Keeping the power in the PowerPoint – a view from the gallery

 

[opera theatre*]

Presentations, in-person or virtual, must have PowerPoint slides or so it appears. It is no longer acceptable to just speak clearly and be organized. The messages need a visual crutch. While many embrace the use of this technical tool and have mastered it, many others, including experienced professionals, are not experts in PowerPoint are unsure how to best use it. My long exposure with PowerPoint is mainly through suffering through engineering student presentations. Over the years, I have had the privilege of viewing hundreds of student attempts to boost their oral presentation by adding slides, with varying degrees of success. I have also prepared quite a few PowerPoint presentations when I have lectured at various conferences. From this experience, I can state as an observer that the best PowerPoint slides use selected words to reinforce the oral message and are ideal of numbers and statistics. Furthermore, considered use of graphics, colors and fonts are vital for their success.

[script]

In choosing which words to insert in a slide, it is vital to remember that PowerPoint is the bridesmaid, not the bride. In other words, it is a serious error to insert the script of a presentation in the slides (unless the slides are for student review of the material) because people will almost always prefer to read a text than listen to a lecturer. Therefore, PDF slides should include phrases or words, not sentences, which will be orally explained in depth by the lecturer. Not only does the audience pay greater attention to the lecturer but the words on the slide reinforce the key words through wish they remember the content. If it is necessary to insert a full quote, it is advisable to limit its length or highlight the relevant parts. An additional advantage of outline style text is that it reminds lecturers of their intended content, a vital hint when preparation time is limited. PowerPoint texts should be short and specific enough to create a visual cue to the oral material.

[numbers]

By contrast, PowerPoint is perfect medium for numbers. Even in their native languages, listeners find it difficult to grasp numbers, even simple ones, when spoken. By contrast, it is possible to effectively provide a full set of statistics on a slide. However, it is vital for the lecturer to organize and present an interpreted set of numbers, not raw data. Listeners generally do not want to spend time analyzing statistics and expect the lecturer to have already done so. Of course, everything in moderation, including numbers. Avoid overloading the content of any single slide. This use of PowerPoint for numbers definitely adds value.

[dart]

For graphics, simplicity is best to ensure that they do not overwhelm the content. It is generally not desirable to have all items appear at once on a slide as a full list causes the audience to count them down and even try to figure out when this slide will end. While PowerPoint has a wide variety of animation styles to determine how items appear, no matter how creative the use, they fail to impress after a few repetitions. Pictures can either provide essential details, such as a drawing showing the name of the parts or chart showing the action flow, or reinforce the messages by adding a visual image representing the main point of the slide. Either way, they boost the message.

[green on green]

Color and font must be appropriate. The best hue is often a matter of audience expectations and lecturer preference. However, dark text on a dark background is hard to read. Also, it is vital to keep in mind that a beautiful combination on a PC or laptop may look rather different through a projector. A good tip is to run the presentation on the actual system before the lecture. As for font, it is vital to ensure that the size and form are easy to read. Clearly, pseudo handwriting and overly ornate fonts create problems for the audience. The easiest way to check if the font is acceptable is to ask several people for their opinion. Once again, practicality is the essence.

It is not necessary to be maven on PowerPoint or graphic artist or invest copious amounts of time to produce an effective PowerPoint. By making the written text add value to the oral presentation, presenting numbers in written form and thinking about audience ease when choosing graphics and form, listeners enjoy the audio-visual performance, with the PowerPoint reinforcing the message to the gallery.

* Captions help the blind access the Internt.

All picture through Pixibay.