Good PowerPoint Presentation

Nowadays PowerPoint presentations are used almost everywhere. Whether it is in government agencies, public companies, universities and even schools. We often see many presentations that are very colorful and sometimes very dull. Also, sometimes the design of the presentation slides is so bombastic that people pay attention more to the slides rather than what are we trying to present. In this post, I'm going to discuss what is it that makes a good PowerPoint presentation.

1. Title and Key Phrases

A sample of title in a presentation slide.

In each presentation, it is important to have title so that our audience know what are we trying to deliver. The title must be clear and can be seen by the audience. The usage of bold, clear and easy to read letters are essential.

Secondly, the usage of key phrases is a must in each presentation. In any topic that we want to deliver, try to choose the top three or four important points and make them consistently throughout the presentation. Try to limit and simplify the words in the slides and use not more than 3 bullets on each screen so that the audience will be able to grasp what are the main points we want to deliver.

From both slide samples, we can see that the title is clear and can be easily read by the audience. On the contrary, the information given on the other slide contains too many words. This may confuse and/or distract the audience. The presenter should cut out the unnecessary words in the slides so that the information will be much more clearer and easily read by the audience.

2. Slides Layout, Design and Limitation of The Number of Slides

We want our audience to be able to follow our presentation clearly. So, we must construct the layout of our slides carefully. Place the title at the top of the slides so that the audience can see it clearly and phrases should be read from left to right and top to bottom.

The design of the slides is also important because we need to choose the appropriate design for the audience. For business clientele it is better to use a straightforward layout. If the target audience is children, then it is best to use layouts that are full of colors and contains variety of shape.

We must also consider the limitation of the number of slides during our presentation. The purpose of the limitation is to ensure that the presentation will not become too long or drawn out. Also, it avoids the continuity of changing slides because it can be a distraction to the audience.

3. Fonts and Contrasting Colors for Text and Background

A sample of good font choices for formal presentation.

Try to avoid fancy fonts because some of them are very hard to read on the screen. Use fonts such as Arial, Times New Roman or Verdana. If it is possible, you can put at least two different type of fonts for the presentation, one for the title and the other for the phrases. Use large fonts (at least 24 or preferably 30) so that the audience can see clearly.

A sample of contrast between texts and background color.

Another important thing to consider is the contrast between the colors of the text and the background. It is more suitable to use dark text colors on a light background, but avoid white backgrounds. If your presentation is for the formal audience, then it is best to use dark background and light text colors. Also, keep in mind that patterned or textured backgrounds may reduce the readability of your presentation.


4. Use of Photos, Charts and Graphs

A sample of combination of pictures and texts in a slide.

It is highly recommended to include photos, charts, graphs or even videos in presentations. This is to avoid your presentation become very dull and bored the audience.







5. Make Sure Your PowerPoint Slides Can Run on Any Computer
The most crucial part of all is to make sure that your slides are able to run on any computer you are going to use for your presentation. Make sure when you save your presentation slides, it is in a format that can be operated on any computers.



These are all essential points that I consider to be very crucial on how to make a good PowerPoint presentation. The sample slides that I included in this post is actually a presentation that I did for my IPD class. I personally considered that the slides are still not good enough because I use a lot of words to explain the topic that I was presenting during that time. I hope that this post can help those who view my blog in doing their presentations.

Cheers.

References:
- http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpointinbusiness/tp/bus_pres_tips.htm

- http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-a-Good-PowerPoint-Presentation&id=4313178