BJ assessment 3 6004 Professional Presentation Guidelines Date Name (Presenter) Capella University School of Nursing and Health Sciences Course ©

This presentation is designed as a model to help you develop professional-quality PowerPoint presentations, and will take you through the parts of a typical presentation. On your title slide, in addition to the title, please be sure to include the date, your name, Capella University, and the course name. The title should reflect your topic and not the assignment name.

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Microsoft PowerPoint

Disseminates information

Can add visuals such as illustrations or graphs

Can add film clips, sound, and animation

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Presentation development is an important skill for your Capella program and will enhance your communication and presentation skills in your daily practice settings. Professional presentations enable you to share information and visual representations with your audience, whether in a course, a meeting, or as part of an educational opportunity.

There are some rules for presenters that will help you create powerful and professional presentations. At Capella, it is also important that you develop the skill of adding audio to your presentation. The guidelines presented here are designed to help you set up a slide deck. You can also add links to film clips, animations, and graphics to the presentation.

Remember that references should be included for your sources and should follow APA guidelines. Your reference list will appear at the end of the presentation. On the slide itself, provide a citation with authors and year of publication, as you would in an APA paper. It may be in smaller type. Make certain your references are scholarly, fewer than 5 years old, and peer reviewed. You do not have to provide the citation on the slide and in the speaker’s notes; one or the other is usually sufficient.

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Getting Started

Create a topic outline based on grading rubric

Do not use complete sentences for headings

Choose a slide design

Consider contrast of text and background

Create a slide or two as needed

Address each criterion in the rubric

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When creating a presentation for an assignment, be sure to read through and understand the instructions for your presentation as well as the grading criteria.

Try to limit your title to a single line, and remember to use a short descriptive phrase rather than a sentence.

The grading rubric serves as a good guide for your slides. Try to create one or two slides for each criterion of the rubric.

Be sure you look at the time frame for the presentation and the number of slides you should include in the presentation. When using the grading rubric as an outline, look at the topics for ideas.

While your Capella audience will view your presentation from a computer screen, you do need to think about what your slides would look like on a big screen in a classroom, boardroom, or from a stage.

Be sure to choose a background that is visually pleasing with a contrasting color for the text. Consider that some viewers may be color-blind, and rely on light-to-dark contrast for legibility. Use a solid color or choose a design from your software—or make one yourself. Be careful to avoid overly complex backgrounds; the message is what matters. Refer to the MS Office link on the Resources slide to learn how to ensure that your presentations are accessible.

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General Guidelines

5–7 Rule

Limit words to 5–7 per line

Limit lines to 5–7 per slide

Typography

Headline type should be 24–28 points

Bullet or body type should be 14–18 points for readability

Avoid decorative type: use Arial or Times

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Blank background (“white space”) keeps the information clear, easy to read, and memorable. The 5–7 rule is a helpful guideline. Use short phrases and you won’t find yourself reading your slides to the audience. Use speaker’s notes for details.

Some experts recommend using only sans-serif typefaces such as Arial or Helvetica to avoid the “jaggy” look that may be visible in the “feet” of serif typefaces such as Times New Roman. With the availability of high-resolution monitors, this is less of a concern than in the past. Make sure to follow the requirements in your assignment.

When submitting presentations for class, remember to include a transcript. Kaltura provides captioning in about 24 hours that you can use to create your transcript or you may write your own. Be sure to find out your faculty member’s preferred transcript format.

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Extras: Typographic Elements

Word Art

Fancy lettering for titles: best for flyers or posters

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Any graphical elements you use should be in service of the message. Avoid inappropriate decorative typefaces, unprofessional color choices, or too much of anything. This is not to discourage you from using text as a design element, but to caution you to use it wisely. The next slide provides a good example.

Also, be consistent in your use of end punctuation. Use periods throughout or not at all. Because most bullets should be short phrases, periods are probably not needed.

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Extras: Graphic Support Elements

Smart Art

More interesting than a table

A good way

Add text in or out
of the grid

To present points with flair

Don’t overdo it!

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While you want to be engaging, resist the urge to add too much to your slides. Use graphics to demonstrate, clarify, or emphasize your points. Tables and charts can provide helpful information—but only if their content is easily and quickly read.

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Extras: Illustrations

Avoid low-resolution or copyrighted art and photos