What Makes an Effective PowerPoint?

General Tips

The purpose of slides is to visually support your spoken presentation. They help clarify complex ideas, highlight key points, and keep your audience engaged. Slides should enhance your message—not replace it—by presenting information in a clear, simple, and memorable way. Here are some of the rules for effective presentation slides:

1. Overall structure
   1. Include an outline at the beginning, and mention it in each section during the presentation.
   2. Summarize your main ideas and key takeaways at the end of your slides.
   3. Include references (cite peer-reviewed books, articles, etc., avoid citing websites) at the end of the slides if you have.
   4. Use approximately one slide per minute of your presentation (e.g., ~20 slides for a 20-minute presentation).
   5. Stick to a consistent layout, font, and color scheme throughout.
2. In each slide
   1. Keep it simple—your audience should be able to grasp the main message of each slide within five seconds. Use visuals whenever possible to enhance understanding.
   2. Include only essential points—avoid paragraphs and, unless necessary, even full sentences.
   3. Font size should be large enough so audience in the last row could see it clearly.
   4. Avoid distractions—use simple transitions and animations only when they serve a purpose.
   5. Use color to emphasize, not decorate.