PowerPoint Helps Showcase the Star of the Show: You!

After reading the articles concerning PowerPoint presentations, I feel I am guilty of a few mistakes I have made in the past concerning my assignments. I found the "Top Ten Slide Tips" article to be very helpful. It had extensive information concerning what graphs to insert into a presentation. This article also talked about bullets and when you should use your own notes instead of putting it all on a slide. The second article titled "Recommendations for Faculty on PowerPoint" had a great deal of information concerning design. Design is important when it comes to a PowerPoint presentation because your design should complement your speech and not overpower it. Some things I find annoying about PowerPoint inserting video and sound into a presentation. I tend to get frustrated when I need to do this for an assignment. Here are some important guidelines to follow when putting together a PowerPoint presentation together. First you should keep your presentation relatively simple. This means there shouldn't be lots of pictures and text that cover the entire slide, but a simple slide that covers the main points and isn't crowded. The second guideline would be to use color to your advantage. By using color you can draw your audience in closer which is always a good thing! People respond to color so it is important to pay attention to this detail in your PowerPoint. The third guideline to consider is limiting what you put in your bullets. Often too much information is crammed into bullets on a slide making the overall presentation look confusing. Instead try to use just a few main points to keep it simple. The fourth guideline is to use better quality graphics rather than clip art. Many times clip art is easier ,however the results aren't the same. By using your own photos you can add a personal touch ,yet still look professional. Lastly the fifth guideline is to use the notes option on Microsoft PowerPoint. Using this tool will allow you to keep your ideas together without overcrowding your PowerPoint. Overall PowerPoint is a good tool where people can convey their ideas and data to an audience. The most important key to a good PowerPoint is how you connect with the audience. Your PowerPoint should complement your speech.