Making Presentations That
Audiences Will Love
Use a Template
Use a set font and color scheme.
Different styles are disconcerting to the audience.
You want the audience to focus on what you present,
not the way you present.
Fonts
Choose a clean font that is easy to read.
Roman and Gothic typefaces are easier to read than
Script or Old English.
Stick with one or two types of fonts.
Font Size
Bulleted items should be no smaller than 22 points.
The title should be no smaller than 28 points.
Bullets
Keep each bullet to one line, two at the most.
Limit the number of bullets in a screen to six, four if
there is a large title, logo, picture, etc.
– This is known as “cueing”
– You want to “cue” the audience in on what you
are going to say.
Cues can be thought of as a brief “preview.”
This gives the audience a “framework” to build
upon.
Bullets (con.)
If you crowd too much text, the audience will not
read it.
– Too much text makes it look busy and is hard to
read.
– Why should they spend the energy reading it,
when you are going to tell them what it says?
– Our reading speed does not match our listening
speed; hence, they confuse instead of reinforcing
each other.
Caps and Italics
Do not use all capital letters
– Makes text hard to read
– Conceals acronyms
– Denies their use for EMPHASIS
Italics
– Used for “quotes”
– Used to highlight thoughts or ideas
– Used for book, journal, or magazine titles
Colors
Reds and oranges are high-energy but can be difficult
to stay focused on.
Greens, blues, and browns are mellower, but not as
attention grabbing.
White on dark background should not be used if the
audience is more than 20 feet away.
– This set of slides is a good example.
– You can easily read the slides up close.
– It is harder to read the further away you get.
Backgrounds
A white on a dark background was used for this set
of slides as:
– The author assumes most users will view the
presentation on their own computer.
– Having a dark background on a computer screen
reduces glare.
The Color Wheel
Colors separated by another
color are contrasting colors
(also known as
complementary)
Adjacent colors (next to each
other) harmonize with one
another. e.g. Green and Yellow
The color wheel below is
simplified for easy use
Clashing Colors
Colors that are directly
opposite from one another
are said to clash.
These provide readability -
e.g. yellow on blue.
To make a slide stand out, change
the font or background
Illustrations
Use only when needed, otherwise they become
distracters instead of communicators
They should relate to the message and help make a
point
Ask yourself if it makes the message clearer
Simple diagrams are great communicators
Flipcharts
Make letters at least a 1/4
high
Flipcharts with lines are
much easier to write on
Aspect Ratios for Media
Overhead Transparency 4:5
Video 3:4
35mm Transparency 2:3
Overhead & 35mm Screen Size
for Readability
Screen 6’ 8’ 10’ 12’ 15’
1/4 inch 30’ 40’ 50’ 60’ 90’
3/8 inch 45’ 60’ 75’ 90’ 135’
1/2 inch 60’ 80’ 100’ 120’ 180’
Examples:
1/4” type shown on a screen size of 6’ can be seen 30’
away (20 point Times Roman equals 1/4” type)
1/2” type shown on a 10’ screen can be seen 75’ away
(40 point Times Roman equals 1/4” type)
YOU
Do not use the media to hide you
The audience came to see you
The media should enhance the presentation, not BE
the presentation
If all you are going to do is read from the slides or
overheads, then just send them the slides
Remember, only you can prevent
“Death by PowerPoint”
Presentations
by Donald R. Clark (donclark@[Link])
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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