Last updated on Feb 14, 2024
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Choose an appropriate format
2
Use clear and simple language
3
Apply contrast and color principles
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Add captions and transcripts
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Optimize your images and graphics
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Test and evaluate your presentation
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Here’s what else to consider
When you design a presentation, you want to convey your message clearly and effectively to your audience. But not all audiences have the same needs, preferences, and abilities when it comes to accessing information. How can you make sure your presentation is inclusive and accessible to all? Here are some best practices to follow.
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- Casey Bitzberger Strategy and Ops Program Manager @ LinkedIn | American Expat in London
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- Omair Tahir UI/UX | Flutter Developer | Android Developer ( GetX • Provider • Java )
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- Hui Wen Tong Counsellor | Therapist | Educator | Honest talk about mental health | Owned by my rabbits
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1 Choose an appropriate format
Depending on your purpose, audience, and context, you may have different options for the format of your presentation. For example, you could use slides, video, audio, or interactive elements. Whatever format you choose, make sure it suits your content and your audience's expectations. Also, consider how you will deliver your presentation, whether it is live, recorded, or online. Each mode has its own advantages and disadvantages for accessibility.
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- N S Pavoo Prasad Metaphor Mixologist Helping you get that much awaited interview call ⏐ Resume and Cover Letter Writer ⏐ Veteran
Ensure compatibility with screen readers and assistive technologies.Provide captions or transcripts for multimedia content.Use descriptive titles and headings for slide content.Use clear and legible fonts with appropriate size.Provide alternative text for images and graphics.Test presentation accessibility with diverse users.Ensure sufficient color contrast for readability.Allow for keyboard navigation and interaction.Avoid excessive animations or transitions.Use simple language and avoid jargon.
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- Sai Snata Dash Simplifying Wellness, One step at a time • Building Grassion • Imagining the Impossible • 40+ certifications • Thiel Fellowship Nominee • Product Manager • Orator • Inquisitive • Karmaveer Chakra awardee
Design successful presentations for all audiences by:Knowing your audience and tailoring content accordingly.Using clear, concise language and visuals.Structuring content logically with a compelling narrative.Incorporating interactive elements for engagement.Rehearsing delivery to ensure clarity and confidence.Soliciting feedback for continuous improvement.By following these best practices, presentations can effectively engage and resonate with diverse audiences.
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- Armaan Agarwal Christ'25 | Aspiring Entrepreneur| Finance Enthusiast | Ex- Product Marketing Intern at Meta brix Labs | Ex-Business Development Intern @ Metvy | Christ University'25
To create presentations accessible to all, prioritize clear organization with headings and bullet points. Opt for high contrast colors and large fonts for readability, avoiding clutter. Provide alternative text for images and captions for multimedia to aid those with impairments. Simplify language and avoid jargon for broader understanding. Offer multiple formats like handouts for varied needs. Incorporate diverse presentation methods to accommodate different learning styles. By adhering to these practices, you guarantee inclusivity and engagement for all audience members.
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- Marko Ladis 🌐 Navigating the tech world with insider knowledge | 🚀 Follow to stay ahead of AV trends | Senior AV Engineer | Ex-Google | Your tech industry compass 🧭
To make presentations accessible, use high-contrast colors and large, sans-serif fonts for readability. Include descriptive alt text for visual elements and ensure your presentation has a logical structure with clear headings. Verbally describe visual content during your talk and share materials in advance to accommodate all attendees' needs. These steps help ensure your presentation is inclusive to audiences with diverse abilities.Liked these tips? Show your support with a like!
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- Rajesh Vedula Cyber Security Delivery Manager Project Manager Scrum Master
Rule of thumb in presentationsAlways keep them simpleAvoid too much textAvoid big file sizesAddress the message concisely what exactly you want your audience want to listenBOLD and CAPITALIZE means YELLING so avoid that
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2 Use clear and simple language
The language you use in your presentation should be easy to understand and follow. Avoid jargon, slang, and complex sentences that might confuse or exclude some of your audience members. Use plain and concise language that conveys your main points and supports your arguments. If you need to use technical terms or acronyms, explain them the first time you use them. Also, use consistent terminology throughout your presentation to avoid ambiguity.
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- Hui Wen Tong Counsellor | Therapist | Educator | Honest talk about mental health | Owned by my rabbits
Speaking the language (both verbal and non-verbal) they are most comfortable with works best for me. Presenting using sophisticated terms sometimes, can make the audience feel intimidated and create a power play dynamic where they feel "lesser" than the presenter. What do you think? :)
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- Peters Felix First-class honours in accounting (BSc), Project Manager, and Motivational Speaker
One of the ways I think you can design a presentation that is accessible to all is by making sure that your language is clear and simple, as this helps the larger audience understand the subject matter to a very large extent.The use of technical jargon among a crowd that's not really knowledgeable in the subject matter can defeat the aim of the audience coming there.So it's pretty important to keep the language simple and clear.
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- Nuh (Chris) Cooper Driven Graduate Engineer Currently Focused on Advancing Sustainable Packaging at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions
Break down complex concepts into understandable chunks, use short sentences, and avoid unnecessary repetition. Supplement verbal explanations with visual aids like diagrams and illustrations, and provide examples or real-life scenarios for clarity. Check audience comprehension periodically and offer additional resources for those seeking more information. If using Microsoft teams, try using speaker coach as it gives you prompts for making your language more accessible.
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- Bishop Owolabi co*ker , ANIPR Global Speaker || Educator || Leadership Trainer || Social Media Marketer || PR Expert || I help individuals, churches and businesses achieve the best result possible. {Google Ads Display Certified}
Avoid jargon, technical terms, or complex language that may be difficult for some audience members to understand.Use short sentences and paragraphs to convey information succinctly and clearly.Define acronyms and abbreviations the first time they are mentioned to prevent confusion.Provide explanations and context for visual elements or graphics to ensure comprehension by all audience members.
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3 Apply contrast and color principles
The visual design of your presentation should be appealing and effective, but also accessible. One of the most important aspects of visual accessibility is contrast. Contrast is the difference between the foreground and background colors of your text and images. A high contrast makes your content easier to read and perceive, especially for people with low vision or color blindness. Use a contrast checker tool to test your color choices and adjust them if necessary. Also, avoid using color alone to convey meaning, as some of your audience members may not be able to distinguish certain colors. Use other cues, such as shapes, symbols, or labels, to supplement your color scheme.
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Please do not use standard PowerPoint design templates. If you represent a brand, create your presentation template. You can use Canva to create a unique presentation design. Not every slide has to be the same, as the case is with the built-in PowerPoint templates. Ensure the slide looks clear and transparent to you, even if it contains several images, one large image, or just one sentence that should be highlighted. Do your best to stand out visually. That's the first impression.
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- Bishop Owolabi co*ker , ANIPR Global Speaker || Educator || Leadership Trainer || Social Media Marketer || PR Expert || I help individuals, churches and businesses achieve the best result possible. {Google Ads Display Certified}
Use high-contrast color combinations for text and background to improve readability, especially for individuals with visual impairments or color blindness.Avoid relying solely on color to convey information or distinguish between elements, as some audience members may have difficulty discerning certain colors.Ensure sufficient color contrast between text and background, adhering to accessibility standards such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).Use color sparingly and strategically to emphasize important points or key information without overwhelming the audience.
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4 Add captions and transcripts
Another key aspect of accessibility is providing alternative ways of accessing your content for people who have hearing impairments or prefer to read rather than listen. Captions are text versions of the audio content of your presentation, such as speech, sound effects, or music. Transcripts are text versions of the entire presentation, including both audio and visual content, such as slides, images, or animations. Captions and transcripts help your audience to follow along, understand, and review your presentation. You can use online tools or services to create captions and transcripts, or do it manually. Make sure they are accurate, synchronized, and easy to access.
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- Casey Bitzberger Strategy and Ops Program Manager @ LinkedIn | American Expat in London
In college, most of my classes came with a live professional captioner or an interpreter, many of my friends were hard of hearing or deaf, and I could sign the American Sign Language alphabet.I realize this isn't the typical college student experience and that this opportunity came about because one of the 9 schools at my alma mater, RIT, is NTID, the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.On a daily basis, individuals impacted by hearing impairments often need to go out of their way to read lips, sign, absorb confusing text, use hearing devices, and more. Adding captions and transcripts and alt-text is the very least we can do to facilitate them. Luckily, there are lots of tools and settings that can make this process easy.
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- Bishop Owolabi co*ker , ANIPR Global Speaker || Educator || Leadership Trainer || Social Media Marketer || PR Expert || I help individuals, churches and businesses achieve the best result possible. {Google Ads Display Certified}
Provide captions or subtitles for audio and video content to assist individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in understanding spoken dialogue.Include transcripts or textual descriptions for multimedia elements, such as images, charts, or diagrams, to ensure access to information for individuals using screen readers or other assistive technologies.Ensure accuracy and completeness of captions and transcripts, capturing all relevant content and dialogue in a clear and concise manner.Make captions and transcripts easily accessible and prominently displayed alongside multimedia content, allowing users to access them conveniently.
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5 Optimize your images and graphics
Images and graphics can be a great addition to your presentation, adding visual interest, illustrating concepts, or providing data. However, they can also present accessibility challenges if not optimized correctly. To make sure your images and graphics are accessible, use high-quality images that are clear and relevant. Provide alternative text for them that accurately describes their content and purpose. Alternative text is a short description that can be read by screen readers or displayed when the image is not available, helping those who cannot see or perceive the images understand their meaning. Additionally, avoid using images and graphics with text, as they may not be readable by screen readers or people with low vision. If you must use text in your images and graphics, make sure it is large, legible, and high-contrast, as well as provide alternative text for it. Lastly, use simple and consistent layouts and formats for your images and graphics, leaving enough white space and margins around them to make them easier to see and navigate.
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- Omair Tahir UI/UX | Flutter Developer | Android Developer ( GetX • Provider • Java )
Before you start writing your communication charter, you need to understand the needs and preferences of your team. You can do this by conducting a survey, a focus group, or an interview with your team members. Ask them about their communication styles, goals, challenges, and feedback. You can also use tools such as the DISC model, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or the Five Dysfunctions of a Team to assess your team's personality, strengths, and weaknesses.
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- Nuh (Chris) Cooper Driven Graduate Engineer Currently Focused on Advancing Sustainable Packaging at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions
Select high-quality and relevant images, optimising them for accessibility involves providing accurate alternative text descriptions that convey their content and purpose to those who cannot see them. Avoid using images and graphics with embedded text, as screen readers may not be able to interpret them, and ensure any text within images is large, legible, and high-contrast. Simple and consistent layouts with ample white space and margins around images and graphics can further enhance accessibility, making them easier to perceive and navigate for all audience members.
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- Sarah Wynne-Jones Nurse - ortho scrub/pre op/opd/dermatology/IPC. Mass participation events - operations support, coordinator, event team leader
Be aware of overwhelming the audience woth informationon slides, and also when using fonts/colours what could work better for those who are neurodiverse to read.
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6 Test and evaluate your presentation
The final step of designing an accessible presentation is to test and evaluate it before you deliver it. Testing and evaluating your presentation can help you identify and fix any potential accessibility issues or barriers that you may have overlooked or missed. You can use online tools or built-in features in your presentation software to scan your presentation and provide feedback and suggestions on how to improve it. Additionally, you can ask for feedback from peers, colleagues, or experts with different perspectives and experiences with accessibility. Furthermore, you should try out your presentation yourself using different devices, browsers, and assistive technologies, such as screen readers, magnifiers, or keyboards. This will help you experience how your presentation works and feels from different viewpoints and scenarios, so that you can make adjustments accordingly.
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Integrate interactive elements that cater to diverse learning styles and abilities. Consider embedding real-time polls or quizzes with accessible design, allowing all audience members to participate via their own devices. Use AR to bring complex concepts to life, where users can explore data or models in 3D space, making it easier for visual and hands-on learners. Incorporate speech-to-text functionality directly into your presentation, enabling real-time captioning. By leveraging technology creatively, you can make presentations accessible, unforgettable, and engaging for every participant.
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- Hamza Sherazi Full Stack Web Developer | MERN Stack | NextJS, TailwindCSS, JavaScript | Generative AI | Content Creator | #TeamHashez
Before you start creating your presentation after designing it in your head, think of yourself as the person who will read/view your perfect creation. After that, ask to yourself these three things.- Is the message clear? - Am I attracted to the presentation or does it feel boring? - How can it be improved?If you want to present to an audience, think like the audience.
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- kalaivani Saravanan Pre Final year Undergraduate at Saveetha Engineering College | Advisor | Initiator | Student Ambassador
The utilize built-in features or online tools provided by software, Share presentation with peers, colleagues, or experts and ask their feedback. Gather feedback from individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. Try out your presentation on different devices (e.g., desktops, smartphones etc.) and OS to ensure compatibility and responsiveness. Check how well your content is conveyed through technologies and whether any elements are difficult to access. Verify color choices and contrast levels meet accessibility standards to ensure readability for individuals. Note the feedback received during testing and evaluation, and prioritize accessibility issues and ensure that all audience members can effectively engage with your content.
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7 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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To design presentations accessible to all audiences, utilize clear fonts, contrasting colors, and sufficient font sizes for readability. Incorporate descriptive alt text for images, provide captions for videos, and ensure compatibility with screen readers. Organize content logically with clear headings and use bullet points for concise information. Avoid relying solely on visual elements and provide multiple means of engagement, such as verbal explanations for visual content. Regularly test accessibility features to ensure effectiveness for diverse audiences.
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