Summer 2006

PDF version, 2 pages, 608KB

Checklist for Creating Your Next PowerPoint Slide Show

When you open PowerPoint and begin to create your slide show for your next class, meeting, or other presentation, use these guidelines as your checklist to creating an effective support tool for your presentation. Help your audience focus on you and your message — not on how the slides look.

The sample slides below present the same information. The first slide presents it in a way that interferes with good communication. The second slide is an example of good design which is more readable – larger text and contrasting colors.

Print is not projection

Graphics prepared for print do not project well (see first sample slide below). Simplify images with large text and appropriate colors to be readable. Design or redesign your information for the intended output.

Limit amount of information

Focus on your primary ideas and limit the amount of information on your visual.

• Make each visual a hint, not the whole story. Strive for:
  • 1 main point per visual
  • 25 words per visual
  • 5 lines per visual
  • 1 thought per line
  • 5 words per line
• Use images (graphs, tables, illustrations or photographs) that are pertinent to your message.
  • Keep text to a minimum and add a visual component to enhance communication.
  • Avoid graphic overload.

Make information legible and readable

• Use text large enough to be read without effort. Titles should be 36-48 point and body text should be 24-36 point.
• Use medium sized lines on fonts and graphics as fine lines tend to disappear when projected (see the "Fonts" sample slide below).
• Use a combination of uppercase and lowercase lettering for easier reading.
• Avoid underlining. Underlining interferes with the descenders of the letters and reduces the distinctness of the shape of the words – making them harder to read.
• To emphasize a word or phrase, change the colors, type, size, and/or weight of the text.
• Use drop shadows, particularly on text. Keep the shadow close to the text so it doesn't appear as a separate line of text.
• Make sure there is a high contrast between the foreground and background colors so the text and graphics are readable. Text and graphics must be clearly seen when superimposed on any background.
  • Use dark blues, greens, grays, purples, and black for the backgrounds.
  • Use white, yellows, and light reds or oranges for text and graphics.
  • May use dark text on a lighter background in a room that will have more light.
• Use solid blocks of color in charts and graphs instead of textures and patterns to avoid interference with readability.
• Leave plenty of space around information. This increases readability.

Use good design

• Use no more than 2-3 typefaces and styles (bold, italic, etc.) per presentation.
• Use sans serif fonts such as Arial & Helvetica instead of serif fonts. Serif fonts have thin lines on the letters that may not project well and will decrease legibility (see the "Fonts" sample slide below).
• Use bullet lists to group and arrange ideas. Avoid using punctuation or whole sentences.
• Avoid using hyphenation as it decreases readability.
• Use appropriate bullets in easy-to-see colors, sizes and styles (see the "Bullets" sample slide below).
• Format bullets with hanging indents.
• Use animations and transitions with care. Transitions that reveal bulleted lists are good to use when you have several points to make on one slide. Use no more than 3-5 animation series in a presentation.

Use color correctly

• Use color to emphasize, highlight, organize, and prioritize.
• Be careful which colors you use together (see the "Color Use" sample slide below).
  • Do not use medium-to-dark blue on black. It looks out of focus and the colors are hard to distinguish. This decreases readability (see the "Color Combinations" sample slide below).
  • Do not use red and green together. Some people are red-green color-blind and see these colors as the same (see the "Color Combinations" sample slide below).

Make visuals simple and consistent

• Don't change color schemes with each slide. Keep the color scheme consistent throughout your presentation.
• Keep visuals as simple as possible. Complex visuals decrease readability and increase confusion.
• Keep page elements consistent. For example, use the same colors for each page element (background, title, body text) and keep the page elements in same locations from slide to slide.
• Reference for illustrations or photos from another source should be written on the slide with only the author's or artist's last name and date of publication.

Proofread and preview

• Proofread your visuals. And then have someone else proofread them for you.
• Test your type size in the "View Show" mode. Stand ten feet from your computer monitor. If you can't read the text, people in the meeting or conference room probably won't be able to read it.
• Preview your slide show with a computer and LCD projector, preferably on the same equipment you will use during the presentation. All mediums don't show color the same so the color you see on your monitor may not match the color the LCD projector shows on the large screen.

Learn more with these tutorials and tips

This checklist is a condensed version of the "Graphic Tips for Presentations" guide created by Lana Johnson (CIT) and Jim King (AgLEC). To access the full guide, please go to the CIT Tips, Tricks, and Techniques website.

If you are looking for a step-by-step tutorial, please go to CIT Computing's "Online Self-Paced Learning Resources" page and click on these resource links.

• Creating Effective Presentations with PowerPoint, Teaching Skills Workshop (Spring 2004)
• LTS Online Help Documentation, UW-Eau Claire (PowerPoint XP/2002, 2003/Mac 2004 versions)

For helpful tips to help you use PowerPoint more effectively, please go to the CIT Tips, Tricks, and Techniques website and check out these resources.

• Tips for Creating a Better PowerPoint Slide Show
• Mastering PowerPoint's Master View
• gives your presentation a consistent, professional look
• Tips for Effectively Running a Powerpoint Slide Show During Your Presentation
• Using Video in PowerPoint
• Inserting Macromedia Flash Animations to Play During a Slide Show
• Taking Your PowerPoint Slide Show to the Web

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Posted August 1, 2006

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