Powerpoint

Sometimes there is nothing worse during a presentation than a bad Powerpoint. A bad Powerpoint often contains some fundamental flaws that can be easy to fall prey to when first using the program. To start off, an overpowering, ugly color scheme is usually not only hard on the eyes but also difficult to read. Another mistake could be the way the information is presented. There should be a reasonable balance between text and media. A bit of text can help keep the focus of the subject being discussed while visuals like pictures and videos keep the presentation entertaining. A similar issue is the speaker being able to properly talk about the slides. The speaker should acknowledge or mention at least some thing presented on the screen but should not be reading bullet points. This can be very boring and make the speaker come off as unprepared. Misuse  of animation is another big issue. Animation should almost always be quick and smooth. It should enhance the flow of the presentation but not distract from it. Animation that is too ridiculous can come off as rather lame. Finally, its very important that one's Powerpoint is completely functional. This may seem very obvious but it's important to give one's Powerpoint multiple test runs as buttons and media objects can sometimes be faulty. It is difficult to fix when you are presenting.

Aside from all their possible problems, Powerpoints can be a very effective tool to deliver a speech. They are a way of presenting information visually along with speech, which is more likely to teach people who have different styles of learning. When done right they can really enhance information presented. I have had some teachers who could really utilize Powerpoint to improve their lectures. One of the more creative applications of Powerpoint I have seen was at my high school. Teachers would sometimes use Powerpoint to create a game of Jeopardy to review for tests by making a bunch of buttons on a grid. This was a fun way to study with the class as a whole.