Best Practices
Do it right the first time!
Best practices library of quick-hit miniarticles. These will be a paragraph or two about strategies and methodologies for production processes, message development, document structuring, consistencies, etc.
- Abbreviating names of months to reduce clutter
- All charts with data need identifiers or sources (or both)
- Alphabetize names in lists
- Avoid 3D in data-driven charts
- Avoid long text strings
- Basic layout guidelines
- Be careful with the terms that you use in presentations
- Beginning/ending presentation "book covers"
- Break up blocks of text on your slides
- Breaking and aligning titles, headings, and quotes
- Breaking bars/columns if the range of data being presented is too broad
- Bullets to graphics … the starting point
- CAGRs in Line Charts
- CAGRs Made Easy
- Capitalization and Large Fonts Can Work Against You
- Change the look of your templates periodically
- Choose your words carefully (it's not what you think)
- Color Picker Add-In v2
- Colored text and legends
- Consistency and approximate number
- Consistent Message/Multiple Contributors
- Consistent use of color in presentations
- Consistent use of fractions
- Create Slide Content Templates Before Beginning Production
- Creating columns of decimal-aligned numbers
- Creating Standardized Set of Production Reference Tools
- Cropped Highlighting Circles
- Develop Proprietary Graphics
- Displaying columns of numbers in different units
- Do you believe it or feel it?
- Don't mix 2D and 3D elements on slides/in presentations
- Don't split numbers and units
- Easy-to-Edit Underlines for Text
- Establishing the Text Hierarchy in Your PowerPoint Slide Master
- Estimated, forecast, and projected data
- Farther or Further?
- File conversion resource – not software!
- Fine tune with snap-to-grid off
- Fitting Text in Circles
- Flipping text on its side: okay or nokay?
- Format for ease of editing and to save time at deadline
- Format for your flow arrows
- General Guidelines for the Production Process
- Graphic elements that connect two objects
- Highlighting Scatter Points
- Honor Work Styles ... to a Point
- Hyperlinks to websites in presentations?
- Input at the right times during presentation-development process
- Inventory the Easy Way
- Is it time to develop guidelines for your company presentation's visual style?
- Know When to Call in the Professionals
- Like objects in like positions
- Make sure your ranges are correctly stated
- Naming Conventions/File Architecture
- New Best Practice this Month
- Opportunities to work GREEN and save money
- Optimal Bullet/Text Spacing
- Photo Stock Selection Tips
- Placing legends on your slides
- Plural acronyms
- Process Flow and Schematic Line Animations
- Reducing File Sizes by Managing Photos, Screenshots, and Web Images
- Rehearse Your Presentation
- Semitransparent fields to create design effects
- Set the Text Anchor Point for Ease of Editing
- Set transparent color
- Setting Units in Data-Driven Charts
- Spacing in Text
- Structure for vision and mission statement lists
- Technique for making text distinct and readable
- To click or not to click?
- Trackers – Guidelines for When and How to Use
- Using abbreviations in presentations
- Using color in charts – tool or frill?
- Using Latin terms
- Using leader lines effectively
- Using Parallel Structures in Lists
- Using PowerPoint Addins
- Using SmartArt Effectively
- Using the term "n/a" thoughtfully
- What are some good 3D rotation and formatting guidelines for creating platforms?
- What do I need to know before I select fonts for my presentations?
- What is First-Referencing and Why is it Important?
- What is the best way to show negative numbers?
- When to use semicolons
- Your chart cupboard: format basic data-driven charts
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