Last week, me and my group mates did a presentation about Composition and meaning by Kress, G. & van Leeuwen, T. 2006.
Based on our presentation slides, I am going to propose on how to improve on the writing and layout of the group presentation.
From what I know, visuals and texts ARE important to people nowadays. And both visuals and texts should be integrated together to create greater emphasis hence greater understanding to the readers. You may have a only text in an article but it would be better to have also images to support the text.
How to create a good powerpoint presentation?
First of all, you must have planning. Effective presentations needs planning.
Know your issue or main topic well. Why are you presenting and what is the message that you want to deliver.
Good planning will make you understand your topic better hence better writing for your presentation. When you know your topic well, you will slowly find out what are the main points to include in the slides and what are not necessary. Do not use long sentences in slides, use short points and explain to the audience while they read your short points, provide examples for better understanding for the audience. Be specific and straight to the point when you write your content.
Besides writing your presentation content well, the design and layout of the presentation must be good. As I have mentioned earlier, you must include visuals and images to support the text, or else the whole presentation would be boring.
In short, these are the points you MUST REMEMBER:
- Easy to read
- Clear title on each slides
- Simple background
- Slide layout must be appropriate
- Include graphics/charts
- Use contrasting colours with fonts & background
- Avoid fancy fonts
- Avoid capital letters
 |
| Use one slide for the sub topic's title. |
 |
| Use images to support your point |
 |
| Use models/diagrams to aid explanation |
 |
| Highlight font to show emphasis. Use short points and support points with own understanding |
 |
| Use capital letters only for emphasizing |
 |
| Use simple and readable fonts. |
But what our group can improve is that, we should have chosen another colour for the background. Instead of white, maybe we can choose to use peach colour or navy blue to portray professionalism. The white background makes the presentation look dull and incomplete.
To conclude, text and visuals are needed together to support each other. The design of the presentation should also be well considered. The value and the placement of the presentation design is pretty much very important. Follow the pointers, and you'll be on the right track. :)
References:
http://presentationsoft.about.com/od/powerpointinbusiness/tp/bus_pres_tips.htm, 10 Tips for Creating Successful Business Presentations, Accessed 27th August 2010.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/9447/error, What makes good scientific technical writing?, Accessed 27th August 2010.
http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Make-a-Good-PowerPoint-Presentation&id=4313178, How to make good powerpoint presentations?, Accessed 27th August 2010
