Guidelines For Effective Presentations

Agenda Getting started on a presentation Creating a presentation Guidelines for creating a presentation Final things to check before presenting

Getting Start What is your topic? What is the purpose of your presentation? Who is your audience? What do they know? What are they interested in? What are their demographics

Creating Your Presentation

Topic Choose presentation topic Do research first Cite all resources Become an expert on your topic Creating the presentation is the easy part Determine 3 to 5 main points

Slides Make sure the order of slides is logical Include agenda in beginning Include summary at end

Slides Add information first – before any formatting Put all info in speaker’s notes Use key phrases only on slides Keep slides simple Limit the number of slides Should not need to rush through presentation 1 slide per minute

Layout Title at top where audience looks for it Important info should be at top of slide Bullets should read left to right

Design Use appropriate background colors or images Use design template for consistency Consider method of distribution Print in black/white or color Viewed on screen in dark or lit area

Fonts Text must be large enough to be seen by audience Use contrasting colors for text and background Avoid fancy fonts Use two fonts only One for headings One for other info

Text Use an appropriate title on each slide Title should be 2 to 4 words First letter of all words should be capitalized Avoid too much text on slides 3 to 5 bullets per slide 5 to 7 words per bullet Capitalize first letter of each bullet only Use correct grammar and spelling

Multimedia Elements Use multimedia to enhance presentation Pictures and images Tables to organize data Graphs and charts to support data Slide transitions Animations Sound Video

Multimedia Guidelines Use sound sparingly Use animations sparingly Use transitions appropriately Remember the purpose of the presentation Avoid simply adding elements to entertain audience

Final Steps Create works cited slide Always preview show to check multimedia Practice timing of transitions and animations Grammar check Spell check Backup work