Nick's Guide to Great Writing!

Charts, OHPs, PowerPoint presentations, etc.

I have seen many kiosk and PowerPoint presentations, and sad to say, most suffer from the same problem; cramming too much onto one sheet. While different texts have different ideas on how much is too much, with some saying five words by five lines is the max, for sure anything over a ten by ten exceeds what a reader can comprehend on such a sheet. Likewise, it would be a good idea to try for one, or at most, two points per sheet. Note: Handouts CAN contain much more material, and can be used to supplement the kiosk or other presentation.

One way to reduce the number of words is by the effective use of graphics. As we say in English, there is an old Chinese saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. But, again, be careful not to cram too much into one graphic.

In a textual presentation, we must consider the layout, spacing, font size and type, etc.

• The layout should be easy to read and appealing to the eye. It could be a list, bullets, centered or left justified (not full justified).
• Spacing should be used to increase legibility, as well as draw attention to the most important point or points.
• The font size should be large enough so that a person at the far end of the presentation space can see it clearly.
• The type should be a fairly normal one, unless a special type is needed for dramatic reasons.
• The heading should be in a sans serif type and the text in a serif type.

Note: These are homepages, and I am not commenting on the style or desirability of them as such. For this example, assume they are kiosk or PowerPoint presentations.