Power Point

I like the articles on Power Point because although some of the bad presentation techniques were common sense there were others that I did not know. Also, after reading these articles I know what I will avoid when making Power Point projects in the future. Here is my list of the 5 most important things in Power Point presentations:

1) NEVER use animation if you are trying to create a professional atmosphere or even a serious atmosphere. Animation brings out the most childlike side of everybody watching and can turn even an important issue into slop.

2) Do not read directly off the slides. If doing a presentation, be careful not to write text in such a way that you are just reading it directly off of Power Point. The text should supplement what you say, not BE what you say.

3) Use Colors Appropriately. For use in an everyday arena such as class, color can be distracting and/or annoying. If it keeps changing it can be distracting and if it stays the same for a semester it is probably going to get redundant and annoying. However, in more unique presentations color is very useful.

4) More Images Less Words. Graphs can be very effective as can charts. Pictures and videos can be essential in captivating an audience. Less text is more because it not only shows that you fully understand the topic, but it also lets the audiences combined eyes drift towards the images.

5) Do not choose a crazy font and stick with it for the whole project. While in some cases a strange font can be used effectively it should not be throughout the project. Spend a good amount of time choosing fonts as well because they are important in creating a pattern.