How to prepare a good PowerPoint in 30 minutes

As I mentioned last week, during the case analysis stage at OCMC, the case teams have only 30 minutes to analyze the case and prepare an effective PowerPoint presentation that will wow the judges. This is a daunting task! How do you make a whole seven slide PowerPoint that will set you apart in just 30 minutes?

Sue Shulte

Luckily, this week during class we received some great tips on PowerPoint from Sue Shulte that will help us make fast and fantastic PowerPoints that will set us apart from all the other teams. Her advice included the following: 

1) Write the slides out in the PowerPoint with no design to begin with. That way, if you run out of time at least the information is in the presentation. You can add design elements later if you have the extra time. 

2) Use SmartArt. SmartArt is a great and FAST! It helps create shapes and gives your your presentation some punch when you don't have access to other eye catching material like photos, which we won't at the competition. 

3) Make your SmartArt stand out. You can easily add dimension and color to your SmartArt designs to help the audience figure out what information is the most important.

4) Choose your colours carefully. Make sure that your colours stand out but are eye catching and skill make the words on the slides easy to read.

5) Make sure the font is legible and large. The PowerPoint should not have that many words but the audience must be able to read the words on the screen. Use a font such as Helvetica or Verdana and make sure that the words are at least size 24pt.

During her presentation it took Sue about 10 minutes to make the presentation. That means that with enough practice each team will be able to make a fantastic presentation that will leave a lasting impression with time to spare! Thanks Sue.