The Internet TESL Journal

About the Handout

The Handout

First step

• To make a new presentation choose new from the file menu. You can select a template using the autocontent wizard or a blank presentation.

Key Points in PowerPoint Design

• Organise your information in a logical way.
• Only include important information on each slide.
• Use color to show relationships but avoid colour combinations that do not work well together (for example red/green, blue/yellow, green/blue and red/blue).
• Limit the numbers of colours on a slide to no more than 7.
• If you use pictures, audio or video make sure that they are of high quality.
• Avoid using too many fonts on a slide. Goods fonts to use in PowerPoint include MS Sans-serif, MS Serif, Macintosh Geneva and New York (these fonts were designed for computer screens).
• Avoid long screens of text, eight to ten lines is usually enough. Try to keep text lines short.
• Limit the number of key points on a slide. Include no more than key five points.
• Give each slide a title.
• Use graphs and tables that are easy to understand.
• Use simple designs and backgrounds.
• Avoid using upper case characters and underlined text.
• Remember to check your spelling by clicking the abc icon on the tool bar.
• When you have completed your presentation select slide show and then use the view show command to see a preview of your presentation.
• You can also use the slide sorter view command at the bottom left hand corner of the screen to show all the slides you have made on one screen.

If You Have Problems

• If you have any problems with PowerPoint remember to select help from the tool bar at the top of the screen. You can select a topic to get more information. You can also click the office assistant button on the tool bar.