Creating an effective PowerPoint presentation takes practice. Most seem to put a minimal amount of effort into making it visually interesting or exciting. When the PowerPoint contains very few pictures, it seems repetitive. I appreciate when the person making the presentation takes the time to place a picture or two on each slide. I also do not like when there is a bunch of information on a slide. Too many words are overwhelming and I would rather the person only put key points on the PowerPoint and speak using those. When there is no background or change in font, the presentation gets boring. PowerPoint presentations are much more fun to look at when there is a little visual appeal and variation. A presentation can also have too many pictures or too many transitions and effects. Just as having too many words is overwhelming, so is having too many pictures. There should definitely be a balance of words and graphics. Less is definitely more when it comes to the animations.
In middle school I had a history teacher who lectured with PowerPoint presentations every class. The slides generally had a white background or very generic template with a black generic fonts. There were rarely graphics unless there was something very important. Not only were his PowerPoints extremely boring, but he would also turn off the lights. With the combination of these two things, he usually put half the class to sleep by the end. The class could have been far more interesting if he would have had more interesting PowerPoint presentations. It takes a little extra effort to make a decent one, but it is usually worth it to keep your audience focused.
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