Presentation Tips and Tricks
At Classroom Technologies, we are often asked what to do to make presentations look good when projected on a screen. This is not an area where there are a lot of hard and fast rules, but we can offer some suggestions gathered in working with instructors, our own research and professional training, and our experience in supporting campus classroom instruction over the years.
Below are some general tips for visual presentations in classrooms. For PowerPoint specifically, one can find a great deal of information by doing some searching on the Internet. We will also be adding to this page periodically, so please look back here again for more on such topics as microphone tips, advice for student presentations, and other suggestions.
When showing text, have a limit of 3-5 bullet points on the screen
Showing too much text is difficult to read. If more than 5 ideas are listed, some will be given short shrift by your audience. Often it is better to cover detail in handouts rather than via projection on the screen. If you would like students to have handouts, Illinois Compass is a good way to distribute those.
Plan for a screen resolution of 1024 by 768
The native resolution of the LCD projectors in the ITS classrooms is 1024 by 768, also known as XGA, which is what the ITS classroom computers are set to. When connecting a laptop, a higher resolution than XGA may be used. This is achieved through the use of compression technology. Compression technology can display a perfectly acceptable image, but is not matched pixel for pixel from computer to projector to screen. The success of displaying at higher resolution varies depending on the particular laptop used.
Use colors for text and background that contrast with one another
Color schemes for slides work best when there is a strong dark colored background, with text and lines in light/bright colors. As an example, you may have yellow headings and white body text on a blue background. Some people may prefer to use the reverse, with dark text on a light background. It is important to check all colors on a projection screen before the actual presentation. The colors may project differently than what appears on your monitor.
Stick with two or three different fonts and styles
Combining a lot of different font types and sizes can be confusing to the reader.
Use a font that is large enough for people to see from the back of the room
When necessary, change the font size in your application. In most browsers, this can be done by going to the View menu and selecting Text Size.
Use san serif fonts
Refrain from using fancy fonts because they tend to be harder to read. Some suggested fonts styles are Arial or Helvetica. Avoid serif fonts such as Times New Roman or Palatino as they are sometimes more difficult to read when projected.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Steve Builta is an Information Systems Manager at Northern Illinois University and has spoken about PowerPoint at recent Faculty Summer Institutes on the UIUC campus. Links to his presentations are below:
The International Communications Industries Association has also produced a collection of presentation news and tips. Their link is below: