I follow Garr Reynolds "Presentation Zen" style with my slides. You can to! Sorry but some text boxes have mysteriously added a shadow effect which wasn't on the original! Comments are very welcome.

1. Presentation Skills for geographers Simple design tips to improve learning

2. Bad design and presentation never killed anyone, but it never inspired anyone either! Take a look at this guy!

4. So, our aim is to learn some basics of good design and keep things simple, balanced and above all, Beautiful! Check out “Presentation Zen: Simple ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery” by Garr Reynolds .

5. Garr Garr’s book

6. Go Visual!

7. Go Visual! Empty space allows us to appreciate what is not there, & makes our visual messages stronger. Make your image fill up the whole slide. Yes, right up to the edge! Place your text inside it. Use less than seven words in each slide. Trust me!

8. Let the image tell your story!

9. Good presentations target students “left brain” & “right brain”. We are hardwired to understand images. Going visual improves communication. Use your image to draw out students high order thinking skills.

10. Sample Slides A good image allows students to think, wonder and reflect on an issue. A great image can help tell the story in a way bullet points never can.

11. What will this place look like in 1000 years time? How would he describe this place in a phone call to you, right now?

12. Explain the events of the last 24 hours.

13. What will they need in the next six days?... ... six months? ... six years?

14. You are in charge. What needs to go on this plane?

15. Vision beats all our other senses, so...

16. Absolutely no bullet points!

17. Absolutely no bullet points! If you have to use them, save them for the last slide! Students quickly tire of bullet points. What other options do you have?

18. Make it easy on the eye!

19. Make it easy on the eye! Think about the image you are using. A good quality image speaks a thousand words!

20. Flickr Dreamstime Morguefile i-Stock Photo Sources

21. Take care to match colours and backgrounds Take care to match colours and backgrounds T ake care to match colours and backgrounds

22. Take care to match colours and backgrounds Take care to match colours and backgrounds T ake care to match colours and backgrounds If you can’t use colour wisely, then avoid it entirely!

23. simple Use fonts

24. Helvetica Gill Sans Impact The Holy Trinity! These are all examples of Sans Serif fonts, that give any presentation a professional look and feel.

25. Flickr Dreamstime Morguefile i-Stock Photo Sources Helvetica Gill Sans MS

26. Comic Sans MS?

27. Comic Sans MS? Professional designers do not use this font, so why should we? I See No Evil?!!!

28. Practice before presenting

29. Practice before presenting Don’t be tempted to read the text straight from the slide! But what about the detail? Well, the slide should lead to the worksheet, or textbook, so pupils can learn more.

30. Learn from this guy!

31. Learn from this guy! Check out “The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs” by Carmine Gallo Some people even dress like this guy!

32. Absolutely no bullet points! Repeat the slides in your presentation to re-enforce the message Say what you have to say. Say it simply. Say it again!

34. Presentation Skills for geographers Simple design tips to improve learning Simon Jones 2010