EPSON | Presenters Online : Basics > Visuals

Turning a well-written presentation into a great slide presentation takes little effort. Essentially, if you remember that "less is usually more", you will do just fine. Below are some quick tips to help you refine text-heavy slides.

Typefaces

There are volumes of information available about typefaces (fonts). Nevertheless, as a general rule, whatever you choose, stick with one — at most two — per presentation.

Italics

The best rule regarding italics is to avoid using them. They are actually harder to read than plain text. Consider the following examples:

The man slipped out the back door.
The man slipped out the back door.

Which is more difficult to read? In general, the italicized text causes the reader to pause. Of course, there are instances in which this is your intent. However, long blocks of italicized text are simply cumbersome and annoying.

Punctuation

Most slides do not require punctuation, even if they contain "sentences". Eliminating the period at the end of the sentence keeps the eye focused on the text. Try to go one step further and reduce the sentence to a phrase. The tighter the language, the more an audience is able to focus on key words. Consider the following:

The sales forecasts show an increase on the horizon.
Sales heading up

The first line tells the audience all they need to know, yes. But the second line is stronger. The salient point is reduced to three simple words, and the presenter can fill in what is "missing". The presenter's job is not to read the text on the slides, but to use the slides as visual aids. So, the slides reinforce what the presenter says-not the other way around.

White Space

White space refers to the amount of surface (slide, paper, etc) that is not covered with image. Well-designed slides provide enough white space so the slide is properly "framed". Too much text or too many images on a slide cause the viewer to react against the visual overload.

Numbered Steps

When presenting a list of items, beware of using numbered steps. Numbers indicate order (usually of importance or consequence). So, if you do not want to imply order, use bullets instead.

Example 1: Numbered List (Implies Order)

Drafting team goals

Reduce document management time

Eliminate redundant effort

Increase communication with engineering department

Example 2: Bulleted List (Points Equal)

Drafting team goals

Reduce document management time

Eliminate redundant effort

Increase communication with engineering department

Notice that the bulleted list indicates that each point is equally weighted.

Capitalization

Capitalization is much like italicized text — to be used with caution. Capitalized text causes the reader to pause, which can be useful for drawing attention to a particular word.

Web site will launch by MAY

On the other hand, capitalized text should never be used in body text — it is far too difficult for the reader to move from one word to another.

AVOID USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS FOR BODY TEXT. READERS CANNOT MOVE FROM ONE CAPITALIZED WORD TO ANOTHER WITH EASE. RESERVE CAPITALIZED TEXT FOR HEADLINES (ON OCCASION) AND FOR INSTANCES IN WHICH A SINGULAR WORD NEEDS TO BE SET APART FROM THE OTHERS.

Point Size

You know that your audience needs to be able to read the slide text. But what do you do if you are writing your presentation on your desktop and you are going to project your presentation in front of an audience. How can you tell what will be "legible" to audience members when everything looks just fine on your monitor? In general, try to use at least 24 points type for body text. In fact, more delicate typefaces may need to be 28 point. Headings and Titles should be even larger.

Bonus Tip!
Before you give a presentation; make sure you project it with a multimedia projector. By doing a "test run" of your presentation; you can be sure the font and text size are right for your audience.