Making Effective Presentations

1. Making Effective Presentations Dr Clive Vlieland-Boddy

2. The TV Weather Forecast • The forecaster looks at you and points behind to what is normally a blank screen. • He keeps your attention. • He uses minimal graphics. • He explains what is happening and going to happen. • He has only a minute or two to present.

3. Planning • Create a structure • Introduction • Cover the Objectives • Conclusions • Questions!

4. Make It Big

5. Make it Big (Text) • This is Arial 12 • This is Arial 18 • This is Arial 24 • This is Arial 32 • This is Arial 36 • This is Arial 44 Too Small Make it as big as possible!

6. 10 ft Make It Big (How to Estimate) • Look at it from 10 feet away

7. Keep It Simple

8. Keep It Simple (Text) • Too manycolors • TooManyFontsandStyles • The 6 x 7 rule • No more than 6 lines per slide • No more than 7 words per line

9. Keep It Simple (Text) Instructional Technology:A complex integrated process involving people, procedures, ideas, devices, and organization, for analyzing problems and devising, implementing, evaluating, and managing solutions to those problems in situations in which learning is purposive and controlled(HMRS 5th ed.) Too detailed !

10. Make It Clear

11. Be Progressive

12. Entrance • Consider bullet points being displayed one after the other. • Allows the audience to take each point at a time.

13. Types of Instructional Tools Individual Constructive Tools Social Constructive Tools Discovery Learning Too many in one go! Informational Tools Guided Inquiry Mode of Instruction Individual Instructive Tools Social Communicative Tools Direct Instruction Individual Pair Group Complexity of Interactions

14. Types of Instructional Tools Individual Constructive Tools Social Constructive Tools Discovery Learning Informational Tools Guided Inquiry Progressive & thus focused Mode of Instruction Individual Instructive Tools Social Communicative Tools Direct Instruction Individual Pair Group Complexity of Interactions

15. Be Consistent

16. Use a Template • Use a set font and color scheme. • Different styles are disconcerting to the audience. • You want the audience to focus on what you present, not the way you present it.

17. Fonts Choose a clean font that is easy to read. Roman and Gothic typefaces are easier to read than Scriptor Comic. Stick with one or two types of fonts.

18. Bullets • Keep each bullet to one line, two at the most. • Limit the number of bullets in a screen to six • Use entrance to assist with being progressive. • DO NOT CLUTTER SLIDES

19. Bullets & Cueing • Bullets allow you to “cue” the audience in on what you are going to say. • Cues can be thought of as a brief “preview.” • This gives the audience a “framework” to build upon.

20. Caps and Italics • Do not use all capital letters • Makes text hard to read • Conceals acronyms • Denies their use for EMPHASIS • Italics • Used for “quotes” • Used to highlight thoughts or ideas • Used for book, journal, or magazine titles

21. Colors Reds and oranges are high-energy but can be difficult to stay focused on. Greens, blues, and browns are mellower, but not as attention grabbing.

22. Backgrounds • A white on a dark background is used for this presentation as assumes most users will view the presentation on their own computer. • Having a darker background on a computer screen reduces glare. • White on dark background should not be used if the audience is more than 20 feet away.

23. The Color Wheel Colors separated by another color are contrasting colors (also known as complementary) Adjacent colors (next to each other) harmonize with one another. e.g. Green and Yellow

24. Attention Grabber To make a slide stand out, change the font and/or background

25. Illustrations & Graphics Use only when needed, otherwise they become distracters instead of communicators They should relate to the message and help make a point Ask yourself if it makes the message clearer Simple diagrams are great communicators

26. YOU Do not use the media to hide you The audience came to see you The media should enhance the presentation, not BE the presentation If all you are going to do is read from the slides or overheads, then just send them the slides Remember, only you can prevent “Death by PowerPoint”

27. Slide Design Examples It is always possible to improve!

28. Use of Graphics Sources of Competitive Advantage Breadth of Competitive Scope

29. Cost Leadership Cost Leadership Differentiation Focused Low Cost Focused Low Cost Focused Differentiation Focused Differentiation Use of Graphics Sources of Competitive Advantage Cost Perceived Uniqueness Broad Breadth of Competitive Scope Narrow

30. Use of Graphics Content is the same... ..but much more appealing!!

31. Figures versus tables

32. Figures versus tables

33. Operating Costs & Profitability

34. Increase Efficiency

35. Build your own tables!

36. Build your own tables! (step 1)

37. Made in USA Labor Costs (Health Care, Union) High Fixed Costs On Star Cost of Capital & Sales Incentives Perceived Quality and Customer Satisfaction Highest Sales Volume Undifferentiated Model Line Build your own tables! (step 2) Costs Differentiation

38. Build your own tables! Content is the same... ..but much more appealing!!

39. Slide Design Guidelines Text, colors, etc.

40. Text size Style 24 plain or bold Smaller size Smallest size 20 18 (try to avoid.... use only for short text!!) Text Size Slide Title: Minimum size: 30 • ALWAYS use LARGE text size!! • Do NOT use automatic text size in Powerpoint! • If slide too crowded...... split in TWO slides, do not reduce text size!!!

41. Text Colors Remember: Text must be readable!! Black, Dark Blue, Dark Red, Dark Green Use DARK colors on light background: White Light Yellow, Light Orange, Light Green Use LIGHT colors on dark background: • Make it easy for your public to read the text!! • Do not mix too many colors!!

42. Slide Design Guidelines Avoid too much text on screen

43. Can you read everything? Adobe Buys Macromedia in $3.4BN Stock Deal April 18, 2005 Business Week • Adobe systems Inc. said it will acquire Macromedia Inc. in an all-stock transaction valued at $3.4BN • Acquisition will help Adobe expand into new markets, especially to provide content to mobile phones and other handheld devices • “… we believe the combined offerings will be even more compelling to our customers given the challenges they're going to face in trying to communicate information in this very complex environment.“ said Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer of Adobe • "It's a lot easier to combine two companies that are healthy and doing really well with lots of growth than it is to try to acquire and integrate a company that is broken."

44. Adobe Buys Macromedia in $3.4BN Stock Deal • Text: • Too much! • Too small! • Too crowded!! April 18, 2005 Business Week • Adobe systems Inc. said it will acquire Macromedia Inc. in an all-stock transaction valued at $3.4BN • Acquisition will help Adobe expand into new markets, especially to provide content to mobile phones and other handheld devices • “… we believe the combined offerings will be even more compelling to our customers given the challenges they're going to face in trying to communicate information in this very complex environment.“ said Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer of Adobe • "It's a lot easier to combine two companies that are healthy and doing really well with lots of growth than it is to try to acquire and integrate a company that is broken." This is also a citation! Goes to separate slide! This is a citation! Goes to separate slide!

45. What can we do? Let’s see how we can improve the readability of the slide...... • Split content in multiple slides • Identify keywords • Communicate concise, clear messages

46. Adobe Buys Macromedia in $3.4BN Stock Deal (1) April 18, 2005 Business Week • Adobe systems Inc. said it will acquire Macromedia Inc. in an all-stock transaction valued at $3.4BN • Acquisition will help Adobe expand into new markets, especially to provide content to mobile phones and other handheld devices • Slide N. 1 • Only the first two bullets • Font size = 24 points

47. Adobe Buys Macromedia in $3.4BN Stock Deal (2) “… we believe the combined offerings will be even more compelling to our customers given the challenges they're going to face in trying to communicate information in this very complex environment.” Bruce Chizen, chief executive officer of Adobe • Slide N. 2 • Only the first citation • Font size = 30 points • Read it aloud!

48. Adobe Buys Macromedia in $3.4BN Stock Deal (3) "It's a lot easier to combine two companies that are healthy and doing really well with lots of growth than it is to try to acquire and integrate a company that is broken." • Slide N. 3 • Only the second citation • Read it aloud! • Font size = 30

49. In Summary • Big • Simple • Clear • Progressive • Consistent

50. Tips for Presenting • Limit the number of slides • 1-2 slides per minute is the maximum • Practice moving between slides. • Be prepared for technical difficulties • Avoid the use of flashy transitions. • Check timing. • Practice.