SLIDE SHOW TIPS

A slide show is meant to hold important points to guide you through your presentation.  It is not meant to contain everything you will say.  Here are some tips to help you prepare an effective, interesting, professional slide show:

• Present information in a clear, well organized, logical sequence.
  
  

• Use point-form and keep it short. Speaker's notes will have more information to refer to when presenting.
   

• Get the text done in your slide show first, then go back and dress it up with fonts, backgrounds, graphics etc.
   

• Your opening slide should grab the audience attention and make them want to hear more.
   

• Make use of bullets and your indent key (F7 in Corel Presentations).
   

• Correct spelling and grammar are a must -- NO typing errors allowed!
   

• Make it easy to read.  Some font types, colours and sizes are not.
   
• Stick to 1 or 2 font faces in the entire slide show.  Use a more fancy font for slide titles perhaps, but not for all of your points.
   
• Graphics must relate to the topic.  If the program graphics are limited there are several web sites that provide free graphics.  Do a search and ask your friends for some sites.
   
• Don't let your backgrounds interfere with the message.  They are called background for a reason.
   
• Don't go crazy with different slide transitions and object animations.  The audience will be so busy following bouncing, swirling, spinning, fading and sweeping objects that they can't focus on what you are saying.
   
• Be creative but keep it professional.  Don't get too busy and cluttered with graphics, different backgrounds, fonts, slide transitions and object animations.  We want a professional look that is easy to read.
   
• Make text readable -- backgrounds, font styles, sizes and colours, graphics, slide transitions and object animations should enhance the message, not interfere with it.
   
• Your closing slide should make it clear you are done.  Don't use "The End".  How about "To Conclude" or "In Summary" or "The Five Top Things We Learned" perhaps followed by the presenter(s) name(s).
   
• Humour and whit are appreciated in presentations and business meetings as long as they are tasteful.  Locker room humour is not appropriate.