getting started with powerpoint
Goals: This session will provide an introduction to the basic tools required to create a PowerPoint presentation. Upon completion of this section, the participant with be able to create and manage a presentation of multiple slides, apply good design principles, and create accompanying handouts.
- Introduction to Powerpoint
- Getting Started - Creating a New Presentation
teaching with powerpoint
PowerPoint has become the most ubiquitous instructional technology tool for instructors. The application is easy to use, and most computers come with PowerPoint pre-installed. PowerPoint provides a way for instructors to integrate graphics and animations into lecture. It can help instructors highlight important points and communicate complex concepts in multiple ways. Instructors can structure and organize lectures and provide lecture notes.
With all these benefits, however, the most important issue to consider is whether PowerPoint actually improves learning. Studies show that students retain much more information when it is presented both verbally and visually. Students can also benefit from having complex concepts represented graphically. If done properly, PowerPoint can provide students with knowledge presented in a way that enables them to absorb, apply, and retain it.
This session will show how to create a simple and effective PowerPoint presentation, and help avoid the most common presentation mistakes.
deciding when to use powerpoint
The first question to be asked when one is thinking of using PowerPoint in a lecture is, "Why?". There are a number of ways in which PowerPoint can enhance a lecture. However, there are also many ways in which PowerPoint can ruin a lecture. Understanding how PowerPoint can be used to enhance a lecture will help in deciding whether, when, and how to integrate it into class.
Reasons to use PowerPoint:
- Content can be presented better using graphics, charts, animation or multimedia.
- Content has procedures or steps that would benefit from visual reinforcement.
- Instructor needs a way to highlight key points when discussing a complex topic.
- Instructor needs a way to make connections between related topics.
- Instructor needs a way to create a framework for content.
- Others?
powerpoint pitfalls
There are a number of dangers of using PowerPoint in a lecture.
- Becoming a PowerPoint hostage -- Instructors may create such a tightly packaged presentation that they develop an overly structured lecture -- one that doesn't lend itself to digressions and/or student questions. Presentations can come off as overly scripted and students may become passive -- not wanting to interrupt. Avoid writing out the lecture in full. When done, instructors tend to stand in front of the class and read from their notes. Use the Notes area to elaborate on concepts covered on the slide. These two areas should provide enough information for an instructor to speak freely about the topic at hand.
- PowerPoint replacing attendance -- If too much information is delivered within a PowerPoint presentation and if an instructor makes the presentation file available, students may get the idea that they don't need to attend class. Use each slide to highlight points that are to be elaborated on in class.
- Creating a dark room -- Dark rooms can lead to passive students. Students cannot see the instructor and the instructor can't read student reaction. Most newer projectors are designed to be used in fully lit classrooms. If a projector is older, or if a classroom does not have good lighting control, be aware of this before designing the presentation. Use of lighter backgrounds in darker rooms can help avoid a cave-like experience.
- Sensory overload -- PowerPoint has the capability of adding a large number of transitions, animations, and sound effects. Too much action can distract students from content. Additionally, students are very skeptical of unnecessary uses of technology. Student reaction needs to be carefully considered, as an instructor's creditability may be lowered if students feel the technology is not adding value.
design tips
- Keep screen clean -- Use the space on the slide to highlight important topics. Comprehension of important topics will be greater if they are not buried in a slide filled with too much information. Maintain an appropriate amount of white space on a slide. Good Example | Bad Example
- Consider background color -- Traditionally, dark background colors with bright text were recommended for classroom lectures. With brighter projectors and greater control of classroom lighting, lighter backgrounds with darker text can be used. This can avoid the dark classroom experience, which tends to lead to passive students. Dark Example | Light Example
- Use clean fonts -- Sans-serif fonts (fonts that are clean and lack adornment) are most readable on a screen. Good Example | Bad Example
- Format text for maximum readability -- Avoid text that is formatted with all capital letters. Make sure there is adequate contrast between the font and the background. Use shadows to make text stand out. Good Example | Bad Example
- Keep text readable -- Students sitting in the back of large lecture hall need to be able to read content on the slide. When formatting text, do not use font sizes smaller than 28 points. If a smaller font is needed, this is a sign that there may be too much information on the slide. Good Example | Bad Example
- Take advantage of graphics -- Graphics, charts and animations can represent a lot of material and do it a way that can increase retention. Good Example | Bad Example
- Resist transitions, animations and sound effects -- While it can be fun to fill up a presentation with a lot of activity, it can be a major distracter to the content.
- Use bullets appropriately -- Bullets are a good way to highlight main points. If everything on a slide has a bullet, though, they can lose their impact. Good Example | Bad Example
- Limit topics covered on a slide -- Limit a slide to include 3 to 6 points. Try to limit the number of lines of text on a slide to 6. Good Example | Bad Example
- Build in interactivity -- Presentations don't have to be passive. Build slides that ask questions. Add a slide that has only a graphic and ask questions. Leave blanks in slides and ask students to provide the missing information.
- Build in breaks -- Provide students an opportunity to process and apply content every 15 minutes. This will keep them engaged.
- Ask for feedback -- Include a slide that asks students to list the areas of the presentation that they found the most difficult to understand.
creating a new presentation
overview
PowerPoint 2003 will open and start with a new generically formatted presentation. In the creation process, the designer formats the text and background to match personal preference or departmental standards
Please be aware that there are various options to make slide creation and formatting more efficient. These options are presented later in this document.
goals
- Create a new presentation
- Observe the generic nature of all new presentations
- Change text properties (size, color, font)
- Modify slide background
- Describe why slide level formatting is not efficient
steps
- Open Microsoft PowerPoint 2003. Observe that it will open with a slideshow presentation that is very generic in its appearance (white background and black text).
- Click on the dashed border that surrounds the text, "Click to add title".
- Choose Format | Font from the menu bar.
- Format the text (color, size, font).
- Click on the dashed border that surrounds the text, "Click to add subtitle".
- Choose Format | Font from the menu bar.
- Format the text (color, size, font).
- Choose Format | Background from the menu bar.
- Select the drop down box to choose a background color.
other information
The formatting applied in the previous steps is at a "slide level". These formatting decisions aren't established for the other slides in the presentation. Using the "slide level" formatting technique is very inefficient, as each slide will need to have its own formatting applied. Nonetheless, it is very important to understand how to format text and backgrounds. The more efficient methods of slideshow formatting will still require a small amount of formatting decisions.
creating new slides using autolayout
overview
The content on a slide can take many forms: a bulleted list of speaking points, an image, a graph, or even an audio or video file. PowerPoint provides autolayout options to make it easy to use any of these types of content. As a designer, it is important to become familiar with the autolayout options. They are an essential part of the slide creation process. Several examples appear below:
goals
- Create a new slide
- Become familiar with the autolayout options
- Apply an autolayout to a new slide
- Change the layout of an existing slide
steps
- Choose Insert | New Slide from the menu bar.
- If necessary, activate the Slide Layout component of the Task Pane.
- Select an autolayout option from the Task Pane.
other information
It is possible to change the layout of an existing slide. This can be done by bringing the slide to modify into the main PowerPoint work area and activating the slide layout component of the task pane. Simply select a new layout and it will apply itself to the active slide.
working with text and bulleted lists
overview
Properly adding and formatting text will ensure that a presentation is easy to build and edit. Using the Outline View can save time and keep the text consistently positioned and formatted throughout the presentation.
goals
- Insert text into the slide's text area
- Change the formatting of the text
- Change the style of the bullets
- Use the outline view for quick text entry
steps
to change the format of only a portion of the text:
- Select the text to be changed.
- On the Formatting toolbar, click Bold [B] , Italic [I] , or Underline [U] .
- Use the Color Picker to change font color
to change the style of the bullets:
- Click on the dashed border that surrounds the text
- Choose Format | Bullets and Numbering
- Click on the style of bullets. To change from a bulleted list to a numbered list, click on the Numbered tab and click on a style of numbering.
- Press OK
use the outline view for easy text entry and slide creation:
- Switch to the Outline View by clicking on the Outline tab located above the thumbnail slides.
- Type text in the Outline area.
- Press Enter key to create a new line or slide.
- Press Tab key to move text one position to the right .
- Press Shift-tab to move text one position to the left.
other information
- Formatting text and bullets using these steps will only affect text and bullets on the current slide. We will look at more efficient ways to format text when we examine slide masters later in the workshop.
- Text entered through the Outline View can be very important. If a presentation is saved as a Web page, the text on the Outline tab becomes the table of contents for navigating through the slides.
- Bulleted lists can be overused. To add variety to a presentation, consider breaking up repetitious bulleted lists with slides of images, charts, juxtaposed items, or quotes.
presentation views
overview
PowerPoint provides four views of a presentation.
- Normal
-
This is the primary working view. The designer will add content, modify slide formatting and insert content through this view
- Slide sorter view
-
This is a slide management area. The designer will see all slides as thumbnails. It is possible to modify slide order, hide slides, delete slides, and set slide transitions from this view.
- Slide show
-
This view is used for the presentation. It is the view students will see and should be inspected frequently.
- Notes page
-
A presenter may have notes that they wish to use to assist them as they speak. The Notes page allows the designer to add presenter notes. These notes are not displayed during the presentation. The Notes pages are commonly printed out prior to the presentation event.
This component of the PowerPoint series focuses on Slide sorter view and the Notes view.
goals
- Re-order slides using Slide Sorter view.
- Delete slides in Slide Sorter view.
- Hide/reveal a slide in Slide Sorter view.
- Add speaker notes to a slide in the Notes Page view.
Slide Sorter view
It is important to be able to re-order slides, delete slides and hide/reveal slides from the Slide Sorter view.
re-ordering slides
- Choose View | Slide Sorter view from the menu bar.
- Select the slide(s) that need to be re-ordered.
- Use the mouse to drag the slide(s) to the new location.
*Note: A slide can also be cut and then pasted into its new location.
deleting a slide
- Enter Slide Sorter view.
- Select the slide or slides to be deleted.
- Choose Edit | Delete Slide or press the Delete key on the keyboard.
hiding / revealing a slide
- Enter Slide Sorter view.
- Select the slide(s) that needs to be hidden.
- Choose Slide Show | Hide Slide from the menu bar.
*Undo the Hide Slide action by returning to the menu bar and unselecting the hide action.
adding notes to a presentation
Notes Page view
The steps that follow provide instruction on entering speaker/presenter notes that can be printed out prior to the delivery of the presentation.
steps
- Choose View | Notes Page from the menu bar.
- Click in the area labeled as, Click to add text.
- Enter the slide speaker notes.
The Notes Page content can be printed. The simplest method is to choose File | Print while in the Notes Page view. The result will be one page for each slide of the presentation. The speaker notes will appear in the bottom half of each page.
animation effects
overview
Animation effects give motion to text, pictures, and other content on your slides. Besides adding action, they help steer audience focus and emphasize important points.
Surveys show that animation effects can be one of the most annoying elements in PowerPoint presentations. However, animations can be used effectively and we will address the basics of using animations here.
goals
- Add a preset animation scheme to individual slides or entire presentation
- Remove an animation scheme that has been applied to slides
- Understand when to use custom animations
steps
applying an animation scheme to an entire presentation
- Open an existing PowerPoint presentation, or create a new presentation
- Click Slide Show | Animation Schemes… (The Animation Schemes task pane will open on the right side of the PowerPoint window.
- Click on one of the animation effects in the task pane . (Note that the Animation Schemes are organized according to subtlety: Subtle, Moderate, and Exciting.)
- Click the Apply to All Slides button
applying an animation scheme to a single slide
- Open an existing PowerPoint presentation
- Select a slide on the Slides tab
- Click Slide Show | Animation Schemes… (The Animation Schemes task pane will open on the right side of the PowerPoint window.)
- Click on one of the animation effects in the task pane . (Once an animation effect is clicked, the effect is set for that individual slide only. Do not press Apply to All Slides.)
removing an animation scheme
- To remove from selected slides: Select the slides on the Slides , then click No Animation from within the list of animation schemes.
- To remove from all slides: Select a slide on the Slides tab, click No Animation from the list of schemes, then click Apply to All Slides.
effective uses of animation effects :
- Focus audience's attention on information (rather than on the animation itself)
- Control the flow of information (e.g. diagram a process)
- Illustrate complex concepts
- Build consistency into the presentation (e.g. one effect for revealing of all text)
other information
- Animation schemes work only on text that's within default text areas. Use Custom Animations (choose Slide Show | Custom Animations…) for animating images, graphics, or text that has been added by using the text box drawing tool. Custom Animations can also be used to change the speed or timing of the animations.
- Use animations that focus the audience's attention. Reveal text with Appear or Fade-in-and-dim effects. Lines and arrows can be animated with the Peek effect so that the object is drawn in a certain direction. Graphics can be revealed using the Dissolve effect.
- For audience comfort, use animation effects that keep the text (or object) from moving across the screen. Animations such as Appear, Fade, and Dissolve have this effect.
- Source: “ Using Animation and Slide Transition Effects on Presentation Slides” by Dave Paradi.
http://www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/articles/using_animation_and_transition.htm