Appendix
Guide to Effective Presentations
Electronic presentations are one of the most effective tools presenters can use to persuade an audience. There are several ways to enhance your presentation and maximize your effectiveness. The following are guidelines to help you create and deliver a dynamic presentation.
| a. Types of Presentations |
| Computer Presentations |
| • To present basic information such as graphs, spreadsheets, |
30 | documents and images, use word processing and spreadsheet |
25 | applications. |
20 | • To convey more complex information and create more dynamic |
15 | presentations which allow you to control the pace of your delivery, |
10 | utilize software such as Astound®, Freelance®, Persuasion® or |
5 | PowerPoint®. |
0 | • For |
| such as Macromedia Director®. |
| • Astound®, Freelance®, Persuasion®, PowerPoint® and Macromedia |
| Director® are trademarks of their respective companies. |
| Video Presentations |
| Use of video equipment, such as a VCR, DVD player and laser disc |
| player, can be effective for delivering instructional or illustrative |
| information that is difficult to present. |
| Digital Cameras and Personal Digital Assistants |
| (PDAs) |
| For highly compact and portable presentations, digital still cameras, |
| digital video cameras, document cameras and PDAs are ideal for |
| transferring data without cumbersome conversions. |
| Multimedia Presentations |
| You can integrate all of the above methods for a full multimedia |
| presentation including video, audio, computer applications and World |
| Wide Web information. |
b. Creative Presentations
Oftentimes presenters do not take advantage of the many subtle ways they can manipulate their electronic slides to more effectively persuade the audience.
Color has a great effect on the audience during a presentation. When used correctly and legibly, studies show that background and foreground colors establish an emotional tone for a presentation, help viewers understand and retain information, and influence an audience to take a desired course of action.
| Color Considerations | |
| • | Choose legible colors. |
Yellow | • | Text and graphics colors need sufficient contrast. |
• | Use darker colors for the background since a lighter background | |
on Black |
| can create uncomfortable glare. (Yellow on black creates an ideal |
| contrast.) | |
|
|
|
