Poderosa Ranch

We have all been there.  Walking into a room we see a projector displaying a slide on the screen and we think “Great Death by PowerPoint”.  Well if that is how you feel then you are a victim of a bad PowerPoint presentation.

Any audio/visual training aid (such as PowerPoint) is meant to aid the presenter to help their audience understand what is being talked about.  It is a teaching tool not a teaching method.  A good presentation is clear and to the point without an over burdening of information.  Remember the information comes from the presenter not the slides.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Use bullets instead of paragraphs whenever possible.  People get fixated on paragraphs reading them and not listening to the instructor.  Also there is no real need for paragraphs when the slide should only point out key points from your lecture notes.

1. Do not use more than 7 lines of text on each slide.  This ensures the text will be visible and not over run the slide.
2. Use 22 font or larger so it can be seen from a distance
3. Choose a font color that contrasts with the background used.  Text needs to stand out to be seen.  The plain white background and black font, although very plain, is actually the best.
4. If using a background ensure it does not overwhelm the text or be hard on the eyes.  Don’t use images as backgrounds as it usually is hard to find a font color that will stand out.
5. Keep animations to a minimum.  Having words fly in and out may seem cool, but in reality can affect the presentation.  Presenters usually become tired of clicking and rush through.
6. Add 1 to 2 images per slide to help visually reinforce what you are talking about.  Do not use images just to have them and animated images can become a distraction if they are not related to the topic.
7. If you are going to use slides that were put together by someone else make sure you go through them and look for mistakes.

Remember if you are the presenter make the class fun and interesting.  Don’t read from your slides instead use your notes.  If you use these tips you are on the road to giving a better presentation for both the classroom and your Camtasia Studio Recording.

Jason Clemens

Take part in our Camtasia Studio and PowerPoint training this Friday (September 4, 2009 at 7pm EST).  See you there!

Tags: PowerPoint, training

This entry was posted by Jason Clemens on Sunday, August 30th, 2009 at 4:03 am and is filed under General Roundup Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.