Powerpoint: Presentation Tips

PowerPoint slideshows should enhance your presentation, not detract from it. Here are a few simple tips to start you on the right track.
See also: PowerPoint: Basic Slideshows & Image Capture

Presentation structure:

INTRO SLIDE:

• Title of presentation, date, presenter name

OUTLINE SLIDE:

• Main points of what you will talk about
• Then follow the structure you've laid out
• Start broad, finish specific
• Rank Information (What NEEDS to go on the slide)
• Simplify

CONTENT SLIDES:

• Cover detailed information based on your outline
• As many slides as you need, as many as 1-2 per minute
• Remember Powerpoint is more visual than verbal: "a picture is worth a thousand words"

FINAL SLIDE:

• Audience will likely take away the last thing you say
• So make a point to have the last slide be meaningful
  • provide contact information for followup?
  • pose a question for discussion?
  • finish with a joke/or light hearted conclusion?
• At the very least put a blank slide at the end
  • provides a non-distracting placeholder for discussion
  • prevents clicking through back to Powerpoint application

Slide types:
TEXT:

• Highlight your presentation, don't create a substitute for it
• Bullet points, not complete sentences
• 4-6 points per page
• No large blocks of text, audience stops listening, and reads
• Consider showing one point at a time, using animation
  • helps the audience focus on what you are saying

IMAGES:

• Avoid clip art… everyone has seen it before, lacks emphasis
• Images should be good: not pixilated, out of focus, too dark
• Cropped to remove distractions

GRAPHS/DIAGRAMS:

• Make them as simple as possible
• To be grasped in just a few moments, not studied at length

Design issues:
TEMPLATES:

• Use a consistent background and layout for all slides
• The template sets the tone of your presentation
• choose it carefully
• Avoid really bright backgrounds, or cluttered layouts

FONTS:

• Choose two at most, nothing cursive or ornamental
• Stick to sans-serif fonts, for legibility
• Minimum of 18 point, 20 to 24 is better
• Main points/titles bigger than subpoints/content

COLOR:

• High contrast dark on light, or light on dark
• Use color with care, to emphasize your talk
• Avoid extremely bright colors, hot pink, neon orange, acid green
• Do not combine red/green, yellow/purple, or blue/orange

ANIMATION:

• Use sparingly, and be consistent
• Avoid distracting or annoying sound effects

Check your work carefully:

• Check for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
• Check for logic and the flow of information
• Try to test your presentation in the room before your talk
  • you may need to adjust the colors/templates/font size for the room/equipment
• Be prepared to give your talk without a PowerPoint slideshow
  • technical glitches do happen

Presentation hints :

• Practice your presentation
• Make eye contact with your audience
• Do not read the slides to your audience
• Leave time for Q&A at the end
• Don't forget to summarize your main points
• Use Powerpoint to enhance your talk
• (NEVER the reverse)