Essential Dos and Don'ts When Designing PowerPoint Slides

When used effectively, PowerPoint 2007 is a powerful tool which can help you create professional presentations. However, it is worth reminding ourselves of some basic dos and don'ts when designing slides.

Get to the point
Try not to put too much of your presentation script in your PowerPoint slide show. It's not a good idea to use lots of text over too many lines; this makes your slides look cramped, as well as being difficult to follow. If you do have too much text on a slide, there is the danger that you'll be tempted to start reading from the screen rather than communicate with your audience. This makes it difficult to engage or interact with them.

Do not make your audience read the slide rather than listen to what you are saying. The slides should support what you're saying - not say it all for you. The text on the slides should be used as prompts or to back up your messages. Try not to let one point run for more than two lines. A good guide is if a point has lots of punctuation, you are probably trying to say too much. Do make sure that there's lots of white space on your slide, so that text doesn't look cramped or cluttered.

Special effects
Do not confuse your audience by having text and images appearing from the left, right, top, bottom and diagonally on a slide. When used selectively, PowerPoint's animation features can be very effective. Do use the odd animated effect, but consider if your presentation really needs it. Keep to a simple style to present your text and retain the same effect throughout your presentation.

Colour codes
Your slides will be very difficult to read if you use too much colour, and they'll also look less professional. Do choose a background colour that's easy on the eye, and make sure your text colour is a suitable contrast. Dark colours on a light background work well. PowerPoint 2007 has tools to ensure that you always pick complementary colour schemes to create a professional look and feel.

Text size
Do make sure the size of your slide headings doesn't dominate the rest of your text. Don't use large text (eg 72 points) with much smaller body text (eg 20 point), as it will look mismatched. At the same time, you need to make sure your text is large enough to read on screen - think of the people viewing from the back of the room. A point size of 20 or above is a good size to ensure your audience can comfortably read the text, with headings set in a larger size.

Best use of images
If you are going to use images, make sure they're appropriate to the points you're trying to make and don't place images on the slide so that they overshadow everything else. Do make use of a company logo, if possible, positioned in the same place on each slide to create flow and continuity.

Transition slides
Don't make your audience feel uncomfortable by selecting one of the more outlandish transition styles to move from slide to slide - especially if you opt for a different style each time. For a standard presentation, do use a transition effect that is unobtrusive and subtle. The effect transition slides should only be used if you are trying to make a point.

Is your layout clear?
Do chose one layout style for every slide, such as a main heading with bullet points underneath - it's easy to read and follow. Take advantage of the Themes and Quick Styles available in PowerPoint 2007 to ensure a professional looking layout that has continuity with colour and type face.

Don't be caught out - preview your slide show to ensure you know the final content of each slide.

Charts, graphs and diagrams
Do use the PowerPoint tool to add charts, graphs and diagrams into your presentations, but keep these straightforward and to the point. The SmartArt tool can be used to help present complex information in a simple, easy to understand way. It's a good idea to ensure that these elements are properly labelled with a reference so that people can understand their relevance.

Finally, when it comes to charts and graphs, don't try to outsmart your audience with complicated graphics; make sure you can also explain what the data actually means.