Your goal isn’t slides—it’s memory
Audiences don’t remember everything; they remember the one idea that changed how they think or what they do next.
Design your presentation backwards from that single, vivid takeaway. If someone meets your attendee in the hallway tomorrow
and asks, “What stuck?”, you should be able to predict the answer in one crisp sentence.
Sticky Thesis: Complete this sentence before you open your slide tool:
“After this talk, my audience will do X because they now understand Y.”
Open strong: claim attention in the first 30 seconds
People decide in half a minute whether to lean in or tune out. Start with a concrete contrast—a startling stat,
a short story, or a vivid before/after. Skip the long agenda slide. Instead, frame a problem your audience cares about,
and promise the useful path you will take to solve it. Your opening should create curiosity and show relevance.
- Contrast: “Last year, we spent 200 hours. This year, it took 20—here’s how.”
- Clock: Tell them what they’ll gain in the next 10 minutes, not everything you know.
Design for working memory: one idea per slide
Working memory is small. Overload it and recall collapses. Use the rule of one: one message, one visual, one action.
Use generous whitespace, plain language, and consistent layout. If you need a paragraph, you probably need a handout instead.
Put full sentences in your speaker notes and tight phrases on your slides.
- Typography: Large, readable text; high contrast; no wall-of-text bullets.
- Images: Choose purposeful visuals that explain, not decorate. Label directly on the chart.
- Accessibility: Check color contrast and provide meaningful alt text for essential graphics.
Tell a story: problem → tension → resolution
Narrative is a memory machine. Structure your talk as a journey: the current state, the stakes, and the path to a better state.
Use plain language and concrete examples your audience recognizes. For technical content, wrap complexity in a simple arc:
hypothesis, experiment, evidence, and decision. End each section with a micro-summary to lock in the gain.
- Problem: What’s broken and who’s affected?
- Tension: Why typical solutions fail (cost, time, risk).
- Resolution: What you did, what it proved, what to do now.
Delivery that lands: rehearse the transitions
Audiences experience your flow more than your facts. Practice out loud, standing, with a timer. Focus on transitions:
they’re where attention drops. Mark your script with intentional pauses and questions to re-engage the room. Keep gestures
relaxed, eyes up, and slides behind your voice. If remote, elevate the camera, light your face, and keep bandwidth-friendly visuals.
- Timing: End on time with a deliberate close—the last minute is what they’ll quote.
- Q&A: Repeat the question, answer briefly, and bridge back to your thesis.
Make it unforgettable: encode, rehearse, retrieve
Memory improves when content is easy to encode (clear structure), easy to rehearse (simple, repeatable phrases),
and easy to retrieve (distinct cues). Name your idea with a short handle (e.g., “3C model”), show a single definitive diagram,
and end with a specific call to action. Provide a one-page takeaway that mirrors your structure so people can teach it forward.
Slide checklist:
Title = message; one key visual; labels on chart; speaker note ≤ 90 seconds; next-step CTA on closing slide.
Recap (the hallway sentence)
If your audience remembers only this: “Design one message per slide, tell a simple story, and deliver with clear,
accessible visuals—then end with a specific action.” Put that sentence on your final slide and say it out loud as you close.