Making Good PowerPoint Presentations

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Making Good PowerPoint Presentations

• By Julie and Karen

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Outline

• Common mistakes in formatting a PowerPoint
  presentation
• Examples of Mistakes
• Tips regarding the content of a presentation

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Mistakes People Make

• Too small text
• Too much text
• Bad color choice
• Moving or flying text and graphics
• Fancy Transitions
• Overly complicated diagrams

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Text Size

• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km
  (36 pt)
• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km
  (32 pt)
• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km
  (24 pt)
• The ozone layer is located between 9km to 50 km
  (18 pt)

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Too much text

• Ozone Greenhouse gas
• Carbon Dioxide May affect ozone layer recovery

• Ozone is also a greenhouse gas in the upper
  atmosphere and, therefore, plays a role in
  Earth's climate. The increases in primary
  greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, may
  affect how the ozone layer recovers in coming
  years.

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Poor Color Choice

• This is hard to read
• This hard too
• This is Impossible
• Light color against dark backgrounds are very
  hard on the eyes

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Moving and Flying Text

• Ozone has a complicated chemistry
• It is formed by NOx and VOCs
• Troposphere Ozone is harmful

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Fancy Transitions
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Hot Air Balloons
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Diagrams
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Diagrams
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Tips to Making Good PowerPoints

• Keep backgrounds the same
• Use dark text and light background
• Skip fancy transitions
• Skip fancy animations and flying text
• Have a good balance of text and graphics

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More Tips

• DO NOT use sentences or paragraphs
• Make graphs and figures large
• 3- 6 bullets per slide
• Spend between 30sec- 2min per slide
• Face the audience, NOT the screen

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Content problems

• Poor Preparation- little thought given to the
  structure of the presentation
• Lack of Balance of Slide Elements- all text no
  graphics, or vice versa
• Using PowerPoint as a crutch instead of a tool

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Tips on Content

• Keep all information concise and to the point
• Make sure all diagrams and graphics are
  meaningful
• Start with an Outline slide
• End with a Summary or Conclusion slide

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Summary

• Keep the presentation simple
• Avoid unnecessary sounds and animations
• Keep information well organized
• DO NOT read from your slides verbatim
• Remind your audience of key points at the end of
  the presentation