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Visual Cues and Signaling Principle

While designing your presentation you shall help your audience to focus on the most important part of the slide.

Lets examine this simple example: a slide with four red apples. The focus shall be directed to the second apple from the left. This apple is special and I want the audience to know that I am talking about this indeed special apple.

Four apples

Border or Frame

The first option to point to this special apple would be to draw a border or frame around this one.

Special apple marked with green frame

Arrow

The second option could be to use an arrow that would be pointing to our special apple.

Special apple pointed by green arrow

Color Contrast

We may also use the power of color contrast to make our special apple standing out from the rest of fruits.

It is the green apple!

One way is to make the special object more visible but you may also make the other objects less visible. The same effect could be acheived this way.

Size

The diffeence in the size could also be a tool to make a contrast and make one object stading out.

The big apple.

(Laser) Pointer

If you haven't prepared you slides in advance using described methods, help you audience by using laser pointer avaialble in slideshow mode in PowerPoint

Laser Pointer

There are several ways to activate Laser Pointer in slideshow mode and one of the is just to press Ctrl and L on your keyboard

Press Ctrl +L to get Laser Pointer
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