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Unit 11: Oral Communication - Using PowerPoint

One of the most common tools used to make a presentation is called PowerPoint. It is produced by MicroSoft and is widely available. However, the same rules apply to these presentations as to any other oral communication. You must always consider:

  • The audience – who are they, how many and what do they already know?
  • The occasion – is it formal or informal? A lecture, a debate, a speech?
  • The point – what is the purpose of the talk?
  • The order - in what sequence do they need to be discussed?
  • The secondary information which should come under each of your headings?

It is very tempting to fill your screens with everything you want to say, but that should be avoided if possible. Think about presentations you have seen and what made the experience useful, and what did not.

SlideShare is a web site where individuals and organisations upload their presentations. The presentations are not peer reviewed prior to being made available, although comments may be made by SlideShare members. There are even presentations on making PowerPoint presentations. Watch this and see what you think, do you agree with the comments, or would you do things differently?

More help is available from your Learning Development Centre.

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SMILE by Imperial College, Loughborough University and the University of Worcester, modified by Marion Kelt Glasgow Caledonian University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License