SSSP 2023

Presentation & Poster Templates

Please refer to our guidelines below for additional details.

Download the Presenter Guidelines as a PDF.

Presenter PowerPoint Template Poster PowerPoint Template

These templates should be used for consistency and to ensure accessibility. Some additional tips and suggestions:

  • Keep text and images on the top two-thirds of the page to allow for closed captioning.
  • Keep information concise. Avoid text-heavy content.
  • Limit each slide to one clear idea or topic.
  • Use visually appealing slides to keep attendees engaged (provide a new visual every 30-60 seconds, change the type of visuals you are providing, etc.)
  • Do not use copyrighted materials or content that should not be shared publicly.
  • Be engaging! Start off strong! 
  • Use storytelling to deliver your content. Adults connect with stories, which makes learning more impactful.
  • Consider the Accessibility Guidelines in the next section.

Accessibility Guidelines

Helpful link

How to make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities - by Microsoft Office

Formatting text

  • For people who have dyslexia or low vision, make sure to reduce the reading load
    • These people may benefit from familiar sans-serif fonts such as Arial or Calibri
  • Avoid using all capital letters and excessive italics or underlines
  • Include ample blank space between sentences and paragraphs
  • Use large font size—20 points or larger

Using accessible text color

  • Use dark text on a white or off-white background or reverse it and use white text on a dark background so people with low vision can see and use the content.This is also helpful for audience members with dyslexia
  • White and black schemas make it easier for people who are colorblind to distinguish text and shapes

Set the reading order for slide contents

  • When someone who can see reads a slide, they usually read things, such as text or a picture, in the order the elements appear on the slide. In contrast, a screen reader reads the elements of a slide in the order they were added to the slide, which might be very different from the order in which things appear.
  • To make sure everyone reads the contents in the order you intend, it’s important to check the reading order.
  • Steps to follow:
    • On the home tab in the drawing tab, select arrange
    • In the arrange menu, select selection pane
    • In the selection pane, to change the reading order drag and drop items into the correct order

Create alternative text to images

  • Alternative text is helpful for people who cannot see the screen enough to make out the image, but can read okay.
  • Avoid using images as the sole method of conveying important information
  • When using images, it is helpful to provide an alternative text which describes the image or verbally describe the image
    • To add alternative texts to images, right-click on the photo, select format picture, then select alt text and edit the text box to reflect what is presented in the photo
    • More info: Adding alt text to images - Microsoft Office

Screen Reader Tips

  • Blind audience members sometimes use screen readers which read tables by keeping track of the location in a table by counting cells. The screen reader can lose count if there is a table nested within another table or if a cell is merged or split.
  • Screen readers use header information to identify rows and columns
    • Click inside the table, select the design tab, then in the table style options on the left of the tab, select the header row check box, then type in the header columns.