Slide Presentation Guidelines

Slide Preparation

The first slide should give the title of your presentation and list all speakers with affiliations
Select a good, readable font, such as Arial, in which all letters are easily recognized with minimal confusion, avoid script & italic fonts and very small type (18 point or larger recommended). Do not use all capitals except for titles
Backgrounds should be consistent and subtle
Dark text on light backgrounds usually easiest to read
Try to limit each slide to one unified idea
Generally 6 words per line and no more than 6 lines per slide
Avoid abbreviations and acronyms
Use color and variety to maintain interest
Use pictures, graphs, charts and figures but keep them bold, simple and containing only essential details. If a considerable amount of data needs to be presented it may be better to provide a handout and highlight key data only in the slide presentation
Spell check your slides!

Rehearse your presentations with the slides, particularly focusing on timing
Do not just read from your slides - Slides are “enhancements” to help the audience understand your presentation and should not be a script of your presentation.
Give a brief overview first, then present, finally review important points
Often more effective is to have bulleted points appear one at a time so audience does not read ahead
Speak clearly and slowly

Do not stop your presentation, please notify the audience that the technical issues are being addressed and continue your presentation. An AV Technician or ISPOR staff member will assist in determining and correcting technical difficulties. The timing of your session will remain unchanged.
For additional information please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.