Creating Presentations

Before you can even begin creating a presentation you need to know your audience and the purpose for your presentation. This can greatly impact the content of the presentation and how you present it. 

In terms of creating a presentation, I use the CARP design principles: 

C - contrast 

A - alignment 

R - repetition 

P - proximity 

These principles can be used in terms of colour, text, shapes, and any other content on the slides themselves. 

What I find is often not taught in conjunction with making presentations is how to actually give a presentation. Students need to be taught to build their presentation to complement their oral presentation rather than just being exactly what is going to be said on a slide. Students need to understand how an image can convey much more than text and how using different features of presentations can enhance or diminish their presentations. 

While I understand that bullet points are highly overused by students and teachers in their presentations, there is a time and a place for using them. I think it's important to teach students when it's appropriate to use different strategies rather than eliminating them completely. 

I do subscribe to the limited text on the page. I have seen so many times just slide after slide of text. I always try to go for 5-7 words maximum for presentations. Though again, at times you are using more to show certain things.