Homework.docx

Creating Effective PowerPoint® Presentations
Microsoft® PowerPoint® is a tool for creating dynamic oral presentations. An effective PowerPoint® presentation has maximum impact on an audience in minimal time. If you have been assigned a PowerPoint® in addition to an essay or instead of an essay, here are the key similarities [+] and differences [x] between these two forms:

Table 1

Elements of an Essay and a PowerPoint Presentation

Elements

Essay

PowerPoint®

Design

x Text-based, regular black font, one inch margins, double spacing

+ Visual design: color, theme, and layout options; art and multimedia options

Title

+ Title page

+ Title slide

Introduction

+ Topic, issue, thesis statement

+ Slide title (topic); key points

Body

+ Paragraphs featuring one point each

+ Slides featuring one point each

Conclusion

+ Recap of main point, final thoughts

+ Slide listing recap of main points

Paragraphs

+ Unified and cohesive paragraphs with topic and concluding sentences

x Unordered (bulleted) lists or a captioned image to convey key points

Sentences

Complete sentences

x One-line fragments; unordered list (bullet points).

Lists

x Occasionally used to separate elements in a sentence.

+Lists are the building blocks of a PowerPoint®.

Visuals/art

+ Tables, charts, and graphs display data and research results and make a paper visually appealing.

+ Images, art, tables, charts, and graphs increase the impact and visual appeal of a presentation.

In-text citations

+ Quotes, paraphrases, summaries, and visuals require in-text citations.

+ Quotes, paraphrases, and summaries, and visuals require in-text citations.

Reference list

+ Last page lists full-citation references.

+ Last slide lists full-citation references

GETTING STARTED WITH SLIDES
Similar to drafting an essay, when creating a PowerPoint®, you need to define your topic and focus, determine your audience, and know your purpose–whether you are informing, educating, entertaining, or persuading.
Another essential step that takes as much time when creating a PowerPoint® as it does when writing an essay is to research your subject matter and prewrite your ideas. A next step is to make an informal outline to organize your ideas and establish a clear beginning middle and end. With the groundwork complete and content prepared, you are ready to create Slide 1.

Slide 1

1. New presentations begin with a title slide. Follow the directions given in the text placeholders beginning with “click to add title” (Figure 2).
2. Then, in the next box, add your subtitle. You may also use this area to provide your name and the university name per APA guidelines or any other information required on your title slide.
3. Since a PowerPoint® accompanies an oral presentation, you may want to add speaker notes in the notes pane to elaborate on the points on each slide.

Figure 1

PowerPoint® Side 1. Click to Add Title

Important: PowerPoint® has older versions and newer, PC and Mac. Shown in Figure 1 is Microsoft® PowerPoint® 2013 for Windows. All versions have the similar components. For the purposes of this tutorial, the focus will be on steps and features without addressing the nuances of different versions. The PowerPoint® Help tool and the Microsoft® website, provide specific details about your software.

Slides 2, 3, 4…

1. To insert slide 2, right-click the thumbnail of the slide that you want the next slide to follow.
2. On the dropdown menu, click “New Slide” (Figure 3).
3. The new slide will open in a default layout. To use this layout, “click to add title,” and in the body placeholder, you can click to add text or select from the media options (Figure 4).
4. To use another layout, open the New Slide or Layout task pane and select the layout that best suits your content (Figure 5). Continue inserting slides using the same steps as above, or insert a “Duplicate Slide” and replace the text or image to maintain consistent title placement and formatting.

Figure 2

Insert New Slide.

Figure 3

New Slide in Default Template, Click Text Placeholders to Add Content.

Figure 4

Slide Layout Options

APA Citation Tips

· Cite your research after the bullet point(s) that have the quoted, paraphrased, or summarized text.
· You can insert textboxes as needed and position them on the slide to add citations to images or charts from your research. Refer to the Insert menu on the PowerPoint® toolbar to use this feature.
DESIGNING AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION
PowerPoint® presentations are meant to be seen more than read. Their impact depends on their visual appeal. Therefore, when beginning slide 1, or while drafting your presentation, you will want to apply design features. For the design to be effective, consider the following tips and features:
1. Apply a theme (Figure 6). Add a design theme to your presentation to establish the style and color scheme for bullets, charts, SmartArt, and text, as well as the position of the content placeholders. Slide layout options also remain available, and you can resize and reposition any object on a slide (except the stylistic patterns built into the themes).
2. Use a consistent background such as one design template throughout.
3. Use a consistent color scheme throughout of no more than three colors (or one design theme, Figure 7).
4. Use one type of transition (such as fade-to-black or dissolve) between slides for consistency.
5. Use a consistent and plain font throughout such as Arial, Times, Verdana, or Calibri. Use font sizes large enough to view from anywhere in the room.
6. Use visuals such as charts, images, and clipart to illustrate your content. However, do not add clipart simply to fill a slide or make it more colorful.

Figure 5

Apply a Theme to Create a Consistent Design and Professional Look.

Figure 6

Use Consistent Color Scheme Throughout the Presentation.

Figure 7

Example of an Ineffective Slide Design.

Ineffective presentations use poor slide design with distracting colors, difficult to read fonts, too much text to be readable at a glance, and irrelevant or inappropriate images for professional and academic adult learners.
Figure 7 provides an illustration of an ineffective slide design because
· the cartoonish clipart is unprofessional,
· the text is too small, ornate, and dense to read, and
· the neon colors in Figure 7 along with the extreme color combinations are difficult to read. The templates in PowerPoint® provide many acceptable options. Always consider your topic, purpose, and audience when determining slide design.

Figure 8

Illustration of an Effective Slide Design

Figure 8 provides an illustration of an effective slide design because
· the title reflects the topic of the slide,
· the content is presented in 4-5 lines, and
· the use of bullet points and grammatical and parallel clause and phrase structures.

APA Citation Tips

When using Microsoft® PowerPoint® clipart in your Microsoft® PowerPoint® presentation, according to APA, you do not have to cite it. If you use clipart or images from a source and permission and/or copyright is not required, you will want to attribute those images to the source of the image with a citation. Below is the citation and reference format for using clipart or images:
In-text, aligned with image: (Name of image creator, Year image was made or published)
Reference slide:
Name of image creator, A. A. (Year image was made). Title of image. [medium or file type of image]. http://…
ADDING VOICE NARRATION TO A PRESENTATION
The following steps for adding narration to your presentation are an overview of the detailed steps provided on the Microsoft® PowerPoint® support page here: Record a Slide Show with Narration.
1. After you have created your presentation and you have your speaker notes prepared to read aloud, open the Slide Show tab, and select Record Slide Show (Figure 9). You can select whether you want to record from the beginning or from a single slide.
2. Next, select what you want to record and start recording (Figure 10). In most instances, you will want the recording to match the amount of time you spend on the slide, so you will select “Slide and animation timings.” If you will use a pointer as you speak to highlight data on the slide or an aspect of an illustration, also select “Narration, ink, and pointer.” This tool will ensure any highlighting or typing you do on the slide as you speak also gets recorded.
3. When you begin recording, the presentation will open in the slide show view, and you can use the Recording toolbar to pause and to advance to the next slide (Figure 11).
4. To end the recording, right click the mouse over the final slide, and click “End Show (Figure 12).
5. To play the recorded slide show on your computer, open the Slide Show tab and click “From Beginning” or to only play a certain slide or to begin at a certain slide, click “From Current Slide.”
6. Save your presentation as a PowerPoint® Presentation to play it with the audio narration locally on your computer. Save As MPEG-4 to produce your slideshow as a video to share online.

Figure 9

Navigate to the Slide Show Tab and Select Record Slide Show.

Figure 10

Click “Start Recording.”

Figure 11

Screenshot of Upper Corner of Presentation Where the Recording Toolbar Appears

Figure 12

Right click the Final Slide to Open the Slide Show Controls and Select End Show to Stop Recording.

Figure 13

Save your Recording as a PowerPoint® to Play the Slide Show Locally on Your Computer, or Save it as a MPEG-4 Video to Publish it as a Video to Play Online.

Recording Tips

1. As you narrate your presentation, do not speak while the slides are transitioning from one to the other. Speak when the slide is loaded and stop speaking before you advance to the next slide. Recordings attach to each slide separately, so you may therefore re-record individual slides and not the whole slide show as you create your presentation.
2. Check your settings and audio by recording the first slide only and then playing it back and making any necessary adjustments to your audio.
3. Record your presentation in a quiet setting and using a headset or earbuds to ensure clear good sound quality.
· For more tips and detailed directions for recording a slide show, please visit Microsoft® PowerPoint® support here: 

Record a Slide Show with Narration and Slide Timings.