You should create an outline first before designing your presentation slides. This ensures the content is solid. Develop the outline by considering your goal, audience, and key points. Then focus on visual design elements like colors, fonts, and graphics. Keep slides simple with few words and visuals like charts instead of solely text. Practice your presentation and have backup slides to avoid technical issues. Concentrate on engaging your audience rather than the presentation software.

2. START BY CREATING AN OUTLINE
The most important part of any presentation is the content,
not the graphical appeal. That is why you should develop
your presentation with the content first, before deciding on
the look (colours, graphics, etc.) Create a good structure for
your presentation by reflecting on the goal of the
presentation, what your audience is thinking right now, and
what points you need to make in order to move the
audience from where they are to where you want them to
be. Write an outline on paper or use sticky notes so you
can move ideas around. By creating an outline first, you
ensure that the content of your presentation is solid before
you concern yourself with the visual elements.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

3. USE CONTRASTING COLOURS
If you want your audience to be able to see what you have on the
slide, there needs to be a lot of contrast between the text colour
and the background colour. I suggest a dark background with
light text – I usually use a medium to dark blue background and
white or yellow letters. Some prefer a light background and dark
letters, which will also work well – which you choose will depend
on personal preference. Don’t think that just because the text
looks fine on your computer screen that it will look fine when
projected. Most projectors make colours duller than they appear
on a screen, and you should check how your colours look when
projected to make sure there is still enough contrast.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

4. USE A BIG ENOUGH FONT
When deciding what font size to use in your presentation, make sure
it is big enough so that the audience can read it. I usually find
that any font size less than 24 point is too small to be reasonably
read in most presentation situations. I would prefer to see most
text at a 28 or 32 point size, with titles being 36 to 44 point
size. The only reason I would use a font less than 24 point is
when adding explanatory text to a graph or diagram, where you
could use a 20 point font size. If you are given a small screen in
a big room, your font will look smaller because the image will not
be as big as it should be.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

5. STOP THE MOVING TEXT
When text comes on the screen, we want the audience to read the
text, then focus back on the presenter to hear the message. If the
text moves onto the screen in any way – such as flying in, spiral
or zooming – it makes it harder for the audience members to
read since they have to wait until the text has stopped before
they can read it. This makes the presenter wait longer between
each point and makes the audience members focus more on the
movement than on what is being said.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

6. TURN THE POINTER OFF
During a presentation, it is very annoying to have the pointer (the
little arrow) come on the screen while the presenter is speaking.
It causes movement on the screen and draws the audience
attention from the presenter to the screen. The pointer comes on
when the mouse is moved during the presentation. To prevent
this from happening, after the Slide Show view has started, press
the Ctrl-H key combination. This prevents mouse movement from
showing the pointer. If you need to bring the pointer on screen
after this, press the A key.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

7. USE VISUALS INSTEAD OF TEXT SLIDES
Instead of using slides that only contain text, use visuals such as
graphs, diagrams, photos and media clips to engage the
audience.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

8. HAVE SLIDES AT THE END OF YOUR PRESENTATION
The last slide you speak to should not be the last slide in your
presentation file. You should have three identical copies of your
last speaking slide so that if you accidentally advance one too
many times at the end of your presentation, your audience never
knows because you don’t drop into the program, the slide looks
like it has not changed. After these slides, you should include
some slides that answer questions that you expect to be asked.
These slides will be useful during Q&A sessions after the
presentation. The final slide should be a blank slide so that if you
go through all the other slides, you have a final backup from
dropping into the program.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

9. BE ABLE TO JUMP TO ANY SLIDE
PowerPoint has a feature that allows you to be able to move quickly
and seamlessly to any slide in your presentation. To do so, you
need to know the slide numbers. The easiest way to print a list of
the slide numbers and associated slide titles is to go to the
Outline View and collapse the details for each slide (there is a
button on the left side of the screen in this view that will do this).
Then print the view. To jump to any slide, just enter the slide
number on the keyboard and press the Enter key. This will move
you directly to that slide.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

10. BLANK THE SCREEN
Sometimes we want the image on the screen to disappear so that
the audience is focused solely on the presenter. There are two
ways to do this. The first is if you want to blank the screen with a
black image, similar to shutting the projector off (we used to do
this all the time with overhead projectors by just shutting the
projector off). Just press the period key (.) on the keyboard and
the image is replaced with a black image. Press the period key
again and the image is restored.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

11. DRAW ON THE SCREEN DURING A PRESENTATION
Sometimes it can be valuable to be able to draw on the screen
during your presentation to illustrate a particular point or item.
This can be done in the following way. Press the Ctrl-P key
combination to display a pen on the screen. Then, using the left
mouse button, draw on the slide as you wish. To erase what you
have drawn, press the E key. To hide the pen, press the A key or
the Ctrl-H key combination.
Source: http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/ten-secrets-for-using-powerpoint-effectively/

12. PREPARATION
You should understand the mission target and purpose. Ask yourself...
Who is the audience
What do they need to know
How can a presentation get the message across.
Target your presentation to concentrate on what three things you want the audience
to remember.
A handy trick is to create the presentation starting with the end and working
backwards. Start with what you want to accomplish at the end and create slides
that help lead up to the conclusion.
Before using the computer, plan your work using file cards or sticky notes.
• Make a card for each point or thought you may want to convey.
• Arrange them in a logic order.
• Eliminate what is not needed or does not add to the presentation.
Source: http://www.ahinc.com/presentations.htm

13. SLIDE CONTENT
Make sure each slide builds on the previous slide and that all slides have a logical
progression.
A visual graph or chart can be worth a thousand words. Include graphs or charts to backup
or emphasis the major issues. Studies show that half of what an audience learns
during a presentation are provided by the visuals.
Keep the slides simple. Every slide should be understood within 7 seconds.
If there is too much on a slide, split it in two.
Use bullets to emphasis major points.
A general rule is the 6-6-6 rule.
No more than 6 words per item
No more than 6 bullets per slide
No more than 6 text slides in a row
Source: http://www.ahinc.com/presentations.htm

14. SPECIAL EFFECTS
Use special effects with caution. Presentation software will
allow you to create different methods of transition from
slide to slide.
Only use one transition method. Using multiple transition
methods only distract from what you actually want to get
across.
Don't get carried away with animation, bouncing or moving
text. Concentrate more on what you want to convey to keep
the audience focused.
Source: http://www.ahinc.com/presentations.htm

15. FONTS
Use easy to read fonts
Don't use less than a size of 18 points
Don't over use italics
Don't use more than 2 fonts per slide
Keep the fonts consistent
Source: http://www.ahinc.com/presentations.htm

16. COLORS
Keep the same color scheme through
out and use colors to highlight or
emphasize.
Source: http://www.ahinc.com/presentations.htm

17. LENGTH
It is recommended that a presentation should run no longer
than 20 minutes and no more than 15 slides. If more time
is absolutely required, give your audience a break every so
often at strategic breaking points.
Make sure there is time at the end of the presentation to
allow for questions and answers.
Rehearsals will help you determine the length and to trim
down the presentation if necessary.
Source: http://www.ahinc.com/presentations.htm

18. PRESENTATION (II)
Avoid using laser pointers. Most of the time you can't hold the darn thing steady
and it can distract from what you are saying or displaying. If your slide is
prepared correctly, you should not have to point to something.
The use of a remote control to change slides is convenient and can make for a
smoother presentation.
Don't rely on battery power. Make sure you have your AC adapter connected
Don't turn off all of the lights, unless you want to put the audience to sleep. The
audience should have enough light to be able to take notes.
At the end of the presentation hand out printed copies of the slides. Don't hand
them out before or you will only invite people to try and match the handout
with your actual presentation. You want to keep them focused on you and
the screen, not on the handouts.
Source: http://www.ahinc.com/presentations.htm

19. NOTES
In presenting your report with powerpoint,
don’t forget to have your own handouts
printed and avoid looking at the powerpoint
everytime and reading what’s in it.
Concentrate to your readers’ eyes to catch
their attention. Don’t depend too much on
how nice your slides are.