A power point presentation is one of the most popular tools used by instructors. Regardless if you are teaching face to face or an online class, this is something that you can really use to make the lesson more interesting. According to reports, 95% of the market uses Microsoft PowerPoint in ensuring that their information is presented well.
Without a doubt, this is an effective tool in learning. However, you need to be careful so you will not make mistakes when you are creating it. A well-constructed presentation will help students when it comes to retention and engagement. But if you are careful, it can also be distracting, boring, and overwhelming.
To create an effective power point presentation for an elearning course, here are some mistakes that you need to avoid.
Using a lot of words.
Text will always be a part of your lesson. But when you use a presentation, you don’t need a lot of words anymore. You can use images, videos, and other animations to make it look creative. You can also use it to make the course more interesting. In case you will use text, do not use paragraphs. Pick the key words and phrases only. Also, use bullet points to separate one thought from the other. Apart from being boring or overwhelming, too much text will also keep the students from listening to what you have to say. They will be too busy reading what is on every slide. Make sure the presentation is just to support and highlight what you are saying.
Using the wrong font.
Another thing that you need to be careful with is the font that you will use. Remember that visual features are very important in a power point presentation. Make sure that the text you will present will be readable and clear enough to see. The most common fonts that you should use in a presentation includes Arial, Times New Roman, and Calibri. You should also consider who will be looking at your presentation. If it is mostly workers and businesspeople, you want to use a font that is simple. But if your audience is young students, you can be a bit more creative.
Using multimedia with poor quality.
Whether it involves images or videos, you want to make sure that what you are using is of good quality. Sometimes, when you are in a hurry to complete a power point presentation, you just grab the first image that you see online. This may not always be a good idea. Try to find an image with a higher resolution. Just make sure that it is not too big that it will make the whole presentation too big to download. Try to give adequate time for research. It will make your presentation look more appealing and interesting. Make sure you find multimedia elements that will complement the text that you will use. You should also be careful of using images with logos. That just looks like you are stealing the image and it does not bode well for your reputation as an educator.
Using the wrong color combination.
Colors will play an important role in giving life to your presentation. Not only that, it can highlight important parts of the lesson. In most cases, you will be using more than one color. Make sure you combine the right ones. In choosing the right colors, you have to remember that different shades can affect the mood and emotions of the students. Apart from aesthetic appeal, you should also think about readability. If your text is black, your background should be a light shade so it is easy to read.
Apart from all of these, you should also ensure that your power point presentation is not static. You have to use enough transitions to make it engaging. Do not reveal everything in the slide at once. Make important phrases and images appear in time with what you are saying. This will help you drive your point dramatically. These tricks make it easier for students to remember the lesson.