Speaking With PowerPoint: Tips, Traps and Rules of This presentation focuses on presenting with PowerPoint
Thumb
Considerations for using PowerPoint
VMS 576
2009
Research behind the R
h b hi d th
considerations
John M. Gay, DVM PhD
Associate Professor of Epidemiology
AAHP Field Disease Investigation Unit
Washington State University
http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/
Speaking
Resources and on‐
line examples
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Should you use visual media for a presentation?
The Gettysburg address? What annoys audiences? (Dave Paradi)
Annoying PowerPoint Survey: (http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/)
• Speaker reading the slides to us • Text point size too small
• Full sentence bullet points
• Poor color contrast
• Moving graphics or text
• Too many fonts
• Overly complex diagrams and charts
• Text and graphics imbalance
• Annoying sounds
• Irrelevant graphic images
"I Have a Dream“?
A most important first question:
Communication synergy OR
Attention competition?
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I plead guilty
Another from the same presentation
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Poor backgrounds make things hard to see
Poor text is hard to read quickly
WHAT IS MULTIMEDIA FROM THE
POINT OF HUMAN PERCEPTION?
IT IS USING MULTIMODAL
INFORMATION TO ACHIEVE OPTIMAL
STIMULATION
- CINEMA EXAMPLE: VISUAL AND
ACOUSTICAL STIMULATION IS USED BUT
MUSIC HAS ITS SUBTLE IMPORTANT ROLE
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www.cs.tut.fi/~defee/mmsp/mmsp.2.ppt
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Do not use PowerPoint defaults!
Examples of poor graphics are common
The defaults of PowerPoint are not based on research
in communication or cognitive psychology
[Gomes, 2007]
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/slides_talk_instructors_09.ppt
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Edward Tufte asserts that a poor bullet point slide contributed to the Colombia shuttle disaster
The past few years, this common practice of PowerPoint has received harsh criticism
The “buried” key information:
The “buried” key information:
The foam impacting the wing was 640 times larger than the test chunks
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January 16, 2003
PowerPoint Does Rocket Science‐‐and Better Techniques for Technical Reports
http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/index
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January 24, 2003
February 1, 2003
[Tufte, 2003]
[Schwartz, 2003]
[Keller, 2003]
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The primary slide design principle is KISSS
Select a clean background
Nice photo, poor slide background
Keep it:
• Simple
• Short
• Sharp
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler
Albert Einstein
http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
A solid light color is recommended
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Select an easily read font
Use a limited range of font point sizes and colors consistently
Sans (“without”) serif fonts are easier to read than serif fonts
Suggested scheme:
Titles – 32 to 36 point
This is Calibri, a sans serif font p
y
in 24 point bold that is easy to read quickly on a slide
This is Times New Roman, a
point bold that
serif font in 24 p
is not as easy to read quickly
on a slide
Body Text – 28 point
• Subheadings – 24 point
Calligraphy in 24 point bold Old
English is beautiful, but not for
reading quickly on a slide
Chart labels – No smaller than ~20 point
Footnotes for reference – 14 point
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Avoid the temptation of special effects
Select several contrasting colors but use sparingly for emphasis
Special effects impede readability; skip the “Word Art”
Use simple “Entrance” for animation; nothing that moves spins or makes sounds
that moves, spins or makes sounds
ALL CAPITALS ARE HARDER TO READ THAN
Title Case, Which is Easier to Read
Even italics reduce readability, use sparingly for
emphasis
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Remember that 1 in 10 of your male audience cannot read this
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Avoid “chartjunk” (chart features with no meaning) that reduces comprehension
Chartjunk:
• Colors with no meaning
• Texturingg
• Most Pie‐charts
• Most 3‐D charts
• Wrong chart for the data
Tips for Preparing and Giving an Effective Scientific Presentation using PowerPoint
http://www.biology.utah.edu/dearing/teaching/Classes/Bio%20Boot%20Camp/Potts%20BioBoot/PresentationTipsinPowerPoint.pdf
Susan McConnell, Stanford University
Simple text is better than a poor chart
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Poor charts have elements with no or wrong meaning
Donations $100.00
-Expenses $117.29
======
Shortfall
$ 17.29
http://www.scientificsoftwaregroup.com/pages/detailed_description.php?products_id=134
http://www.cushings-help.com/intro.htm
Colors have no meaning and the wrong chart for the data
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Whizzy graphics impair data interpretation
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
http://www.reddoggeo.com/www/gsw/grapherwhatsnew.htm
http://www.cs.uic.edu/~wilkinson/SYSTAT/systat.html
http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~cook/movabletype/archives/2008/06/new_candidate_f.html
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Many PowerPoint“ thumb rules” have emerged
Our working memory limit is processing 4 to 7 unfamiliar items at once
Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule: Why we “chunk”:
• Phone numbers into 3 blocks
• Social security numbers into 3 blocks
(http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2005/12/the_102030_rule.html)
• Use 10 slides or less, 20 minutes or less and 30 point or greater font
6 x 6 Rule:
6 x 6 Rule:
• 6 or less lines per slide
• 6 or less words per line
Why recognizing and recalling:
Wh
ii
d
lli
onp, rph, dcb, sfb, itw, aso, src, aus, aat, t
is harder than
o npr, phd, cbs, fbi, twa, sos, rca, usa, att
Training and familiarity increase “chunk” size
– Speakers overestimate audience “chunk‐ ability”
What is behind the KISSS principle and these “thumb rules”?
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Cognitive overload occurs when too much is moving into working memory
• Processing “chunks” requires time
• Input occurs orally and visually
From: Five ways to reduce PowerPoint overload
by Cliff Atkinson and Richard E. Mayer
http://www.sociablemedia.com/PDF/atkinson_mayer_powerpoint_4_23_04.pdf
• In overload “chunks” simply vanish without a trace
The basis of KISSS and the thumb rules
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Cognitive research underlies KISSS and the thumb rules
Use design and presentation strategies that
maximize viewer efficiency
Mayer, RE (2008). Applying the Science of Learning: Evidence‐Based Principles for the Design of Multimedia Instruction. American Psychologist 63(8):760‐
769.
Avoid channel overload by progressively revealing information
• Bullet points emerge
Bullet points emerge
• Images emerge
• Draw graphics at drawing rate
•Cliff Atkinson blogs by the same name
http://www.beyondbulletpoints.com/blog/
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Assemble and explain graphs at speed the audience can draw them out in their notes
Appropriate graphics inform faster than text
Audience Atttention Level
Q: Where is the restroom?
From front door:
• Walk into the dining room
• Turn and walk ~15 ft towards the kitchen
• At the tall palm tree turn right and walk down the hall
• The first door to the right is the Women’s restroom • The second door to the right is the Men’s restroom
kitchen
Change up
High
End
Low
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20
0
60
Presentation Time (minutes)
http://blog.smartdraw.com/archive/2009/05/27/visuals-versus-text-what-makes-you-say-a-ha-faster.aspx
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Use the Assertion‐Evidence format, replacing the title with a sentence containing an important concept
Idea credit – Dan Roam http://www.thebackofthenapkin.com/
This sentence headline makes an assertion on the first topic: 32 point Calibri, no more than two lines
Image(s)
supporting above assertion
Include major supporting point (no more than two lines)
Add several other supporting points (if needed)
If necessary, identify key assumption or background for audience—
keep to two lines (18–24 point type)
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/teaching_slide_design.html
Logo
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Students learning from assertion‐evidence formatted slides scored higher on tests
Students learning from a opening question scored lower than an opening assertion
Q: How abundant is iron in the earth’s crust?
Iron
• An abundant metal, makes
up 5.6% of earth’s crust
• Properties:
Q: Heat source for movement of lithospheric plates?
Iron ores
Where
is the
make
largest
up 5.6%
concentration
of the earth’s
of iron
crustores
in North
and
account
America?
for 95% of the metals used
O cean
•Uranium , Thorium , are large “unstable” atom s
which break down to produce, sm aller atom s,
heat, and radioactivity
– shaped, sharpened, welded
– strong, durable
• Accounts for >95% of
metals used
• Iron ores discovered in 1844
in Michigan’s Upper
Peninsula
• Soon found other ores in
upper Wisconsin and
Minnesota
W
Plates
hy domthe
oveplates
because
m ove?
of convection caused by heat
from decay of radioactive elem ents in the m antle
W hy do the plates m ove?
•Convection
•Heat is from nuclear fission .
Iron ore
Iron Ore Distribution
[www.star-bits.com]
Iron
Iron Ore Distribution
Uranium and Thorium are large “unstable” atom s
Kesler 1994
Is strong
and durable
Led to 59% recall
Can be shaped,
sharpened, and welded
M iller, 2004
[Kesler 1994]
break dow n to produce, sm aller atoms,
heat, and radioactivity
[M iller, 2004]
Led to 54% recall
Led to 77% recall
Led to 86% recall
p < .001
p < 0.001
[Alley et al., 2006]
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[Alley et al., 2006]
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Highly recommended presentation design books are Presentation Zen and slide:ology
Presentation improvement is an active area of blogs and research
Alltop aggregates active blogs by subject area
http://www.presentationzen.com/
Alltop is an “online magazine rack” of popular topics
We update the stories every hour
Pick a topic by searching, news category, or name, and we’ll
deliver it to you 24 x 7
All the topics, all the time - http://alltop.com/
http://blog.duarte.com/
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Alltop tracks active blogs by subject area
Selecting “Speaking” brings up 78 blogs
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Arrowing over listings brings up the first words
TED has excellent 20 minute presentations, many with professionally designed visuals, for examples
http://www.ted.com/
Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world
TED: Technology, Entertainment, Design
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Practice KISSS:
Keep it
Simple, Short & Sharp
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