PSC651_Theories_of_International_Relations

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PSC651 Theories of International Relations for Practitioners

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The Design and Presentation of PowerPoint

Introduction and Overview

PowerPoint for Windows: Examples

The Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation

The Axis of Evil and Iran": PowerPoint

Foreign Policy Panel PowerPoints:

Microcredit
EU Immigration
Water and Sanitation in Development
HIV Epidemic
United States--Free Trade Agreement

Designing PowerPoint Slides: Rules of Thumb

1. Keep it simple.
2. If you don't use the Microsoft slide designs, you can make your own design.
3. Use a white or light-color background for the slides. Use the same background color for each slide.
4. Try to limit each slide to eight lines of text and make each line short.
5. Avoid using more than two font styles.
6. Use fonts that are at least 28 pitch, so the people in the back of the room can see the text.
7. Avoid animations and other distractions.
8. Try to keep the number of slides to 16 or less.
9. PowerPoint is especially good for displaying numbers, diagrams, or pictures.
10. Remember that you can hyperlink multimedia or Web pages from a PowerPoint slide.
Get Started with PowerPoint

Making Effective PowerPoint Presentations

1. Talk rather than read. You'll be easier to understand, and you'll be better able to make genuine contact with your audience.
2. Stand up. This is better for two reasons. First, people can see you better. Second, standing puts you in the focus.
3. Use visual aids. This is one of the most important principles of public speaking. People are visual creatures. The old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" is especially apropos in the context of a conference talk, where you don't have time to say very much.
4. Move around. It's easier to keep focused on someone who's moving than on a motionless talking head. Hand gestures are also good. It's possible to overuse these devices, of course.
5. Vary the pitch of your voice. Monotones are sleep-inducing. Since it's possible to speak in a lively, animated manner without changing pitch, many people don't realize they have this problem.
6. Speak loudly, clearly, and confidently. Face the audience. An important element of vocal technique is to focus on the bottom (the deepest pitch) of your vocal range, which is its loudest and most authoritative tone. (This can be especially important for women.)
7. Make eye contact with the audience. If this is anxiety-inducing, at least pretend to do this by casting your gaze toward the back and sides of the room. Be careful not to ignore one side of the audience.
8. Focus on main ideas. Especially in a conference situation, where talks are short and yours is one of many, your audience is not going to remember the details of your evidence.
9. Finish your talk within the time limit.
10. Summarize your talk at the beginning and again at the end. "Tell `em what you're gonna tell `em, tell `em, and tell `em what you told `em": this ancient principle still holds.
11. Notice your audience and respond to their needs.

Exemplars: Policy Research Project Presentations