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PowerPoint and all the bells and whistles that come with are being used more and more in business and other presentation venues. Before presenters became so attached to computers for visual aid production, a few rules existed for proper visual design that was often adhered to by the graphic design folks who built slides in the days before the personal computer. Now with everyone having access to a computer, those rules are often ignored during slide design. The result an unprofessional look and information overload. A return to some of the old rules, referred to as the rules of six, is in order. Also new rules are needed with the computer to keep slides with graphics and animations appropriate for professional use. Below are a few rules to consider when designing slides in PowerPoint.
Rules of Six for Slide Creation
Use meaningful titles as introduction and summary of slide contents. Be sure to limit the number of words in title to no more than 6.
Have no more than 6 bullets per text slide. Sub-bullets should be included in this count. Also it is preferable to have no more than 6 words per bullet.
For tables of data, plan no more than 6 rows of data on a table to make it easier to read. However, for most audiences charts or graphs are better than tables. No more than 6 data points (bars, slices, lines) should be on a graph or chart.
In relation to talk time on each slide consider for a 30 minute presentation to use 6 (5 minutes of talking per slide) slides or less that only highlight the key points of presentation. Or no more than 12 slides (averaging 2- 3 minutes talk time per slide) where you want to provide some details that might be hard for audience to capture in notes.
Rules for Graphics and Animation
Only use images and graphics that summarize key points as a replacement for text, such as charts and graphs. Mixing too much on a slide only makes it crowded and confusing. Remember cute cartoons, silly photos, or movies typically don't add much to a professional presentation.
Use animation and sounds wisely and sparingly. A consistent transition between slides does not fall under the animation caution. Transitions help the audience get ready for what is coming next. Also consider design template to get a more professional look with little effort. If the template has a distracting movement in it or the color is not desirable, go to the master slide view to remove the animation or change the background.
Remember when it comes to a professional presentation, less really is more. The less the slide has on it, the more the presenter can illuminate on key points. The less words used, the more white space included, which marketing folks say readers find pleasing to the eye. The less the audience has to try to read on the screen, the more attention they can give to the presenter. If that is not convincing enough, consider that note-taking by audience, to supplement the slide contents, actually increases their retention of presented points by as much as 40%.
Presenters should consider the black screen option for discussion or activity times, which do not require referencing a slide. To turn black screen on, press the letter B on the computer keyboard during a PowerPoint presentation, the screen will go dark. When ready to continue with the slide show, press B again and the show will return to where it was before.
Please consider utilizing the above rules when designing slides in PowerPoint on the computer to give a more professional appearance to slides and presenter. Remember, just because the makers of PowerPoint include lots of bells and whistles with the software, that doesn't mean that you have to use them. Reduce the chance of information overload on the audience by returning to the old rules of graphic design and adding the new rules offered here.
You use Excel's linear regression functions to find a linear equation that best describes a data set.
Excel uses the sum of least squares method to find the straight line of best fit. People often
try to predict future amounts by assuming linear growth and extending the line forward in
time. For example, if you have a series of sales data for 9 months and want to predict the
sales in the 10th month, you can use Excel's linear regression functions to find the slope and
y-intercept (the point on the y-axis where the line crosses) of the line that best fits the data.
Some Background Info on Linear Regression
To use the linear regression functions, it helps to remember the equation for a line:
y=mx+b
where y is the dependent variable, m the slope, x the independent variable, and b the
y-intercept. If there are multiple ranges of x values, the equation looks like this:
y=m1 x1+m2x2+.mnxn+b
NOTE To visualize and experiment with linear regression, visit the interactive web page at
[http://www.math.csusb.edu/faculty/stanton/m262/regress/regress.html]. Click the
graph area to add data points (x,y) to the graph. The applet draws the straight line
that best fits the points you add, adjusting the line for the new data points you add.
Using the FORECAST Function
The FORECAST function predicts a future y-value for the x-value you specify using existing
x and y values. The FORECAST function uses the following syntax:
=FORECAST(x, known ys, known xs)
where x is the x-value for which you want to predict a y-value.
Using the INTERCEPT Function
If you have existing x and y values, Excel can find the straight line that best fits the data and then calculate the point at which the line intersects the y-axis, in other words, the value of b in the "y=mx+b" equation. The y-intercept is useful when you want to know the value of the dependent variable when the independent variable equals 0.
NOTE: The INTERCEPT function returns the same value as the FORECAST function if you enter 0 for x in the FORECAST function.
The INTERCEPT function uses the following syntax:
=INTERCEPT (known ys, known xs)
Using the LINEST Function
The LINEST function returns the value of m and b given at least one set of known ys and known xs. The LINEST function has the following syntax:
=LINEST (known ys, known xs, constant, statistics)
where known ys is the array of y values you already know, known xs is the array of x values you may already know. If you leave out the known xs, they are assumed to be 1, 2, 3,...n. If constant is set to FALSE, b is assumed to be 0. If statistics is set to TRUE, the LINEST function also returns the standard error for each data point.
NOTE: If the known ys are in a single column or row, then Excel considers each column of
known xs to be a separate variable.
NOTE: The array known xs can include multiple sets of variables. If you use only one set, then known ys and known xs can be ranges of any shape, as long as they have equal dimensions. If you use more than one variable, then the known ys array must be either a single column or a single row. If you don't enter known xs, Excel assumes this array is the same size as the known ys array.
Using the SLOPE Function
Use the SLOPE function to find the slope (m) of the linear regression line from the known x and known y data sets. The slope is the change in y over the change in x for any two points on the line. The SLOPE function in Excel uses the following syntax:
=SLOPE (known ys, known xs)
A positive (upwards) slope means that the independent variable (such as the number of salespeople) has a positive effect on a dependent variable (such as sales). A negative (downwards) slope means that the independent variable has a negative effect on the dependent variable. The steeper the slope, the more effect the independent variable has on the dependent variable.
Using the STEYX Function
Use the STEYX function to find the standard error of the predicted y-value for each individual x in the regression. The STEYX function uses the following syntax:
=STEYX (known ys, known xs)
Using the TREND Function
Use the TREND function to find values along a linear trend. Specify an array of new xs and the TREND function uses the method of least squares to fit a straight line to the known x and y data sets and return the y-values along the line for the new array. If constant is set to FALSE, the "b" in the y=mx+b equation is set to zero. The TREND function uses the following syntax:
=TREND (known ys, known xs, new xs, constant)
