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Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
How to make an effective presentation
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This slideshow runs through a few simple ways to ensure that your presentationsare clear and more effective.
When PowerPoint became popular in the mid 90’s, people very rapidly got to grips with the potential. However, presentations tended to share ‘very PowerPoint’ issues such as overuse of clip art and text animations. When creating a modern presentation, it’s best to be aware of these common mistakes so you can avoid creating something which looks dated.
Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
How to make an effective presentation | Introduction
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Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
Part 1 | Words
- Use up to 40 words per slide
- Bullet-point your information where appropriate
- Be consistent with layout
- Choose a few fonts/colours and stick to them
Lining page contents up is simple to do and makes your information easier to digest. Your text doesn’t have to be left-aligned, but some form of ‘grid’ makes a big difference to readability
Part 1b | Words; things to avoid
-Using a huge number of words is never necessary. If you go over 40 words
ask yourself what’s so important to get in there because people will find it hardto absorb such a large body of information. I mean really, are you waffling? Perhaps you could do just as well to cut it down a bit. And if you find yourself standing in silence, expecting people to read a massive page of text, take a look around towitness just how bored people get when they have to read so much in a presentation. Have you read this far? Did you enjoy it? No.
- Having no ‘grid’ system means your layout is all over the place. It may seem silly, but by simply lining things up they become much easier to read.
- Using random fonts, colours and sizes to give emphasis always results in a complete lack of coherency. This page is a good example of how not to do it.
Pick a few fonts (apart from Comic Sans, which should never be used!) and two colours and stick to them.
There are too many errors on this page tobegin to list... getting too close to the edge of the page, paying no attention to layout,
fonts, colours, sizes... It all adds up.
Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
Part 2 | Animations
- Animation can provide a subtle way to move between slides
- Quick, understated animation won’t pull emphasis from your presentation
- Play around with effects and timings to see what’s possible
Part 2b | Animations; things to avoid
Nothing labels a presentation as ‘Powerpoint’ more than gratuitous animation
Slow transitions with ‘special’ effects, clever word tricks and dodgy graphics don’t add to a presentation, it just draws emphasis from whatever you’re trying to get across
And it’s annoying... isn’t it?
Some token [and irrelevant ] clipart...
Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
Part 3 | Graphics
- Photos and images are a great way to make your slides more interesting
- Be aware of Copyright law – see www.bristol.anglican.org/site/legal foradvice and tips on finding images
Bristol Cathedral;Image created from 80 photos taken from a standing position, using free software called Hugin
Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
Part 3b | Graphics; things to avoid
Clip art can be used effectively, but avoid ‘tacky’ images
Animated GIFs or randomly scattered pictures won’thelp you put across any particular point, and tend tobe used more for novelty value: avoid like the plague
Low quality photos don’t add anything to a presentation
Background choice is important;if you can’t find a good backgroundjust leave it on white – that would be far better than this very dated,bordered example
Diocese of Bristol | How to make an effective presentation
That’s it!
Hopefully this slideshow has been useful; the templates and resources available at www.bristol.anglican.org/admin/brand, should provide a good starting point.
A quick recap:
Good idea- Use under 40 words per slide- Be consistent with layout- Use subtle animations- Use good quality graphics and photos for which you own the copyright!
Bad idea- Clutter and inconsistency- Making people read pages of text- Comic Sans, multi colour words- Painfully slow or novel animations- Clipart from the mid 90’s
© 2009 Diocese of Bristol