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How to make a successful talk even better
Optimal legibility
− 3-5 of rows per slide (never > 7 rows)
o If 5 rows are not enough, divide into 2 slides
− Give sufficient space between rows
o Line spacing of 1.2 is recommended
Optimal legibility
− Font size 24-28 (never < 20)
− Use a ’Sans Serif’ font e.g., Arial (Narrow) or Calibri
− Moving or sliding texts and slides distract attention from the topic substance
Optimal legibility
− Highlight modestly (blue increases credibility)
− Do not capitalize whole words
− Avoid using both red and green colours on graphs/symbols
o Use different symbol shapes to help those with colour-deficient vision
Optimal legibility
− Present the essential
o Text should be an aide memoire, not everything you intend to say
− Do not present / copy large tables
o If you have a busy table, highlight the important figures
− Show simple and large figures
Optimal communication
− Busy slides distract attention from what you are saying
− Respect short pauses during the talk (between slides)
− Rehearse and respect the allowed speaking time
Last, but not least
− Base your talk on body of evidence
o Do not ‘cherry-pick’ the evidence!
o Systematic reviews are better than single studies
− Tell a story
− Present your main one (max three ) message(s) / conclusion(s) clearly
Collect feed-back to improve further




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