a master slide with preset
• Background color and images
• Font size and color(s)
• Bullets style and hierarchy
• You can also choose one of the canned
  presentation styles.
• THEN DONT CHANGE IT!

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Recommendations

• Heading Arial or Veranda 32 - 40 pt bold
• Subheadings 28-36 pt Bold
• Body Copy 24-32 pt. - smaller than subheadings
• Paragraph settings at 0.9 line spacing and 0.6
  before a paragraph
• One Indent 20 24 pt. In general, Avoid
  further indents.

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• Be Consistent!! Use the same bullets, font, type
  size and color, and same background, on each
  slide.
• Best to set up a slide master and stick to it
• Make sure text contrasts with background
• Be careful with color !!!
• Notice how distracting all the bullets are on
  this slide!
• Fancy fonts are hard to read
• ALL CAPITAL LETTERS ARE HARD TO READ
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms, etc.
• Limit - punctuation / marks

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Slides Should Clarify, not Confuse

• The rule of 6
• No more than 6 words per line
• No more than 6 lines a slide
• Make slides easy to read.
• Arial or Veranda font with good text to
  background contrast
• Very short sentences are better than extremely
  long ones that are complicated and run on and on
  and on and on.
• Larger font for more important info!

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PowerPoint Animation, Clip Art and Graphics

• Should balance the slide.
• Enhance and complement the text, not
  overwhelm
• No more than two graphics per slide
• Minimize animations, sounds, transitions they
  can distract and annoy the audience.
• Avoid switching between programs.

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Part 2 Presenting a PowerPoint Presentation

• How to prepare, and present

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How to Present a PowerPoint Presentation

• Tell them what you are going to tell them.
  (Introduction)
• Tell them. (Body of talk)
• Tell them what you told them. (Conclusion)

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Steps to an Effective Presentation

• Commit Yourself. Stand at the podium when the
  room is empty to see how it feels.
• Analyze (know) Your Audience.
• Organize Your Thoughts through your presentation.
  HAVE A STORY TO TELL.
• Think Sight and Sound (remember they are reading
  your slides and listening to you)
• Practice, Practice, Practice!
• Relax and Enjoy!

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Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• Kung Fu Secrets of PowerPoint Masters
• Beware the fonts of fury (to many fonts)
• Dont read your slides, have note cards or
  memorize what you want to say.
• Plot your moves craftily (not to many changes)
• Illuminate your words (be succinct)
• Make brevity a virtue.
• Control your impulse to go Hollywood!
• Source Business 2.0, September 2003, p.
  163-164

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References
How to Make a PowerPoint Presentation http//www.
cew.wisc.edu/accessibility/tutorials/pptscratch.ht
m www.healthsci.utas.edu.au/trsu/pdf/powerpoint.pd
f PowerPoint Templates (some are free, some
cost ) http//www.capeannpics.com/powerpoint/ htt
p//www.presentationhelper.co.uk/free_powerpoint_t
emplate.htm http//powerbacks.com/ http//www.digi
tallabz.com/powerpoint-background.html?gclidCKyc4
d3055ACFQibggodCjXEVw