Powerpoint Presentations: Using Computer Technology
From Coopman, Stephanie J. and James Lull. _Public Speaking: The Evolving Art_ Boston: Wadsworth Publishing, 2008. 285-88.
When used in moderation, presentation software can help you produce a more conversational and engaging presentations.` But remember: Presentation software will not give your speech for you. Nor should it be more prominent than you, the speaker. You give a "speech,' not a "PowerPoint presentation," and you and your message must remain the primary focal points.
To use digital slides effectively, follow these guidelines:
- Carefully develop your speech and then consider how you'll support your oral materials with digital slides. Avoid taking the reverse approach, overpreparing your digital slides and underpreparing the rest of your presentation. The success of your speech depends primarily on the quality of what you've got to say.
- Use digital slides sparingly. Audiences tire of too much visual information and will tune you out If they feel visually overwhelmed. When used inappropriately, digital slides take the emotion and personality out of the speech and diminish the vital connection between speaker and audience . Use digital slides in a way that keeps your audience connected to you and your topic.
- Balance creativity with clarity and predictability with spontaneity. Avoid depending on the standard templates, clip art, and animation techniques that presentation software programs provide. Because PowerPoint is so widely used today, everyone Immediately recognizes those predictable visual forms. Research has found that although audiences generally prefer digital slides to overhead trans parencies, the software's animations and sound effects are viewed negatively.'" Keep your slides clear and easy for the audience to understand.
DIGITAL SLIDE DESIGN TIPS
With presentation software, you have more elements to consider than with other visual media. For example, you can make visual transitions from one slide to the next and select special effects that animate your graphical material. These features represent real advantages over other presentation media, but only when you use them strategically and sparingly.
The general guidelines for visual design presented in Table 11.2 outline most of what you need to know about designing digital slides. If you use presentation software, keep the following additional guidelines in mind when designing the slides for your speech:
- Avoid relying on text or numbers. The most effective use of presentation software is for visual, not textual or numerical, representation. The visuals may be still or moving images. (See Figure 11.1.)
- Limit the number of bullet points for each slide. If you decide to use text, don't bore your audience with lengthy, wordy slides. Use a maximum of four to six bullet points per slide. (See Figure 11.2.)
- Limit the number of words for each bullet point. Use just a few words or a brief phrase for each bullet point. (See Figure 11.3.)
- Make the type font large and clean. Keep the font size large (40-point and above for titles; 20-point and above for text), and stay away from script or overly abstract lettering styles. Use sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, Verdana, and Geneva, for maximum readability. (See Figure 11.4.)
- Choose transitions that fit the tone of your topic and visual material. Presentation software gives you many ways to transition from one slide to the next. Good choices include "fade through black" and "dissolve." Keynote also includes three-dimensional transitions, such as "page flip" and "revolving door." Within a speech, use the same type of transition for all your slides to give the audience a sense of consistency.
- Avoid special effects. Special effects allow you to manipulate the visual field of a digital slide in order to put portions of the field in motion. For instance, you can have an image "fly" in from top or bottom, left or right. Audiences usually find these effects annoying and distracting. Any special effect you use should serve a purpose directly related to your speech purpose.
Using Color
When deciding which colors to use for your digital slides, choose colors that produce high contrast or the greatest difference between the background and the type. The higher the contrast, the easier it is for audiences to see the type against the background, which in turn makes it easier to read. For example, designing digital slides using a dark background color like dark blue, and a much lighter color for the type, like pale yellow, provides a strong contrast. Sometimes it makes sense to match the colors of your slides to the event or organization, such as your school's colors for a presentation that concerns your campus.