Slides for Presentations?

[Paul Schlosser]

I don't have a book to recommend, but the following is a table from a
Microsoft Newsletter that I keep taped to the top of my monitor.

Output		Largest		Norm		Smallest
_________________________________________________________
On-Screen	36 pt		24 pt		18 pt
Overhead	24 pt		18 pt		12 pt
35mm slide	36 pt		24 pt		18 pt
Flip Charts	24 pt		18 pt		12 pt
(& posters)	"		"		"

The other 3 rules are: 
1)	never, ever (photo)copy any table/text directly from a manuscript
2)	*always* prepare overheads and 35s in landscape mode (*never* 
	portrait).
3)	If you are only showing a few #'s from a table, then make a new
	table with only those #'s in it.  *Do not* show a big table of
	tiny text and then say "I just want you to focus on these few
	entries."  (This is actually a corrolary of #1.)
OK, one more:
4)	Put a title on every slide (you might make an exception for pathology
	slides).

Following these rules will cure 90% of the problems.  Colors are very helpful
if used well, but don't distract your audience with fancy backgrounds.  Do
you want them to remember how nice the slides looked or do you want them to
remember what you said?

Paul
schlosser at beta.ciit.org