Effective Presentations Skills
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Transcript Effective Presentations Skills
Creating Effective
Visual Aids (AVs)
OUTLINE
The rationale behind using AVs
Tips for preparing effective AVs
Preparing effective PowerPoint slides
Sample AVs
Visual Aids Should…
Supplement presentation
Outline the main points
Serve audience’s needs, not
speaker’s
Be simple and clear
because...
The Purpose of Using Visual
Aids
... AVs
support your ideas
improve audience comprehension
add variety to presentation (a break from
listening)
The Purpose of Using Visual
Aids – cont.
enliven a difficult / boring subject
help illustrate complex ideas/concepts
help the presenter to stick to the plan
Visual Aids - Examples
PowerPoint Slides
Overhead Transparencies
Graphs/Charts
Pictures
Films/Video
Flip Charts
Sketches
Tips on Preparing
Visual Aids
TIPS...
Start with an outline of the goal
Keep visual aids BRIEF
Do not read AV directly (what you say vs.
AV)
Ask audience to read or listen, not both
TIPS... (cont.)
Account for production time (both in
planning and selection)
Check relevance to topic
Use charts and graphs
Make sure graphics are not too
crowded
TIPS...(cont.)
Don't let handouts become a distraction
Practice with AV
Seek feedback on the clarity of your AV
Check grammar and spelling
Making
PowerPoint Slides
Avoiding the Pitfalls of Bad Slides
ADVANTAGES OF POWERPOINT
SLIDES
Professional image
Minimal expense
Compact and portable
ADVANTAGES OF POWERPOINT
SLIDES (cont.)
Easy to
email
sort and practice
edit
insert graphics
share
ADVANTAGES OF POWERPOINT
SLIDES (cont.)
Can be
printed
copied
provided as handout material
Many options:
animation
video clips
sound
DISADVANTAGES OF
POWERPOINT SLIDES
Equipment not always available
Technology being the focus - not content
or presenter
Noisy projector —distracting
Need of a darkened room
Tips to be Covered
Outlines
Slide Structure
Fonts
Color
Background
Spelling and
Grammar
Conclusions
Questions
Outline
1st or 2nd slide ---- outline
Only main points on the outline
slide
Ex: Use the titles of each slide as
main points
Slide Structure
1-2 slides per minute
Point / bullet form (no complete sent.)
4-5 points per slide
Key words and phrases only
Slide Structure - Bad
This page contains too many words for a
presentation slide. It is not written in point
form, making it difficult both for your
audience to read and for you to present
each point. Although there are exactly the
same number of points on this slide as the
previous slide, it looks much more
complicated. In short, your audience will
spend too much time trying to read this
paragraph instead of listening to you.
Slide Structure – Good
Showing one point at a time will:
help audience concentrate on what
you are saying
prevent audience from reading ahead
help you keep your presentation
focused
Slide Structure - Animation
Do not use distracting animation
Do not go overboard with the
animation
Be consistent with the animation that
you use
Fonts - Good
Use at least an 18-point font
Use different size fonts for main points
and secondary points
this font: 28-point
main point font: 30-point
title font: 42-point
Use a standard font like Times New
Roman or Arial
Fonts - Bad
If you use a small font, your audience won’t be able to read what you have written
CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN
NECESSARY. IT IS DIFFICULT TO
READ
Don’t use a complicated
font
Color - Good
Use a color of font that contrasts
sharply with the background
Use color to reinforce the logic of your
structure
Ex: blue font on white background
Ex: light blue title and dark blue text
Use color to emphasize a point
But use this only occasionally
Color - Bad
Using a font color that does not contrast
with the background color is hard to read
Using color for decoration is distracting and
annoying.
Using a different color for each point is
unnecessary
Using a different color for secondary points
is also unnecessary
Trying to be creative can also be bad
Background - Good
Use backgrounds such as this one
(attractive but simple)
Use backgrounds which are light
Use the same background
consistently
Background – Bad
Avoid backgrounds that are distracting
or difficult to read from
Always be consistent with the
background that you use
Graphs
Use graphs rather than just charts and
words
Data - easier to comprehend & retain
Trends - easier to visualize
Spelling and Grammar
Proofread your slides for:
speling mistakes
the use of of repeated words
grammatical errors you might have
make
Have someone else check your
presentation!
Conclusion
Use an effective and strong closing
Audience is likely to remember your
last words
Use a conclusion slide to:
Summarize the main points
Suggest future avenues of research
Questions??
End with a simple question slide to:
Invite your audience to ask questions
Provide a visual aid during question
period
Avoid ending a presentation abruptly
Thank you