Week 3 Assignment Guide

Open Microsoft PowerPoint. On the start screen (or via Design tab), browse the available themes.

• Pick a theme that looks professional and clean — think healthcare, not birthday party
• Avoid overly decorative themes with distracting backgrounds (e.g., "Ion Boardroom" or "Facet" work well; "Organic" or "Savon" may be too busy)
• Once you select a theme, it applies to every slide automatically — this gives you the "consistent theme" the rubric requires

Your first slide uses the Title Slide layout (this is usually the default). Click each placeholder and type:

• Title: "Blood Drive Staff Training" (use the exact wording from the assignment)
• Subtitle: Sunnydale Family Health Clinic
• Add the date and your name — either in the subtitle area or using a text box

Before moving on, confirm your theme is working correctly:

• Click New Slide to add a blank slide — does it inherit the same theme colors and fonts?
• If yes, your theme is applied globally. You can delete the blank slide.
• If not, go to Design tab, right-click your chosen theme, and select "Apply to All Slides"

A consistent theme is worth points on every task, not just Task 1.

Add a new slide for this task. Then insert SmartArt:

• Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon
• Click SmartArt (in the Illustrations group)
• In the dialog that opens, click the Process category on the left
• Choose a process style — "Basic Chevron Process," "Arrow Process," or "Continuous Arrow Process" are strong choices

Type the five stages into the SmartArt text pane (the small panel on the left of the graphic, or click directly on each shape):

1. Registration
2. Health Screening
3. Donation
4. Recovery
5. Thank You

If the SmartArt only shows three shapes by default, press Enter in the text pane to add more shapes until you have five.

Make your SmartArt match your presentation theme:

• Click on the SmartArt to select it, then go to the SmartArt Design tab
• Click Change Colors to pick a color scheme that matches your theme
• Try different SmartArt Styles (e.g., "Subtle Effect" or "Moderate Effect") to add depth
• Make sure the text is large enough to read — if it looks cramped, choose a simpler style or resize the graphic

Create a new slide, then insert a table:

• Go to Insert tab → Table
• You need 3 columns and 6 rows (1 header row + 5 data rows)
• Alternatively, use a slide layout that includes a content placeholder and click the table icon

Add a slide title like "Volunteer Roles & Assignments" so the audience knows what they are looking at.

Your table should have three columns: Role, Responsibilities, and Staff Assigned. The assignment page lists the five roles you need to include:

• Registration Desk
• Health Screening
• Donation Area
• Recovery Station
• Floater

For each role, check the full assignment page for the specific responsibilities and staff names. Type them into the appropriate cells.

A well-formatted table is easier to read and looks more professional:

• Click anywhere in the table, then go to the Table Design tab
• Choose a Table Style that matches your presentation theme (use the built-in styles — they handle header row formatting automatically)
• Check the Header Row checkbox to make the first row stand out
• Make sure all text fits — adjust column widths by dragging the borders if text is getting cut off
• Use a readable font size (at least 18pt for table content on a slide)

Volunteers need to know what happens and when. Build a timeline for the blood drive day:

• The assignment mentions the day runs from 9:00 AM setup through 4:00 PM cleanup
• Break the day into blocks — think about: setup, doors open, peak hours, lunch/shift change, last donors, cleanup
• Use bullet points or a simple visual timeline to show the schedule
• Remember the 6x6 rule: no more than 6 bullets, no more than about 6 words per bullet

Donors will have questions, and your volunteers need to be ready to answer them. Think about what questions a first-time blood donor might ask:

• "Does it hurt?" — How should the volunteer respond?
• "How long does it take?" — What is the typical time for the whole process?
• "Can I eat beforehand?" — What should donors know about preparation?
• Think of 3-5 realistic questions and write brief, reassuring answers

Format this as a Q&A layout. You could use bold for the questions and regular text for answers, or use a two-column approach.

This is critical training content. Your volunteers need clear instructions for handling problems:

• What should a volunteer do if a donor feels faint or dizzy?
• What are the steps if a donor has an adverse reaction?
• Who should they contact or notify? (Think: Red Cross team, clinic nurse)
• Present the steps in a numbered list so they are easy to follow in a stressful moment

Transitions are the animations that play when you move from one slide to the next. The rubric requires transitions on every slide:

• Go to the Transitions tab on the ribbon
• Pick a transition — "Fade" or "Push" are professional choices for a healthcare setting
• Click "Apply to All" (this is the fastest way to ensure every slide has a transition)
• Adjust the Duration to about 0.5–1.0 seconds — fast enough to feel smooth, not sluggish

An entrance animation controls how an element appears on a slide (for example, bullet points flying in one at a time). You need at least one:

• Select a text box, image, or SmartArt on one of your slides
• Go to the Animations tab → choose an entrance effect (green icons in the gallery)
• "Appear" or "Fade" are excellent for bullet points revealing one at a time
• To make bullets appear one-by-one: select the text box, add the animation, then in Effect Options choose "By Paragraph"

Every content slide (not the title slide) should have at least one relevant image:

• Go to Insert → Pictures → Stock Images (or Online Pictures)
• Search for terms like "blood donation," "healthcare team," "medical volunteer," "first aid"
• Make sure images are relevant to the slide content — a timeline slide could show a clock or schedule, an emergency slide could show first aid
• Resize and position images so they do not overlap text

If you cannot find stock images, you can use free images from sites like Unsplash or Pexels. Just make sure they are appropriate for a professional healthcare setting.

Speaker notes are your talking points — what you would say out loud when presenting each slide. The rubric requires notes on every slide:

• Click in the Notes pane at the bottom of the slide editor (if you do not see it, go to View → Notes)
• Write 2-4 sentences explaining what you would tell the audience about this slide
• Notes should expand on the bullet points, not just repeat them word for word
• Think: "If I were standing in front of the staff at the Friday meeting, what would I say about this slide?"

Contrast means important elements stand out visually. Review each slide and ask yourself:

• Are your headings noticeably different from body text? (Larger, bolder, or a different color)
• Do key numbers or important information pop out? (e.g., "9:00 AM" in the timeline should be easy to spot)
• Is there enough contrast between text color and background? (Dark text on light backgrounds, or light text on dark)
• Can you read everything from the back of a room?

Fix: If everything looks the same size and weight, increase heading sizes to 36pt+ and use bold for emphasis.

Alignment means nothing is placed randomly on the slide. Everything connects to something else visually:

• Is all text left-aligned or center-aligned consistently? (Do not mix alignment styles on the same slide)
• Are images lined up with text or with each other?
• Use PowerPoint's alignment guides (the red dotted lines that appear when you drag objects) to line things up
• Go to View → check Guides and Gridlines to help

Fix: Select multiple objects, then use Format → Align to snap them into position.

Repetition means reusing the same visual elements throughout to create unity:

• Are you using the same fonts on every slide? (Your theme should handle this, but double-check manually-added text boxes)
• Are you using the same colors throughout? (Stick to your theme colors — do not introduce random colors)
• Do similar slides have similar layouts? (e.g., all content slides should look like they belong to the same family)
• Is bullet styling consistent? (Same size, same indentation, same spacing)

Fix: If you spot a slide that looks different, select the text and use Format Painter (Home tab) to copy formatting from a consistent slide.

Proximity means grouping related items together and separating unrelated items:

• Are headings close to their content? (A heading should be closer to the text below it than to the text above it)
• In the volunteer roles table, are related cells grouped logically?
• On the FAQ slide, is each question clearly grouped with its answer and separated from the next question?
• Is there enough white space between different groups of information?

Fix: Increase spacing between unrelated groups and decrease spacing between items that belong together.

The 6x6 rule prevents text-heavy slides that audiences cannot read. Go through every slide and check:

• No more than 6 bullet points per slide
• No more than about 6 words per bullet (brief phrases, not full sentences)
• If a slide has too much text, split it into two slides or move details to the speaker notes
• Use font sizes of at least 24pt for body text and 36pt+ for titles

Before submitting, run through the entire presentation:

• Press F5 to start the slideshow from the beginning
• Click through each slide and check that all transitions play smoothly
• Verify your entrance animation works (e.g., bullets appear one at a time)
• Make sure no text is cut off or hidden behind images
• Press Esc when done to exit the slideshow

Go through this checklist before saving:

• □ At least 8 slides total
• □ Title slide with title, subtitle, date, and name
• □ SmartArt showing 5-step donor journey
• □ Volunteer roles table with all 5 roles filled in
• □ Day-of timeline slide(s)
• □ Patient FAQ slide(s)
• □ Emergency procedures slide(s)
• □ Transitions on ALL slides
• □ At least 1 entrance animation
• □ Images on every content slide
• □ Speaker notes on EVERY slide
• □ CARP principles applied consistently
• □ 6x6 rule followed (no text walls)

Save and submit your presentation:

1. Save your file as LastName_Week3_Training.pptx
2. Double-check the file format is .pptx (not .ppt or .pdf)
3. Upload through the course LMS before the deadline