How to Choose the Right Number of Slides for a Powerpoint Presentation
Provide the right amount of information., Break complex slides down into several simple slides., Include audiovisual support only as needed.Your PowerPoint slideshow should always be designed to reinforce your verbal explanations with visual images.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Provide the right amount of information.
PowerPoint presentations are useful to provide an overview, a general description of a given topic.
Your presentation should not be encyclopedic.
Don’t go overboard including every little detail, citation, or factoid which may inform the conversation on the issue you’re presenting.
Too much information will burn your audience out and you’ll be left with a bunch of people more interested in lunch than in what you have to say.Keep the presentation about you, not the slideshow.The slides are there to support what you have to say.
They should be just one part of your presentation, not the whole thing. -
Step 2: Break complex slides down into several simple slides.
PowerPoint presentations are at their most effective and powerful when they adopt a clean, minimalistic style.For instance, if you have one slide whose heading is “Habitats,” with three bullet points beneath reading “Forest,” “Desert,” and “Ocean” with a description of each habitat following, you would do well to instead allocate three separate slides to the three different habitats, and include a summary and image of each on the appropriate slide. , Sometimes it works to put words on a screen, but generally, your text should be limited.
Do you need the graphics as a starting point from which you will explain results, trends, predictions or specific outcomes? Are you using visuals merely to keep your audience engaged, to provide humor, and/or to accommodate diverse learning styles? These and other relevant questions should guide your decision-making process when settling on the right number of slides for your presentation.
Go through your entire presentation and ask yourself if you really need a given slide.
If the answer is no, or if you find you can deliver the info verbally instead, eliminate it. -
Step 3: Include audiovisual support only as needed.Your PowerPoint slideshow should always be designed to reinforce your verbal explanations with visual images.
Detailed Guide
PowerPoint presentations are useful to provide an overview, a general description of a given topic.
Your presentation should not be encyclopedic.
Don’t go overboard including every little detail, citation, or factoid which may inform the conversation on the issue you’re presenting.
Too much information will burn your audience out and you’ll be left with a bunch of people more interested in lunch than in what you have to say.Keep the presentation about you, not the slideshow.The slides are there to support what you have to say.
They should be just one part of your presentation, not the whole thing.
PowerPoint presentations are at their most effective and powerful when they adopt a clean, minimalistic style.For instance, if you have one slide whose heading is “Habitats,” with three bullet points beneath reading “Forest,” “Desert,” and “Ocean” with a description of each habitat following, you would do well to instead allocate three separate slides to the three different habitats, and include a summary and image of each on the appropriate slide. , Sometimes it works to put words on a screen, but generally, your text should be limited.
Do you need the graphics as a starting point from which you will explain results, trends, predictions or specific outcomes? Are you using visuals merely to keep your audience engaged, to provide humor, and/or to accommodate diverse learning styles? These and other relevant questions should guide your decision-making process when settling on the right number of slides for your presentation.
Go through your entire presentation and ask yourself if you really need a given slide.
If the answer is no, or if you find you can deliver the info verbally instead, eliminate it.
About the Author
Hannah Gutierrez
Brings years of experience writing about crafts and related subjects.
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