Just one more slide, then another… ???? The result? 64 slides for a 30-minute presentation? Ouch! In a world saturated with content, let's not fall into the trap of the overly dense, complex, and overloaded PPT. 🎯 The PPT is not a report, it is a persuasive tool.
But then, how can you prevent your audience from getting overwhelmed? How can you detoxify your PPT without oversimplifying it? 📊 Let us remember that strategic communication is not about showing everything, but rather about prioritizing. ✂️ Ready to delete slides, eliminate charts, cut digressions, streamline explanations and simplify your presentations?
Tip #1 – One idea per slide
Please, if you only remember one thing, remember that one slide represents one idea! If your slide exceeds 7 words in the title and 20 words in the body, red alert. The human brain hates information overload, so clarify your key messages and keep them to just one per page. And of course, beware of slides that add nothing…
🤖 AI as reinforcement? Simply ask the AI to summarize your slide into a single message. If it's not what you expected, then the exercise needs to be repeated.
Tip #2 – Delete one-third of the PPT
The trick? Cut 30% of your PowerPoint presentation—that's one slide out of every three! It seems like a lot, but that's because you often add a lot of material just to be safe, simply to reassure yourself. But is what reassures you as a communicator really relevant to the rest of the world? So duplicate your presentation and delete, delete, delete!
🤖 AI as reinforcement? Benefit from its objective perspective, free from emotional attachment. Artificial intelligence will identify redundant or secondary slides! It's essential to distinguish between information that provides comfort and information that is truly necessary.
Tip #3 – Zero paragraphs
A visual presentation doesn't replace an oral presentation; it simply complements it. Therefore, eliminate paragraphs. Bullet points and short sentences are fine. Full text is not! If your idea requires explanation, it's up to you to provide it, not your already overloaded slide.
🤖 AI as reinforcement? Why not ask AI to transform your paragraph into 3 impactful bullet points + 1 decisive punchline?
Tip #4 – Space!
You're going to think we're being harsh… After saying goodbye to 30% of your presentation, we're going to ask you to remove one visual element per slide. Yes, we're sure there's a useless icon, a secondary line that adds nothing, or even a little explanatory text that just won't budge! Space isn't emptiness; it's a reassuring structure that helps with understanding.
🤖 AI as reinforcement? « Hey ChatGPT, how can we visually simplify this slide? "The advantage is that AI will be able to offer you schematic content. The most important thing is to remember that a slide needs white space, hierarchy, and a clear focal point."
Tip #5 – Interpreted data
That's precisely it: the data needs to be interpreted! If your presentation contains a raw table or graph, it's up to you to simplify it and explain the main point. This interpretation must be highly visible; it can take the form of a title or a highlighted sentence.
Finally, just like one slide = one idea, never forget that a A graphic = a message.
🤖 AI as reinforcement? Ask the AI what key insight or major trend lies behind your data. Then, remove the secondary data and interpret it!
Tip #6 – Focus on architecture and structure
Structure before you design! Why? Because a beautiful but poorly structured PowerPoint presentation remains confusing. To avoid any confusion, a presentation must be clearly structured: a context, a problem, a solution, and its impact. If the logic isn't clear on paper, how can it possibly be clear in the PowerPoint presentation?
🤖 AI as reinforcement? If the structure is unclear, the design won't save anything. To clarify your process, you can rely on ChatGPT's expertise, for example by asking it to...Structure the content into a logical, strategically oriented narrative. The goal is not to make the AI think for you, but to take into account its perception of blind spots and logical breaks.
Tip #7 – Action and decision!
The role of any presentation is to move from description to decision-making! If your audience, after viewing your PowerPoint, doesn't know what to decide, it's a failure. Want to know the practical tip from the We Are COM team? Simplify your audience's task by concluding each section with a "recommendations" slide.
🤖 AI as reinforcement? Well, just ask the AI to identify strategic recommendations in a concise way and simply integrate them into your presentation.
Tip #8 – A Plan B for Turning Back
Did you know? The actual presentation time is always shorter than planned. Don't ask us why; it's another great mystery in the world of communication. But knowing this, you can anticipate and prepare a plan B! Create an ultra-short version of your PowerPoint presentation, a "10 Essential Slides" presentation. We promise, if you have to present everything in 15 minutes, you'll thank us.
🤖 AI as reinforcement? Fewer slides mean even less space for information. Artificial intelligence can be your ally, helping you simplify your wording. Condense your messages and make an impact in record time!
Images: Freepik
