The way most people use PowerPoint is broken. Unfortunately, the PowerPoint interface guides people towards creating slides that contradict current research in cognitive science. To be effective communicators and teachers, we must change our slide design approach to align with proven principles that are compatible with how people learn.
If you’d like to upgrade your skills and knowledge, here are the best people and places for you to plug into. If you’d like these in a handout document form, you can grab a free copy here (just put in $0)
It is important to know some of the science behind what works and what doesn’t. The best place to start is to learn about RIchard Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning grounded in a theory of how people learn from words and pictures.
Once you’ve got a handle on how and why you should design slides a certain way, the next thing you’ll need is a toolkit with the design assets for creating them. Finding good, copyright-free design assets is like searching for a needle in a haystack—especially if you’re on a tight budget. This ebook points you toward the best free photos, icons, fonts and more.
There is a great collection of PowerPoint courses on LinkedIn Learning. If you only watch one, make it John McWade’s “Design a Compelling Presentation“
With the speed of change in today’s world, what we’re learning today will inevitably become outdated or irrelevant at some point in the near future. Instead of relying on any single source, the most successful among us will have a personal process for keeping up with everything we need to know. These will give you a fantastic headstart for keeping up with all you need to know about creating presentations and working in PowerPoint.
BrightCarbon
BrightCarbon has compiled a great set of resources to help you master the art of presenting and up your PowerPoint game, And they’re all free!
While you’re there, you definitely want to grab BrightSlide, their PowerPoint add-in that will “help you create, polish, and edit presentations at speed.”
Feedly is the best way to keep up with the topics you’re interested in. Create a free account and then import this .opml file to automatically get news & updates from the best PowerPoint sources.
