From the course: Help Yourself: Tech Tips Weekly

PowerPoint: Slideshow tips

- [Instructor] PowerPoint shows have a bad reputation. The reason is that they're easy to create, yet many presenters don't understand how the slideshow presentation can be more effective. To meet with success, here are some PowerPoint slideshow tips. Number one, don't read your slides. I know I just read this slide but you get my point. The first thing your audience does when they see the slide is to hurry up and read it. Use the slide text to reinforce what you say and not to echo it. Avoid the great wall of text. If you want to impart this information, put it in a handout where the audience can read it at their leisure. And don't read this text, please. Use short sentences. Limit bullet points or numbered lists to three, five maximum, and keep animations and transitions consistent and limited. Avoid low resolution images. Don't even couple it with an apology. Just don't use it. Keep up the pace. Be lively. As the presenter, you are also part of the slideshow. You can add a lot to a presentation with your energy and knowledge of the subject. Number your slides even if you provide handouts at the slideshow, put numbers on the slides for references. This way the audience can reference a previous slide by number instead of saying, "You know that one slide "with the picture of the elephants crossing the river", and you can zip right to the slide by typing it's number and then pressing the Enter key. It's a great shortcut. PowerPoint presentations are part of too many meetings to disregard these tips. Your goal is to impart information effectively and hopefully these tips help you arrive at that goal and keep your audience informed and awake.

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