This document provides tips for creating engaging presentations. It recommends using killer titles and cover slides to grab attention. Fonts and color schemes should be carefully selected to match the mood. Bullet points and excessive text should be minimized as they can kill engagement. Instead, the use of arresting images with sparing text is encouraged. Photos from Flickr Creative Commons, GoAnimate, Xtranormal and Second Life can provide free background images while paid stock photos provide a more professional look. Overall the tips encourage style over templates to make the presentation stand out and keep the audience engaged.

1. How to be a
Presentation
Ninja
Gwyneth A. Jones
The Daring Librarian

2. This slide by @JesseDee

3. This slide by @JesseDee

4. This slide by @JesseDee

5. This slide by @JesseDee

6. Flickr Creative Commons by Jessica Feis

7. The “art” is setting
yourself apart.
Style & design.
The difference between a
snoozefest or knocking the
socks off your audience.
Ninjas have style.

8. Templates are Trite
Standard PowerPoint templates
are ugly and don’t communicate, they kill!
We can do better!

9. 1.
Have a
Killer
Title
& Cover
Slide

10. Don’t be afraid
to have a bold
title that will
grab people’s
attention.

11. At most
conferences you
can almost
tell which
presentations are
going to
suck before
they even start.

12. Likewise, make
your session
write-up stand
out from
the rest in the
conference
catalogue.

13. Here’s some cover slides that don’t suck

14. If you’re going to upload your preso online
to Slideshare (and you should!) having a
great looking “cover” can make
ALL the difference!

15. My Transparency preso was featured on
the Slideshare front page & it got 87,169
views in 4 days! That’s crazy!

16. Avoid your cool fonts & arresting images
from messing up by saving your preso as a
.PDF before uploading to
Slideshare.
@JesseDee Rocks!

17. 2.Use Killer
Fonts &
a Coool
Colour
Scheme
…or a slick clean one!

18. Friends
don’t let
friends
use
Comic
Sans!
tothelifeboat.blogspot.com
thedaringlibrarian.com

19. H0t c an be Exp ensive!
But
I HA
D to
have
it!

20. Da Font is FREE!
FREE Fonts fo
r Download
Available in b
oth Mac & Win
Match the
font
With the Mood
!

21. 1001 Free Fonts:
Their site is ugly!…..their fonts are NOT!
Unusual fonts are
cool
& memorable!
This one is

22. Choose
one title
font
And one text font

23. This is
Han Solo
And this is American
Typewriter

24. Now Let’s
Talk Colour
Scheme

25. What Are You Wearing?
Look at the colours that fill your closets
& Colours that make you feel happy!

26. I like dark colours
with punches of
Bright Yellows,
Greens, & Blues

27. Cool Colours
Add Fab!

28. An easy way to find a great looking
colour scheme is pick a “most loved”
palette from ColourLovers.com
ple
peo
2, 834 this!
“lo ve”

29. 3.
Be
Brutal!
Cut Your
Text

30. If you’re going to put down
word for word exactly what
you are going to say you will
kill your message & your
audience!"
Btw, this whole preso has TOO much text!
• Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
• More blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
• OMG! blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
• OMG! More blah blah blah blah blah blah

31. Bullets Can Kill.
The more the audience has to read
the less they are listening to you.

33. Blinking
Sparkly
Zooming
Twirling
Text &
Sound Effects
Are Just
NOT Cool.
Really.
Stop it!

34. This slide by @JesseDee

35. 4. Use
Killer
Images

36. Arresting
Images &
Sparing Use
of Text
Will Make You a
Presentation Ninja!
Psst! There
are 3 Ninjas in
this picture!
Flickr Creative Commons pphoto by wth42

37. Your own photos:
Time consuming but a very nice touch.
I like to use a photo full screen 1024 X 768
and set as the slide background.

38. Flickr Creative Commons
Thousands of FREE Pictures!
All you need to do is to follow the CC
license, give proper credit &
attribution.
Flickr Creative Commons photo by Studiolit

39. Animate Your Slides!
Go!Animate, Xtranormal, &
Second Life
Offer unique opportunities
for FREE Background images.

40. Second Life screenshots
are out of this VIRTUAL world!

41. Spend Some $$
Royalty FREE
paid professional
photos look
cohesive & slick
but cost money.
I bought this
iStock photo
for $7.60
You’re worth it!

42. iStock photos are
professional & slick.

43. To
Recap

45. Now go forth
and be a
Presentation
Ninja.

46. I totally stole this presentation!
Thank
You!

47. Other Awesome Presos from
my Slideshare Sensei @jessedee