Plan your slides last, not first!

We’ve all been there… asked to do a presentation so we immediately turn to Powerpoint, Google Slides or Keynote and start creating our slides.  Which we then use as our notes.

Can I suggest a different approach.   The only use for a slide (or any visual aid) is to reinforce what you have already said.  Otherwise they have the potential to distract the audience away from you… and importantly from your message.  

Remember the classic school activity “Show and Tell” ?   Reverse it - it should be “Tell and Show”.   Tell the audience what they’re going to see, and then show them.  That way, the audience marries the image to your words, and the message gets reinforced.  It’s simple, but effective.

This means planning your slides last, not first!   My recommendation is to write your content out, structure it well, and then – and only then – ask yourself “now what visuals have I got that could usefully reinforce this message?”.   Maybe you don’t have any.   Maybe… just for once… it could be you delivering the message, not your slides!  Which will make it far more engaging and memorable.