Presentations

Presentation
Preparation

Six Ps to giving good presentations in the Online Environment

Organize your ideas well.
Determine attendee participation. For some presentations it is more crucial than others. Consider asking questions related to your topics that allow attendees to share personal experiences or viewpoints. This can increase attendee satisfaction.
Ensure an appropriate amount of information to share in the time allotted for your presentation. If it does not seem long enough, do additional research. If it seems like it will be difficult to get through, look at your organization to determine what to cut.

Use sources to back your ideas. Make sure they are appropriate (no Wikipedia, etc.).
Cite your sources. While APA might not be necessary, using this standard shows your scholarly talent and professional attention to detail.
Do not plagiarize.

Place main ideas on the slides, not everything you wish to share.
Readability is crucial.
- Choose an easy-to-read font family. Keep it simple, as fancy fonts may not translate to the presentation environment. You can use just one font throughout, or a maximum of two fonts (one for headings and the other for content).
- Ensure that the font size is not too small.
- Use good light-dark contrast (main parts should be dark text on light background).
- Consider Purdue Global colors. Otherwise, ensure color combinations are pleasant.
Use a design theme, although you may need to make color and font alterations for readability.
Use slide real estate well. Avoid placing images touching slide edges and clumping content mostly in one quadrant of the slide.
Text animation should be typically limited to simply "appear." Most other animation wastes time and is distracting.
Do not use transitions. These changes between slides waste time and are distracting.
Do not distort images – resize from corners, not sides.
Work for consistency.

Do not read your slides.
Prepare a transcript that explains what is on your slides.
Practice out loud from the transcript.
Verbal considerations:
- Check microphone and volume level. Note placement in relation to your mouth; be aware of mouth noises, coughs, etc. that may make listening difficult for others.
- Articulate (speak clearly).
- Check pronunciations (speak correctly).
- Pace yourself (speak at a moderate rate).
Watch the time during the presentation.
Control the room; if you ask questions, keep attendees on task; move forward as appropriate.

Know the topic well. This will help you sound like you are not just reading your transcript and also make it easier to answer questions.