Designing Simple Slides That Support You

Slides are a supporting actor

The most common slide problem is not ugly design. It is slides doing the speaker’s job. When a slide holds full sentences, the audience reads ahead, stops listening and then wonders why you are repeating the text aloud. A better rule is that the slides should be incomplete without you, and you should be understandable without the slides.

That does not mean slides are optional. A good visual can show a shape, a comparison or a sequence faster than words can. The aim is to use them where they help and leave them out where they do not.

Start with the talk, not the template

Write your outline first. Know your main point and the three or so supporting points, then decide which of them benefit from something visual. Opening the software first tends to produce a deck shaped by the template’s bullet-point layout rather than by what you actually want to say.

A helpful test for each slide is: “What does the audience need to see here that I cannot simply say?” If the answer is nothing, skip the slide. A talk with no slide for a given point is perfectly acceptable.

One idea per slide

When a slide carries one idea, the audience can take it in within a few seconds and return their attention to you. When it carries four, they have to work out which one you are on.

Some practical ways to apply this:

• Give each slide a short headline that states the point, such as “Most delays happen at handoffs”, rather than a vague label like “Process”.
• Break a crowded slide into two or three simpler ones. More slides is not a problem if each one is quick.
• If you find yourself shrinking text to make it fit, that is a sign the slide has too much on it.

Keep text short and readable

Aim for a handful of words, or a short phrase, rather than complete sentences. Bullet lists can work, but long ones turn into a script. If you do use bullets, consider revealing them one at a time, or turn them into separate slides.

Readability depends on a few basics:

• Size. Choose type large enough to read from the back of the room. If you are unsure, test by viewing your slide from a few steps away from your screen.
• Contrast. Dark text on a light background, or the reverse, is generally easiest. Avoid placing text over busy photographs unless you add a plain panel behind it.
• Fonts. One or two typefaces are plenty. Clean, common fonts are safer than decorative ones, which can render differently on another computer. If you want a consistent look across materials, the ideas behind color and fonts apply to slides too.
• Alignment and spacing. Leave empty space. White space is not wasted; it directs the eye.

Use visuals with purpose

Images, charts and diagrams are most useful when they explain something. A simple timeline, a before-and-after comparison or a labeled diagram can do work that a paragraph cannot. Decorative stock images, by contrast, often add little.

A few cautions:

• Charts. Show one message per chart and label it directly. Remove gridlines, legends and extra series that the audience does not need. Make sure you can state in one sentence what the chart shows.
• Photos. Use images you have the right to use. The basics of image rights apply to presentations just as they do to websites.
• Accessibility. Some people in the audience may have low vision or color-vision differences. Avoid relying on color alone to carry meaning, and describe important images aloud. If you share the deck afterward, adding descriptions to images is considerate, and the habits around alt text carry over.
• Simple graphics. Basic shapes, arrows and icons are often enough. You do not need advanced design software to make a clear visual; the approach to simple graphics for posts works equally well for slides.

Be careful with animation and video

Transitions and animations tend to distract unless they serve a purpose, such as revealing steps in a process one at a time. Embedded video or audio adds risk: files may not play, sound may not work in the room, and links may need an internet connection. If you plan to use media, test it on the equipment you will actually use, and have a plan for the case where it fails, such as describing the content aloud.

Handle notes separately

Slides are a poor place for your script. If you need reminders, use printed notes, index cards or presenter notes visible only to you. Check ahead of time that presenter view works on the setup you will have, because not all rooms or video platforms support it the same way.

If you want to give the audience detail, such as data tables or references, put it in a handout or a shared document afterward rather than on screen. This keeps your slides clean and still gives interested people the full information.

Final review pass

Before you present, go through the deck once with these questions:

1. Can each slide be understood within a few seconds?
2. Is there any slide I would just read aloud? If so, cut or simplify it.
3. Is the text readable from a distance, and is the contrast adequate?
4. Do the numbers, names and dates match what I plan to say?
5. Does the deck fit the time? A common rough guide is about one to two minutes per slide for content slides, though this varies widely with style.
6. Have I run the deck at least once while speaking, advancing slides myself?

That last point matters more than it sounds. Running through the deck aloud is part of good rehearsal, and it reveals awkward transitions and slides that no longer earn their place.