The Don'ts of PowerPoint

The top 10 things instructors should avoid

#10 Adding too much text to a single

slide reduces the font size and makes it difficult for students to read and decipher its important information.

ExampleStudy IDs 935 false statements in lead up to Iraq warBy Douglass K. DanielAssociated Press

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements “were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.”

The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism.

White House spokesman Scott Stanzel did not comment on the merits of the study Tuesday night but reiterated the administration ’s position that the world community viewed Iraq’s leader, Saddam Hussein, as a threat.

“The actions taken in 2003 were based on the collective judgment of intelligence agencies around the world,” Stanzel said.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

“It is now beyond dispute that Iraq did not possess any weapons of mass destruction or have meaningful ties to al-Qaida,” according to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism staff members, writing an overview of the study. “In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003.”

Named in the study along with Bush were top officials of the administration during the period studied: Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and White House press secretaries Ari Fleischer and Scott McClellan.

Bush at No. 1 with 259 false statements

Bush led with 259 false statements, 231 about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 28 about Iraq’s links to al-Qaida, the study found. That was second only to Powell’s 244 false statements about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and 10 about Iraq and al-Qaida.

The center said the study was based on a database created with public statements over the two years beginning on Sept. 11, 2001, and information from more than 25 government reports, books, articles, speeches and interviews.

“The cumulative effect of these false statements — amplified by thousands of news stories and broadcasts — was massive, with the media coverage creating an almost impenetrable din for several critical months in the run-up to war,” the study concluded.

“Some journalists — indeed, even some entire news organizations — have since acknowledged that their coverage during those prewar months was far too deferential and uncritical. These mea culpas notwithstanding, much of the wall-to-wall media coverage provided additional , ‘independent’ validation of the Bush administration’s false statements about Iraq,” it said.

#9 Do not over bullet everything; if there

are too many bullets, it makes it difficult for students to interpret the important information.

Example: #2 Four dominant points of view

Realist They believe: that conflict and contention is inevitable because all people are self

interested individuals vying for the same resources Examples:

Thomas Hobbes Hans Morgenthau

Liberals They believe that conflict can be mitigated through cooperative government, either

through current government structures or through new models of governance. Example:

Jean Jacques Rousseau Neo Liberals

They believe that the state is the primary actor of the world stage. They believe that states should come together for the purpose of obtaining mutual benefits and greater standards of human existence. Example:

Woodrow Wilson Bill Clinton

Neorealist They believe that states are the primary source of conflict and contention. State power is

anarchical and unbalanced; each state strives to promote its own interests and each state is its own judge and jury. International organizations may exist but there power is too limited to squelch conflict. Example:• George Bush

#8 Resist the urge to use serif fonts to

present your information. Serif fonts have those annoying tails, which are difficult to read.

Example #3 Serif font:

› American Government Non Serif:

› American Government

#7 Be mindful of color schemes and

backgrounds. Don’t choose those that are distractive and hard to read.

Example #4Why study world politics

Finances› The valuation of the dollar› Interest rates› Rate of inflation› Jobs & rate of compensation

Environment› Health› Food Supply› The quality of air and water› Weather patterns and temperature

Security› War (nuclear, biological, chemical)› Terrorism

#6 Resist the urge to choose annoying and

disturbing graphics that have the potential to distract from the emphasis of your point.

Example #6Gerrymandering

– the process by which members of the majority party redraw the political lines making it easier for their party to be reelected and gain House and Senate seats.

Packing – Concentrating the other party's constituents into the fewest possible districts

Cracking- spread the other party’s supporters across as many districts as possible to minimize their strength

#5 Lines are important, so if you use them

make sure they serve the purpose you intend. Do not allow them to disrupt, distract, or confuse your audience.

Example #5Name the leaders

House

Senate

Majority

Minority

#4Avoid using too many bells and whistles, which are useless and distracting

Example #4Examples of gerrymandering

#3

Insure that you have utilized your spell check and proof read your slides so that you can avoid distracting comments that have nothing to do with the material being covered.

Example #3Reapportionment

Every ten years the House’s 435 seals are reapportioned among the states with the effect that

• Fast-growing statues gain seats while slow-growing or declining states lose seats

• The number of continents has gown to 650,000 per songressman/woman

#2 Resist the urge to present too many

graphics on a single slide. Adding too many graphics has the potential to confuse the reader.

Example #2 Corporations that control the media

AOL – Time Warner Disney Murdoch’s News

Corporation Bertelsmann of

Germany Viacom (formerly

CBS) General Electrics

NBC

#1 Refrain from choosing background

themes that are irrelevant and distracting to your topic.

Example #1 Congress: Who Can Serve?

You must be 25 years old for the House, 30 for the Senate

Must be a citizen for at least 7 years for the House, 9 years for the Senate

Must reside in the states in which they are elected, but House members do not have to live in their districts