Don't worry about the number of slides in your PowerPoint presentation. Make good slides with the audience in mind. Start by just splitting out your text. Then, look at other SlideShare lessons on great presentation design. After all this is a one-slide presentation across 37 slides.

1. Why you shouldn’t worry about the number of slides in your
P O W E R P O I N T
April 24, 2015

2. The
presentations out there

6. You didn’t
even notice
you just saw
that many
“slides”

7. ?Why

11. Bad Slide Good Slide
Watch 7 Rules for Creating Effective Slides: https://blog.dashburst.com/presentation/introduction-to-
presentation-design-7-rules-for-creating-effective-slides/

12. dc u tt r edc u tt r edc u tt r e
text.
Audiences
don’t want

14. Bad Good
While you are traveling
down this road there is a
chance that one or more
rocks of varying size may
fall from the slopes on
one or both sides of you.
You should always be
aware of this before you
travel this way so that you
are cautious of this
particular type of hazard.
Source: Why People Crave Infographics

16. “Buy my
company’s
insurance plan.”
“Do the math
problem like this.”
“Buy into my
business
strategy.”

18. Source: 13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics
People remember …

19. In our information overload society:
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consectetur leo. Proin tincidunt congue elit ut interdum. Duis porta
dignissim quam ut maximus. Ut finibus
• varius rutrum. Nulla f
• elis mauris, ullamcorpe
• r vel eleifend nec, efficitur vitae sem. Donec sed purus at
dolor consectetur sodales. Vestibulum nisl erat, tempor eu leo auctor,
posuere euismod augue. In eget lorem euismod, facilisis neque
efficitur, commodo lorem. Phasellus in ligula ac nisl consectetur
faucibus et at urna. Donec cursus, augue ac v

20. In our information overload society:
Source: 13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics

21. We should care about our lessons’ visual appeal because:
Source: 13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics

23. “ “

25. Laziness
It’s easier for me to write a bunch of
sentences than to craft a simple, visual
message. What about if I put my word
vomit in some kind of order?
I only have 2 days to throw together a
presentation. If I had more time, I’d
clean it up.
Putting my script onto slides helps
me stay on track.
Need for ControlIt needs lots of words because it’s going to be
emailed around the organization at some point.
I’m not always going to be there to defend it.
Bad Advice
My boss/ event organizer/ peer said to use 10
slides maximum to stay in the time limit.
My company is used to seeing typical
PowerPoints. It’s their “culture.” Anything else
will intimidate them and they’d tune out.
I don’t know how to make it look
“pretty” so I’ll slap in some clip art
when I’m done.
It’s the content and not the design that matters
most anyway. I’m trying to educate, not entertain.
The purpose is to be “informational.”
Selfish Presenting
Purpose Misconception
Unpreparedness
Lack of Skill
Insecurity

26. These are bad excuses

29. of thumb.

31. SIZE
oftheslidedeck
Simplicity & information design does.

32. SPLIT THE TEXT
Step 1

33. Step 2

35. If you’re feeling ambitious …
Step 3

36. (to name a few)

38. Intro:
• The best presentations out there contain an average of 63 slids.
• An episode of the Simpsons has 24,000 frames but you didn’t realize you saw that many “slides” because you saw
24,000 good slides, in logical order, back to back.
A good slide keeps the audience in mind, with simple visuals that get the point across faster unlike a bad one with lots of
cluttered text.
The point of any presentation is to teach something, whether it be in marketing, education or business. So make the
lesson easy for the audience to get. In our information overload society:
• your audience isn’t reaing your slide anyway
• People remember 100% of what they hear, 80% of what they see & do, 20% of what they read
• 28% words on page
• 80% willingness to read increased with color visuals
• Simple right? “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Einstein
Then why do we insist on cramming text into slides? 8 excuses for making bad slides:
• Laziness: It’s easier for me to write a bunch of sentences than to craft a simple, visual message. What about if I put my
word vomit in some kind of order?
• Unpreparedness: I only have 2 days to throw together a presentation. If I had more time, I’d clean it up.
• Selfish Presenting: Putting my script onto slides helps me stay on track.
• Lack of Skill: I don’t know how to make it look “pretty” so I’ll slap in some clip art when I’m done.
• Need for Control: It needs lots of words because it’s going to be emailed around the organization at some point. I’m
not always going to be there to defend it.
• Bad advice: My boss/ event organizer/ peer said to use 10 slides maximum to stay in the time limit.
• Insecurity: My company is used to seeing typical PowerPoints. It’s their “culture.” Anything else will intimidate them
and they’d tune out.
• Purpose Misconception
These are bad excuses that lead to ineffective presentations, no matter the topic, audience or purpose.
Rule of thumb:
• If your audience is human, size of a presentation doesn’t matter but simplicity and information design does.
• If you really want humans to remember your message, throw in colorful, meaningful pictures and play with fonts.
• If you’re feeling ambitious, learn more from slideshare.com presentations on truly great slide design.
Close:
After all, you just saw a one slide presentation in 38 slides. (By Whitney Power)

39. By: Whitney Power, MBA
@whitneylately
linkedin.com/in/whitneypower
whitney.power@gmail.com

40. Images/References
 Purple Ruler: http://www.readassist.ie/ruler/images/purple.png
 Simpsons Storyboard: http://www.quora.com/How-many-pages-of-drawings-does-it-take-to-make-a-20-min-cartoon-like-The-Simpsons
 Flip Book: http://www.thelocal.de/userdata/images/article/de/33793.jpg
 Thinking Man: http://listen-hard.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/thinking-man.jpg
 Audience: http://www.protoast.com/cty/roles/files/audience.gif
 Bad Slide/ Good Slide: https://blog.dashburst.com/presentation/introduction-to-presentation-design-7-rules-for-creating-effective-slides/
 Falling Rocks: “13 Reasons Why Your Brain Craves Infographics” Wh
 All Teaching Something: https://encrypted-
tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSz9bnyjU_spmtnLu3YHEg1pEpfFmYL8Ydjmfc0xBrhuOvOlRb3
 Now I Get It: https://morganelizabeth60.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/oh-i-see.jpg
 Hear, See, Do Read Icons: Fark.com http://img.fark.net/images/cache/850/l/lQ/fark_lQeEhqiqYR007pgA_nclTBcMB6I.jpg?t=s7h-
DdeH3kKwXPj_22USMw&f=1430712000
 Presenter Guy: http://churchm.ag/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/presentation-2.jpg
 Highlighted Paper: http://www.whydidyouwearthat.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/1_s.jpeg
 Einstein: http://cdn.dogomedia.com/system/ckeditor_assets/pictures/5186cf0b1860e00508005fd3/content_einstein.png
 Cramming Glass Slipper: http://media.offbeatempire.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/4/files/2015/12/cinderella584.jpg
 8 Excuses adapted from/ expanded to: http://scottberkun.com/2009/why-do-people-make-bad-slides/
 8 Excuses Smiley Icons: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SXovI7VB8rQ/UOmnKqAolhI/AAAAAAAAJFk/3ECYrCoY-IA/s1600/stubborn.png
 Bad Excuses Stick Man: http://faselshenstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Excuses-2.jpg
 Square Wheels: http://peopleprofits.com/sites/peopleprofits.com/files/Squared%20wheels%20-%20People%20Profits.jpg
 Rule of Thumb: https://mwaldrondotnet.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/rule-of-thumb-waldron.jpg
 Human Profiles: http://cdn.mysitemyway.com/etc-mysitemyway/icons/legacy-previews/icons/black-ink-grunge-stamps-textures-icons-
people-things/060150-black-ink-grunge-stamp-textures-icon-people-things-people-audience.png
 Colorful Wall: http://www.viewfacebookcovers.com/images/uploads/f2012112614.Colorful-Wood-Wall.jpg
 Cinderella Shoe Fit: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cinderella_glass_slipper_fitting.jpg