By Alyona Kutsar, WSU Vancouver Neuroscience Student
In the modern technological world of the twenty-first century, computers are used extensively in presentations of all sorts as visual aids. A commonly used computer program, PowerPoint, allows the presenter to compile, manipulate, and arrange data which will be shown to an audience. To create an effective PowerPoint presentation, including one for a scientific talk, the content, appearance, and enhancements on the slides need to be discernible, understandable, and not overwhelming.
From: http://blog.intelligent.ly/2012/07/mastering-powerpoint/slide19/
When designing your PowerPoint presentation, there are some important general concepts that you have to keep in mind. First off, the slides are your “visual aids” which means that you are the presenter and that the slides are aiding and helping you in your explanations, not explaining everything for you. To be highly effective, the information on the slides needs to be easily seen, not distracting, and understandable to the audience. Uncluttered and clear content is also important. Attention to detail in slides will also help the presenter create a positive impression on the audience.
Let’s look at the content of the slides first. All of the information that is put on the slides needs to relate to your talk and be explained. Each slide should only cover one point with the title of the slide stating the main message of that slide. Except for the slide titles, the text on the slides needs to be minimal. Concerning tables and diagrams, it is best to change the format of the data into a more understandable visual such as a line, circle, or bar graph in which the information is summarized and the main point is emphasized. Complex images can be broken up and shown in parts using several slides while explaining each part one at a time. Another way is to layer and describe different parts of a complex image one by one. Remember, you are the presenter, and the information on the slides are just supposed to emphasize your key points.
The visual appearance of the content is also important as can be confirmed by personal experiences as when the information on the slides was hard to see and not discernible from a distance. The first thing you can do to eliminate this headache for the audience is to make the font and images BIGGER! Furthermore, a Sans Serif type font is the best to use for text that is viewed from a distance. Then, make your information contrast against a soft, light-colored background. Sharp colors shouldn’t be used because they can be distracting to the audience. Simple themes with a consistent use of a few colors work well in scientific presentations.
Enhancements such as visual effects and different types of media can also be a part of scientific presentations. However, there are boundaries on how much they should be used. Visual effects, as when text or images appear, are pleasant to the eye when they’re simple and not dramatic, such as spinning text and multiple different colors. For video and sound inserts, the clips are not be very long and used frequently to not detract the audience’s attention away from from you. Narrating what is happening in the video clip yourself will help keep the audience’s focus on you rather than on just the videos. Moreover, it is a good idea to make sure that the computer and speakers at the place where you are presenting are working properly and are compatible with your PowerPoint and media files.
As a visual aid, PowerPoint can help you effectively get your message across to your audience. Therefore, it is imperative to spend time on making the content, appearance, and enhancements of your presentation uncluttered, discernible, and understandable. In the end, a well-designed PowerPoint can help you, the presenter, present with confidence and effectiveness.