Designing Effective Presentations

Professional Approach Employers (and Tutors!) expect: Good oral communication skills Ability to use Powerpoint to enhance presentation, not detract from it Attention to detail - content – accuracy, adequacy, interest - care/sloppiness of layout, grammar, style Ability to energise & hold attention

Careful and thorough research Effective structuring of presentation (what are the key points you want audience to take away at the end?) Practice – particularly presentation technique (body language, use of voice, etc.) Checking – final editing (grammar, layout, references, bibliography, handouts, etc.) Checking equipment needed Planning or Designing Out Problems

Death By Powerpoint In your experience, what makes: A good Powerpoint Presentation? A boring Powperpoint Presentation? A positively dire Powerpoint Presentation? How could you design out obvious problems?

Getting Started: Basics Good Presentations require careful planning: Sketch out preparation schedule, working back from the Presentation deadline Check you understand the Presentation requirements – topic, format, timing, etc. Check on the audience – numbers, interests, knowledge and experience Check on room – location, facilities, etc.

Getting Started: Content Always concentrate on content first – no Presentation will be effective with inadequate material! Digest your material – make sure you can identify and understand the key points Make sure – as with any assignment – that you can give references for all your points Draw up a preliminary outline of the topic

Getting Started: Content Usual rules on plagiarism: no cut & paste! Make sure you can back up your argument Use your ‘ammunition’ wisely: which ideas, theories, facts will be most persuasive Focus tightly on what you think will drive the key points home – let go of the rest! Check that you are still on topic Powerpoint is a visual medium: look out for good illustrations – diagrams/pictures

Getting Started: Structure Introduction: Key topics Key Topic 1 Sub point 1 Page 1 Page 2 Key Topic 2Key Topic 3 Conclusion

Getting Started: Powerpoint ONLY start when you have: Thoroughly researched your material Sorted out the key points Sketched out an outline structure Met normal academic requirements for referencing and acknowledging sources… THEN start to think about Powerpoint….

Powerpoint: Keep it Simple… Many Presentations are spoilt by: Trying to be too clever - too many graphics, watermarks, etc. - too much animation

Powerpoint: Keep it Simple… Many Presentations are spoilt by: Trying to be too clever - too many graphics, watermarks, etc. - too much animation Lack of attention to detail - Bad choice of background, font, colours - Inconsistency (fonts, colours, etc.)

Disasters… Backgrounds and fonts like this….

Powerpoint: Plan out the Errors Many Powerpoints are spoilt by: Poor or inaccurate content Simply providing a text for the presenter to read – make sure PP adds to the value and does not simply repeat…(it’s boring) Not keeping to time – too long Trying to cram too much in….

Powerpoint: Basics Think about: Background: high contrast –Light rooms: light background, dark font –Dark rooms: dark background, light font Suitable font (this is Arial…) Font size – can the audience read text? Overcrowding pages – too much text Visual effect – what will the audience see

Templates like this…. With animation like this… And effects like this… Unreadable text like this Unreadable fonts like this –I–Inconsit encies l ike t his Messy layoutlike this Inconsistent bullets like this  inconsistent bullets like this  In consistent bullets like this  Inconsistent bullets like this inconsistent bullets like this

Templates like this…. With animation like this… And effects like this… Unreadable text like this Unreadable fonts like this –Inconsit encies like this Messy layoutlike this Inconsistent bullets like this  inconsistent bullets like this  In consistent bullets like this  Inconsistent bullets like this inconsistent bullets like this Sloppy text like this, which just goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on and on and and on, and on, and on, and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on

Templates like this…. With text like this… And effects like this… Unreadable text like this Unreadable fonts like this Messy layoutlike this Inconsistent text like this  inconsistent text like this  In consistent text like this  Inconsistent text like this inconsistent text like this Sloppy text like this, which just goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on and on and and on, and on, and on, and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on

Keep it simple….

Don’t Just Read Slides Make sure your commentary adds but does not detract Helps to: Keep attention Improve understanding of key points

Use Visual Material Pictures can be very powerful – but check: they add to Presentation copyright issues they cohere with theme AND always give the reference