Getting Started on Presentations & Slides

Generally, presentations are often accompanied by slides (or a slide deck) as a visual aid to the presentation content. The content on slides should provide an overview or highlights of the verbal presentation. Both your verbal presentation and the accompanying slides should be accessible. You can use slide presentation software like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Canva to create accessible presentations. 

Giving presentations as a whole… 

• Use templates to keep your slides organized
• Don’t put too much information in one slide: Limit the content to 3-5 bullet points per slide and don't use full sentences
• Don’t read your slides, but be as descriptive as possible about your slide content in the notes section for accessibility 
• Use images that explain your content, cite them, and provide alt-text for them on the slide and in image alt-text fields
• Use shapes, icons, and flow charts to draw attention to special content and make connections between content
• Use QR codes to link out to content on the internet or to forms
• When able, provide access to slides and accompanying handouts in advance
• If you are presenting online to many people and have partners for the presentation, you may want to assign someone to monitor chat for questions or alert the speaker about technical difficulties, to insert links from the slides as they are mentioned, to keep track of questions and order of comments to answer later in Q&A, etc. 
• Be mindful of your time limit 
• Practice your presentation and time yourself 
• Have backups – especially if you aren’t sure what the setup is going to look like, you may want to have a USB drive with the file on it, as well as a backup online that you can easily access. You can email it to yourself or put it on GOogle Slides if it’s not there already, but it might be een easier to give your presentation a shortlink so that you dont have to bother with logging into your accounts. Also, don’t assume youll have internet access. 

Powerpoint/Slides etc presentation best practices 

• Don’t read your slides 
• Colors & size:
  • Use light backgrounds with dark font or dark backgrounds with light font
  • Don't use florescent colors
  • Use size 24 or more font for body text
  • Use San Serif font for body text
• Be consistent
  • Use a template guides for headings, placement, etc.
  • Don't move Headings around all over from slide to slide, as this looks unprofessional and is distracting 
• Include notes in description whenever possible 
• Provide image descriptions 
• Credit copyright, Creative Commons, and fair use information 
• Cite sources, data, and images
   

Accessible PowerPoint/Google Slide Design

A key component of delivering a great presentation is ensuring it is accessible to everyone! The checklist below is a guide to successfully create accessible content in PowerPoint and convey that information in presentations. While not exhaustive, these suggestions offer a solid foundation for improving accessibility for all users. 

General Guidelines for PowerPoint & Canva Slides 

• Use templates with built-in areas for titles, headers, bullet points, and graphs, images, or video content.
• Title each slide for screen readers. 
  • Titles are entered in the title field and not a generic text box.
  •  If you have more than one slide for the same topic, add numbering to the title (e.g., 1.1 Title and 1.2 Title).  
• Limit the number of slides so they are not excessive.  
• Use transitions and animations minimally.   
• Run the presentation slides through the Microsoft Accessibility Checker by searching for “Accessibility Checker” in the Microsoft Search Bar.   
• Present slide information in a clear and concise manner.
  • There is no need to write in complete sentences

Text  

• Utilizes Sans Serif fonts for all text.
  • The most accessible fonts for people with learning disabilities are Veranda, Helvetica, and Ariel. Avoid Calibri as the text strokes are too narrow.
• Use a 24+ font size to accommodate those with visual disabilities or those seated far from the screen.  
• Use high-contrast colors for your text and background (e.g.use a light background with dark font color or dark background with light text).
  •  If black and white is not utilized, the color scheme must be checked using a color contrast checker.
  •  Make sure information is not conveyed through color alone.   
• Ensure text on the slides are included in the Outline View (View > Outline View; the text-only outline of the content that appears in slides). 
  • Text is automatically added to the Outline View when using templates created by Microsoft; however, using blank slides will require you to manually add the accessible elements.    
• Consider the reading order of the information.
  • Reading Order (Home > Arrange > Select Pane) is important in PowerPoint – it essentially tells a screen reader the order to present the information. 
  • In the Select Pane, you can adjust the order in which a screen reader will see the content, as well as toggle on and off what a screen reader will see. This is helpful if you have parts of your slides that are more decorative than instructive.
• Don't put extra spaces or hard returns between text and lines of text. This confuses screen readers.

Images

• Make alternate text for all images.
  • UNT DSI CLEAR provides more information about creating alt text.  
• Verbally describe images during the presentation.  

Media/Other  

• Briefly introduce videos before they are played.  
• Include closed captions on all videos.  
• Provide transcripts for all audio clips.   
• Provide all graphs, tables, or charts in an accessible format and verbally describe them during the presentation. 

Accessible Presentation Delivery 

The following recommendations are great for both in-person and online presentations. Although they do not address every potential accessibility issue, they provide a good start for others who wish to make their presentations more accessible. 

General Guidelines  

• Provide presentation materials in an accessible format ahead of time.
• Make sure to face your audience while presenting so that your voice projects toward them and your lips can be read by lip readers.  
• Start the presentation by providing an overview of what will be discussed.  
• End the presentation by reviewing everything that was covered.  
• Enable live captions for virtual presentations.  
• Use a microphone, when possible, to project your voice.  
• Use descriptive language when referring to content on the slide. 
  • Avoid phrases like “over there,” “here,” or “there.” These can cause confusion and make it harder to understand the arrangement and placement of details. 
  •  Use phrases that describe the content (e.g., labels to charts, the name of an icon to click on, information in the image, etc.).   
• Speak clearly and avoid speaking too fast.  
• Give attendees time to process information by pausing between topics and after you ask for questions.  
• Make sure attendees can hear the presenter, moderator, and audience members who ask questions. 
  • Provide a microphone to audience members OR ensure that the presenter or moderator repeats questions. 

Standard Presentation Template

You are welcome and encouraged to use these templates and adjust them according to your needs. 

• Powerpoint
• Google Slides

Resources for Accessibility