Rate Your Presentation Slides
By Dave Paradi, MBA, co-author of "Guide to PowerPoint"

When I work with managers and executives on effective use of presentation technology, one of the areas we look at are their presentation slides. Whether you use PowerPoint or some other program to create your slides, you can use the criteria listed below to rate how effective your slides are.

Overall Slide Design

Colors – The background and text colors need to have a high degree of contrast so that audience members will be able to clearly see what is being presented. Most presenters prefer dark background colors, such as dark blue, dark gray, dark green or dark purple. Studies have shown that colors have implied meanings, and these darker colors are usually acceptable. The text colors should then be bright yellow, white, beige or light blue. This contrast allows the words to float above the background and enhance readability.

Fonts – The default fonts for headings should generally be serif fonts (like Times Roman) so that people spend a little more time reading them and get context for where you are in the presentation. Body text fonts should be sans-serif fonts (like Arial) so that audience members can more quickly read the points and return their focus to the presenter. Also, limit the number of different fonts used in the presentation to no more than three or four.

Slide Text

Slide Density – A slide that is too dense – packed with too many words – will be hard to read and understand. A general guideline is to aim for six to seven points per slide and six to eight words per point. Bullet point form is much preferred over full sentences because it is quicker for the audience to get the key idea.

Text Builds – One technique to help keep attention is to build the bullet points on the slide. This increases comprehension because the audience can focus on one idea at a time.

Text Movement – When using text builds, you should not have the bullet points moving on the screen (i.e. flying in from all sides). Moving text is extremely hard to read while in motion, so most people wait until it stops before reading it. This increases the amount of time the audience is watching the slide and reduces the time they can receive valuable information from the presenter.

Graphics/Multimedia

Graphics/Clip Art – The most important rule when adding a graphic to a slide is that the image be appropriate for the topic of the slide. Check to make sure that a graphic has not been added simply because the presenter thought it looked nice.

Copyrighted Material – Make sure that you have permission to use whatever graphics or multimedia elements you include on your slides. Many major conferences are now having presenters sign agreements related to this topic. If you have any questions in this area, consult a legal professional for the best advice.

Audio/Video – When appropriate, audio and video can be used very effectively to make a point. Make sure that the audio or video clip used is enhancing the message, not there because it looked or sounded nice.

Charts – Charts or graphs can be a very effective way to present information. Make sure that the chart is readable based on the size and colors chosen. Also consider which type of graph or chart would best highlight the most important data. Error on the side of too little supporting data over putting too complex of a chart or graph on a slide.

Ease of Understanding

Fit of Slides with Topic – Make sure that the structure of the slides matches that of the overall presentation. Always map out the presentation before you decide whether slides are appropriate for that topic.

Let People Know Where You Are – Top presenters use text or graphics at the bottom or side of their slide to subtly let people know where they are in the presentation. There are many ways of doing this, including numbers for each section, section titles or pie-type graphics. This reminds the audience of the context and allows latecomers or those who miss a portion of the presentation to quickly find out where the presenter is and quickly be up to speed with the topics being discussed.

By using the criteria listed above, you can check the effectiveness of your current presentation slides and make some improvements that will increase the understanding of your audience.

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© MMIII Dave Paradi

Dave Paradi’s Think Outside the Slide™ approach helps presenters get results by showing them how to quickly create effective PowerPoint presentations. He is the co-author of “Guide to PowerPoint”, part of the Prentice Hall Series in Advanced Business Communication. He offers a free PowerPoint e-course, newsletter and articles on his web site at www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.