103^rd General Meeting
May 18 - May 22, 2003
Washington, DC

General Presentation Tips
Options to Follow
Packaging your presentation

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103^rd General Meeting
Preparing Your Presentation

Regardless of the software package you use to create your presentations, there are some general guidelines to follow that ensure your presentation is effective, your message gets across to the listener, and enables the listener to focus on the scientific merits of your discussion without becoming involved in deciphering your visual displays.

The tips below are general in nature. More technical aspects relating to embedding audio or visual files, use of animation, and fonts can be found on the other pages of this section.

General Presentation Tips:

The graphics you project on the screen to support the spoken word should help clarify ideas, emphasize key points, show relationships, and provide the visual information your audience needs to understand your message.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Keep visuals CLEAR and SIMPLE. Abbreviate your message.
• Simple graphs, charts and diagrams are much more meaningful to an audience than complex, cluttered ones. (Avoid the "Eye Chart")
• Avoid the overuse of too many colors, patterns and graphics in one frame.
• Use a minimum of words for text and title frames. Five to eight lines per frame and five to seven words per line are the maximum - less is better.
• Upper and lower case lettering is more legible than all capital letters.
• Vary the size of lettering to emphasize headings and subheadings - but avoid using more than three font sizes per frame.
• Sans serif type projects better and is easier to read. (Example: Arial.)
• Try to maintain the same or similar type size from frame to frame - even if some frames have less copy - but avoid a "lonely" word on a screen.
• Try to keep all type horizontal to the page…even with charts.
• Contrasting colors work best. A good rule of thumb: use a dark background color with lighter color for text and graphics (see below).
• Highlight your main point or heading with a dominant color (example: yellow heading, white body copy - see below).
• Avoid intensely bright or saturated colors that compete with the text.
• Keep color scheme consistent throughout your presentation. Changing colors and type styles can be very confusing and distract from your message.

Some general options to consider are as follows:

COOL COLORS: (most effective background colors - blue, turquoise, purple, magenta, etc.)
These colors appear to recede or draw away from the eye - allowing the text to appear more readable. In one study, it was found that the most effective background color for projection is blue.


GRADUATED BACKGROUNDS: A background that transitions smoothly from lighter to darker shades of the same hue can also be an effective background. Some software packages will even allow the gradation from one color to another.


TEXTURED BACKGROUNDS: In some cases, a textured background can be combined to create an interesting image, but remember that you want the background to be just that - a background. It shouldn't call attention to itself or cause clutter or confusion…it should enhance the foreground data.


PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS: In addition to the use of graphics, photographs can provide an excellent means for communication- "one picture is worth…" Combined with simple, straightforward graphics, illustrations, cartoons and artwork - the photos will bring another dimension to your presentation.


TO BRING IT DOWN TO THE BASICS…

· Plan a template
· Use colors consistently
· Use light colored fonts on a dark colored background
· Use fewer colors rather than more - no more than 6

Your visual elements communicate more than the information for your presentation. They are part of your style, your flair and should personify part of your personality. Make them clear, make them readable and make them interesting. It will pay off in the long run and ensure that each presentation you make is your best.

Packaging your presentation to bring to the meeting:

Place all the files you need to support each presentation in a single folder and name the folder using the control number for the activity. If you have created a basic presentation, you probably have only one file. However, if you have embedded audio or visual material in your presentation, there will be one file for each embedded activity as well as the presentation itself.

Copy the folder containing your presentation to a CD-ROM or Zip 100/250 Disk. If you have more than one presentation, you may copy all the folders to the same media (space permitting) but limit the contents of each disk to just your materials. If you are bringing material for another lecturer, create a separate disk for their presentation and label appropriately.

If you use a CD-ROM, please be sure to close or finalize the disk before you remove it from your CD burner. If you fail to close the track, you will be unable to access the CD from any computer.