Little Red Schoolhouse Supporting Presentations with Written Slides Greg Colomb The University of Virginia

AGENDA The Role of Slides in a Presentation The Structure of Effective Presentations The Structure of Effective Slides The Language of Effective Slides

AGENDA The Role of Slides in a Presentation The Structure of Effective Presentations The Structure of Effective Slides The Language of Effective Slides

AGENDA The Role of Slides in a Presentation The Structure of Effective Presentations The Structure of Effective Slides The Language of Effective Slides

Listeners Need a Framework Even More than Readers Focuses them on the “So What?” What’s my role here? Why should I care? What will I get from this? Structures listening Keeps audience focused on the story line Identifies priorities, organizing principles Helps them ask informed questions Defines deliverables What do you want me to do or think? What’s worth remembering here?

Tell Listeners What to Expect • Effective Presentations Tell a Story So . . . Effective Introductions Announce Main Characters • Effective Presentations Make an Argument So . . . Effective Introductions Announce Key Concepts • Effective Presentations Lead to an Outcome So . . . Effective Introductions Announce What’s At Stake

Most of All, Listeners Need to Know What’s at Stake •Listeners understand better and remember more when they have a specific motivation for following you. Moreover, what they understand and remember depends on what motivates them to listen. •You can use several methods to ensure that your audience is motivated to read in a way that serves your purposes, but the easiest and most effective is to frame your deck as a solution to a problem that your audience has and needs to solve.

AGENDA The Role of Slides in a Presentation The Structure of Effective Presentations The Structure of Effective Slides The Language of Effective Slides

MANUFACTURING CONFIGURATION Differences in plant capability & capacity between Zorax and Abco Lower portion of plant production than Zorax Scale and technology leadership advantage to Zorax plants, which are typically located in low-cost sourcing regions Current distributed manufacturing network hampered by specialized functions that require extensive shipping of product and raw materials, at a raw product cost disadvantage in West and East Significant problems with proposed strategic plan Lack of best demonstrated practice/technology in plants means lower productivity levels than benchmark competitors Result is significant manufacturing cost disadvantage vs. Zorax

ABCO MANUFACTURING DISADVANTAGES Low Capacity, Overspecialized Functions, Flawed Plan Abco has less production capability and capacity than Zorax • Commits less to own plant production • Locates plants in higher-cost sourcing regions • Yields scale and technology leadership to Zorax Its plant network is hampered by specialized functions • Requires extensive shipping of product and raw materials • Results in higher costs for raw products in West and East Its proposed strategic plan has significant shortcomings • Fails to establish best demonstrated practice/technology • Sets lower productivity levels than benchmark competitors

Slides Have A Rhetorical Geography Each Part Has a Distinct Function Title: Makes the Point Sub-title: Tells Readers What to Look for Main Body Point • body sub-point • supporting detail Main Body Point • body sub-point • body sub-point • supporting detail Take-away Box: Draws a concluding inference or sets up next slide

The Title Makes The Point Of The Slide Do use it to make the point of the slide, your value-added anticipate the body of the slide - words predict concepts in each main sub-point - words at end of the title most emphatic connect that slide to the previous one - begin it with words that connect it to the previous slide Don’t use it to name a general topic

THE SUB-TITLE INTERPRETS THE BODY Do use it to: Tell readers what to look for in the body of the slide, particularly complex visual or quantitative data predict key concepts in the body of the slide Don't use it to make the point of the slide draw an inference to be developed in next slide LRS: Designing Slides

THE TAKE-AWAY BOX ANSWERS “SO WHAT?” AND “WHAT NEXT?” Do use it to draw an inference or conclusion make a transition to the next slide Don't use it to fit in what doesn't fit elsewhere add an afterthought

AGENDA The Role of Slides in a Presentation The Structure of Effective Presentations The Structure of Effective Slides The Language of Effective Slides

Apply LRS Principles to Slides 1. The fewer the abstract nouns the better 2. The more characters down the left hand side of the slide, the better 3. When the character is the same, the more verbs down the left hand side of the slide, the better 4. Be sure to make the RIGHT character the subjects of verbs 5. Familiar units of information to the left — usually characters or their actions, unfamiliar information to the right