efore getting all caught up in the gee-whiz features of PowerPoint,
remember that the purpose of a presentation is to present information —
not overwhelm the audience with a demonstration of all the software
bells and whistles. In that respect, using PowerPoint is similar to
using a page layout program. The software is merely a tool. Avoid the
typical pitfalls of PowerPoint presentations with purpose, simplicity,
and consistency.
1. Match Design to Purpose
Decide
if your presentation is meant to entertain, inform, persuade, or sell.
Is a light-hearted or a more formal approach most appropriate to the
subject and your audience? Keep colors, clip art, and templates
consistent with your main objective.
PowerPoint
allows you to create custom shows within a presentation. In this way you
create the basic, all-purpose slide show but you can more easily tailor
that presentation to a variety of different audiences.
As
with any design, cut the clutter. Two font families is a good rule of
thumb. No more than one graphic image or chart per slide is another good
rule (excluding any corporate logo or other recurring element in the
design).
Presenter's University suggests the 666
rule for simplicity in design: No more than 6 words per bullet, 6
bullets per image, and 6 word slides in a row.
Use
the same colors and fonts throughout. Select graphic images in the same
style. Templates go a long way toward helping to maintain consistency.
There
are both good and not so good PowerPoint templates available on the
Web. Choose carefully to find the templates that provide consistency,
readability, and are appropriate to your message and image - or create
your own template.
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