Get documents about "Using PowerPoint Effectively
Document Sample
Using PowerPoint Effectively Faculty Workshop February 15, 2003 Catherine Wehlburg, Ph.D. You Control the Outcome! is merely a tool. You determine how effective or ineffective your presentation is. Following some basic strategies can greatly improve your presentation -- and prevent your show from being "PowerPointless." PowerPoint Good Speaking and PowerPoint Focus on the Content: As the saying goes, ―The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.‖ Don’t let use of the media hinder you in addressing your topic. More Good Speaking Don’t Read from the Screen: Overly relying on the presence of the text is by far the most common problem with novice PowerPoint users. Your audience can, and should enabled to, read for themselves Maintain Eye Contact with your Audience: It’s very easy to be distracted by the content on your screen. A minor exception to this guideline is a need to draw your audience’s attention to a specific part of your slide. For example, you could use a pointer to identify a trend of a graph. -- Otherwise, there's simply no reason to show your back. Notice—this slide has too many words! More Good Speaking Keep Pace with Yourself: At first, you may find it difficult to coordinate speaking and showing your slides simultaneously. But coordination of the two is essential in preventing confusion. You may find it helpful to make notes to yourself of when you need to advance slides. Some Basic Ideas Plan on two minutes per slide (that would be 25 slides in a 50 minute class) Remember: we read left to right and from top to bottom We tend to see graphics first, then text Keep a logical flow of information Don’t Be Seduced!! Animated graphics or text Inappropriate clip art Sound Effects Screen Transitions Wild Color Schemes Fancy fonts – should be for titles only! Focus on learning, not on technology Type Use large type – 24 point is minimum! (this is 32 point) This is 24 point This is 44 point AVOID USING ALL UPPERCASE LETTERS – IT LOOKS AS IF YOU ARE YELLING! Preparing Content for Slides Keep text simple and concise Summarize sentences into bullets Avoid dense screens – the ―Rule of Six‖ Once concept per slide Pedagogical Techniques Progressive disclosure Link to other websites (www.cte.tcu.edu) Use knowledge of learning styles – Text – Visual/art/graph – Oral Use handouts Handouts Handouts are easy for students to use and write on Handouts can easily be printed or posted to a web site They are static (no movement) and in black and white Some faculty don’t give slides as a handout – it is up to you! Presentation Techniques Stand aside so students can read the screen, but don’t turn your back on students for very long. Use a pointer and move the pointer slowly Clear a slide after discussing it Make sure there is enough light for taking notes and that it is dark enough to see the screen Caveats Always have a back up plan Test hardware and software early Sound can be problematic in some locations Website access is not always available A Bad PowerPoint Gettysburg Address (http://www.norvig.com/Gettysbur g/)
