MIRIAM COLLEGE LOWER SCHOOL

Quezon City
THIRD QUARTER
Hand-out No. 2
C.N. _____Name _____________________________________________________________
Grade 5, Section _______________________________ Date _______________________
COMPUTER 5
TIPS IN CREATING AN EFFECTIVE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

PowerPoint presentations are a great way to support a speech, visualize

complicated concepts or focus an audiences attention. However, a bad presentation can
achieve the opposite. Poorly designed slides with too much text or distracting graphics can
lead the audience away from your message. Consider these tips to avoid common
mistakes.
5 Basic Principles in Creating an Effective PowerPoint Presentation:
1. Make it Big
Choose a font size that your audience can read from a distance.
The following measurements indicate the size of a font on your computer screen
(not projected on a screen for your audience in full screen mode).
- A one-inch letter is readable from 10 feet.
- A two-inch letter is readable from 20 feet.
- A three-inch letter is readable from 30 feet.

Avoid paragraphs or long blocks of text.

- Follow the 6x7 rule - Not more than 6 words per line, not more than 7 lines per
slide
If you really must use a paragraph, then trim it down to the bare essentials. Use an
excerpta couple of sentences and emphasize only the important words.

2. Keep it Simple
Choose the right font style that helps to get your message across.
- Serif fonts are difficult to read on screen (e.g. Times New Roman, Garamond, Goudy)
- Sans serif fonts are clearer (e.g. Arial, Verdana, Helvetica)
Use images only when they add important information or make an abstract point
more concrete.
Use graphics that clearly support your message. Good graphics can significantly add
to learning, bad graphics can confuse and distract your audience. Don't overwhelm
your audience by adding too many graphics in a slide.
Use sound effects only when necessary.

3. Make it Clear
Use clear text.
- Use upper and lower case text, NOT ALL CAPS
- Italics are difficult to read on screen
- Normal or bold fonts are clearer
- Use colours to emphasize
Use numbers and bullets properly.
- Use numbers for lists with sequence
- Use bullets to show a list without priority, sequence, hierarchy
Use appropriate colors.
- Use high contrast between background color and text color.
o light background with dark colored text or
o dark background with light colored text

Use complementary colours

*2*
THIRD QUARTER
Hand-out No. 2
COMPUTER 5
TIPS IN CREATING AN EFFECTIVE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

4. Be Consistent
Make slide backgrounds subtle and keep them consistent.
Choose an appealing, consistent template or theme that is not too eye-catching. You
don't want the background or design to detract from your message.
Use simple and consistent transitions and animations.
Fancy slide transitions are sometimes annoying and distracting. A basic appear or
dissolve from one slide to another is usually sufficient.
5. Progressive
Show the bullet points one by one as you discuss them.
This technique is very helpful to focus attention when you plan to talk about each
point on a slide individually.
Use hyperlinks
A hyperlink is a word, phrase, or image that you can click on to jump to a new
document or a new section within the current document. When you move the cursor
over a hyperlink, whether it is text or an image, the arrow should change to a small
hand pointing at the link. When you click it, a new page or place in the current page
will open.

References:
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Tips-for-creating-and-delivering-an---effective-presentation-f43156b0-20d2-4c518345-0c337cefb88b?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/biomed/guides/powerpoint.html?mswitch-redir=classic
http://michaelhyatt.com/5-rules-for-more-effective-presentations.html
http://www.techterms.com/definition/hyperlink