Things to avoid in PowerPoint

1. September 30, 2016  1
POWERPOINT TIPS
Bob Andersen
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Director, Instructional Technology-SGPP

2. September 30, 2016  2
EFFECTIVE POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS
Just ignore Bob.
He has a habit of talking whenever I am presenting!
It’s so annoying.
We all know who’s in charge here…
Your friend,
MS PowerPoint

3. September 30, 2016  3
THE PROBLEMS WITH POWERPOINT
Edward Tufte a respected authority on
communicating complex information visually.
He reminds us that:
• PowerPoint is a very linear communications
medium
• Bulleted outlines dilute clear communication
• PowerPoint has extremely low information
resolution
PowerPoint may not be the optimal solution to
your presentation needs and it may actually
detract from your message.

4. The Default Fonts are Too Big
and Clunky
• Stay away from the PowerPoint default
template
• The template leaves little room for
information
• It is likely intended for use in a large
room

5. Too Much Information
• Security professionals must be security knowledge portals for our organizations
• Interact with all departments and units
• Interact at all levels of the organization
• Represent the enterprise to external organizations
• Rapidly evolving body of knowledge
• Requires immediacy with new threats and vulnerabilities
• Cross-disciplinary
• Strategic and tactical; conceptual and technical
• Depth and breadth
• Other Skills
– Plan, organize, conceptualize
– Lead, manage, set priorities,
– Make decisions, compromise
– Influence, sell
– Communicate, present, write, listen
– Consult
– Confront, agitate, assert authority
– Hold accountable
• We have more descriptive baselines and frameworks than any other discipline!
• Bodies of Knowledge
– Corporate
– Government
• Standards
• Educational Standards
– NSA Centers of Academic Excellence
– National Training Standard for Information Security Professionals
– National Information Assurance Training Standard for Information Systems Security Officers

6. Use a Maximum of 10-12 Lines per Slide (28)
• Actively manage your skills (24 font)
o “Commodity-like” functions can become outsourced (20 font)
o Don’t allow yourself to become a “dinosaur”
• Make a commitment to lifelong learning
• Don’t just focus upon the ‘hard’ skills and technical
competencies.
o Speaking, writing, presenting, listening, influence, relationship
o Project management; finance; ethics, decision making,
management, leadership

7. Use Color Judiciously
• Actively manage your skills (24 font)
o “Commodity-like” functions can become outsourced (20 font)
o Don’t allow yourself to become a “dinosaur”
• Make a commitment to lifelong learning
• Don’t just focus upon the ‘hard’ skills and technical
competencies.
o Speaking, writing, presenting, listening, influence, relationship
o Project management; finance; ethics, decision making,
management, leadership

8. Be Wary of Fancy Design
Templates
• Can you read any of this information?
• It seems to get lost in the artwork
• Are you even reading this?
• Or, are trying to figure out what the graphic is
and what it has to do with anything the speaker
is talking about?

9. September 30, 2016  9
USE PROFESSIONAL FONTS
No Jokerman
No Comic Sans
No Fancy Cursive Stuff
Stick with the plain old, easy to read:
Arial
Verdana
Times New Roman

10. Avoid Simple Bulleted Lists of Words
• Sun
• HP
• Cisco
• Citrix
• Microsoft
• Oracle
• Dell
• Blah
• Blah
• Blah…
Can you say this as a sentence
in your presentation?
Does it need a slide?

11. September 30, 2016  11
BE CAREFUL WHEN USING IMAGES
• Images add visual interest
• Images help with retention
But what does this nice picture of an alum have to do
with this presentation on PowerPoint Tips?

12. September 30, 2016  12
BE CAREFUL WHEN USING IMAGES
And, please resize images from the corners!

13. “Even a happy life cannot
be without a measure of
darkness, and the word
happy would lose its
meaning if it were not
balanced by sadness.”
~Carl Jung
PowerPoint is a excellent medium
for displaying images

14. Graphics Provide Impact
Assess the Situation:
Get Organized
Identify Risks
and
Select Recovery Strategies
Develop and Document
the Plan
Phase I Phase II
Phase III
Implement, Test and
Maintain the Plan
Phase IV

15. September 30, 2016  15
GRAPHICS ARE HELPFUL AND REDUCE MAY WORDS
Intentionality around the development of the digital
literacies of our online students
ICT Literacy
Information &
Data
Media Web
Digital Intelligence
Digital Literacies are
comprised of hard and
soft skills that vary upon
your context.
“Survival skills for the
21st C”

16. Graphs Communicate a Lot of Information Effectively
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Federally Declared Disasters over the Last 50 Years
Data from: http://www.fema.gov/library/drcys.shtm

17. September 30, 2016  17
SIMPLE ANIMATIONS ARE BETTER
Needs Assessment
Market Analysis
Curriculum
Development
Assessment of
Student Learning
Delivery Model
Planning
Instructional
Design
Faculty
Development
Resource
Development