Proposal PowerPoint Presentation
Guidelines
Slide #1 – Title of Your Project
Slide #2 – Problem or Question You will be Investigating and Possible Time Frame for Completion
Slide #3 – Independent Variable and Dependent Variable (be specific, what you are measuring, how, units)
Slide #4 – Control and Factors that Must be Held Constant
Slide #5 – All Materials (possible photos)
Slide #6 – Why is your experiment important? How does it relate to the real world?
Slide #7 – Summary of article #1 (What did you learn about your topic from this article?)
Slide #8 – Summary of article #2 (What did you learn about your topic from this article?)
Slide #9 – Summary of article #3 (What did you learn about your topic from this article?)
Slide #10 – Summary of article #4 (What did you learn about your topic from this article?)
Slide #11 – Summary of article #5 (What did you learn about your topic from this article?)
Slide #12 – Hypothesis supported by previously done research
What presentation mistakes are sure-fire ways to put your audience to sleep or send them running for
the doors? Even the best presentation can be destroyed by a bad presenter -- from the person who
mumbles, to the one who talks too fast, to the one who just wasn't prepared. But perhaps nothing is as
irritating as the person who misuses and abuses presentation software. Read on to learn about the
most common presentation mistakes.
Presentation Mistake #1 - You Don't Know Your Topic!
You memorized the content (and it shows, by the way). Someone has a question. Panic sets in. You
never prepared for questions and all you know about this topic is what is written on the slides.
A better scenario:
Know your material so well, that you could easily do the presentation without an electronic enhancement
such as PowerPoint. Nothing will ruin your credibility as a presenter faster, than not knowing everything
about your topic. Use key words and phrases and include only essential information to keep the audience
focused and interested. Be prepared for questions and know the answers.
Presentation Mistake #2 - The Slides Are NOT Your Presentation
An audience member says that she can't read the slides. You graciously tell her you will be reading them
and proceed to do so, while looking up at the screen. Each of your slides in filled with the text of your
speech. Why do they need you?
A better scenario
Always remember that you are the presentation. The slide show should only be used as an
accompaniment to your talk. Simplify the content, by using bullet points for key information. Keep the
most important points near the top of the slide for easy reading in the back rows. Focus on a single topic
area for this presentation. Speak to the audience, not to the screen.
Presentation Mistake #3 - T. M. I. (Too Much Information)
You know so much about the topic, that you jump from here to there and back again talking about
everything there is to know about your experiment, and no one can follow the thread of the
presentation.
A better scenario
Use the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Simple Silly) when designing a presentation. Stick to three, or at the
most, four points about your topic and expound on them. The audience will be more likely to retain the
information.
Presentation Mistake #4 - Poorly Chosen Design Template or Design Theme
You heard blue was a good color for a design template or design theme. You found a really cool
template/theme on the internet, with a beach scene. Water is blue, right? Unfortunately, your
presentation is about some nifty new tools to show at a Woodcarvers’ convention.
A better scenario
Choose a design that is appropriate for the audience. A clean, straightforward layout is best for most
presentations. Young children respond to presentations that are full of color and contain a variety of
shapes.
Presentation Mistake #5 - Electrifying Color Choices
Audiences don't like unusual color combinations. Some are unsettling and red and green combos can't
be differentiated by those with color blindness.
A better scenario
Good contrast with the background is essential to make your text easy to read. • Dark text on a light
background is best. Off white or light beige is easier on the eyes than the typical white. Dark
backgrounds are very effective, if the text is light for easy reading.
 Patterned or textured backgrounds make text hard to read.
 Keep the color scheme consistent.
Presentation Mistake #6 - Poor Font Choices
Small, script type fonts might look great when you are sitting 18 inches away from the monitor. You
didn't consider the lady sitting 200 feet away from the screen who can't read them.
A better scenario
Stick to easy to read fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman. Avoid script type fonts which are hard to
read on screen. Use no more than two different fonts – one for headings, another for content and no less
than a 30 pt font so that people at the back of the room can read them easily.
Presentation Mistake #7 - Extraneous Photos and Graphs
You figured no one will notice that you didn't do much research on your topic if you add lots of photos
and complicated looking graphs.
A better scenario
“Time is Money” is really true in today's world. No one wants to waste their time sitting through a
presentation with no substance. Use photos, charts and diagrams only to emphasize key points of your
presentation. They add a nice break to the material, and when used correctly, can only enhance your oral
presentation. Illustrate, don't decorate.
Effective Oral Presentations
The human body contains more than 700 muscles, but few of those are used by speakers – except when
using their arms and fingers in a life-preserving clutch of lecterns and laser pointers or frenetically
clicking on PowerPoint slides. Speakers tend to focus most of their efforts in search of the perfect word
to illustrate their precious points, despite overwhelming evidence proving that, in fact, our bodies speak
louder than words.
Your effectiveness as a speaker is directly related to your ability to invoke emotion and interest through
the use of non-verbal communication. Your listeners judge you and your message based on what they
see as well as what they hear. In public speaking, your body can be an effective tool for adding emphasis
and clarity to your words. It’s also your most powerful instrument for convincing an audience of your
sincerity, earnestness and enthusiasm. Whether your purpose is to inform, persuade, entertain,
motivate or inspire, your body language and the personality you project must be appropriate to what
you say. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”
So be sure your appearance, posture and attire is appropriate as well.
Here’s how you can incorporate appropriate body language into your speeches:








Start with eye contact. Being prepared – having control of your message – is a prerequisite for being
able to project and establish a bond with the audience. Don’t just pass your gaze throughout the
room; try to focus on individual listeners and create a bond with them by looking them directly in the
eyes for five to 10 seconds.
Smile!
Express emotion with your facial muscles.
Avoid distracting mannerisms – have a friend watch as you practice and look for nervous
expressions such as fidgeting, twitching, lip biting, key jingling, hands in pockets or behind the back.
Telling a story? Highlight the action verbs and look for ways to act out one or more parts. Speaking
about marathon running? Run a few steps.
Stay true to your personality. Don’t copy gestures from a book or other speaker, but respond
naturally to what you feel and say.
Make gestures convincing. Every hand gesture should be total body movement that starts from the
shoulder – never from the elbow. Half-hearted gestures look artificial.
Vary your speaking position by moving from one spot on the stage to another. For example, walk to
the other side of the stage as you move to a new topic or move toward the audience as you ask a
question.
10 Tips for Public Speaking
Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial, but too much
nervousness can be detrimental. Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give
better presentations:
1. Know your material. Pick a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your
speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language – that way you won’t easily forget
what to say.
2. Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Revise as
necessary. Work to control filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow
time for the unexpected.
3. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a
group of friends than to strangers.
4. Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and
any visual aids.
5. Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and
count to three before saying anything. ("One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand.
Pause. Begin.) Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.
6. Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident.
Visualize the audience clapping – it will boost your confidence.
7. Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating,
informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you.
8. Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem – the audience probably never noticed it.
9. Concentrate on the message – not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties
and concentrate on your message and your audience.
10. Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you — as an authority and as a person.
Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking.