Effective Presentations & Posters
Cynthia D. Hollingsworth
Coordinator of Instructional Design
IU School of Nursing
Copyright © 2000. Updated 2014 Cynthia D. Hollingsworth. All rights reserved.

Objectives
1. Select color schemes that support message
2. Use visual display to reinforce purpose
3. Motivate audience to action
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Workshop Topics
• Templates
• Colors
• Layout
• Typography
• Visuals
• Tips
• Posters
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You ARE IU
Use IU Branded Templates https://iu.box.com/presentationtemplates
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Computer Display vs Printed
Page Colors
Computer display
– Red, Green, Blue (RGB)
Printed page
– Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black (CMYK)
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Secondary colors
(inside – combine adjacent primary colors)
Color Wheel
Primary colors
(outside)
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Temperatures
Cool colors (blues, greens) –background
Warm colors (reds, yellows) –foreground
GOOD
This shows warm foreground color on a cool background color
POOR
This shows cool foreground color on a warm background color
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Contrasts
Greatest contrast – primary color pairs
Least contrast – secondary color pairs
GOOD
This pair of primary colors has good contrast
POOR
This pair of secondary colors has poor contrast
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Complimentary Pairs
Secondary color + opposite primary color
Greatest light/dark contrast
Yellow / Blue
Greatest cold/warm contrast
Red / Cyan
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Contrasts
Confusing & overwhelming
Soothing & subtle
Energy, clarity & sharpness
Boring & bland
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Color Associations
Vibrancy, energy
Growth
Serenity
Royalty
Earthy
Purity
Implications: national, cultural, religious, holidays
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Page Layout
Landscape
Electronic Presenta tion
Not
Portrait
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Prominence
1
Most prominent
3
Least prominent
2
Next prominent
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Point Order
• First point & the title receive greatest attention
• Middle points receive less attention
• Last point receives almost as much attention as the first point
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1.5"
7
Building a Slide
1.5"
7
Concise Phrases
One
SPELLING
1.5"
1.5"

Type Size
Body text – minimum of 24 pt (this is 32 pt)
Title text – 36 to 44 pt
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Fonts
Type
– Sans Serif has no “feet”
– Serif has “feet”
Attributes
– Use Mixed Case
– Don’t use ALL CAPS except titles
– Apply only 1-2 attributes– THIS IS HARD TO
READ
Note: Make sure fonts are installed
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General Text Points
Alignment
– Left – body text and titles
– Justify – nothing
Abbreviations & Acronyms
– PE (Pulmonary edema? Physical education?
Pulmonary embolism?)
Punctuation –minimal or none
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Personalize Graphics
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Enrich Graphics
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Clipart vs. Photos
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Size Matters
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Graphs
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr
• Complementary colors • Explanatory key
• Sufficient color contrast
• Clean lines
East
South
North
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Graphs
Pie charts that build focus the users’ attention on key components
40%
22%
9%
29%
1st Qtr
2nd Qtr
3rd Qtr
4th Qtr
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Color
Red
Green
Blue
Purple
Brown
White
Association
Vibrancy
Growth
Serenity
Royalty
Earthy
Purity
Tables
Red
Green
Blue
Purple
Brown
White
Vibrancy
Growth
Serenity
Royalty
Earthy
Purity
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Polish your Presentation
• Transitions
• Left-to-right or top-to-bottom
• Minimal “whiz-bang”
• Auto-timing
• Sufficient time to read
• Backup
• Plan for technology glitches
• Practice; don’t memorize
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Presentation Tips
• Use laser pointer
• Face your audience
• Block future points
• Show controls
• Darken lights over front of room
• Dim, don’t turn off, lights
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Posters
Good resource http://www.makesigns.com/SciPosters_Home.aspx
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CREDITS
Kupsh, J. Presentation techniques [online]. (1997, January 3).
Sound & Vision Pro. Available: http://www.svpro.com/start.htm
(2000, January 11).
Radel, J., & Massath, C. Designing effective visuals [online]. (1997,
March 19). University Kansas Medical Center. Available: http://www.kumc.edu/SAH/OTEd/jradel/Effective_visuals/VisStr t.html (2000, January 11).
_____. Understanding Color. Hewlett Packard.
Walch, S. Step 10: Using visual aids [online]. (1997). The
Pennsylvania State University Department of Speech
Communication. Available: http://www.la.psu.edu/speech/100a/workbook/step10.htm (2000,
January 11).
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