Using Power Point

Effectively

Prof. Miguel A. Arce Ramos

English 115

Before we begin
If you are going to view a Youtube video or any

other video on the web, make sure you

download aTube Catcher.
It is better that you have a downloaded video

than wait for your computer to download a

movie on the Internet.
If you dont have Power Point on your

computer PC or Keynote on a Mac use Open

Office or Google Docs.

This is what usually happens

during a presentation.

Table of Contents
Origin of
Power Point

Power Point
1.0

Uses

Power Point
= Boring!!!

Using Power
Point

Consistency

Background
and Designs

Hyperlinks

The Origin of Power Point

The first version of PowerPoint was initially

developed in 1984 by Robert Gaskins and

Dennis Austin of Forethought, Inc. and it was
called Presenter.
The Presenter was then later called PowerPoint

1.0 due to trademark issues when it was

released for use for Apple Macintosh in April
of 1987. During that time the PowerPoint 1.0
only function in black and white, and text and
graphics generated pages only for overhead
transparencies.

The Origin of Power Point

The PowerPoint full color version came out the

following year right after the first ever colored

Macintosh became available in the market.
In August 1987, Forethought was bought by

Microsoft for $14 million USD, and became

Microsoft's Graphics Business Unit, which
continued to further develop the concept.
PC users would have to wait until 1990 when

Microsoft would release a Windows version of

PowerPoint.

Power Point 1.0

Uses of Power Point

MS PowerPoint is a software application that has

replaced 35mm slide shows of the past. One creates this

presentation tool by creating a series of horizontally
formatted "slides".
Each slide is created by putting a number of

"placeholders" on each slide. These placeholders can be

formatted to any size and hold either text or graphics.
One can then add "special effects" for each placeholder,

such as fly ins, fly outs, etc. to add interest and "sizzle"
to the presentation.
Video and audio can also be added.

Power Point =
BORING!!!!!!!!!!!!
How many times have you seen a professor

take out his/her laptop and groaned.

PowerPoint isnt a word document program or

a means to dump data.

Its a VISUAL so use it like one!
The most important thing in a presentation is

the audience and the presenter not the Power

Point presentation.

Using Power Point

Keep in mind that Power Point is a

program that is supposed to help you,

not hinder you.
Power Point is designed to enhance your

presentations not bore people to death.

Power Point is meant to be used as a

guideline, not a book.

Using Power Point

Use the 777 rule for simplicity in design: No

more than 7 words per bullet, 7 bullets per

image, and 7 word slides in a row.
For no reason should you write a paragraph

and then read it your audience.

No more than one graphic image or chart per

slide is another good rule

The less the better!

Consistency in a Power Point

Presentation
Consistency is very important on a

presentation.
All slides should have what they are

going to be explaining (topic).

Most slides should have 1 or 2 fonts

types (1 for topic and the other for the

data)

Consistency in a Power Point

Presentation
Fonts should be easy to understand with

a good size.
Your whole presentation should have a

pattern making it easy to understand.

The easier to understand the more

effective you will present your

information.

An Understanding of Design
and Background Colors
Every presentation should have a design that

fits the topic in which you will talk about.

Background colors are extremely important

for visibility of the presentation.

When presenting always try to use a light

background color with a dark colored font or

vice-versa so that people could read the data
you are providing.

Hyperlinks
When you use hyperlinks you:

Link to another slide

Link to another presentation
Link to a specific slide on another
presentation
Link to any file on your computer
Link to a web site
Link to an email address
Web