Why Are We Here When We Could Be Tasting Chocolate? This Is Why: “…industry is becoming a PowerPoint world.” Karen Thole (Ritch) This Is Why, Part 2: “”…PowerPoint is the default communication tool for internal communication, even at Microsoft.” Andrew Abela (Ritch) But Does Knowing PowerPoint Make You Sexy? (Probably not, but just think about all the girls who turned down Bill Gates in high school because they thought he was a nerd.) Okay, But Isn’t PowerPoint Easy to Use? “…PowerPoint makes it easy to be mediocre, because that’s the first thing you see, a template for a headline and bullet points.” Carmine Gallo (Ritch) Tip #1: Junk the Generic Stay away from generic elements, like the “Curtain Call” template in the first few slides. Your audience will have seen them before, and they won’t always fit your presentation. Tip #2: Less (Text) Is More Don’t try to put too much text on any one slide. The text will be too small to see, and your audience will simply be distracted. Tip #2, continued Place a small group of ideas, or maybe just one idea, on each slide. (If the text leaves too much empty space, consider resizing or using relevant graphics.) Tip #2, continued again Make sure the text is large enough. 32 point type is the smallest effective size for this kind of presentation. Tip #2, Demonstration Don’t try to put too much text on any one slide. The text will be too small to see, and your audience will simply be distracted. Place a small group of ideas, or maybe just one idea, on each slide. Make sure the text is large enough. 32 point type is the smallest effective size for this kind of presentation. The rest of the side is just filler to illustrate how bad too much text looks.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Tip #3: Less Text Doesn’t Mean Invisible Text Use colors with considerable contrast for background and text. Use light colored text only if the background is very dark. Tip #3 Demonstration Don’t rely on subtle color differences which will not be easily visible on the monitor or LCD projector. Remember that colors often look different when projected than they do on the computer screen. Tip #3 Further Demonstration: From Invisible to Just Plain Weird Don’t ignore the color of background images in selecting your font color. Don’ t Vary the font color within the same line and especially not within the same word. Don’t use outlines to make the text stand out more (because the outline looks uneven against different parts of the background). Tip #3a: Use Shadow and Glow to Make Text Clear Use shadows in contrasting colors to make the text stand out better. Use a glow in contrasting colors to make the text stand out better (note that the appearance is more even than using outlines). Tip #3b: Use Color and Contrasting Background to Make Text Clear Find a text color that works against all parts of the image (not always easy to do!) Add a contrasting background color behind the text. This method does obscure the image for part of the time, but it keeps the text highly readable. Tip #4: To Maximize Impact, Use Graphics and Text Tip #5: Fresh Graphics Make Good, Non-generic Backgrounds Your audience won’t necessarily have seen them before. However, getting the benefit of such graphics means knowing how to “treat them right.” Tip #5: Demonstration of What Not to Do Images make good alternatives to generic template background or design themes, but dropping one in without proper preparation causes distortion and looks ridiculous. Tip #5: Demo of Doing Graphics Correctly Use a graphics editing program to resize the picture; you can make the canvas space any color you want. In this kind of situation, you can In this kind of situation, if you end up with too much empty space, use it for text or other relevant elements. Tip #5: Demonstration of Another Way to Handle Graphics If you need a particular image that would be distorted as background, insert it as an image inside the slide instead of making it background. You can then resize it to fit your needs, being careful to preserve the original scale. Tip #5: A Quick Video on How to Resize Graphics for Background Tip #6: Don’t be Afraid to Use Video; Do Know How to Use It You can embed video directly into PowerPoint or link to video hosted on a website. The first option creates a very big file; the second one leaves you vulnerable to Internet problems. Tip #7: Use Background Music Only at Transitional Moments “Students who received the narrated animation remembered more of the presented material and scored higher [20% to 67%] than students who received the same narrated animation along with background music.” (Clark 139) Tip #8: Preserve the Visual Unity of Your Presentation Create a visual rhythm through the use of at least some similar elements (background, transition, or layout, for example). Deviate from it only if there is a good reason. Tip#8: Demonstration of How Not to Compose PowerPoint Slides Here the random variation of font, color, and background serves no particular functional purpose. Your audience, however, will assume there is a functional purpose and waste time looking for it (meanwhile losing part of what you want them to remember). Tip #9: Use Effects…Sparingly Use animations and transitions to enhance your presentation, not detract from it. It is easy to create a situation in which the presentation becomes about the effects, not the content. Tip #9: Demonstration of What Not to Do with Effects Use effects only in moderation and only in such a way that they will draw audience attention to the points that you want emphasized. Tip #10: For a Good Presentation, You Need Good Content Always follow the directions given by your teacher, but when you have latitude, consider the following principles. Tip #10a: Know What Your Audience Wants And Needs Tip #10b: Research Your Subject Thoroughly Tip #10c: A Good Alternative to Bullet Points: Assertion-Evidence Method (Michael Alley, in Ritch) (Concise sentence and visual evidence) Tip #10d: Have a Story to Tell…And Tell It (Ritch)