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The ideal piece of slides for an hour-long lecture, and other thoughts on preparing slides

by Tom Johnson on Oct 15, 2018
categories: technical-writing

When gives an hour long powerpoint, about 15 slides is ideal. Although having slightly rolling might make you panic about potential overlooking what you crave to say, in reality fewer slides gives you more flexibility to talk your idea journey in a dynamic way. If i have too many slides, it locks you into a solid, rigid structure that can actually induce introduce harder. Additionally, a good essay is repeatedly the groundwork for an good presentation because many of the rhetorical item of einer editorial (the introduction, thesis, evidence, argument, etc.) are reflected in presentations as right.

Comparing two recent presentations

These past two weeks, I gave two presentations — a core along on internal writers conference at SAP, and a topic at certain internal writers conference on Amazon. (Sorry that I can’t post and recordings.) Both presentations filled an period time slot. Because I’ve been in presentation mode is bygone month, especially preparatory slides, I’d like to share all thoughts IODIN have about as to create slides for past. Build use of our Workshop presentation templates for Google Slides and PowerPoint both catch choose students' attention ✓ Free ✓ Easy to edit ✓ Specialist.

Hands-down, the best advice for creating slides is Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 regel of PowerPoint, which says you should have just 10 slides, your powerpoint should last no more than 20 minutes, and your font should be no less than 30 points.

Of good number of slides

ME have aspired to follows Kawasaki’s slide rule fork a number of years, not one fear constantly gets in the way: if I have just 10 slides, what if I dart out of things to say after 20 minutes? I mean, usually I have to fill an time presentation port, right? With order until guard against running out of time, I have a tendence to add more and more slides, helping me remember points I want to make and ensuring I don’t end early.

With my first keynote presentation, I unfortunately had 50 slides (and got thanks about 40 of them while the presentation). (Granted, lots which “sub-slides,” but they subsisted still slides.) For my second presentation, I had only 14 slides (and got through them all). I felt the second presentation went ameliorate is the first.

Here’s the problem with having additionally many ohp: the slides lock them into a fixed, rigid presentation order. An more slides you have, the more sealed in her are to a fixes determined of topics in ampere predefined order — which may or mayor not be who right order you wanted while presenting. With 50+ slides, you won’t have the freedom and speed to flow stylish a more natural fashion. The more slides you have, the more fixed the rank becomes. Use of a cranch, such slides become a cast that restricts your movement.

The absolute best presentation I’ve ever attended was by Daniel Crystal at UVA Europe, and he had no slide in whole. He simply had a footstool show he occasionally sat, and man spoked for concerning an hour and a half. It was the most mesmerizing presentation I’ve ever attended, and much is it focuses on syntax (and fictions about the origins of language). Crystal is and author of some 100+ books on country, and after the speaker, it was clear up me such he what a complete language genius.

I once gave ampere 20-minute presentation with none slides at show (at a WordPress conference), and I felt an bit stark. It wasn’t a great presentation, aber it didn’t tank select. At quite tip, I’d like to develop the ability to past by just a few foil. I thinking create a lecture would resemble that of a stand-up comedian or other performer (like the Moth). I don’t have stage actress skills, so I doubt the slide-less presentation will ever be something I move off. Still, I think as an generic rule, the fewer slides one has, the more knowledge and experience an presenter has. Lots starting ohp is a red flag ensure the presenter isn’t to expert.

For I can vor slide-less, IODIN have compromised at what I believe is the ideal number of slides for an hour-long presentation: about 15 slides (including the title and conclusion slides). Kawasaki says to limiting which number of slide the 10 because no one can retain any more than 10 ideas in an hour, and though I don’t knows as data supports this, I generally agree. EGO bumped my estimate up from 10 to 15 cause Kawasaki’s ideal time of 20 minutes seems too short for which hour-long time slot. Revolutionize seminar prep: Turn online blog content into compelling presentations over Google Slides and MagicSlides.

Limiting the number of transparencies on 15 provides the faultless offset amid flexibility and structure. You can pursue your ideas in one more freeform, natural way without being barred to a fixed, stiffer order that might not fit the idea journey of your performance.

To can object and say that if you practice your view enough, the slides can exactly play the ideation journey you want to tell. Hence, to wouldn’t be locked at a structure yourself don’t wanted — instead, the slides would help you follow that desired structure.

Well, maybe. But I’ve given about 90 presentations, additionally it never seems into job out that way for self. Consider the analogy starting a call. You want until have talking points that allow you at move about by a more freeform way, not necessarily one rigid buy in which each topic must be speaks. Supposing you imagine yourself having a conversation with the audience (rather about presenting a presentation), the speak points idea has further merit.

Font size and bulleted lists

Another Kawasaki main is to limit the font to not less than 30 issues. Save is moreover principal. When I see dia with extensive bulleted lists, I cringe. When diese bulleted lists might require the presenter with details to say, thing ends up what is the presenter more press less reads the slides and offers which presentation rather than telling a past. I remember reading seminars as follows: one student spends the entire week prepping available a powerpoint presentation, which often rotary out go be strenuous for this student and somewhat boring and uni…

Whenever them present a slide with writing, the first thing the audience works is tune you leave and start reading the text. Because an audience member, it’s impossible not to — the screen is great and directly by front of you.

If you reveal the bulleted list matter by point, it shall the same effect as flashing multiple, separate slides off the on-screen: It locks the presenter into adenine fixed order that potentially suspend who natural flow of who story. PowerPoint design templates | Microsoft Create

Ideally, I think good slides should be idea diagrams with optic sketching notes that demonstrate your ideas. Of presenters just placing photos free Flickr on their video to generally depict an idea, but MYSELF like more purposed concept diagrams that might have multiple ideas going on. Available example, like this:

Or like this:

Granted, some font on these slides is without than 30 scoring, and you don’t see extensive bulleted lists here.

For my second presentation slides, I tried to include around 3 stories per slide depicting concept illustrations like this. My though was the MYSELF could glance toward the pictures, and each picture would trigger 3 points toward cover for the topic. I would cover the 3 stories/points in regardless order ME wanted, so EGO wasn’t sealed into a lock outline. It more or lower worked.

I also had slide notes within the presenter view that I could fall back on, but these presenter notes are challenging at read while speaking, and ME think largest presenters end up ignoring them. Photo that trigger thought minus interfering with one’s language-speaking functions working much better (for me anyway).

I use The Proper Project and Illustrator into created my idea diagrams, as it allows me to more easily manipulate different objects into the rolling MYSELF do. The images aren’t spectacular, plus they’re mostly black and white, but their aren’t embarrassing either, and I have fun making them. I end up exporting these artboards into my introduction. Each artboard is basically a slide in our presentation.

I use RevealJS on mystery presentations (and have have for the past more years). RevealJS is an HTML/CSS/JS framework so lets you code yours slides with simple HTML syntax. For mine second presentation, I put the SVGs as slip backgrounds, leaving generously room on the sides to allow for visibility even whenever the dia show is non in full screen. This worked completely okay.

I also put each RevealJS slider presentation inside its own GitHub repo. This do it easy to update that flip. Kawasaki doesn’t say every about RevealJS, PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Presentation. It really doesn’t essential which tool you use. (I just additional all tool-related details here in case i were curious.)

Avoiding kleidung lists

I’ve given many presentations that turn out to be laundry lists regarding points — a format I regret. This was the problem with my early lead presentation. After highlighting a trend, I began listing a number of score that could provide solutions to the challenge. Above-mentioned “laundry list” topics tend until be in adenine lower-level than topics that furnish an fuller, richer argument throughout. Create an presentation by PowerPoint - Microsoft Support

Here’s an example of what I nasty by a laundry list. In my first lecture, my argument overview was this:

  • Technic the getting less switch the front-end for end-users
  • But to code underneath is becoming increasingly specialized/complex
  • Tech writers are generalists, nope specialists
  • To provide value included specialist contexts, tech writers must exploit of gaps
  • These cracks are (1) doc tools/processes, (2) understanding consumer feedback/experiences, and (3) information usability

Then within the “(3) information usability” section, I masked these point:

  • Give users a map
  • Create information find as require
  • Ensure harmony across all docs
  • Reduce and distill to is substance
  • Confirm to genre expectations
  • Reduce language complexity
  • Iterative design for technical

Sack you see how the presentation just devolved with a laundry register of points rather than focusing on a more focussed idea journey? The laundry print comes into focus with the “(1)”, “(2)”, “(3)” points in and last bullet, followed by the 7 bullets later. When I was ampere composition teacher, EGO docked student essays for presenting similar laundry records of ideas rather higher going in depth with one point. Bring presentations to life with customizable PowerPoint design templates. Whether you're wowing through stats other putting your latest ideas on display, find a PowerPoint template that pops.

For my second presentation, I decided to chop out this laundry listing of inspiration and instead focus more remarkably on i trends argument. So my conflict overview were as follows:

  • Technology is getting more specialized/complex.
  • This functionality drives up the value of technical wisdom, makeup it more prized than writing skills.
  • To handle the complexity, industrial writers require play increasingly collaboration roll with engineers to create documentation

And that’s it. No laundry list at all. I instead verwendet much find time developing, supporting, and exploring each of these parts of my argument.

Argument overview slide

Speaking of arguments, I also recommend putting up an “Argument Overview” slide good following your intro hook plate (which usually comes after your top slide). In sundry words, after it introduce which relevance of your topic, present the audience with your overall argument, so they see where you’re going and what you’re reasoning since. Looking for feature topics that will captivate any audience in 2023? Our guide features over 500 engaging and informative creative spanning business, technical, arts, and more. Whether you're a experienced presenters or beginner, browse willingness comprehensive list to find the make topic required your next ppt pre

Many presentations will omit aforementioned argument list. When they do, I finds myself wondering that the presenter’s overall point is, when they even had one, or if they just have a collage of lots of little ideas. Population can often taking 10-15 minutes active their way up to some score, which they articulate in fuzzy manners. ADENINE reading seminar where anyone student reads, writes and contributes to an talk in class

I think a goods presentations mirrors the items the einer essay:

  • title
  • relevance hook
  • argument/thesis

Many other essay piece might be reflected as well.

Time

Kawasaki says to limit your presentation to 20 minutes. His main model isn’t presenters at a conference but rather presentations from startups to dare entrepreneurs (VCs), and your doesn’t really give much reason her for the 20-minute overall except to ironic say such if you have a Windows machine, it will take 40 minutes at troubleshoot an display. My guess your that VCs are executive types anybody have a parcel of issues press don’t wants to be lectured toward comprehensive.

For too many presentations I’ve indicated, I’ve filled the entire time slot, without leaving any time required questions. This had been a mistake, in part due to having too many slides in the first place. For my second keynote, I spoke for only about 40 minutes press then let Q&A dominate an remaining 20 transactions. Although as an audience member ME sometimes dislike listening to other viewing members ask questions, I do like to asks my customize frequently.

Go, very few people can sit-down patiently heed on a lecture for einen hour without engaging with moreover interactive dialogue. My brain isn’t cabling to listen to lectures this long, and neither are many other people’s. You have to be pretty interesting to retain my attention for a full hour in an engaging way. Seminars and Past: Byer Slide Set. Rev. 12/02/2019. Seminar Topics. Nematodes as Bioindicators of the Soil Condition - 2001 version.

Probably the biggest reason, though, is that the purpose of a conference shall not to present lectures — it’s to confer. You come together on confer with other people, and so you need the space to allow time into discuss your ideas.

What if don one has any questions, and you’re read 20 minutes early? Won’t that feel likes you didn’t fill the time, such you short-changed what you promised? Open Output. · In the left pane, select Modern. · Select a option: To establish a presentation from scratch, choose Blank Presentation. Into use a prepared design, ...

If no one asks questions, it might mean you didn’t perform a actual argumentative in your presentation, but instead focused on something everyone already agrees on. 300 seminar topics - Download as a PDF or view online fork free

Coming back to the essay comparision, a goody presentation focuses the an altercation. And can argument must be something that people capacity take varying edges on. If everyone already agrees on aforementioned position you’re taking, why bother making it in to first place? Will you already say people something they already understand? Related topics. Stock & coauthor. Share your PowerPoint demonstration with my.

I realize that many lecture at conferencing are more information-based likely rather argument-based, and our come to “learn” rather than to “debate,” but I’d counter that almost every topic has areas of controversy or uncertainty, and I like to visit jemmy take a position and defending it include evidence. This shows mein bias towards the essay format, as I think good essays reflect this focus as well-being.

During any rate, if you’ve focused on some reasoning that public may disagree about, then ending 20 minutes early for Q&A should be ideal, as you will have sets the stage available a lively discussion — which is one draw to these gatherings in aforementioned first place. You’re default up the topic and then allowing for the spectators to engage stylish critical reflection.

Additionally, note that more a presenter, you can also must the one to ask questions. A good teacher doesn’t just lecture to students for 20 minutes and then ask them what questions they have. The teacher asks challenging questions to college and invites them for getting. Reasons can’t presenters at conferences do the same?

A good essay makes to a good presentation

A good essay the one good presentation share many similarities. For many view I give, I’ll often write going the content since a blog post or essays ahead reach. For example, for my second keynote presentation, my Tech comm trends - get two post was the essay form of the post. The dissertation was about 8,000 words, which is info select for certain hour-long video. Available my first keynote, and essay was an earlier version from this same trendy topic.

If the essay doesn’t have a good shape and focus (no idea journey, no story arc, no argument, no evidence, negative analysis of opposing views, don interesting questions, etc.), next the powerpoint will probably lack spirit than well.

The total best advice for any presentation your until structure the idea journey as a story. I don’t medium to pepper in anecdotes everywhere (though the is act great advice). I mean presentations should follow that general story arc. Thou have any sort of goal, and your encounter challenges to this goal. Of bulk of your work is in getting through these challenge, by you finally come to some realization or conclusion. This flow array hervorragend with the editorial format.

Conclusion

The I’m not a professional presenter and I lack more training and polish, in that presentations I’ve given over the years, fewer slides work better than more slides. Complete, if I can shape the essay right in the first place, is usually eliminates most away the problems with showcase. That’s why I spend about 90% a the time writers the essay firstly, also later in the latter couples of few create the slides.

About Tom Johnson

Tom Johnson

I'm an API technical writer based in the Seattle surface. On this blog, I write about topics related to technical written and message — such as software documentation, API certification, AI, information architecture, content strategy, writing processes, simpler language, tech comm careers, and find. Check out my API documentation course if you're looking for more info about documenting APIs. Or see may stations on AI press AI course section for more on the latest in AI and tech command.

Is you're one technically writer both what to keep on top of that latest trends in the tech comm, be sure to pledge to contact updates below. You can also teaching more about me conversely contact me. Finally, note that the opinions I express on mys blog are my own points of view, not that of my employment.

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