USAID Sustainable Local Development Project November 2013

1. How to prepare a catchy
PowerPoint presentation?
Tips and tricks for an
electronic presentation

2. “Technology”

3. Cont rast
Light text
on a dark
background
Dark text
on a light
background

4. Light on dark
Pluses:
 Looks „expensive“
 It’s calming
Minuses:
 Darkened room
 Powerful data projector

5. Dark on light
Pluses:
 Does not depend on light
 Easy to read
Minuses:
 Isn’t it too light?

6. Cont rast
Avoid using
green text
on a red
background …
…and
red text
on a green
background

7. Patterned background
 Disturbing
 Problems
/ scary
with contrast
 Distracting

8. Recommendation…
… use dark text
on light background

9. Text
Two types of letters:
Fonts using
letters “with heels”
Fonts using
letters “without heels”
Serif
Sans serif
Example: Times
Example: Arial

10. Serif fonts
Pluses:
 Easier for reading long texts
Minuses:
 Looks old-fashioned
 Smaller (10%)

11. Sans serif fonts
Pluses:
 Modern and distinct
Minuses:
 Harder for reading long texts

12. Lower and UPPER case
Lower case is easier to read THAN THE UPPER CASE
“Successful industries…linked through
vertical (buyer/supplier) and horizontal
(common customers, technology,
channels etc.) relationships” (Michael
Porter)
“Geographic concentrations of
interconnected companies and
institutions in a particular field” (Michael
Porter)
“SUCCESSFUL INDUSTRIES…
LINKED THROUGH VERTICAL
(BUYER/SUPPLIER) AND
HORIZONTAL (COMMON
CUSTOMERS, TECHNOLOGY,
CHANNELS ETC.) RELATIONSHIPS”
(MICHAEL PORTER)
“GEOGRAPHIC CONCENTRATIONS
OF INTERCONNECTED COMPANIES
AND INSTITUTIONS IN A
PARTICULAR FIELD” (MICHAEL
PORTER)

13. Recommendation…
... use lower case
size at least 28
highlights - bold
alignment!

14. Types of slides
 Bulleted
/ Numbered
 Diagrams
 Charts
 Visualization

15. Bulleting / numbering
 To
outline the message
 Only the essence
 Size of the bullets
 Different color
 Recommendation: 5 - 6 lines per slide

16. Diagrams
 Logical
 Pay
 An
processes
attention to the direction
appropriate visualization
Step I.
Statement
Change
Step II.

17. Charts
 Highly
recommended visualization
 Supports fact-based statements
 Tip: Change colors

18. Visualization
 An
appropriate complement to the text
 Makes
…
presentation more catchy …
and easier to understand
 ClipArt
or picture
or …

19. Recommendation…
If possible avoid the
Microsoft Gallery
ClipArts

20. Animations
 Text
 Bullets
/ lines
 Inserted objects
 Slides / pictures transition
 Shades

21. Animation of text
From Left
From Right
From Top
From Bottom
Zoom In
Grow & Turn
Swivel
Spiral In

22. Bullets - lines
 One
sentence on page –
without animation
 Animate
more information
 From
left to the right
 Avoid
automated animations
 Possibly
fade the color

23. Animation of objects
Pay attention to the direction!!

24. Slides / pictures transition
 Different
slide design – without animation
 Similar slides with the same background animate
 Preferably simple animations

25. Recommendation…
Prefer simple animations in
the direction of reading

26. Recommendation…
Sounds
It‘s better to avoid!!
Only through external
loudspeakers

27. “Contents”

28. Typical structure
of a presentation
 You
 We
have a problem
have the solution
 This
is how it works
 You
can easily have it

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