Technical Communication for Engineers

Power Point Presentations-2/3

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 Body Language
What is this ?
Imagine that that you are watching through a window as someone
does a presentation to a group of people in a room. You can't actually
hear the presenter's voice, but :
– he or she seems to be speaking clearly,
– is making eye contact with various people in the room,
– is emphasizing points using appropriate gestures,
– appears to be in command of the material, and displays
enthusiasm.
What would be your reaction ?
 Body language
In contrast:
imagine that you are watching, under similar circumstances, a
second person giving a presentation. This time, you notice that
the person :
– avoids direct eye contact with their audience,
– keeps their hands in their pockets or at their sides,
– shifts their weight uncomfortably,
– generally appears unenthusiastic about their topic.
How do you now react?
 Use of Hand Gestures
• Hands can be used to emphasize points. it draw attention of
the audience, but it can be very useful in aiding clarification.
• But don't indulge in a grand display of hand waving. This can
be distracting - and a bit comical.
• Use the hands in different ways so that there is not one style.
 Use of Face Gestures
• A happy, smiling face, showing interest, in the audience is
important.
• Avoid an expressionless face (who wants to see such a face?).
 Use of Whole Body Gestures
Whole body gestures cover aspects such as –
• Your general posture (how you stand),
• Your use of action (body orientation),
• Even aspects such as dance.
• How do you stand - at attention, at ease, leaning against
something, sitting on the edge of a table, (sitting on a chair –
unlikely we hope) ?
• In many cases, gestures are used to draw further attention to
yourself. And often the more exaggerated they are, the more
attention you get.
 Face the audience

• Do not speak to your slides.

• Many presenters face the screen / board rather than their audience.

https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
What to avoid in a presentation?
Reading:
• Reading text ruins a presentation.
• A verbal presentation should focus on interactive speaking and
listening, not reading by the speaker or the audience.
• The demands of spoken and written language differ significantly.
• Spoken language is shorter, less formal and more direct.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
What to avoid in a presentation?
Reading:
• One of your goals as a presenter is to capture and hold the audience’s
attention.
• Often, parts of an effective presentation depend on creating suspense
to engage the audience.
• If the audience can read everything you’re going to say, that element is

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
lost.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
• Select fonts such as Arial or Helvetica.
• Avoid Times New Roman or Palatino because throughout length of text
the thickness changes and therefore sometimes more difficult to read
specially when projected.
• Use font size atleast 24 point.
• Use the same font for all your headlines.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• Select a font for body copy and another for headlines.
• Use bold and different sizes of fonts for captions and subheadings.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
• Add slide number
• Don’t use many fonts
• Clearly label / title each slide. Use a larger font (32 points) or different
color for the title.
• Use larger fonts to indicate importance.
• Use different colors, sizes and styles (e.g., bold) for impact.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
• Avoid long sentences.
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.
• Limit punctuation marks.
• No more than 6-8 words per line
• For bullet points, use the 6 x 6
Rule.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• One thought per line with no more
than 6 words per line and no more
than 6 lines per slide

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
• Use dark text on light background or light text on dark background.
• However, dark backgrounds sometimes make it difficult for some
people to read the text.
• Do not use all caps except for titles.
• Put repeating elements (like page numbers) in the same location on
each page of a multi-page document.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• To test the font, stand six feet from the monitor and see if you can
read the slide.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
Design and Graphical Images
• Use design templates.
• Standardize position, colors, and styles.
• Include only necessary information.
• Limit the information to essentials.
• Content should be self-evident

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• Use colors that contrast and compliment.
• Too may slides can lose your audience.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
Design and Graphical Images
• Keep the background consistent and subtle.
• Limit the number of transitions used. It is often better to use only one
so the audience knows what to expect.
• Use a single style of bullets throughout the page.
• Use the same graphical rule at the top of all pages in a multi-page

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document.
• Use one or two large images rather than several small images.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
Design and Graphical Images
• Prioritize images instead of a barrage of images for competing
attention.
• Make images all the same size.
• Use the same border.
• Arrange images vertically or horizontally.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• Use only enough text when using charts or graphical images to explain
the chart or graph and clearly label the image.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
Design and Graphical Images
• Keep the design clean and uncluttered. Leave empty space around the
text and graphical images.
• Use quality clipart and use it sparingly. A graphical image should relate
to and enhance the topic of the slide.
• Try to use the same style graphical image throughout the presentation

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
(e.g., cartoon, photographs).
• Limit the number of graphical images on each slide.
• Repetition of an image reinforces the message.
• Tie the number of copies of an image to the numbers in your text.
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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
Design and Graphical Images
• Resize, recolor, reverse to turn one image into many. Use duplicates of
varying sizes, colors, and orientations to multiply the usefulness of a
single clip art image.
• Make a single image stand out with dramatic contrast. Use color to
make a dramatic change to a single copy of your clip art.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• Check all images on a projection screen before the actual presentation.
• Avoid flashy images and noisy animation effects unless it relates
directly to the slide.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
Colour
• Limit the number of colors on a single screen.
• Bright colors make small objects and thin lines stand out. However,
some vibrant colors are difficult to read when projected.
• Use no more than four colors on one chart.
• Check all colors on a projection screen before the actual presentation.

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Colors may project differently than what appears on the monitor.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
General Presentation
• Plan carefully.
• Do your research.
• Know your audience.
• Time your presentation.
• Speak comfortably and clearly.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• Check the spelling and grammar.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
General Presentation
• Do not read the presentation. Practice the presentation so you can
speak from bullet points. The text should be a cue for the presenter
rather than a message for the viewer.
• Give a brief overview at the start. Then present the information. Finally
review important points.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• It is often more effective to have bulleted points appear one at a time
so the audience listens to the presenter rather than reading the screen.

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 https://www.ncsl.org/legislators-staff/legislative-staff/legislative-staff-coordinating-committee/tips-for-making-
Final guidelines for Effective PowerPoint Presentations
General Presentation
• Use a wireless mouse or pick up the wired mouse so you can move
around as you speak.
• If sound effects are used, wait until the sound has finished to speak.
• If the content is complex, print the slides so the audience can take
notes.

effective-powerpoint-presentations.aspx
• Do not turn your back on the audience. Try to position the monitor so
you can speak from it.

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 The Acknowledgements slide
This is an important slide! But avoid reading a list of names and agencies
as this:
• Takes time
• May give the appearance of 'name dropping' no one will remember
names of people they don't know anyway
Consider using a collage of photos of your collaborators in their natural
settings for this purpose.
 Self Assessment Checklist
Did you introduce yourself to your audience ? Yes No
Did you aim to arouse the interest of your audience ? Yes No
Did you begin with a clear introduction of your topic with an overview Yes No
of what you will cover ?
Were your ideas presented clearly with a logical flow from one point Yes No
to the next ?
Did you conclude by summing up what you had said ? Yes No
Were your visual aids presented clearly ? Yes No
Did you have good control over your material with everything in Yes No
the correct order
Did you present the right amount of facts and figures? Could your Yes No
audience understand them ?
Did you avoid reading too much from your cues ? Yes No
Did you look comfortable and relaxed ? Yes No
Did you display any nervous gestures, such as hand waving or Yes No
pen clicking ?
Did you look and sound interesting and enthusiastic ? Yes No
Did you get your timing right ? Was it too long? Too short ? Yes No
Did you provide hand-outs for the audience? Yes No
Did you take up a good position(s) during your presentation ? Yes No
Was your voice loud enough to be heard clearly by all ? Yes No
Did you speak too quickly ? Yes No
Did you look at, and speak to, the audience ? Yes No
Were there any words you had difficulty in pronouncing ? Yes No
Did you allow time for questions and invite the audience to make Yes No
comments?
THANKS

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