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Making PowerPoint �ݺ�ߣs
Avoiding the Pitfalls
of Bad �ݺ�ߣs

Tips to be Covered
 Outlines
 �ݺ�ߣ Structure
 Fonts
 Colour
 Background
 Graphs
 Spelling and Grammar
 Conclusions
 Questions

Outline
 Make your 1st
or 2nd
slide an outline of your
presentation
– Ex: previous slide
 Follow the order of your outline for the rest of
the presentation
 Only place main points on the outline slide
– Ex: Use the titles of each slide as main points

�ݺ�ߣ Structure – Good
 Use 1-2 slides per minute of your presentation
 Write in point form, not complete sentences
 Include 4-5 points per slide
 Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases
only

�ݺ�ߣ Structure - Bad
 This page contains too many words for a
presentation slide. It is not written in point
form, making it difficult both for your audience
to read and for you to present each point.
Although there are exactly the same number of
points on this slide as the previous slide, it
looks much more complicated. In short, your
audience will spend too much time trying to
read this paragraph instead of listening to you.

�ݺ�ߣ Structure – Good
 Show one point at a time:
– Will help audience concentrate on what you are
saying
– Will prevent audience from reading ahead
– Will help you keep your presentation focused

�ݺ�ߣ Structure - Bad
 Do not use distracting animation
 Do not go overboard with the animation
 Be consistent with the animation that you use

Fonts - Good
 Use at least an 18-point font
 Use different size fonts for main points and
secondary points
– this font is 24-point, the main point font is 28-point,
and the title font is 36-point
 Use a standard font like Times New Roman or
Arial

Fonts - Bad
 If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written
 CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. IT
IS DIFFICULT TO READ
 Don’t use a complicated font

Colour - Good
 Use a colour of font that contrasts sharply with
the background
– Ex: blue font on white background
 Use colour to reinforce the logic of your
structure
– Ex: light blue title and dark blue text
 Use colour to emphasize a point
– But only use this occasionally

Colour - Bad
 Using a font colour that does not contrast with
the background colour is hard to read
 Using colour for decoration is distracting and
annoying.
 Using a different colour for each point is
unnecessary
– Using a different colour for secondary points is also
unnecessary
 Trying to be creative can also be bad

Background - Good
 Use backgrounds such as this one that are
attractive but simple
 Use backgrounds which are light
 Use the same background consistently
throughout your presentation

Background – Bad
 Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or
difficult to read from
 Always be consistent with the background that
you use

Graphs - Good
 Use graphs rather than just charts and words
– Data in graphs is easier to comprehend & retain
than is raw data
– Trends are easier to visualize in graph form
 Always title your graphs
 Impactful

Graphs - Bad
January February March April
Blue Balls 20.4 27.4 90 20.4
Red Balls 30.6 38.6 34.6 31.6

Graphs - Good
Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Blue Balls
Red Balls

Graphs - Bad
20.4
27.4
90
20.4
30.6
38.6
34.6
31.6
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Blue Balls
Red Balls

Graphs - Bad
 Minor gridlines are unnecessary
 Font is too small
 Colours are illogical
 Title is missing
 Shading is distracting

 A pictograph uses an icon to represent a
quantity of data values in order to decrease the
size of the graph. A key must be used to
explain the icon.

Advantages
 Easy to read
 Visually appealing
 Handles large data sets easily using keyed
icons

Disadvantages
 Hard to quantify partial icons
 Icons must be of consistent size
 Best for only 2-6 categories
 Very simplistic

 Advantages
 Shows percent of total for each category

Disadvantages
 Hard to compare 2 data sets
 "Other" category can be a problem
 Total unknown unless specified
 Best for 3 to 7 categories
 Use only with discrete data

 A histogram displays continuous data in
ordered columns. Categories are of continuous
measure such as time, inches, temperature,
etc.

Advantages
 Visually strong
 Can compare to normal curve
 Usually vertical axis is a frequency count of
items falling into each category

Disadvantages
 Cannot read exact values because data is
grouped into categories
 More difficult to compare two data sets
 Use only with continuous data

 It can be made from a histogram by joining
midpoints of each column.

Advantages

Disadvantages
 Use only with continuous data

 A scatterplot displays the relationship between
two factors of the experiment. A trend line is
used to determine positive, negative, or no
correlation.

Advantages
 Shows a trend in the data relationship
 Retains exact data values and sample size
 Shows minimum/maximum and outliers

Disadvantages
 Hard to visualize results in large data sets
 Flat trend line gives inconclusive results
 Data on both axes should be continuous

 A line graph plots continuous data as points
and then joins them with a line. Multiple data
sets can be graphed together, but a key must
be used

Advantages
 Can compare multiple continuous data sets
easily
 Interim data can be inferred from graph line

Spelling and Grammar
 Proof your slides for:
– speling mistakes
– the use of of repeated words
– grammatical errors you might have make
 If English is not your first language, please
have someone else check your presentation!

Conclusion
 Use an effective and strong closing
– Your audience is likely to remember your last words
 Use a conclusion slide to:
– Summarize the main points of your presentation
– Suggest future avenues of research

Questions??
 End your presentation with a simple question
slide to:
– Invite your audience to ask questions
– Provide a visual aid during question period
– Avoid ending a presentation abruptly

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