Choice of Font (Style
and Size) Type Face Questions to ask: Is the type face (i.e. times, verdana, etc...) clear and readable? Is the type face appropriate to content? (silly looking letters not used for serious presentation etc...) Good to know: A general recommendation is to use no more than 2 fonts per document. one serif and one sans serif The font should not call attention to itself, but help in communicating the message. Do not use fancy bullets which call attention to themselves. Numbers keep attention better than bullets. Colors Used for Background and Font Questions to ask: If it looks OK on the computer does it still look OK when presented? Is the contrast between the background and foreground enough to make the words easily visible? Good to know: The choice of background should make the text more readable Yellow on blue is recommended for computer presentations. Avoid photographic backgrounds. It is difficult to make them legible. Graphic Use Questions to ask: Do the graphics communicate the same message as the text? Do the graphics help add meaning to the presentation? Good to know: Dual Coding can increase comprehension (visual and text) You can effectively use text as a graphic element. Number of words Questions to ask: Are the words just a summary of the message to be communicated? Would this slide be impossible to read for an audience looking at a screen? Good to know: It is very difficult to read long lines of text. This is true of web pages as well as presentations. Don't put text all the way across the page. It is better to use 2 columns than long line of text. In a presentation the 6x6 rule is helpful; no more than 6 words across and no more than 6 words down. Number of slides Questions to ask: What number of slides will best communicate my message? Will it help to include some blank slides to signal a change of topic? Good to know: The attention span of most audiences is around 18 minutes. (We have been trained by television and commercials!) You should change slides every 40-90 seconds. (about a minute per slide, so 18 slides takes the whole time!) General Take the diagonal measure of the screen you are using and divide by two. This is the number of people who can easily view the screen. The audience will remember your presentation better if they are given a few seconds to view the slide and then hear what you have to say. Summarized from: Burmark, Lynell. (2002). Visual Literacy, Learn to See, See to Learn. ASCD Alexandria. Virginia pp. 1-115. |