Creating effective slides in PowerPoint

Effective visual aids play a large role in attracting and keeping the audience’s
attention! Slides that are well organized and that focus on key information will help the listener
grasp your main points. Creating effective slides takes time and effort; attention to detail pays off.
Use software such as PowerPoint or Google Slides and consider the following:
o Text: Use a non-serif font such as Arial and text that is large enough to read from the back of the
room. Recommended font sizes are 36-48 for titles, 28-32 for bulleted points, and 20-24 for axes
labels on graphs.
o Brevity: Don’t include too much text on a slide. Use brief phrases (less than 6 words per line and
6 lines per slide). It is not necessary to write complete sentences; bulleted lists can be expanded
upon verbally.
o Graphs/tables: As a general rule, include only one graph or table per slide. Fill the screen so that
main trends in the data are visually clear. Unlike in a paper, a graph does not need a figure
caption. A large title at the top of a graph is preferable.
o Images: Insert diagrams, drawings, and/or photos throughout your slides. Images help to
engage an audience and can make complex ideas more easily grasped. Be sure to provide the
source (e.g., website URL) of any images that you did not create yourself.
VIDEO RECORDING (10 pts.)
Before you record, obtain feedback from me (Dr. Slate) on the draft of your slides and on your script!
(If you want to work ahead and record early, then let me know and I will provide early feedback.)
Record your presentation: Imagine that you are explaining the research topic and the data from these
two papers to upper-level undergraduate students or beginning graduate students. In short, your
audience has a good biological background but is not an expert on the particular research topic that you
are presenting. Here are some guidelines:
– Your presentation should be between 6-8 min.
– You may use choose whatever recording format you prefer. For example, Screencast-o-Matic
allows you to record whatever is on the screen. PowerPoint allows you to record one slide at a
time. You can also use Zoom or Google Meet to record.
– You will post your .mp4 file on YouTube and submit the link on D2L. If you don’t want your video
to be available to the public, then follow these instructions (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mZezAKjbUNGrV6Pu8cPXmS7gXZouz3g/view) to post your video as “unlisted.”
– Please see the grading criteria on the last page of this handout and let me know if you have