Creating a presentation can be a daunting task, especially when you have a lot of information to convey and a limited amount of time to do it. How can you prioritize content and save time on each slide, without compromising clarity and impact? Here are some tips to help you design effective and efficient slides that will engage your audience and deliver your message.
Before you start working on your slides, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your presentation. What is the main goal or takeaway that you want your audience to remember? How do you want them to feel or act after your presentation? Having a clear purpose will help you focus on the most relevant and important content for your slides, and avoid unnecessary or distracting information.
I ask myself, "How does this slide convey my core message for this presentation?" If it doesn't align, I skip it with a heavy heart. If you are presenting to data analysts, then there is no need to crowed your slide with "what is data visualization?" things. I think you got my point here. Adjust information according to the audience level.
A crucial step of identifying the purpose of a presentation is understanding your audience. If you start with your objective and know who you'll be presenting to, every aspect of the presentation can be tailored to achieving that goal.
Prioritize key content by focusing on essential messages and limiting information on each slide to avoid overwhelm. Use concise headlines, bullet points, and visuals to efficiently convey information, saving time for both creation and comprehension in presentations.
Indeed, defining a clear purpose with your audience in mind is vital in ensuring that you don't clog your slides with unnecessary information. Also, practicing your presentation can assist in knowing what is important to be on your slide. This is because practice will let you know what can be said rather than words on a slide.
When you know the purpose of presentation and audience. You can then concentrate on the areas of the slides which are more relevant to your audience and aim. For example if you are presenting to financial decision makers then concentrate on slides that explains the Financial implications of the presentation and benefits.
A popular guideline for presentation design is the 10/20/30 rule, which suggests that you should have no more than 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes, and use a font size of no less than 30 points. This rule helps you limit the amount of content and time on each slide, and ensure that your text is readable and concise. Of course, you can adjust the rule according to your context and audience, but the principle is to keep your slides simple, clear, and focused.
This is a guideline that is often quoted for pitch decks. It doesn't always apply in the real world. However, if we consider the heart of the 10/20/30 rule we're pointed toward not overdoing it on the slides, keeping the presentation succinct and engaging and a tried and true message about clarity. Make sure everyone in the room can read your slides!
Alright, let's ditch the textbook stuff and make this relatable. Imagine the 10/20/30 rule as the training wheels for your presentation. They'll get you started, sure, but once you're comfortable, ditch them and ride your way.
Following the 10/20/30 rule can also encourage presenters to prioritize the most important information and eliminate unnecessary details or clutter from their slides. By adhering to this guideline, presenters can maintain the audience's attention and deliver a more impactful and memorable presentation. Additionally, focusing on simplicity and clarity in slide design can help avoid cognitive overload and ensure that key messages are effectively communicated and understood by the audience.
When I see slides that are about 25-30 I begin to wonder what the speaker is about to say that can't be compressed in other slides. To me, it is not about the number of slides, rather the value and knowledge embedded in each slides. Remember the slide is only there as a GUIDE
The 10/20/30 rule is truly remarkable, and I'd like to highlight a key addition – ICONS. ICONS. ICONS. Incorporating icons can significantly enhance the clarity of the information you're presenting, often surpassing the effectiveness of text alone. Yet, the real magic happens when you achieve a seamless integration of both icons and text – that's when your work reaches its optimal level of impact!
Another useful framework for prioritizing content and saving time on each slide is the SCORRE method, which stands for Subject, Central Theme, Objective, Rationale, Resources, and Evaluation. This method helps you structure your presentation and your slides around a central theme and a specific objective, and provide the rationale and resources to support your point. It also helps you evaluate your presentation and your slides for effectiveness and improvement. By applying the SCORRE method, you can ensure that your slides are coherent, relevant, and persuasive.
In my experience, a professional presentation should contain one or two slides mysterious, this style will help you or the speaker to attract the attention audience.
The SCORRE method provides a comprehensive framework for developing presentations that are not only well-structured but also compelling and persuasive. By systematically addressing each component – from defining the subject and central theme to evaluating the effectiveness of the presentation – presenters can create engaging and impactful slides that resonate with their audience. This method encourages presenters to focus on delivering a clear and coherent message while providing supporting evidence and rationale, ultimately increasing the effectiveness and memorability of the presentation.
One of the best ways to save time and space on your slides is to use visuals and multimedia, such as images, charts, graphs, icons, videos, or audio. Visuals and multimedia can help you convey complex or abstract concepts, illustrate data or trends, highlight key points, or create emotional appeal. They can also capture your audience's attention and interest, and make your presentation more memorable and engaging. However, make sure that your visuals and multimedia are relevant, clear, and high-quality, and that they complement your verbal message, not replace it.
Use short videos or animations. A brief video or animation can be an effective way to explain a concept that might take much longer to describe with words. Ensure they are directly relevant and keep them short to maintain audience engagement. Use icons and symbols, personally I love this the most! These can be effective for representing ideas quickly and in a universally understandable way.
Visuals and videos make the class engaging. You can add; Did you know facts and Brain Teaser/Quizzes. This brings out the best in your audience
Use visuals. Remember how much ever impact full your insights are wordy, busy slides are NO GO. Keep it visually engaging, simple and have a thoughtful tagline. Also resist the attempt to say a lot in a single slide and distract the audience.
For your presentation to be catchy and easy to understand, the visuals are crucial! Indeed, visual communication saves time and can stimulate attention and motivation. Visual communication allows messages to be delivered more quickly. The proof: a study revealed that it is possible to grasp the meaning of a visual in less than a tenth of a second. In addition to that, it is important to not underestimate the impact of a clear & nice table of content. On top of its main goal, structure, this helps to understand the big picture of the meeting right away. Thus, visuals can help people remember it better to follow you throughout the entire presentation.
You can use visual and graphs. They make the content look good so you don't need to ask words which eventually helps in reducing pace count
Finally, once you have created your slides, you need to edit and refine them to eliminate any errors, inconsistencies, or redundancies. You can use tools such as spell-check, grammar-check, or design-check to help you with this process, but you should also review your slides manually and critically. Ask yourself if each slide is necessary, clear, and effective, and if it supports your purpose and objective. You can also ask for feedback from a colleague or a friend, or practice your presentation out loud, to identify any areas that need improvement.
Embrace simplicity in presentations, minimizing text on slides for a clearer message. Instead of overwhelming text, engage the audience actively during your presentation. Foster interaction by posing open questions, encouraging participation, and steering clear of excessive text on slides. Open the floor for questions to enhance audience engagement and attentiveness.
In addition to editing for errors and clarity, it's important to ensure that your slides are visually appealing and consistent in design. Consistency in font styles, colors, and layouts can enhance the professionalism and coherence of your presentation. Moreover, paying attention to the overall flow and pacing of your slides can help maintain audience engagement and comprehension throughout your presentation. By carefully reviewing and refining your slides, you can ensure that every element contributes to a seamless and impactful presentation experience for your audience.
Your visuals, your slides, are not your real content. Your narrative is your content. Your written plan or proposal is your content. The goal of the presentation to get your audience to understand one thing, the main benefit to them. You’ll need some proof that you can deliver. 3 or 4 examples, ideas or points of expertise will do. A great presentation is designed to get you to the next step. Not to explain the details- that’s next…
Remember, the slides are not the presentation. YOU are the presentation- the slides are there to give more context or understanding or to help paint a picture. They are a tool. If you find yourself with all of your words and content on the slides… you my friend have an email… not a presentation.
I've found that not every industry has the luxury of choosing, developing, and designing their slides. In fields like pharma or medical, sometimes you have to work with what you're given and adhere to very strict guidelines to stay compliant. If this is the case, here's what you CAN do: Once you've established your audience, key takeaways, and your objective, make sure to identify the 'need-to-knows' for each slide. Also, orient your audience to where they should look. Guide them and tell a data story. While all slides are important, there may be a few that require more attention. Be sure to identify these. Additionally, practice your transitions to help set your audience up for a successful learning experience.
Spot-on advice in this enlightening article! As someone with 30 years in sales and communication training, I wholeheartedly agree that the power of a presentation lies in its clarity and focus. Each slide should be a beacon, not a floodlight. By concentrating on one key message per slide, you respect your audience's time and enhance their understanding. It's akin to storytelling—where each slide is a chapter contributing to the narrative, not a page crammed with text. Remember, simplicity is your ally in a world where attention is the new currency. This approach has been a cornerstone in my training programs, helping presenters connect authentically and effectively. Less is more when each word is purposeful.
A colleague once told me that we should "use the tools, don't let the tools use you" A presentation doesn't require slides. If you choose to use them, make sure that they move you toward the goal rather than leaning on them as a crutch.
Know your audience. Rather than stuffing everything and anything relevant, confine your slides to the information that your target audience would actually need or be interested in. If someone is there to buy a chocolate, then don't lecture them on the origin of chocolate making. Their focus is on the taste and experience, so make that memorable.