PowerPoint or any Slide Show Presentation Do’s and Don’ts Teri Gallegos-Reynolds Santa Fe Prep

Content Do: Remember that this is a presentation tool, not a thesis. Think of slides as cues Be succinct! – Use phrases – Use bullets (default) Look at your audience

Content Don’t: Write paragraphs Include too many animations Read the slides Use small size fonts (smallest = 28 pts)

Appearance – Fonts Do’s: Use sans serif font (without small projecting features)font Consider font size minimum of 32 pts. Be consistent with font style Titles may be larger and bold Font color should contrast background color

Font Don’ts Use serif fonts (too distracting) Make font size smaller than 32 pts. Blend text with background color Animate every entry

Appearance - Background If using a photo, use contrasting font color. Black is hard to read in this area.

Appearance - Contrast Notice that the title is harder to read. Dark background, light text - or at least a color that stands out.

Appearance – White Space Templates are guides Avoid “white space” or empty space… This is “empty white space.”

Organization Limited: slides Organize according to outline Title Page (at the beginning of slides)at the beginning of slides – Include your name – Teacher’s name Summary/Conclusion (at the end of presentation) Bibliography - last slide (not part of 15 – 20 slides)

Cite Your Sources Pictures (background or part of slide) Charts Maps Quotes Must be cited on the slide in MLA format.

Requirements 15 – 20 slides – no automation between slides MLA Citations Change backgrounds with topic or categories Include transitions from slide to slide Limit animation – should be specific; not distracting Bulleted text in sans serif font Save with title and your name

Saving, Transporting, etc. Flash drive (USB drive) Check compatibility (Office 2010? Or other?) Apple users bring device to school Google Slides users save in Drive Prezi users - saved automatically SlideShare users saved automatically Dropbox