Youth Venture

PowerPoint can be a great tool to enhance your Selection Panel presentation, if you use it correctly. Below are a few tips to help you create an effective PowerPoint presentation. If you don’t have access to PowerPoint, try using Freelance, Astound, and Corel Presentations—all are graphic presentation programs.

Content

• Focus on content, rather than on text effects which can distract from your presentation.
• Only include the key points of your presentation. Your PowerPoint should not contain your presentation word-for-word.
• Limit the amount of text you put on a slide. The general rule is no more than six words to a line and no more than six lines of text.
• Limit the number of slides you use. If you use too many slides, you may loose your audience’s attention. Try using no more than ten slides.
• Cite your references correctly. Even in PowerPoint, it’s important to say where your information is coming from.
• Edit carefully! Reread each slide and conduct spelling and grammar checks.

Design

• Use visual aids. They help the audience better remember the information you are presenting and better remember you by enhancing the content of your presentation. Incorporate photos, charts, tables, hyperlinks, or videos as needed.
• Don’t let text or sound effects distract from the content of your presentation.
• Maintain a consistent look in your background, colors, and templates. This gives your presentation a smoother and more professional appearance.
• Make sure the text is big enough to read from a distance (18 to 48 point font) and that the font color can be read easily against the background. For example, yellow fonts are very difficult to read.
• Avoid using Clip Art. It generally looks dated and amateurish.

Delivery

• Practice! Rehearse using your PowerPoint beforehand. This will help you feel comfortable and confident when it’s time to present.

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