The One Word You Should Never Use in Presentations

Slides have become an integral part of modern business presentations. We place so much focus on slide design and visual impact that sometimes we forget that our slides aren't the star of the show.

YOU are the presenter. YOU are the star. The slides are there to support YOU and YOUR message. This is why I'd like to call for an official ban on the word 'slide' in any and all presentations from this day forward.

"But that's impossible!" my clients cry! "I have to refer to my slides!" 

Yes, we have visuals for a reason, but I challenge you to make a mental shift. You do not need to refer to your slides. You need to refer to the content your slides portray. There is a big difference.

There are plenty of ways to refer to your content while maintaining your audience's attention on you and your message. Here are three common situations in which people feel the need to use the word 'slide', plus how you might handle things differently in order to keep the focus on your message.

1. Transitions

Most presenters I work with forget to plan their transitions from point to point (or slide to slide). This leads to a choppy presentation that remains focused on reading the content of each slide instead of actually presenting the content in an engaging way.

Another problem could be language-related. Many non-native speakers simply don't know which words to use to transition from one point to the next, so the transitions get simplified and they fall back on the slides as a crutch.

The worst situation, however, is when presenters don't know their material well. They get surprised by the slide that pops up so they fall back on the catch phrase "This slide shows...." while they think about what to say next. Don't let this happen to you!

Don't say:"So, on this slide..." "This next slide shows..." "Moving onto the next slide..." 

Do say: "This leads me to my next point regarding our hiring practices..." "Now I'd like to draw your attention to our sales figures..." "As you can see, we were very profitable during the last quarter." "Moving on to our marketing strategy..." 

A really great transition will be more specific than these examples and will link the content of one slide to the next like a story. With a little extra preparation, your transitions can completely change the flow of your presentation and act as a golden thread tying your content together.

2. Explaining Numbers and Graphs

Slides are most helpful when we need to show something visual such as a graph. It's natural to draw your audience's attention to the information on your slide, but remember, the slide (or graph) isn't the focus - the information that it describes is. You are the one who is explaining that information, not the slide. The graph is there to support you and your message. 

Don't say: "This slide shows last year's quarterly profits." Or worse, "This slide shows a graph of our profits last year." 

Do say: "2015 was a very successful year for our company. After a slow start in the first quarter, we quickly made gains in Q2 and peaked in Q3.  I'm happy with the progress we saw in Q4, and am confident our growth will continue this year."

Jump straight into the story you want your slide to tell. There is no need to tell people that they are now looking at a graph. Every time you refer to the slide as a thing separate from you, you take our attention away from what you are saying and invite us to analyze the visual on our own and come to our own conclusions. 

3. Poor slide design

I'm still amazed by the number of presentations I see where people need to apologize for their slides.

Don't say: "I know this slide isn't very easy to read..." "Sorry, there's a lot of information on this slide..." "Sorry about the blurry image on this slide..." "Sorry this slide isn't very clear..."

Do say: Nothing!! You should never be in this situation! Project your slides on a wall and check them at full size before your presentation. If you have pixelated images, throw them out and find a different image. If the font is too small and you have too much content on one slide, break it up into two, or three, or four slides. Check your colors. Be sure there is enough contrast on graphs and that words can be read easily.

Always check your slides immediately before your presentation as well. Different computers and projectors can make sudden changes to your fonts and colors. Do a quick check and make any appropriate adjustments before you start. 

If you are apologizing for your slides, it means that you did not prepare properly. These are the worst kinds of references to slides because they create a complete break in the flow of your presentation. Always be prepared, and always have a Plan B.

Presentation slides are here to stay, and although they're a wonderful tool, they remain just that - a tool. You are the one who brings life to your presentation. When you begin removing the word 'slide' from your vocabulary, you'll bring the focus back to you and your message instead of hiding behind your visuals.

Are you ready to give up the word 'slide'? Are there situations where you think this is impossible? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Heather Hansen is Director of the corporate training firm Global Speech Academy, where she helps international leaders present themselves with clarity and confidence in English. She delivers talks, runs workshops and coaches one-on-one with leaders from the world's largest companies, including MasterCard, Chevron, Bayer and Kelly Services. She is creator of the online Pronunciation Mastery Program and author/contributing author of 4 books.