LESSON 7 Grammar: Phrases

Parallelism
CREATING MULTIMODAL
Sentences
TEXTS

Learning Outcome
Demonstrate ways of creating Multimodal Texts.

PREPARATION

What to you is a good power point presentation?

GOOD BAD

1
CREATING EFFECTIVE POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS

The importance of power point presentation in the professional world cannot be

underestimated. Research show that over 150,000 companies around the world use Power
Point. Therefore students should consider it necessary to learn the skill of creating effective
power point presentations.

A. Adding Titles, Text, Designs and Images

01
of 05
To begin, click on Home tab, click
the New Slide ribbon and select the
layout of the slide to use. You may
use a Title Slide to introduce the
title of your presentation and a
Title and Content slide to present
your content.
If your presentation is divided into
several divisions, use a Section
Header to separate the divisions.

2
 02
of 05
Add content. Use bullets or
numbers to introduce content
into your slide. Do not copy and
paste a long sentence or a whole
paragraph into your slide. Type
key words/phrases only that
represent the thought of a
sentence you might want to tell
your audience.

03
of 05
Alternatively, you can use a SmartArt instead of bullets and numbers to introduce
your content. To add a SmartArt to your Power Point Presentation, click the Insert
tab, click the SmartArt ribbon and choose the SmartArt graphic appropriate for your
content. Use the categories on the left to choose the appropriate graphic for your
slide.

3
04
of 05
After typing the content, you can
now add the design to your
presentation. Locate the Design
Tab and click on your preferred
slide design. For Power Point
2016 version, you may find
additional design ideas when you
click the Design Ideas tab on the
right side but this feature only
works when you are connected
to the internet.

4
 05
of 05
Preview your work. You can
see your new creation by
clicking on the Slide Show
tab and choosing From
Beginning. Alternatively,
you may click the Slide
Show icon at the bottom of
your screen to preview your
presentation. Use the arrow
keys on your computer to
move from slide to slide.
Hit Esc to go back to the
design mode.

B. DEADLY SINS OF POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

The US National Commission for State Legislators warns presenters of the following pitfalls to avoid
when making PowerPoint presentations.
Slide Transitions And Sound Effects: Transitions and sound effects can become the focus of
attention, which in turn distracts the audience. Worse yet, when a presentation containing several
effects and transitions runs on a computer much slower than the one on which it was created, the
result is a sluggish, almost comical when viewed. Focus on the message, not the technology.
Standard Clipart: Using a standard clipart shows a lack of creativity and a tired adherence to a
standard form. If you need to use photos, use your own scanned photographs or better-quality
graphics from copyright-free sources. Screen captures can also add realism when presenting
information about a Website or computer program.
Text-Heavy Slides: Projected slides are a good medium for depicting an idea graphically or providing
an overview. Slides are a poor medium for detail and reading. Avoid paragraphs, quotations and even
complete sentences. Limit your slides to five lines of text and use words and phrases to make your
points. The audience will be able to digest and retain key points more easily. Don’t use your slides as
speaker’s notes or to simply project an outline of your presentation.
Reading: A verbal presentation should focus on interactive speaking and listening, not reading by the
speaker or the audience. The demands of spoken and written language differ significantly. Spoken
language is shorter, less formal and more direct. Reading text ruins a presentation .

5
C. TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS

Fonts
• Select a single sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Helvetica. Avoid serif fonts such as Times New Roman or
Palatino because these fonts are sometimes more difficult to read.
• Use no font size smaller than 24 point.
• Use the same font for all your headlines. Select a font for body copy and another for headlines.
• Clearly label each screen. Use a larger font (35-45 points) or different color for the title.
• Avoid long sentences; limit punctuation marks.
• Avoid abbreviations and acronyms.
• Use no more than 6-8 words per line
• For bullet points, use the 6 x 6 Rule. One thought per line with no more than 6 words per line and no
more than 6 lines per slide
• Use dark text on light background or light text on dark background. However, dark backgrounds some-
times make it difficult for some people to read the text.
• Do not use all caps except for titles.
• To test the font, stand six feet from the monitor and see if you can read the slide.

Design and Graphical Images

• Use design templates.
• Include only necessary information. Limit the information to essentials.
• Use colors that contrast and compliment.
• Too may slides can lose your audience.
• Keep the background consistent and subtle.
• Limit the number of transitions used. It is often better to use only one so the audience knows what to
expect.
• Use a single style of dingbat for bullets throughout the page.
• Use the same graphical rule at the top of all pages in a multi-page document.
• Use one or two large images rather than several small images (pictures).
• Make images all the same size
• Use only enough text when using charts or graphical images to explain the chart or graph and clearly
label the image.
• Keep the design clean and uncluttered. Leave empty space around the text and graphical images.
• Try to use the same style graphical image throughout the presentation (e.g., cartoon, photographs)
• Limit the number of graphical images on each slide.
• Avoid flashy images and noisy animation effects unless it relates directly to the slide.

Color
• Limit the number of colors on a single screen.
• Check all colors on a projection screen before the actual presentation. Colors may project differently
than what appears on the monitor.

6
HOW TO MAKE BEAUTIFUL AND EFFECTIVE INFOGRAPHICS

The brain processes visual information at the rate of a computer network—and approximately
100x faster than our sense of hearing and smell. Infographics offers the visual information that
is compressed. It squeezes an enormous amount of information and understanding into a small
space.
Here are 10 tips on how to create good infographics:
1. Write a catchy headline, one that gets attention, makes people curious, and gives a clear
idea of what the infographic is about.
2. Leave plenty of white (negative) space. A busy infographic puts people and is hard on
the eyes.
3. Create the infographic for your target audience. Coming up with an infographic idea is
half the battle to creating a killer infographic. And the way to come up with great
infographic idea is to figure our what your audience wants. The infographics with the
most traction and most attention are the ones that meets the target audience right where
they want it most.
4. Keep text to a minimum. Using visual elements to communicate your data will give it
extra impact. Ensure, however that the text and the image reinforce each other. Each
must show or tell what the other cannot.
5. Stick to a single topic. Multiple topics can make the infographic cluttered. Cardinal rule:
it needs to be easy to understand.
6. Cite your sources. An infographic is like a term paper. Listing your sources lends
credibility to your output.
7. Use no more than two typefaces. Using a lot of different fonts in the infographic creates
disharmony. Make sure the smallest type (font size) will be legible.
8. Create a killer headline. Your infographic’s headline is extremely important. This
principle is the same as with a great article. The infographic doesn’t get any attention if it
doesn’t have a great headlines. Good headlines have the following features:
• They describe the infographic.
• They grab the user’s attention.
• They are short enough to understand at a glance. A good headline should have, at
most, 70 characters.
9. Focus on the flow. The greatest strength of an infographic is that it can flow both
cognitively and visually. An infographic is like a good story. It has the ability to convey an
idea by taking the audience from one phase to another, sequentially and seamlessly.

7
HERE’S AN INFOGRAPHIC ON HOW TO CREATE A GOOD INFOGRAPHICS

8
HERE ARE SAMPLE INFOGRAPHICS

9
Infographics can be created through one of the following programs.

1. Microsoft Word . For the beginners who are intimidated with technology, Microsoft Word
may be a good starting point. Word has enough features for the beginner to organize text
and images on a page.
2. Microsoft Publisher . A great program for the beginner who is willing to explore, Microsoft
Publishes offers diverse features at one’s fingertips.
3. Canva. An online design tool which can be used even by non-professionals, this application
has a built-in library of graphics, photos and fonts which can be easily edited from its
interface.
4. Easel.ly is a web application which doesn’t require any special design skills. It has built-in
templates only for infographics, but not for other types of projects.
5. Piktochart allows creation of infographics and presentations in general. The program
includes built-in library of professional templates, created by designers.
6. Infogr.am is a web application specializing on infographics that include charts. For this
reason, it is highly recommended for users who wish to create infographics that focus on
data being presented with charts.
7. Venngage is an online platform designed for users with no previous design experience.

The first two applications are part of the Microsoft Office Suite and thus are readily available for
Microsoft users. The other five applications are web-based and have both the free and premium
versions. To be able to use these applications, you have to create an account with your email or
connect with your Facebook account.

10
PRACTICE RESPONDING

Translate your essay into either a PowerPoint Presentation or an Infographic. Be mindful of

the tips provided on creating effective PowerPoint Presentation and Infographics. Use this
page to plan your output.

11