PowerPointThe Do’s and Don’ts

By Anna Monteil

Bullets

• Keep it simple• This slide has just the right

amount• of words.

Bullets• Don’t do them over here

• Or here• Less is more… • 3 bullets or less is • the rule of thumb.

• There are too many bullets• On this• Slide• And there are too many words, which equals too many

things to talk about.

Background• Pretty• Simple• Not distracting • Consistent

Background

• DON’T make your background apocalyptic.

Contrast & Color• Light backgrounds, dark color

font• Dark background, light color font• Don’t blind your audience, or

contrast too much.• Be consistent

Contrast & Color• See what I mean?• You can’t even read this!• Make sure your colors make sense

with your background.• Yellow is horrible, don’t use it.• Don’t fly your words in either!

Wow, I think I have motion sickness now!

Graphics• Again, less is

more.• A picture is

great when trying to get a point across but you don’t want too much information on one slide.

Klamath County is one beautiful place.

Let’s not make the baby cry with too many pictures on one slide.

Don’t use too many (more than one really) object transitions! They’re distracting and make baby cry.

Rule of FourMakeGroupsofFour

Rule of Four

Do This Really Not Doesn’t HardMake Work ToLong And FollowLists Is Do you

compute?

Fonts• Use simple fonts• Use pretty fonts• Consistently use fonts

throughout every slide.

FontsI’m sorry what?

• Don’t use fonts that are ridiculous to read.

• It’s silly and cannot be read.

• There are lots of other fonts, use those.

• Can you read this font from far away?

Font Effects• Does something need to be

emphasized?• Use bolding, Italics, or

underlining.• The effects will draw

attention.• Difference colors work too!

Font Effects• However, remember less is

more.• Do not over use bolding,

Italics, or underlining.• The effects can be

distracting.