Building a Slide Deck

Image from Unsplash by Teemu Paananen

I’ve been fortunate to have had the experience of being on the international stage. The biggest audience might have been in one of the Asian countries, with over 5,000 people in the audience and 50,000 online.

For those who may be nervous about presenting — I’m in the same boat! I actually started as a foreigner, not speaking English very well and having to present in front of audiences. Over time, I’ve learned tricks to overcome the nerves.

Today I’m speaking specifically to developing the slides I’ve used while presenting. I always try to oversimplify things, but those who work with me know that everything that looks simple required a complex path! It takes time, energy, insights, and a whole lot of practice.

I gained insights that could potentially help you build slides for your presentations.

There is a difference between slides that you use for public consumption, and those for private consumption.

For public consumption, I try to keep my slides clean, clear, with simple messages. My presentations will always have an initial slide indicating the name of the presentation, and the organization to which I am presenting.

Then I move on to some type of agenda — what will be covered over the course of the day, to make sure we are all on the same page. Then I always ask any…