Effective Slideshows

As a communication tool, slideshow presentation software like google slides can be quite valuable. However when used ineffectively they are painful for both the audience and the presenter. The following is a list of do's and don'ts to consider when building an effective slideshow presentation.

General Do’s & Don’ts:

Do not place the content of your entire presentation in your slide show (everything you plan to say).
Do consider each slide as a note card, a reminder of what you intend to say or cover next.
Do not "wing" it (the slide building) as you go.
- Since you would pre-plan a speech or piece of writing, pre-plan your slide show.
- Create a story board of boxes each representing a potential slide.
Do not feel your story board is written in stone, we all know that our rough draft often looks nothing like our third or fourth.
Do consider the types of slides layouts you will need ahead of time. How will you present your material in a clear consistent manner? (use the same slide layout for slides with “like” purpose/content

Animation/Sound Do’s & Don’ts:

Do not use slow or medium animations. All animations should be fast or very fast which keep the focus on your content. Animations, especially random inconsistent ones are distracting.
Do create consistency. All “like” items should be animated in the same manner.
Do not choose animations which occur a letter or a word at a time.
Do consider animating bullet points one by one if you intend to speak to each as you go.
Do not use sounds unless directly connected to a piece of content. Sounds, especially random unrelated sounds, are distracting.

Content Do’s and Don’ts:

Do check for spelling and grammar errors as these are not only distracting but lower your professional credibility.
Do not choose font type, size, style, and color at random.
Do create consistency. All “like” items should be formatted in the same manner.
Do not choose background color, style, or images which clash with the content.
Do double-check that your content is easy to read from a variety of locations in the room.

Media Do’s & Don’ts:

Do consider ahead of time how many media elements you plan to include.
Do not put in media elements which do not serve a distinct purpose. For every element consider-
- Where will this media element fit in?
- In what way does this element support your presentation's goal(s)?
Do consider whether your media elements should enter with the related piece of text. It will depend upon the purpose of each element.
Do include a citation for your media elements, not doing so is plagiarism.

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