1. Preparing Your Slides and Presentation Joseph Hughes ECE 4000 - Section L00 March 18, 2002

2. 2 Purpose of This File l Suggestions for planning your slides and talk l Style guide for effective electronic slides ÄEncouraged, but not required, to use l Electronic template ÄSettings, colors and fonts in this file conform to the suggested style guide ÄEdit this file to create your presentation Some material in this file based on an example created by Art Downey for presenters at the International Test Conference.

3. 3 Planning Your Presentation l Have a definite theme for your talk (What do you want people to remember?) l Adapt paper content for presentation ÄMinimize introduction and background ÄFocus on your results and analysis ÄDon’t try to include everything l Organization is critical ÄIntroduction, body, conclusion l Plan your talk first, then create your slides

4. 4 Planning Your Slides l 8 - 10 slides maximum for 7 minute talk l Use an outline slide to guide the talk l Emphasize key points, not the details l Slides should highlight your talk, not be a substitute for what you have to say l Don’t copy the text of your talk l Show only slides that you will talk about

5. 5 Style Guidelines l Required first slide: title of presentation, your name, recitation section, and date l Include a title line on every slide l 8 or 9 lines maximum on a text slide l 7 words maximum per line l Use short phrases, not long sentences l Avoid borders or logos (except on title slide) l Number your slides l Keep slides simple and uncluttered

6. 6 Designing Your Slides l Avoid backgrounds that obscure your text l Some backgrounds limit usable space for text l PowerPoint includes sample designs Ä“Format -> Apply Design” menu ÄNot all suitable for a professional talk l In “File -> Page Setup…” window specify: ÄSlides sized for: On-screen Show ÄSlide orientation: Landscape

7. 7 Contrast and Colors l High contrast is very important l Black text on a light background is good for viewgraphs, but not for computer projection l Light lines and text on a dark background work best for projection and/or large rooms ÄText/Lines: White, yellow, light cyan ÄBackground: Black, dark blue, dark green l Caution: Red, orange or blue lettering and lines may become unreadable when projected

8. 8 Choosing a Font l Use Book Antiqua, Arial or similar font  This line uses the Arial font ÄThe rest of this file uses Book Antiqua l 36 Point Titles l 28 point text for most lines l Use italics or color for emphasis Ä Bold text (this line) is not effective

9. 9 Display Speed and Special Effects l Avoid overuse of slow graphics, fonts and special effects l Slow slides and complicated effects distract the audience from your talk l Slide transition effects should not be used except in special cases l Do not use sound effects

10. 10 Using Diagrams l Keep diagrams simple, easy to understand l Lines must be thick (2.5 pts or greater) to be visible when projected l Make text large enough to be readable l Use all space in rectangle l Use a pointer to guide the audience as you discuss the diagram l Example on next slide

11. 11 Backplane ASP Connections PSBM Board 1 ASP Board 2 ASP Board 3 ASP tdo tms tdi trst tck

12. 12 Presenting Data with Graphs l Use graphs, not tables, to summarize data l Keep graphs simple l Eliminate or subdue distracting grid lines l Use large font sizes l Example on next slide

13. 13 Fault Coverage Number of Vectors 0 20 40 60 80 100 1.0E+011.0E+031.0E+051.0E+07 Fault Coverage (%)

14. 14 Giving Your Talk l 7-8 minutes is a short formal talk ÄNot enough time to say everything ÄPlan your comments for each slide Ä Don’t get distracted from your planned talk l Don’t read the slides to the audience l Use notes if needed, but don’t read your talk l Remember your presentation skills ÄFiller words, voice, gestures, eye contact l Be prepared to answer questions

15. 15 Key Points to Remember l Plan your presentation carefully l Keep your slides simple and uncluttered l Slides should highlight your talk, not overwhelm the audience with details l Slide design should not distract from content l Use large fonts and high contrast colors l Rehearse your talk until comfortable l Refer to section 3.7 in the textbook for help