Introduction to presentation software

Presentation design

Timing

5 minutes/slide is bad
5 slides/minute is bad
No more than 1 slide/minute

Organisation

Introductory outline slide?
Final slide with contact information?
Acknowledgements at beginning or end?

Sequencing

Avoid

Avoid line

Avoid line-by

Avoid line-by-line

Avoid line-by-line builds

Avoid line-by-line builds
Avoid distracting transitions

Avoid line-by-line builds
Avoid distracting transitions
Use duplicate slides rather than backing up

Slide design

Overall design

Uniform background
Include event name and/or logo?
Include easily readable slide numbers
Go easy on colours

www.bizarro.com 2020 Apr 19, by permission

No more than two different font families
Easy-to-read fonts, not too small
- Sans serif is probably good
- All caps is bad
Should be legible when standing 15' away from a 15" monitor
(equivalent to holding 35-mm slide at arm’s length).

Background/foreground:

have enough contrast (avoid background gradient)
don’t have too much contrast

light on dark (e.g., yellow on blue)
- make presentation jump off screen
- avoid glare of bright background
or dark on light
- to avoid making the room too dark

avoid distracting backgrounds, logos, etc.
test: colours may not look the same with a projector

Individual slides

Maximum 5-7 lines/slide
Maximum 7 words/line
Double space lines of text
Simple enough to digest in 20 seconds

Telegraph style
- Should not contain all words that will be spoken
- Should contain all key words

Graphs are better than tables
Possibly use contrasting colour for list item being talked about

Graphs are better than tables
Possibly use contrasting colour for list item being talked about

Compatibility issues

If you use fancy fonts, you may have problems with font substitution if you do not present using your own computer
Similarly for other fancy effects

Do image cropping and resizing outside the presentation software, i.e., in a paint programme

red

purple

Avoid red and purple, because often not well projected
Stay away from edges of screen

Complain if they insist on PowerPoint

Software

Logistics

Backup

Bring copy on USB drive in case your computer fails
Bring backup (e.g., paper copy) in case of broken projector
Carry material with you, don’t put in checked baggage

Projector

Arrange to borrow a digital projector if necessary.
Bring your own video cable?
Make sure you have the required adapter.

Resolution of the projector – or 800×600, 1024×768, …?

Change resolution of laptop if necessary; disable laptop screen if necessary to avoid interpolation.

Allow projector to cool down before turning off power.

Computer

Bring own computer; or
find out if available computer will have required software; or
bring your own slide-show viewer software; or
bring your whole slide show in a self-displaying package

Check for

right version of viewing software
right version of operating system

Make sure you include any video files, etc.
Use PowerPoint’s ‘Pack and Go’, Corel’s ‘Show on the Go’, or similar feature

Power:

Make sure you have AC adapter and/or that batteries are charged.
Turn off screensaver and/or powersaver.

Putting it onto the Web

Set of Web pages: avoid using features which are not compatible with all browsers.
PDF

Presentation creation

To facilitate the creation of slides with consistent appearance, presentation software uses

backgrounds that are defined once and applied to every slide
predefined slide layouts
styles for text and graphics

R. Funnell

Last modified: 2024-05-10 20:10:19