PowerPoint Presentation Tips

1. Think about the audience listening to you, make it appealing to them.
2. Keep the background simple and watch the color (i.e. yellow can cause eye fatigue, some color blind people cannot see reds, etc.).
3. Do not use animation or audio – unless it is necessary (rarely is).
4. Keep your slides’ appearance consistent.
5. If you are using graphs, only use one per slide.
6. Do not use more than 3 colors per slide.
7. Avoid very bright or very dark colors.
8. Use solid colors on background.
9. If possible, test your slides on the projector you will be using.
10. Use only 3-5 words per bullet.
11. Use about 5 bullets per slide.
12. Use simple, consistent slide transitions.
13. Font should be 32+ for headings.
14. Font for slide content should be 20+ (keep smaller than headings).
15. Make sure fonts are simple and easy to read (use a sans serif font).
16. Always face the audience, not the projected slides.
17. Do not read from slides or notes, glance at them – do not stare.
18. Involve your audience – ask them questions if appropriate or ask them for stories that support your statements.
19. Practice your speech at least three times.
20. Choose your topic wisely – make your presentation interesting for you and your audience.