Presentations should include a title slide, slides for content, a conclusion slide, and references (if needed). It is now considered “old school” to include a Q&A slide and a Thank You slide so it is highly suggested that you do not include them. Your conclusion is your last slide when presenting. this is where you ask your audience if they have any questions or to thank the audience.

font

FONT TYPE

Font should be easy to read and in keeping with the tone of the presentation itself. Keep to a sans serif style of font (has not tails on the letters) such as MS Calibri not Times New Roman. Remember that style has impact. Comic Sans MS has a different impact than MS Chiller and do not use script writing for a presentation (unless it has a specific purpose).

FONT SIZE

• Titles: Ensure that a title font is not overwhelming.
• Body: Use 28-font size for everything. From the body to boxes, any font that is in the body of the slide, needs to be 28-font.  28-font can consistently be seen at the back of a classroom or small presentation hall. Some fonts are larger or smaller than others. Use MS Calibri 28 as a guide.
• References: It is acceptable the references use 24-font.

Design and Theme

DESIGN

It is perfectly acceptable to create a classic “blank” presentation which is black font on a white background with no additional design elements. If you are using a “Design” then use it consistently throughout the deck. In MS PowerPoint, the designer tool is just that, a tool. You have to choose whether or not the suggested design makes sense to your current design and the topic. Do not just presume because it was suggested that it is right. If you are discussing technology, a tech design would make more sense than one that is more of a vacation them.

THEME

The theme you select has impact. Ensure that it is in keeping with the topic. An icon that has dollar sign would not resonate with a British audience or an icon for a house when it should be a factory also doesn’t make sense. When using “Designer” it will automatically choose an icon. It is up to you to change it to make it relevant to the topic and subject being discussed.

Smart Art

“Designer” will create suggestions using SmartArt Graphics. It is up to you to ensure you are using the correct one. A process graphic shows the viewer how one process leads to another and then to another. A cycle graphic shows how a process repeats itself. Often, “Designer” will choose these instead of a basic list graphic. Be aware and don’t make this common mistake.

Consistency

Consistency throughout a presentation is the key to a successful presentation. Often this inconsistency is a result of using a design or “Designer”.  Inconsistency does not create a professional looking PowerPoint.

The following is a list of areas that are frequently inconsistent:

• Slide Titles: Different font styles, different colours, different alignments all impact the visual of the deck.
• Bullets: Stick with one bullet type throughout the presentation, if using a chevron, use it throughout, if using a box, use it throughout.
• Numbering: Use numbering when you have a list or a series or where ordering is important.
•  Colour: Keep colour choice consistent throughout the deck. MS Designer will make suggestions and disregard colour choices.
• Bolding: Ensure that when you use bold typeface, that it is used consistently throughout the deck. If you are using it for terms, then all terms used need to be bold typeface.
• Font Type: Use one type for the body of the slides. You can use another type for titles, just use it throughout the deck.

Alignment

Referred to as paragraph alignment, align, or justification, this is about how the text appears in a title or the body of a slide.

LEFT JUSTIFICATION

As a general rules, always used left justification. This means that all the text starts on the left-hand side. It also means that the right-hand side of the text will look jagged.

FULL JUSTIFICATION

Do not use full justification, it does not have a use in PowerPoint slides as usually this is used for tight columns full of text. Full justification means that the text touches both the right and the left margins. There may be exceptions but make sure that it required and used sparingly.

CENTRING

Centring text is only used in specific circumstances such as a single short quote on a slide.

RIGHT JUSTIFICATION

Right justification has its uses but again, only in specific circumstances.

TITLES

With titles, make a choice and stick with it.

Notes, In-Text citations, and references

NOTES

Use the “Notes” area of a slide (the area under the body of the slide) to reference the information used in the slide. This includes information and images and photos, even Creative Commons Licensed information. Always remember to give credit where credit is due. All information also appears in the references at the end of the slide deck.

IN-TEXT CITATIONS

For direct quotes, paraphrased information, and sources of fact, you need to have in in-text citation (Author, Date) in the body of the slide. Include the information in the “Notes” area of the slide.

REFERENCES

Do not number references. You can use bullets or not, though it is recommended to not use them. References do not have to be hanging as this is incredibly difficult to do in PowerPoint, but they do have to be in alphabetical order. It is acceptable to have separate references slides for photos or images. Ensure that references slides are labeled as such. Do not include any slides after the references.

Remember, references are not discussed. They are there to give credit where credit is due and if you are asked to share your slide deck, it is all ready to be shared, no extra work is needed.

Attribution

This chapter was created for Effective Business Communication by Lesley Hayman and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 International License.