The purpose of your slides is primarily to provide the audience a guide to the story; and secondly to give you visual prompts for delivering your message.
It’s hard for most presenters to imagine they will know what to say, or that the audience will get the message if there is little information on the screen. But I guarantee that you can always simplify your slides.
Take a look back at your Post-its. If anyone else looked at them, chances are they’d have a hard time deciphering the phrases and ideas you’ve scribbled down. However, if they asked you what each note meant, you’d have explanations for everything instantly at hand.
As you convert your Post-it notes into PowerPoint, keep this firmly in mind. In the slides, place concise expressions of what you want to communicate and, in parallel, spend time to think about the kind of words and phrases you’ll use verbally to expand on them.
Resist the temptation to expand into detail and just think carefully through what you are going to say for each point. See the connections between the ideas in your message and express this in your slide content.
A classic and powerful method to avoid too many words is using an image instead. If you do, ensure that the image is relevant to your story and is an easy prompt for you to expand your message.
The stuff on screen is important, but not nearly as important as what you are going to say and how you are going to say it. That’s why this book focuses heavily on your preparation and delivery, and less on what you are actually going to show.
Believe it or not, they’re coming to see you, not your slides.
“Once you get the right image the details aren’t that important.”
Abbie Hoffman (activist)