532 Chapter Guides
16.7 (Students can use this interest inventory to help prepare a presentation on a topic that
interests them.)
For exam and test prep, contact
, CHAPTER 17: ENHANCING PRESENTATIONS
WITH SLIDES AND OTHER VISUALS
IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THIS EDITION
• Clarified coverage of writing readable slide content
• Revised coverage of creating navigation and support slides, title, agenda, program detail, and
• blueprint slides
• New checklist for enhancing presentations with visuals
• Expanded coverage of online presentations
New figures: Presentation style (Fig. 17.1), Modifying graphs for slides (Fig 17.3),
Distractions from decorative artwork (Fig 17.4), Presentation slide master (Fig 17.5),
Navigation and support slides (Fig 17.9), Moving blueprint slides (Fig 17.9
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Planning Your Presentation Visuals
Selecting the Type of Visuals to Use
Verifying Your Design Plans
Creating Effective Slides
Writing Readable Content
Modifying Graphics for Slides
Selecting Design Elements
Achieving Design Consistency
Adding Animation and Special Effects
Completing Slides and Support Materials
Creating Navigation and Support Slides
Creating Effective Handouts
Practicing Your Delivery
Giving Presentations Online
LECTURE NOTES
Planning Your Presentation Visuals
Visuals can improve the quality and impact of your oral presentations by
Creating interest
Illustrating points that are difficult to explain in words alone
Adding variety
Increasing the audience’s ability to absorb and remember information
As a speaker, you’ll find that visual aids
Can help you remember the details of the message
Improve your professional image
,532 Chapter Guides
The most popular visuals to enhance oral presentations are
Electronic presentations
Overhead transparencies
Chalkboards and whiteboards
Flip charts
Other visuals
* See Transparency 163 for a table of pros and cons of the most popular visuals.
The chapter focuses on electronic presentations, although most of the design tips apply to
overhead transparencies as well.
Ask yourself how each visual will help your audience understand and appreciate your message:
Choose the words you’ll use to harmonize with the visual you are displaying.
Double-check any cultural assumptions that might be inappropriate.
Letting accuracy and simplicity guide your design choices
Takes less time to create your materials
Reduces the chance of distraction and misinterpretation
Reduces the chance of something going wrong with needless “bells and whistles”
Use your time wisely:
Decide in advance how much sophistication is good enough.
Then stop when you reach that point.
Use the time you save to rehearse your presentation and get a good night’s sleep.
Creating Effective Slides
To create attractive presentations that don’t compromise your message, you
Start with your text
Get your content in place before thinking about graphics
Effective text slides
Support rather than replace your spoken message
Are easy for the audience to read and comprehend
Slides with too much text, long sentences, or wordy bullets
Make it difficult for audience members to read your message from a distance
Are difficult to understand
Confuse and distract the audience
Diminish your credibility as a speaker
When writing content for text slides, keep your message short and simple:
Limit each slide to one thought, concept, or idea.
Limit content to about 40 words—no more than six lines per slide and six words per line.
Write short bulleted phrases rather than long sentences or paragraph-length blocks of text.
Use sentences only when you need to share a quotation or other text item verbatim.
Phrase list items in parallel grammatical form.
Use the active voice.
Include short informative titles.
, 147 Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals 533
To modify graphic visuals for slides
Reduce the amount of detail
Avoid repeating text
Shorten numbers
Limit data
Highlight key points
Adjust the size and design
However, guard against oversimplifying text or graphics so much that listeners can’t grasp the
message.
Use color in slides to
Grab attention
Emphasize important ideas
Create contrast
Isolate slide elements
Stimulate emotions
When using color in slides, keep some important points in mind.
Colors may have different meaning for different cultures.
You should limit the number of colors you use.
Some colors work better together than others.
Contrasting colors increase readability.
For electronic slides shown in a darkened room, use
Darker colors for the background
Midrange colors for illustrations
Lighter colors for text
For overhead transparencies shown in well-lit rooms, reverse this color scheme—use
Lighter colors for the background
Midrange colors for illustrations
Darker colors for text
Slides have two layers or levels of graphic design:
Background: Corresponds to paper in a printed report; usually stays the same from slide to slide
Foreground: Contains the unique text and graphic elements that make up each individual slide
In general, the less your background does, the better.
Even so, you may want to add small, unobtrusive elements to your background, such as
A company logo
The date
The presentation title
A running slide number
Check whether your company has a standard template for all presentation slides.
16.7 (Students can use this interest inventory to help prepare a presentation on a topic that
interests them.)
For exam and test prep, contact
, CHAPTER 17: ENHANCING PRESENTATIONS
WITH SLIDES AND OTHER VISUALS
IMPORTANT CHANGES IN THIS EDITION
• Clarified coverage of writing readable slide content
• Revised coverage of creating navigation and support slides, title, agenda, program detail, and
• blueprint slides
• New checklist for enhancing presentations with visuals
• Expanded coverage of online presentations
New figures: Presentation style (Fig. 17.1), Modifying graphs for slides (Fig 17.3),
Distractions from decorative artwork (Fig 17.4), Presentation slide master (Fig 17.5),
Navigation and support slides (Fig 17.9), Moving blueprint slides (Fig 17.9
CHAPTER OUTLINE
Planning Your Presentation Visuals
Selecting the Type of Visuals to Use
Verifying Your Design Plans
Creating Effective Slides
Writing Readable Content
Modifying Graphics for Slides
Selecting Design Elements
Achieving Design Consistency
Adding Animation and Special Effects
Completing Slides and Support Materials
Creating Navigation and Support Slides
Creating Effective Handouts
Practicing Your Delivery
Giving Presentations Online
LECTURE NOTES
Planning Your Presentation Visuals
Visuals can improve the quality and impact of your oral presentations by
Creating interest
Illustrating points that are difficult to explain in words alone
Adding variety
Increasing the audience’s ability to absorb and remember information
As a speaker, you’ll find that visual aids
Can help you remember the details of the message
Improve your professional image
,532 Chapter Guides
The most popular visuals to enhance oral presentations are
Electronic presentations
Overhead transparencies
Chalkboards and whiteboards
Flip charts
Other visuals
* See Transparency 163 for a table of pros and cons of the most popular visuals.
The chapter focuses on electronic presentations, although most of the design tips apply to
overhead transparencies as well.
Ask yourself how each visual will help your audience understand and appreciate your message:
Choose the words you’ll use to harmonize with the visual you are displaying.
Double-check any cultural assumptions that might be inappropriate.
Letting accuracy and simplicity guide your design choices
Takes less time to create your materials
Reduces the chance of distraction and misinterpretation
Reduces the chance of something going wrong with needless “bells and whistles”
Use your time wisely:
Decide in advance how much sophistication is good enough.
Then stop when you reach that point.
Use the time you save to rehearse your presentation and get a good night’s sleep.
Creating Effective Slides
To create attractive presentations that don’t compromise your message, you
Start with your text
Get your content in place before thinking about graphics
Effective text slides
Support rather than replace your spoken message
Are easy for the audience to read and comprehend
Slides with too much text, long sentences, or wordy bullets
Make it difficult for audience members to read your message from a distance
Are difficult to understand
Confuse and distract the audience
Diminish your credibility as a speaker
When writing content for text slides, keep your message short and simple:
Limit each slide to one thought, concept, or idea.
Limit content to about 40 words—no more than six lines per slide and six words per line.
Write short bulleted phrases rather than long sentences or paragraph-length blocks of text.
Use sentences only when you need to share a quotation or other text item verbatim.
Phrase list items in parallel grammatical form.
Use the active voice.
Include short informative titles.
, 147 Enhancing Presentations with Slides and Other Visuals 533
To modify graphic visuals for slides
Reduce the amount of detail
Avoid repeating text
Shorten numbers
Limit data
Highlight key points
Adjust the size and design
However, guard against oversimplifying text or graphics so much that listeners can’t grasp the
message.
Use color in slides to
Grab attention
Emphasize important ideas
Create contrast
Isolate slide elements
Stimulate emotions
When using color in slides, keep some important points in mind.
Colors may have different meaning for different cultures.
You should limit the number of colors you use.
Some colors work better together than others.
Contrasting colors increase readability.
For electronic slides shown in a darkened room, use
Darker colors for the background
Midrange colors for illustrations
Lighter colors for text
For overhead transparencies shown in well-lit rooms, reverse this color scheme—use
Lighter colors for the background
Midrange colors for illustrations
Darker colors for text
Slides have two layers or levels of graphic design:
Background: Corresponds to paper in a printed report; usually stays the same from slide to slide
Foreground: Contains the unique text and graphic elements that make up each individual slide
In general, the less your background does, the better.
Even so, you may want to add small, unobtrusive elements to your background, such as
A company logo
The date
The presentation title
A running slide number
Check whether your company has a standard template for all presentation slides.
