Using Fonts And Bullet Points In PowerPoint

When preparing a PowerPoint presentation attention to detail is an important factor. One area where this scrutiny is sometimes overlooked is in the use of fonts and bullet points. The default font may not be very well suited to a slide show as, what may read well on a printed letter may not be so easy to read as a blown-up slide. So the first question you should ask of your font is how will it read from a distance?

Serif fonts, such as the often default Times New Roman, can be more difficult to read than their sans-serif counterparts. As your audience will be some distance away from the presentation you should go for sharpness with a plain sans-serif font like the ever-reliable Arial and you should use this throughout the presentation. Ornamental or elaborate fonts should be saved for the poster advertising the office Christmas party; they have no place in a PowerPoint presentation.

Using the same font throughout will give uniformity to your presentation, making it slicker and more professional-looking. This does not automatically equate to a dull slide show though, as you can create variation by adjusting the size of the font and using different colours and formatting. It is best to stick to a simple colour scheme and avoid a psychedelic glow of bright garish colours that will dazzle the audience. Dark text on a light background will do the job very effectively. When using formatting for variation, do bear in mind that italicised text can be more difficult to read. Check all of your text beforehand by viewing it as a prospective audience member some distance away.

As the name suggests bullet points are there to make an impact; to shoot the reader between the eyes with a .22 calibre blast of information. They should be sharp and short and each bullet should carry only one message as an over-long bullet point loses impact. For example if a bullet point list of the benefits of switching to our product includes;

Increased productivity and fewer emissions

This is not so much a bullet, more a blast from double-barrelled shotgun as it refers to two distinctly separate areas. Use each bullet point to convey a single clear thought and keep it concise, six words or fewer for maximum effect.

As well as the length of each bullet point you should also be careful not to overload your slide with the points themselves. Too many bullet points on a single page can cause confusion and, again, impact is dulled. To maintain the gun analogy think of each bullet literally as in the barrel of a loaded revolver - six is the maximum you can use. Half a dozen well spaced bullet points are far more effective that ten crammed onto the slide. Again you should go for maximum impact.

In the world of online communications the use of all capitals is considered rude as it depicts shouting. Sometimes though you want to be heard and so it is perfectly acceptable to 'shout' at your audience but the use of all capitals should be restricted to titles and not used in other areas of the presentation. You may think that a bullet point list printed in all capitals would have double the impact but this is not the case as over-use simply dulls the effect.

As you can see, attention to detail can make the difference between a successful slide show and a difficult to read disaster. Delivering a PowerPoint presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience, so you want your slides to deliver their message clearly. Ensuring that your fonts are legible and bullet points used sparingly will help you achieve this.