Tips for Preparing Effective PowerPoint Presentations?

Answer 1

Some tips you can share with your peers on how to use PowerPoint is :

• Do not read the slides
• Do not put too much information on the slide
• Emphasize images over text
• Know when not to use a slide
• Avoid animations and sounds
• Create an outline for your presentation
• Use contrasting colors that your audience can read
• Use a font size that is large enough for your audience to read

<3 Salena <3

Answer 2

Chances are you'll have to prepare a PowerPoint (or some other sort of computerized slide presentation) during your college career. Slides should enhance your presentation, not detract from it. Here are some tips for making them as effective as possible in terms of both design and content.

• Use text sparingly. A lot of text on a slide tends to overwhelm the viewer and makes him/her attempt to read the text instead of listening to what you are saying. Instead, use key words or phrases to drive home the essential aspects of your presentation.
• Don't read off of your slides. Many presenters make the mistake of reading content directly from their PowerPoint slides. Your slides should not contain your entire presentation. Instead, prepare separate notes and in these notes indicate where you need to change slides.
• Use “special effects” judiciously. There are a lot of “effects” on PowerPoint (dissolving text, bullet points that fly in from the side, etc.) that one can choose to enhance a presentation. Using too many of these tends to detract from the content of the presentation. So, be wise about when and where you implement these effects in your presentation.
• Choose images wisely. Just like text, too many images can overwhelm the viewer and distract him or her from the content of your presentation. Make sure the images you use apply directly to the content of your presentation. Images can be very powerful and often stay in the viewer's mind longer than words. Think about what types of images you want to linger in your viewers' thoughts and use these to enhance your presentation.
• Keep charts, graphs and diagrams simple.Charts, graphs and diagrams should be clear, simple, and relate directly to what you are talking about. If a chart, graph or diagram is too complex, this will distract viewers from what you are talking about.
• Use font consistently. The best advice I have for font use is to be consistent. Choose one type of font for headers and another for key information (or use the same font in different sizes). Using too many different types of font makes your presentation appear cluttered and unprofessional.
• Be aware of color. Colors should coordinate and be easy on the eyes. When choosing colors, be aware of the fact that many of us have associations with different colors (red means urgent or stop, green means money or the environment, etc.).