Most pitch decks don’t fail because of a weak idea. They fail because the slides get in the way of the story. Here are 5 simple, often overlooked techniques that keep the audience focused on you and your message, and remembering it long after you’ve left the stage.
โ๏ธ ๐๐ก๐ โ๐๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐โ
- If youโre presenting to a live crowd, at least 2 of your slides should have no text.
- This helps your spoken words take center stage (and gives the listeners a moment to absorb the info).
- Generate the best image
โ๏ธ ๐๐ก๐ “10-20-30” ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐
- 10 slides, 20 minutes, 30-point font.
- Remember: less is more. Aim for 3-5 bullet points per slide.
- Donโt just copy and paste your entire talk into a slide deck. If you do, use an LLM to edit it down.
๐ค “๐๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ซ๐โ
- The best slide decks tell a story (with data).
- Whoโs your target audience and what are their pain points?
- How does your product or service solve those?
- Whatโs the impact on their daily lives and goals?
- Build tension, create surprises, and resolve conflicts throughout the presentation to keep the audience engaged.
๐ ๐๐ก๐ “๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฌ”
- Apply this classic photography principle to your slide layouts.
- Divide your slides into thirds, both horizontally and vertically, and place key elements along these lines or at their intersections.
๐๏ธ ๐๐ก๐ โ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐โ
- End your presentation on a high note. Surprise your audience with something out of the ordinary (a live demo, a guest speaker, a virtual reality experience, you name it…)
- The goal is to create a memorable moment that sticks with them long after your presentation is over.