Dos’ and Don’ts of a

good presentation
DO: Stay Concise

 Don’t copy paste all your information.

 Don’t turn a presentation into a book.
 There’s no hard rule, but a good general

principle is to limit yourself to five words per

line and five lines per slide.
DON’T: Overdo the Special Effects

 But, while it can be fun to play with all the

bells and whistles, too often they just end up
being distractions,
 Avoid overusing animations, flashy

transitions, jarring sound effects, busy

backgrounds, unnecessary drop shadows,
ornate fonts, or any other effect that doesn’t
make your information clearer.
DO: Use Humor

 Because the format is so well established and

we’ve all seen thousands of them, even the
best powerpoint presentations can struggle
to engage audiences.
 Don’t treat a presentation like an open mic

night at the comedy club, but the occasional

comic, snappy pun, or amusing anecdote will
liven things up, make your arguments more
memorable, and prevent monotony from
setting in.
DON’T: Just Read the Slides

 Your audience, presumably, can already read.

They don’t want to have the words on the
screen read back to them word for word. Your
slides should support an oral presentation,
not just reiterate it.
 Know the material well enough that your

bullet points will jog your memory of the

finer details that need to be addressed.
DO: Look Up!

 Even if you aren’t just reading from the slides

and are just referring to them, you should
still look up now and then to maintain eye
contact with the audience– how else will you
know if they are still awake?
DON’T: Rush

 Give you audience ample time to read each

slide, but don’t delay so long as to lose their
attention.
 Also, don’t start speaking as soon as the next

slide loads. Give the audience a few moments

to scan the slide and get ready to hear what
you have to say about it.
DO: Be Bold and Direct

 Use bold colors and sharp contrasts, not only

because it will enhance legibility but because
it imparts emotion and energy into your
presentation.
 Similarly, when it comes to fonts for

presentations, bigger is almost always better.

A point size of 18 is just about the bare
minimum. 
DON’T: Over Rely on Clipart

 Especially in creative fields, people will notice

clip art that doesn’t quite fit.
 Pull images and video from the web that are

highly relevant and help drive your point

home in an appealing way
DO: Save Handouts for the End

 Be the center of attention at all times. Make

your case and make it well, and then provide
supplementary materials for people to look
over at their leisure.
DON’T: Overuse Statistics

 Slides overloaded with too many facts and

figures will be tuned out.
DO: Use Bullets and Numbered Lists

 Take out information and break it down into

major sections, and then break those down
into subsections.
 Information should flow in an orderly fashion

and be extremely easy to understand and

digest.
DON’T: Be Afraid to Take a Pause

 You don’t have to run through your slides

unceasingly.
 Some presenters prefer to leave questions to

the end, but others allow questions at any

time.