Effective use of Presentation Software

Guidelines, Tips, and Techniques

(Revised October 2013)

Compiled by: Allyson Hajek, DELTS, Memorial University of Newfoundland, ahajek@mun.ca

Visual Design
1.

Limit the amount of text on a slide.

Your slides should provide an outline of your presentation not a transcript.
Avoid the use of complete sentences. Use only necessary words and short phrases to
convey important ideas and information.
As much as possible, restrict slides to six bullet points per slide and six words
per bullet point (the 6 x 6 Rule).

2.

Use readable font sizes.

Use 32-point type or larger for slide titles.
Use 22-point type or larger for body text.
Keep all body text the same font size. Dont display secondary bullets in a smaller font.

3.

Use readable font styles.

Use common, easy-to-read, sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana, and Helvetica.
Fancy or decorative fonts are hard to read and, if you will be delivering your presentation
from a computer other than the one you used to create the presentation, the decorative
fonts may not be available. The presentation software will substitute an alternate font for
the missing decorative font and variations in character height and width may alter your
text layout.

4.

Left align all text.

It is more visually demanding to read more than one or two lines of centered or right
aligned text. With the exception of titles, which may be centered horizontally, keep all
text aligned to the left.
Body text, when center aligned, creates an abstract shape on your slide.

5.

Limit the use of all caps.

Do not use all upper case letters (caps) for the body of your slide. Text set in all caps is harder
to read than text set in lower case or title case (caps used for the first letter of each word).
All caps should only be used for titles and headings.

6.

Limit the number of colors and fonts.

Use a maximum of three colors.
Use two simple, easy-to-read fonts one for headings and one for body text.

7.

Maximize contrast between the text and the background.

Use dark colored text on a light background or light colored text on a dark background.
The color combinations that provide the best contrast are black and white or yellow, and
dark blue and white or yellow.
If a background color is desired, use cool colors (shades of blues and greens) since cool
colors appear to recede.
Avoid multi-colored and heavily textured backgrounds that will interfere with the
readability of the text. Plain, simple backgrounds are best.

 Slides with a white or very light colored background provide a considerable amount of

ambient light helping to keep the room as bright as possible.

8.

Limit the flash.

Avoid overloading your audience with bells and whistles. Moving text, sound, and
elaborate slide transitions can be distracting and add nothing to the learning value of your
presentation.
Use these features with a specific, clearly defined goal in mind.

9.

Use a consistent design from slide to slide.

Templates are designed to keep a consistent look and feel in your presentation.
Dont vary text size and color or the size and position of background graphics from slide
to slide.

10. Proofread your presentation.

Check your slides for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Eliminate unnecessary words.
Use a consistent writing style and format/structure.
11. Focus on content not on visual appeal.
Begin by designing your presentation not your slides.
Consider your objectives, your audience, what information you will include, how you
will structure your presentation, what resources and materials you will use, and how you
will interact with and engage your audience.
12. Supplement slides with more detailed text and data in handouts.
A copy of your slides wont provide all the important information or details that your
audience will need to know, especially for very dense, complex, or abstract material.
The slides should be a visual summary of your oral presentation.
Provide complex diagrams and detailed information in handouts or other resources.
13. Use progressive builds to help focus attention.
The build feature allows you to display bulleted lists one bullet at a time to help focus
attention.
Use the Appear effect which displays text and objects without distracting movement.
14. Strive for a balance between verbal and visual information.
Visuals will help comprehension of difficult, complex, or abstract concepts. To promote
understanding and aid retention use powerful visuals that support the concept or point
being made.
Displaying slides that are completely text based accommodates those whose strength is
visual-linguistic learning but not those who are spatial, kinesthetic, or auditory learners.
Move beyond clip art and use photos, charts, diagrams, and other visual elements when
appropriate.
15. Eliminate unnecessary visual elements.
Eliminate visual elements that are not relevant and do not support or reinforce the
content. They can be distracting and reduce comprehension.
2

16. Remember the rules for any good presentation.

Be prepared.
Have a clear purpose or objective.
Know your audience.
Have a beginning, middle, and end (Opening-Body-Conclusion).
Project your voice; speak clearly and with conviction.
Be enthusiastic.
Move naturally, watch your body language, and avoid fidgeting.
17. Be comfortable with the technology.
Practice, practice, practice.
Arrive early to set up and avoid having your audience wait while you fumble with cables
or try to locate the right file.
18. Dont read from the slides.
Speak concisely and effectively about the ideas represented on the slides.
Surveys show that the most annoying mistake a presenter could make when using
presentation software is reading the slides to his/her audience.
19. Face your audience.
Maintain eye contact.
Avoid turning your back on your audience to look at the projected image. Use the
computer mouse to do your pointing rather than turning your back to use a pointer.
Create a strong connection with your audience. Check body language for signs and
signals of approval, agreement, understanding, boredom, or confusion and react
appropriately.
20. Hide the cursor.
In PowerPoint, CRTL H, for Hide will prevent the cursor from appearing on the slide if
the mouse is accidently moved during your presentation. The A key will make the
cursor appear if necessary.
21. Use a blank screen when you want your audience to focus on you.
The B key of the keyboard will display a black screen. The W key will display a white
screen. Hit the B or W key again to return to the slide presentation.
In an article for Canadian Business, Andrew Wahl encourages readers not to be afraid to
use the B key so the slides wont compete with your most effective communication
tools: your voice, mannerisms and facial expressions.
22. Watch your pace.
It is common for people to move a little too quickly through the slides in a presentation.
Brief pauses will allow time for your audience to scan the slide before you begin
speaking, to absorb or reflect on what you have said, and to take notes.

23. Dont make the room too dark.

Audience members want to see your face and have enough light to take notes. A good
data projector does not require all the lights to be out and the curtains to be drawn in
order for the image to be clear. However, there should never be direct sun, incandescent,
or fluorescent light on the projected image or it will wash out. If you have several banks
of lights in your presentation room, turn off the ones nearest the screen in order to
produce the best image.
24. Prepare for emergencies.
Have a backup plan. Computers are subject to hardware conflicts, software version
conflicts, disk crashes, viruses, software errors, and other problems. When possible, use
your own laptop but have a copy of your presentation on a flash drive and have a printout
of your speaking notes.

References
Bartsch, R.A., & Cobern, K.M. (2003). Effectiveness of PowerPoint presentations in lectures. Computers &
Education, Vol. 41. Pp. 77-86.
Benbow, M. Tips for presenting your PowerPoint presentation [On-line]. Available:
http://www.umanitoba.ca/academic/colleges/uc/faculty/benbow.html
Biggs, J. (1999). Teaching for quality learning at university. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press.
Buchholz, S., & Ullmna, J. (2004). 12 commandments for PowerPoint. The Teaching Professor, Vol. 18, No. 6,
June/July 2004.
Keller, J. (2003). Is PowerPoint the devil? [On-line]. Available:
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/5004120.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
McKenzie, J. (2000). Scoring PowerPoints. From Now On The Educational Technology Journal, Vol. 10, No. 1,
September 2000 [On-line]. Available: http://optin.iserver.net/fromnow/sept00/powerpoints.html
Paradi, D. (2003). Ten secrets for using PowerPoint effectively [On-line]. Available:
http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/articles/ten_secrets_for_using_powerpoint.htm
Paradi, D. (2003). The top ten things you can do to improve your next PowerPoint presentation [On-line]. Available:
http://www.communicateusingtechnology.com/articles/top_ten_things_improve_ppt_presn.htm
Parker, I. (2001). Absolute PowerPoint: Can a software package edit our thoughts? The New Yorker, May 28, 2001
[On-line]. Available: http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu/~wilkins/group/powerpt.html
Rozaitis, B. & Baepler, P. (2004). Active learning with PowerPoint. Center for Teaching and Learning Services,
University of Minnesota [On-line]. Available:
http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/workshops/powerp/active_lecturing.html
Szabo, A & Hastings. N. (2000). Using IT in the undergraduate classroom: should we replace the blackboard with
PowerPoint? Compters and Education, Vol. 35, No. 3, November 2000. Pp. 175-187.
Tufte. E. (2003). The cognitive style of PowerPoint. Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.
Wahl, A. (2003). PowerPoint of no return. Canadian Business, Vol. 76, No. 22. [On-line]. Available:
http://www.sociablemedia.com/PDF/press_canadian_business_11_11_03.pdf