Guidesheet

PowerPoint Guidesheet

PowerPoint (or any other electronic screen presentation software) is a way to connect image and text, graphics and information in an exciting form for presentation to a live audience or on the World Wide Web. It's that combination that is important in a society where many of us obtain a significant portion of our information from television or the "Web". These media combine image and text too!

Principles to developing an effective presentation:

Purpose: The first step in creating a presentation is to determine the purpose. What is the central theme? Do you have a call to action? What will your final slide ask the audience to do? Sometimes starting at the final slide can help you develop the presentation in an effective manner.

Determine the most important content to support the purpose of the presentation. That content should be incorporated into the visuals you prepare using the software. Supportive content can be presented verbally.

Movement: Graphic layout and design can control the movement of the eye. This important because the average attention span on any visual is 8 seconds. Helping a viewer find the most important information in that 8 seconds can enhance a presentation. Design templates are background patterns created by graphic artists. They have coordinated fonts, colors and graphic elements.

Complex fonts slow eye movement; simple fonts speeds eye movement. Visuals where additional information is added as the slide remains on the screen are called builds. These are effective in controlling eye movement.

Arrows can substitute as pointing devices in a visual presentation. Emphatic headings, geometric shapes, clip art and photographs can contribute to eye movement. All of these can help focus the viewer to the most important part of the visual.

Color is important as it can impact the emotional response the viewer has to the information being presented. These background colors have the following effects:

The most effective color combination is a medium blue with yellow text for projected presentations.

One background color throughout the presentation is effective. One color change to emphasize an important point can also be used effective. Arranging colors from dark on the bottom to light on the top can also influence eye movement in a positive way.