Improving Power Point Presentations K.S. Chew School of Medical Sciences Universiti Sains Malaysia

What’s The Problem With Most Power Point Presentations?

Does this look familiar? What a torture by Power Point Presentation, or is it really?

Basically the problems can be due to the Presenter or …the Slides

Introduction Speaker Audience Speaker Encoding Decoding Audience Communication Gap ✗

The Communication Gap It is the difference between what: What I meant to say What I actually said What you think you heard What you think I meant

It is the difference between what:

What I meant to say

What I actually said

What you think you heard

What you think I meant

Introduction According to various studies, we can effectively recall 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 50% of what we hear and see 70% of what we do

According to various studies, we can effectively recall

20% of what we hear

30% of what we see

50% of what we hear and see

70% of what we do

THE SLIDES

Three Simple Rules In Preparing Your Slides

RULE #1 : KEEP IT SIMPLE, SWEET (K.I.S.S)

R ule #1 RULE #1: Keep It Short, Simple (K.I.S.S) Power Point is a tool, not the center stage T o o m a n y c o l o u r s Too Many Fonts and Styles One slide, one concept Use 6X6 rule as your guide: No more than 6 lines per slide No more than 6 words per line

RULE #1: Keep It Short, Simple (K.I.S.S)

Power Point is a tool, not the center stage

T o o m a n y c o l o u r s

Too Many Fonts and Styles

One slide, one concept

Use 6X6 rule as your guide:

No more than 6 lines per slide

No more than 6 words per line

Use 6 * 6 RULE 6 LINES PER SLIDE 6 WORDS PER LINE

Avoid Text Indigestion!! At the whole-body level, shock from any etiology initiates a sequence of stress responses that are intended to preserve flow to vital organs and to signal cells to expend internal energy stores ( Figure 4-2). The circulating “stress hormones” derive mainly from the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenomedullary axis, which leads to secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine from the adrenal medulla and corticosteroids from the adrenal cortex, renin from the kidney, and glucagon from the pancreas. These hormones signal the liver to break down glycogen to release glucose into the plasma and alert adipose tissue to release fatty acids via lipolysis. As a result, stress hormones increase the input of carbon substrates into the TCA throughout the body, often overwhelming the mitochondrial ability to oxidize them and leading to an increase in lactic acid production and release into the bloodstream.

Body Hormonal Response To Shock

But A Picture Paints A Thousand Words

Even For Figures and Charts, Simplify Them! Too detailed !

Easier To Digest Much Simpler

RULE #2 : LIMIT THE NUMBER OF SLIDES

Rule #2 RULE #2: Limit the Number of Slides Limit to about three major take home points Audience attention span 20 – 40 minutes

RULE #2: Limit the Number of Slides

Limit to about three major take home points

Audience attention span 20 – 40 minutes

Mills Persuasive Presentation Formula Preview (10-15% of time) Attention grabber Overview View/Points (80-85% of time) Three points with evidence/illustration Review/Conclusion (5% of time) Recap Memorable conclusion Call to action

Preview (10-15% of time)

Attention grabber

Overview

View/Points (80-85% of time)

Three points with evidence/illustration

Review/Conclusion (5% of time)

Recap

Memorable conclusion

Call to action

RULE #3 : USE APPROPRIATE FONTS

Rule #3 RULE #3: Use appropriate fonts Appropriate in terms of: Types Use either Sans Serif or Serif Fonts Avoid fancy/display fonts Size Color

RULE #3: Use appropriate fonts

Appropriate in terms of:

Types

Use either Sans Serif or Serif Fonts

Avoid fancy/display fonts

Size

Color

Font Types Sans Serif Arial Calibri Comic Sans MS No tails, less decorative Serif Times New Roman Georgia Courier New Has tails added to end of letter strokes as decoration

Sans Serif

Arial

Calibri

Comic Sans MS

No tails, less decorative

Serif

Times New Roman

Georgia

Courier New

Has tails added to end of letter strokes as decoration

May use more than one font but generally serif fonts are more difficult to read on screen and less formal San serif fonts are clearer Italics are difficult to read on screen Use colours to emphasise Fonts

May use more than one font but generally serif fonts are more difficult to read on screen and less formal

San serif fonts are clearer

Italics are difficult to read on screen

Use colours to emphasise

Font Size Font size is measured in points One inch = 72 points. As a rule of thumb: Make titles at least 36 points. Make text at least 24 points.

Font size is measured in points

One inch = 72 points.

As a rule of thumb:

Make titles at least 36 points.

Make text at least 24 points.

How To Estimate Font Size Visibility Look at it from 2 metres away 2 m

Look at it from 2 metres away

Contrast Use contrasting colours Light on dark vs dark on light Use complementary colours This is dark on light

Use contrasting colours

Light on dark vs dark on light

Use complementary colours

Guidelines Use Contrasting Colors For Text and Background Use Light text on a dark background Dark text on a light background B u t a v o i d too many colors

Use Contrasting Colors For Text and Background

Use

Light text on a dark background

Dark text on a light background

B u t a v o i d too many colors

Contrast Use contrasting colours Light on dark vs dark on light Use complementary colours These colours do not complement

Use contrasting colours

Light on dark vs dark on light

Use complementary colours

Make It Clear (Complement) Use contrasting colours Light on dark vs dark on light Use complementary colours These colours complement

Use contrasting colours

Light on dark vs dark on light

Use complementary colours

A Bonus Point To Remember Clip arts, animation and transition can be very annoying and distracting! Try using high quality photos rather than clip arts.

Clip arts, animation and transition can be very annoying and distracting!

Try using high quality photos rather than clip arts.

THE PRESENTER

Planning To avoid P.A.N.I.Cky situation, plan. P = define your PURPOSE of this presentation A = know your AUDIENCE N = detail your NEEDS I = search for the information C = Prepare your COMMUNICATION

To avoid P.A.N.I.Cky situation, plan.

P = define your PURPOSE of this presentation

A = know your AUDIENCE

N = detail your NEEDS

I = search for the information

C = Prepare your COMMUNICATION

Eye Contact

CONCLUSION

Main Points Keep it SIMPLE Use Rule of 6*6 as a guide Use appropriate font type, color and size And don’t just use bullet slides... Have a variety of slides…..

Keep it SIMPLE

Use Rule of 6*6 as a guide

Use appropriate font type, color and size

And don’t just use bullet slides... Have a variety of slides…..

Please have Some Mercy On Your Audience… don’t use too many bullets….

Enjoy Your CME!