Powerpoint Presentation Guidelines

POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
Prof. Martin C. Njoroge

9th June 2015
Introduction slide
 This is the first slide and should contain:
o Title of presentation
o Date of presentation
o Presenter’s name
(See previous slide)

Outline slide
 Main points of what you will talk about. Start

broad, finish specific
(See next slide)

Outline
 Outlines
 Slide Structure
 Fonts
 Color
 Background
 Images
 Graphs
 Spelling and Grammar
 Conclusions
 Questions
 Contacts
Slide Structure
 Use 1-2 slides per minute of your

presentation. Never read your slides, talk
freely.
 Create a logical flow to your presentation.
 Make your presentation readable. Pick an

easy-to-read font face.
Slide Structure
 Write in point form, not complete sentences.
 Include 2-3 points per bullet per slide.

Slide Structure
 Avoid wordiness: use key words and phrases
only. The more words you use, the less
readable they become.
 Keep the PowerPoint design very basic and

simple. It shall not distract.
 Cut down the number of slides. Restrict the

room your design takes up, don’t let the
design restrict your message.
Example of Bad slide structure
 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
 Show one point at a time:
◦ Will help audience concentrate on what you are

saying
◦ Will prevent audience from reading ahead
◦ Will help you keep your presentation focused
 Alternatively, all your bullets can appear at once

rather than one at a time.
Slide Structure
 Do not use distracting animation e.g. slide
transitions and sound effects
 Do not go overboard with the animation
 Be consistent with the animation that you use

Fonts
 Carefully select font sizes for headers and text. Use
different size fonts for main points and secondary
points. 28 to 34 font size is recommended for
subtitles. The title default size is 44.
 Use a standard font like Times New Roman, Arial or

Calibri; they tend to be the easiest to read on
screens.
 Consistently use the same font face and sizes on all

slides.
Example of bad font size & style
 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

Colour - Good
 Use a color of font that contrasts sharply with
the background
◦ E.G: blue font on white background
 Use color to reinforce the logic of your
structure
◦ Ex: light blue title and dark blue text
 Carefully use color to emphasize or highlight
a point
◦ But only use this occasionally
Color
 If you want to play with colors, keep it easy on

the eyes and always keep good contrast in
mind so that your readers do not have to strain
to guess what you’ve typed on your slide.
E.g. Using a font color that does not
contrast with the background color is hard to
read.
 Using color for decoration is distracting,

annoying and can shatter a presentation.
Color
 Using a different color for each point is

unnecessary
◦ Using a different color for secondary points is also
unnecessary
 Don’t weaken the color effect by using too

many colors at an instance.
E.g Trying to be creative can also be bad
Background
 Use backgrounds such as this one that are
attractive but simple
 Use backgrounds which are light
 Use the same background consistently

throughout your presentation
Background
 Avoid backgrounds that are distracting or
difficult to read from
 Always be consistent with the background
that you use

Images
 Images are key elements of every presentation.
Your audience will want to see what you’re
talking about, and a good visual cue will help
them to understand your message much
better.
 Images can reinforce or complement your

message.
 For a very public and official presentation,

keep copyrights in mind.
Graphs
 Use graphs rather than just charts and words

◦ Data in graphs is easier to comprehend & retain
than is raw data
◦ Trends are easier to visualize in graph form
 Always title your graphs.

Example of a bad graph
 This graph is small, has no title or
supporting information e.t.c.
January February March April

Blue Balls 20.4 27.4 90 20.4
Red Balls 30.6 38.6 34.6 31.6
Example of a good graph
Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002
100
90
80
70
60
Blue Balls
50
Red Balls
40
30
20
10
0
Example of a bad graph
100
90
90
80
70
60
Blue Balls
50
Red Balls
40 38.6
34.6
30.6 31.6
30 27.4
20.4 20.4
20
10
0
Bad graphs
Why the previous slide is classified as being
bad;
 Minor gridlines are unnecessary

 Font is too small
 Colors are illogical
 Title is missing
 Shading is distracting
Spelling and Grammar
 Proof read your slides for:
◦ speling mistakes
◦ the use of of repeated words
◦ grammatical errors you might have make
 If English is not your first language, please

have someone else check your presentation!
Conclusion
 Use an effective and strong closing
◦ Your audience is likely to remember your last words
 Use a conclusion slide to:

◦ Summarize the main points of your presentation
◦ Suggest future avenues of research
Questions
 End your presentation with a simple question

slide to:
◦ Invite your audience to ask questions/ engage in a

short question-and-answer session with your
audience
◦ Pose a question for discussion.

Contact information
 Provide contact information for follow up.

Last slide
 At the very least:

o Putting a blank slide at the end provides a
non-distracting placeholder for discussion.
 Alternatively put the words “the end”

THE END

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POWERPOINT

Prof. Martin C. Njoroge

 This is the first slide and should contain:

(See previous slide)

 Main points of what you will talk about. Start

(See next slide)

 Use 1-2 slides per minute of your

 Create a logical flow to your presentation.

 Make your presentation readable. Pick an

 Write in point form, not complete sentences.

 Include 2-3 points per bullet per slide.

 Keep the PowerPoint design very basic and

 Cut down the number of slides. Restrict the

◦ Will help audience concentrate on what you are

 Alternatively, all your bullets can appear at once

 Do not go overboard with the animation

 Be consistent with the animation that you use

 Use a standard font like Times New Roman, Arial or

 Consistently use the same font face and sizes on all

 CAPITALIZE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY. IT IS

 Don’t use a complicated font

 If you want to play with colors, keep it easy on

 Using color for decoration is distracting,

 Using a different color for each point is

 Don’t weaken the color effect by using too

 Use backgrounds which are light

 Use the same background consistently

that you use

 Images can reinforce or complement your

 For a very public and official presentation,

 Use graphs rather than just charts and words

 Always title your graphs.

January February March April

Items Sold in First Quarter of 2002

 Minor gridlines are unnecessary

 If English is not your first language, please

 Use a conclusion slide to:

 End your presentation with a simple question

◦ Invite your audience to ask questions/ engage in a

◦ Pose a question for discussion.

 Provide contact information for follow up.

 At the very least:

 Alternatively put the words “the end”

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