Creating Effective Power Point Presentations M. Reber © 6/27/2016 Overview Planning Your Presentation Writing Your Presentation Designing Your Presentation Presenting Your Presentation 2 Overview Planning Your Presentation Audience Purpose Topic Presentation Management Writing Your Presentation Designing Your Presentation Presenting Your Presentation 3 Planning Your Presentation – Audience Who is your audience? Is your audience a layperson, executive, technician, expert? Or a combination? What are the characteristics and concerns of your audience? How will you meet the needs of your audience? 4 Planning Your Presentation – Audience (cont.) What does your audience want? A presentation that is more than just reading slides A clear idea of what you are talking about Information they can actually use Not so much information that they can’t remember Not so little information that they wonder why they even listened to you Slides with enough information, but not too much A lively, interesting presentation that doesn’t send them to sleep 5 Planning Your Presentation – Purpose Why are you giving the presentation? To inform and increase level of expertise on presented topic “My specific purpose is to inform the audience about the role of the two-party system in American politics.” To persuade listeners with presented argument “My specific purpose is to persuade the audience of the need for stiffer penalties for running red lights.” To sell a presented product “My desired outcome is to have you buy this product.” 6 Planning Your Presentation – Topic What is the purpose of exploring this topic? Determine if your purpose is: To provide an overview of a broad topic or related topics To provide an in-depth presentation of a specific subsection of a topic How do you break the topic down? Determine the natural subsections of your topic Delegate tasks/subsections among group members 7 Planning Your Presentation – Project Management How do you meet your deadline? Create an internal timeline with milestones and reviews Build in time for content reviews, grammar edits, merging document portions, and ensuring format and style guide are applied consistently Consider choosing a facilitator to oversee project management Create checks and balances for completing assignments Notify the instructor of any issues 8 Overview Planning Your Presentation Writing Your Presentation Information Organization Designing Your Presentation Presenting Your Presentation 9 Writing Your Presentation Information Research Selection Organization 10 Information – Research Use reputable sources for research such as academic articles, interviews with professionals, books, etc. Document information sources with citation numbers throughout and corresponding reference slides at the end Collect more information than you need for the slides Anticipate questions the audience might have when researching your topic 11 Information – Selection Present essential information: not too little Information on slides should be self-explanatory and complete A number, cryptic sentence, or unexplained image is not useful information Slides should clearly present the content of the presentation in an obvious way and develop the basic ideas clearly Present essential information: not too much Leave out minute or insignificant details Limit use of examples and tangential information Exclude unnecessary or contradictory information 12 Writing Your Presentation Information Organization Establish Structure of Content Reinforce Structure Through Slide Composition Strengthen Overall Flow with Transitions Maintain Structure and Flow on Content Slides 13 Organization – Establish Structure of Content A presentation with effective organization: Uses structure to organize information logically Presents information in a familiar sequence (such as from general to specific, simple to complex, chronological/sequential, or parts of a whole) Breaks down complex ideas into smaller concepts and addresses them one by one Helps your audience link concepts and provides context Answers your audience’s questions before they think to ask them 14 Organization – Establish Structure of Content (cont.) A presentation with effective structure: Uses headings to identify main concepts and create a structural hierarchy of information Leads your audience through the topic and subsections Keeps the audience focused on content through clearly developed slides Keeps audience oriented in the overall presentation and clearly demonstrates how each part relates to the whole 15 Organization – Establish Structure of Content (cont.) To develop a presentation with effective structure: Develop the structure of the presentation on paper before you create slides Write out information to be presented on slides, paper, post-its, note cards, etc. Arrange, group, and rearrange information for most effective flow and comprehension Cut and paste information in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint to achieve most intuitive structure Group related items together and ensure information flows smoothly from one group to the next Organize and move around groupings until the order becomes clear, logical, and intuitive 16 Organization – Reinforce Structure Through Slide Composition Create an overview slide of main headings to outline what you are going to tell the audience Make the 1st slide a title slide and 2nd slide an overview of the presentation with main headings listed Repeat the overview slide at the beginning of each new section if presentation is lengthy to orient viewer Place only main points on overview slides Follow the outline throughout the presentation Orient audience during the presentation by repeating main headings on individual slide titles 17 Organization – Reinforce Structure Through Slide Composition (cont.) Title Slide: Contains title of presentation, date, presenter name Overview Slide: Establishes the outline of the presentation and order of concepts Identifies main level headings of the presentation Includes sub-levels headings only if the presentation contains few main level headings Content Slides: Repeats main level heading, if necessary, to keep audience oriented Adds detailed information to the outline Accommodates all necessary information with unlimited number of slides Final Slide: Summarizes content in easy-to-remember bullets for audience Presents a list of pros and cons if appropriate 18 Organization – Strengthen Overall Flow with Transitions Build flow into your presentation to lead your audience from: Main topic to main topic Slide to slide Point to point Bullet to bullet Sub-bullet to sub-bullet Transition smoothly between slides Repeat keywords from previous slide to provide transition Title slides to clearly indicate: How the current slide fits in with the structure of the overall presentation The relationship between ideas presented on the slides immediately preceding and following the current one 19 Organization – Maintain Structure and Flow on Content Slides Continue principles of organization and flow on individual content slides Order bullets on each content slide in the most intuitive sequence for the audience Make sure bullets are grammatically parallel and are logical sub points of their main point Show relationship of main points to sub-points State your point completely and succinctly in the main bullet Add 2-3 important details or examples as sub-bullets Use parallel structure to show relationship between bullet point 20 Organization – Maintain Structure and Flow on Content Slides Be mindful of slide density on content slides Write a maximum of 2 lines per bullet, if possible Limit to 6-8 bullets per slide Avoid long sentences Keep slides simple and understandable in a few seconds If a slide contains too much information, split it in two Use grammar and punctuation consistently Avoid abbreviations and acronyms not obvious to audience Eliminate personal pronouns Avoid articles when it makes sense Use whole sentences or fragments, but be consistent Limit punctuation marks and use punctuation consistently Use present tense when possible 21 Organization – Maintain Structure and Flow on Content Slides Slide Structure – Good Use 1-2 slides per minute of your PowerPoint presentation Write in point form, not complete sentences Include 4-6 points per slide Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases only Slide Structure – Bad This page contains too many words for a ppt presentation slide. It is not written in point form, making it difficult both for your audience to read and for you to present each point. Although there are exactly the same number of points on this slide as the previous slide, it looks much more complicated. In short, your audience will spend too much time trying to read this paragraph instead of listening to you. 22 Overview Planning Your Presentation Writing Your Presentation Designing Your Presentation Presenting Your Presentation 23 Designing Your Presentation Templates Format Font Visuals 24 Templates Choose template carefully Background images and busy templates distract from content Unobtrusive templates showcase content Text should contrast strongly with background Dark text on a light background are easy to read both on the projector and on handouts Choose a color scheme and template that will not empty the toner when you print handouts 25 Templates (cont.) Use slide master feature for consistent and simple design template Change slide master settings at View – Master – Slide Master Make changes to the fonts, sizes and look of master slide as needed Add copyright, name, date, and phrases like “confidential” in slide master footer for company slides Design your own presentation template if you have the time and ability 26 Designing Your Presentation Templates Format Font Visuals 27 Format Use font, size, and color consistently and parallel in titles, text and bullets Use the same transitions and animations for whole presentation Transitions should be quick and unnoticeable Be aware fancy animations are distracting and become annoying quickly 28 Designing Your Presentation Templates Format Font Visuals 29 Font 48 Use font size 24 point to make sure slides can be read from the back of the room Font size under 20 is nearly unreadable from a distance Use only sans serif fonts since serif fonts and fancy fonts can be hard to read DON’T WRITE TEXT IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS; IT IS DIFFICULT TO READ Be careful with colors Use colors for emphasis but plan well 30 Font (cont.) Use as few different fonts and sizes as possible Use sans serif fonts for a clean look and readability Use font size to indicate hierarchy Make the font size of titles larger than text Use a smaller font for sub-bullets or body text 31 Designing Your Presentation Templates Format Font Visuals Uses Types 32 Visuals – Uses Use graphics to depict: Objects, parts, or features of an object Actions or movements Orientation or position Concepts or a progression of ideas Summarize and condense information and make it easy to access through a visual Allow international communication 33 Visuals Generally, you should be able to explain a graph or a table in a few minutes Overly dense graphics are difficult to follow If necessary, break up into several slides Be sure not to use a font size under 22 points for tables or graphics to keep them readable Tables or graphics imported directly from print material are generally bad for slides Fonts are too small Information is generally too crowded and dense Made for close-up reading, not distant viewing on a screen 34 Visuals – Types Flowcharts and other conceptual drawings Graphs and charts Graphics Tables 35 Visuals – Types: Flowcharts and Other Conceptual Drawings To create an MPEG movie file: Import audio and storyboard files Adjust length of audio and video files Add and edit transition effects Create an MPEG movie file 36 Visuals – Types: Graphs and Charts Graphs - Bad Graphs - Good Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002 100 90 90 100 80 90 70 80 70 60 60 Blue Balls 50 Blue Balls Red Balls 50 40 Red Balls 38.6 40 34.6 31.6 30.6 27.4 30 30 20.4 20 20.4 20 10 10 0 0 January February March April January February March April Use graphs rather than just charts and words Data in graphs is easier to comprehend and retain than raw data Trends are easier to visualize in graph form Always title graphs 37 Visuals – Types: Graphics Use professional photographs, not clipart Make sure images maintain impact and resolution when projected on a large screen Source: http://www.garrreynolds.com/Presentation/slides.html 38 Visuals – Types: Graphics Example of a bad graphic: Pathogenesis of a BAD SLIDE that is too crowded and confusing Useful Information Related information that is not connected to anything Difficult use of color That doesn’t clarify Misplaced arrows that not exactly on target Over Colored Inconsistent Labels VE ?Label Inc on sis ten t R T I C A L La be l Inconsistent Label Inconsistent Label Boxed Text That Goes Out Of The Box How is this connected Poor Box Total Confusion Hinders Presentation Source: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&q=powerpoint+presentation+too+much+info&start=10&sa=N 39 Visuals – Types: Tables Tables organize information for quick comparison Visuals Comparison Chart Type of Visual Flowcharts Graphs Photo-graphs Tables and Clipart Level of effectiveness High Low Medium High 40 Overview Planning Your Presentation Writing Your Presentation Designing Your Presentation Presenting Your Presentation 41 Presenting Your Presentation Rehearsal Testing Interaction Handouts 42 Rehearsal Use slides as a guide Slides only give audience basic information you fill out orally Never consider slides a substitute for oral presentation Use the slides as reference, not as exclusive information PowerPoint slides are an aid for the presentation, not the presentation itself Audience wants to hear what YOU have to say on the topic, not just read slides Navigate slides with ease Spend enough time as necessary to explain a slide Split an information dense slide into more than one slide 43 Rehearsal – Single Presenter Practice introducing yourself and the topic Synchronize your spoken presentation with your slides If you encourage note-taking, allow audience time to do so and include in timing presentation Plan your presentation to allow time at the end for questions and answers Practice non-linear navigation in PowerPoint to allow jumping ahead or back without paging through all slides 44 Rehearsal – Multiple Presenters Combine individual presentations into one before presentation day Determine how to break down total presentation time among presenters and their respective subsections Decide who introduces the group and topic Estimate correctly how long it really takes to cover all information among presenters 45 Rehearsal – Multiple Presenters (cont.) Practice a smooth transition from one presenter to the next Transfer the controls and move on smoothly without interruption Practice introduction of next speaker and topic Do a practice run of the entire presentation with transitions with all presenters present Ensure all presenters have sufficient time for their portion of the presentation Allow for extra feedback on each presenter individually Allow time for questions 46 Rehearsal – Important Navigation Shortcuts Practice shortcuts to make moving around in presentation easy Up, Page Up, Mouse Wheel Up: Previous Slide Down, Page Down, Mouse Wheel Down, Left-Click: Next Slide Type number and press ENTER: go to specific slide. NO visual feedback as number is entered B – Blank screen: displays black screen. Useful if you want audience to stop reading W – White screen. Displays white screen. Similar to 'B', but less jarring if presentation has a white background 47 Rehearsal – Important Navigation Shortcuts (cont.) A – Hide pointer. Makes on-screen arrow cursor go away. Cursor normally disappears if not moved for a few seconds CTRL-P – Pen mode. Lets you write on your presentation. Not recommended for many laptop pointing devices E – Erase pen marks Esc - Terminate slide show F5 – Start slide show 48 Presenting Your Presentation Rehearsal Testing Interaction Handouts 49 Testing Test presentation on actual presentation system BEFORE presentation Things can and do go wrong One system may have different versions and requirements and than another system and the presentation cannot run Slides may be unreadable from back seats and have to be changed Unusual fonts may be unreadable on a different system Bring presentation on several media in case one source fails. Use a memory stick or CD Send as an attachment to an online email account Print handouts for audience 50 Presenting Your Presentation Rehearsal Testing Interaction Handouts 51 Interaction Don’t read from your slides. Slides are for the audience, not you. Don’t read to your slides. Face the audience, not the screen. Don’t apologize for your slides. If a slide is hard to read or unclear, don’t use it. Don’t turn off all lights. Light keeps the audience from falling asleep and lets them take notes if they want. Do interact with and engage your audience. 52 Interaction (cont.) Speak at a comfortable speed. Do not speed up to cover more information! If you have a hard time talking to groups, present to a few members in the audience in different locations of the room. Remember, you know more than your audience and they want to learn from you! 53 Interaction (cont.) Remember that a good presentation is a story Give a brief overview of information at the start Present information Review important points in the conclusion Allow for audience responses and questions 54 Presenting Your Presentation Rehearsal Testing Interaction Handouts 55 Handouts Provide a hard copy of your slides to allow viewers to focus on you, not note taking If you are a knowledgeable and engaging presenter, don’t worry that the audience won’t listen to you Handouts allow the audience to take notes directly on relevant slides Presentation should still make sense if all the audience has is the handout 56