• Think carefully about what you have liked and disliked in all the presentations you have ever listened to. What caught your attention, and what was really awful? Don't repeat the latter... ;-)
• Plan carefully and start preparing in good time.
• Know your audience.
• Time your presentation.
• Practice your presentation.
• Speak comfortably and clearly.
• Emphasize content, not form (particularly important when using PowerPoint!).

Effective PowerPoint Slides

• Use design templates.
• Standardize position, colors and styles of elements.
• Include only necessary information.
• Limit the information to essentials.
• Content should be self-evident.
• Use colors that contrast.* important note!
• Be consistent and cautious with effects, transitions and animations; it is easy to overuse flashy effects.
• Too complex slides will confuse and distract.
• Tables with more than 4 rows x 4 columns cannot be read by the audience while they listen to you. If your table is bigger, consider using a diagram instead.
• Too many slides can lose your audience, and your message will be lost.

• Avoid long sentences on slides, or people will read the text, not listen to you:
• Generally no more than 7 words per line.
• Generally no more than 6 lines per slide.
• Font size should generally range from 18 to 48 point.
• Make sure that text contrasts with background. * important note!
• Fancy fonts can be hard to read.
• Unusual fonts may display unexpectedly if the presentation is not run on your own computer. Stick to standards, however boring that may be.
• Words in all capital letters are hard to read.
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.

• Should balance the slide.
• Should enhance and complement the text, not overwhelm.
• Generally no more than two graphics per slide

Animations