Q:

Use of animation in a projector presentation

Q: Is it a good idea to embed GIF or other animation into a Powerpoint presentation? 
I am working on a 50 minutes technical presentation and trying insert some "breaks" after each 10-15 minutes. The presentation is to be delivered live through a projector, but the slides are likely to be uploaded for public viewing.
I saw other presentations on how to make beautiful slides (this one for example). No one seems to mention the use of animation. Bad idea?
This question seems to be within the boundaries of this site, at least per this answer

A:

Some times ago I have a discussion with local folks from powerlexis (sorry, it's on Russian and burried deep). My point is presentation are divided on two types:

for live presenting,
for downloading, i.e. for learning without presenter.

The requirements for both types are different. It's rather weird to watch some non-relevant animation in the middle of technical presentation which are learned without presenter. Because there is a lack of context! Obviously, in live presentation you provide some comments on your animation, which is not the case for the offline presentation.
For live presentation some breaks is a good technique. Human attention and its concentration decrease over time. So periodical breaks are necessary. It could be cases, anecdotes, images and animations. The type of "break content" should be relevant to your audience.
Providing analogy with learning process,

Periodic breaks in lectures improve attentiveness  and help develop
  the ability to concentrate.  Students rarely come equipped to
  concentrate for  the full lecture period. Successful television 
  producers and radio commentators know well that  people have a very
  limited attention span. The  secret of success lies in the ability to
  control when  the students are concentrating, and when they are  not.
  If lecturers can control die timing of student  attention, then they
  can feed the important material  during those periods. Successful
  breaks in lectures,  at short intervals, are a means to that control. 
  Providing breaks is a technical aspect of good  lecturing.

Waugh, Geoffrey H. and Waugh, Russell F. (1999) "The Value of Lectures in Teacher Education: The group perspective," Australian Journal of Teacher Education: Vol. 24: Iss. 1, Article 3.
Ideally it's better to remove non-relevant animation from presentation for downloading. 

