Tips and Tricks for a successful

PowerPoint presentation

Here are some pointers that you may consider in your presentations in PowerPoint:

o Keep each slide simple. Too many fancy effects and “bells and whistles” often distract the viewer rather than help them focus on your ideas.

o Try and keep the ideas, or points, on each slide down to four or five at the most. Laundry lists on slides are hard to read and hard on the viewers eyes. You may want to add another slide to break up a list of points.

o Make sure that the colors that you have chosen for background and design templates go with the ideas being presented. Loud colors are often a distraction, or turn viewers heads away from the presentation.

o Be very selective about when you wish to use a transition- be it visual, or a sound effect. Transitions may be fun to play with, but again there is a time and a place for them. A very important presentation probably does not need fancy or, again distracting, transitions.

o Make sure that the number of slides is appropriate. If the presentation includes twenty-five slides, and you are slotted for ten minutes, you may wish to re-think the amount information on each slide as well reducing and re-organizing the overall presentation.

o The size of the font and color of the lettering are important to consider. Does the color make it hard to read on a particular background? Is the font to big or too small too read?

o Are the images or animation in the presentation used appropriately? Is the positioning correct, or is it overlapping text?

o Is it easy to see from a distance? Is a clear image, if you are using a downloaded image or digital image? If not you may consider finding a better image.

Overall rule of thumb:

Let simplicity be your guide.

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