Note: This guide refers specifically to visual aids created by Microsoft PowerPoint. If you have never used PowerPoint before, you can find hundreds of good tutorials online. Find one that works for you.
PowerPoint is available free to Trent University students through our Microsoft 365 Partnerships. You can download Office 365 directly from your myTrent account under: Services > IT Service > Microsoft Student Advantage.
Prepare your Presentation: Look at the Big Picture
A good slideshow complements your presentation by highlighting your key message, providing structure, and illustrating important details. While it is not difficult to create a good PowerPoint presentation, it is very easy to create an ineffective one. Unsuccessful slideshow presentations may have one or more of the following characteristics:
- too much specialized detail,
- too many slides,
- too many colours,
- unnecessary images or effects, small text,
- unreadable figure, and/or
- unclear slide order.
The strategies below can help you to create effective presentations and to save your audience from "death by PowerPoint."
Creating Clear and Simple Slides
The classic PowerPoint error is to treat your slides as a script for your presentation. Instead, let the content on your slides support your message. Remember: LESS IS MORE. Follow the general rule of thumb: You need about one slide per minute. Keep it simple and clear!
Slide Text
- Where possible, include a heading slide
- Something to try: Rather than using simple headings, use the heading as an opportunity to summarize the slide to create anchor points for your audience. For example, instead of using "Methodology" you could write "Creating a New Paper Airplane Model".
- Use bulleted points and avoid long sentences (it is often suggested that you include no more than 6 lines of text per slide, and no more than 6 words per line).
- Proofread carefully for spelling and grammar and ensure you include references to any sources you've used
- Write in sentence case and avoid all capitals sentences/words/phrases.
- This is sentence case. Only proper nouns, like Canada, are capitalized.
- THIS IS AN ALL-CAPITALS SENTENCE. LOUD, ISN'T IT?
- Font size: 30 - 48 points for titles, 24 - 28 for text.
- Font style: use Sans Serif fonts as these are easier to read in a digital format. A sans serif font is any font that does not have embellishments (serifs). For example, Arial is a sans serif font, while Times New Roman is a serif font.
- Accessibility: use the "Check Accessibility" feature on your slide deck to ensure that your presentation can be understood and navigated by all audiences. It can help identify issues such as poor colour contrast, and unreadable slide content.
Figures and Images
- Ensure images are clear and relevant
- Label all figures and tables
- Put units beside numbers on graphs and charts
- Ensure figures, graphs, and tables are professional (don't just copy what Excel produces!)
Watch this video on elevating your graphs in MS Excel for a quick tutorial!
General Design Principles
- Embrace empty space
- Use vertical and horizontal guide markers to consistently align elements
- Avoid too many colours, clutter or fancy visual effects
- Use high contrast to ensure visibility: e.g. black text on white background or black on light blue
- Maintain consistency of the same elements on a slide (colours, fonts, styles, placement etc.), as well as, between slides in the slide deck
- Use animation sparingly, if at all. If you use transitions, use the same kind each time
- Edit the entire slide deck to ensure organization is logical and design is consistent
Presenting your Slides
Even with the best PowerPoints, good presentations require practice and refinement. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! While you practice, listen for awkward or unclear wording and make edits as needed. Pay attention to your timing and stay within time limits. Practice presenting alone, but also for friends as they can hear or see issues that you may not.
Advance the slide when you reach that point in the presentation. Do not stand in front of the screen or talk to it. Face the audience at all times. Also consider how you will advance the slides: will you use the keyboard/mouse or a remote?
Try to test your presentation in the room before your talk; you may need to adjust the colours or font size for the room and equipment.
For further information, check out Delivering an Oral Presentation.
Have a Back-Up Plan
Remember that PowerPoint may look great, but technical failure do happen. Mentally prepare for any eventuality. Make sure to save the presentation several ways: save on a USB stick and email it to yourself. Print out the slides to have a paper version in case of equipment failure and practice giving your presentation without your slides. The slide show is there to help the audience, but they are there to listen to your talk. If technology fails you, you should still be able to give your oral presentation!