I. Make sure the room in which you are presenting can accommodate any multi-media links you embed: a weblink requires internet access, a sound clip may need external speakers.

II. Know your audience: your first slide probably shouldn’t be lawyer joke for your presentation to the American Bar Association; that virtual tour of Mt. Everest embedded should be taken out for the members of the Vertigo Society.

III. If you would be bored or overwhelmed by your powerpoint, your audience probably will be too.

IV. Less can sometimes be more; fewer words can say enormous amounts.

V. Let the graphics not get too graphic, and thus detract from your message.

VI. A visual for the sake of a visual ceases to be effective: That picture of you that gets trotted out every Thanksgiving and has a funny story doesn’t belong in your powerpoint. For any reason.

VII. It’s probably a bad idea to put your entire powerpoint on a single slide.

VIII. An audio clip can sometimes enhance a particular point of a particular slide. The armpit symphony is never appropriate though.

IX. Be sure your font is readable in size and color.

X. Key points next to key images.

**Special thanks to my unsuspecting family and to my former students for projects that were really good and whose purpose has now been redefined for use in these pictures