Which method should be used to emphasize key words in a slide presentation?

Which method should be used to emphasize key words in a slide presentation?

• A. Underline only.
• B. Boldface, italics, or color.
• C. Increase slide background color.
• D. Use loud animations.

Answer: (B)

Emphasizing key words in a slide presentation is most effective when you apply typographic emphasis—bold, italics, or color—to the terms you want the audience to notice. Bold text provides strong, legible emphasis that stands out on a slide from any distance; italics offer a subtler cue for nuance or emphasis of a phrase; color can highlight terms quickly, but it should be used sparingly and with good contrast so readers with color-vision differences aren’t left out. Underlining alone isn’t ideal because it can resemble a hyperlink and is often less readable on slides. Increasing the slide’s background color tends to reduce contrast and hinder readability. Loud animations can be distracting and don’t reliably signal importance. A practical approach is to use a consistent combination, such as bold terms in a darker color, to guide attention without sacrificing readability or accessibility.

Emphasizing key words in a slide presentation is most effective when you apply typographic emphasis—bold, italics, or color—to the terms you want the audience to notice. Bold text provides strong, legible emphasis that stands out on a slide from any distance; italics offer a subtler cue for nuance or emphasis of a phrase; color can highlight terms quickly, but it should be used sparingly and with good contrast so readers with color-vision differences aren’t left out.

Underlining alone isn’t ideal because it can resemble a hyperlink and is often less readable on slides. Increasing the slide’s background color tends to reduce contrast and hinder readability. Loud animations can be distracting and don’t reliably signal importance.

A practical approach is to use a consistent combination, such as bold terms in a darker color, to guide attention without sacrificing readability or accessibility.