Writing Slides That Communicate

The Slide That Says Everything and Communicates Nothing

In the previous lesson, we explored structuring a presentation that flows. Now let’s build on that foundation. You’ve seen it. A slide with the title “Key Findings,” followed by eight bullet points, each one a full sentence. The presenter reads them aloud. The audience reads ahead, finishes before the presenter, and zones out.

This is the default mode for 90% of presentations. It’s also the least effective way to communicate with slides.

Slides aren’t documents. They’re visual aids. They should complement what you’re saying, not duplicate it.

The One-Idea Rule

Every slide should communicate exactly one idea. Not two ideas that seem related. Not one idea with five supporting details. One idea.

How do you know if your slide has too many ideas? Apply the headline test:

Can you summarize this slide’s point in one sentence?

If yes, that sentence is your slide headline. If no, split the slide into multiple slides.

Writing Slide Headlines That Work

Most slide headlines are topic labels: “Market Overview,” “Next Steps,” “Financial Summary.” These are chapter titles, not messages.

Effective headlines make claims:

Use AI to transform your headlines:

Here are my current slide headlines:
1. [headline]
2. [headline]
3. [headline]
...

Rewrite each as a claim or takeaway, not a topic label.
Each headline should:
- State what the audience should take away
- Be under 12 words
- Work as a standalone sentence
- Make the audience want to see the evidence

When someone flips through your deck and reads only the headlines, they should get the complete argument. This is called the “headline test” and it’s the single most powerful slide-writing technique.

The Visual Hierarchy

Every slide needs a clear visual hierarchy: what the eye sees first, second, and third.

Level 1: The headline. The main takeaway. Largest text.

Level 2: The key visual or data. The evidence. A chart, image, or key number.

Level 3: Supporting details. Minimal text that adds context.

A common mistake is inverting this hierarchy: the title is small, the body text is large, and everything competes for attention. The result: nothing stands out.

Here's the content I need on this slide:
[paste all the information]

Organize it into visual hierarchy:
- Level 1 (headline): What's the single takeaway?
- Level 2 (key visual): What's the one piece of evidence
  or data that proves it? What visual could represent it?
- Level 3 (support): What minimal text is absolutely
  necessary for context?
- CUT: What can be moved to speaker notes or removed entirely?

Speaker Notes: Your Secret Weapon

Everything you want to say doesn’t belong on the slide. It belongs in your speaker notes.

On the slide: The headline and key visual. In the notes: Your talking points, transitions, stories, and supporting details.

This separation is crucial. When everything is on the slide, the audience reads instead of listening to you. When the slide shows a powerful image and a clear headline, they look at it briefly and then turn to you for the story.

Here's a text-heavy slide I need to fix:
[paste all the text currently on the slide]

Split this into:
1. SLIDE CONTENT: Just the headline (claim) and key visual
   suggestion
2. SPEAKER NOTES: The talking points I should say aloud,
   organized as brief bullet reminders
3. BACKUP: Information that could go in an appendix slide
   for Q&A if needed

Quick check: Before moving on, can you recall the key concept we just covered? Try to explain it in your own words before continuing.

Slide Types and When to Use Them

The Title Slide

Purpose: Orient the audience and set expectations. Contains: Presentation title (as a promise, not a label), your name, date.

The Assertion Slide

Purpose: Make a key point. Contains: Headline that states the claim, one visual or piece of evidence. This is your most common slide type.

The Data Slide

Purpose: Present evidence. Contains: Headline that interprets the data, one chart or graph, minimal labels. Rule: Never show a chart without telling the audience what it means.

The Quote Slide

Purpose: Add credibility or emotional impact. Contains: A short quote, attribution, minimal design. Use sparingly: More than two or three quote slides feels lazy.

The Transition Slide

Purpose: Signal a new section. Contains: The section title, perhaps a brief preview. Pairs with verbal signposting.

The Blank or Image Slide

Purpose: Full audience attention on you. Contains: Nothing, or a single powerful image. Use for: Important stories, emotional moments, key arguments.

Reducing Text: Practical Techniques

The 40-Word Test

Count the words on each slide (excluding the headline). If any slide exceeds 40 words, it needs cutting.

The “What Can I Say Instead?” Pass

For each bullet point, ask: “Could I say this aloud instead of showing it?” If yes, move it to speaker notes.

The Visual Replacement

For each text block, ask: “Could a photo, icon, chart, or diagram communicate this faster?”

I have these bullet points on a slide:
[paste bullets]

For each bullet, suggest:
1. Could it be replaced with a visual? (what visual?)
2. Could it be said aloud instead? (brief speaker note)
3. Is it essential, or could it be cut entirely?
4. If it must stay as text, how can it be shortened
   to under 8 words?

Before-and-After Examples

Example: The Status Update

Before (typical):

• Title: “Project Alpha Status Update”
• Bullet: “Development is 85% complete with 3 outstanding items”
• Bullet: “Testing phase begins next Monday”
• Bullet: “Two risks identified: vendor delay and resource conflict”
• Bullet: “Budget is on track at $247K of $280K allocated”
• Bullet: “Timeline may slip by 1 week due to vendor dependency”

After (effective):

• Headline: “Project Alpha ships March 15—one week behind original target”
• Visual: Simple timeline graphic showing current position
• Speaker notes contain all the detail from the original bullets

The before version makes the audience work to figure out the status. The after version tells them immediately.

Exercise: Transform Five Slides

Take five slides from an existing presentation (yours or a template).

For each slide:

1. Rewrite the headline as a claim
2. Apply the glance test: can someone get the point in 3 seconds?
3. Move text to speaker notes
4. Suggest a visual replacement where possible
5. Count the remaining words: under 40?

Use AI to help:

Here are 5 slides from my presentation:
[paste the content of each slide]

For each slide:
1. Rewrite the headline as a claim/takeaway
2. What's the one visual that could replace the text?
3. What text moves to speaker notes?
4. What gets cut entirely?
5. Rewrite the slide with only what remains

Key Takeaways

• One idea per slide, always; if you can’t summarize it in one headline, split the slide
• Write headlines as claims, not topic labels; the headline alone should tell the story
• Visual hierarchy: headline first, key visual second, minimal text third
• Speaker notes hold everything you want to say; slides hold what you want to show
• Apply the glance test: if it can’t be understood in 3 seconds, simplify
• 40 words maximum per slide (excluding headlines)

Next lesson: data storytelling and visualization. How to make numbers memorable.