Guidelines For Effective
Presentations
Agenda
 Getting started on a presentation
 Creating a presentation
 Guidelines for creating a presentation
 Final things to check before presenting
Getting Start
 What is your topic?
 What is the purpose of your presentation?
 Who is your audience?
 What do they know?
 What are they interested in?
 What are their demographics
Creating Your Presentation
Topic
 Choose presentation topic
 Do research first
 Cite all resources
 Become an expert on your topic
 Creating the presentation is the easy part
 Determine 3 to 5 main points
Slides
 Make sure the order of slides is logical
 Include agenda in beginning
 Include summary at end
Slides
 Add information first – before any formatting
 Put all info in speaker’s notes
 Use key phrases only on slides
 Keep slides simple
 Limit the number of slides
 Should not need to rush through presentation
 1 slide per minute
Layout
 Title at top where audience looks for it
 Important info should be at top of slide
 Bullets should read left to right
Design
 Use appropriate background colors or images
 Use design template for consistency
 Consider method of distribution
 Print in black/white or color
 Viewed on screen in dark or lit area
Fonts
 Text must be large enough to be seen by audience
 Use contrasting colors for text and background
 Avoid fancy fonts
 Use two fonts only
 One for headings
 One for other info
Text
 Use an appropriate title on each slide
 Title should be 2 to 4 words
 First letter of all words should be capitalized
 Avoid too much text on slides
 3 to 5 bullets per slide
 5 to 7 words per bullet
 Capitalize first letter of each bullet only
 Use correct grammar and spelling
Multimedia Elements
 Use multimedia to enhance presentation
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Pictures and images
Tables to organize data
Graphs and charts to support data
Slide transitions
Animations
Sound
Video
Multimedia Guidelines
 Use sound sparingly
 Use animations sparingly
 Use transitions appropriately
 Remember the purpose of the presentation
 Avoid simply adding elements to entertain audience
Final Steps
 Create works cited slide
 Always preview show to check multimedia
 Practice timing of transitions and animations
 Grammar check
 Spell check
 Backup work