This document provides guidance on effective PowerPoint presentation design. It discusses elements students dislike, such as too many words or colors on slides, as well as elements students prefer like graphs, bullet lists, and verbal explanations. It then introduces Baddeley's model of working memory and provides the KWICK method for creating clear and focused key points on each slide using visuals, context, and simplicity. Resources for further information are listed at the end.

2. • Cute clip art
• Too many words on a slide
• Templates with too many colors
• Movement (slide transitions or
word animations)
Students Hated These

3. • Graphs
• Bulleted lists
• Structure lectures
• Verbal explanations
Students Liked These

4. • Short phrases presented
• Note taking discouraged
• Professor talks to the slide
• Relevant pictures are used
• Slides reviewed ahead of time
Students Learned

5. Baddley’s Model
Episodic
Buffer
Phonological
Loop
Central
Executive
Visual
Spatial
Sketchpad

6. • Leverage modality
–Visual
–Auditory
• Minimize distraction
• Use simple cues
• Don’t display every word
Applying the Model

7. • K ey Point
• W ords that suggest the visual
• I n context
• C rystal clear
• K eep Focus
KWICK Method

8. • One and only one
• Derived from message
• Derived from data
• Divided if too complex
Key Point

9. Words that suggest

10. • Age appropriate
• Gender appropriate
• Synergistic with course
In Context

11. • Call outs
• Photos in diagrams
• Shading and fading
Crystal Clear

12. • Build on ideas
• Breakdown complex diagrams
• Structure using hierarchy
• Review and rehearse
Keep Focus

13. • http://www.bestpresentation.net/death-
by-powerpoint/
• www.fakeposters.com
• http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-
pages/making-better-powerpoint-
presentations/
Resources