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.
Practice and rehearse
You may have a fantastic story to tell, accompanied by an excellent slide deck, but the delivery is where it matters most. Have you ever wondered why Steve Jobs’ presentations were so good? Practice — he was humble enough to practice.
If you prepare well before the presentation, you will feel more relaxed and confident while presenting, and it will also improve your body language.
Implement practice into the process of any important presentation you will give. Practice could include rehearsing in front of a crowd, taking notes, experimenting with delivery, timing yourself, or recording yourself. All things that will help you perform and deliver significantly more convincingly. Any kind of practice is better than no practice at all.
Some things are more important than others – Prioritize your content
The first step with any content is to get an overview. What is crucial, and what is less so? It sounds easy, but prioritizing is often harder than it seems. Making these choices requires a deep understanding of your content and the story you’re trying to tell.
This basic prioritization is essential early in the process. It helps you determine where to focus your efforts and how to structure your presentation for a focused and concise delivery.
Get feedback
Don’t rely solely on your own understanding and perspective. Seek feedback from others. Getting input from someone unfamiliar with the subject can help you identify areas where the presentation may be unclear or confusing. Embrace feedback as an opportunity to improve your presentation and slides and make your message more effective.
Identify your key visuals
Not all slides are equally important. Your presentation is likely built around a few key ideas, and your key visuals should capture these ideas. Focus your effort on these key visuals, as these are what your audience should remember long after your presentation. Make these visuals your top priority; everything else is secondary.
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.
Do your slides as the last thing
Many keynote speakers rely on slides to structure their presentations. While a beautiful set of slides is essential for a successful presentation, they should not be the core focus. Ideally, they should actually be the last element you create. Before designing your slides, define your core message, structure, and supporting arguments. This ensures your presentation is compelling and can stand on its own, even without visuals.
This approach demands a shift in perspective: prioritize your message, then determine how to best present it visually.
Build a dramatic structure
Think of your presentation as a story. Presenting an idea within a narrative allows your audience to engage with it. Presentations are no exception.
Create a basic skeleton to help you build a dramatic structure. This structure can vary, depending on your content, your audience, and the setting, of course. But simply by following a classic three-part story structure (beginning, middle, and end), you can create a more engaging message that is easier to digest, remember, and retell.
