Dear Notebook reader,
We’ve been working with presentation design and slide decks for a decade now. We’ve failed. We’ve succeeded. But most importantly, we’ve learned.
At some point, we started to compile all the most important lessons we’ve learned in a little notebook — as a way to get smarter and make sure we didn’t repeat the same mistakes over and over. A few notes quickly became a lot, and this notebook was born. Basically, the notebook details everything you need to consider when making slides: lessons learned, insights, and dos & don’ts.
Based on our own experiences, we wanted to create useful, hands-on advice in a digestible format. We use the notebook ourselves in our daily work. So this notebook also gives you the opportunity to benefit from all the lessons we have learned and become even better at what you do.
Given that our knowledge and experience will keep evolving, so will this notebook. So follow our Instagram for updates.
We hope you enjoy our notebook!
All the best,
P.S. If you enjoy the notebook, you might be interested to know that we have also released a notebook on infographics and one on animation. You’re welcome!
The Notebook
on Presentations
Hard-earned insights from our notebook
about slides and presentation design.
Hands-on, honest and condensed.
Create a strong beginning
Every great movie needs a great opening scene to hook viewers from the start. Presentations are no different. If a presentation kicks off with a thrilling opener, the audience is more likely to stay engaged.
The opener could be a surprising act, an open question, a striking visual, an anecdote, an icebreaker — or whatever fits your style. Ideally, your opener should also capture the essence of your presentation and prepare the audience for what’s coming. But the most important thing is that the opener hooks your audience right away and keeps them engaged and excited to dig into the subject.
Match your message and visuals
Text and visuals should be intertwined. The message should support the visual, and the visual should support the message. This advice seems basic, but slides often fail in this regard. You might have a visual on the topic — a figure, a statistic, or some other content — but that doesn’t necessarily mean it effectively conveys your message. So don’t forget to ask yourself: Are the visuals and text in sync, and are they complementing each other?
Slides don’t (necessarily) need text
A picture is worth a thousand words; a cliché, but a true one. Let go of the idea that every slide needs text or even a headline, at least in the context of a verbal presentation.
A powerful visual like a picture or an illustration can be even more effective without explanatory text. Break the template and use visuals to set a mood or tell a visual story. Allow the visuals to speak for themselves.
State your purpose
The first thing your audience wants to know is: Why are we here? What’s the purpose of this presentation? Be crystal clear about your subject matter and your objective. In just a few sentences, communicate the main takeaways and the value your audience will gain from listening. Let them know upfront what to expect, and they’ll be more likely to stay engaged.
Separate slides and notes
A common mistake is to treat your slides as a container for both your presentation and your notes.
Having separate notes or cue cards can be a great idea for structuring and memorizing your presentation. But keep a clear distinction between content for your audience and content strictly for you as the presenter. Instead, make use of speaker notes for cues, support, and additional information.
Begin with a Script
Before diving into slides, take a step back and write a script for your presentation. Outline your story, structure, and delivery. Start with a Word or Google doc and create a detailed outline or script for the entire presentation. This will help you visualize the flow of information and how your audience will experience it.
Choose your titles well
Good titles for your slides can not be underestimated. A well-crafted title helps both you and your audience understand the key message of each slide. Titles should be short and distinct to make your point clear. Avoid generic titles that could be applied to any slide of the same type. Instead, aim for titles that are memorable and engaging. Take the time to craft compelling titles that capture attention and guide your audience through your presentation.
With text, less is always more
In a presentation, slides are meant to support your talk. Therefore, there’s no need to include more text than necessary, as it will make your audience try to read it while listening to you. You can add a title, but keep the rest of the textual content short and to a bare minimum. Clear headings and short sentences, one for each main takeaway, can be enough. Let the slides “show” while you “tell.”
