A Powerful Powerpoint

I thought that all three articles had useful information regarding PowerPoint. The Garr Reynolds article was the most informative, the Seth Godin article left the strongest message (ironically about emotion impact), and the educause.edu article was the most concise. The worst PowerPoint presentation I had to sit through was to become a Point Reyes National Park volunteer. The slides, dull to begin with, were read aloud. Any of the three articles would have helped the presentation, especially since the audience, being volunteers, was not going to cling to every word. This brings me to my main dispute with the articles, the audience and purpose of the powerful may need to override some of the tips. For example, Biology I is taught almost exclusively through PowerPoint presentations. If the words on the page were limited as recommended, the slides would be inefficient and possibly chaotic. I learn more by a combination of writing or copying and listening than just listening alone. While most of the Biology slides do in fact follow the guidelines quite well, exceptions are made for slides that detail complicated concepts or processes. However, if the function of the PowerPoint is to make an influential presentation for the public or to make a business proposal, then emotional impact of the slides should generally predominate technical information. The slides should also be aesthetically pleasing as opposed to the Biology slides in which any superfluous design could cause confusion. All in all, here are five tips that I would suggest to someone planning a PowerPoint presentation:

1) Chose a theme for the slides that relates to the topic. The theme should help connect the ideas in the presentation without being distracting. Create a guiding style that encompasses the purpose of the PowerPoint in relation to the audience.

2) Vary the content of the slides. Even slightly superfluous video clips or photographs, if used well, can create comic energy that alerts the mind.

3) Avoid too much animation between slides (fade-in and out) and distracting icons. Annoying and cheesy.

4) Make all text as concise as possible. Use large and clear fonts.

5) Provide a narrative to the slides. Avoid reading the slide. If the information is important enough to say it word for word, memorize it.