csis1/16wk-week-10-11-presentations.md

# Weeks 10–11: Presentations (Microsoft PowerPoint)
**Hours:** 4 (2 lectures)

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## Learning Objectives
- Create a presentation using blank slides and templates
- Add and format text, images, shapes, and SmartArt
- Apply themes, layouts, and slide masters for consistency
- Use transitions and animations purposefully
- Add speaker notes and use Presenter View
- Deliver an effective presentation (design principles + delivery tips)

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## Lecture 10: Creating a Presentation

### Key Concepts

**The PowerPoint Interface**
- **Slide Panel (left):** Thumbnail navigation of all slides
- **Slide Pane (center):** The main editing area
- **Notes Pane (bottom):** Speaker notes — visible to presenter, not audience
- **Views:** Normal, Slide Sorter, Reading View, Slide Show
- **Ribbon:** Similar to Word — Home, Insert, Design, Transitions, Animations, Slide Show

**Slides & Layouts**
- Each slide has a **layout** (Title Slide, Title and Content, Two Content, Blank, etc.)
- Layouts contain **placeholders** — predefined areas for title, subtitle, content, images
- Use layouts instead of placing text boxes manually → maintains consistency

**Adding Content**
- **Text:** Click in placeholder and type. Or Insert → Text Box for custom placement.
- **Images:** Insert → Pictures. Use high-quality, relevant images. Avoid clip art clichés.
- **Shapes:** Insert → Shapes. Useful for diagrams, callouts, process flows.
- **SmartArt:** Insert → SmartArt. Pre-built diagrams: lists, processes, cycles, hierarchies.
  - Great for: organizational charts, step-by-step processes, comparison layouts
- **Icons:** Insert → Icons. Clean, modern visual elements.
- **Tables & Charts:** Can embed Excel-style tables and charts directly in slides.
- **Video/Audio:** Insert → Video (from file or online). Insert → Audio.

> 💡 **Teaching idea:** Show the same information presented as (a) a bullet list, (b) SmartArt, and (c) an image with minimal text. Ask which is most engaging and why.

**Themes & Design**
- **Theme:** A coordinated set of colors, fonts, and effects applied to all slides
- **Design Tab → Themes:** Browse and apply
- **Variants:** Color variations within a theme
- **Slide Master (View → Slide Master):** Edit the template behind all slides. Change the master → changes all slides at once. Powerful for branding/consistency.

> 💡 **Design principle:** Pick ONE theme and stick with it. Mixing themes = visual chaos. If the built-in themes don't work, start with a blank and build your own look.

**Speaker Notes**
- Type notes in the Notes pane below each slide
- Only visible in Presenter View (not to the audience)
- Use for: key points, transition phrases, timing reminders
- "If your slides need you to read them aloud, they have too much text."

### Diagram Ideas
1. **PowerPoint Interface** — Labeled screenshot: Slide Panel, Slide Pane, Notes Pane, Ribbon, Status Bar.
2. **Slide Layouts Gallery** — Show 6 common layouts with names.
3. **SmartArt Showcase** — 4 examples: List, Process, Cycle, Hierarchy — each with sample content.
4. **Theme Anatomy** — Show how one theme applies consistent colors, fonts, and backgrounds across multiple slide types.

### Slide Concepts
| Slide | Content |
|-------|---------|
| 1 | Title: "Presenting Your Ideas" |
| 2 | The PowerPoint Interface — labeled |
| 3 | Slide Layouts — when to use each |
| 4 | Adding Content — text, images, shapes, SmartArt |
| 5 | SmartArt Demo — same info as bullets vs SmartArt |
| 6 | Themes — applying and customizing |
| 7 | Speaker Notes — what they are, why they matter |
| 8 | Activity: Create your first 5 slides |

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## Lecture 11: Finalizing a Presentation

### Key Concepts

**Transitions**
- Visual effects when moving from one slide to the next
- Applied per-slide or to all slides
- Options: None, Fade, Push, Wipe, Morph (modern and elegant)
- **Rule of thumb:** Use ONE transition type throughout. Subtle is better.
- Timing: can advance on click or after set seconds (auto-advance for kiosks)

> ⚠️ **Common mistake:** Students use a different flashy transition on every slide. This distracts from the content. Fade or Morph for the whole deck is almost always the right choice.

**Animations**
- Effects applied to individual objects ON a slide
- Four types:
  - **Entrance:** Object appears (Fade In, Fly In, Zoom)
  - **Emphasis:** Object changes while visible (Pulse, Grow/Shrink, Spin)
  - **Exit:** Object disappears (Fade Out, Fly Out)
  - **Motion Path:** Object moves along a defined path
- **Animation Pane:** Manage order and timing of all animations on a slide
- Use to reveal information step by step (bullet by bullet, chart by series)

> 💡 **Guideline:** Animations should serve a purpose. "Does this animation help the audience understand the content?" If not, cut it.

**Slide Show Delivery**
- **Start Show:** F5 (from beginning) or Shift+F5 (from current slide)
- **Presenter View:** Shows current slide, next slide, speaker notes, timer — on YOUR screen. Audience sees only the slide. Requires two displays (laptop + projector).
- **Navigation:** Arrow keys, click to advance. Press B for black screen (pause). Press W for white screen.
- **Laser pointer:** Hold Ctrl + click during slide show
- **Pen/Highlighter:** Right-click during show → Pointer Options

**Presentation Design Principles**
The difference between a good and bad presentation:

| Bad Practice | Good Practice |
|-------------|--------------|
| Wall of text (read aloud) | Key phrases + speak the details |
| Tiny font (< 24pt) | 28pt+ body, 36pt+ titles |
| Too many colors/fonts | 2-3 colors, 1-2 fonts |
| Bullet after bullet after bullet | Mix: images, diagrams, minimal text |
| Reading from slides | Slides support you; notes remind you |
| Clipart and word art | Clean images, icons, white space |

> 💡 **The 6×6 Rule (guideline):** No more than 6 bullet points per slide, no more than 6 words per bullet. Forces conciseness.

> 💡 **Teaching idea:** Show a "Death by PowerPoint" slide (wall of text, tiny font, clashing colors, random animations). Then show the same content redesigned. Discuss what changed and why it's better.

**Exporting & Sharing**
- Save as .pptx (editable) or .pdf (flat, share-friendly)
- File → Export → Create a Video (useful for pre-recorded presentations)
- Share via OneDrive for collaboration

### Diagram Ideas
1. **Transition vs Animation** — Clarify: transitions happen BETWEEN slides; animations happen to objects WITHIN a slide.
2. **The 6×6 Rule** — Visual: bad slide with 10 dense bullets vs good slide with 5 short phrases + an image.
3. **Presenter View Layout** — Screenshot showing what the presenter sees (current slide, next slide, notes, timer) vs what the audience sees.
4. **Design Do's and Don'ts** — Side-by-side bad vs good slide examples.

### Slide Concepts
| Slide | Content |
|-------|---------|
| 1 | Title: "Polish & Deliver" |
| 2 | Transitions — types, best practices, "pick one and stick with it" |
| 3 | Animations — four types, when to use them |
| 4 | "Does This Animation Help?" — decision filter |
| 5 | Presenter View — what you see vs what they see |
| 6 | Design Principles — the 6×6 rule, font sizes, white space |
| 7 | Bad vs Good: Slide Makeover (before/after) |
| 8 | Delivery Tips — eye contact, pacing, the B key |
| 9 | Activity: Presentation Prep |

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## Vocabulary

| Term | Definition |
|------|-----------|
| **Slide** | A single page/screen in a presentation |
| **Slide Layout** | A pre-arranged structure of placeholders on a slide |
| **Placeholder** | A pre-positioned box on a slide layout for text, images, or other content |
| **Theme** | A coordinated set of colors, fonts, and effects applied to a presentation |
| **Slide Master** | The top-level slide template that controls formatting for all slides |
| **SmartArt** | Pre-designed diagrams for lists, processes, hierarchies, and relationships |
| **Transition** | A visual effect that plays when moving from one slide to the next |
| **Animation** | A visual effect applied to an individual object within a slide |
| **Entrance Animation** | Makes an object appear on a slide |
| **Exit Animation** | Makes an object disappear from a slide |
| **Motion Path** | An animation that moves an object along a defined route |
| **Animation Pane** | Panel for managing the order and timing of animations on a slide |
| **Presenter View** | A display mode showing the current slide, next slide, notes, and timer (presenter only) |
| **Speaker Notes** | Text notes associated with each slide, visible in Presenter View |
| **6×6 Rule** | Guideline: ≤6 bullets per slide, ≤6 words per bullet |
| **White Space** | Intentionally empty areas in a design that improve readability and focus |

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## Activities & Assignments

### In-Class
1. **"Death by PowerPoint" Makeover:** Give students an intentionally terrible 5-slide presentation. They redesign it following good design principles.
2. **SmartArt Translation:** Provide a paragraph of text describing a process (e.g., how a bill becomes a law). Students represent it as SmartArt.
3. **Presentation Delivery Practice:** Students present 2-3 slides to a partner using Presenter View. Partner gives feedback on: eye contact, pacing, reliance on notes.

### Homework / Projects
1. **5-Minute Presentation:** Choose a topic (hobby, career interest, current event, or a concept from this course). Create a 7-10 slide presentation with:
   - Title slide with name and date
   - At least one image, one SmartArt or shape diagram, and one chart/table
   - Consistent theme
   - Speaker notes on every slide
   - One tasteful transition applied to all slides
   - Export as PDF for submission; present live in class.

2. **Design Critique (1 page):** Find a real presentation online (SlideShare, Google). Identify 3 things done well and 3 things that could improve, using design principles from class.

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## Discussion Questions
1. Why do people hate sitting through PowerPoint presentations? What makes them boring vs engaging?
2. "The slides are for the audience. The notes are for you." What does this mean in practice?
3. When would auto-advancing slides (timed transitions) be appropriate vs click-to-advance?
4. A colleague sends you a 40-slide presentation for a 10-minute talk. What's your advice?