12 Ways to Eliminate “But I Need Everything On That PowerPoint Slide,” by Ken Lopez, The Litigation Consulting Report

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Have you ever heard any of the following during a PowerPoint presentation?

• ‘It may be hard to make out the details of this slide.’
• ‘I’m not sure if you can read this in the back of the room.’
• ‘In case you can’t read this, let me read it for you.’
• ‘I know there is a lot on this slide, but bear with me.’
• ‘Let me try to zoom in on this part of the slide [proceeds to fumble with remote]’

Of course you have heard these apologetic statements. If you are in the business world, you have probably heard them all. However, there is never an excuse to say these things whether in a boardroom or in a courtroom. As much as you may want everything you have to say about a key message on a single PowerPoint slide, as hard as it may be to imagine another way of doing things, I promise, you most definitely do not need everything (or even a lot) on one slide. And, you can still get your point across.

The number one video in my recent article The Top 14 TED Talks for Lawyers and Litigators 2014 as well as other articles I have written like 12 Reasons Bullet Points Are Bad and 7 Ways to Avoid Making Your PowerPoint Slides Your Handout describe methods for limiting the amount you put on your slide.

With all this said, it is important to remember that sometimes you just need everything on a slide. Sometimes it is an advantage. So, in this article, I want to offer twelve easy methods for eliminating PowerPoint slide clutter and focusing your audience’s attention on what matters – you and your message . . .