Discussion topic: How can having too much formatting detract from the goal of creating a clear and attractive presentation?

100-150 for each reply

Discussion 1

According to the textbook, having too many fonts (more than two) can make a business document appear cluttered or visually confusing. Experts recommend a combination of one serif and one sans serif fonts because they complement each other. The use of two serif fonts or two sans serif fonts will compete with each other. Also, using contrast of a light background and dark lettering is widely used to ensure the document is easy to read. Finally, using the Z-pattern is highly recommended so the reader can easily move through the document. It's important to limit the amount of formatting to make the document clear and easy to read.

Discussion 2

I believe having too much formatting drastically inhibits the material being presented.

Typically I suggest sticking to simple formatting, such as bolding, italicizing, and underlining where necessary. I also suggest only having one font, and no more than three sizes of text: Title, Subject Headers, and Body. I think that by breaking the information into sections you are "formatting" your document, however you aren't adding chaos or distractions.

For me as a reader, the more simplistic a document is, the better I feel I will understand and pay attention to the material.

Discussion 3

I think if there is too much formatting going on during a presentation then the message is going to be lost. While a presentation should be visually appealing, it shouldn't detract from the point(s) being made by the presenter. This applies to both the amount of information being presented as well as "eye catching" displays. When it comes to a presentation with too many colors or effects, it may become difficult for the audience to read the information being presented. If there are multiple sentences being presented on each slide, the audience spends more time trying to read than listening to the presentation and referencing the talking points listed.

Discussion 4

Personally, I do think that having too much formatting can detract from having a clear and concise presentation. I think formatting can be a distraction to the point that is trying to be made to the audience. Although there is an abundant amount of formatting options through Microsoft Office, I think professional presentations should have a common, easy to read font. I also believe each slide should have a limited amount of writing and or pictures, so the audience is still focused on what the presenter is actually saying and not just reading what is on the screen. During any presentation, it is easy to get distracted, but as the presenter, you do not want it to be your fault. Bright colors, crazy fonts, and unordinary layouts might be reasons why your audience aren't necessarily paying attention to what is being presented. But saying this, I do not think presentations just need to be black and white, they should have something to catch the audiences eyes and make them remember what the presentation was actually about. While it is important to have a professional presentation, I think there is a line that should be drawn between professional and attractive.

Discussion 5

Too much formatting will make the presentation look chaotic. The objective is for the presentation to be readable and interpret it enough to avoid becoming distracted from the message. If the presentation is over formatted the reader may focus on trying to decipher it rather than listen to the message and miss the main point. Choosing fonts that are legible, such as Times New Roman, rather than “fun” will be more appealing and keep the reader engaged. For effective writing, it’s recommended to keep the formatting simple.

Discussion 6

Knowledge is power, but there is a such thing as overloading your audience with information. The rule of public speaking is say what you're going to say, say it, then say what you said. THat's three instances of letting your audience know what they just heard. It sounds like a pretty good rule to me with information as well dealing with visuals or graphics in your communications. If you provide more than three sources, more than three evidence sources, or more than three topics in general chances are that your audience is going to lose some of what you want them to get from your graphics. Too much of a good thing applies to informative graphics as well as the rest of life.