1. Creating Effective PowerPoint
Presentations: 5 Keys for Success
Samantha J. Blevins
July 25, 2012

2. Overview
 Why are effective presentations important?
 Discussion
 5 key points
 Examples and non-examples
 Activity: 8 slide presentation on your favorite
hobby
 Conclusion

3. Why are effective
presentations important?
 PowerPoint can put your audience to
sleep if you
 Read your slides
 Include too much text or too many
graphics
 Don’t proofread
 Make each slide different
 Luckily, there are 5 keys to help prevent
audience boredom!
Image Source: http://mikeramm.com/2007/05/an-awful-presentation/

4. 5 Keys to Creating Great
Presentations
 Choose a theme
 Be consistent
 Color is important
 Less is more
 Whitespace is your ally

5. Choose a Theme
 Gives a professional feel
 Can provide structure
 Fonts and color are preselected and coordinated
 Can be tweaked to meet your needs

6. Example and Non-example

7. Be Consistent
 Font should be the same throughout your
presentation
 Color
 Size
 Placement
 Punctuation
 Differences can be distracting
 Slide transitions should be complimentary
 A different transition for each slide can be
distracting

8. Example and Non-example

9. Color is Important
 Mood for presentation
 i.e. Use school or company colors when appropriate
 Legibility
 Make sure your text color doesn’t interfere with your
background color
 Contrasting colors can help

10. Example and Non-example
Images Source: http://www.thugmed.com/2009/01/medical-presentation-skillz/

11. Less is More
 Don’t fill up every square-inch of your slide
 Watch out for distracting slide or text effects
 Too many can overwhelm

12. Example and Non-example
Image Source: http://carmenchongky.blogspot.com/ Image Source: http://speakupforsuccess.com/services/powerpoint/

13. Whitespace is Your Ally
 Images
 Effective when appropriate
 Don’t need to take up the whole slide
 Golden rule: 2 per page
 Text
 Keep it brief

14. Example and Non-example
Image Source: http://www.mondofacto.com/study-skills/presentation/how-to-create-a-presentation/03.html Image Source: http://speakupforsuccess.com/services/powerpoint/

15. Summary of the 5 Keys
 Choose a theme
 Be consistent
 Color is important
 Less is more
 Whitespace is your ally

16. Practice Activity
 Let’s practice using the key points of our discussion
 Create an 8-10 slide PowerPoint Presentation
 Topic Ideas
 Favorite hobby
 Favorite vacation
 Place you want to visit
 Expectations:
 Present your topic in an open discussion
 Credit will be given for completion
 Let’s learn from each others triumphs and mistakes