Making Good PowerPoint Presentations

By Julie and Karen

Outline

• Common mistakes in formatting a PowerPoint presentation

• Examples of Mistakes

• Tips regarding the content of a presentation

Mistakes People Make

• Too small text

• Too much text

• Bad color choice

• Moving or flying text and graphics

• Fancy Transitions

• Overly complicated diagrams

Text Size

• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km (36 pt)

• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km (32 pt)

• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km (24 pt)

• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km (18 pt)

Too much text

• Ozone: Greenhouse gas

• Carbon Dioxide: May affect ozone layer recovery

• Ozone is also a greenhouse gas in the upper atmosphere and, therefore, plays a role in Earth's climate. The increases in primary greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, may affect how the ozone layer recovers in coming years.

Poor Color Choice

• This is hard to read

• This hard too

• This is Impossible

• Light color against dark backgrounds are very hard on the eyes

Moving and Flying Text

• Ozone has a complicated chemistry

• It is formed by NOx and VOCs

• Troposphere Ozone is harmful

Fancy Transitions

Hot Air Balloons

Diagrams

Diagrams

Tips to Making Good PowerPoints

• Keep backgrounds the same

• Use dark text and light background

• Skip fancy transitions

• Skip fancy animations and flying text

• Have a good balance of text and graphics

More Tips

• DO NOT use sentences or paragraphs

• Make graphs and figures large

• 3- 6 bullets per slide

• Spend between 30sec- 2min per slide

• Face the audience, NOT the screen

Content problems

• Poor Preparation- little thought given to the structure of the presentation

• Lack of Balance of Slide Elements- all text no graphics, or vice versa

• Using PowerPoint as a crutch instead of a tool

Tips on Content

• Keep all information concise and to the point

• Make sure all diagrams and graphics are meaningful

• Start with an Outline slide

• End with a Summary or Conclusion slide

Summary

• Keep the presentation simple

• Avoid unnecessary sounds and animations

• Keep information well organized

• DO NOT read from your slides verbatim

• Remind your audience of key points at the end of the presentation