Tips & Techniques

PowerPoint Tips

Many, if not most, PowerPoint trainers suggest an elaborate sequence of events should take place before you even start working on your presentation. In the world of professional multimedia and presentation design, I suppose that's good advice. In the world of a classroom teacher, few have time for the long process advocated by many trainers.

To borrow some terms from the software development community, I'd like to speak of two approaches to presentation development: the waterfall method and the evolutionary method.

Waterfall Method

The waterfall method, applied to presentation development, entails a full understanding of the end result. Using this method, teachers would determine the content of each slide, identify each graphic and animation, determine each slide transition, specifiy all sound effects and determine color schemes before assembling the presentation in final form. If I approached a presentation in that way, I would never finish anything.

Evolutionary Method

The evolutionary method, applied to presentation development, focuses on getting the most important presentation content assembled immediately, leaving the fine points for later. This approach ensures that if time runs out before the presentation has been perfected, there is still something useful available as a result of your efforts. Although there is nothing magical about the following sequence of events, I generally approach a new presentation in the following way:

Enter text of slides using outline view. Change sequence of slides if necessary. (This keeps me from getting distracted and allows me to focus on the important information I want to convey.)
Apply slide master or template. (This only takes a few seconds and gives me a serviceable presentation)
Spell check.
Add relevant images...either clip art, tables or photographs. (I often run out of time at this point, but generally have a perfectly functioning presentation that will allow me to effectively communicate my message)
Animate bulleted lists and images, sparingly.

sometimes information on a slide is best presented one line at a time. This allows listeners to focus on your speaking point instead of trying to jump ahead to subsequent points.
Use animation effects sparingly or listeners will be distracted. Overuse of special effects is often the sign of a novice.

Add sounds...only if it enhances the presentation. Usually sounds are distractors.
Apply transisitions to the slides in the presentation. Apply the same transition to several slides in a row. Change the transition to a similar one and use that next transition for several slides. Avoid abrupt changes to minimize distractions.

View the slide show after each step and fix any problems you find before moving on to the next step.