This document provides tips for creating effective PowerPoint slides by avoiding common pitfalls. It addresses how to structure slides with outlines and bullet points, use fonts and colors that are easy to read, include graphs and charts to visualize data, check for spelling and grammar errors, and conclude with a clear summary and invitation for questions. Specifically, the tips suggest using 1-2 slides per minute, including 4-5 bullet points per slide, font sizes of 18 points or larger, consistent backgrounds, labeling all graphs, and proofreading for errors.
2. Tips to be Covered
Outlines
際際滷 Structure
Fonts
Colour
Background
Graphs
Spelling and Grammar
Conclusions
Questions
3. 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
4. 際際滷 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
5. 際際滷 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.
6. 際際滷 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
7. 際際滷 Structure - Bad
Do not use distracting animation
Do not go overboard with the animation
Be consistent with the animation that you use
8. 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
9. Fonts - Bad
If you use a small font, your audience wont be able to read what you have written
CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. IT
IS DIFFICULT TO READ
Dont use a complicated font
10. 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
11. 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
12. 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
13. Background Bad
Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or
difficult to read from
Always be consistent with the background that
you use
14. 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
15. 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
16. Graphs - Good
Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
January February March April
Blue Balls
Red Balls
18. Graphs - Bad
Minor gridlines are unnecessary
Font is too small
Colours are illogical
Title is missing
Shading is distracting
19. 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!
20. 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
21. 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