PowerPoint
Use and Abuse
One of the few programs included with Microsoft Office has had the potential of being one of the most abused programs ever created. By this I mean used ineffectively. This lecture will discuss some of the ways to use PowerPoint effectively in school and business. I want you to realize these guidelines are simply that. Guides. As with many rules, there are hundreds of ways to break them. What I want you all to get out of this lecture are some tips to help you improve your use of PowerPoint.
For more information, please visit my PowerPoint website
at http://www.joesclass.com/pp. Here
you will see a rather large presentation on PowerPoint along with a variety of
references I used. This article contains many of the items and tips mentioned
in that presentation.
What is PowerPoint Good At?
You would think this a rather strange question to ask. What is it good at? Well it’s a great tool or aid in delivering speeches. Now that makes sense. The problem with PowerPoint is that it is way too good at doing this. There are so many wonderful bells and whistles with PowerPoint that the average user feels he or she must use most, if not all, of them. That’s where many good presentations fail. Too busy. Too many bells and whistles. Not enough time is taken to create an effective presentation. People spend too much time fussing with the animations and not enough time developing the speech.
Remember, when delivering a speech, you are the speaker, not PowerPoint. PowerPoint is an excellent resource to help deliver your speech, but you are the one in charge of its delivery.
One of the biggest problems with PowerPoint is that it
was created to deliver sales presentations. These are similar to real-life commercials.
The person giving the presentation wants to use lots of glitz to help cover
over some of the deficiencies of their product. Think of TV. They use lots of
glamour, glitz, and excitement in commercials. You see happy faces; people
having fun with that new toy little Jimmy had to have. They don’t show
Abuse?
What is PowerPoint abuse? Well, it’s when the person who is in charge of delivering a speech or presentation takes more time getting the PowerPoint to look nice than spending the time creating their speech content. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with adding a bit of glitz to a slideshow. Just don’t do this at the expense of a quality presentation. You are the one in charge of delivering the presentation, not PowerPoint.
Another area of PowerPoint abuse is overuse of the feature set of the program. It’s great you can twirl a page, bounce in a bullet point, and have unlimited colors. If this distracts from the presentation, you have failed your job. Your speech is what takes center stage, not the PowerPoint presentation.
What can you do? For starters, realize that while there might be many great features of PowerPoint, you are not expected to use them all. Also, if you are an experienced PowerPoint Abuser, you can start slowly in reducing the features you use. You don’t have to get rid of them all, just choose wisely. The features should enhance your presentation, not overwhelm it.
I found the following cartoon on the Internet that truly explains PowerPoint :)
With that said, I want you to remember that many of the guidelines and rules I mention in this lecture are simply that. Guidelines. There are many times they can be broken or abused. Just use your best judgment.
Common Mistakes
Handling Text
One of the biggest pitfalls many PowerPoint users fall into is using way too much text. Your audience shouldn’t be expected to read lines upon lines of 12 point text on the display screen. The text you use should be simple bullet points. They serve as a guide as you deliver your presentation or speech. A good rule to follow is based on “six.” That is try to keep each bullet to around six words. Each slide should be restricted to a maximum of six bullet points. What do you do if you have more bullet points? Simple, just make a new slide. Continue the discussion on multiple slides. In PowerPoint additional slides are basically free. By using multiple slides, you make the text easier to read and your points easier to follow. When cramming lots of text on one slide, you make it very difficult to follow. Here is an example of way too much text and one with better use of text.
Another problem many people encounter is with text fonts and sizes. Try to stick to san serif fonts when creating slideshows. A serif font has those little feet and caps on the letters. While this is great for documents, it makes for difficult reading on PowerPoint. See the samples below for serif and san serif fonts.
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Serif: Text Text Text Text |
San Serif: Text Text Text Text |
You will notice that the san serif fonts don’t get lost with the background color. This is important when using smaller sizes for text, too. Speaking of size, what is a good text size? Well this depends on the method of the presentation and the room. By room I mean the physical location the presentation will be delivered. You might be able to get away with smaller font sizes (around 24 point) if your delivery is going to be in a relatively small room. The larger the room, the farther away some of the participants will be seated. The farther people sit away from the overhead, the larger the text needs to be. A good suggestion is to create some sample slides and use an overhead projector to see what looks the best. Move around the room to get an idea of what can or cannot be seen. Move around the room to see how the text looks from different vantage points. These few minutes of trial and testing will ensure that everyone in your meeting room can see and read the text. Your purpose is not to give each of your participants an eye test.
Some people think ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are great to use. It makes them feel all the more important. What it really does is make it very difficult to read. All caps work great for one or two words to help emphasize something. Beyond that it is the same as shouting. Not good. No one likes to be shouted at.
Color is widely used in PowerPoint. Color can serve as a means of emphasizing a sentence or two or for the improvement of reading. When choosing an overall color, look for a pair that contrast while complimenting each other. We have all seen the used car with a nice dark green plaid shirt matched with bright blue paints. The colors are contrasting, but don’t compliment each other very well. To find complimentary colors, you only have to look at a color wheel (one provided below) and match the colors.
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Source: http://www.faceters.com/askjeff/answer52.shtml |
No matter what
colors you choose make sure everyone can read the text. Two lights colors (e.g.
yellow and light blue) might be complimentary, but they don’t afford enough of
a contrast to see.
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YELLOW |
The best color
choices are light text with dark backgrounds. If you have chosen a light
background, then make the text dark. See below.
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YELLOW |
RED |
It would be very
hard not to be able to read those two color choices in the above examples. So
remember to look for colors that not only compliment each other but are also
contrasting and readable.
Using Graphics
We all know that a picture is worth a thousand words. When giving directions, drawing a map can ensure folks understand the various turns and roads. You can incorporate graphics and pictures into your PowerPoint slideshow to increase comprehension. Remember though, the use of a graphic should enhance the slideshow while making the concepts easier to understand. I have seen a number of slideshows where pictures were used on a slide simply to fill in empty space. This is not a good use of graphics. Studies have shown that people tend to forget the text on a page when accompanied by an irrelevant graphic. So if you want someone to remember the text on a slide, don’t include graphics on that same slide. In the following example, which do you remember? While the graphic is a nice picture, it doesn’t fit the slide or content. It is best left off.
If you have a graphic that helps explain a concept, then make it the focal point of the slide. It should really be the only thing on the slide. Some text might be useful to point out areas of the graphic but should be kept at a minimum to avoid confusion. You can also use the KISS (keep it simple silly) approach to graphics: Keep them simple and make them fit the slide.
Another problem with graphics is the Goldilocks scenario. You remember the story? Three beds: one too hard, one too soft, and one just right. This can be used when sizing graphics in PowerPoint. Are they too big or too small or just right?
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Too Big |
Too Small |
Just Right |
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When using graphics, make sure they are good quality. Sometimes this is unavoidable, but usually you can look around a find a better picture or piece of clipart. You wouldn’t want to spend a lot of time painting a room only to put up a tattered piece of art would you?
We know that graphics can help explain concepts; charts and tables do the same thing. The issue with these types of graphics is the amount of detail. Incorporating too much detail can have a negative effect on the understanding of the numbers. Look at the examples below.
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Too Detailed |
Just Right |
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The extra
horizontal and vertical lines are great if this was to be printed out and
distributed in paper form. For a slide, though, the extra lines are distracting
and make the graph hard to read.
Special Effects
Another feature
well abused in PowerPoint is the various special effects one can add to a
slideshow. These effects can include slide transitions and item animations.
While having a simple slide transition isn’t always distracting, mixing them up
random pulls the focus from the content to the effect itself. In addition to
transitions, you can include sounds. These can be effective with limited use,
but gets overused and abused very quickly. The guideline here is to use
restraint. If you want slide transitions, choose the same one for each slide.
Use sound and video sparingly.
Where to next?
As you continue working with PowerPoint, look at ways of including these various guidelines I’ve mentioned in this article. Remember the reason we use PowerPoint is to enhance our presentation, not entertain. We use PowerPoint to help people follow what we are discussing, not lose them in the bells and whistles of the application. If you think you abuse PowerPoint, don’t fret, just try to pull away from some of the more blatant abuses and slowly incorporate these guidelines into all your presentations. I think you will find your presentations go across better and you won’t hear the moans of your audience when you dim the lights.