How to Use PowerPoint Efficiently

By: Rosa Alvarez

Goals to reach with a PowerPoint Presentation

• Make the information interesting and interactive.• Transmittal of knowledge is well organized which

minimizes confusion and higher rate for a successful outcome.

• Acquire less distractions of errors and invitation for more attention and participation from audience.

The How To Reach the goals:

• Font is always legible. • Size of font is in accordance and proportionate to the amount of text

on the screen. • “Custom Animation” to the text is fine as long as it is not

taken overboard. • Know and rehearse the information and data in your

presentations.• To avoid going ahead or to explain something further in detail,

“blank the screen” to get the audiences attention off the PowerPoint to you. (Simply press the B key for a black screen or W key for a white screen on your keyboard when the presentation is active, do the same to go back)

• Make it interactive for the audience. (To draw on the screen of a particular slide to make a highlighting point press Ctrl+P combination and the E key to end)

• Finally repeat your conclusion slide at least three times. (Add 2 or 3 identical slides in case the conclusion goes on longer than planned to avoid the interruption of ending and the screen going to the program window.)

EXAMPLESEffective vs. Ineffective

• FONT SIZE Fancy fonts look nice on any

presentation on the title slide, or slides in between but are they necessary? Also the size of the font being proportionate to the text is important for the comfort of the reader. Read the following sentence.

The cat sat on the mat.

• WRONG FONT SIZE Fancy fonts and/or the wrong

size may gradually start making the audience lose interest or making it difficult to keep their focus because it is just too busy or too much for them. Compare the sentence.

The cat sat on the mat.

examples continued….

• CUSTOM ANIMATION This is a great and fun

feature of PP though be careful with overusing it. It is great to highlight important points or to add charts, also if pictures are to be shown. Customize when needed and with a purpose of making a point stand out in order to demonstrate something.

• TOO MUCH custom animation!!

This feature is a choice not a must. Animation of text, pictures or slide transitions can overpower the presentations information making it useless due to the unsuccessful transmitting of it (examples can be the entrance of this text)

Rehearsing is Important

Doing so will give the presenter confidence in what they are saying. Knowing the material in the presentation will give the audience the assurance to believe and trust what they are viewing. Being uncomfortable with your words, or mismatching verbally with the presentation is a setup for lost conviction and worthlessness of the information presented. If the presentation was setup by the presenter or by another person, rehearsing and studying the content will give it the personal touches it needs to be developed into a great presentation.

Using PowerPoint in the Classroom

• Student engagement increases with the use of effective PowerPoint presentations.

• Flexibility of features to make it useful for any subject lesson.

• Interaction is easier and innovative to the students but by being so students are willing to participate more.

• Preparedness time shortens, organization of the lessons is more accurate and less stressful.

• Sharing the information with other co-workers or teaching partners is more efficient.

• Makes the learning/teaching process THAT much fascinating!

Thank You!

Microsoft PowerPoint

Thank You!

Microsoft PowerPoint