Designing PowerPoint ™ Slides Tips for making your PowerPoint ™ slides more effective as well as more attractive…

Tips for making your PowerPoint ™ slides more effective as well as more attractive…

Keep text simple and consistent

Find creative ways to reduce detail . Put some of the detail in handouts, hidden slides, or links to websites. Or create a written document.

Decide how many slides to include A loose guideline: 10 minutes = 5-10 slides 20 minutes = 10-20 45 minutes = 20-40 Depending on how much detail on slides, and how much discussion on each.

A loose guideline:

10 minutes = 5-10 slides

20 minutes = 10-20

45 minutes = 20-40

Decide what to include . You won’t be able to include everything, so be selective.

Use color deliberately . Colors have emotional impact, so choose colors that create the desired tone. Other than photos, don’t use too many.

Use design elements for impact. Allow white space. Don’t overdo the fancy effects.

Know your equipment. Practice well enough so that this is not a distraction.

Prepare to deliver . Practice out loud, or in front of a small audience. Practice not looking at your slides much.

Reduce text. If there is too much text you know you are going to read it! “ In studies, experimental psychologists and educators have found that retention of information three days after a meeting or other event is six times greater when information is presented by visual and oral means than when the information is presented by the spoken word alone.”

Better: 10% 35% 65% Oral Visual Oral + Visual Retention of Information after 3 Days

Avoid bullets on every slide Too linear Too wordy Too boring Too predictable Promotes reading the slides Promotes reading ahead Makes a poor handout or document Avoid predictable templates too

Too linear

Too wordy

Too boring

Too predictable

Promotes reading the slides

Promotes reading ahead

Makes a poor handout or document

Avoid predictable templates too

Avoid clip art

Find—or take— photos instead

Here’s to your success in making visual aids attractive and effective.

Want Information? For information on workshops and individual coaching, contact: Gail Zack Anderson, president www.applauseinc.net [email_address]

For information on workshops and individual coaching, contact:

Gail Zack Anderson, president

www.applauseinc.net

[email_address]