Bavina Smalley - Cieating Effective Piesentations

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PoweiPoint has become the ue facto piesentation tool foi most of us. Bowevei, when useu
impiopeily, PoweiPoint sliues can actually inteifeie with communication, iathei than
piomote it. Communications ieseaicheis have iuentifieu concepts that have substantial
implications foi how we can cieate the most effective piesentations.

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People leain bettei fiom 1&0,.20 anu '.%%.(&1$ than fiom woius alone. Bumans aie
pieuisposeu to iemembeiing expeiiences in the naiiative foim. Stoiies get out attention.
This is because the biain has sepaiate channels foi piocessing visual anu veibal mateiials,
iesulting in a highei level of unueistanuing. (Nayei, 2uu9)

Communication is actually inhibiteu when the same woius aie spoken anu uisplayeu on the
scieen. People cannot listen anu ieau at the same time. (Paivio, 2uu7). People aie capable
of holuing only a few pieces of infoimation in theii shoit-teim memoiy at a time.
Youi job as a piesentei is to make the message cleai anu memoiable.

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Layout continuity fiom sliue to sliue conveys a sense of completeness. Naigins, fonts, font
size, anu colois shoulu be consistent with giaphics anu be locateu in the same geneial
position on each sliue.
Beauings, subheauings, anu logos shoulu show up in the same spot on each sliue.
Lines, boxes, boiueis, anu open space also shoulu be consistent thioughout a piesentation.
In oiuei foi youi piesentation to fit on most scieens, text anu images shoulu be placeu
within 9S% of the sliue. This is the "action safe" zone.
Bisplaying text that is too small to ieau compiomises youi message anu fiustiates youi
auuience. If you have moie text than can ieasonably fit on a scieen using at least 24 point
fonts, then eithei: (a) cieate anothei sliue oi (b) shoiten youi text.
Nake youi piesentation big. Youi piesentation shoulu be visible fiom 7 feet away.
Beauings shoulu not be useu to intiouuce oi iuentify the topic of the sliue, though they may
be useful to call attention to the main finuing in a chait oi giaph. 0theiwise, heauings tenu
to be ieuunuant anu shoulu be eliminateu - 98% of heaueis aie ieuunuant.
0se animations anu sliue tiansitions spaiingly. If you uo use them, uo so only to ieinfoice a
key concept.
Bavina Smalley - Cieating Effective Piesentations
Reseaich has shown that when theie is movement on the scieen, the auuience's attention is
immeuiately uiawn to the movement, thus bieaking theii concentiation on the
piesentation content.
Auuiences juuge piesentations on theii inteiest in the content, not on how many fancy
featuies aie useu in the sliues.

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Stiive foi simplicity anu ieauability. Bighlight key points oi ieinfoice what the facilitatoi is
saying. Youi visual message shoulu be shoit anu to the point anu incluue only key woius
anu phiases foi visual ieinfoicement.
Excluue uistiacting elements such as boiueis oi shauing that can uetiact fiom youi
message.
It's best to cieate a template of youi own that has a soliu backgiounu anu is fiee fiom non
essential items, such as footeis anu logos (Note: If youi institution oi business iequiies the
use of bianuing elements such as logos anu banneis in youi piesentation, please use as
piesciibeu, but limit the iemainuei of the sliue to the most essential infoimation only).

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Choose coloi combinations that make it easy foi the auuience to ieau youi sliues. If youi
auuience is unable to ieau youi sliues, then youi message has been compiomiseu.
If you will be piesenting in a uaikeneu ioom, then light text on a uaik backgiounu woiks
well. But if you will be in a ioom with the lights on oi consiueiable ambient light, then uaik
text on a light backgiounu woiks bettei.
0se a coloi scheme tool to cieate uiffeient coloi patteins that match the moou, look, anu
feel of youi piesentation. An example coloi scheme tool can be founu at
http:coloischemeuesignei.com
- !%&+.%5 *"2"%0: Reu, yellow anu blue. In tiauitional coloi theoiy (useu in paint anu
pigments), piimaiy colois aie the S pigment colois that cannot be mixeu oi foimeu
by any combination of othei colois. All othei colois aie ueiiveu fiom these S hues.

- 4$-"'6.%5 *"2"%0: uieen, oiange anu puiple. These aie the colois foimeu by
mixing the piimaiy colois.

- 9$%(&.%5 *"2"%0: Yellow-oiange, ieu-oiange, ieu-puiple, blue-puiple, blue-gieen &
yellow-gieen. These aie the colois foimeu by mixing a piimaiy anu a seconuaiy
coloi. That's why the hue is a two-woiu name, such as blue-gieen, ieu-violet, anu
yellow-oiange.
Colois sepaiateu by anothei coloi aie contiasting colois (complementaiy). Aujacent colois
haimonize with one anothei (uieen anu Yellow). Colois uiiectly opposite aie saiu to clash
- clashing colois pioviue ieauability

Bavina Smalley - Cieating Effective Piesentations
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Seiif fonts, such as uaiamonu, Times New Roman oi Centuiy Schoolbook, have piotiuuing
"feet" (calleu seiifs) that extenu beyonu the main shape of the letteis.

The seiifs aie beneficial in piinteu uocuments with a lot of text, but they will piouuce a
bluiieu look on the scieen. Sans seiif fonts (tianslateu as "without seiifs"), such as Calibii,
Aiial anu Tiebuchet, piouuce a cleanei, less clutteieu, easiei to ieau look.
By limiting youi fonts to two (at most), youi piesentation will have a consistent look anu
feel. This limitation uoes !"# incluue the use of bolu, italic oi bolu italic; these alteiations
aie consiueieu the same as the base font.

Be suie to select stanuaiu fonts oi embeu the fonts in youi piesentation. If the fonts you
use aie not installeu on the piesentation machine, it will use a substitute font anu
potentially change the entiie look of youi piesentation.
Combining small font sizes with bolu oi italics is not iecommenueu:
B0 N0T 0SE ALL CAPITAL LETTERS . this makes text haiu to ieau. All caps conceal
acionyms anu ueny its use foi ENPBASIS.
Italics aie useu .
- foi "%&"#'("
- to )*+),*+)# thoughts oi iueas
- foi book, jouinal, oi magazine #*#,'(

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Incoipoiate high quality photos, images oi uiagiams that ieinfoice youi veibal message.
Incoipoiate the text into the photo if possible.
Reseaich has shown that communication is enhanceu when a veibal message is combineu
with a poweiful image on the scieen. Nany fiee high quality photos aie available online
(but pay attention to copyiights . visit www.fieeuigitalphotos.net) anu a plethoia of
piofessional photos aie available at veiy ieasonable costs (such as at iStockphoto.com).
Avoiu clip ait, since it can make youi piesentation look uateu anu unpiofessional.
Incoipoiating youi text into the photo piesents a moie unifieu anu visually pleasing
message than having them completely sepaiate.
0se sounu anu viueo only when necessaiy.

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With the exception of shoit uiiect quotes, use phiases iathei than full sentences. Keep full
sentences in youi oial piesentation anu "-- the scieen.
"Bumans aie incapable of ieauing anu compiehenuing text on a scieen anu listening to a
speakei at the same time. Theiefoie, lots of text (almost .!/ text!), anu long, complete
sentences aie bau, Bau, BAB" (Reynolus, 2u1u, p. S7).
Bavina Smalley - Cieating Effective Piesentations

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The most effective sliues aie often those with the least text. "Youi piesentation is foi the
benefit of the auuience. But boiing an auuience with bullet point aftei bullet point is of little
benefit to them" (Reynolus, n.u.). If you want to use an outline to oiganize youi talk, keep it
on papei iathei than putting it on scieen as bullets.
If you absolutely must use bullets, then use the A ? B %,2$: No moie than 6 lines pei sliue,
no moie than 7 woius pei line.

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Bighlight the most impoitant infoimation in chaits, tables anu giaphs.
Theie aie many iesouices about how to cieate effective tables anu giaphs (e.g., Few, 2uu4;
Sanueis & Filkins, 2uu9).
The iules of goou uesign will be the same as foi piinteu uocuments, but you neeu to
consiuei the pace when piesenting tablesgiaphs on scieen.
By highlighting the most impoitant infoimation anu piesenting only as much uata as can be
ieauily unueistoou (peihaps by piesenting it inciementally), the auuience will easily be
able to uiscein the main message.
If you have complicateu uata to piesent, this is one application foi using of sliue tiansitions,
which can be useu to "builu" youi tablegiaph anu focus youi auuience's attention.

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Nany piesenteis tiy to make theii sliues function as both a hanuout anu a piesentation anu
enu up failing at both attempts.
Sliues shoulu be uesigneu to visually enhance (not summaiize) youi piesentation.
Banuouts shoulu be wellwiitten compiehensive iepoits, containing uetaileu infoimation
such as (uepenuing on youi content) complex chaits, uata, analyses, anu iefeiences.
Youi auuience will be giateful to take a wellwiitten uocument with them, iathei than just
theii sciibbleu notes on youi piinteu sliues. This appioach takes a significant investment of
time, but will seive both you anu youi auuience well.




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Bavina Smalley - Cieating Effective Piesentations
Regaiuless of how well uesigneu youi sliues aie, the success oi failuie of youi piesentation
will hinge on how effectively you engage youi auuience. If the auuience can't tell that the
topic you'ie piesenting is inteiesting to you, it won't be inteiesting to them. The sliues
shoulu seive to enhance youi oial piesentation, let them help you. Bullet points aie not
passionate, not even when they'ie highly uecoiateu.
Remembei,
1. You contiol the message
2. The auuience shoulu focus on youi woius
S. The sliues shoulu enhance, not be the piesentation
4. Bullet points aie not passionate


Bavina Smalley - Cieating Effective Piesentations
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Aima Inteinational Euucation,
http:www.aima.oigLeainingCenteiFacilitatoiuploausPoweiPointuuiuelines.ppt
(link is now bioken; no upuate is available).
Few, S. (2uu4). 0)"1 2' #)' 3&45'6(7 8'(*+!*!+ 9.5,'( .!: ;6.<)( #" =!,*+)#'!> 0aklanu,
CA: Analytics Piess.

Life Aftei Beath by PoweiPoint by Bon NcNillan,
http:www.youtube.comwatch.v=ayxfbl0y0BY

Nayei, R. (2uu9). 2&,#*4':*. ?'.6!*!+> New Yoik, NY: Cambiiuge 0niveisity Piess.

Paivio, A. (2uu7). 2*!: .!: *#( =@",&#*"!7 A 8&., B":*!+ 9)'"6'#*C., A<<6".C). Nahwah, N}:
Lawience Eilbaum Associates, Inc.

Reynolus, u. (2uu8). D6'('!#.#*"! E'!7 0*4<,' F:'.( "! D6'('!#.#*"! 8'(*+! .!: 8',*@'6/>
Beikeley, CA: New Riueis.

Reynolus, u. (2u1u). D6'('!#.#*"! E'! 8'(*+!7 0*4<,' 8'(*+! D6*!C*<,'( .!: 9'C)!*%&'( #"
=!).!C' /"&6 D6'('!#.#*"!(. Beikeley, CA: New Riueis.

Sanueis, L. anu Filkins, } (2uu9). =--'C#*@' G'<"6#*!+H I!: ':>J. Tallahassee, FL: Association
foi Institutional Reseaich.

Twelve Tips foi Cieating Effective Piesentations, Naiy Baiiington, 0niveisity of
Nississippi Rebecca Caii, AA0 Bata Exchange.