5. How to Make an Effective Presentation


Many kinds of presentations are possible. For a distance education course, a face-to-face presentation is not always practical! However, if you do want to make a presentation to a teacher, please make arrangements for it.

Most distance presentations are made using computer presentation software, such as PowerPoint.

A PowerPoint presentation is a series of slides that can include images, graphs, charts, audio and movie files, as well as various kinds of animation, all of which make your topic come alive to your audience.

The same general rules for writing an effective paragraphs or essays apply to presentations.

  • Unity: Your ideas, images, and multimedia files must all relate to your topic. Do not throw in a picture or a movie just because it looks good. It must serve clearly to illustrate your main idea.

  • Clarity: Your ideas should be clear and your images and multimedia files must be of good quality and be easy to understand.

  • Correctness: Spelling and grammar still count! Be sure to proofread and edit for grammar.

Tips for Making a PowerPoint Presentation

Remember that a PowerPoint presentation is designed to be shown on a large screen to a large audience. What might look great to you on your home computer might not work as a presentation. A presentation should be easy to read. Avoid long paragraphs.

Imagine that you are showing your PowerPoint slides in a classroom or auditorium. Will your material be easy to read from several metres away? Are your graphics clear and easy to understand?

  • Use bullets or a numbered outline.

  • Guideline: Use about 6 words per line.

  • Guideline: Use about 6 lines a slide.

  • Avoid long sentences.

  • Font size should range from 18 to 48 points.

  • Text should contrast with background.

  • Avoid elaborate fonts and anything in all capital letters, which are difficult to read.

  • Graphics should provide balance.

  • Never use more than one image per slide.

  • Transitions should be consistent.

If you have never used PowerPoint before, realize that they are quite easy to organize. An excellent online tutorial is located here.