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Do people seriously do this??

This is a good rule of thumb, I think that is why the visual on the page is so important to help quickly understand the content.

I really like this as well. I have such a difficult time figuring out what text to include. This will definitely help me to minimize and focus on what's really important.

This is a good point when thinking about trying to get closer to the "six words per slide" rule. Keeping in mind the key details can help decrease the use of words that are not needed.

Great idea! After deciding the important details on a slide, rather than just including those find a visual that represents what the bullet points would have siad. The presenter will still have to explain what the visuals mean, but that should happen anyway, much bettter than sentences next to bullet points!

I like this, but also wonder if it is too noisey. Do you think it could be divided into several slides of reasons, or does that become too many slides?

I'm embarassed to admit this, but it had never occured to me to prepare a handout other than a copy of the slides until this course.

So, this example is pretty extreme in how bad it is, but I'm really starting to dislike anything clipart. It seems it is never appropriate.

Wow. This anecdote makes the point very clear: The presentation is to aid the presenter, not replace the presenter.

Another issue I have seen with color is the projector. I have seen a lot of pretty presentations that were turned horrible by the projector. My principle was trying to promote some school spirit and had his slide in school colors (purple background and yellow text). Purple backgrounds were turned pure black when projected. It looked ok, but the point was completely missed. I think it is important to keep it simple and test it out if I can before I give it to help prevent that issue. 

This makes me think of my dear education professor in college. He was 70 something and loved teaching. He tried so hard to keep up with the times, and he must have had someone show him the audio buttons because every slide in his presentations would have a different sound effect. It wasn't really engaging, just annoying. But, we all knew how hard he worked and that he truly loved teaching. 

This view will also be more effective without all of the bullets and large chunks of text. 

This is one of the biggest struggles I have will use full background images. The text doesn't pop like I want it to. I like the idea of adding in the transparent box. 

This is where I feel I get stuck. I want them to be more engaging then this, but I also don't want to have simply concept pictures. 

I think this would be really effective if you reveal them as you talk about them creating that flow of content. I know when I first looked at this slide I started to try and understand the meaning of each photo. I would have to force myself as an audience member to wait for the presenter to explain them. 

Good to keep in mind. It is not about you or the images you choose, or the words we use. It is about the audience and having them on the journey with us.

I am excited to present with this point in mind. I know it will be different, but I think it will be a good different.

I am still thinking about this. How much is too much? This statement of what you might see on the evening news is helpful. I do think some animation, like fade, does make it flow and perhaps more interesting, but you can definately have too much of a good thing.

I have certainly been gulity of this. How small can I make the font to get it all to fit on one slide. Find the main message and clear away the rest.

Keep it simple. Over and over, probably the most powerful message throughout. I really think they made the point with the bill board analogy.

Very good point. On Wednesday when I presented I had a very minimal powerpoint, 12 total slides for the hour. But I was talking, sharing stories, had humor, and had plenty of table discussions. Slowly I can get better at this

Great example. Rather like painting. You want to have the eye move from one spot to the other, dicovering your message as they go. Nice!

I think this is important for images as well as text. I need to keep in mind that sometimes just having the words on a slide can be as powerful as an image.

We always need to keep in mind that the presentation and slides are for the audience, not the presenter. If we need a teleprompter than we don't know the material enough to be presenting.

I'm learning slowly. This morning in a presentation, I still had one slide that was heavy in text. For a split second I almost starting reading, but then I paused and let staff read it to themselves. Then we went on. I survived.

Do you need the bulleted list at all in the below slide? The magazine cover would serve as the reminder to both the presenter and audience on the main topics. 

For several years our district required us to use "approved" powerpoint templates. At first I thought they were kind of cool, I was proud of the district for being so professional right! But as I developed more and more presentations, it was sometimes hard to fit all the text on the slides I wanted. Well...now I know better, both the templates and the extensive text are not appropriate. We pretty much use google presentations now so I need to learn more about using blank templates within google. 

It totally understand this and given my art and computer background I know I could do this. However, I am a long way from seeming to have time to do this when some of our presentations are literally being built leading right up to the presentation...Planning is key

So if there are times where it might be ok to use clip art, would it be recommended to use clip art throughout the presentation rather than switching between photos/images and clipart?

Not that I want to use any clip art...

This kind of answers my question from the end of the previous article...consistency is good. 

The white space was one of the things I liked about using Prezi.

I have never considered the amount of light in the room and how that might affect the presentation. I will have to experiment with lights on and lights off to see if I can detect any difference.

really like the simplicity of this slide and how powerful that percentage becomes by enlarging the font and minimizing the amount of words.

How many times have I seen students use the same old graphics in presentations? I need to direct them to other sources, such as some of the ones available through Heartland. How do you help them find unique graphics (or not to be satisfied with using the same graphics as everyone else)?

It's important to think like the end user. It might be a good idea to enlist the help of a second set of eyes. Like proofreading an article, having someone "test drive" your website might be a good idea before actually sharing it with the intended audience. 

Again, it's so important to keep the end user in mind. Consistency helps the end user know how to use and navigate your site. In web design, and also in Soft Chalk created lessons, users really don't like to be surprised. They want to know what to expect. 

What is your message or goal?  After determining that, you can plan how to prominently place the most important items on your web page. Size and color are two ways of creating hierarchy. I guess I had never really given much serious consideration to this. 

Does Fitt's law have something to do with the number of clicks it takes to get to information from the homepage? Is there a rule of thumb that says no more than 3 clicks? 

I don't know much about photography, but I have heard about the rule of thirds. Again, something I didn't really think this when I considered adding photos to a web site or to a Soft Chalk page. Not all photos automatically ascribe to the rule of thirds, so it might be helpful to know a little bit about photo editing as well. Just one more thing to consider! 

Sorry, I don't see the dog. :-)

In the center below the large dark section. His head is down like he is smelling the ground sniffing toward the upper left.

This is essential to remember. What we are trying to say is so much more important than making something "pretty." We always need to start with the message or content. 

Not much more to say about this. It's all about the content!!

Collaboration is so important. Ask for another pair of eyes to help you. Make sure as well, that your colleague will be willing to critique your work. Sometimes that's difficult to do, but it key to the success of your design and usability. 

No matter what is done, the message still needs be visible. Enhancement helps to engage viewers.

This is something that I have never considered. Surface feel is an interesting concept.

The designer is in control of what the viewer sees. This reminds me that I need to look at my work from the eyes of those viewing content and what the take aways should be. 

I have found this to be true for all viewers. It used to be just kids but now adults as well. Once additional component to remember is the load speed. Resize your images before they are uploaded.

I would also suggest consistency so they don't need to relearn the site with each page.

It's important for me to remember all of these tools...moving from a face to face environment to an online setting is vastly different, and these tools are what I as a student need, so I need to be incorporating them as well. Without a good position, color that catches my eye and various design elements I've lost interest. If I've lost interest with the lack of tools, then so will my students.

I find this very frustrating as well. I took an online class a few years ago, (not an AEA class:)), and the various links were not embedded. So, when I would click on those links, I'd be taken completely out of the course and would have to constantly log back in.  

This is such an interesting statement - as I parent I know and agree with this statement, but it seems we're often encouraged to give students as many choices as possible for assessment and/or project purposes.

This is so interesting and I've noticed the importance of this "white space" as I've been looking at Softchalk lessons. It also reminds me how we've learned that when designing our lessons, using shorter paragraphs (separated by white space) is better than traditional paragraphs given on a handout in a face to face classroom. 

This is so true as well and it's important for me to remember as I move forward with my Softchalk lesson - if they can't figure out how to move around, they will become frustrated and give up. It's not that we should not teach them to problem solve, but the training in how to move around the lesson will be important.

White space on a page can make the really important content stand out. My issue is that sometimes, I have a difficult time finding images that allow me to hit the "right" amount of white space and the text I want/need to have on the page.

When I'm looking for something, the logo or branding is so important to me. I want to know immediately if I'm in the right spot. Logos help me do this. When I see the logo I'm looking for or that I expect to see, it puts me at ease, because I know I'm in the "right" spot.

Buttons or menus across the top of a webpage are very helpful when it comes to navigating a website. One issue I've had is that sometimes my buttons make sense to me, but to the new visitor the language I use to explain where it is taking the visitor doesn't make sense. Take for example, on our website we have something called "Instructor Center". This is the place our instructors who teach PD for us go to get information. To me this makes complete sense. That being said, I know that we consistently get questions about where to find instructor information. The label, "instructor center" doesn't resonate with the visitor. I have seen websites where there is a brief description appears on the screen when you roll over the button, but before you click. I'm not sure if these things help or if they add clutter.

A rule never rang more true, but at the same time it is so hard to follow. So often I find myself getting lost in the complexity of what I'm trying to do. Add this to my love of "little bells and whistles" and I find myself creating things that lack real substance.

This makes me think of what I call the "learning curve". If the learning curve is to long, people just move on to find something different that doesn't have this learning curve. Take for example graphic design tools. Over the years, I've downloaded gimp and seashore, but for some reason I've never quite gotten the hang of them. Instead I use a web-based tool called pixlr. It is easy and I've met with some success. That being said, would Gimp or Seashore provide me with more options and features, probably, but the learning curve is steeper so I've chosen to use pixlr. When I think of learners, I wonder how we can scaffold things so that the learning curve isn't so steep.

There are lots of ways to achieve unity: theme, banners, fonts colors, and object placement all contribute to a unified feel.

Also consider the space between chunks of information. Sometimes changing the size of a "blank" line greatly affects the overall design.

This final polish is an attention to detail that really makes a difference in professional looking design and audience appeal. It is worth the time and effort!

For educators, this would translate to "educational objective." Is the truly important educational information given prominence?

Yes, choice within limits so as not to overwhelm to the point of inaction...

Limiting the number of words per line is a design strategy that I hadn't considered before. 

"Typography" -https://diigo.com/08f26r I'm curious about different typography.  I was always told to use very readable font and avoid anything fancy. 

Students are even less patient than adults, so it becomes imperative that overall flow and navigation makes sense. 

This is important to remember.  I don't have to pack every slide/page on Soft Chalk full of stuff.  It was really overwhelming to create a power point presentation and stick an image on every slide - I thought it was too repetitive, esp. based on all the examples we've seen.  

This idea came up last week - and even in video examples that white space is ok, it is also ok to only have an idea, or a few key words on a slide/page, etc.

I'm not sure if the Fibonacci sequence is the same as the golden ratio, but it reminds of the rule of thirds in photography. 

Great!  Less pressure to feel like we have to cram a page full of content. 

Good tip.  I found in looking at many of my presentations I had already highlighted key words.  So why did I add all the other text?

This is a helpful idea, I have never thought to do this before.

I agree - this is a really logical way to pair down my wordy slides without loosing important content. It also encourages note taking in the right way for students.

Occasionally, I have highlighted text on a slide, but I thought I was only putting relevant information on the slide with lots of bullets. Ugh. I could have probably gotten by (I now know I could have) with only putting the hightlighted word and another word or two on the slide, instead.

So much about PP I don't know how to do! I think it's time to take an advance PP class.

I have realized the same. I thought I knew PP pretty well, but starting to work on these new slides (and all the new information) has almost blown me away! I have a friend who just aced a college PP class - I am hoping she can help me work through some of the "new" stuff to me. I don't want PP to be too time comsuming, but I want them to be effective.

Makes sense when trying to tell a story and connect with the audience on an emotional level.

I definitely need to switch over to photography. I tend to use cutesy images. Not really sure why other than I like them. Using photos would bring a point home now if the right image is used.

Good rule of thumb.

3 seconds - will be a challenge.I will really have to try to think about  the audience and what might attract their attention..

If it takes longer, then I think a presenter should be quiet and give them time. It isn't that we can't give some silent time to read... it is just that we don't like to, I think.

Three seconds seems like a good time to transition anyway. 3 seconds of quite between slides, audience gets the glance and then the presenter talks...

I struggle with this when I present charts and graphs. The takeaway is to simplify the graph or chart to highlight what I'm trying to say.

We shouldn't need the time to read with only a few words on the slide. I like to give that "wait time" AFTER I have spoken. Still work work the same way - giving the audience time to comprehend.

When creating and preparing for a presentation, it is important to put yourself in the position of the audience.

I am guilty of including a lot of information on presentations. I need to remember that I can include information that is not a bullet point.

This is a pretty straightforward example of this process. It really isn't too hard once it is laid out like this, but it isn't a natural step for me either.

Great idea if it is possible with the slide content.

In my opinion, the slide would get too cluttered and distracting to do this.

This is a good correlation and great tip.  

I agree, this is one of my favorite tips so far, it made me rethink a couple of my slides!

This is good information and should be done during the 'analog' stage.

This one is tough because some companies demand the logo be placed on slides.

Good guideline for checking up on myself.

I like the steps used in this process.  I think the most challenging part of designing presentations is figuring out what is most important.  This seems so helpful in making those decisions.  

The most challenging part of design would be figuring out what to use to engage the audience (ie photograph). If we have the end design in mind, and know what our main points are, the text should be easily simplified.

Coming from an art teacher, this is GREAT advice!

Even coming from a very non-artistic person... this is GREAT advice! I couldn't make art when I try, but I can make crap... which means I know crappy visuals when I see them :)

This IS great advice, but...I will miss the cutesy graphics. (Just kidding.) Looking for the higher quality graphics that are appropriate is going to take some time.

I teach students about the parallel of white space with rests in music, I never thought about how that should be used in presentations before!

This is helpful to me, as I like to use charts, but have a hard time determining where to stop with information - balancing the need to know with the why do I care.

Again, I like the idea of consistency without the use of the templates. We are often drawn to the templates because they are consistent, but there are so many other ways to create the same effect.

I need to remember that this means relevant to the AUDIENCE!

It's interesting that the software we use to create presentations has bad presentation templates..

The templates were one of my original "draws" to PowerPoint. They made things so easy to get started.

But it made me laugh! :-)

It does. and all the examples here really help me to identify what is quality and what is not..

answer: almost every time i create a powerpoint. :-/

I did this in the past. I actually stopped using powerpoint because students didn't like it. I think I used the slides (as an outline) more than my students. I moved to telling more stories and relating topics to current interests and events. Students are much more engaged.

This is difficult! but it is rewarding once the final product comes out nice and clean...

These words stand out to me: support and supplement.

Good to remember to use no more than 2-3 different types of transition effects. 

Great point! I have seen some images or borders that are overused on PowerPoints! 

Imagining a presentation without visuals would have been crazy to think about before this class! 

This slide is great because it leaves me wanting to know more about the topic. I would really pay attention to the speaker because I would be intrigued by the visual! 

This is good to remember. We need to be okay with letting go of the need to "fill the slide". I know that I personally struggle with thinking I should add more visual appeal.

I never thought about whether an image is your primary or secondary focus on any given slide. The idea of fading the picture to the back for secondary is an interesting technique to make what needs to stand out more do just that.

This is good to note. It is time for us to step away from cliche pictures that will prevent our instruction from making an original, meaningful connection with our audience.

Presenters and teachers get in a hurry to create their visuals and use anything to fill the page. What I'm learning is that these images do more damage than good by distracting our audience.

It's interesting to see how something that can try to make the speaker more comfortable can actually work against the purpose they are speaking for. We need to ask ourselves, what is more important: our audience or our script?

This is a helpful reminder. It really hit me when I read one of the lessons in simplifying that stated we should never have a full sentence on a slide. We only need enough text for it to be memorable when we are sharing on it. In some cases, text may not even be needed to do this.

It's fine to use these images as comps until you decide whether or not the image will work but the high res image should be used in a final presentation.

Have to always keep this in mind.  The audience is the star- how can I make sure they feel satisfied after I'm finished withe my presentation?

This is something I have really learned in this class and had some interesting conversations with some people about this.  From my conversations I have learned that  people in occupations other than teaching have different oppinions about this.

I have to keep this in mind and keep working on keeping text as little as possible.

I need to take my own pictures more often.  My presentation is about history though so this is hard but give lots of presentations where I can take or use my own photographs.

This is hard for me.  I really like some of the templates in Keynote and don't feel like the audiences have seen them- the problem is they aren't always compatible with Powerpoint and sometimes have to present on a computer that only has Powerpoint.

Sometimes I'm like a kid when it comes to fonts and spend lots of times looking for a "cool" one.  I need to always remember that simple is better!

The thing is some kids have trouble with some of the letters in the fonts suggested. I use comic sans because I like the way the a and the g look. For special ed students with moderate disability, it looks more familiar to the way they are learning to print.

I'm not a designer and think I'm not very good at thinking like one- a weakness of mine.  I need to keep the design elements in mind.

What a great acronym to help remember these six key principles.

I wrote this down in the list I am keeping of improvements I know I want to make immediately!!

Hopefully can remember the SUCCESs acronym. I seem to never forget the RICE one!

I don't think I've thought about presentations being presented as a story.  However, stories are usually very memorable so this will be a great strategy.  However, I do see how time consuming it will be!

It's much more interesting listening to someone presenting when it's an actual presentation and  not just reading word for word as what this article has referred to.

This is very true. However, not all speaking is golden. It takes some skill (and confidence) to make that work.

This was an eye-opener for me to read as I'm still use to teaching the 7x7 rule...no more than 7 words in a line and no more than 7 lines on  a slide. Makes perfect sense though as the majority of the time it needs to be more of a presentation instead of a read along.

Yes, the 7x7 rule leads to quite a bit of text still.

I think this largely depends on what you're presenting. I understand what they're saying but this one I say isn't 100% correct. What if you're presenting in Math class???

I think follow up handout is good but it should not be the same as your presentation. Make a cheat sheet of instructions.

This is fun for the younger students and keeps them engaged but I agree, not for presentation purposes.

I am really not sold that even ripped CD sounds have a purpose. I wouldn't use these either. The only sound that should come from your computer is either from a video or a Skype-like live broadcast from someone afar.

Hate the presenters who think the sounds effects are so cool so they put them in on about every slide.