PowerPoint Tips and Advice
Here are some tips for using PowerPoint plus a couple of useful websites to refer to for more help.
Mentor says: PowerPoint is powerful to the point of taking YOUR power away!
So take care to use it to its best effect. Follow the rules below. Always rehearse beforehand so that the technology does not get in the way and maintain eye contact with the audience rather than looking at the screen – a common complaint.
What to do and what not to do with slides:
Only use them in a way that enhances your message and to focus the audience's attention
- Do use them to illustrate points that are hard to visualise
- Do use good quality pictures and illustrations
- Do not use them to try and impress for no good reason
- Do not use them as a guide for yourself - they must help the audience to get your message
- Keep your slides clear and simple
- Keep text to a minimum: as a general rule of thumb have a maximum of five lines (3 is even better) with no more than six words per line
Bear in mind that YOU should to be the main focus of your presentation, not your slides. It's YOU the audience will be interested in. But for those of you who want to know more about using Powerpoint as a visual aid here are some useful links.
Microsoft PowerPoint Assistance
PowerPoint FAQ