Teaching materials

1. Michelle Li

2.  What mistakes do people make with
PowerPoint slides?
 Read the quote and find out what, according
to T.J. Walker, is the biggest mistake people
make with their slides?

4. Compare the 2 presentation
slides, which do you think T.J.
Walker would prefer? Which
looks more like your own
slides?

5.  Since the first slide is strongly visual with very
little text and the second is rather dense with
textual information.
 It’s likely Walker would prefer the first.
 The second is more typical of most business
presentations.

6.  data load
◦ the amount of information on a slide
 legibility
◦ how easy it is to read the font
 aesthetics
◦ how artistic or beautiful something is

7. You have been asked to give a short
team presentation on family business.
Try to decide which slide would be the
most effective as your main visual aid.

9. The top left slide shows a fairly
unimaginative use of standard
presentation software graphics. The 3D
pie chart is not really helpful here, the
heading is too long and the actual key
figure (70%) not easily legible. The colors
are rather dull too. Statistically accurate,
but zero impact.

10. The slide below it is a definite improvement.
The 2D pie chart works better and the colors
link up the key figure with the heading and
the landmass of India on the globe. A larger
font size also helps, although the figure in
green doesn’t stand out very well from the
green background. And, in a way, the three
main elements in the slide force the audience
to work out the connection between them
when they should be listening to the speaker.

11. The top right slide has plenty of impact. The key figure
stands out well and, as its connection with the photo is not
immediately clear, it will be necessary for the audience to
listen to the speaker to find out what is it. A very good
example of collaborating with , rather than competing with,
your visual aids. The photo itself is slightly humorous and
illustrates well some of the joys and frustrations of
working with family. A more serious photo could be
substituted if felt more appropriate. A white background
and black font might draw the two elements in the slide
closer together.

12. The bottom right slide is very dark and
atmospheric, but perhaps a little stereotypical.
The image, however, says nothing about
families. Perhaps the worst aspect of the slide
if that it conveys all the information the
speaker has to give, so that there is no actual
need for them to speak! A pretty but fairly
pointless visual aid.

13.  Don’t commit career suislide!

14.  Refer to all the things about your slides that
could kill your career or presentation.
◦ textual overload
◦ illegibility
◦ lack of/irrelevant visuals
◦ unhelpful, confusing, or over-complicated graphics
◦ poor layout or choice of color
◦ general ugliness

15.  Nancy Duarte: The secret structure of great talks
◦ https://www.ted.com/talks/nancy_duarte_the_secre
t_structure_of_great_talks
 Nancy Duarte: How to Create Better Visual
Presentations
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so9EJoQJc-0
 Create Slides People Will Remember
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeV2fHEM4RI
 Nancy Duarte:Five Rules for Presentations by
Nancy Duarte
◦ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT9GGmundag