EFFECTIVE POWERPOINT

P R E S E N TAT I O N S
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IN THIS SESSION
o What makes a good presentation?

o Planning, Preparing and Practice

o Performing – vocal techniques, body language

o PowerPoint: the pros and cons

P L A N N I N G , P R E PA R I N G A N D
P R AC T I C E
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QUESTIONS TO ASK
o What is the main aim and subject matter?

o Who will the audience be and what will they

want to know?

o How much time do I have?

o Where will the presentation be held?

o What equipment will I have?

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W H AT T O T H I N K A B O U T I N
P R E PA R AT I O N
o Structure

o Handouts

o Equipment

o Visuals

o Practicalities
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P R E PA R I N G A N D D E L I V E R I N G
O R A L P R E S E N TAT I O N S
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F U N DA M E N TA L S O F
PRESENTING
o Simplicity and Clarity: Use simple language to convey
complex ideas.
o Confident Delivery: Speak confidently, derived from
knowledge and preparation.
o Structured and Evidence-Based: Organise ideas clearly,
supported by evidence.
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QUALITIES OF A GOOD
P R E S E N TAT I O N
o Focused Message: Ensure the presentation has a central,
relevant message.
o Analytical Understanding: Show in-depth analysis and
understanding of ideas.
o Calm and Confident Delivery: Present ideas calmly and
confidently.
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P L A N N I N G A P R E S E N TAT I O N -
FOCUS AND PURPOSE
o Central Point Identification: Determine the key point and its
importance.
o "So What?" Factor: Understand and articulate the
significance of your topic.
o Audience-Centric Approach: Tailor the presentation for the
audience's background.
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U N D E R S TA N D I N G Y O U R
AU D I E N C E
o Audience Background: Consider audience familiarity with
the topic.
o Reception Expectation: Adapt based on the audience's
expected reception.
o Presentation Personalisation: Customise content for
audience engagement.
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P R E S E N TAT I O N S T R U C T U R E
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P R E S E N TAT I O N S T R U C T U R E :
I N T RO D U C T I O N
o Self-Introduction and Argument: Present your main
argument with background.
o Presentation Significance: Explain why your presentation
matters.
o Rapport Building: Connect with the audience early on.
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P R E S E N TAT I O N S T R U C T U R E :
B O DY
o Main Content: Present supporting examples for your
argument.
o Use of Visual Aids: Incorporate visuals to clarify points.
o Credibility Enhancement: Strengthen argument with credible
examples.
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P R E S E N TAT I O N S T R U C T U R E :
CONCLUSION
o Summarising Key Points: Concisely summarise main
arguments.
o Restating the Argument: Reiterate your central point.
o Strong Final Statement: End with a memorable statement.
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PERFORMING
What can we learn from an opera singer?

o How does he make sure his words are heard?

o What are his body language & posture like?
o How does he make the audience feel involved?
o Is he passionate about what he’s singing? How can you tell?
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D E L I V E RY T E C H N I Q U E S

o Avoid Scripting: Use point form notes instead of a full script.

o Key Point Emphasis: Highlight essential information,
minimise technical details.
o Freshness in Delivery: Ensure the presentation feels
conversational and lively.
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EFFECTIVE USE OF VISUAL

AIDS
o Complementary Role: Use aids to support, not overshadow
your talk.
o Avoid Reading Slides: Speak naturally, don't read from slides
verbatim.
o Necessary and Helpful: Only use visual aids if they add
value.
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S TAY I N G C A L M

o Audience Interaction: Engage with the audience

beforehand.
o Smaller Group Focus: Present as if speaking to individuals,
not a crowd.
o Relaxation Techniques: Utilize methods like music to stay
calm.
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PAC E A N D B O D Y L A N G U A G E

o Controlled Speed: Speak slowly and clearly.

o Pronunciation Practice: Work on difficult words in advance.
o Eye Contact and Posture: Maintain eye contact and
confident posture.
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HANDLING QUESTIONS AND

PERSONALITY
o Time for Questions: Allocate time for audience queries.
o Thoughtful Responses: Pause to think before answering.
o Personal Touch: Infuse personality while maintaining
professionalism.
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P R AC T I C E

o Rehearsal Importance: Practice for tone, pacing, and

transitions for sounding natural.
o Familiarity with Venue: Get comfortable with the
presentation space.
o Timing and Feedback: Time your practice and seek
constructive feedback from friends or groups.
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T H E P RO S A N D C O N S O F
POWERPOINT
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P OW E R P O I N T P RO S
o Easy to plan and organise
o Slide sorter gives easy reordering
o Speaker’s notes lead you through
o Can incorporate other software and weblinks
o Portable
o Good for graphics (usually)
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POWERPOINT DON’TS

Some people insist on typing word for word what they are going
to say into the PowerPoint slide, or worse, pasting sections of a
paper or report onto the slide. They then turn around and, with
their backs to the audience read the slide out to the bewildered
and increasingly restless audience. In the old days this just wasn’t
possible, but if nowadays if you’re a bit nervous PowerPoint may
tempt you into writing your whole script onto the screen.
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POWERPOINT DON’TS
o Other people can’t resist the zany animations

They think it’s interesting, but the truth is…

We’ve all seen it before

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POWERPOINT DON’TS

o You might think about some interesting colour

schemes

o To make your data stand out

o But a simple colour scheme is better

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POWERPOINT DON’TS

o Avoid low-resolution images

And text on top of
images, which is
distracting and
difficult to read.
28
Preferred fruit of group of children

Simplest is almost always

Oranges
Grapes Apples
the best
Bananas
Pears

Apples
Grapes

Oranges Pears

Preferred fruit of
group of 20
children Bananas
29
G R A P H S , C H A R T S A N D TA B L E S

Legends Parameter X Parameter Y Parameter Z

Axes 0.001 2.456655 5.678887

0.002 78.3543 2.567575

Lines 0.003 67.9876 1.00812

0.004 109.678 0.00765

Shading 0.005 12.98723 134.987

0.006 2.11655 5.678887

Fonts 0.007 73.3753 45.9875

0.008 67.9876 1.00812

Too much information? 0.009 119.628 0.00765

0.010 12.98723 112. 872

Overcrowded tables?
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DON’T READ…..
• APowerPointpresentationis not areadingreport! Here is arather boring andlong
blockof text that is sureto makeeventhemostcuriousof people extremely sleepy. In
fact,I will bequite impressed if youreadthroughthe entirething. This example is really
awful (or isit really goodat depictingsomething reallyawful?).Whew,this is harderthan
I thoughtto writethis muchgibberish.

• APowerPoint programshouldnevercompetewith the speaker

• Evenif youbreakit upwith bullet pointsit still distracts.

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COGNITIVE OVERLOAD
32

o Examples of hard to read text

o Examples of hard to read text

o Examples of hard to read text
o Examples of hard to read text
o Examplesofhardtoreadtext

o The goal is maximum legibility

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USING PLEASING COLORS
34

USING VISUALS: PICTURES, GRAPHS

A good picture is worth 1000 words
DESIGN PRINCIPLES OF
POWERPOINT
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: TEXT

o Where possible, include a heading for each slide.

o Use a larger font (35-45 points) or different color for the title.

o Select a single sans-serif font such as Arial or Helvetica.

o Avoid serif fonts such as Times New Roman or Palatino

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: TEXT

o Use the same font for all your headlines.

o Select a font for body copy and another for headlines.

o Use bold and different sizes of those fonts for captions and
subheadings.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: TEXT

o No more than 6-8 words per line

o Use bulleted points and avoid long sentences

o For bullet points, use the 6 x 6 Rule. One thought per line with
no more than 6 words per line and no more than 6 lines per
slide

o Font size: 24 - 28 for text

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: TEXT

o Use dark text on light background or light text on dark
background. However, dark backgrounds sometimes
make it difficult for some people to read the text.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: TEXT

o Add a fourth font for page numbers or as a secondary body

font for sidebars.

o Use larger fonts to indicate importance.

o Use different colors, sizes and styles (e.g., bold) for impact.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: TEXT

o Avoid italicized fonts as these are difficult to read quickly.

o Avoid all capital letters

o Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.

o Limit punctuation marks.

o Proofread carefully for spelling and grammar

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES

o Ensure images are clear and relevant

o Label all figures and tables

o Put units beside numbers on graphs and charts

o Standardise position, colors, and styles

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES

o Content should be self-evident

o Use colors that contrast and compliment.

o Too may slides can lose your audience.

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES
o Keep the background consistent and subtle.

o Limit the number of transitions used. It is often better to use

only one so the audience knows what to expect.

o Use a single style of dingbat for bullets throughout the page.

o Use the same graphical rule at the top of all pages in a multi-
page document.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES
o Use one or two large images rather than several small
images.

o Prioritize images instead of a barrage of images for

competing attention.

o Make images all the same size.

o Use the same border.

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES

o Arrange images vertically or horizontally.

o Use only enough text when using charts or graphical images to

explain the chart or graph and clearly label the image.

o Keep the design clean and uncluttered. Leave empty space

around the text and graphical images.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES

o Use quality clipart and use it sparingly. A graphical image should

relate to and enhance the topic of the slide.

o Try to use the same style graphical image throughout the

presentation (e.g., cartoon, photographs)

o Limit the number of graphical images on each slide.

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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES

o Repetition of an image reinforces the message.

o Tie the number of copies of an image to the numbers in your

text.

o Resize, recolor, reverse to turn one image into many. Use

duplicates of varying sizes, colors, and orientations to multiply
the usefulness of a single clip art image.
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DESIGN PRINCIPLES: FIGURES

AND IMAGES

o Make a single image stand out with dramatic contrast.

Use color to make a dramatic change to a single copy of
your clip art.

o Check all images on a projection screen before the actual

presentation.

o Avoid flashy images and noisy animation effects unless it

relates directly to the slide.
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GENERAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES

o Embrace empty space

o Use vertical and horizontal guide markers to consistently align elements

o Maintain consistency of the same elements on a slide (colours, fonts,

styles, placement etc.), as well as, between slides in the slide deck

o Use animation sparingly, if at all. If you use transitions, use the same
kind each time
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REMEMBER: YOU ARE THE SHOW
NOT THE SCREEN
o Don’t be tethered to your computer
52

H AV E A B AC K - U P P L A N
o Save on a USB stick and email it to yourself.

o Print out the slides to have a paper version in case of equipment failure
and,

o practice giving your presentation without your slides.

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REHEARSE, REHEARSE,
REHEARSE!
Tried and tested structure:

o Tell them what you’re going to tell them.

o Tell them.

o Tell them what you’ve told them.

Simple! And yet only ~10% bother.

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L I F E A F T E R D E AT H B Y
POWERPOINT

o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSPPFYxx3o
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IN A NUTSHELL
o Find out as much as you can about what will be
expected of you (audience, venue, time, who else is
speaking)

o Keep an eye on time limits.

o Use appropriate technologies

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S U M M A RY
o Plan, Prepare and Practice.
o Practice presenting alone, but also for friends.
o Do not stand in front of the screen or talk to it. Face the
audience at all times.
o Try to test your presentation in the room before your talk
o Remember the opera singer – be passionate, be heard, and
make your audience feel involved.
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T H A N K YO U