PowerPoints for the Individual
Presentation Project should include:
- a title slide
- an overview slide
- ID footer
- slide numbers
- a customized template for your subject
- animation
- transitions
- a summary slide
- at least one chart slide
- an auto shape slide
When setting up the titles for your slides, don't use
generic titles (Overview, Summary). Use self
contained titles (March of Dimes: Overview, March of
Dimes: Summary). This way the slides will stand on
their own even if they're separated from previous
slides.
Don't put the ID Footer or the slide number on the
first slide (the title slide). That information is
normally on the title slide already. When
formatting the ID footer, change the layout to left
justification. Move the footer to the left so that
it lines up with the text box above it. Tweak the
font size in the footer and the size number up to 14
Times New Roman (TNR).
Design a template specifically for your topic.
Set up the template on the Master slide so it will
appear on all the slides. Make sure the template
does not make the content on the slides unreadable.
Include both slide transitions and animation on your
slides. Normally it isn't necessary to animate the
title of a slide. The slide transition should
serve as the animation of the title.
An auto shape slide is a custom designed series of
boxes or circles with text that can dress up
your presentation content.
The most common mistake in PowerPoint slide design is
to get the font size on the slides too small. The
general rule is 7 x 7. This means that in the main body of
the slide you do not want to have more than seven rows
of information nor more than seven words in a row.
Often this works with a font size no small than 32 TNR.
Try 36.
While it isn't always necessary or possible, try to
have a consistent font size within and between slides. I
usually increase the font size in my title area so that
it is slightly larger than the main text box (i.e. Title
area, 40 TNR, Text box, 36 TNR). Another key issue is to match the
font type between programs if the programs are
interacting (i.e. PowerPoint and Word). My advice
is to use Times New Roman for everything in PowerPoint
and in Word. Everything means all slide text,
chart text, auto shape text, etc.)
Pictures and clip art can dress up a slide.
Make sure that the pictures are crisp and clear in both
the slide show version and the print version.
Your slide need to work in normal view, slide show,
and print. Be careful especially in terms of color
contrasts.
Details. Another common problem is when a slide
is underutilized. This can happen when there is a
lot of blank space on the slide or when slide
information is left out in favor of pictures or clip
art. The slide needs to be rich in detail within
limits. The slides need to have sufficient
information on them so that they could stand by
themselves without verbal explanation and still convey
the proper message to the viewer.
Slides can easily become cluttered with items that
are not necessary. Usually when working with lists
you are looking at phrases not sentences.
Consequently, you can eliminate end punctuation and
small words like "a" and "the". The slides are
guides to the information. They aren't meant to be
read word for word.
