Simplify.
Consider using the your presentation package’s templates.
Avoid clutter.
Make consistent and meaningful use of color.
Consider using other media such as slides, video and sound.

Fonts.

One or two fonts is enough.
Choose fonts for legibility.
Check for good contrast between letters and their background.
Minimum text size for any text (including charts) is 24 points. Larger is better. Consider 44 points for slide titles and 32 for primary content lines.
Consider replacing standard bullets with appropriate Wingdings.
Light colors appear to project forward off dark backgrounds; text in light colors should be larger and reserved for important messages.
Use word art.

Graphics should be uncluttered and meaningful.
They should not interfere with reading of text.
When in doubt, remove it.
Consider changing background colors to signify a new content subarea. Use this sparingly.
It is very effective to build images to build ideas.
It’s OK for text to overlap a picture.
Use arrows to indicate areas of special interest.
Charts should be as large as possible.

Media. Make sure that your presentation will look good on the projection system it will be viewed with. I.E. what looks good on your screen may be unviewable on an LCD plate.

Content. A presentation is supposed to focus the audience’s thoughts on the flow of your presentation.
Slide Transitions and Screen Builds should be consistent and meaningful. Say what your going to say, say it, then say what you said.
Consider replicating slides for effect. I.E. after building body text of a slide point by point, show a slide with all the points for review.
Keep lines simple.
Don’t display every word that you intend to say.
A message should not be more than about eight words or more than one line long. When the audience reads they are not listening to you.
If you want to present longer information, consider handouts.
Check your spelling and grammar.
Capitalization, size and punctuation should be consistent.
Avoid text only slides if possible.
Consider a unifying element such as a small logo that appears on every slide. It is OK to remove the element to make a special point.
Finish with an action statement telling your audience what to do next.

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