Assuming that you know how to create a basic PowerPoint presentation, there are some general rules for visual literacy and interesting hints that apply specifically to the slides you create in PowerPoint:
- Alignment: left justified text is the easiest text to read; the same applies to lists-- use left justification.
- Capitalization: avoid using all CAPS; that makes it harder to read.
- Brevity: don’t clutter your slide with a lot of text. Cut out any unnecessary words -- don’t use more than eight words in a line and no more than eight lines per slide. You can use statements or phrases instead of sentences.
- Fonts: be sure to use at least 36-point type for the title portion of your slide and at least 24-point for the rest.
- Readability: to be sure your slides can be read easily, bring one up on your monitor and see how wide it is. Then stand eight times as far back from the screen and see if you can read it clearly. If you can, it ought to be clear when you project your PowerPoint slides.
- Contrast: slides will project well if you use light type and graphics on a dark background.
- Informality: instead of reading off the screen, be relaxed and use your slides as prompts or as an outline but don’t use them as your cue cards; interact with the audience.
- Visuals: use pictures in place of text because they are easier to understand and more interesting than words. Use outlines, flowcharts, and graphs in place of a lot of words where appropriate. Photos are good but they will make your file much larger—maybe too large to go on a floppy disk if you use even two photos.
- Clip Art: DiscoverySchool is one of many Web resources where you can get free clip art to enliven your PowerPoint slides. Up to ten cartoon illustrations can be downloaded without charge for educational purposes. There are other sources with free clip art as well. For example, try: http://www.gemsgallery.org
- Backgrounds: seek unusual backgrounds for your slides (like those you can buy for $15 on the Internet at: http://www.powerpointbackgrounds.com
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