Effective PowerPoint® Presentations for Biotechnology

• Consider the message• Consider the audience• Be professional • Be concise• A graphic on each slide• Text on each slide

• Plan time to “play around” with the PPT “you have”

• Play around with margins, spacing, and importing

• Learn the features of the pull down menus and toolbars

• Learn the features of the Toolbox including the galleries

• In the “Format” Menu, play around with: slide layouts backgrounds and themes bullets

How to Get Started

<< i.e. bad graphic

FontsFonts•Calibri, Arial, and Helvetica fonts are easy to read •Avoid Times New Roman, Palatino, etc. (difficult to read)•Use no font size smaller than 24 point•Title each slide with a larger font (35-45 point)•Use a single font for most of the text •Use (a few) different colors, sizes and styles for impact•Avoid italicized fonts•No more than 6-8 words per line•Use dark text on light background (easier to read)•Avoid light fonts and dark backgrounds

(difficult for some people to read)•Do not use all caps except for titles

Graphics and Design

• Keep the background consistent and subtle• Use a minimum amount of text with charts or graphs• Keep the design clean and uncluttered• Leave empty space around the text and graphics• Use quality clipart and use it sparingly• Limit the number of graphics on each slide• Avoid flashy graphics and noisy animation • Limit the number of transitions used

General Presentation• Check the spelling and grammar on all slides

• Do not read the presentation

• Practice the presentation

• Give a brief overview at the start

• It is often more effective to have bulleted points appear one at a

time. Try “action button” effects

• Avoid sound effects

• If the content is complex, pause for audience understanding

• Do not turn your back on the audience

References and Acknowledgments

• Adapted from:

http://www.cheney268.com/training/powerpoint/powerpointtips.htm

• Bankerd, Kathy. “How to Optimize Projection Technology: Using Fonts,

Graphics, and Color to Maximize the Effectiveness of Your Presentation”.

Syllabus. November/December 1997.

• Bird, Linda. “Avoid the Mistakes of PowerPoint Rookies.” Smart

Computing. January 2001.

• Brown, David G. “PowerPoint-Induced Sleep.” Syllabus. January 2001.

• Daugherty, Ellyn, Biotechnology: Science for the New Millennium, 2012