Keeping Slides Brief

1. Keeping Slides Brief and the FOCUS on YOU

2. You ARE the PRESENTATION • the members of your group do the speaking • they give the details • they explain • they FILL IN the blanks not on the slides

3. SLIDES are an ENHANCEMENT • they should NOT say everything YOU do • they should only HIGHLIGHT your main ideas • they should be BRIEF and to the POINT

4. You say: “The first thing we noticed about this poem was that it was from the point-of-view of a mother speaking to her son.” Slide view: Mother’s perspective Speaking to son The phrase was reduced to 2 short bulleted phrases. From Long to Brief

5. You say: “The line ‘old age sticks’ could mean that it doesn’t ever go away. It could also be leading up to something ‘old age’ sticks up.” Slide view: “sticks” = always “sticks” = places The 2 sentences were reduced to a “formula”. I would SAY the line first, of course. From Long to Brief

6. Reducing words on SLIDES • focuses audience on YOU, the speaker • makes slides easier to FOLLOW • allows YOU to elaborate and explain what you KNOW • helps you keep better EYE CONTACT (see 3)

7. Ways to REDUCE 1 • Copy current ideas from slides onto cards • Take out KEY ideas and leave only those on the slides • Use cards to ELABORATE and FILL IN the details while giving your presentation

8. Ways to REDUCE 2 • If slides are REDUCED, write out ideas on note cards • add more details to note cards • what more can you say to • explain • give detail • connect with other ideas presented

9. Ways to REDUCE 3 • If no slide yet, write out ideas in FULL on card or paper • reduce first by discussion or individually • use reduced ideas on slide

10. Odds and Ends • Title Slide ≠ Written Introduction • Use strong visual image for introduction and conclusion • Relate to what is spoken • Choreograph each member’s speaking with the slides