Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Science and Technology Research Unit

Acknowledgements:

Mr. Crimson Tayco,

Dr. J.Yazon

A. Chupungco

Outline

I. Discussion Structure

II. Slide StructureA. Layout

B. Font

C. Color Scheme

D. Background

III. Figures and Other Non text Elements

IV. Concluding Your Presentation

I. Discussion Structure

• Outline the discussion– This provides flow and directionality to

both listeners and speaker

• Use only main points in the outline– i.e. slide titles

What you can bring into a PowerPoint presentation:

• Text from a document (e.g., Word)– Sort into chunks– Dispense with undesirable content– Leave key text that could form titles and

bullet points

• Hyperlinks

II. Slide Structure

• Arrangement of elements in your slide

• Aesthetic look and schemes

Slide Layout

• Title and body should be clearly seen

• Title should summarize slide content

• Body must be bulleted and not wordy (follow the maximum 6 elements X 6 lines rule)

Established Rules for the Use of PowerPoint:

• Slides should be restricted to 4 to 5 bullet points.• Each bullet point should be a short phrase or a few

words that you can build on.• Charts and graphs are better than tables of data.• Graphs should show trends rather than the detail of

the data points.• Do not use elaborate transition effects or sounds.• Use animations sparingly.• Use colors, fonts and designs consistently.• Use large fonts that will be readable by everyone in

the audience (some suggest as large as 24 points as minimum).

• Be consistent in the use punctuations and cases.

The Light Microscope

• The microscope has several important parts. The illuminator or light source is the origin of radiation of the microscope. The condenser collects and directs passing light from the illuminator through the specimen. The stage is where the specimen is fixed unto. After light passes through the specimen, it goes in the objective lenses just above the stage where it is held in the nosepiece. Light then exits through the ocular lenses where the image formed is viewed and observed (Tortora et. al., 2004).

WRONG!

The Light Microscope

• Has several parts:– Illuminator: light source– Condenser: light collector and director– Stage: where specimen is– Objective lenses (OL): collects light after

passing to the specimen– Nosepiece: holds the OL– Ocular Lens: where image is viewed

Font

• Use standard fonts– Times New Roman and Arial

• Use varying sizes for different points (larger than 18 pt size)

Font

• 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– i.e. to emphasize on certain points

• Don’t use a complicated font

Slide Background

• Use simple but attractive backgrounds

• Light backgrounds over dark, complicated ones

• Be consistent

Slide Background

• Coryza or the common cold is a very abundant disease that occurs worldwide

• There are extremely many antigenically distinct common cold

• The disease has many symptoms • No cure against the common cold has ever

been found

AVOID BACKGROUNDS THAT MAKES READING TEXT HARD

Color Scheme

• Combination of slide background and font color

• Use color that contrasts sharply

• Use color to:– Emphasize– To reinforce structure and outline

Color Scheme

• Trying to be creative can be bad

• This has no contrast

• Be simple

III. Figures and other Non text Elements

• Images and other figures must also be organized

• Must not be distracting and easily understandable

Images or Pictures

• Added visual aid

• Always include figure labels

Aloe vera has positive effects on the colonic anastomotic healing of rats

Aloe vera can be considered since it has an organic and inorganic composition.

Aloe vera has hypoglycemic-activity-possessing elements in the gel. Traces of the elements in the gel might account for the hypoglycemic nature of the plant.

Inorganized photos are meaningless

Images or Pictures

Figure 1. Laboratory mice, Mus musculus.

Graphs and Numerical Data

• Data is a very important element

• Must be presented in a way that will facilitate easy understanding

Wavelength (nm) Tryptophan TyrosineBovine Serum

Albumin

230 0.570 0.974 1.367

240 0.229 0.099 0.312

250 0.298 0.094 0.121

260 0.468 0.232 0.151

270 0.607 0.438 0.207

280 0.613 0.393 0.229

290 0.361 0.041 0.103

300 0.067 0.009 0.020

310 0.023 0.005 0.009

320 0.017 0.005 0.009

330 0.015 0.003 0.007

Graphs and Numerical Data

Table 1. Absorbance readings of untreated protein samples from 230 nm to 330 nm .

A table doesn’t convey much meaning

Graphs and Numerical Data

0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1

1.2

1.4

1.6

200 250 300 350

Wavelength (nm)

Ab

sorb

ance Tryptophan

Tyrosine

Bovine SerumAlbumin

Figure 1. Plot of Absorbance against wavelength of the untreated protein samples.

Graphs and Numerical Data

20.4

27.4

90

20.4

30.6

38.6

34.631.6

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

January February March April

Blue Balls

Red Balls

Too many fine details

• Minor gridlines are unnecessary

• Font is too small

• Colours are illogical

• Title is missing

• Shading is distracting

Graphs and Numerical Data

Concluding the Presentation

• Summarize main points and principles tackled

• If applicable, add recommendations or future plans

• Use a strong closing– Most likely to be remembered by listeners

IV. Additional Tips

• Check for errors in grammar and spelling

• Inconsistencies in formatting

In relation to how slides are used,

• Do not allow the slides to dominate your presentation.

• Do not read the text on the slide to the audience.

Lastly…

• End your presentation with a question slide– Invite audience to ask questions– Avoids abrupt end in presentation

References

IASTED. http://www.iasted.org/conferences/formatting/Presentations-Tips.ppt

Student Presentations

Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations

Questions?