Ever heard of the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint (This thread till 9/n is sourced)

It’s quite simple

PowerPoint presentation should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points. 1/n

This rule is applicable for any presentation to reach agreement:

for example, raising capital, making a sale, forming a partnership, selling a business idea etc. 2/n

Ten is perhaps the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting. 3/n

If you must use more than ten slides to explain your business or idea, you probably don’t have a business or a worthwhile idea.

The ten topics that people normally care are 4/n

Problem
Your solution
Business model / proposed working structure
Underlying magic/technology
Marketing and sales / how do you plan to go about it
Competition / constraints
Team
Projections and milestones
Status and timeline
Summary and call to action 5/n

In a perfect world, you give your pitch in twenty minutes, & use the rest of the allotted time for discussions

The majority of the presentations normally have text in a 12/14 point font.

As much text as possible is jammed into the slide, and then the presenter reads it. 6/n

However, as soon as the audience figures out that you’re reading the text, it reads ahead of you because it can read faster than you can speak.

The result is that you and the audience are out of sync. 7/n

The reason people use a small font is twofold

First, that they don’t know their material well enough;

Second, they think that more text is more convincing.

This pitfall has to be avoided. 8/n

Force yourself to use no font smaller than thirty points and you are guaranteed that it will make your presentations better because it requires you to find the most salient points and to know how to explain them well.

Observe the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint and be a success. 9/n

Personally, I would request you to master the Art of 'Speaking Off the Frame'

This is done by the best TV on-field reporters (Not the idiots seen in Indian TV who scream as if their lives depend on it)

Watch carefully some of the finest Reporters carefully 10/n

They dont describe what is there in the visual, but add value to the visual and let the visual explain itself.

It is why Richie Benaud was respected as a TV Commentator.

He used to advice that

"If your words cannot add value to the visual, SHUT UP" 11/n

This is true of PPT too.

Your words ( Oral Presentation ) should add value to the Slides. And my take is that you should never look at the slides and turn your back. I never did when took classes/made presentation. 12/n

I KNOW what is there in my slides and can visualize without having to look at them

I always prepare my Slides.

Because I am comfortable with my logical reasoning for the flow of slides

Do not use multiple fonts, italics, underlining in your presentation. 13/n

Stick to one font and one size.

Font Size can vary for Headings and Tables

Dont use too many colours like the dance scene of any Indian Movie 14/n

Use a Standard Colour (85% Black. I avoid 100% Black. This advice was given by my Designer Student who is now Art Director of CNBC, Canada and he is right. Result is astounding) for Texts and just ONE SPOT COLOUR for headings/highlighting 15/n

And for God's sake do not use fancy animations. It breaks the flow of the presentation and eats up precious time

Standardize your slides for Consistency

Remember to KISS

Keep It Short and Simple n/n

PS: A Couple of points more

Divide the Slide into 4 quadrant and ensure pictures and graphs are in 1 or 2 of them across the Presentation PS1/2

Never adjust the pictures so that they become off - spec. Insert the Picture and format it with the same aspect ratio

Nothing irritates more than Gavaskar looking like Amitabh, and Vice Versa PS 2/2