Please observe these basic rules:

• Each slide should illustrate a single point or idea;

• Use large, Legible letters;

• Do not crowd the slide;

• Message slides should contain no more than 7 lines with 7 or fewer words per line.

• Keep the data on slides simple.  If you have a great deal of data, divide it among several slides.  The content of a single slide should be easily comprehended in 20 seconds.  Remember:  Seven lines per slide and seven words per line!

• Use large, legible letters.

• If your data slides are black and white, white on a black background shows up better than black on a white background.

• If your data slides are in color, use only light colors, such as white and yellow, on a dark background, such as dark blue.  Do not use colors such as red or purple.

• Keep slides of radiographs light.  Dense or dark slides project poorly in large rooms.  Enlarging the significant areas and using arrows to point out the specific area or lesion often help.

• Patient confidentiality must be protected.  No names should appear on the slides.

• Avoid commercial reference unless mandatory.  A logo or institutional identification should appear only on the first title slide.  Do not use such identification as a header on each slide.

• Limit the number of slides to no more than one (1) for each minute of your presentation.  The slides should not contain your entire presentation.  Their purpose is to support your talk and to emphasize the important points.

• Title slides should contain five or fewer words.

• Spaces between lines should be at least the height of an upper case letter

• Use graphs rather than tables if possible;

• Keep tabular slides as brief as possible;

• Two or more simple slides are better than one complicated slide;

• Do not crowd the slide;

• Make the type as large as possible

• Keep graphs simple;

• Round off figures;

• Limit the number of captions;

• Use line graphs to show trends or changing relationships;

• Use bar graphs to compare volumes.

• Simplify charts to keep them legible;

• Break up complex charts into a series of slides.