PresentationBestPracticesOr

HowtoAvoid

GeorgeF.HoffmanInstructionalTechnologyTrainingCoordinator

CenterforTeachingandLearningShenandoahUniversity

KnowtheProcess

• Prepare• Design• Deliver

Planning

• Who’syouraudience?• Motivation?• Outline?• Storyboard?• Handouts?

YourTitleSlide

• PresentationTitle• Yourname• Yourtitle• Youraffiliation

Show.Don’tTell.Usevisualcues

DON’Treadyourslides!

KeepitBrief• Keepcontentsimpleandconcise

• Differentslideforeachprimaryidea

• Fiveorfewerwordsfortitles• 20orfewerwordsperslide,ifpossible

(thisslidehas28,includingthetitle!)

PiqueInterest

Aslidedoesnothavetobeself-explanatory.

Itmaybemoreeffectiveifitisnotclearlyunderstooduntilthepresenterexplainsit.Goodpoint!

FontSize

• Always,always,always…atleast24points!

• ThisincludesGRAPHandimagefonts!

• Usedifferentsizedfontsformainandsecondarypoints.

Reader-FriendlyFonts

• Don’tuseallcaps• Don’tusecomplicatedfontsthatmaybehardtoread.

GEORGE George George George GeorgeGeorgeGeorge GEORGE George George George GeorgeGeorgeGEORGE George George George George GeorgeGeorge George George George GeorgeGeorge George George George George GeorgeGeorge George George George George George

(note:Theseareall32points!)

GraphsandTables

• Samerules!Ifthefontistoosmall,yourdatawon’tmeananything!

• Usehandoutsfordetailedinfo.

Reader-FriendlyColors

• Darkbackground/lightletters• Lightbackground/darkletters• Avoidredandyellow

Organization

• Includeoverviewonfirstslide• Followtheorderofyouroverview• Formula:1or2slidesperminuteofyourallottedpresentationtime

• Pointformat,notcompletesentences• 4-5pointsperslide,max.

(continued…)

Organization(cont.)

• Avoidwordiness

Organization(cont.)

• Whenpossible,onepointatatime– Helpsconcentration– Preventsreadingahead– Keepspresentationfocused

Organization(cont.)

• Nodistractinganimations• Limitanimations• Consistentanimations

Saving

Ifpublishingonline,considersavingasaPDF,eitherasafullpresentation,orashandouts,willmorethanoneslidetoapage.