Rethinking the Design
of Presentation Slides
Fillets reduce leading edge vortices in nature
and in engineering
Fillet
Fillet on dorsal fin
of shark
Michael Alley
[Rader, 1997]
Fillet on Seawolf
submarine
Fillet
[Devenport et al., 1991]
[Zess and Thole, 2001]
Templates: http://writing.eng.vt.edu/slides.html
Engineering Communication
Penn State
January 2007
Rethinking the Design
of Presentation Slides
Fillets reduce leading edge vortices in nature
and in engineering
Fillet
Fillet on dorsal fin
of shark
[Rader, 1997]
Fillet on Seawolf
submarine
Fillet
[Devenport et al., 1991]
[Zess and Thole, 2001]
Templates: http://writing.eng.vt.edu/slides.html
This presentation presents a slide design that is
more effective than PowerPoint’s default design
Fillets reduce leading edge vortices in nature
and in engineering
Fillet
Fillet on dorsal fin
of shark
More readily
understood
[Rader, 1997]
Fillet on Seawolf
submarine
Fillet
This presentation compares several methods
for reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide
[Devenport et al., 1991]
More
memorable
Power passive modules perform the same functions
as discrete circuits but with smaller volumes
Passive module
82 cm3
More
persuasive
168 cm3
Discrete Components
The total volume is cut by more than half
Recently, slides following PowerPoint’s defaults
have received much criticism
Observations
• HefnerSegment
developed a C
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for IGBT,
from of the
(notelectro-thermal
on the 520model
Main
St. Property)
temperature-dependent
IGBTdominant
silicon chip, packages
and heat sinks. The temperaturerepresents
the
feature
dependent IGBT electrical model describes the instantaneous electrical behavior in
terms ofThe
the instantaneous
temperature
the IGBT silicon
chip surface.
characteristics
ofofSegment
C are
vastlyThe
instantaneous power dissipated in the IGBT is calculated using the electrical model
different than those of Segments A and B (which
and determines the instantaneous heat rate that is applied to the surface of the silicon
are located
onincorporated
the subject
property)
chip thermal
model. Hefner
this methodology
into the SABER circuit
simulator.
The characteristics of the dominant portion of the
C)asare
suggestive
ofconductance
a perennial
sources,system
substrate, (Segment
and encloses walls
affected
by the thermal
of the
walls and
substrate with the intent of determining which physical effects and level of
stream
detail are necessary to accurately predict thermal behavior of discretely heated
Direct observations are needed
enclosures.
• Chen,AWu
and Borojevich
are modeling
of thermalisand
electrical by
behavior
detailed
technical
analysis
needed
a using
several commercial softwares (I-DEAS, Maxwell, Flotherm and Saber) and 3-D,
qualified, independent hydrologist.
transient approaches.
• Adams, Joshi and Blackburn considered thermal interactions between the heat
3
[Parker, 2001]
[Tufte, 2003]
[Schwartz, 2003]
[Keller, 2003]
Our slide design arises from principles of rhetoric,
cognitive psychology, and human factors
Fillets reduce leading edge vortices in nature
and in engineering
Fillet
Fillet on dorsal fin
of shark
[Rader, 1997]
Fillet on Seawolf
submarine
Sentence
headline
Fillet
Visual
evidence
No bullet lists
[Devenport et al., 1991]
[Thole and Zess, 2001]
[Alley and Neeley, 2005]
[Mayer, 2001]
[Shaw and others, 1996]
Fillets reduce leading edge vortices in nature
and in engineering
Fillet
Fillet on dorsal fin
of shark
[Rader, 1997]
Fillet on Seawolf
submarine
Fillet
[Devenport et al., 1991]
5
The sentence headline should state succinctly
the purpose or assertion of the slide
Sentences orient the audience
much better than phrases do
Sentences force the presenter
to wrestle with the argument
Computations show that the fillet prevents the
leading edge vortex and delays the passage vortex
Tinf– Taw
Tinf– Tslot
0.5
0.4
0.3
6
0.2
Computations show that the fillet prevents the
leading edge vortex and delays the passage vortex
Tinf– Taw
Tinf– Tslot
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
Passage
vortex
0
-0.1
Leading edge
vortex
-0.2
-0.3
Without Fillet
-0.4
-0.5
7
With Fillet
To make slides memorable, you have to consider
what to include and what to exclude
Outline
 Introduction
 Background
 Pre-Combustion methods
– Coal switching
– Coal cleaning
 Combustion method
– Atmospheric fluidized bed
 Post-Combustion methods
– Absorption
– Adsorption
 Conclusions
 Acknowledgments
 Questions
8
To make slides memorable, you have to consider
what to include and what to exclude
This presentation compares several methods
for reducing emissions of sulfur dioxide
8
[Schmidt, 1989]
Bullets are not memorable, because bullets do
not show the connections
 Accelerometer outputs an analog voltage
 Hardware converts analog signal to digital
 Computer samples a number of points
 Data is exported to popular applications
10
[Shaw and others, 1998]
Audiences can remember more when details
are presented visually
Accelerometer outputs
an output voltage
Hardware converts
analog signal to digital
Computer samples a
number of points
Data is exported to
popular applications
11
[Robertshaw, 2004]
In a pilot study, we tested this new design in the
teaching slides of a large geology course
Message delivered with
typical slide design
Same message delivered
with new slide design
Students: Fall 2004
Students: Fall 2005
Comparison:
Test scores on
same questions
[Alley et al., 2006]
Iron
• An abundant metal, makes up
5.6% of earth’s crust
• Properties:
Iron Ore Distribution
– 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
Kesler 1994
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
Iron Ore Distribution
Iron ore
[www.star-bits.com]
Is strong
and durable
Can be shaped,
sharpened, and welded
[Kesler 1994]
When the tested assertion was in the sentence
headline, students performed significantly better
Q: How abundant is iron in the earth’s crust?
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
Iron
• An abundant metal, makes
up 5.6% of earth’s crust
• Properties:
Iron Ore Distribution
Iron Ore Distribution
Iron ore
– 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
[www.star-bits.com]
Is strong
and durable
Can be shaped,
sharpened, and welded
Kesler 1994
Led to 59% recall
[Kesler 1994]
Led to 77% recall
Level of significance < 0.001
15
[Alley et al., 2006]
When answers resided in the sentence headlines,
students scored higher on identical test questions
Q: Percentage of world’s resources that the U.S. uses?
Although the U.S. has 5% of the world's population,
we use an average of 30% of all resources
U.S. Resource Use
• The United States uses:
–
–
–
–
–
–
42% of all the aluminum produced worldwide
31% of all the petroleum
29% of all the phosphate
27% of all the copper
27% of the nitrogen
25% of the zinc
• Approximately 30% of all resources worldwide
United States use of specific resources
(percentage of worldwide use)
Led to 71% correct
Led to 82% correct
p < 0.025
16
[Alley et al., 2006]
When the tested assertion was in the sentence
headline, students performed significantly better
Score (Sentence) / Score (Traditional)
3.5
Statistically
Statistically significant
significant increase
increase
No
significant
difference
No significant difference
Statistically
Statistically significant
significant decrease
decrease
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Question
Overall percent correct (traditional headline):
Overall percent correct (sentence headline):
70%
82%
p < 0.001
The slide design presented here is more persuasive
than PowerPoint’s default design
Power passive modules perform the same functions
as discrete circuits but with smaller volumes
Sentence headline can
clarify assertions
Passive module
82 cm3
168 cm3
Images in body can
supply cogent evidence
Discrete Components
The total volume is cut by more than half
18
Design leads to fewer slides,
which can increase ethos
[Zhu, 2002]
Power passive modules perform the same functions
as discrete circuits but with smaller volumes
Passive module
82 cm3
168 cm3
Discrete Components
The total volume is cut by more than half
19
Audiences are more likely to believe an argument
if they know the assertions and assumptions
Claim:
assertion
Warrant:
assumption
[Toulmin, 2003]
[Marthinsen, 2004]
In summary, this slide design is much more effective
than PowerPoint’s default design
Fillets reduce leading edge vortices in nature
and in engineering
Fillet
Fillet on dorsal fin
of shark
[Rader, 1997]
Fillet on Seawolf
submarine
more readily
understood
more memorable
Fillet
[Devenport et al., 1991]
more persuasive
[Zess and Thole, 2001]
Templates: http://writing.eng.vt.edu/slides.html
References
Alley, Michael, The Craft of Scientific Presentations (New York: Springer-Verlag, 2003), chap 4.
Alley, Michael, and Kathryn A. Neeley, "Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides: A Case for Sentence Headlines and Visual Evidence,"
Technical Communication, vol. 52, no. 4 (Nov. 2005), pp. 417-426.
Alley, Michael, Madeline Schreiber, Katrina Ramsdell, and John Muffo, "How the Design of Headlines in Presentation Slides Affects Audience
Retention," Technical Communication, vol. 53, no. 2 (May 2006), pp. 225-234.
Atkinson, Cliff, Beyond Bullet Points: How to Use Microsoft PowerPoint to Create Presentations That Inform, Motivate, and Inspire (Redmond,
WA: Microsoft Press, 2005).
Carney, Russell N., and Joel R. Levin, “Pictorial Illustrations Still Improve Students’ Learning from Text,” Educational Psychology Review, vol.
14, no. 1 (March 2002), pp. 5–26.
Doumont, Jean-luc, "The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Not All Slides Are Evil,“ Technical Communication, vol. 52, no. 1 (February 2005), pp.
64-70.
Gottlieb, Larry, "New-Breed Presentationists Sometimes Closely Collaborate on Presentations," Proceedings of the 1984 Professional
Communication Society Conference of the IEEE (Atlantic City, NJ: IEEE, October 10-12, 1984).
Marthinsen, Gunnhild, Jan Lifjeld, and Liv Wennerberg, "Population Differentiation in Dunlins Caladris alpine in Northern Europe," presentation
(Oslo, Norway: University of Oslo, 12 June 2004).
Robertshaw, Harry, “Class Period 15: Signals and Systems,” Classroom presentation in ME 4005 (Blacksburg, VA, Virginia Tech, 16 March
2004).
Schmidt, Cynthia, “Methods to Reduce Sulfur Dioxide Emissions from Coal-Fired Power Plants,” Presentation (Austin, Texas: University of
Texas at Austin, December 1989).
Shaw, Gordon, Robert Brown, and Philip Bromiley, “Strategic Stories: How 3M Is Rewriting Business Planning,” Harvard Business Review,
(May–June, 1998), pp. 41–50.
Zess, Gary, and Karen Thole, “Computational Design and Experimental Evaluation of Using a Leading Edge Fillet on a Gas Turbine Vane,”
Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Exposition, 2001-GT-404 (New Orleans: IGTI, 5 June 2001).
Zhu, Julie, “IDEAS Simulation of Thermal Stresses Between Substrate and Copper Stripes with Different Widths,” Presentation (Blacksburg, VA:
Virginia Tech, 2 May 2002).
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