All these while, I always thought that a good presentation slide is one that is cramped with information for audience to read through.
This is a common mistake that can be seen done by those who are new in presenting with slides.
Here, I will provide some TIPS for making a GOOD PowerPoint presentation.
A good or bad PowerPoint design can be evaluated through its slides' layout design and content arrangement. According to Anderson (1987), a good document design will facilitate readers to read and understand efficiently and also it should highlight on the most important contents. Not only that, it suppose to encourage readers to feel good about a communication.
Provided below are two screen captures of slides that is considered good slide [Figure 1.] and a bad slide [Figure 2] which I will be comparing in this post.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
In Figure 1, there is title. This is considered a good slide because Marquez (2010) comment that a clear title must be provided in each slide. As compared to Figure 2, there is no title to label what is to be discussed. Moreover, Reep (2006) also declare that the title will grasp the reader’s attention to the area under discussion. Likewise, key phrases are recommended for readers to skim the text for information
In figure 1, it contains several key points that are separated from the title so that the audiences understand the flow of the document (Reep, 2006). Likewise, Putnis & Petelin (1996) mentions that key phrases are recommended for readers to easily browse the text for information.
Figure 2 in contrast, the information are all scattered around the slide where and it contains seven bullet points all cramped in that one slide which resulted in unbalanced between the negative (white) and the positive (text) space. .As suggested by Russell (n.d.), it is better not to use more than three bullet points per slide. Additionally, the important information is placed near the bottom of the slide in figure 2 will be difficult for audiences who are viewing from the back rows (Russell, n.d.).
Figure 2 in contrast, the information are all scattered around the slide where and it contains seven bullet points all cramped in that one slide which resulted in unbalanced between the negative (white) and the positive (text) space. .As suggested by Russell (n.d.), it is better not to use more than three bullet points per slide. Additionally, the important information is placed near the bottom of the slide in figure 2 will be difficult for audiences who are viewing from the back rows (Russell, n.d.).
In conclusion, keep the design of your document simple, organized and yet engaging so that audiences can easily understand what you are going to convey to them.
References :
Anderson, P 1987, "Technical presenting: A reader-centered approach", 2nd edn, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Orlando, Florida.
Marguez, ZL 2010, 'How to Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation', Ezine articles, viewed on 4 April 2010, <http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-a-Good-PowerPoint-Presentation&id=4313178>.
Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, Writing to communicate in Professional communication: principles and applications, Prentice Hall, Sydney, pp. 223-263.
Russell, W n.d., '10 Tips for Creating Successful Business Presentations', viewed on 4 April 2011, <http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpointinbusiness/tp/bus_pres_tips.htm>.
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