1. Effective Use
of PowerPoint
as a
presentation
tool.

2. Introduction
Slide presentation software such as
PowerPoint has become an ingrained part of
many instructional settings, particularly in large
classes and in courses more geared toward
information exchange than skill development.
PowerPoint can be a highly effective tool to aid
learning, but if not used carefully, may instead
disengage students and actually hinder
learning.

3. Advantages
Potential benefits of using presentation graphics include:
• Engaging multiple learning styles
• Increasing visual impact
• Improving audience focus
• Providing annotations and highlights
• Analyzing and synthesizing complexities
• Enriching curriculum with interdisciplinary
• Increasing spontaneity and interactivity
• Increasing wonder

4. Challenges
Although there are many potential benefits to PowerPoint, there are
several issues that could create problems or disengagement:
• Teacher-centered. Students often respond better when instructors have
designed sessions for greater classroom interaction, such as the use of
student response clickers, designing PowerPoint to facilitate case studies,
or use the slides as a replacement for paper worksheets.
• Lack of feedback. PowerPoint-based lectures tell you nothing about
student learning. Design them to include opportunities for feedback (not
simply asking if there are questions, but more actively quizzing your
students). This often takes the form of listing questions, not information, on
the slides themselves.

5. • Student inactivity. Slide shows do little to model how students
should interact with the material on their own. Include student
activities or demonstrations to overcome this, either before or
after the slideshow presentation.
• Potentially reductive. PowerPoint was designed to promote
simple persuasive arguments. Design for critical engagement,
not just for exposure to a ―point.‖
• Presentation graphics should be about learning, not about
presentation.
• PowerPoint presentations should help students organize their
notes, not just ―be‖ the notes. This is a particular danger with
students who grew up accustomed to receiving PowerPoint
notes to study from. Some may require convincing that notes
should be taken beyond what is already on the slides.

6. Three Possible Approaches
This single presentation about the anatomy of the human
eye has been rewritten in three different ways:
• Text-heavy: this version offers complete phrases and a
comprehensive recording in words of the material. The text-
heavy version can be used as the lecturer's speaking notes, and
doubles as student notes that can be made available for
download either before or after the lecture has taken place. If
the information can be accessed elsewhere, such as a
textbook, it may be preferable to avoid a text-heavy approach,
which many students find disengaging during the delivery.

7. • Some images: this version sacrifices some of the completeness of
the material to create space for accompanying images. The
mixed approach appeals to more visual learners while keeping
some lecture notes visible, though perhaps in a more
abbreviated format. This is a common mode of delivery in large
classes. However, there are still some challenges. There is enough
material already present in text format that some students may
feel obliged to write it all down in their own notes, thus paying
less attention to the verbal lecture. Conversely, if the slides are
available for download, some students may be able to eschew
note-taking in class, yet be tempted to consider these
fragmentary notes sufficient for studying for exams.

8. • Image-heavy: this version relies almost exclusively on images,
with little text. The image-heavy approach signals to students
that they will have to take their own notes, as these are plainly
insufficient on their own for studying. However, lecturers often
need more than visual clues to remind themselves how to
propel the lecture forward, and separate notes may be
required. One elegant solution is to use "Presenter View" on the
speaker's screen (which displays the notes only to you) and
project the slides without notes onto the larger screen visible to
the audience.

9. PowerPoint for Case Studies
Elizabeth Rash (Nursing) provided this sample iterative case study
(where parameters evolve over time) given to a midsize class. Students are
required to come to class prepared having read online resources, the text,
and a narrated slideshow presentation that accompanies each module. The
classroom is problem-based (case-based) and interactive, where students
are introduced to a young woman who ages as the semester progresses and
confronts multiple health issues. Since the nurse practitioner students are
being prepared to interact with patients, some slides require students to
interview another classmate in a micro role-play.
Problem-based lectures frequently alternate between providing
information and posing problems to the students, which alters the entire
character of the presentation. Rather than explain and convey information,
many slides ask questions that are intended to prompt critical thinking or
discussion.

10. PowerPoint Interactions: Student Response "Clickers"
Classroom response systems can improve students' learning
by engaging them actively in the learning process. Instructors can
employ the systems to gather individual responses from students or to
gather anonymous feedback. It is possible to use the technology to give
quizzes and tests, to take attendance, and to quantify class participation.
Some of the systems provide game formats that encourage debate and
team competition. Reports are typically exported to Excel for upload to
the instructor's grade book.

11. PowerPoint as Worksheet
Instructors who do not have sufficient photocopying
opportunities in their departments may be less likely to use
paper worksheets with their students, especially in large
classes. PowerPoint offers the ability to approximate
worksheets to illustrate processes or to provide "worked
examples" that shows problem-solving step-by-step. One
valuable technique is to first demonstrate a process or
problem on one slide, then ask students to work on a similar
problem revealed on the next slide, using their own paper
rather than worksheets handed out.

12. Narrated PowerPoint Downloads
The PowerPoint software itself includes built-in
functionality to record your audio commentary. In this fashion,
instructors can literally deliver their entire lecture electronically,
which can be especially useful in an online course. The resulting
file is still a standard PowerPoint file, but when the slideshow is
"played," the recorded instructor's voice narrates the action, and
the slides advance on their own, turning whenever they had
been advanced by the lecturer during the recording.

13. Presenter View
Using this mode of PowerPoint, your slides are
projected as usual on the big screen and fill the entire
space, but the computer used by the lecturer displays the
slides in preview mode, with the space for notes visible at
the bottom of the screen. In this fashion, lecturers can have
a set of notes separate from what is displayed to the
students, which has the overall effect of increasing the
engagement of the presentation.

14. Best Practices: Delivery
• Avoid reading: if your slides contain lengthy text, lecture "around"
the material rather than reading it directly.
• Dark screen: an effective trick to focus attention on you and your
words is to temporarily darken the screen, which can be
accomplished by clicking the "B" button on the keyboard. Hitting
"B" again will toggle the screen back to your presentation.
• Navigate slides smoothly: the left-mouse click advances to the
next slide, but it's more cumbersome to right-click to move back
one slide. The keyboard's arrow keys work more smoothly to go
forward and backward in the presentation. Also, if you know the
number of a particular slide, you can simply type that number,
followed by the ENTER key, to jump directly to that slide.

15. Best Practices: Slideshow Construction
• Text size: text must be clearly readable from the back of the room. Too much
text or too small a font will be difficult to read.
• Avoid too much text: one common suggestion is to adhere to the 6x6 rule (no
more than six words per line, and no more than six lines per slide). The
"Takahasi Method" goes so far as to recommend enormous text and nothing
else on the slide, not even pictures, perhaps as little as just one word on each
slide.
• Contrast: light text on dark backgrounds will strain the eyes. Minimize this
contrast, and opt instead for dark text on light backgrounds. Combinations to
avoid, in case of partial color blindness in the audience, include red-green, or
blue-yellow.
• Transitions and animations should be used sparingly and consistently to avoid
distractions.
• Template: do not change the template often. The basic format should be
consistent and minimal.
• Use graphics and pictures to illustrate and enhance the message, not just for
prettiness.

16. Other ideas for use on a PowerPoint presentation
include:
• Change font
• Shapes
• Clip art
• Images
• Charts
• Tables
• Transitions
• Animations
• Animating text or chart

17. 10 Tips For More Effective Power Point Presentation
1. Write a script.
A little planning goes a long way. Most presentations are written in
PowerPoint (or some other presentation package) without any sort of rhyme
or reason.
That‘s bass-ackwards. Since the point of your slides is to illustrate and
expand what you are going to say to your audience. You should know what
you intend to say and then figure out how to visualize it. Unless you are an
expert at improvising, make sure you write out or at least outline your
presentation before trying to put together slides.
And make sure your script follows good storytelling conventions: give it a
beginning, middle, and end; have a clear arc that builds towards some sort
of climax; make your audience appreciate each slide but be anxious to find
out what‘s next; and when possible, always leave ‗em wanting more.

18. 2. One thing at a time, please.
At any given moment, what should be on the screen is the thing you‘re talking about. Our
audience will almost instantly read every slide as soon as it‘s displayed; if you have the next four
points you plan to make up there, they‘ll be three steps ahead of you, waiting for you to catch
up rather than listening with interest to the point you‘re making.
Plan your presentation so just one new point is displayed at any given moment. Bullet points can
be revealed one at a time as you reach them. Charts can be put on the next slide to be
referenced when you get to the data the chart displays. Your job as presenter is to control the
flow of information so that you and your audience stay in sync.
3. No paragraphs.
Where most presentations fail is that their authors, convinced they are producing some kind of
stand-alone document, put everything they want to say onto their slides, in great big chunky
blocks of text.
Congratulations. You‘ve just killed a roomful of people. Cause of death: terminal boredom
poisoning.
Your slides are the illustrations for your presentation, not the presentation itself. They should
underline and reinforce what you‘re saying as you give your presentation — save the paragraphs
of text for your script. PowerPoint and other presentation software have functions to display notes
onto the presenter‘s screen that do not get sent to the projector, or you can use notecards, a
separate word processor document, or your memory. Just don‘t put it on the screen – and for
goodness‘ sake, if you do for some reason put it on the screen, don‘t stand with your back to your
audience and read it from the screen!

19. 4. Pay attention to design.
PowerPoint and other presentation packages offer all sorts of ways to add visual ―flash‖ to your
slides: fades, swipes, flashing text, and other annoyances are all too easy to insert with a few
mouse clicks.
Avoid the temptation to dress up your pages with cheesy effects and focus instead on simple
design basics:
• Use a sans serif font for body text. Sans serifs like Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri tend to be the
easiest to read on screens.
• Use decorative fonts only for slide headers, and then only if they’re easy to read. Decorative
fonts –calligraphy, German blackface, futuristic, psychotic handwriting, flowers, art
nouveau, etc. – are hard to read and should be reserved only for large headlines at the top
of the page. Better yet, stick to a classy serif font like Georgia or Baskerville.
• Put dark text on a light background. Again, this is easiest to read. If you must use a dark
background – for instance, if your company uses a standard template with a dark
background – make sure your text is quite light (white, cream, light grey, or pastels) and
maybe bump the font size up two or three notches.
• Align text left or right. Centered text is harder to read and looks amateurish. Line up all your
text to a right-hand or left-hand baseline – it will look better and be easier to follow.
• Avoid clutter. A headline, a few bullet points, maybe an image – anything more than that
and you risk losing your audience as they sort it all out.

20. 5. Use images sparingly
There are two schools of thought about images in presentations. Some say they add visual
interest and keep audiences engaged; others say images are an unnecessary distraction.
Both arguments have some merit, so in this case the best option is to split the difference:
use images only when they add important information or make an abstract point more
concrete.
While we‘re on the subject, absolutely do not use PowerPoint‘s built-in clipart. Anything
from Office 2003 and earlier has been seen by everyone in your audience a thousand
times – they‘ve become tired, used-up clichés, and I hopefully don‘t need to tell you to
avoid tired, used-up clichés in your presentations. Office 2007 and non-Office programs
have some clipart that isn‘t so familiar (though it will be, and soon) but by now, the entire
concept of clipart has about run its course – it just doesn‘t feel fresh and new anymore.
6. Think outside the screen.
Remember, the slides on the screen are only part of the presentation – and not the main
part. Even though you‘re liable to be presenting in a darkened room, give some thought
to your own presentation manner – how you hold yourself, what you wear, how you move
around the room. You are the focus when you‘re presenting, no matter how interesting
your slides are.

21. 7. Have a hook.
Like the best writing, the best presentation shook their audiences early and
then reel them in. Open with something surprising or intriguing, something
that will get your audience to sit up and take notice. The most powerful
hooks are often those that appeal directly to your audience‘s emotions –
offer them something awesome or, if it‘s appropriate, scare the pants off of
them. The rest of your presentation, then, will be effectively your promise to
make the awesome thing happen, or the scary thing not happen.
8. Ask questions.
Questions arouse interest, pique curiosity, and engage audiences. So ask a
lot of them. Build tension by posing a question and letting your audience
stew a moment before moving to the next slide with the answer. Quiz their
knowledge and then show them how little they know. If appropriate,
engage in a little question-and-answer with your audience, with you asking
the questions.

22. 9. Modulate, modulate, modulate.
Especially when you‘ve done a presentation before, it can be easy to fall into
a drone, going on and on and on and on and on with only minimal changes
to your inflection. Always speak as if you were speaking to a friend, not as if
you are reading off of index cards (even if you are). If keeping up a lively and
personable tone of voice is difficult for you when presenting, do a couple of
practice run-throughs. If you still can‘t get it right and presentations are a big
part of your job, take a public speaking course or join Toastmasters.
10. Break the rules.
As with everything else, there are times when each of these rules – or any other
rule you know – won‘t apply. If you know there‘s a good reason to break a
rule, go ahead and do it. Rule breaking is perfectly acceptable behavior – it‘s
ignoring the rules or breaking them because you just don‘t know any better
that leads to shoddy boring presentations that lead to boredom, depression,
psychopathic breaks, and eventually death. And you don‘t want that, do
you?