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As computer educator PowerPoint is one of the required applications I taught students in kindergarten through high school. One common problem I have observed in my students as well as presentations used in meetings is to over use animations, sounds, fonts and graphics. Learning to use PowerPoint is easy but mastering PowerPoint can be tricky.

Developing a good presentation begins with the content of the presentation not the "flashy stuff". Take some time to plan what you are going to say before you begin developing the actual presentation. This can be done either in the outline view or in MS Word. If you use MS Word to create the outline do not use the outline features. Rather use enter and tabs to set up the outline. This makes it easier to import the content into PowerPoint.

Avoid putting to many items on a slide. A general rule I try to follow is no more than 3-5 bullet items or with a maximum of 7 lines of text. For slides with a title I try to limit the number of lines of text to 5. You may also need to reduce the amount of text if you are using charts, tables or other graphics. Remember that you only need to include the most important items on the slides. The speakers notes section allows you to write presentation notes and print out a script that has a both the notes and slides.

Font selection is another important element of creating a killer presentation. The size, color and style of the font affect the readability of the presentation. The size of the font needs to be big enough to read. When selecting font size it is a good to remember that 72 points equals 1 inch and 36 points equals half an inch. Font size for body text should be at least 24 points and at least 36 points for headings. For color selection I prefer to use white, yellow or light blue for body text when I am using a dark background. For light backgrounds I use black, blue or dark green. For the titles I use a bright color such as red. The style of font used is important. For body text it is better to use a simple font. I prefer to Ariel, Tahoma or another font from the Helvetica family. Use novelty or decorative fonts sparingly. If you use a script font for headings avoid using all caps. It is difficult for the eye to follow the letters of a script font that is written in all caps.

When used properly backgrounds can enhance a presentation. I prefer to use simple backgrounds that do not distract listeners. Avoid using backgrounds that are too busy or interfere with the readability of the slide. One trick that can be used to make text more readable is to add a slight tint or color to the text frame.

Use graphics and animations judiciously. Limit graphics to no more than 2 per slide. If you are using a photo, chart or other graphic that is a key element of the presentation it is better to place put graphic on its own slide. This allows you to increase the size of the graphic making it easier to see. Over use of animation is a sign of an inexperienced user. I usually use simple animations such as roll-in for most of the presentation and reserve the bold animations for the title slide. All graphics and animations used must have a purpose.

Learning the use and edit the slide and notes master makes customizing a slide much easier. Any changes made to a master slide will appear on all slides of that type in the presentation. This saves time if you are changing colors or fonts.

Learn more about this author, Dee Herrod.
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