Tips for writing a presentation
See tips for essay writing
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Content-wise, writing a presentation shares many similarities with writing an essay. However, it is obviously a very different exercise from a style standpoint. Here are a few tips to help you.
1. Content
Just like for an essay, you should start by stating the objectives of your presentation:
- What do you want to demonstrate in your presentation?
- This will help you delineate the scope and contour of your presentation.
Then, you should still write an outline in order to lay out your ideas in a logical manner:
- One difference with an essay is that a presentation does not have to be as structured as an essay. Therefore, the number of sections does not have to be as restricted.
- For each main section, write the title, and your supporting ideas in bullet point form below the titles.
The introduction of a presentation follows the same pattern as that of an essay:
- Try to captivate your reader’s attention with the first few sentences, going from the general to the particular.
- State your topic. This sounds obvious, but you should assume that the readers of your work may not have read the title or topic of your presentation.
- Explain the objective of your presentation. This will help the reader understand where you are going to take him or her.
The conclusion is also similar to that of an essay: - Sum up your ideas.
- Give a final perspective.
- Open up the topic.
The main difference with the essay is in the core of the presentation: - Although you can write the full text as notes for yourself, your slides will follow a very different pattern.
2. Style
Text:
- Keep it to a minimum
- Be consistent in your style, especially when using bullet points.
Images:
- Do not overuse them.
- They should be clear, visible, and illustrate or highlight the main points in your presentation.
Tables and graphics:
- They are useful to present information in an easy to read manner.
Font:
- Be consistent throughout the entire presentation.
- The font should be clear, legible, and large.
- For better clarity, avoid underlining. Use colors, bold and italic instead.
Colors:
- Do not use more than three or four colors.
- Make sure they are complementary.
- Make sure font and background form a contrast, in order to ensure legibility.
General:
- Avoid over-crowded slides.
- Do not overuse animations. They might be useful for clarifying over-crowded slides.
Content-wise, writing a presentation shares many similarities with writing an essay. However, it is obviously a very different exercise from a style standpoint. Here are a few tips to help you.
1. Content
Just like for an essay, you should start by stating the objectives of your presentation:
- What do you want to demonstrate in your presentation?
- This will help you delineate the scope and contour of your presentation.
Then, you should still write an outline in order to lay out your ideas in a logical manner:
- One difference with an essay is that a presentation does not have to be as structured as an essay. Therefore, the number of sections does not have to be as restricted.
- For each main section, write the title, and your supporting ideas in bullet point form below the titles.
The introduction of a presentation follows the same pattern as that of an essay:
- Try to captivate your reader’s attention with the first few sentences, going from the general to the particular.
- State your topic. This sounds obvious, but you should assume that the readers of your work may not have read the title or topic of your presentation.
- Explain the objective of your presentation. This will help the reader understand where you are going to take him or her.
The conclusion is also similar to that of an essay: - Sum up your ideas.
- Give a final perspective.
- Open up the topic.
The main difference with the essay is in the core of the presentation: - Although you can write the full text as notes for yourself, your slides will follow a very different pattern.
2. Style
Text:
- Keep it to a minimum
- Be consistent in your style, especially when using bullet points.
Images:
- Do not overuse them.
- They should be clear, visible, and illustrate or highlight the main points in your presentation.
Tables and graphics:
- They are useful to present information in an easy to read manner.
Font:
- Be consistent throughout the entire presentation.
- The font should be clear, legible, and large.
- For better clarity, avoid underlining. Use colors, bold and italic instead.
Colors:
- Do not use more than three or four colors.
- Make sure they are complementary.
- Make sure font and background form a contrast, in order to ensure legibility.
General:
- Avoid over-crowded slides.
- Do not overuse animations. They might be useful for clarifying over-crowded slides.
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