Tips That Will Help You Perfect Your Slide Design

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In addition to storytelling, well-designed slides with clear layouts, captivating visuals, and a logical flow of information are key to effectively communicating your message. A great presentation relies heavily on effective slide design, closely tied to understanding human attention spans.??

Research shows that multitasking is a myth—it reduces productivity by up to 40%. Couple that with today’s shrinking attention span, it makes it difficult to connect with a crowd. The good news is that humans are predictably distractible. Storytelling is a powerful tool for structuring presentations and capturing attention. With the perfect slide design, you can connect with your audience seamlessly.??

Here are some tips for perfecting your slides in your next presentation:??

Communicate a single idea per slide??

Remember, your goal is to present your information in a way that’s clear and easy to follow. Overloading your audience with too much detail can confuse and dilute your message. Simplicity is key!??

• Always be clear about your Big Idea?—the purpose of your presentation. This could be thought of as the central message, the key point, or the main takeaway. Every part of your content should align with and support this core message; review each slide and confirm it ties back to your Big Idea?.??

• Split complex concepts across multiple slides to simplify them and help your audience focus on a single idea per slide. If a slide does not directly support your BigIdea?, leave it out.??

Use consistent visual design??

When you remove unnecessary elements from your slides, like excessive bullet points or flashy animations, your audience can process the information more effectively. For example, instead of cluttering a slide with multiple icons or images for decoration, ask yourself if each element serves a clear purpose. If it doesn’t add value, remove it.??

Keep a cohesive visual theme throughout your presentation. Stick to a consistent font style (or two), the same color palette, and imagery with a unified tone or style. Being consistent reduces your audience’s cognitive load, allowing them to focus on your message rather than being distracted by new or unexpected visual elements. ??

Arrange your slides with care??

Reviewing how you arrange each element is a must when you create your slides. Poor or random placement can make it harder for your audience to follow your points. Effective arrangement not only enhances clarity but also guides the audience’s attention to the most important information. Here are a couple of aspects to focus on when arranging your slides:???

• Flow:?Think about how viewers’ eyes will move around a slide. They might first notice the biggest and brightest elements, then move to the other slide elements. The audience should understand the intended order to process information without feeling lost.??

• Contrast: Human eyes are drawn to things that stand out. We immediately perceive the difference between the attributes of two or more things. Contrast slide elements using size, shape, color, and proximity.??

• White space: White space is the area of the slide that is left unused. Include a healthy amount of white space on your slides. This helps sharpen viewers’ focus by isolating the elements you want them to focus on. Ask yourself, “What can I take away that won’t change the meaning?” then remove those elements or create a new slide with them.??

A meaningful relationship between you, your slides, and your audience is key to connecting people with content. You’ve got this!?

You can learn more about this topic in the workshop Slideology?.

Want to know more about storytelling in business? The expert communication consultants, creatives, trainers, and coaches at Duarte, Inc. are here to help. Whether you choose to learn from us or work with us, we’ll transform how you and your teams communicate using the Duarte Method?. Contact us to speak with a representative – we look forward to hearing from you!?