A Guide to PowerPointA Guide to PowerPoint

PowerPoint

• PowerPoint is a part of the Microsoft Office package.

• It is a presentation software program that has many of the functions available in Microsoft Word.

PowerPoint Continued

• To display a presentation, you need:– A computer (desktop or laptop)– LCD projector– White board or screen for projection

Seeing (and Hearing) Is Believing

• PowerPoint presentations can enhance understanding and retention of concepts.

• Audiovisual aids should be relevant to the speech topic.

Designing Presentation Aids

• Do not add too much content.– Keep bullets short

• Visual aids should:– Reinforce– Support– Summarize what you say

Simplicity

Designing Presentation Aids

• Use the same design throughout your presentation

Continuity

Designing Presentation Aids

Continuity

• Maintain continuity in:– Colors– Fonts– upper and lowercase

letters– Styling

• Boldface• Underlining• Italics

Designing Presentation Aids

• Typeface:– a specific style of lettering

• Arial• Times Roman• Courier New• Tahoma• Monotype Corsiva

Typeface

Designing Presentation Aids

• Fonts:– sets of sizes (called the point size)

• 24 point• 20 point• 18 point• 16 point• 10 point

– upper and lower cases

Font Size

Designing Presentation Aids

• Check that your lettering stands apart from your background.

• Use a typeface that is simple, easy to read, and doesn’t distract from your message.

• Don’t overuse boldface, underlining or italics. Use upper-and lowercase type.

Typeface Style And Font Size

Designing Presentation Aids

• Use bold, bright colors to emphasize important points.

• Use softer, lighter colors.• Avoid dark backgrounds.

Color

A How-To Guide for Using Microsoft PowerPoint as a Presentation Aid

A How-To Guide for Using Microsoft PowerPoint as a Presentation Aid

How-To Guide to PowerPoint

• This guide offers straightforward advice that will help you use Microsoft PowerPoint to create effective and enjoyable presentations.

You don’t want your slides to look like this:

Title too small

Font is small and hard to read

Texts overlap and have strange formatting

Clip art is too large; only one piece is necessary

Colors on the slide are distracting

Let’s Begin!• PowerPoint is a Microsoft

application.• If you are proficient in programs

such as Word and Excel, you are already familiar with over 100 common commands used by Microsoft Office software.

Let’s Begin!

• NOTE: All of the icons, example buttons, and toolbars shown in this slide show are taken from the MS PowerPoint 2007.

To Use PowerPoint• Become familiar with the toolbars• Select your presentation option• Learn how to create a slide• Learn how to organize design

elements• Learn how to balance design

elements

Press F5

Press Shift+F5

Switching Views and Navigating a Presentation• The PowerPoint window contains

features common to all Windows programs, as well as features specific to PowerPoint– Slide pane– Notes pane– Slides tab

• Thumbnails– Outline tab

Switching Views and Navigating a Presentation• At the lower right of the

PowerPoint window, on the status bar to the left of the Zoom slider, are three buttons you can use to switch views– Normal view– Slide Sorter view– Slide Show view

Adding a New Slide and Choosing a Layout

Previewing and Printing a Presentation

• PowerPoint provides several printing options– Color, grayscale, or pure black and

white– Handouts are printouts of the slides

themselves; these can be arranged with several slides printed on a page

– Overhead transparency film• Print Preview allows you to see the

slides as they will appear when they are printed

Previewing and Printing a Presentation

Previewing and Printing a Presentation

Organizing Text• Use a readable font and font size

for each different aspect of the page (a good size range is between 20-60 points).

• Be consistent from slide to slide with fonts and font sizes.

• Choose colors that will ensure that your text is readable and your slides do not appear distracting.

Organizing Text• Don’t use too many

different fonts.• DON’T USE ALL CAPS.• Avoid fonts that are

distracting:– Braggadocio– OzHandicraft BT– Shelley Volante BT

Organizing Text• Don’t include your entire speech on

the slides. Instead highlight important points.

• To determine what information is best to include in your presentation, you should:

• Review your speech outline.• Identify points that can be

illustrated, such as key terms and their definitions, statistics, or charts and graphs.

Organizing Clip Art and Pictures

• To insert clip art onto your slide you can:

• Select a slide layout that has a set space for clip art. When working on that slide, simply double-click on the clip art space and it will take you to the Microsoft Clip Gallery.

• Use the Insert menu, click Picture, and then select Clip Art.

• Click on the shortcut icon:

Organizing Clip Art and Pictures

• Remember: use clip art, pictures, charts, and graphs only to illustrate points, not as fillers.

Organizing Animation Effects• PowerPoint has a variety of different

ways that text and art can be animated.

• For example:

Blinds Vertica

l

Fly from Bottom-Left

Box Out

Spiral

Checkerboard Across

Crawl from Right

DissolvePeek from

Bottom

Stretch from Top

Appear

Wipe Right

Zoom In

Organizing Animation Effects• These effects can be interesting

additions to your presentation, but they can also be distracting. Use them sparingly to add emphasis.

• To animate, right-click on the text or image and select Custom Animation from the menu.

• Select the effect you want to use, determine the order of the animations on the slide, and make sure to preview.

Organizing Animation Effects• Take time while in this screen to

determine how your animation effects will appear.

• Clicking on the Timing menu gives you options so that your textboxes, clip art, and other animation elements can be presented on a mouse click, automatically, or automatically after a preset length of time.

Balancing the Elements• Even if you follow all the suggestions

for setting up your slide and its elements, you still may find that your presentation is hard to follow.

• It is important to go back through your completed presentation and make sure that the overall experience of watching it is pleasant as well as educational.

Balancing the Elements

• Defining a balanced slide may seem like a matter of opinion, but there are concrete criteria, including:

• Clip art and text must fit together well. No element -- title, points, graphics -- should overpower the others.

• Headings should be consistent in size and placement. They should be large and clear.

• Easy to understand.

The clip art illustrates the slide and is well placed on the layout.

Example of a Balanced SlideThe title is large and clear.

Good use of contrasting colors on slide and in font.

Text is easy to read and well sized.

Example of an Unbalanced SlideTitle and color scheme are still fine.

Text is too small.

Clip art is too large.

This slide is hard to read and places unnecessary emphasis on the artwork.

Giving Your Presentation

• Practice your speech• Time yourself.