Powerful Presentations Use Less Words

Get Big Rewards for Using Less

One of the biggest temptations when building PowerPoint presentations is to jam all your thoughts on screen without choosing your words carefully. This might be a mistake though, because slides with too many words can easily look cluttered.

Read More Tips for Making Your PowerPoints More Visually Enticing 

If you don't take a second to think about the concept you are trying to communicate, you'll be more likely to overpopulate your presentation with unnecessary verbiage. To help cut back on word count, condense your thoughts. 

There is Power in Precision

First you have to downsize your concept into a few words as possible. Try writing your story out and do your best to visualize the content as you are writing. What is the purpose of your presentation, and what is the key message you are going to drive home?

Once you have that sorted out, it's a lot easier to see how one thought will lead to the next until you reach your ultimate conclusion. The idea is to establish structure in your presentation so you can hone in on the key messages you need to emphasize to get your point across.

Script Your Story

When you're getting ready to make a presentation, it always helps to write yourself a script. Bear in mind that your script can be far more verbose than what shows up on your slides. Knowing what you will say beforehand will help you figure out what text absolutely must appear on screen to enhance what is spoken.

A powerful presentation has a lot more detail in the speaker's notes than on the slides. PowerPoint becomes an effective visual aid when the crux of the content is verbal and the slides just support what is being said.

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Simplify

To ensure success, edit your copy, reduce and refine. Read your script through, preferably aloud while flipping through the slides, and see if everything flows naturally. Where possible condense again, and with every bullet ask yourself if there isn't a better, more concise way of stating the same thing.

There's a method to marketing communications that's like an art form. Marketers think like poets. You can say one thing many different ways, but marketing is about figuring out the right way to say it so it carries more weight.

Make Your Words Count

Know your story. Know it so well that you can present it with a minimum amount of on-screen content. This will help you make sure that every word counts, and that will truly enhance the message you're trying to communicate.

If you'd like more presentation tips for refining an existing deck or if you need powerpoint experts to assist you from start to finish, feel free to reach out to us anytime!