Creating Effective PowerPoints for Criminal

Justice

by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.

As you climb the career ladder in criminal justice, you’ll probably be asked to make presentations to other officers.

PowerPoints are useful for training, conducting meetings, and many other purposes…

…if they’re used properly.

Here are some tips.

1. Understand what PowerPoint can (and can’t!) do.

PowerPoint is designed for ideas and images.

Good Bad

lengthy lists

statistics

instructions

blocks of text

simple outlines

strong ideas

principles

bold images

Most of your slides should feature a few words in a large typeface…

…and an eye-catching image.

Blocks of text belong in a printed handout, not a PowerPoint slide.

Statutes acquire their force from the time of their passage, however unless otherwise provided. Statutes are of several kinds; namely, Public or private. Declaratory or remedial. Temporary or perpetual. A temporary statute is one which is limited in its duration at the time of its enactment. It continues in force until the time of its limitation has expired, unless sooner repealed. A perpetual statute is one for the continuance of which there is no limited time, although it may not be expressly declared to be so. If, however, a statute which did not itself contain any limitation is to be governed by another which is temporary only, the former will also be temporary and dependent upon the existence of the latter.

2. Plan your presentation carefully.

Define your purpose, know your audience, and make an outline.

Have you noticed the careful planning in the PowerPoint you’re viewing right now?

3. Remember that PowerPoints are all about seeing…

…and listening.

Don’t expect your audience to take lengthy notes.

Provide a printed copy of your presentation for participants to take away with them.

The Print menu for PowerPoints offers you several options.

4. Respect copyright laws when you select images. Stealing images is illegal!

Free images are available from a number of online sources. Always check the license to see if there are restrictions. Commons. wikimedia.org is a great resource!

Some agencies have subscriptions to services that provide professional images.

Presentations are great opportunities to showcase what you know.

Effective PowerPoints can help you build a reputation for professionalism.

The guidelines you learned today will help ensure that every presentation is a success.

You can learn more about criminal justice writing at

www.YourPoliceWrite.com.

Everything there is free, and no registration is needed:

www.YourPoliceWrite.com.

If you have questions about grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation…

…here’s a low-cost, practical book that covers sentence patterns, English usage, and police reports.

Criminal Justice Report Writing is available from www.Amazon.com for just $17.95.

View a free sample online.

An e-book edition is available from www.Smashwords.com for only $11.99.

A free Instructor’s Manual is available on request: Send an e-mail to jreynoldswrite at aol.com.