When putting together a Power Point Presentation, remember the following guidelines:

• Do not use the slide as a "crutch" by writing exactly what you plan to say.  Your audience can read much faster than you can speak, and they will stop paying attention once they have read the slide.   Try to include information that is relevant to what you are saying but written differently, or take advantage of the opportunity to offer visual aids like tables and graphs.

• Do not put excessive amounts of text on a slide.  If the font is too small, the audience might not be able to see it, which will leave them feeling annoyed and frustrated.  If there is too much text, they may feel overwhelmed and stop paying attention.

• Avoid excessive animation, clashing colors, or graphics that distract from the content.

• Keep the phrasing of bullet points parallel - that is, all points under the same heading should follow the same format.  For example, if your heading is: "This position will require you to:" - the bullet points that follow should all begin with VERBS. "Interact with elderly patients on a daily basis;" "Oversee 5 staff members;" "Collaborate with other departments."

More great tips are available in Edward Tufte's The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint.