Effective Use of Powerpoint

as a presentation tool

1. PowerPoint, when displayed via a projector, is a useful tool for showing audiences things that enhance what the speaker is saying.

2. Slides used in a presentation should be spare, in terms of how much information is on each slide, as well as how many slides are used.

3. Unless you’re an experienced designer, don’t use the transition and animation “tricks” that are built into PowerPoint, such as bouncing or flying text.

4. Above all, use high-contrast color schemes so that whatever is on your slides is readable. 

5. Rehearse your PowerPoint presentation and not just once. Don’t let PowerPoint get in the way of your oral presentation, and make sure you know how it works, what sequence the slides are in, how to get through it using someone else’s computer, etc.

6. Get used to using black slides. 7. Concentrate on keeping the audience focused on you, not on the screen. 8. If you show something on a computer that requires moving the cursor around, or

flipping from one screen to another, or some other technique that requires interaction with the computer itself, remember that people in the audience will see things very differently on the projection screen than you see them on the computer screen.

9. Don’t “cue” the audience that listening to your speech means getting through your PowerPoint presentation.

10. Learn how to give a good speech without PowerPoint.

Ten Thoughts About How to Use PowerPoint Effectively

This single presentation about the anatomy of the human eye has been rewritten in three different ways:

Text-heavy: this version offers complete phrases and a comprehensive recording in words of the material. The text-heavy version can be used as the lecturer's speaking notes, and doubles as student notes that can be made available for download either before or after the lecture has taken place. If the information can be accessed elsewhere, such as a textbook, it may be preferable to avoid a text-heavy approach, which many students find disengaging during the delivery.

Some images: this version sacrifices some of the completeness of the material to create space for accompanying images. The mixed approach appeals to more visual learners while keeping some lecture notes visible, though perhaps in a more abbreviated format. This is a common mode of delivery in large classes. However, there are still some challenges. There is enough material already present in text format that some students may feel obliged to write it all down in their own notes, thus paying less attention to the verbal lecture. Conversely, if the slides are available for download, some students may be able to eschew note-taking in class, yet be tempted to consider these fragmentary notes sufficient for studying for exams.

Image-heavy: this version relies almost exclusively on images, with little text. The image-heavy approach signals to students that they will have to take their own notes, as these are plainly insufficient on their own for studying. However, lecturers often need more than visual clues to remind themselves how to propel the lecture forward, and separate notes may be required. One elegant solution is to use "Presenter View" on the speaker's screen (which displays the notes only to you) and project the slides without notes onto the larger screen visible to the audience.

Three Possible Approaches

Elizabeth Rash (Nursing) provided this sample iterative case study (where parameters evolve over time) given to a midsize class. Students are required to come to class prepared having read online resources, the text, and a narrated slideshow presentation that accompanies each module. The classroom is problem-based (case-based) and interactive, where students are introduced to a young woman who ages as the semester progresses and confronts multiple health issues. Since the nurse practitioner students are being prepared to interact with patients, some slides require students to interview another classmate in a micro role-play.

Problem-based lectures frequently alternate between providing information and posing problems to the students, which alters the entire character of the presentation. Rather than explain and convey information, many slides ask questions that are intended to prompt critical thinking or discussion.

PowerPoint for Case Studies

Classroom response systems can improve students' learning by engaging them actively in the learning process. Instructors can employ the systems to gather individual responses from students or to gather anonymous feedback. It is possible to use the technology to give quizzes and tests, to take attendance, and to quantify class participation. Some of the systems provide game formats that encourage debate and team competition. Reports are typically exported to Excel for upload to the instructor's grade book

PowerPoint Interactions: Student Response "Clickers"

Instructors who do not have sufficient photocopying opportunities in their departments may be less likely to use paper worksheets with their students, especially in large classes. PowerPoint offers the ability to approximate worksheets to illustrate processes or to provide "worked examples" that shows problem-solving step-by-step. One valuable technique is to first demonstrate a process or problem on one slide, then ask students to work on a similar problem revealed on the next slide, using their own paper rather than worksheets handed out.

PowerPoint as Worksheet

The PowerPoint software itself includes built-in functionality to record your audio commentary. In this fashion, instructors can literally deliver their entire lecture electronically, which can be especially useful in an online course. The resulting file is still a standard PowerPoint file, but when the slideshow is "played," the recorded instructor's voice narrates the action, and the slides advance on their own, turning whenever they had been advanced by the lecturer during the recording. Click here to see a sample.

It is also possible to use AuthorPoint Lite, a free software download, to take the narrated PowerPoint presentation and transform it all into a Flash video movie, which plays in any Web browser. Here is a sample. To create such a video, you must first record a narrated presentation, and then use AuthorPoint Lite to convert the file. Our tutorial explains the process.

Narrated PowerPoint Downloads

Using this mode of PowerPoint, your slides are projected as usual on the big screen and fill the entire space, but the computer used by the lecturer displays the slides in preview mode, with the space for notes visible at the bottom of the screen. In this fashion, lecturers can have a set of notes separate from what is displayed to the students, which has the overall effect of increasing the engagement of the presentation.

Presenter View

Avoid reading: if your slides contain lengthy text, lecture "around" the material rather than reading it directly.

Dark screen: an effective trick to focus attention on you and your words is to temporarily darken the screen, which can be accomplished by clicking the "B" button on the keyboard. Hitting "B" again will toggle the screen back to your presentation.

Navigate slides smoothly: the left-mouse click advances to the next slide, but it's more cumbersome to right-click to move back one slide. The keyboard's arrow keys work more smoothly to go forward and backward in the presentation. Also, if you know the number of a particular slide, you can simply type that number, followed by the ENTER key, to jump directly to that slide.

Best Practices: Delivery

Text size: text must be clearly readable from the back of the room. Too much text or too small a font will be difficult to read.

Avoid too much text: one common suggestion is to adhere to the 6x6 rule (no more than six words per line, and no more than six lines per slide). The "Takahasi Method" goes so far as to recommend enormous text and nothing else on the slide, not even pictures, perhaps as little as just one word on each slide.

Contrast: light text on dark backgrounds will strain the eyes. Minimize this contrast, and opt instead for dark text on light backgrounds. Combinations to avoid, in case of partial color blindness in the audience, include red-green, or blue-yellow.

Transitions and animations should be used sparingly and consistently to avoid distractions.

Template: do not change the template often. The basic format should be consistent and minimal.

Use graphics and pictures to illustrate and enhance the message, not just for prettiness.

Best Practices: Slideshow Construction

1. Write a script. 2. One thing at a time, please. 3. No paragraphs. 4. Pay attention to design. 5. Use images sparingly 6. Think outside the screen. 7. Have a hook. 8. Ask questions. 9. Modulate, modulate, modulate. 10. Break the rules.

10 Tips for More Effective PowerPoint Presentations

1. Think about goals and purpose of handouts. 2. Minimize the number of slides. 3. Don't parrot PowerPoint. 4. Hold up your end. 5. Time your talk. 6. Give it a rest. 7. Make it interactive. 8. Mix up the media. 9. Hide your pointer. 10. Rehearse before presenting.

Best Practices in Presenting with PowerPoint

• Click the mouse• Press spacebar or enter • Click the forward arrow• Right-click, and on the shortcut menu, click next

Know Your Moves (Go to the next slide)

• Press backspace• Click the back arrow • Right-click, and on the shortcut menu, click

previous

Know Your Moves (Go to the previous slide)

• Type the slide number, and then press return

• Right-click, point to go on the shortcut menu, then point to by title and click the slide you want.

Know Your Moves (Go to a specific slide)

Right-click, point to go on the shortcut menu, and then click Previously Viewed.

Know Your Moves (See previously viewed slide)

Press the B key -This turns the audience's monitor black

Know Your Moves (Temporarily black out the screen during a presentation)

• Press the B key again to return to the currentslide

• Press any of the keys listed above to move to the next screen

• Press any of the keys listed above to return to the screen previously displayed

Know Your Moves (To resume the slide show)

A fun little feature included on most standard slideshow creation software is the ability to add animated transitions to both your slides and text. You can make the next slide fly in from the right, have your text boomerang in and even get your images to fade in to the sound of applause. Even though you can add these effects to your presentation doesn’t mean you should. They often prove to be quite distracting to your audience and tend to decrease from the professionalism of a presentation. Use these transitions conservatively if you choose to add them.

Avoid Transition Animations

Imagery adds greatly to the impact of your presentations. Rather than giving a presentation full of text, you can instead replace bulleted lists with a single image which will add context to your speech. Images distract less and speak volumes. However, you should use images of the real world rather than clip art or cartoons. These are more relatable to your audience and illustrate points quite well. The internet is full of stock photos that were professionally taken and can easily be used in a presentation.

Use Images

1. Don’t give your presentation software center stage.

2. Create a logical flow to your presentation.3. Make your presentation readable.4. Remember, less is more.5. Distribute a handout.

5 Rules for More Effective Presentations

Respectfully Submitted to Prof. Erwin M. Globio, MSIT

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