For more information please email media@highpoint.edu

1. Presentation Design & Delivery:
Best Practices
******This version will include more text than oral
presentation version in order to stand alone on
the Internet.
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

2. Prepare

3. • Practice, practice, practice.
• Know your audience.
• Know your setting – especially for AV
materials.
• The more you know your content, the
more you will be able to engage with
the audience.
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

4. Keep it Simple

5. • Choose or design simple template.
• Be wary of PowerPoint templates.
• There are places online where you can
experiment with more modern/sleek looking
templates than what is pre-installed on
PowerPoint.
• Use animations, transitions, etc sparingly.
• Create a snappy and clear title.
• Choose pleasing colors, but no more than 3 colors
per slide.
• Stick to your message and keep your message
clear.
• Remember SLIDE: Simplify, Lose the
cliches, Information needs emphasis, Designate
elements, and Empathy for Audience.
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

6. Limit Bullet Points & Text

7. • Use readable font. No cursive or hard to read
fonts should be used.
• You can download fonts from the Internet that can
make you stand out while also being simple and
easy to read.
• No more than three font sizes per slide
• Slide should not have all the information and text
for your oral presentation.
• Sometimes the best slides have little to no text.
• 10/20/30 rule recommends limiting the number of
your slides to 10, your presentation time to 20
minutes, and using at least 30 point font size
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

8. Charts & Graphs

9. • Should contain limited data.
• Use shapes to draw attention to important data.
http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips/design/
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

10. Visual
Images

11. • Use high quality visual images to tell your story.
• There are websites online to get your images, such as
Getty Images (costs money) or Everystockphoto.com
(free with sign up).
• Don’t use cheesy images from clip art unless it fits in
with your story.
• Be sure to follow copyright rules, especially if you plan
on publishing your presentation or submitting it to a
conference. Fair use does not always apply.
• For more information on copyright, visit the HPU Media
Services Copyright guide – this guide also lists out
places to find images:
http://guides.highpoint.edu/content.php?pid=517049
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

12. Delivery

13. Start Strong: first impressions are important.
Keep it short and speak clearly.
Make good eye contact.
Avoid fillers: like, um, etc.
Be passionate about what your talking about or
no one will care what you are saying.
• Be engaged with your audience.
• Confidence is key: if you prepared well
confidence should be easier.
• Do not read every word off of your slides.
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By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

14. Seth Godin’s Five
Rules to Remember
to Create Amazing
PowerPoints:

15. Helpful Links:
How to Not do PowerPoint by Don McMillan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpvgfmEU2Ck
Nancy Duarte’s talk at TEDx East: On the Art of Storytelling:
http://vimeo.com/20618288
Designing an Effective Presentation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJgeF3ALl0g
How Can I Make my PowerPoint Presentations Amazing:
http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-make-my-powerpoint-presentationsamazing-507552122
Pecha Kucha: Get to PowerPoint in 20 Slides
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NZOt6BkhUg
Presentation Zen:
http://www.presentationzen.com/
Guide to Slideshare: includes some good presentation examples
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/marketers-guide-to-slideshare/
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

16. How can HPU Help?
HPU Libraries Media Services: tutorials, software, and guides
http://www.highpoint.edu/library/media/
HPU Media Tutorials: including presentations and videos on various
multimedia software
http://guides.highpoint.edu/content.php?pid=436406
HPU Free Media Software guide: find free presentation software and
alternatives to PowerPoint
http://guides.highpoint.edu/content.php?pid=531507
Media & Digital Resource Librarian:
Samantha Harlow
sharlow@highpoint.edu
336-841-9462 or 336-841-9103
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University

17. References
Garr Reynolds,
http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips/design/
Seth Godin’s Blog Post: Really Bad PowerPoint
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/01/really_bad_powe.
html
How Can I Make My PowerPoint Presentations Amazing? By Melanie
Pinola on Lifehacker
http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-make-my-powerpoint-presentationsamazing-507552122
Images taken from stock.xchng
http://www.sxc.hu/
University of Washington, PowerPoint Best Practices
http://www.washington.edu/research/.SITEPARTS/.documents/.osp/Po
werPoint_Best_Practices.pdf
By Samantha Harlow
Media & Digital Resource Librarian
High Point University