When creating your presentation remember that your audience will be spread out in an auditorium or classroom. Text heavy presentations should be avoided. However, it is important that what is displayed can be viewed!
Use a set font and colour scheme. Different styles can be distracting to the audience and you want them, to focus on what you present, not the way you present.
Good fonts to use are Arial, Tahoma and Verdana.
Use CAPITAL letters for emphasis. Overuse of capital letters can make the text hard to read, diminish their use for emphasis, and conceal acronyms.
Italics should be used for quotations, to highlight thoughts or ideas and for book, journal or magazine titles.
Remember, it's a presentation, not a colour competition!
Be consistent with your colour scheme throughout your presentation, changing only if unavoidable. Make sure that the background does not make text difficult to read, or images difficult to see.
Below you can find some colour combinations of fonts and background that either work well or should be avoided.
Good
One of the best combinations. Not too bright, gentle on the eyes, and the text stands out.
Add
into column
Clear and legible, but can be blindingly bright on a big screen.
Add
into column
Use caution
Good contrast, but very dramatic. Use with caution. Also, screen will give off very little light - not good for a darkened room.
Add
into column
Good contrast, but very dramatic. Use with caution.
Add
into column
Bad
Unpleasantly bright, hard to look at for a long period of time. Avoid.
Add
into column
Hard to read, especially for the colourblind. Avoid.
Your presentation slides or video should only be considered a guide for what you are presenting. Omit long texts, and use short sentences or bullet points.
You should not have 50 slides for a 15 minutes presentation. Aim for a maximum of one slide per minute.
Aim to present one idea per slide.
Stortz et al. (2002) have compiled a great selection of tips that can help you construct your oral presentation.
In Good Videos section of this site you can see a series of videos outlining some useful tips for when you are in front of your audience.
Try doing a Google search for "presentations skills". But it is important to know how to filter the information that is useful for you. A great part of the information is not directed towards academic literacy, but to the business environment. Although there are differences between the two, there is still information that overlaps. This overlap is important for a large number of students, since these skills are transferable, and will be useful later in your careers.
