Example 9.4.2. Do this, not that.
This slide has a manageable amount of information.
This slide has too much information to be effective in a presentation.
Section 9.4 Preparing Visual Aids
While your spoken presentation is the main way you will communicate your argument and evidence to your audience, visual aids can be quite helpful—if designed well. This section will focus on the basics of designing effective slideshows, as slideshows are the most common visual aids used when delivering an academic presentation, though other types of aids do exist! Effective visual aids can help audience members follow your line of reasoning.
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Scaffold your slideshow like a paper!Similar to how you would break up sections or paragraphs in a paper based on the points each one is making, ensuring that every slide in your presentation serves a distinct purpose will help eliminate redundancy. It will also help you judge whether your argument is clearly outlined across your slides. For more information on organizing your argument, check out Section 3.5
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Bullet points.It’s your moment to shine as a presenter! Having to read paragraphs or long sentences takes the audience’s attention away from your spoken presentation, so make sure any written information is as quickly readable as possible; simplify your paragraphs to their key points! A rule of thumb for slides is the 6x6 rule (there should be no more than 6 words per line and 6 bullet points in a slide). Subsection 7.3.1 tips on writing clearly and concisely are definitely useful here.
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Repetition!Slides allow you to remind your audience of your most important points, take full advantage of that! Your slides can compile your key points and visually connect them back to your broader argument.
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A picture is worth a thousand words.In some cases, diagrams, pictures, or figures are more appropriate than bullet points, especially when presenting data. However, figures cannot stand alone: in your oral presentation, point out key aspects of your figure to help audience members interpret your data (see Example 9.1.2).
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Keep it simple!At the risk of sounding like a home decor guru, decluttering is important! Try to limit the components of your slides to components that drive your argument forward. While having visually-engaging slides will help maintain the audience’s focus, remember that the focus should be on you.
