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Key Takeaways

1. Design slides to enhance, not replace, your message

Data slides are not really about the data. They are about the meaning of the data.

Slides as visual aids. Presentations should focus on the presenter's message, with slides serving as visual support rather than the main content. Avoid creating "slideuments" - dense, text-heavy slides that function more like documents than visual aids. Instead, use slides to reinforce key points, illustrate complex ideas, and guide the audience's attention.

Balancing content and visuals. Strive for a balance between verbal and visual communication. While slides can provide valuable context and reinforce your message, they should not become a crutch or distract from your delivery. Remember that audiences cannot effectively process spoken words and read dense text simultaneously. Use your slides to complement your speech, not compete with it.

2. Use visuals strategically to convey complex ideas

Illustrations can be stylized differently but express the same meaning.

Power of visual communication. Humans are inherently visual communicators, and well-designed visuals can convey complex ideas more effectively than text alone. Utilize diagrams, charts, illustrations, and photographs to explain relationships, processes, and abstract concepts. Consider the following visual elements:

• Flow diagrams: Linear, circular, divergent/convergent, multidirectional
• Structure diagrams: Matrices, trees, layers
• Cluster diagrams: Overlapping, closure, enclosed, linked
• Radiate diagrams: From a point, with a core, without a core
• Pictorial diagrams: Process, reveal, direction, location, influence

Data visualization. When presenting data, focus on clarity and meaning rather than just numbers. Choose appropriate chart types (e.g., bar, line, pie) based on the story you want to tell with the data. Highlight key insights and use color strategically to draw attention to important points.

3. Embrace whitespace and simplicity in slide design

It's okay to have clear space—clutter is a failure of design.

Value of whitespace. Whitespace, or negative space, is crucial in slide design. It provides visual breathing room, helps focus attention on key elements, and improves overall readability. Resist the urge to fill every inch of the slide with content. Instead, use whitespace to create a sense of order and guide the viewer's eye to the most important information.

Simplicity in design. Aim for clarity and simplicity in your slides. Remove unnecessary elements, decorations, and text that don't directly contribute to your message. When in doubt, ask yourself: "What can I take away that won't change the meaning?" or "Where can I split the content into more than one slide?" Remember that a slide's value is determined not by the amount of information it contains, but by how clearly it communicates its message.

4. Craft a cohesive visual story with consistent elements

A powerful image library creates re-usable components that fit together well with each other. Systems like this enable you to focus on your thinking.

Visual consistency. Develop a cohesive visual style for your presentation by using consistent design elements throughout. This includes:

• Color palette: Choose 3-5 core colors plus neutrals and accents
• Typography: Select 1-2 complementary fonts and use them consistently
• Image style: Use photos or illustrations with a similar look and feel
• Layout: Maintain consistent placement of elements across slides

Templates and style guides. For organizations, create well-designed templates and style guides to ensure brand consistency across presentations. This not only maintains a professional appearance but also increases efficiency by providing employees with pre-approved design elements and layouts.

5. Animate purposefully to guide audience understanding

Animation should help you understand the interrelatedness or sequence of information you're presenting.

Strategic animation. Use animation to enhance understanding, not for decoration. Purposeful animation can help:

• Reveal information in a logical sequence
• Show relationships between elements
• Emphasize key points
• Demonstrate processes or changes over time

Avoiding distractions. Be cautious with animation, as excessive or unnecessary movement can distract from your message. Use subtle transitions and builds rather than flashy effects. Always ask yourself if the animation serves a purpose in conveying your message more effectively.

6. Adapt presentation style to venue and audience size

Whether you're a CEO, senior manager, or educator, you create presentations that have incredibly high stakes. Stock value, sales revenue, career promotions, and behavior changes are all influenced by presentations every day.

Venue considerations. Tailor your presentation style and visual aids to the specific venue and audience size:

• Large venues: Use larger fonts, bolder visuals, and more dramatic contrasts
• Small venues: Consider more detailed visuals and interactive elements
• Virtual presentations: Adapt slides for screen sharing, with increased emphasis on visuals

Audience engagement. Adjust your content and delivery based on audience size and composition:

• Large audiences: Focus on broader themes and impactful visuals
• Small groups: Incorporate more detailed information and encourage discussion
• Mixed audiences: Use layered content that appeals to different levels of expertise

7. Practice delivery to reduce reliance on slide text

The majority of the presentations that Guy sees have text in a 10-point font. As much text as possible is jammed into the slide, and then the presenter reads it. However, as soon as the audience figures out that you're reading the text, they read ahead of you. The result is that you and the audience are out of sync.

Memorization techniques. Invest time in internalizing your content to reduce dependence on slide text. Techniques include:

• The "Roman Room" method: Associating key points with familiar locations
• Repetition and recording: Practicing delivery and listening to recordings
• Flash cards and mind maps: Creating visual aids for key concepts

Presentation as performance. Approach your presentation as a performance, rehearsing delivery and timing. This allows you to focus on engaging with your audience rather than reading from slides. Use the slides as visual cues rather than a script, maintaining eye contact and natural body language.

8. Leverage contrast, flow, and hierarchy in slide layouts

Based on the arrangement decisions a designer makes, a slide can prompt feelings of tension, confusion, and agitation; conversely, it can maximize clarity by employing the following: Contrast, Flow, Hierarchy, Unity, Proximity, Whitespace

Design principles for clarity. Apply these key design principles to create clear, impactful slides:

• Contrast: Use size, color, or style differences to highlight important elements
• Flow: Guide the viewer's eye through the information in a logical order
• Hierarchy: Show relationships between elements through size and placement
• Unity: Create a cohesive look using consistent design elements
• Proximity: Group related items together to show connections
• Whitespace: Use empty space to create visual breathing room and focus attention

Grid systems. Utilize grid systems to create consistent, well-organized layouts. This helps maintain visual harmony across slides and makes it easier for the audience to process information.

9. Choose colors and fonts that reflect your brand and message

Color is crucial to your presentation. It sets a tone and helps establish what the audience will expect.

Strategic color use. Select a color palette that:

• Reflects your brand identity
• Suits your industry and message
• Creates appropriate contrast for readability
• Evokes the desired emotional response

Consider cultural associations and color blindness when making selections.

Typography choices. Choose fonts that:

• Are legible at various sizes and distances
• Reflect your brand personality (e.g., formal, friendly, innovative)
• Pair well together (typically one serif and one sans-serif font)

Use font size, weight, and color to create hierarchy and emphasis. Avoid using more than 2-3 fonts in a single presentation.

10. Constrain presentation length to maintain audience engagement

Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter. Thirty-minute sitcoms, ten-minute YouTube videos, and 15-second commercials all influence the duration of our attention span.

Concise content. Respect your audience's time and attention by keeping presentations focused and concise. Consider techniques like:

• The 10/20/30 rule: 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point minimum font size
• Pecha Kucha format: 20 slides, 20 seconds each (6 minutes, 40 seconds total)
• TED Talk model: 18 minutes or less

Quality over quantity. Focus on delivering high-impact content rather than exhaustive detail. Provide supplementary materials or follow-up resources for those who want more information. Remember that a shorter, more engaging presentation is often more effective than a longer, unfocused one.

Last updated: January 23, 2025

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