Creating Better Slide Presentations

Whether you're presenting in person, teaching online, or recording lectures, your slides can make or break your students’ learning experience. Well-designed slides help focus attention, reinforce key ideas, and improve retention. Here's how to elevate your presentations without needing to be a designer.

1. Start with Purpose

Ask yourself: What should students learn from this slide deck? Avoid cramming all your lecture notes into slides. Instead, treat slides as a visual guide that supports your explanation—not a transcript.

2. Simplify Your Design

• Use one idea per slide.

• Leave white space to reduce visual clutter.

• Stick to clean, readable fonts like Arial or Calibri.

🛠️ Helpful Tools:

• Google Slides (Free, browser-based, easy to collaborate)

• Microsoft PowerPoint Templates (Professionally designed themes)

• Canva for Education (Drag-and-drop templates, free for educators)

3. Use High-Impact Visuals

Replace long blocks of text with visuals that explain or reinforce your message.

🖼️ Find Free Images & Icons:

• Unsplash (Free high-quality photos)

• Pexels

• The Noun Project (Free icons and symbols)

📊 Create Diagrams and Charts:

• Lucidchart for Education

• Flaticon Graph Maker

4. Keep Text Minimal

• Focus on keywords and short phrases.

• Limit to 5–7 lines per slide, 6–8 words per line.

✍️ Resource:

• Garr Reynolds on Slide Design – A classic blog on clear, simple slide design.

5. Choose Colors Wisely

• Use high contrast: light text on dark or vice versa.

• Avoid red/green together for accessibility.

🎨 Try These:

• Coolors Color Palette Generator

• WebAIM Color Contrast Checker

6. Use Animation and Transitions Sparingly

• Use animation only to guide attention.

• Avoid excessive transitions—they distract more than they help.

7. Consider Accessibility

Make slides accessible to all students:

• Use alt text for images.

• Choose accessible fonts and colors.

• Share slides as a PDF when possible.

♿ Accessibility Resources:

• Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker for PowerPoint

• Creating Accessible Presentations (WebAIM)

• Color Oracle – Simulate color blindness to check visuals

8. Test and Reflect

• Practice with a colleague or record yourself and review.

• Ask: Are the key points clear? Is anything distracting?

📹 Record Yourself Easily With:

• Panopto

• Loom

• Clipchamp (Microsoft) – Free tool for recording with slides and webcam

Bonus Tip: Want inspiration? Watch a few TED Talks and observe how they use slides—simple, visual, and story-driven.