GUIDELINES AND TIPS FOR

POWERPOINT

By: Lequan Hooper

ONE THING THAT YOU

NEED TO DO IS

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Use only one message per slide. If you have more than one message, add a slide.

Limit the amount of text on each slide - no one wants to read a JAMA article during your presentation.

Use only elements that add to the content of the message. Use graphics that clearly support your message.

Good graphics can significantly add to learning, bad graphics can confuse and distract your audience.

Maintain a consistent design with regard to colors, font styles, and graphics.

You might use a formal typeface like Palatino and a symmetrical layout for a serious issue or you could use a

casual font like Comic Sans and an asymmetrical layout for a lighter topic.

Have a beginning, a middle and an end. Tell your audience what you are going to tell them, tell it, and then

summarize it.

COLORS TO CHOOSE Dark Blue to project a stable, mature message - has a calming effect

Red or Orange to trigger excitement or an emotional response

Green to make audience comfortable

Yellow to get audience attention quickly (more so than any other color)

Gray to promote the idea of "quality"

White to project honesty/sincerity

Black is not appealing to most viewers

BRAINSTORM

Who is the audience

What do they know about the material

What do you want them to learn

Where will the presentation take place & under what conditions

SHORTCUTS THAT HELP

Sometimes using the keyboard is quicker than using the

mouse. Shortcut keys can help you bypass menus and carry out

commands directly. You can use shortcut keys in many ways with

PowerPoint, from accessing commands and toolbar buttons to

inserting a new slide. Shortcut keys are sometimes listed next to the

command name on PowerPoint menus. For example, on the Edit

menu, the Find command lists the shortcut CTRL+F.

SOFT SHADOW

You can create "soft" shadows for square or round objects that sit on a

solid color background. Make a copy of the object, then change its fill to

be shaded from black to the background color, with the shading set with

black going from the center out to the background color at the edges.

Make this object about 150% bigger than the original object, and put it

behind the object. This will give you the effect of "soft" shadows.

HOW TO SAVE EASILY

MULTIPLE TIMES

Since PowerPoint 7.0 (the one in Office 95, also known as

PowerPoint '95) you have the option to save large files over multiple

diskettes. From the File menu, select Pack and Go. This wizard will

compress your PowerPoint presentation and copy the file onto as

many floppies as are necessary

THE END

BY Lequan Hooper