A guide to presenting your research

Joanne PaytonIKWRO, HBVAnet & Cardiff University

joannepayton.me.uk

SIT702: POWERPOINT AND GRAPHICS WORKSHOP

Open Powerpoint

Click New

Go to Office.com

Choose Schedules

Choose Project

Timelines

Download

TASK: Research timelineUsing a template can save time and effort

POWERPOINT FOR BEGINNERS

Getting started

Presentation templates• Download Cardiff University’s

Powerpoint template at http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/identity/electronic-resources.html

• Or, choose an in-built template in the Design tab

• You can change the colour scheme

• Built-in templates on Macs are more stylish – and can be edited on a PC, so if you have a Mac-user friend, ask to borrow it for an hour, get started and then work on it on your own computer

• Most free templates aren’t very good and you can waste a lot of time looking through them

• Pre-set layouts save a lot of time

Make it visualToo much text is distracting and puts a heavy cognitive load on the audience

Keep it simple

A striking but simple image is more impactful and less likely to distract from your content – and yourself!

DESIGN FOR NON-DESIGNERS

Increase the impact of your work

Aim for CRAP design

Contrast

Repetition

Alignment

Proximity

Robin Williams (1994) – The Non-Designers Design Book, Peachpit Press, Berkeley

ProximityUse proximity to group items which go together

AlignmentCreate strong lines of alignment to organise text and graphics

RepetitionCreate repeating elements to unify the design

ContrastBuild contrasts for dynamic design

Before and after

Useful links• cfoworld.co.uk/slideshow/people-management/3243187/the-worlds-

worst-powerpoint-presentations– What not to do!

• slideshare.net– Check out other people’s Powerpoints. You can upload your own,

then embed it on your blog or in emails and even add an audio track.

• search.creativecommons.org, istockphoto.com & sxc.hu– Find free & cheap images to illustrate your presentations

• informationisbeautiful.net & flickr.com/groups/great_diagrams_in_anthropological_theory– Inspiration for diagrams

• audacity.sourceforge.net– Free and simple audio-recording software (good for presentation

practise and for creating slideshares)

Joanne Paytonjoannepayton.me.ukpaytonjl@cf.ac.uk