Sunday 10 April 2011

An Effective Presentation - Document Design & Good Writing


Students need to understand that for a good presentation, it is important that they analyse two aspects of a successful presentation; document design and good writing.

Document design looks at the physical appearance of the document, where both text and the presentation has to coincide with each other to successfully provide the information the audience needs (Reep 2006, p. 134). Putnis and Petelin (1996, p.253) states that readers tend not to remember what writers tell them but rather what the readers tell themselves what they understand from the writer, therefore it is important that the information provided to them are accessible and manageable.  

On this note, it is important for the presenter to have in mind who the targeted audiences are and think of the best way that they will be able to receive the information. Thus his presentation slides must be brief yet effective at the same time. Both Russell (n.d.) and  Marquez (n.d.) stresses on the importance of the slides layout; limitation of words to keep it brief and easy to read; and  the use of visuals rather than just words to help build on audiences understanding.


This a representation of a poorly designed slide, can you understand this??

However, a good presentation cannot be solely just on the document design as good writing plays an important role for effective presentation. In order to provide effective writing, the presenter has to understand how readers or his target audience reads then write in a reader – sensitive manner (Putnis & Petelin 1996, p.237). Putnis and Petelin (1996, p.238) continues to state that according to the Schema Theory, readers interact with texts and construct their meaning depending on “framework of prior knowledge and background experience towards objects, situations, events, or actions."  


This is a sample of a wordy slide which we should AVOID !!!

Rothman (n.d.) further supports Putnis and Petelin by stating that the “purpose of a technical document is to describe the physical state of an object or set of objects and events that affect them in their real world context.”  Putnis and Petelin (1996, p.240) goes on to quote Selzer (1989) who states that the write can follow the Rogerian principles which is to begin with an introduction to the problem, whilst conveying to readers that their position is understood; then explain the area where the readers' position is valid; following up with the writer's own position; and finally showing how the readers would benefit if they were to adopt the writer's position.

In conclusion, adapting a good document design alongside appropriate writing skills, a student/presenter can convey a successful presentation. 



Reference List
Marquez, ZL n.d., How to Make a Good PowerPoint Presentation, Ezine Articles, viewed 9 April 2011,
Putnis, Peter & Petelin, Roslyn 1996, ‘Writing to communicate,’ in Professional communication, Prentice Hall, Sydney, pp. 223-263

Reep, Diana C. 2006, ‘Chp 4: Principles of Document Design,’ in Technical Writing, 6th ed., Pearson Edu, Inc., New York, pp.173-190.

Russell, W n.d., 10 Tips for Creating Successful Business Presentations, About.com guide, viewed 8 April 2011,

Rothman, S n.d., What Makes Good Scientific and Technical Writing?, Associated Content, viewed 8 April 2011,

Good Presentations!!!

There are many students these days that have not gained enough presentation exposure or guidance to making a good presentation and presentation slides. Therefore the following post is to aid them in understanding what a good presentation is and how they can successfully do it through improved writing and layout. 

This aid is specifically targeted to students as they will need to have such understanding for any future presentations they will need to give