PowerPoint is widely used in presentations, but it is not always used well. By discussing the most common examples of PowerPoint bad practice, this handout offers guidance on effective PowerPoint design and layout.
1. The slide with too much to say
Look at the slide below. It shows one of the most common mistakes made in creating PowerPoint slides: far too many words.
Layout
There are six bullet points on this slide, most of which spill onto a second line. This makes the slide look cramped and difficult to read.
When constructing a slide, ask yourself: Do the words on this slide support what I have to say or do they say it all for me?
Use slides to support what you are going to say, not to report what you are going to say.
Take a good look at the bullet points on the slide above. How would you edit these to turn this slide into a support tool?
Do not fear brevity. Being brief is exactly what is called for in PowerPoint slides. For example, the first two points of the above slide would have been better saying:
- 'prompts you'
- 'supports a point'
Consider the amount of white space there is between bullets and around the edges. Too little white space can make the slide look cluttered and also impedes people’s ability to read the slide.
Font
For clearly visible text, the minimum font size should be 20 point.
The slide above used the font,Times New Roman, but a plain font, such as Verdana or Arial, works best on screen.
Style
For PowerPoint slides, a light font on a dark background, such as yellow on blue or white on purple, works best. For overhead slides, the opposite holds true, and black on white is most effective.
2. The slide with not enough space to make its point
Below is another example of an ineffective slide. Here, the space in which to make a point has been invaded by a huge sidebar and logo.
The sidebar also completely steals the limelight from the title of the slide, which further serves to dilute the slide’s effectiveness.
Note the logo in the bottom right-hand corner. It takes up more space than is necessary and is distracting.
Logos should be saved for welcome slides only. If you have your projector set up well in advance, you can display the logo for 10 minutes before everyone is ready to begin.
3. The visual melting-pot
Pictures or visuals in PowerPoint slides are, generally, effective. If a picture can properly sum up a point without the need for words, it’s probably a good idea to use it.
Pictures introduce variety to slides and can really help an audience to retain information. However, there remain some serious points worth noting. Look at the example below and try to spot what is wrong.
The main picture is actually quite inappropriate. The slide is supporting a talk on offering choices, a topic which is undoubtedly positive by its very nature. Look closely at the picture though. The person looks like they are tearing their hair out. They look stressed and anxious. This really doesn’t capture the point being made and may impact on people’s memories more than the words themselves.
It is also good practice not to mix styles of visuals on one slide. For example, the photograph, stick man, and other cartoons on the above slide clearly do not belong together.
Mixing styles makes slides look messy and unprofessional. Choose one style and stick with it.
If the aim of using visuals is to get away from too many words, does each picture require a written statement alongside it, particularly if you are going to discuss these points in your presentation?
4. The dreaded slide transition
If you make some, or even all, of the PowerPoint clangers listed above, chances are your audience will forgive you. If, however, you have chosen to use your presentation as a showcase for PowerPoint’s full range of slide transition options, things may turn out differently. (The slide transition option is the part where you can select how you want the next slide to appear when you click the button to move on.)
This option is best left well alone. It may seem boring to just click on to the next slide, but there is nothing worse than a dizzying array of slides being presented, at speed, to your audience. This will merely serve as a distraction from what you are saying, and both visual impact and content will be lost.
If, however, you feel that the benefits of slide transitions outweigh the negative points outlined above, be consistent in the style you use.
There is also the option to include sound in your presentation. This can help people to understand and retain information better. However, if you are simply using sound effects for the sake of it, this could start to irritate people very quickly.