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Effective Presentations with PowerPoint

TEXT
   1. Use fonts that are easy to read.  Generally, use Times New Roman or Arial for most of the text.
   2. Don’t use more than 2 fonts per slide.
   3. Maintain high contrast for optimum visibility.
           Light fonts on a dark background or dark fonts on a light background
           While white text on black offers the most contrast, black text on white is the most readable.
           PowerPoint has 12 standard color schemes from the Slide Design section of the Task Pane
   4. Different color text may be used to highlight words or phrases.
   5. Using the shadow style often increases readability by making the text stand out from the background.
   6. Use font sizes large enough to read (given the monitor/screen size, room, and audience). 
           For 25-32” monitors, you should have 8 or fewer lines of text.
           For a video projector, you can use more depending on the size of the screen.
           If you are wondering about the text size or color combination, step back 10’ from the monitor to judge.
           As a general rule, 24 pt. is the smallest font you should use.
   7. Use a different style/color/size font for the title.
   8. Abbreviate information to maximize the impact of the limited text.  Additional information can be offered orally.

GRAPHICS
   1. Avoid too much animation of text/graphics.
   2. Make sure graphics are helpful and large enough to see clearly.
   3. Graphics may need to be reduced in size to keep a presentation to less than 1 floppy (1.44MB) in size.
           A single image from a 3-8 MB digital camera will fill up a disk.
           Although PPT allows you to adjust the viewing size of the image, the raw file will still be the original large size.
           Use a graphics program to reduce the image resolution size or increase the JPG compression.

SOUND
   1. Sounds should be used only when they enhance the information.
   2. Audio files can be large, so adding audio means it a presentation probably won't fit on a floppy.

GENERAL
   1. Try to use 1-4 items per slide; don’t use more than 6 items per slide.
   2. Decide if you want people to just view the PPT or if they should be taking notes. 
           If you want them to have the information but not have to take notes, prepare a handout of the slide content.
           If they are to take notes, slow down to allow them time to write.
   3. Maintain consistency from one slide to another … in font style/size, transitions, animations, background.
           You may want to vary a bit, but not too much
          iI.e. use a different color font for titles; use different color backgrounds for different parts of a presentation
   4. Don’t go too fast … 1-3 slides per minute is best.
   5. Use a basic transition for most slides. 
           Try to use the same transition through most of the presentation.
           You may want to use a different transition for special slides.
   6. Keep all content at least an inch away from all borders.  Some monitors cut off space at the edges.
   7. Rehearse the presentation.