Diana Pochara

As students progress through each semester, they are frequently required to create a PowerPoint presentation in multiple classes. It will benefit students who are inexperienced in formatting to learn how to create a professional PowerPoint for their classes and their careers.

The Importance of Well Formatted PowerPoints

Unprofessionally formatted PowerPoints can have negative effects on the audience. According to Death to Weak PowerPoint: Strategies to Create Effective Visual Presentations, a research article by Professors Rodney M. Schmaltz and Rickard Enström of MacEwan University, “As students have become used to seeing text-heavy slides, many have gotten into the routine of simply writing down everything that is on the slide and moving on… Student engagement can be difficult, as students have more temptation than ever to tune out from a dull lecture… Effective PowerPoint presentations can prevent student distraction and facilitate a better student experience.”

Aside from students, your audience could include your professors, your coworkers, or even your boss, who may be relying on you to articulate your knowledge to them. According to Thomas Stone, the Associate Teaching Professor and Business Program Chair of Penn State Abington, “The PowerPoint is a principle means of conveying information to managers in the business setting. Frequently, new staff members are asked to create PowerPoint for the supervisor or manager to be presented top senior management. If a new business graduate cannot create a professional looking PowerPoint, it will be a liability on many new jobs.”

Students seem to have trouble developing this skill, as Stone recalls, “In my experience, students sometimes struggle with creating a professional looking PowerPoint. Too often they embed Excel files in the PowerPoint without attempting to make it appear to be more integrated with the slide… Students can create a PowerPoint, but it is often not well developed with too much text and not enough summary information expressed in bullet.”

 

Do’s and Don’ts of PowerPoint

Tips and what to include and not include in PowerPoints information is pulled from the Journal of Accountancy, the official journal of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the national professional organization of Certified Public Accountants in the US, and Agio Technology, a company that provides IT managed services for hedge funds.

Don’t:

1. Include paragraphs of text – Overwhelms readers and leaves no space for a picture or chart
2. Long sentences with lots of words – Occupies audience to read slide instead of listening to your presentation
3. Small text – Strains eyes of audience and makes it hard to follow information
4. Illegible font – Font that is hard to read
5. Too many bullets – Distracts readers and takes attention from speaker
6. Be too technical – Avoid jargon and lengthy concepts
7. Lots of pictures/big pictures – Takes away from space for information and can distract readers from slide information
8. Poor color contrast – “Similar colors or certain color combinations for visuals can make your presentation visually unappealing and hard to read”
9. Lots of animations/transitions/effects – “While transitions are interesting, they can be distracting if the presentation has too many”
10. Multiple different designs/formats – Forces audience to continually adjust to different formats
11. End abruptly – Ending without a proper conclusion to presentation will take away from audience learning experience

Do:

1. Big font sizes – Makes it easy for audience to read information and follow along
2. Short sentences – Be concise for audience which allows room for presenter to elaborate
3. Simple words – Simplify things so any audience member can understand the concept
4. Legible font – Easy to read font
5. Consistent slide format – One main format that is throughout PowerPoint
6. Color contrast – Avoid colors that are similar, hard to read (yellow) and could make presentation visually unappealing
7. Simple transitions – Keep slide transitions to a minimum
8. Charts/Graphs – Insert relevant data that you can explain
9. Relevant/professional pictures – 1  picture recommended
10. Summarize points in conclusion – Summarize presentation with key points for the audience to remember

For some general guidelines for a professional PowerPoint, Stone suggests, “It is important that the PowerPointuse bullets rather than long script, that the font styles and sizes are consistent (e.g., headers on each page are the same font size and type), that embedded charts and graphs are not just included, but also explained or have certain information highlighted that is important. Do not overuse graphics but use them occasionally to make the {PowerPoint more interesting. The structure of the PowerPoint is important and should follow an agenda that is provided at the start of the presentation.”

In addition, Professor Dave Paul, a management information systems professor at Abington, suggests including:

• Agenda slide
• Team slide
• Slide numbers
• Putting borders around pictures used
• Choosing a white and black format – Since it accommodates those with colorblindness
• Q&A slide

This minimal layout of your PowerPoint means you will have to rely more on your knowledge of your subject instead of relying on the PowerPoint to explain to you what you should say. According to Schmaltz and Enström, “With less text on slides, and graphics that enhance the key points of the instructor, students need to pay attention to what is actually being said in the classroom… Students are taught to listen for key points, minimize the amount of note taking and maximize the amount of attention that is spent on what the instructor is saying…We typically find that attendance goes up, student engagement increases and grades improve.”

Disclaimer: While these are general guidelines, all Professors have different guidelines and expectations on what your PowerPoints should include, always make sure to read the rubric and ask questions.

Think about PowerPoints in your presentation like a citation in an essay, when you quote a citation, you should not let the quote be your whole sentence, the quote only adds to the point you are trying to make. With this idea in mind, the PowerPoint should not be your presentation, but a supplement to your presentation as you explain your idea to the audience. Stone notes, “The PowerPoint itself is not enough. The presenter must do an effective job of delivering the message on the PowerPoint. This means elaborating on the slide, not just reading it, using good eye contact, modulating your voice to make it interesting for the listener, not getting into too much detail unless asked, and having a good voice projection.”