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Presentations have become an integral part of university life in today's academic environment. A well-crafted presentation not only enhances your credibility but also ensures your audience stays engaged throughout your talk. Whether you’re very skilled or have yet to create your first presentation, Unimaster suggests using one of the two platforms: Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides or Canva.
Presentations have become an integral part of university life in today's academic environment. Whether presenting research findings, sharing a project, or delivering a compelling argument, students must know how to communicate their ideas effectively. A well-crafted presentation not only enhances your credibility but also ensures your audience stays engaged throughout your talk.
While content is crucial, the design of your slides plays an equally important role in making your presentation memorable. Whether you’re very skilled or have yet to create your first presentation, Unimaster suggests using one of the two platforms: Microsoft PowerPoint/Google Slides or Canva.
Ready to learn how to make a memorable presentation? Let’s get started!
To start, you’ll need to create a Canva account - don’t worry, it’s free! Canva offers access to a broad range of design tools, though there’s a Pro version for those seeking more advanced features. For most university presentations, the free version will be more than enough. Once you’ve logged in, simply navigate to the "Presentation" category from the homepage, where you’ll find a variety of pre-designed templates suitable for various themes and purposes.
TIP! - Selecting the right template is crucial. Your template should reflect the tone and content of your presentation. For instance, if you’re working on a formal academic topic, opt for a minimalistic and professional design. If the subject is more creative, feel free to explore templates that are colourful and dynamic.
Creating an impactful presentation involves more than just adding text and images to your slides. You need to consider fundamental design principles to make sure your slides are both appealing and functional.
1. Simplicity Is Key
A common mistake many students make is overcrowding their slides with text, images, and graphics. Simplicity is essential for clarity. Keep each slide focused on a single idea, using a clean layout that avoids overwhelming your audience with too much information at once.
2. Choosing Fonts Wisely
When selecting fonts, aim for readability above all else. Stick to two or three fonts: one for headings and one for body text. Classic, easy-to-read fonts like ‘Montserrat’, ‘Codec Pro’, and ‘Open Sauce’ (yes, you read that right) work well in academic settings. Be cautious with decorative fonts, which can be distracting or hard to read.
3. Size is Important
Ensure your font size is large enough to be readable, especially for headings. For body text, avoid long paragraphs—bullet points or short sentences are much more effective in maintaining audience attention.
4. Using Colors Effectively
Colour choices can make or break your presentation. A cohesive colour palette, limited to two or three main colours, will help unify your slides and give your presentation a polished look. Canva provides several pre-made colour schemes that you can easily apply to your designs. Make sure to use high-contrast colour combinations, such as dark text on a light background, to maintain readability. Subtle use of accent colours can draw attention to key points or important information.
Visuals, such as images, graphics or, if you’re more advanced at using Canva, moving graphics not only make your presentation more engaging but also help clarify complex information. With PowerPoint, it would be up to you to scour the internet for the right visual however, with Canva, you have access to an extensive library of images, icons, and illustrations that can be used to complement your message.
1. Incorporating Images and Icons
Make sure to use high-quality, relevant images that support the content of your presentation. You can search Canva’s free image library or upload your own. Icons are another great way to highlight important points or break up text-heavy slides. However, avoid overloading your slides with too many visual elements, which can be distracting.
2. Using Charts and Graphs for Data
In most cases, students will end up using at least one academic source with data, in order to back up their findings. A great way to present this data is through charts and graphs. In some cases, sources such as Statista or ONS will have ready-made graphs which you can copy and paste into your presentation (don’t forget to reference them!). Alternatively, Canva offers easy-to-use tools for creating charts and graphs. Visualizing data through bar graphs, pie charts, or line charts makes it easier for your audience to understand trends or comparisons. Simply head to the “Elements” tab, choose a chart style, and input your data directly into Canva.
The structure of your slides is just as important as the design. An effective presentation should have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Ideally, most of the information should be found in your speaker notes, which you will use to read off of when presenting. In Canva, your notes button is located on the bottom left-hand corner and, once clicked on, your notes will appear on the left side of your screen.
TIP! - To ensure that you have easy access to your notes, Unimaster suggests that you copy all speaker notes onto a separate file which you can print out and carry with you on the day of the presentation.
TIP! #2 - Don’t forget to reference any sources you use in the speaker notes too as it is more than likely that your presentation will also have to be uploaded for plagiarism checks.
1. Crafting a Strong Introduction
Your title slide should clearly state your topic and create a strong first impression. Consider adding a compelling image, a quote, or a thought-provoking statement to grab attention. Your second slide should provide an overview or agenda to set expectations for your audience.
2. Ensuring a Logical Flow
Organize your content so that each slide builds on the previous one. Use headers to guide the audience through your key points. Stick to one major idea per slide and avoid lengthy blocks of text. Instead, summarize the key points with concise bullet points or visuals.
3. Ending with Impact
Conclude your presentation with a strong closing slide such as a conclusion. Summarize the main takeaways and, if you want to make an impression, leave the audience with a call to action or a provocative question to spark further discussion. Don’t forget to add one last slide with your References!
If you’re working on a group project, Canva makes collaboration easy. You can share your design with teammates by clicking the “Share” button and adjusting the permission settings for others to edit or view. Once your presentation is complete, you can download it in various formats, such as PDF or PowerPoint, or present directly from Canva.
Overall, Canva is a great platform for beginners and advanced students to create presentations. The large library of free graphs, images and graphics means that students are more likely to create a visually stunning presentation that engages their audience. Furthermore, Canva allows for access to these projects from any device, allowing students the option to work on these presentations at any time and place.
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