Dos and Donts For Slide Prep

6 dos and don’ts for next-level slides, from
a TED presentation expert

Jun 13, 2019 / Amanda Miller
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Want to prevent yawns and glazed-over eyes? Before you

deliver your next speech, pitch or address, learn how to
create exceptional slides by following these rules (with real
before-and-afters).
Slides are an expected and crucial part of most speeches, presentations, pitches and
addresses. They can simplify complex information or messages, showcase relevant images, and
help hold an audience’s attention. But quite often, the best slides aren’t those that make people
sit up and comment on how good they are; instead, they’re the ones that people take in without
really noticing because the content is effortlessly conveyed and matches the speaker’s words so
well.
These days, showing high-quality slides is more important than ever. “We’re living in a
visual culture,” says Paul Jurczynski, the cofounder of Improve Presentation and one of the
people who works with TED speakers to overhaul their slides. “Everything is visual. Instagram is
on fire, and you don’t often see bad images on there. The same trend has come to presentations.”
He says there is no “right” number of slides. However, it’s important that every single one
shown — even the blank ones (more on those later) — be, as Jurczynski puts it, “connected with
the story you’re telling.” Here, he shares 6 specific tips for creating the most effective slides.
(Note: All of the examples below were taken from the actual slides of TED speakers.)
1. Do keep your slides simple and succinct

“The most common mistake I see is slides that are overcrowded. People tend to want to spell
everything out and cover too much information,” says Jurczynski. Not only are these everything-
but-the-kitchen-sink slides unattractive and amateurish, they also divert your audience’s attention
away from what you’re saying. You want them to listen to the words that you slaved over, not
get distracted by unscrambling a jam-packed slide.
“The golden rule is to have one claim or idea per slide. If you have more to say, put it on the
next slide,” says Jurczynski. Another hallmark of a successful slide: The words and images are
placed in a way that begins where the audience’s eyes naturally go and then follows their gaze.
Use the position, size, shape and color of your visuals to make it clear what should come first,
second and so on. “You don’t just control what the audience sees; you have to control how they
see it,” says Jurczynski.
BEFORE: Too crowded
AFTER: Easy to absorb
2. Do choose colors and fonts with care
Colors and fonts are like the herbs and spices of your presentation. When used wisely and
with intention, they’ll enhance your slides; but when tossed in haphazardly, they’ll make it an
unappealing mess.
Let’s start with color. “Color is a key way to communicate visually and to evoke emotion,”
says Jurczynski. “It can be a game changer.” Your impulse might be to pick your favorite hue
and start from there, but he advises, “it’s important to use color with a purpose.” For example, if
you’re giving a presentation about a positive topic, you’ll want to use bright, playful colors. But
if you’re speaking about a serious subject such as gun violence or lung cancer, you’d probably
go for darker or neutral colors.
While it’s fine to use a variety of colors in your presentation, overall you should adhere to a
consistent color scheme, or palette. “The good news is you don’t need a degree in color theory
to build a palette,” says Jurczynski. Check out one of the many free sites — such
as Coolors or Color Hunt — that can help you assemble color schemes.
With fonts, settle on just one or two, and make sure they match the tone of your
presentation. “You don’t have to stick to the fonts that you have in PowerPoint,” or whatever
program you’re using, says Jurczynski. “People are now designing and sharing fonts that are
easy to install in different programs. It’s been an amazing breakthrough.” Experiment. Try
swapping a commonly used font like Arial for Lato or Bebas, two of many lesser known fonts
available online. Most important: “Use a big enough font, which people often forget to do,”
advises Jurczynski. Your text has to be both legible and large enough to read from the back of
the room, he recommends — about 30 points or so.
BEFORE: Weak and hard-to-read font, muddy colors

AFTER: Strong font, color that’s striking but not jarring

3. Don’t settle for visual cliches

When you’re attempting to illustrate concepts, go beyond the first idea that comes to your
mind. Why? The reason it appears so readily may be because it’s a cliché. For example, “a light
bulb as a symbol for innovation has gotten really tired,” says Jurczynski. Other oft-used
metaphors include a bull’s-eye target or shaking hands. After you’ve come up with your symbol
or idea, he advises people to resist the lure of Google images (where there are too many low-
quality and clichéd choices) and browse other free image sites such as Unsplash to find more
unique visuals. One trick: If you do use stock, amp it up with a color overlay (as in the pic at the
top of this article) or tweak it in some other way to counteract — or at least muffle — its stock-i-
ness.
One potential source of pictures is much closer at hand. “If it fits the storyline, I encourage
people to use their own images,” says Jurczynski. “Like one TED Talk where the speaker, a
doctor, used photos of his experience treating people in Africa. That was all he needed. They
were very powerful.” Major caveat: Any personal photos must support your speech or
presentation. Do not squander your audience’s precious time by showing them a gratuitous
picture of your children or grandparents — beautiful as they may be.
BEFORE: Fake-looking stock photo to illustrate teamwork

AFTER: Eye-catching photo of nature to illustrate
teamwork
4. Don’t get bogged down by charts and graphs
Less is also more when it comes to data visualization. Keep any charts or graphs streamlined.
When building them, ask yourself these questions:
What do I want the audience to take away from my infographic?
Why is it important for them to know this?
How does it tie into my overall story or message?
You may need to highlight key numbers or data points by using color, bolding, enlarging or
some other visual treatment that makes them pop.
Maps are another commonly used infographic. Again, exercise restraint and use them only if
they enhance your talk. “Sometimes, people put a map because they don’t know what else to
show,” says Jurczynski. He suggests employing labels, color schemes or highlighting to direct
your audience where to look. He adds, if you have the skill or know an artist, “you may even
consider a hand-drawn map.”
BEFORE: Yikes! What’s important?!?
AFTER: The takeaway is clear
5. Don’t be scared of blank slides
It may seem counterintuitive, but at certain points in your speech or pitch, the best visual is
… no visual at all. “At the beginning, I was not a fan of blank slides,” says Jurczynski. “But the
more talks I’ve seen, the more a fan I am of them, because sometimes you want all the attention
on yourself and you don’t want people distracted by what they see in the slides. Or, you might
use them to give the audience a visual break from a series of slides. Or maybe you want to shift
the mood or tempo of the presentation.”
The blank slide is the visual equivalent of a pause, and most stories could use at least
one. And with blank slides, Jurczynski has one main “don’t”: “You cannot use white blank
slides, because if you do, people will see it and think something is broken.”
Casey Gerald speaks at TED2016 – Dream, February 15-19, 2016, Vancouver Convention
Center, Vancouver, Canada. Photo: Bret Hartman / TED
6. Do remember to practice
The easiest way to figure out if your slides really work? Recruit a colleague, friend or family
member, and run through your entire presentation with them. Sometimes, people can get so
carried away with rehearsing their delivery and memorizing their words that they forget to make
sure their slides complement and synch up with what they’re saying.
“Even if you have the best visuals in the world, you need to practice in front of someone
else. Once you start practicing, you may see, ‘I’m talking about a sad story, but on the slide
behind me, I have something funny and that doesn’t make sense,'” says Jurczynski. “Or, ‘Oh,
this could be a good place for a blank slide.’”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Miller manages curation for partner events at TED.

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6 dos and don’ts for next-level slides, from

a TED presentation expert

SHARE THIS IDEA

Want to prevent yawns and glazed-over eyes? Before you

1. Do keep your slides simple and succinct

BEFORE: Weak and hard-to-read font, muddy colors

AFTER: Strong font, color that’s striking but not jarring

3. Don’t settle for visual cliches

BEFORE: Fake-looking stock photo to illustrate teamwork

What do I want the audience to take away from my infographic?

Why is it important for them to know this?

How does it tie into my overall story or message?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Miller manages curation for partner events at TED.

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