The document provides guidance on how to compose an effective slidecast. It discusses choosing slidecast creation tools, testing recordings, determining an appropriate number of slides, writing a script, and designing visual slides. For the script, it recommends separating it into an introduction, body, and conclusion with signposts. For slide design, it emphasizes keeping text brief and impactful through techniques like bold fonts, limited bullets, sizing text for impact, balanced layouts, limiting colors, and effective contrasts. The overall goal is to engage viewers through a combination of narration and visual slides.

1. 1
Deliverable 2:
How to compose a Slidecast
Extended Technical Definition
© Karen Thompson ● Department of English ● University of Idaho

2. 2
Table&of&Contents&
!
About!slidecasts&...........................................................................................................&3/4&
&
Learning!Objectives:!for&the&slidecast&you&create&........................................................&5&
& !
How!to!Create!Your!Slidecast&......................................................................................&6/33&
& Options&for&Tools&..........................................................................................&7/11&
& Do&a&Test&Recording&(and&what&to&do&if&it&fails)&............................................&12&
& Number&of&Slides&You&Will&Need&..................................................................&13&
& Decide&How&You&will&Work&...........................................................................&14&
& Timing&...........................................................................................................&15&
& List&of&Rhetorical&Moves&to&Extend&the&Definition&........................................&16/17&
& Writing&Slidecast&Script&.................................................................................&18/24&
& Designing&the&Slideshow&...............................................................................&25/42&
&
Delivery:!Presentation!Speaking!Style&........................................................................&43&
& &
&

3. About Slidecasts:
3
A slidecast is a video consisting of a
slideshow with voice-over narration.
Most slidecasts are embedded on web
pages from host sites such as YouTube.

4. Slidecasts are used to:
• Promote products or services,
• Provide instructions to users,
• Present test results to project team
members who are at different locations.
• These are just a few of the ways they can
be used.
4

5. Learning Objectives:
5
Define and extend a
technical term for a non-
specialized audience.
Apply presentation speaking
style concepts to narrate a
slideshow.
Design slides to achieve
maximum visual interest.

6. How to create your Slidecast.
• You need a microphone, and the one in your
computer will be fine for this project.
• Your slidecast must be hosted on a site that allows
users to play it without having to download the
file.
• You will need to decide how you will create the
slidecast from the following options. Please note
the warnings.
6

7. Option: PC Users Only
• PowerPoint: create the slideshow, use the PPT
recording feature to add voice-over narration,
save as a movie file, and upload to a host site
such as YouTube or Vimeo.
• MAC users. PPT has a bug in it that will strip your
audio out when saving as a movie file. So, you
can’t use it. There is no solution to-date.
7

8. Option: Mac Users Only
• Keynote will work the same as PPT for PC users, but
it’s not free ($19.99).
8
Don’t
feel
like
buying
Keynote?
See
the
next
slide
for
another
option
that’s
free.

9. Option: All users.
• SlideSnack: sign up for a free account. Create the
slideshow in PPT or any other slideware program. Save as a
PDF file and upload to SlideSnack. Use the tool’s recording
feature to add voice-over narration.
9
PLUS SlideSnack
will host the file.
NOTE: because you must upload a PDF file to SlideSnack,
any animations you have used will not work because a PDF
file will not preserve animations.

10. Option: All Users
• Strictly speaking, a screen capture tool creates a screencast,
but if you position the capture feature over your slideshow and
position it so you can advance the slides as you record, it will
preserve the animations and work the same as a slidecast.
• I recommend using Screencast-O-Matic (Mac users need to
also download Soundflower to record) or Jing (all users). These
tools also have a means of hosting your file.
• See tools and resources for more information.
10

11. • Remember, I do not accept video files (mp4, mov, etc.).
• Here’s why. You are practicing how to create and share
these types of files as they are shared in workplace
settings.
• So, if you choose to create a video file on your
computer, be certain it is uploaded to a host site and will
play without a user needing to download the file.
11

12. Do a test recording.
• First, be certain you completed the technology
check on Orientation Day 1, and are using the
recommended browser for this course. If not, go
there, do that.
• Close all other programs and browser windows to
ensure you have enough memory.
• If the test recording fails, follow the
troubleshooting steps under Tools & Resources.
12

13. Your Slidecast needs at least 6 slides.
13
Title
Slide
And should be no longer than 3 minutes.
Slide
1:
Title
Slide
Introduces
the
Slidecast
Slides
2-­‐5:
Extended
Technical
Definition
Slide
6: Bibliography
(cite
image
sources)

14. Decide how to work:
• Some people like to write the slidecast script
first and then design the slides.
• Some prefer to do the slides first and then write
the script.
• Still others create the slides and write the script
at the same time.
Do the process that works best for you.
14

15. Timing:
• You will be adding voice-over narration to
at least 5 slides (the bibliography is not narrated).
• The voice-over should be no longer than
3 minutes (and may be less).
• As you record the voice-over, keep the
pace per slide about equal.
15

16. The next slide lists some common
rhetorical moves to extend a
sentence-level definition.
16
It’s
the
way
humans
use
language
to
achieve
audience
needs
and
purpose
for
writing.
Pssst..what’s a
rhetorical
move?

17. To extend your definition:
• You must use one of these:
• Use a metaphor to explain what x is like.
• Use an analogy to compare x to something familiar.
• And at least one other, here are some ideas:
• Classify x with more detail.
• Contrast x with something different.
• Compare x to something similar.
• Explain the causes and effects of x.
• Provide an example of x.
• Describe some of the history behind x.
• Describe physical characteristics or qualities of x.
17

18. Writing the Script. Practice the principles of effective
prose style when writing the script but adapt these for
the ear by keeping sentences short.
18
You should be able to say
the sentence in your script
in a single breath.

19. 19
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Writing the Script. What you say in the voice over to your
slideshow should clearly separate the introduction from
the body and conclusion.

20. 20
Brief salutation: greet the audience and give
them an idea of what you will be presenting in
the slidecast.
Start with a sentence definition and try to
engage the reader. Often this is best done by
using the required metaphor or analogy.
Introduction: here is one way to introduce the slidecast
(there are other choices you could make).

21. 21
Example:
sentence-level definition with a metaphor.
Usability testing is a methodology that
reveals how a user experiences your
product or service. Achieving usability is
a lot like world peace. We all want it, but
it’s hard to achieve.

22. 22
Signposts help viewers
follow the logical flow of
your narrative.
Use Signposts

23. Example: signposting is in blue.
23
Fortunately, usability testing doesn’t have to be
elaborate. It requires only a handful of users to
determine if your product is meeting the five
quality components users need. I’ll explain each
of these one at a time in the slides that follow.
You may need only one signpost, but
decide how many you need based on
what you are saying and how many slides
you end up creating.

24. Closing
24
Wrap
it
Up.
Have
a
clear
conclusion.
• Remember
to
thank
audience
for
listening.

25. Designing the slideshow.
25
Design slides for maximum
visual interest. Any text
should be limited to key
points. The voice-over will be
extending the definition, so
you don’t want to be
reading from slides.

26. Designing the slideshow:
it’s okay to use a template.
26

27. Follow
Canva’s
Design
Advice
27
How to Wow with a Presentation by Canva
https://designschool.canva.com/blog/presentation-design-101/

28. Be
bold.
Keep
text
short.
28
Your audience is not here
to read but listen to you
and be engaged visually
with the material.
Remember, the lectures in
this course are slidedocs,
and meant to be read.
You are creating a
slidecast video
presentation, so design the
slides for maximum visual
interest.

29. Don’t
do
this.
29
• It’s boring to use bullet
points like this, and it
inevitably leads to a
speaker reader from
slides.

30. Do
this.
30
• Your viewers will be
more engaged if the
text is not a bullet
point and combined
with a visual that has
high impact.

31. Do
this.
31
• You want the pace to
be lively. So, keep to
one main point, so
you are not staying on
one slide too long.

32. Size
type
for
maximum
impact.
32
• A common problem I
see in student
slideshows is text that
is too small.
• Another common
problem is contrast
between text and
background is too
low.

33. Choose
fonts
that
are
interesting
and
suitable
to
the
content.
33

34. Keep
layout
balanced
and
aligned.
34

35. Limit fonts to no more than two.
35

36. If using photos of people, pick ones
that look like real people being real.
36

37. Avoid Clip Art
37
The majority of clip art is either
boring or whackdoodle.

38. • Icons can be used to
create a pictograph or to
visualize ratios of data
relationships.
• These are from Freepik.
(http://www.freepik.com/)
You can download
hundreds of icons from their
site and also change the
icon size and color before
downloading.
38
Consider
Using
Free
Icons
Instead

39. If the subject is sensitive, do not
gross out the viewer.
39

40. Limit number of colors to three and
choose complementary colors.
40

41. Or, choose one color and use a range
of values (the level of color saturation).
41

42. Use effective contrast.
42

43. Delivery: continue to apply these concepts
when recording your voice-over narration.
43
• Vocal variety: pitch, tone,
volume, and rate.
• Pausing.
• Diction
Exercises to help you improve
your speaking style can be found
under Tools and Resources.