Week 6

Presentation Visuals
 Presentation Communication

• Verbal
• Content
• Non-Verbal
• Visuals
• Voice
• Animation

2
 Tips for Better Visuals

1. Create a consistent look and feel

2. With text, less is almost always more
3. Use only photos that enhance meaning
4. Use simple charts and graphs
5. Go easy on the effects and transitions
6. Think about your visuals last

https://blog.ted.com/10-tips-for-better-slide-decks/

3
 Create a consistent look and feel

• Choose a theme or create your own

• Set the tone and emotional content with the use of colour and images
• Limit colours to a few
• Be consistent in your font choice (style and size)

4
 Speaking about font…

Style: Size:
size
• Stay away from
• too big will shock 72
• cursive • too small is hard to see (should be legible by most distant reader) size
18
• artistic • inconsistency looks unprofessional
size
• informal • but do use font size changes 32
• antique

5
 With text, less is more

Limit the amount of text. Remember, a presentation should get your audience
engaged/interested, so limit text to just headings and/or brief overview of a
point. Too much text will cause your audience to tune out, because if you
have lots of wording they will start to read it at first. But then, once they
realize how much reading they have to do, they will stop. Meanwhile, you
have been talking all this time, and they may have missed out on what you
are trying to say because they were trying to read your slide. Which means
that they not only did not read your slide, but they also didn’t hear your point.
Congratulations, you have failed as a public speaker. Hey, are you still
reading this? Pay attention, I am still talking! What did I just say?

6
 With text, less is more

• try to limit words per line to under 7

• 4-7 lines per slide
• each slide should only develop one point.

7
 5/5/5 Rule of PowerPoint

No more than
• 5 words per line
• 5 lines per slide
• 5 text slides in a row P.S.
I broke the 5/5/5
rule on this slide …
it’s hard!

8
 Tips for Better Visuals

1. Create a consistent look and feel

2. With text, less is almost always more
3. Use only photos that enhance meaning
4. Use simple charts and graphs
5. Go easy on the effects and transitions
6. Think about your visuals last

https://blog.ted.com/10-tips-for-better-slide-decks/

9
 Use only photos that enhance meaning

• Use photos that add to your message

• Do not use photos just for the sake of it

10
 Abbie’s Favourite Things

L E
Activities

X A MP
• Sleeping

E
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Minnow hunting
https://rubbercat.net/posts/2018/03/thumbs-up/ • Dock lounging

11
 Abbie’s Favourite Things

Activities

• Sleeping
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Minnow hunting
• Dock lounging

12
 Use only simple charts and graphs

• Keep information basic

• Too much information can
• overwhelm
• distract
• confuse

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/09/04/in-search-of-cooling-trends/

13
 Use only simple charts and graphs

Title of Graph
• Keep information basic
• Too much information can
• overwhelm

Y-axis
• distract
• confuse

X-axis
www.android-graphview.org/simple-graph//

14
 Go Easy on Effects & Animations

• Too much can

• overwhelm
• distract
• confuse
• make you look like you’re trying to hide content

15
 Think about your visuals last

• Your visual aid is a

• supplement to your talk, it only supports it
• an enhancement to your verbal message, not a detraction
• You are the presenter, and you should be the focus of attention
• Don’t present your talk to the screen
• Direct attention to the screen only when necessary

16
 Tips for Better Visuals

1. Create a consistent look and feel

2. With text, less is almost always more
3. Use only photos that enhance meaning
4. Use simple charts and graphs
5. Go easy on the effects and transitions
6. Think about your visuals last

https://blog.ted.com/10-tips-for-better-slide-decks/

17