Powerpoint Tricks and Tips

I thought that the three different articles did a really great job both giving some background on the reasoning on why and how we use PowerPoint and I was surprised to learn that they taught me a couple lessons that I will now be able to use on my PowerPoint presentations in the future. I thought it was very interesting to learn that powerpoint was created by a group of engineers so that they could better communicate with their marketing teams. I also was surprised to learn rules such as standard backgrounds and graphics from powerpoint should not be used and bullet points are rarely needed. It just seems that based on other presentations I have seen people use these two techniques a lot. Two of the most important suggestions that I took from the articles were that texts should always be size 28 or above and the B key can be used to make a slide go blank so that the audience focus' on the presenter and iformation.

The Guidelines that I found most important and interesting were:

1. Keeping the PowerPoint simple. A very valid point was made in the "Top Ten Slide Tips" article was that the slides are not supposed to be the star of the show, the presenter and the information presented should be the main focus.

2. Limit transitions and builds. Everyone has sat through a painfully drawn out, over-animated presentation at some point during grade school because one of their peers was overly excited or just thought it would be funny to make a slide with a different transition for every single word on it. It is horrible to sit through and it is nearly impossible for the audience to listen to any sort of message or information presented because they are so distracted.

3. Use high-quality graphics. I thought it was interesting that the point was made to use photographs always, and never clip art. I have seen many of my teachers, professors or professional presenters over the years use clip art in their presentations. I think it is a valid point though, clip art does look a lot less professional than a high-quality photograph.

4. Avoid PowerPoint templates for a visual theme. I would not have thought about this either before reading the article "Top Ten Slide Tips." I always thought it was semi-professional to use a standard template from PowerPoint but using an original background would definitely better captivate the audience and make it easier to remember in the viewers head because of its originality.

5. Use color well. I love that the article spoke about color linking to emotions. I find that to be incredibly true. I have so much appreciation for a slide show that uses a combination of colors wisely. It helps me relate to and appreciate the information and the slide so much more than a standard black and white slide would. I also found the information about cooler colors being better for backgrounds and warmer colors being better for foreground text and objects because it pops out at you very beneficial and interesting.