My rule of thumb when creating a slide show or Power Point presentation is you can't go wrong with bullet points; lists of information set off by dots, dashes, check marks, or other small, simple graphics. If you are giving an oral presentation, your slide show should only enhance it. It should not be able to replace your presentation. If that is the case, just run the slide show as a movie. The slides should add interest to your presentation and draw attention to key points.
When putting together a slide show to accompany an oral presentation, I think of myself being in the audience. What would I want to see? What would bore me? What should I remember as the most important points? Then I design the slides around that. Including too many complete sentences (or even too many words, period) on a slide will distract the audience from the message. They will be so busy reading the slide, they won't hear what you are saying. A few to handful of bullet points with words or short phrases next to them key audience members into the most important points of your talk. They highlight your talk and provide a visual cue or reminder to help them remember what you say.
Words or phrases placed in bullet points work even better if you have pictures or other graphics to go along with them. Graphics make the presentation more interesting; audience members won't get bored looking at slide after slide of just words. If possible, run through the slides on the projector you will actually be using for your presentation to make sure your font is big enough and shows up (avoid light colors) and that any graphics you use will be clear.
Power Point presentations or slides can be great assets to any oral presentation; they can help keep the audience engaged, help them remember your key talking points, and provide them with an overall enjoyable experience. However, they must be used correctly to avoid the risk of boring the audience, overwhelming them, or detracting from your message.
Happy speaking and thanks for reading!
-The Wordsy Woman
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