Some common errors in presentations

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Some common errors in presentations

• How not to impress your audience!

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As we have described in Chapter 9 on
Presentations, the way information is presented
is very important. The following slides will
illustrate examples of poor practice in
presentations and give brief tips for good
practice. You can read through the presentation
slide by slide, or use the links in the Index to
jump to specific topics.
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Index

• Contrast
• Choosing a font
• Font size
• Content and text layout
• Display features
• Data presentation
• Delivery

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Contrast

• Make sure that the text stands out clearly from
  the background
• Check your presentation using a projector as the
  colours on your computer screen may not appear
  the same when they are projected

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Choose the text font and background colours to
give strong contrast
Choose the text font and background colours to
give strong contrast
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Avoid putting text over busy backgrounds where
the contrast changes
Avoid putting text over busy backgrounds where
the contrast changes
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Choosing a font

• It is important to use simple fonts that are easy
  to read quickly
• It is important to use simple fonts that are easy
  to read quickly

Avoid using fonts that are too ornate, such as in
the first example, because these can be difficult
to read.
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Some examples of clear fonts
This font is Arial used in this
presentation This font is Trebuchet This font is
CG Times This font is Lucida sans serif This font
is Palatino
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9
Font size

• Make sure the font size is large enough to be
  legible from the back of the room this is 16
  point and is too small for a large room
• Make sure the font size is large enough to be
  legible from the back of the room this is 32
  point and is very clear
• This font is 20 point and is probably the
  smallest you should use

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Font size a tip

• When using text boxes in PowerPoint take care of
  the font size if the text overfills the box,
  PowerPoint may auto-adjust the font size. This
  was set at 32 point but has been auto-adjusted to
  fit.

• When using text boxes in PowerPoint take care of
  the font size if the text overfills the box,
  PowerPoint may auto-adjust the font size. This is
  what 32 point should look like the box has been
  expanded to maintain the font size.

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Text content

• Avoid putting too much information on a slide
• Too much text makes it difficult to read
• Too much text on the slide, as in this example,
  will detract from what you are saying in your
  presentation because the audience will be reading
  the slide and not listening to what you are saying

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Text content

• Use text sparingly
• Use text to emphasise a few key points 4 or 5
  at most on a slide
• Keep each bullet point short if possible not
  more than about 15 words
• When presenting try to avoid reading out the
  text

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Text layout

• Avoid having a cluttered appearance
• Text lines should be spaced out
• Use extra spacing to separate different topics
• Dont cram the content on the slide

• Avoid having a cluttered appearance
• Text lines should be spaced out
• Use extra spacing to separate different topics
• Dont cram the content on the slide

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Display features

• Avoid using lots of display features as they can
  be distracting and irritating for the audience
• This includes things like displaying one word at
  a time
• Or using fly-ins from different places
• Just keep it simple!

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Data presentation tables
Table 1. Effect of nutrient supplements

• Whats wrong with this Table?
• Title is unclear
• Too much information crammed in
• Font too small
• Some units missing

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Data presentation tables
Table 1. Effect of nutrient supplements on growth
of growtaller spp. Means s.d., n 54 in each
group. Significantly different at p lt 0.05,
Students t test
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Data presentation tables key points

• Only show key information avoid too many
  rows/columns
• Check the font is large enough
• Make sure the title and format are clear
• Test the projection make sure you can read it
  easily from the back of the lecture theatre.

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Data presentation graphs

• Make sure that you have presented the data
  correctly see Chapter 6 page 100
• Use font/symbol colours that give a strong
  contrast
• Use fonts/symbols that are large enough to be
  seen clearly
• View the projection of the graph from the back of
  the lecture theatre can you see everything
  clearly?

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Delivering the presentation key points

• Rehearse the presentation
• Check for time
• Make sure the slides appear as you want them when
  projected
• Make sure you know what you want to say
• Engage the audience dont read from the slides
  or from a script
• Dont rush speak clearly

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