1/28 Using PowerPoint for Academic Presentations How to… How NOT to…

2/28 Aims and Objectives Aim To learn how to use PowerPoint 2007 as an effective academic tool Learning Objectives Be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of using PowerPoint Understand the techniques of good presentation and slide design Be able to create and present effective PowerPoint presentations

3/28 What is PowerPoint? A software application used for producing presentation materials Designed for delivering presentations using a computer

Why Use PowerPoint? 1. To take attention off me 2. I can slides to those who can’t attend 3. To remind me what to say next 4. To maintain some sort of structure 5. Professional-looking slide layouts 6. Ready-made visuals 4/28

5/28 Advantages of Using PowerPoint Easy to organise and modify information Greater control over the flow of information Can incorporate images, movies, sounds, diagrams, charts, tables, etc. Can switch between presentation and other programs or online resources Presentation can be placed on the WWW or printed as handouts

6/28 Disadvantages of Using PowerPoint Need to be familiar with the technology Less effective if a lot of detail is required Poor presentation can prohibit discussion Originally designed for the Business community NOT the Academic community Tendency to spend more time on creating the PowerPoint presentation than on the actual presentation content

7/28 Good Presentation Design Plan your presentation on paper first Decide on your aims and objectives Include an Introduction and a Conclusion Present material in a logical order Avoid the temptation to include too much detail

8/28 Good Slide Design Choose an appropriate Slide Layout Maximum 6 points per slide Use words or phrases rather than sentences and paragraphs Spread points evenly over slide Simple designs and color schemes are best Include most important points first

Information Services 2007/2008 9/28 Using Text No more than two fonts Minimum size 24 pt (this is 28 pt) Use sans-serif fonts ( Verdana or Arial) for presentation Use serif fonts ( Times New Roman ) for handouts Remember that a significant portion of your audience may have sight problems or dyslexia Check your spelling and grammar!!

10/28 Using Text You should try to use no more than two fonts. Aim for a minimum size of 24 pt (this text uses 28 pt). You should use sans-serif fonts (e.g. Verdana or Arial) for presentation. You should use serif fonts (e.g. Times New Roman ) for handouts. Remember that a significant portion of your audience may have sight problems or dyslexia. Make sure that you check your spelling and grammar!!

11/28 Using Color Choose color combinations carefully Dark text on a light background works best Use color sparingly - no more than 3 different font colors If you are using graphics, try to use the same colors for text Remember certain colors can convey meaning

12/28 Using Colors Hot and Cold – will emphasise the meaning Hot and Cold – may confuse the audience

Accessibility Issues How many of you can read this? Red – Green is the most common form of color blindness. 13/28

Accessibility Issues What about this? Blue – green is another common form 14/28

15/28 Emphasising Points Use bold or color rather than italic or underline AVOID USING ALL UPPERCASE – People can read sentence case easier Use Animation Schemes to control the pace of points Fade out earlier points to concentrate attention on current point

16/28 Using Animation/Transition Effects Can be used to emphasise key points Animation can be applied to text and graphics Avoid animation unless they are extremely relevant Don’t use different animation/transition effects on each/every slide Avoid elaborate effects

17/28 Using Graphics Include Diagrams, Charts, Clip Art, Photos or Cartoons Should be relevant Most beneficial when material is complicated Try to be consistent – size, shape, colors

18/28 Animating Graphics Design Implementation Feedback

19/28 Using Multimedia Can include movies, sound or links to the internet Large files may be very slow to load Check that speakers are available for sound

20/28 Warning!!! Just because you can include images, videos, animations etc. doesn’t mean you should!!! Research shows that students tend to learn LESS from expanded PowerPoint presentations than from basic text slides Using irrelevant images will detract from the message you are trying to give

21/28 Presenting Your Slides Print Speaker’s Notes and Handouts if required Use Slide Show view for presentation – New Presenter View in PowerPoint 2007

22/28 Stand and Deliver! Don’t stand in front of the screen or hide behind the computer Don’t turn your back on the audience Gesture towards the screen when you want to draw attention to it Stand still when you want audience to focus attention on screen Move about to make audience focus on you.

23/28 Strategies Make your presentation interactive by including questions or exercises Encourage audience to compare images or interpret charts/diagrams Invite audience to ask questions and provide feedback at the end

24/28 Printing Slides A presentation can be printed as: Slides Handouts: 1 – 9 slides per page – Use handouts which contain only the main points or headings to encourage note-taking Notes pages – for speaker Outline view

25/28 Presentation Hints Project your voice and show enthusiasm Give your audience more attention than the screen Know your subject – Be prepared for questions Rehearse your presentation – Don’t read from screen/notes – Check out equipment and software beforehand

26/28 Summing It All Up Plan the structure and content of your presentation before! Include images where appropriate Accessibility is more important than attractiveness Avoid “Death by PowerPoint” – PowerPoint is intended to enhance your presentation not BE your presentation Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse

27/28 Don’t kill your audience with a PowerPoint like this one. This one breaks many of the rules.