When you add text to your presentation, you are writing headlines. And headline writing is completely different from writing prose. Take the mind set of a headline writer when designing presentations.
- Space is limited, so keep it short:
- Avoid filler words
- Active, not passive verbs
- Find synonyms for long words
- But… keep them meaningful. Abstract, vague, generic text is a waste of space
- Take typography and layout into account. If things don’t fit, re-write the headline
- Watch weird line breaks
- Keep things balanced: 2 super short category descriptions followed by a long one means either making the first 2 headlines longer (yes), or - more likely - cut the 3rd one
- Watch out for orphans
Typography is a valid reason to re-write a headline! Try explaining that to your colleagues when the entire meeting room has settled for a slide title after an hour debate, and you say “sorry, does not fit in 2 lines”
Image from WikiPedia
