Bad slide decks are so common that we are blind to the most basic mistakes. I have made a lot of bad presentations. Too many slides with no clear structure, purpose or audience. Creating good presentations is about planning.
Stop punching me!
If you don’t have a plan you are punching someone in the face with your presentation. Seriously. You are forcing cognitive load into someone else’s head. Respecting people’s attentional effort makes a good impression.
I’ve boiled what I know down to these 3 essential tips.
#1. Be clear on the purpose and context.
Learn as much as you can about what, when and who.
What’s the objective - to persuade, inform or entertain, formally or informally?
How long do you have? Talking is twice as long as reading (30min equals 15 slides).
Who’s in the audience? What do they already know or not know?
#2. Create (and test) the structure first.
Whatever you do, don’t start making slides.
Create an outline using blank slides with headings, one idea per slide
Use slide separators to break into parts (3 parts are always good).
Count your slides and test your headings.
#3. Work with slides, not against them.
Use only the slide formats contained in the template. If a slide format only allows 3 points in large type, edit your message not the design!
Get these basics right and be gentle with your audience.