slidedocs by duarte
DESCRIPTION
Slidedocs by Duarte. We added contrast to the main text — used black instead of grey color.TRANSCRIPT
SlidedocsSpread ideas with
effective visualdocuments
bynancyduarte
2©Duarte,Inc.2014
+ Content Creation
+ Case Study: Dense Slides Converted
+ Architecture of a Slidedoc
+ Data and Diagrams Clarify Content
+ Case Study: SAP Top 10
+ Visual Systems Unify
+ Case Study: “Power of Story”
+ Grids Add Structure
+ Breathe With White Space
+ Typesetting Amplifies What’s Important
+ Printing and Projecting Slidedocs
+ Distributing Slidedocs
+ Case Study: From Cinematic to Slidedoc
+ Spread Big Ideas With Slidedocs
TABLE OF CONTENTS
+ The Call for Conversations
+ Reintroducingthe Slidedoc
+ Connecting With Your Audience
+ Case Study: Docs to Slidedocs
TheCaseforSlidedocs
WritingaSlidedoc
DesigningaSlidedoc
DeliveringaSlidedoc
01 02 03 04INTRO
Pages 137–159Pages 99–136Pages 37–98Pages 9–36Pages 3–8
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COMMUNICATION HAS CHANGED
Businessismovingfasterthanever.Employeesareconstantlyaskedtodoalittlebitmore,alittlebitfaster.
Thisobsessionwithpacehascausedustoweedoutinefficiencyonnearlyeverylevel,especiallywhenitcomestocommunication.
Internet and mobile communications have reconditioned people to prefer consuming information in small chunks.
Shortblogpostsgetthemosttraffic.Youcanbarelyfitacoupleofsentencesinatweet.Andtextmessagesusuallyonlytakeupalineortwo.
In the process, we’ve all but killed long-form business communications.
Today,contentnotboileddowntoitsessenceisatime-waster.Long,detailed,multipagedocumentsofprosetaketoolongtoreadbetweene-mailsandmeetings.So,weignorethemuntilourschedulesallowalongblockoftimeforconsumingdenseinformation—ifthattimeevercomes.
LINK:PICTORIALLEARNING
LINK:MULTIMEDIALEARNING
LINK:SCIENTIFICSTUDY
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SHORTER COMMUNICATION IS THE NEW NORM
Asaresult,shorter,tighter,visualcommunicationisthego-tomethodforgettingeverybodyonthesamepagequickly.Peoplelearnconceptsbetterwhentheyseepicturescombinedwithprose.Therefore,visualmedialikepresentationsareusedmorereadily.
SincefirststartingDuarte,Inc.in1988,I’vewatchedthistrendtowardcommunicatingvisuallyintensify.Inourearlyyears,wecleanedupslidesfrompeoplewhoweredesperatenotsomuchtogiveaverbalpresentation,buttoexpresstheirideasvisuallyandspreadthemthroughouttheirorganization.
The best way to spread visual ideas is through slides. The slide format makes it easy for people to capture great ideas and share them.
AtDuarte,we’doftenseeslideswehadvisualizedreusedinhundredsofdifferentpresentationswithintheorganization.Greatslidesspread.
Theseshort,tight,atomicbitesofcontenthavebecomethedefaultwayofvisuallycommunicatingideas.
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USERS NEED A BETTER WAY
We’veallseentheslidetotheleft.Worseyet,we’veallhadthisslidepresentedtousatonetime.
Theseodd,projectedmisdeedsareprobablyoneofthemosthateddigitalartifactsinbusinesstoday.They’rehatedbecausetheyfailtoaccomplishtheirpurpose,whichistocommunicateideasclearlyandeffectively.
Butthere’sareasonbehindwhypeoplemaketheseslides.First,thedefaulttemplatesinPowerPoint®encouragetheircreation.
Second,presentationsoftwareistheeasiestwaytocombinetextandvisuals,soithasbecomethedefaultvisualcommunicationplatform.
Third,peopleneedtheirideastobeunderstoodontheirownwithoutthehelpofapresenter.
Programs like PowerPoint® were created to make slide presentations, so users feel they need to project what they create. Many files should not be projected, but read instead.
Lovelysparseslidesareperfectasavisualaidwhenpresenting.However,inmanycases,youraudiencewouldbebestservedbycreatingadocument—butnotjustanydocument.
PowerPoint®isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.Allrightsreserved.
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SLIDEDOCS™: A NEW MEDIUM
It’s time for a new medium— a medium that retains presentation software’sability to seamlesslyintegrate graphics andwords—and quickly travel throughout organizations.
Aslidedocisadocumentcreatedusingpresentationsoftware,wherevisualsandwordsunitetoillustrateoneclearpointperpage.
Theresultisamediumthatcanbereadanddigestedmorequicklythaneitheradocumentorapresentation.
Slidedocsaremeanttobeprintedordistributedandreadonscreenwithouttheaccompanimentofapresenter.
Mybookssofarhaveadvisedpeopleonhowtocreatesparse,highlyvisualpresentations.So,itmightcomeasasurprisetohearmesupportanotheruseforslidesoftware.We’vebeencreatingslidedocsforthepast25yearsbecausetheyhelpquicklyspreadourclients’ideasaroundtheirorganizations.
Slidedocsworkbecause:
Uniformformatofaslideencouragesclear,succinctarticulationandvisualizationofconceptsononepage.
Editablenatureallowsittobealivingdocumentthatiscollaborativeandcancanevolveovertime.
Overarchingviewallowsyoutoseethewhole,insteadofonlytheparts.Byworkinginoutlineorslidesortermode,youcanseetheentiremessageandstructureinadditiontoindividualpages.
Spreadabilityallowsthesmartestpagestospreadthroughoutanorganization.Greatslidedocsarereusedagainandagain.
Slidedocs™isatrademarkofDuartePressLLC.Allrightsreserved.
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IN FACT, THIS BOOK IS A SLIDEDOC
Rightnow,youarereadingalong-formslidedoc.It’sprobablydifferentthanthelastfileyousawdevelopedinpresentationsoftware.IdecidedtomodelwhataslidedocisbyusingthemediumasthemessageandreleasingthisbookinPowerPoint®sothatyoucandeconstructit.
Some things you may notice:
• Pageshavemorecopyandvisualexplanationsthanacinematicpresentation
• Templatesystemusesgrids,columns,andfullsentences
• Denseanalyticalexplanationsappearthroughoutthebook
So,enjoypokingaroundandlearningfromthisslidedoc.
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YOU NEED A SLIDEDOC IF…
You should create a slidedoc if:
• Youhavedetailedinformationtoconvey,butyouwon’tbearoundtoexplainit
• Youhavedetailedsubjectmatterthatisconducivetobeingconveyedwithvisualsandprose
• Peopleconsumeyourinformationbetterwhenitisbrokenintosmaller,morevisualchunks
• Yoursalesteamneedsmodularcollateralandtoolsthatareflexibleenoughtogettherightmaterialtotherightcustomers
This slidedoc will teach you how to use presentation software to create visual documents that will travel throughout your organization without much effort on your part after the initial authoring process.
• Yourinformationcouldbeconsumedaheadoftimeandthemeetingtimecouldbeusedforconsensusbuilding
Hopefully,you’vealreadyreadmypreviousbooksasafoundationtohelpcreatestrongcontentandcompellingcinematicvisualsforyourpresentations.
Thisnewbookcoverskeyinsightsforcreatingaslidedoc.Yourslidedocswillbemoreimpactfulifyou’vereadResonateandSlide:ology.
Create persuasive story
content to connect to an audience who responds with
action.
Understand the visual display of information so the audience can see what
you’re saying.
Create persuasive visual documents for the way
people consume information today.
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TheCaseforSlidedocs
+ The Call for Conversations + Reintroducing the Slidedoc + Connecting With Your Audience + Case Study: Slides to Slidedocs 01
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+ The Call for Conversations
01
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PRESENTATIONS ARE FAMILIAR
There’s no doubt about it; we are a presentation culture. By some estimates, Microsoft’s PowerPoint® has been installed on roughly one billion computers. Plus, an average of 350 presentations are given every second of every day.
We’veadoptedthisbehaviorforagoodreason:presentationsareoneofthebestwaystocommunicateideas,persuadeanaudiencetoadoptanidea,andpursueacourseofaction.
Yet,manypopulararticleshavegrabbedheadlinesandwonpraisebycallingforanendtopresentations.
WhileIwouldn’tgosofarastosay“presentationsareevil,”Idobelievethatwecoulddoabetterjobofcreatingandusingthem.
Infact,I’vebuiltathrivingbusinessandwrittenthreebest-sellingbooksonhowtomakepresentationsmoreeffectiveandenjoyable.
However,eventhebestpresentationwon’tworkifit’snotdeliveredintherightcontext.Justlikeyouwouldn’tgiveapresentationtotellsomeonethere’satigerbehindhim,therearecertainbusinesssettingswhereapresentationisn’ttherightapproach.
Butmostpeopledoitanyway,becauseit’swhatweknow.Andthat’swherethetroublebegins.
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THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB
Presentations play a vital role in many settings, but they need additionalsupport through slidedocs to continue the momentum.
Conversation
Presentation
Video
Webinar Meeting
Event
Spread Ideas
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CONVERSATIONS BUILD CONSENSUS
Apresentationcanbeanamazingtool,butonlywhenit’susedcorrectly.Presentationsaremosteffectivewhenyouneedtopersuadeagroupofpeopletochangetheirbehavior.Presentationsareoftenaone-waystreet:informationflowsfromthepresentertotheaudience.
Butwhathappenswhenyouneedtobringagrouptoconsensusormakeadecisionbasedonsomesharedinformation?Formalpresentationsdon’tallowforenoughback-and-forthtoaccomplishthesegoals.
Instead,consensus-buildinganddecision-makingeventsareperfectopportunitiesforinformedconversations,meaningconversationsinwhichalltheparticipantshaveaccesstoacommonsetofinformation.
Conversationsgiveparticipantstheabilitytobuildonyourideasinsteadofsimplyreceivingthem.
Theverbalback-and-forthofchallenginganddefending,resistingandaccepting,andcreatinganddestructing,refinestheideawhilehelpingyoubuildcredibilitybyshowingyourcommandofthecontent.
Asaresult,informedconversationscanhelpyoubuildconsensusanderoderesistancetoanidea.Thesebenefitsarethereasonswhyseveralnotableexecutives,includingSirRichardBranson,SherylSandberg,andJeffWeiner,havecalledforanincreasedemphasisonconversations.
Insteadofpresenting,we’vefoundthateveryonecangetuptospeedquicklyifyougivetheminformationbeforehand,orallow10minutesatthebeginningofthemeetingforpeopletoreadaslidedoc.Then,eachpersonisfullyinformedforthediscussion.Plus,theycanrefertothematerialsastheydiscusstheissues.
SLIDE14:SIRRICHARDBRANSONINTERVIEW
SLIDE22:SHERYLSANDBERGINTERVIEW
SLIDE27:JEFFWEINERINTERVIEW
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Too many people are hiding in dark rooms flipping through too many words on big screens. There’s a reason why I avoid boardrooms. I’d rather spend time with people ‘in the field,’ where eye contact, genuine conviction, and trustworthiness are in full evidence. Dyslexia shaped my—and Virgin’s—communication style. From the beginning, Virgin used clear, ordinary language. If I could quickly understand a campaign concept, it was good to go. If something can’t be explained off the back of an envelope, it’s rubbish. I believe in conversations and eye contact.
– Sir Richard Branson FounderandChairman,VirginGroup
Photo:virgin.com
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PRESENTATIONS VS. CONVERSATIONS
How do you decide when to give a presentation and when to facilitate a conversation? In order to make that decision, you need to decide on your goal. What do you want to get out of the time you have with the group? The table below will help you determine which mode of communication best suits your needs.Presentation Conversation
Needtocommunicateanalready-formedidea
Needtobuildupon,getconsensuson,ormorefullydevelopanidea
Alreadyhaveinformationabouttheaudience’swantsandneeds
Needmoreinformationaboutthegroup’swantsandneeds
Needtoinform,persuade,orentertainanaudience
Needtobuildapersonalrelationshipwiththeaudience
Doesnotrequirereal-timefeedbackfromtheaudience
Needthegroup’sinputinordertomoveforward
Needasingleeventtomoveanaudiencetowardyourobjective
Needcontinuousengagementtoaccomplishyourobjective
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+ Reintroducingthe Slidedoc
01
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DOCUMENTS ARE DENSE
The best way to build consensus during a meeting is to distribute the information beforehand to give people time to review and absorb it. But what is the best way to distribute that information?
Ifyouuseadocumentformat,youcanaddmoredetailwhilestillallowingpeopletoconsumeinformationattheirownpace.However,thedensenatureofdocumentscanraisesomeissues.Veryfewpeoplelookatapagefullofbusinessproseandthink,“Thislookslikegreatreading.Ican’twaittodivein!”
Also,documentscanbedifficulttoreferenceduringadiscussion.Hasanyoneeveraskedyoutofindthethirdsentenceinthesecondtolastparagraph
insectionfour?Ifso,howlongdidittaketofindit?
Whenyourefertoadocument,youlosevaluabletimejusttryingtogeteveryonetothesameplace—nevermindyouractualpoint.
Finally,manypeopleprocessinformationfasterandunderstanditbetterifit’spresentedvisually.Byhandingoutpagesfullofparagraphs,you’reputtingupbarriersontheroadtounderstanding—notthebestwaytostartameeting.
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SPECTRUM OF USE
DocumentEverydepartmenthaslonganddense,butnecessary,documentationintheformofmemos,reports,manuals,andbriefs.Theseartifactsareusefulforholdingalotofinformationinasinglecontainer.
PresentationEverydepartmentalsohaspresentationsituseswhenpeopleneedtocombinethepowerofthespokenwordandcompellingimagestopersuadeanaudience.
Characteristics of a Document Characteristics of a Presentation
Exhaustive Cinematicstory
Topicalstructure Dramaticstructure
Informative Transformative
Analyticalprocess Creativeprocess
Visuallydense Visuallysparse
Intendedtoberead Intendedtobeheard
Self-guided Presenter-guided
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SLIDEDOCS FILL THE GAP
SlidedocNeitherdensedocumentsnorsparseslidescontaintherightbalanceofdetailandscanabilitytobeusedasapre-readorhandout.Slidedocscombinethestrengthsofdocumentsandpresentationswhileminimizingtheirweaknesses.
Characteristics of a Slidedoc
Explanatory
Modularstructure
Educational
Visualthinkingprocess
Tightvisual-to-proseratio
Understoodquickly
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WHAT IS A SLIDEDOC?
Slidedocs are visual documents, developed in presentation software, that are intended to be read and referenced instead of projected.
I’d be willing to make three bets:
1. Youalreadyknowwhatslidedocsare
2. Youalreadyhaveslidedocsfloatingaroundyourorganization
3.Youyourselfhavealreadycreatedaslidedoc
HowcanIbesosure?Becauseit’sbeeninfrontofusthewholetime—thisawesomewayofcommunicatinginformationthat’sbotheasilyconsumedandeasilyreferenced.Manypeoplehaven’trealizedthebrilliancebehindtheseartifacts,becausethey’vebeenusingtheminthewrongway.
Insteadofallowingaudiencestoreadtheseslidedocs,peoplehavebeen“presenting”theminlong,boringread-alongsandputtingaudiencestosleep.Bydoingthis,peoplehavelearnedtooverlookpresentationsoftwareasatoolforcombiningwordsandvisualsinawaythatallowspeopletoquicklyconsumeandspreadinformationinatomicbites.
Whileusingpresentationsoftwareistheeasiestwaytocreateaslidedoctoday,theconceptactuallypredatessoftware.
Infact,HughesAircraftpublishedareportontheSequentialThematicOrganizationofPublications(STOP)in1965.
ProponentsoftheSTOPmethodbelievedthatcommunicatinginformationbyputtingasingleideaonapageandsupportingitwithtextandpictureswasamoreconciseandcollaborativewaytobuilddenseproposalsandreports.
Similarly,slidedocsallowcommunicatorstobreakcomplexideasintosmallchunksofinformationandgivereadersthetimetoabsorbtheinformationattheirownpace.
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HOW WILL YOU USE SLIDEDOCS
Simply put, slidedocs communicate on your behalf. When informationneeds to be conveyed without the help of a formal presenter, slidedocsserve this purpose.
Slidedoc
As a Pre-Read Themosteffectiveconversationshappenwheneverybodyisfully
informed.Bydistributingaslidedocbeforeameeting,youcanreserveamajorityofthemeetingforbuilding
consensus.Thisisparticularlyhelpfulwhenthetopicishighlycomplex
ortechnical.
As Follow-Up Material Presentationsoftenanswerthequestion,“WhyshouldIembraceyouridea?”Afteraformalpresentation,peopleneedanswerstothequestion,“HowdoIembraceyouridea?”Followupwithdetailssotheycanhelpyoupushforward.Thisiswhyslidedocsmakegreatmodularsalescollateral.
As an Emissary Peopleinpositionsofinfluencewill
sometimessay,“Sendmeyourslides”beforethey’llbookameeting
withyou.Slidedocshelpyoufullyexplainyourideawithoutbeingthere.
As Reference Material Informationshouldenhanceaconversation,notdistractfromit.Combiningwordsandvisualsaroundasingleideamakesiteasierforpeopletorefertotheinformationintheheatofadiscussion.
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When I joined Facebook, one of
the things I had to do was build the business side of the company, put some systems into place, but I wanted to do it without destroying the culture that made Facebook great. So, one of the things I tried to do was encourage people not to do formal PowerPoint presentations for meetings with me. Why don’t you come in with a list of what you want to discuss.
– Sheryl Sandberg COO,Facebook
Photo:Copyright2010DrewAltizer,FinancialTimesSource:http://drte.co/pz
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PRESENTATION SOFTWARE IS THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
Presentationsoftwarecanbeagreatpublishingtool.Theabilitytointegratewords,visuals,andotherinteractiveelementslikehyperlinksandvideoareafewofthekeyattributesofaslidedoc.
First,it’sapracticalalternativetoprofessionaldesignsoftware,whichisexpensiveandtakesyearstolearnwell.Whymakethatinvestmentwhenatoolyouuseeverydaywillworkformostofyourcommunicationneeds?Granted,professionaldesignersserveagreatpurpose.Designersspendyearslearningtheeffectivedisplayofinformation.Forhigh-stakescollateralofanykind,nothingcanreplaceadesigner’sabilitytovisuallyguideandengagethereader.
Second,presentationsoftwareispervasive.PowerPoint®isinstalledonmorethanabillioncomputersworldwide.
You’dbesurprisedbythenumberandqualityofideasthatbegininpresentationsoftware.Manypeopleuseittocreateconceptsandstrategies,andplentyofgreatideastrickleoutoftheseapps.
Lastly,veryfewtoolsallowyoutopickupentirepages,rearrangethem,easilymergethemintoexistingdocuments,orsavethemintotheirownfile.Theeasewithwhichyoucanaccomplishthesetaskswithpresentationsoftwaremakesittheperfectplatformforspreadinginformation.I’veseenslideswehelpedcreateforaclientinonepartofthecompanycomebacktousrepackagedinadeckfromacompletelydifferentdepartment.It’satestamenttopresentationsoftware’suniqueabilitytofacilitateandspreadideas.
Benefits of slide software:
Visual: Visualizinginformationhelpsyourreadersseewhatyou’reexplaining.
Versatile: Itincorporatesphotos,illustrations,sketches,andevenvideoifit’spostedonline.
Interactive: YoucanembedlinksandjumparoundthedocumentitselforouttotheInternet.
Tablet-ready: Itsaspectratiomakesiteasytoloadontodevices.
Spreadable:Itsmodularnatureallowsslidestobeincorporatedintootherdecksandspreaditthroughouttheorganization.
Shareable: PlatformslikeSlideShare™makeitembeddableandshareable.
SlideShare™ is a trademark of LinkedIn Corporation. All rights reserved.
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+ Connecting WithYour Audience
01
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USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
Nowthatwehavethistool,howdoweknowwhentouseit?Whenisitbettertosendpeopleaslidedoc,andwhenshouldyougiveapresentation?Theanswerdependsagreatdealonthesituation,butmuchofyourdecisionshouldboildowntotwoquestions:
1. Do people need to hear your message directly from you? Ifso,youshoulddeliverapresentation.
2. Does the subject matter require a lot of detail to understand? Ifso,aslidedoccouldbeyourbestbet.Thetabletotherightservesasaguidetohelpyoudecidewheresomeinternalandexternalcommunicationsmayfallonthespectrum.
External
Internal
Slidedoc Presentation
ProposalResearchFindingsEarningsReportClientStrategySalesSheetRFICaseStudyWhitePaperDatasheet
PressBriefingInvestorPresentationExecBriefingVCPitchKeynotePresentationProductLaunchAnalystPresentationSalesPresentationCorporateOverview
ResearchFindingsReportsBrief/MemoCorporateStrategyExecutionPlanAppendixStaffMeetingStatusUpdate
Lecture/TrainingInternalLaunchBoardMeetingVisionMeetingAll-HandsMeetingQuarterlyUpdateProjectOverview
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SLIDEDOCS ARE BETTER FOR THE AUDIENCE
Space limitationsforceaslidedoc’sauthortoboildownthematerialtoitsessence.Donecorrectly,thismakesthematerialmorecleartothereader.
The advantages below trickle down to the audience, who reaps the benefits of consuming clear and concise prose paired with helpful visual aids.
Visualized ideashelptheaudience“see”whatyou’resaying.Whencriticalbusinessdecisionsneedtobemadequickly,visuallyarticulatedconceptsreducethetimetoreachconsensus.
Time savings areachievedbyallowingtheaudiencetoreadthematerialinsteadoflisteningtoitbepresented.(ImagineifIpresentedthisdocumenttoyouinsteadofgivingittoyoutoread!)
Consensus building isaccomplishedwhenpeoplehavetimetodiscussthematerial.Afterreadingaslidedoc,peoplecangathertohaveconversationsaboutitthatcreatemovementtowardobjectives.
Shorter time to understanding happenswithmaterialthat’sbeenparsed,structured,andvisualized.
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Once folks have completed the reading, it's time to open it up for discussion. There is no presentation. It's important to stay vigilant on this point as most people who prepared the materials will reflexively begin presenting. If you are concerned about appearing insensitive by not allowing individuals who worked hard on the materials to have their moment, constructively remind the group this is a new practice that is being applied to the entire company and will benefit all meeting attendees, including the artist formerly known as The Presenter. With the presentation eliminated, the meeting can now be exclusively focused on generating a valuable discourse: Providing shared context, diving deeper on particularly cogent data and insights, and perhaps most importantly, having a meaningful debate.
– Jeff Weiner CEO,LinkedIn
At LinkedIn, we have essentially eliminated the presentation.
In lieu of that, we ask that materials that would typically have been presented during a meeting be sent out to participants at least 24 hours in advance so people can familiarize themselves with the content.
Bear in mind: Just because the material has been sent doesn't mean it will be read. We begin each meeting by providing attendees roughly 5 to 10 minutes to read through the deck. If people have already read it, this gives them an opportunity to refresh their memory, identify areas they would like to go deeper on, or just catch up on e-mail.
Photo:Copyright
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”Source: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130701022638-22330283-a-simple-rule-to-eliminate-useless-meetings
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SPREAD YOUR SMART THINKING
ChunkingThebestwaytodigestinformationistochunkitintoadigestibleformusingslidesoftware.
Unlikeadocument,slidedocscreatetheflexibilitytoreusesmallunitsofcontent.Theseunitsofinsightspreadreadily,becauseallofthecopyandimagesclearlysupportoneuniquethought.
Trapped IdeasThere’satimeandaplaceforcomplexreports,proposals,andcollateral.Businessesneeddensedocumentsforthingslikecontracts,fullresearchreports,andtranscripts.
However,importantinformationcangetlostifit’slockedinaseaofprose.Theslidedocformatputsthisinformationintothehandsofthepeople.
Make It SpreadableReallygreatslidedocs—theoneswheresmartthinkingmeetsinformativevisuals—spreadlikewildfire.Theygetpickedup,reused,andre-expressed.
Ifyouwantyourbrilliantworkpopulatedthroughoutanorganization,slidedocsareoneoftheeasiestwaysforyourideastotakerootineverydepartment.
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THREE WAYS TO PRODUCE EFFECTIVE SLIDEDOCS
Convert Documents to SlidedocsGreatinformationisoftentrappedindensedocuments.Rechunkingandturningwordsintopictureshelpsmakethemunderstood.(Seecasestudyonnextpage)
Convert Teleprompter Text to Slidedocs Whensomethingisneitheraslidenoraslidedoc,itcanbeanawkward,read-alonglength.Eithershortenthecopyintoaslideforprojection,oraddmorecontexttoitsoit’sastand-aloneslidedoc.(Seecasestudyonaddingcontentonpages58to63)
Convert Slides to SlidedocsIfyou’reagreatpresenter,simplevisualsworkforprojection.Sothenwhatdoyoudoafteryourtalkwhensomebodyasksforacopyofyourslides?Embedyourslidesasgraphicsinaslidedocwithlongerprose.(pages149to154)
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ConvertingDocumentsIntoSlidedocs
Thiscasestudytransformslengthy,text-basedprosefromNOAA’sSolarPhysicshighschoolcurriculumintoavisuallyrichandeasilyconsumableslidedocthatengagesthereaderandpassesalongknowledgequickly.
CASE STUDY
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NOAA SOLAR PHYSICS CURRICULUM | BEFORE
Studying the sun could be a visually arresting experience, but this document is dull and dense, which can be intimidating.
As a result, its dull nature may affect the comprehension of the subject matter. Chunking the text by topic and displaying it in a visually interesting way can entice students to dive in.
Source:http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Curric_7-12/Chapter_1.pdf
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NOAA SOLAR PHYSICS CURRICULUM | AFTER
Believe it or not, this is the same material as the “before” example on the previous page. It’s colorful and broken into smaller, more digestible chunks of information.
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This beautiful information was trapped in the original document. By using images from NASA, the information is visualized and easier to understand. You can use callouts associated with the text to emphasize your main point.
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Before After
Plotting the data in color, instead of black and white, helps students visualize the temperature like a heat map. It draws readers in and helps them comprehend the material better.
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And, of course, slidedocs are easy to convert into device-ready formats by using any one of a number of tools. This flexibility allows your information to be consumed on the go.
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PUBLISHING IS CHANGING
In2008,whenmyfirstbookwaspublished,therewereonlyahandfulofotherbusinessbooksthatusedvisualsasheavilyaswedid.Now,severalbusinessbooksperyeararereleasedwithavisualfocus.Theuptickinvisualbooksiscloselyrelatedtoorganizations’presentationcultureandhowweconsumeinformationonaday-to-daybasis.
There has been an incredible sea of change in publishing over the pastfew years. Large publishers are scrambling to figure out the digital eraand digital book sales are surpassing traditional print books.
Theintroductionoftabletsanddigitalbookshasconditionedpeopletoreadonscreens.Yet,Istillhaven’tfoundapublishingplatformthatmakesiteasytopublishadigital,visualbookthatworksonallscreens,acrossallplatforms.
Slidedocs,ontheotherhand,aremultiplatform.Youcandistributethemviae-mail,tablets,servers,orsocialmedialikeSlideShare.
Anotherbenefitisthefactthatslidedocsaren’ttrappedinaproprietyplatformthatisdifficulttopromoteorsharewithothers.YoucanconvertslidedocstootherfileformatssuchasPDF,HTML,video,andimagesrelativelyeasily.
Allthiscanbedoneinanapplicationthatyouuseeveryday.
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WritingaSlidedoc
+ Content Creation+ Case Study: Dense Slides Converted + Architecture of a Slidedoc + Data and Diagrams Clarify Content + Case Study: SAP Top 10 02
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+ Content Creation
02
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KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Take a mental walk in their shoes.
Inallthreeofmybooks,I’vespentasignificantamountoftimetalkingabouttheneedtocraftyourmessagearoundtheaudience’sconcerns.Youcouldsaysomethingsneverchange.
Thetruthisthatnomatteryourmodeofcommunication,youraudienceshouldalwaysbeyournumberonepriority.Theymustunderstandyourmessage.Withouttheirbuy-in,yourmessagedoesn’tgoanywhere.
Peoplearen’tmotivatedbywhat’simportant.They’remotivatedby“What’sinitforme?”Asyoucreateyourslidedoc,remembertomakeitevidenttoyourreaderswhat’sinitforthem.
Takeamentalwalkintheirshoes.Anticipatetheirconcerns,theirquestions,andtheircircumstances,andkeepthosethoughtsinmindasyouconstructyourcopy.You’llbegladyoudid.
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STATE YOUR BIG IDEA
Youknowwhenyourunintooneofthesepieces,becauseyoulookupattheend(ifyoumakeittotheend)andthinktoyourself,“Whatjusthappened?”
Youdon’teverwantsomeonetofinishyourslidedocwithaconfusedlookontheirface.That’swhyyoustateyourBigIdea.Traditionally,theBigIdeamustcontainthefollowingthreerequirements:
It goes without saying that your slidedoc should have a point, but you’dbe surprised by how many pieces of communication (from e-mail all theway to full-length books) are distributed without the author ever thinking,“What exactly am I trying to do here?”
Big Idea Requirements Example
Your unique point of view Slidedocsspreadyourmessagethroughmodularcontent.
What’s at stake for those who do or do not adopt your point of view
Slidedocsempowerpeopletoquicklyunderstandandeasilyshareyourideas.
These elements must be written in a complete sentence
Slidedocs spreadyourmessagethroughmodularcontentthatempowerspeople toquicklyunderstandandeasilyshareyourideas.
Stating your Big Idea in this format distinguishes it from simply being a
topic.
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UNITE AROUND ONE POINT
Puttingeachideaonasinglepageallowsyoutoeliminatedistractionsandfocusthereader’sattention.
Theone-idea-per-slidementalitywillalsokeepyoufocusedasyouwriteyourslidedocandpreventyoufromoverelaborating.
Presentationsoftwareisespeciallyusefulforkeepingyouhonestinthatregard.Beginauthoringyourslidedocbyputtingyourideasfortopicsandsubtopicsonindividualslides.
Onceyou’vesettledonacertainnumberoftopics,theseideaswillbecomeyourpagetitles.Asyoudevelopthesupportingcontent,usethetitleasalitmustesttotellwhetherornotyou’restayingontopic.
Just as your slidedoc should have a single Big Idea, each page should also focus on a single, core point.
Ifyoufindyourselfcrowdingthepagewithwords,thenyoumayhavestrayedofftopic.Eitheredityourmaterialdownorcreateanewsubtopiconanotherpage.
Ifyoudocreateanotherpage,makesureitsupportstheoverallpointyou’remakingwithyourslidedocandthatitreallyisrelevanttoyouraudience.Ifnot,thecontentmaybeextraneous.
Remember,it’slessaboutdemonstratingwhatyouknow,andmoreaboutmakingtheinformationeasytoconsumeandunderstand.Curbthetemptationtocreateafullexplanationofeverythingyouknowaboutthetopic.
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RECOMMENDED LENGTH OF SLIDEDOCS
Pre-read:
Before the meeting: Ifyoudistributetheslidedocbeforeameeting,itshouldbeabletobereadin20minutesorless.Itmaybehardforreviewerstofindlargeblocksoftimeintheirworkdayforfocusedreading.
Beginning of the meeting: Ifyoudistributetheslidedocforpeopletoreadatthebeginningofameeting,itshouldtakelessthan10minutestoread.Thatmeansitshouldbe10pagesorless.Thisisparticularlyhelpfulwhenthetopicishighlycomplexortechnical.
Slidedocs vary in length depending on how you use them. Here are some guidelines for the most common uses.Emissary:
Sent to executive: Ifanexecutiveasksyouto“sendalongyourslides,”theyjustwantthefactsandareasontobelievethatyourideaisagoodone.Fiveslidesseemstobethetolerancelevelforpeopleinpower.Sendthemwhattheyrequested;they’resharpenoughtofillinthegapsthemselves.
Sent to potential client: Slidedocsmakeamazingmodularcollateral.Apotentialclientmakingabuyingdecisionshouldhavealltheirquestionsansweredinaslidedoc10pagesorless.
Reference material:
Sent before or after a talk: Ifyouneedtodeliverdetailedinformationduringatalk,sendcontextaheadoftimeorshareadetailedreportwithreferencesafterthetalksoyouraudiencecanstudyyourfindings.Theseslidedocscouldbeupto50pages.
Distributed during a talk: Ifyouwanttodistributereferencematerialduringatalk,itneedstobelimitedtoinformationtheaudiencewillhearinthetalkorthey’llreadinsteadoflisteningtoyou.10pagesisthemostyoushouldhaveforthesetypesofslidedocs.
Follow-up material:
Sent after a talk or meeting: Usingslidedocsforfollow-uphelpsyousealadealoraddmoreinsightstohelppersuadekeystakeholders.Thesedocumentscanbeintheformofslidedoccollateral(10pages)orevenaslidedocbooklikethisone(upto200pages);italldependsonthecontentandtheaudience.
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SELL YOUR IDEA WITH GREAT COPY
Now that you know when to use a slidedoc, let’s look at how to compose one.
Writingaslidedocdoesn’tmeanyouhavelicensetotranscribeeverythoughtthatcomesintoyourhead.Nomatterthemedium,effectivecommunicationrequiresplanning,thought,andskillfulexecution.Thatmeansdustingoffthewritingskillsthatyoumighthavesetasidewhileyouwerecrankingoutfragmentedbulletpoints.
Soundlikemorework?Afterall,thosebulletpointswererelativelyeasytosqueezeout.Butifyouaretakingthetimetocommunicateyourideainthebestpossibleformat,itmakessensetomaximizetheuseofthatformat.
Don’tassumethatyourreaderswillfollowyourleadbecauseyourideaisimportanttoyou.Usewordsandvisualstoexplaintoyouraudiencewhyyourideaisimportanttothem.
Filter
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HAVE AN EDITORIAL PROCESS
Some slidedocs can be created by you alone. But when the stakes are high for your slidedoc to make a big impact, having an editorial process is helpful.
First,followinganeditorialprocesswillhelpbothyouandyourteamfocusonthemainmessageyouwanttocommunicate.Second,itwillfocusyourattentiononasingletaskandkeepyoufromfeelingoverwhelmed.
Tosetupyoureditorialprocess,stepbackandlookattheprojectasawhole.Definetheintentoftheslidedoc,andstayfocusedonthebestwaytoconveythatinformationtoyouraudience.Then,followthesethreestepstocompletingthecontent:ideate,create,andrefine.
oneIdeate two Create three Refine
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STEP 1: IDEATE
My process happens to start in PowerPoint®. I outline the sections that I think will be my slidedoc’s main components. Then, under those sections, I add pages (slides) with the titles of topics I want to cover. In high school, many of us learned how to structure reports by writing the points we wanted to cover on 3"x5" index cards and arranging the order. I still use that method, only I do it in PowerPoint®.
Onceyouidentifyrelevanttopicsthatsupportyouridea,invitetherestofyourteamintomakesureyou’vecoveredallthemainpointsandconfirmthattheoverallflowofyourslidedocworks.Again,it’simportanttothinkaboutyourslidedocasawhole.Askyourself,“Howwillmyaudiencenavigatethroughthis?”
ManytimesatDuarte,wepastetheentireslidedoconthewallandrearrangetheindividualpagesuntilwehavealogicalorder.Solidstructurecreatesanimpactfulexperiencetoguidetheaudiencethroughtheslidedoc.
ThisisalsowhereIstartthinkingabouthowIwantthereadertofeelastheypagethroughthematerial.
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STEP 2: CREATE
Afteryou’vecapturedyourteam’sideasaroundtopicsandestablishedaroughstoryflow,spillallyourthoughtsonthepage.Don’tholdback;itdoesn’thavetobefullyformedyet.Simplypourouteverythingthatcomestomind.Useeachpageasabuckettocollectconceptsandideasforeachtopic.
Byfollowingthispath,you’recreatingawealthofideasandinformationthatyoucanchoosefrominthenextstep.You’realsospeedingpastthementalblocksthatcankeepyoufromcapturingyourbestideas.
For now, aim for quantity instead of quality.
Exhaustyoursubject—qualitywillcomewiththenextstep.
Quantity
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STEP 3: REFINE
Onceyou’rehere,it’sagoodtimetoinviteyourteambackin.Makesuretheyhavecontext,butalsoencouragethemtobringacriticaleyeandrepresenttheneedsofyouraudience.
AtDuarte,wereposteverythingontheboardandtakeasecondlookattheflow.Withamorefullyfleshedoutversion,werefinetheslidedocuntilwefeelwehavetherightflowandrightinformationoneachslide.
Duringthisstep,wealsoensurethattheinformationischunkedproperly.Thisattentiontothebigpicturepaysoffinreadercomprehension.
Once you have your ideas collected, refine them. This is the time to craftyour copy and make sure every word and every sentence contributes tothe main idea on the page and the slidedoc’s Big Idea.
Refine
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WRITE SCANNABLE COPY
Duringapresentation,youhaveacaptiveaudience.Withaslidedoc,theycansimplystopreading.
So,organizeyourinformationinawaythat’seasilydigestibleandhelpsguideyourreadersthroughtheslidedoc.
Thebestpresentationslidesusejustatitleandminimaltext,whereasaslidedoccanusemanymoreorganizationaltechniquesthatmakeiteasiertoscananddrawtheeyethroughthematerial.
As you’re refining the copy into clearer and more succinct text,start thinking about the best way to organize that information on the page itself.
They usually contain this type of copy:
A. Headlines use6-to10-wordtitlesaroundtheslide’smaintopic.
B. Subheads includethethesisorasummaryoftheslide’smainpoint.
C. Paragraphs clustersentencesintocompletethoughts.
D. Bullets usefullsentencesandaparallelstructure.
E. Pull-quotes areusedforemphasisandhelpimportantcontentstandouteitherinlineorrepeatedinabox.
Inthefollowingpages,we’lldiscusshowtoturntextintosomethingthatgrabsyouraudienceandeffectivelyconveysyouridea.
a b c
d e
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CONCISION PAYS OFF
Constraint requires more thought and effort, but it’s worth it because it will keep your audience reading.
Informationseekersthriveonconcision.Ifourtendencytoreadtweetsandtextmessagesoverlong-formarticlesisn’tenoughtoconvinceyouofthisfact,considerthis:Asmuchas50percentofdailycognitionisspentdaydreaming.
Thismeansyoudon’thavealotoftimetosaywhatyouwanttosay,sogettothepoint.Clarityandconcisionshould
alwaysbeyourguidewhencommunicatingamessage,especiallywhenwritingyourslidedoccopy.
We’vefoundthat100wordsperpagesisconcise.Thisbookyou’rereadingisconsidereddensewithupto250wordsperpage.Anymorethanthat,andyoushouldcreateadocument.
Itkeepsyoufromexhaustingyour
audience.
Itmakesiteasiertostayfocusedonasinglesubject.
Itprovidesroomforvisuals.
1 2 3Putting a word count in place offers three
benefits:
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DEVELOP TITLES WITH MEANING
Forexample,youcouldhaveatitleread“NetworkRouterOptions.”Butwhatabouttheoptions?Andwhatdoesitmeantoyouraudience?Instead,youcouldsay,“FastNetworkRoutersSpeedTimetoMarket.”
Insteadofinformingyourreadersthatyou’reabouttotellthemaboutrouters,bychangingthetitleyou’veintroducedtwomoreideas:1)It’safastrouter.2)Itwillhelpyouraudienceaccomplishagoal.That’snotabadtradeforfivemorewords.
Strong titles are important. They introduce your overall topic and your point of view on that topic.
Reviewthetitleafteryouwritethebodycopyandaskyourselfthreequestions.First,doesthecopysupportthetitle?Ifnot,youmightneedtochangethetitleorchangethecontenttosupportthetitle.Second,doesthetitlefitwithinandsupportthegreaterslidedocmessage?Ifnot,thenyoumightnotneedtheslideatall.Third,isthetitleconcise?Ifyourtitleislongerthantwolines,tightenitbycuttingoutthefluff.
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OPPORTUNITY FOR STRONG TOPICAL STRUCTURE
Viewingyourslidedocinoutlineviewgivesyouanopportunitytoaudityourstoryflow.Presentationsoftware’sdefaultdisplayistheleftpanelhighlightslideview.Toviewslidetitlesonly,simplyclickthetabforoutlineviewandreadthroughyourslidetitlesinorder.Eachtitleshouldgiveyouagoodunderstandingofwhatthatpageisabout.Whenyoureadthemsequentially,iftheyarewrittenwell,thepagetitlesshouldmakealogicalcaseorpersuasivearc.
Manypeoplewritefragmentedslidetitlesthatstatethecategory,insteadofthepoint,oftheinformation.Writingclearheadlinesoneverypagewillhelpthereaderguessthecontentthatwillfollow.
Havingthetitlesflowintoeachothernotonlyhelpsyourreaders,butitcanalsoassistyouduringthecreationandrefinementprocesses.Asyoureadyourtitlesinoutlineview,checktomakesuretheyformacompletearc.Askyourselfifthethematicintentisclear.Doeseachtopicbuildnaturallyontothenext?Aretheresubordinateideasthatdon’tneedtheirownslide?Viewingyourslidesinthiscontextwillmakeyourcontentstronger.
This is the actual screenshot of outline view for
this book. Note how the titles create a sense of
what you’ll learn and hang together to create
structure.
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TOPICAL STRUCTURE IS STRONGERTHAN OUTLINING CATEGORIES
Traditional outline reads like a list: Topical outline creates meaning:
Source:http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Curric_7-12/Chapter_1.pdf
Solar Evolution
I. Introduction• Summary• OurGalaxy• OurSun
II. The Protostar• TheSolarSystem• BinaryStarSystems• OtherPlanetarySystems• SupportingFacts• DefinitionofaProtostar
III. The Hydrogen Burning Stage• Birthto4.5BillionYears• LuminosityOverTime• Hurtzprung-RussellDiagram
IV. The Red Giant• HydrogenFusionattheCore• ExpandedHydrogenFusion• SunLifecycleDiagram
Solar Evolution• OurSun’sPlaceintheUniverse
• TheBirthofOurSolarSystem
• ThePossibilityofOtherPlanetarySystems
• Protostar:TheFirstStageofaStar
• HydrogenBurning:TheSecondStageofaStar
• GrowthinSizeandBrightness
• ContinuedGrowthandIncinerationofMercury
The difference between a traditional outline and topical headings is apparent. Topical themes dramatically increase the reader’s ability to predict content and read more like a story.
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FOLLOW GOOD WRITING PRACTICES
Slidedocsrequirefullsentences,becausetheydon’thaveapresentertofillinthegaps.Buttheyalsorequireprecisionandclarity,bothofwhichcanbeachievedbywritinginfullsentencesversusbullets.
Makingyourcopymoredirectcanhelpsharpenyourthinking.Thebestwaytodothatistouseanactivevoice.Theactivevoicehelpsmakeyourwritingsoundmoreinterestingbypropellingyourreadersthroughyourprose.
Grammarnerdscantellwhetheryou’reusingtheactivevoiceoritseviltwin,thepassivevoice.Theysimplysearchforformsoftheverb“tobe,”akeyindicatorofthepassivevoice’spresence.Youcanthinkofthepassivevoiceasanywordingthatdelaysoravoidsyourmainpoint.
A strong title will entice your audience to read the rest of the text on your slide. Clear copy, however, will make sure they fully absorb your message.
Changingyourcopyfrompassivetoactivevoicemostoftenmeansputtingyoursubjectatthebeginningofyoursentenceandhavingitperformanaction.
Writinginactivevoiceisn’talwayspossible—somesentencesarestubborn.Themosteffectiveauthorsuseitasoftenastheycan.
Formorewritingpointers,checkoutWilliamZinsser’sclassic,“OnWritingWell”.
Passive Voice Active Voice
Thenewversionofourproductwasdevelopedin9months.
Wedevelopedthenewversionofourproductin9months.
Thespeech-to-textfeatureisavailableonbothproducts.
Bothproductsofferthespeech-to-textfeature.
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WRITE COMPELLING COPY
The slidedoc format gives you a higher word count than a traditional slide, but less than a document.
Bywritingfullparagraphs,youhaveroomtocraftmorecompelling,persuasivecopy.Thisisimperativesince,withoutapresenter,yourcopyandvisualsaretheonlythingguidingtheaudiencethroughtheslidedoc.Thatsaid,aslidedocdoesn’thavetobeboringorineffectual—hereareafewwaystoavoidthat:
Use emotional appeal: Businesscopytendstobecoldandfactual.Butdecisions
aremadefromthegutbeforetheyarerationalized.Incorporateemotivevisuals,shockingstatistics,andstoriesthatcreateanemotionalresponseinthereader.
Make benefits explicit: Beforeareaderwillgetonboardwithwhatyou’reproposing,theyneedtoseewhat’sinitforthem.Makeitclearwhatrewardtheywillreceiveiftheytaketheriskofaligningwithyou.
Cite examples: Showreadersexamplesoftimeswhenothersinasimilarsituationmadeadecisiontoalignwithyourperspectiveandhadasuccessfuloutcome.Casestudiesandproofhelppeoplethroughtheirdecisionprocess.
Use analogies: Peoplerespondwhentheycanidentifythingsaseithersimilarordifferentfromtheirperspective.Usinganalogiestocomparethesimilaritiesanddifferencesaidsunderstanding.
This type of language helps people rationalize, remember your ideas, and make decisions easier.
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EDIT THE EXTRANEOUS AND AMPLIFY THE ESSENTIAL
Cuttingdownyourslidedoc'stextcanbeoneofthemostliberatingstepsoftheentireprocess—andthemostdifficult.Itispainfultodeletesomethingyouspentalotoftimecreating.Andit’stemptingtojustifykeepingeverythingtoavoidwhatwriterscall“murderingyourdarlings.”Thinkingaboutwhatyouwantyourslidedoctoaccomplishhelpsmotivateyoutorefineyourcontent.
First,youwantpeopletoreadyourslidedoc—notskim,read.Inordertodothatyoumustkeepitshort.Second,youwanttomaintaincontroloverwhatreaderstakeawayfromyourslidedoc.
Think about what you want your slidedoc to accomplish.
Themorecontentyouhave,themorechoicereadershaveoverthebitsandpiecestowhichtheychoosetopayattention.Bynarrowingthenumberofchoices,youhavemorecontrolovertheirfocus.
So,whentighteningthecopyinyourslidedoc,thinktoyourself,“IsthisoneofthemainpointsthatIwantmyreaderstotakeaway?”Ifnot,getoutyourax.
Youcanseeanexampleofapassagetrimmeddowntoitsessenceonthefollowingpage.
Review your document, highlight the main points to keep, then cut the rest.
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EXAMPLE OF PURGING
Source:nursinghometraining.ppt
EmergencyEvacuationFindings Basedonobservations,reviewoflocalfiredepartmentresponsetofirealarms,reviewofresidentcouncilminutereports,staffinterviews,andresidentinterviewsregardingtheirperceptionofthestaffduringemergencyevacuation,itwasdeterminedthefacilitystaffononeofthreefloorsofthefacility(thesecondfloor)wasnotfamiliarwithprocedurestoexitthebuildingincaseofanemergencyand/orfireasevidencedbythreestaffmemberswhodidnotknowthecodeforthekeypadtoopenthelockedexitdoortotheoutsidestairwellonthesecondfloor.Thefailureofthestafftoknowthecodetoopenthelockedexitdoorplacedtheresidentsonthesecondfloorinaseriousandimmediatethreattotheirhealthandsafetyifanevacuationwasneededthroughthelockeddoortothestairwell.
Full passage (140 words)
EmergencyEvacuationFindings Basedonathoroughreview,wedeterminedthefacilitystaffonthesecondfloorwasnotfamiliarwithemergencyexitprocedures.
Threestaffmembersdidnotknowthecodeneededtoopentheexitdoortotheoutsidestairwell.
Thissituationposedaseriousandimmediatethreattothatfloor’sresidents.
The passage above shows the original copy boiled down to its essence. This is exactly what you need to take away from the original, no more. The copy was cut by 64 percent.
Edited passage (51 words)
“When a sentence becomes stronger,
it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.”
–Strunk&White,ElementsofStyle
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CHUNK INFORMATION INTO BITE-SIZED PIECES
Your information is competing against a lot of distractions. So, you need to take every precaution possible to make sure people consume, understand, and embrace it.
Thereareseveralwaystomakeyourcontentmoreconsumable.
Youcanmakeyourinformationsoentertainingthatnobodywantstostopreading.Youcantrimyourmessage.Or,youcanchunkitintobite-sizedpieces.
There’salimittohowentertainingcopycanbe.Andnomatterhowmuchyoucut,there’salimittothat,too.Chunkingisanothertooltohelpgetthroughtopeople.
Chunkingstructuresyourmaterialinsmall,uniformbitsofdiscoursethatbuildtowardalargerpoint.Thismakesinformationlooklessdenseandintimidatingtothereader.
Chunkingyourcopyalsomakesiteasiertoconsumeintoday’shecticenvironment.Whenreadingadensedocumentonline,it’seasytoloseyourplaceifyou’reinterrupted.Butwhenreadingaslidedoc,youcanpickuprightwhereyouleftoff.
Slidedocsareanaturaltoolforchunking.Bykeepingyourcopybriefandchangingthesubjectoneverypage,youprovideeasilydigestiblecontent.It’slessintimidatingandmakesyourmessageseemmorecleartothereader.
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ConvertingDenseSlidesIntoSlidedocs
ThefollowingslidesfortheHawaiiTsunamiWarningSystemweretoodensetobeslides,butnotdenseenoughtobeeffectivedocuments.So,wecombinedthecontentfromtheslidesandspeakernotestomakeabeautifulslidedoc.
CASE STUDY
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Before After
The original slides are too dense to be projected, but unable to stand alone as slidedocs. One topic was spread across three slides.
Combining all three slides into one keeps all eleven insights of the end-to-end system on one page. It was important to keep the highlighted text skimmable.
Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/
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Before After
When reviewing the slides in notes view, we noticed there was critical information that needed to be moved to the slidedoc page.
Pulling the notes onto the page keeps all the content readable and in one place.
Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/
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Before After
These two slides have critical information, and the content is stronger if they are combined, but the graphic styles don’t work together.
By combining the two slides and using a consistent illustration style, you see the system in relation to its designated location.
Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/
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Before After
When the information you’re conveying is potentiallylife-saving, you need to be as clear as possible. The multidirectional arrows in this graphic are confusing.
Using concentric circles instead of swooping arrows clearly demonstrates how long it will take for a tsunami to reach each island.
Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/
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When reading on a tablet, you can split images across two slides for a seamless effect.
This diagram works as a navigational device that repeats on four pages to signify what section the reader is in.
Front cover has a bold title,
clear subtitle, and strong
visual element.
Readers understand
the core message of the
slidedoc just by reading the
table of contents.
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CRITIQUE FOR EXCELLENCE
Onceyouhaveadraftthatyou’resatisfiedwith,it’stimeforanothercritique.Don’twaituntilyourdraftispolishedandperfect.Acceptthattheroughdraftofnearlyanythingisjustthat—rough.
By putting an early draft in front of your colleagues, you can get feedback earlier, which will help you stay focused and avoid rabbit trails.
Theirinputcanalsohelpyoujumpdifficulthurdles,likeanawkwardtransition,aparticularlydifficultconcepttoexplain,oradullheadline.
Again,slidedocsareperfectforgroupeditingbecauseyoucanlaythemoutinanopenareaandthegroupcangatheraroundanddiscussvariousideasandimprovements.
Witheachslideasanindividualtopic,youcaneasilyalterthestructurebymovingslidesaround.Ifyouweretopostadocumentofproseonthewall,therewouldbemultiplepointsperpage.
Subjectingyourselftopeerreviewcanbepainful,butitoffersgreatrewards.Embracingotherperspectivesofyourworkhelpsitreachabroaderaudience,andhelpsyougrowintoastrongercommunicator.
Strengthenthequalityoftitles
Validatethestructureandflow
Suggestareastocutinformation
Lookforflawsin
reasoningorexecution Improve
examples,phrases,ordata
Here are someways the group might help improve your slidedoc.
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WRITE AN INTRODUCTION OR SUMMARY
Slidedocs can have an introduction and/or a summary—this is onething that makes them different from presentations. The introductionshould give a succinct overview of what’s in the slidedoc.
Youcantakeastabattheintroductionbeforeyoubeginwriting.However,sinceslidedocstendtoevolveasyouwrite,youmayneedtorevisittheintroductionwhenyourslidedociscomplete.Onceyou’vefinishedwriting,you’llhaveamoreaccurateideaofthepointsthatarecovered.Keypointsinyourintroductioncancomefromthetitlesoftheslidesthemselves.
Writingasummaryisagreatfinaltestofyourflow.Ifyoucan’twritethesummaryfromaderivativeofyourtitles,theremaybeaflawinyourstructure.
Iusedthisprocesstowritetheintroductiontothisslidedoc.
Introduction
Summary
GOTOTHISSLIDE6
GOTOTHISSLIDE157
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The traditional kind of corporate meeting starts with a presentation. Somebody gets up in front of the room and presents with a PowerPoint presentation, some type of slide show. In our view, you get very little information, you get bullet points. This is easy for the presenter, but difficult for the audience. And so instead, all of our meetings are structured around a 6-page narrative memo. When you have to write your ideas out in complete sentences, it forcesdeeper clarity.
– Jeff Bezos CEO,Amazon
Photo:Copyright2010SteveJurvetsonSource:http://drte.co/qa
“
”
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+ Architecture of a Slidedoc
02
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DRAWING INSIGHTS FROM BOOKS
Slidedocsborrowsomespecificdesignaspectsfrombooks.Bookshaveacover,tableofcontents,clearchapterindicators,prose,pagenumbers,andothersmalldesigndecisionsthathavebiginformationarchitectureimplicationstohelpreadersnavigatethecontents.
Flippingthroughthepagesofaslidedocshouldbesimilartoflippingthroughtheprintedpagesofabook.Inthecaseofaslidedoc,youmightturnaprintedpage,clicktoadvanceifreadingonacomputerscreenorswipewithyourfingerifreadingonatablet.
A great slidedoc is a bit like a well-designed book. It combines content with a visual style, consistent formats, and clear visuals, and then sequences them together into a cohesive whole.
Thissectiontakesinsightsfrombookdesignandpublishingtomakesureyougetthemostoutofyourslidedoc.
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COVER
How many times have you picked up a book just because it had a great cover? Publishers purposefully create book covers to grab people’s attention.
Coversworkbestwhentheyhaveahighlyconceptualvisualandasnappytitle,buttheyshouldalsoincludeasubtitleandtheauthor’sname.Aslidedocshouldhavealltheseelements.
Yourcoverpageisanopportunitytoconveyamessagerightoffthebat,somakeyourtitleandsubtitleintuitiveandinteresting.Titlingit“Q4Strategy”isn’tinteresting.Instead,becreativeandcallit“LandGrab:Competitiveshake-upinQ4.”Peopleshouldreadthecover,getwhatit’sabout,andwanttodivein.
Yourcompanylogocangointoyourslidedoc,butnotasahugecovergraphicoronthecornerofeverypage.Thinkofyourcompanyasthepublisherofyourslidedoc.Similartohowthepublisher’slogoonabookissmallandonthespine,yourcompany’svisualpresenceshouldbesimpleanddiscrete.
Your company is more like the publisher. It should be recognized with a discrete, simple presence.
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ANATOMY OF A BOOK COVER
Large contrasting title that is conceptual and stands out Subtitle
Author’s name
Publisher
FREEMULTIMEDIAVERSIONOFRESONATE
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
When a reader looks at the Table of Contents (TOC), they should “get” what the book is about and want to read it based on how the page titles string together.
Whenreadersaretryingtoconsumeinformationforapurpose,theywanttoknowwhatthey’regettinginto.Infictionalprose,it’sgreattobuildsuspenseandhavesurprisesandplottwists.Butit’sdifferentifthegoalistoconveyinformationquickly.
EventhoughtheTOCwillbeatthefrontoftheslidedoc,itshouldbethelastthingyouwrite.TheTOCwillbeaderivativeofyouroutlineviewinyourpresentationsoftware.Don’taddpagenumbersuntilyouarecertaintheywon’tchange.
AboveistheTOCforaslidedocaboutendangeredspecies.Moreofthisslidedocisshownonpage(74).Youcanseehowreadersgetthegistofwhatthedocumentisabout,sotheycanchoosetoreaditallorjumptoaspecificsection.
Section heads
Page numbers
Section names
Contentlinking
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ANATOMY OF A TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section heads
Content links: Each TOC item can have a hyperlink embedded that jumps to each section within PowerPoint®
Page numbers
Section names
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HEADERS AND FOOTERS
Allbookshaveheadersand/orfootersthatindicatethesectionorchapternametohelporientthereaderastowhatsectiontheyarein.Inthecaseofaslidedoc,usethefooterareatoaddyourcorporateconfidentialityorcopyrightinformationwhichdiscouragespeoplefromspreadingyoursecrets.
Havingyourcompany’sgreatthinkingfloatingaroundwithoutcopyrightinformationputsyouatriskforideatheft.
Using headers and footers in a slidedoc is even more important than in a book. Because slidedocs can be copied, pasted, and spread, you want your copyrighted or confidential information to travel with your slide pages.
Byinsertinga“HeaderandFooter”inPowerPoint®,youcanaddafootertotheslideviewandheadertothenotesview.
Theheaderandfootersettingisalsowhereyouaddpagenumbers.Projectedpresentationsdon’tusuallyshowpagenumbers,butthey’reimperativeforaslidedoc.
PagenumbershelpusersnavigatetheTOC.Duringmeetingswhereyou’rediscussingtheslidedoc,referencepagenumberssopeoplecanquicklyturntotheappropriatesection.
The “header” setting in PPT
appears on the notes page
Confidentiality and copyright information should appear at the bottom of every page
Page numbers need to be readable so they are easily referenced during dialogue
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SECTION HEADS
Thesectionheadislikeanewchapterheadinabook.Youknowwhenyou’veleftonechapterandareenteringthenext.
Eachtimethematerialtransitionstoanewsection,useadistinctlydifferentlayouttodistinguishthechangevisually.
Transitioningtoanewsectioncanbesignifiedbycolor,boldgraphic,ormemorabletype.Nomatterwhatvisualcueyouuse,thedesignshouldbedistinctenoughtomakeitobviousthatyou’reenteringanewsection.
Contrasthelpsmaketransitionsclearandsetsupthereadertoknowwhattoexpectfromeachsection.
Section heads inform readersthey are entering a new section.
You can see that the first and last pages serve as section heads. They have large type and images of endangered animals while the rest of the pages have dense prose. In the slidedoc you’re reading right now, we made the section heads full color, while the rest of the information is on white.
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SECTION SIGNIFIERS
Differentiating sections visually lets the reader know when they’re transitioning into a new topic. There are several visual mechanisms you can employ to alert the reader they’re moving into a new section.
TabsInphysicaldocuments,tabshelpreadersfliptoanewsectionquickly.Youcanusevisualdevicesthatmimictabsonyourslidestohelpreadersjumptoanysectionfromanypageinyourslidedoc.
Color CodingEachsectioncouldbeassigneditsowncolor.Colorbarsontheveryedgeofaslidecouldchangeasyoumovefromsectiontosection,orthepagesthemselvescouldbefloodedwithboldcolorsineachsection.
The top of this slidedoc clearly identifies you arein section 3.
Side bars map back to the colors of the major section heads. Here you can see we’re in section 2 of 5.
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SECTION SIGNIFIERS
Distinct layoutAsreadersturnpages,adistinctpagelayoutwillstandout.Forexample,contentpagestendtobewhiteandfulloftextandimages,soadistinctlayoutwoulduseboldtextorconceptualimages.
Graphical deviceWhencontentinaslidedocfitstogetherlikeasystemorprocess,youcanuseadiagramasanavigationdevice.Showthesectionsdemarcatedandclearlylabeled.Then,highlightthesegmentofthediagramthatidentifiesthesectionyou’rein.
This slidedoc uses a flood of color that is different from the white, content-filled pages. The contrast signifies that it’s a new section.
Navigational diagrams help readers stay oriented. In this example, the lower left segment is highlighted to signify the section the reader is in.
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TEXT EMPHASIS
If your readership is particularly pressed for time, you may need tohighlight the parts of the slidedoc that are most important to them. There are several ways to make text jump off a page.
Change the color or apply an effect to
the text, like bold or italic.
Pull out important pieces of text and
frame them with a box to make the
content skimmable.
Increase the text size and place it on the page in a way that breaks or crossesthe grid.
Set text in a graphic that amplifies your message with a visual metaphor.
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STRONG FIGURE-TO-TEXT RELATIONSHIP
When using slidedocs, words are more closely associated with the graphics, because both exist on the same page.
I’msureyou’vereadabookwhereapagereferences“figure4,”butthere’snographiconthepagecalled“figure4.”Booksanddensedocumentstypicallyinterspersegraphicswithlongsectionsofprose,whichmeansyouhavetoturnpagesbackandforthtofindthevisualassociatedwiththetext.
Traditionalbooksdon’thaveoneideaperpage,sothegraphicgetsseparatedfromthetextitisrelatedto.Thisistrueinmyownbook,theHBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.Thegraphicsandtextareondifferentpagessoyoucannotseebothatonce.
My Harvard Business Review book is a long-form document. Several of the images don’t
appear on the same page as the text that explains them.
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INTERACTIVE NAVIGATION
Anotherwaytomakenavigatingcontenteasierforthereaderistoletthemjumptothecontenttheyfindmostinteresting.Slidedocsareself-navigableifyouaddhyperlinksandinter-applicationlinkssouserscanjumparoundthematerial.Thisisanaddeduserbenefitandamajoradvantageofdigitalslidedocs.Herearesomeexamplesofnaturalwaystoaddinteractivityandnavigation:
Click directly to sections Cookie trail Hyperlinks Buttons Tabs
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END MATTER
SummaryEncapsulatethemainpointsinasummarytoremindtheaudienceofthemostimportantideas.
It should be clear when the reader is at the end of a section or at the end of the entire document. Below is a list of elements often found at the end of sections or documents:
ActivitiesTestifthereaderlearnedwhatyouneededthemtoknowbyaddingaquizorworksheets.
Topics of discussionFrameupprovocativequestionsfordiscussionattheendofyourslidedoctohelpreadersthink.
AppendixAddsupportingstatisticalandresearchinformationasanappendixforreaderswhowantadeepdive.
GlossaryHelpreadersunderstandyourdistinctvocabularyoracronymsbyclarifyingwhattheymeaninaglossary.
Additional infoLinktoin-depthmaterials(forums,discussionboards,whitepapers)forreaderswhowanttoresearchfurther.
Reference pagesCiteresourcesandgivecredittoyoursourcedauthorssoreaderscangainmoreinsights.
IndexKeywordsarepulledout,displayedalphabetically,andassociatedwithapagenumberbyusinganindex.
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SLIDEDOCS ARE INTERACTIVE
Slidedocs are a great opportunity for interaction. Clicking a button or swiping a screen kinesthetically stimulates the brain in short bursts.
Manypeopleunderstandandconsumeinformationbetteriftheyinteractwithit.Chunkingcontentintobite-sizedpiecesandloadingitontoatabletortouchscreenkeepsreadersengaged.
Theactionofclickingtoadvanceorswipingtoturnpagesoftenkeepsreadersinvolvedwiththeinformation.YoucanaddlinksthatjumparoundtheslidedocitselforlinkouttotheInternet,whichgivesthereaderamoreinteractiveexperience.
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+ Data and DiagramsClarify Content
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DATA CREATES MEANING
When it comes to incorporating data and diagrams in your slidedoc, you needto be cognizant of the meaning they create and how to make that clear.
DataDataisn’treallyjustaboutthenumbers—it’saboutthemeaningbehindthenumbers.Theconclusions.Theinsights.Theactionshumanswilltakebecauseofthenumbers.It’syourjobtouncovertheseelements.
Whenincorporatingdata,don’tjuststickachartonapage.Determinethefindingsandnarrativeofthedataandincludeprosearoundthat.
Remember,yourcopyneedstobeclearandsuccinct—thesameappliestoyourdata.Unfortunately,presentationsoftwarehasawealthofbuttons,bullets,lines,ticks,gradients,borders,fills,andotherchartdecorationsthatcanquicklyoverwhelmthedataonyourslide.Avoidusinganyunnecessaryinformationsothatyourmessagewillcomethroughmoreclearly.
DiagramsDiagramsarecontent,too.Puttingwordsintoshapesandplacingthemnextto,orconnectingthemto,eachothercreatesmeaningandestablishesrelationshipsbetweentheinformation.
Makesureyou’vechosentherighttypeofrelationship,becausehowyouplacetextinshapesonasurfacecreatesmeaning:Aretheysimilar?Aretheydifferent?Aretheyconnected?Istherehierarchy?Doesitindicateprocess?
Everytimetextinashapeisplacedonapage,makesuretheproximityandconnectionsareconveyingtherightmessage.
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Display data in a way that the audience will understand.
GET TO THE POINT
Audienceswhoareanalytical,financial,scientific,orengineer-mindedtendtolookatdatawithaskepticaleye—it’swhatthey’retrainedtodo.Iftheyfeelyourdatahasbeenmanipulatedorbecome“marketing-drivendata,”itwillfeellesssubstantialandaccuratetothem.
Avoiddecoratingyourdata;ornamentationcandetractfromcredibilityandskewtheperceptionsofthenumbers.
Anydatathat’sportrayedinaseeminglymanipulatedwaywillcausepeopletochallengetheaccuracyoftherestofyourcontentanddiminishyourcredibility.
Addingdepthtoachartwhenthere’snorealdataforthez-axisdetractsfromtheaccuracyoftheinformation.Forexample,trytodeterminewhatthenumberisthatwasplottedinthechartabovetodisplayattendanceintheNorth.Hint:thedepthandperspectivechangesthenumbersignificantly.
Youcanseethattheactualfigureis21.Youprobablywouldn’thaveguessedthat.Notonlydoesthischartprovideaclearviewofthedata,italsohighlightswhat’smostimportant.ByusingblueforNorth,youinstinctivelyfocusonitinsteadofallotherregionsthatareshowninneutralshades.
The trouble with 3D charts is that the data gets visually skewed.
This chart is the same data, but plotted without depth with a flat, front-on view.
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HIGHLIGHT WHAT’S IMPORTANT
When your organization needs to make decisions from data, make sureto show the conclusions of the data. A data chart has three layers:
Background Data Emphasis Result1 2 3
The background layer contains elements like tick marks, scales, legends, and grid lines. It provides context and scale. Backgrounds should use neutral colors.
The data plotted is usually pulled from a data table. Colors and attributes can be assigned when it’s visually plotted. Plot all the data in a neutral color and then continue to the next step.
Select the parts of your data that you need the reader to notice. Use a bright highlight color that contrasts with the neutral color so the important conclusions are quickly identified.
These final results contain all the data, but use contrast to draw the eye to the most critical information.
+
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DIAGRAMS SHOW RELATIONSHIPS
FlowShapesareconnectedbyanarrowtoconveydirectionormovement.
Process
Cycle
Timeline
Gears
Sequence
Five common diagram types are displayed below with visual exampleson the pages that follow.
NetworkShapesareconnectedbyalinetoshowhierarchy.
Tree
Mind-Map
Cluster
Ecosystem
Radial
Web
SegmentShapeisdividedintomultiplesegments.
Pie
Donut
Circle
Core
StackShapesstackinanascendingordescendingorder.
Bar chart
Concentric circles
JoinShapesareinterconnectedorshareasetofvalues.
Puzzle
Venn
Link
Professionalshavebeenusingtext-filleddiagramstoexplainabstractconceptsforhundredsofyears.Thebestwaytoshowhowthingsrelatetoeachotheristouseproximity,scale,andlinkssothehierarchyandrelationshipsareclear.
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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | FLOW
Shapes are connected by an arrow to convey direction or movement(process, cycle, timeline, gears, sequence).
Merge andDivide
Shape separates from or combines with other shapes.
Linear Shapes flow linearly, but not necessarily straight.
Parallel Shapes flow in a parallel direction where no shape intersects.
Loop Shapes flow creating a closed loop.
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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | NETWORK
Shapes are connected by a line to show hierarchy(tree, mind-map, cluster, ecosystem, radial, web).
Ring
Network expands from a central hub concentrically.
Spokes
Network bursts in a vertical or horizontal direction.Flare
Network expands from the center without a hub.
Hub and Spokes
Network connects exterior shapes with each other through a closed loop.
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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | SEGMENT
Shape is divided into multiple segments (pie, donut, circle, core).
Donut Shape is cut into pieces, but has a hole or hub in the middle.
Pie Shape is cut into pieces, with the center pieces coming to a point.
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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | STACK
Shapes stack in an ascending or descending order(bar chart, concentric circles).
Horizontal
Shapes stack horizontally.
Vertical Shapes stack vertically.
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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | JOIN
Shapes are interconnected or share a set of values(puzzle, Venn, link).
Hook Shapes have a hook and eye that causes them to interlock.
Overlap Shapes touch or share space with each other.
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OVER 4,000 FREE DIAGRAMS
Duarte’s Diagrammer.com
Duarte,Inc.hasbuiltthousandsofdiagramsthatfitintothetaxonomyonthepreviousfivepages.Gotodiagrammer.comforover4,000free,custom-madediagramsthatfitinthisframework.
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DataandDiagramsConveyInformation
SAPcreatesaseriesofskimmable“SAPTop10”whitepapers.Theseinformativedocumentsshowsthetop10reasoncustomerschooseSAP.Theseuniquedocumentsaddressmanyoftheirclients’industries,suchasbusinesstransformation,lifesciences,andothers.
CASE STUDY
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Front page has a bold title, clear subtitle, and logo element.
Source:http://global.sap.com/netherlands/about/pdfs/2011-02_TenReasonsCustomersChooseSAP.pdf©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.
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Understand the benefits immediately, just from reading the table of contents.
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The tabulation system at the top helps with context and way-finding.They highlight what is important in the data.
©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.
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Bold color palette and typographical hierarchy make processing data easy. The important data is in a bold color and secondary information is neutral.
©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.
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The portability of this collateral form is a simple way to arm sales reps with chunks of impactful content.
©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.
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DesigningaSlidedoc
+ Visual Systems Unify+ Case Study: “Power of Story” + Grids Add Structure + Breathe With White Space + Typesetting Amplifies What’s Important 03
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+ Visual SystemsUnify
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SLIDEDOCS ENABLE VISUAL CONVERSATIONS
Visualsclarifyideas.Whenvisualsareusedtoexplainconcepts,readersunderstandthembetter.Avisualbriefisbetterthanatextbrief,becauseifpeoplecanseewhatyou’resaying,theywillunderstandyoumoreclearly.
ToolslikePowerPoint®,Keynote®,andGoogleSlides®easilyincorporategraphicsandtextaroundasingleidea.
Createaslidedocthatactsasaresourceforyourorganization,withestablishedlayoutordesignguidelinesthatapersoncanworkwithinormanipulate.Thisslidedoctemplateshouldallowspacefordensetextandleaveroomforavisualthatcanamplifythemeaningoftheprose.
Visualizinginformationshowsyouhavecommandoverthesubjectmatterandthatyoucareenoughaboutittomakeiteasilyunderstood.
Keynote®isaregisteredtrademarkofAppleInc.GoogleSlides®isaregisteredtrademarkofGoogle.Allrightsreserved.
Ultimately, you’re communicating so you get people on board with your idea. When there’s agreement, there’s action.
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ESTABLISH A VISUAL LANGUAGE
Consistent visual language helps readers associate a visual style withyou or your brand. Baking it into a template will help employeesexpress your brand through slidedocs.
Use a consistent color palette. Select 3–5 colors, plus a neutral and highlight color.
Buy or create a robust illustration library that’s relevant to your industry and stylistically consistent. Avoid cheesy clip art.
Create or curate a library of photography that looks like it was shot by the same photographer.
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THIS SLIDEDOC USES THIS VISUAL LANGUAGE
Captions to graphics and photos use Georgia italics 12 pt. font size
TITLES USE ARIAL NARROW ALL CAPS 22 PT. FONT SIZE
MainbodycopyuseArial12pt.fontsize
Subtitles use Georgia italics 16 pt. font size
Typesetting and color are a strong design element in this slidedoc.
Constrain your color palette and always include at least two neutral colors. In this case, there are two shades of gray.
All the custom illustrations use the same style and overlap to create a sense of depth and richer colors.
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FREE PRESENTATION SOFTWARE TEMPLATES
Duarte, Inc. created two templates for you to download. You can use them as-is or as inspiration for your own slidedoc template. Visit www.slidedocs.com to receive free slidedoc templates.
Each template has a unique
look to it. Notice how they look
more like printed collateral than a
projected slide presentation.
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MAKE SLIDEDOCS EASY TO IDENTIFY
As an organization, you may want to develop two distinctly different templates for presentations and slidedocs. It will be easy for your employees to identify whether their content is to be read or presented.
Eachorganizationshouldmakeitself-evidentwhichtemplatesshouldbeusedforpresentations(slidestobeprojected),andwhichonesshouldbeusedforslidedocs(pagestoberead).Thispracticewillmakeiteasierforemployeestoquicklyidentifywhichtooltouseforthejob.
Thefollowingpagesofferdifferentwaysyoucoulddistinguishapresentationfromaslidedoc.Youcoulduseoneoracombinationofthedistinguishingidentifierstohelpyourorganizationcommunicateeffectively.
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MAKE SLIDEDOCS DISTINCT
The4:3aspectratioworkswellforslidedocstoreadondevicesandprintswellonlettersizepaper.Youmightchoosethisoptionforaslidedocandkeepa16:9versionofatemplateforpresentations.Moreprojectorsareusingthewideraspectratiowhichmakeitgreatforcorporatepresentations.
Below are choices that help differentiate between slidedocs and presentations.You can choose one or multiple.
Anotherpossiblewaytodifferentiatebetweentheslidedocsandslidesistouseportraitmodeforslidedocs,whichallowsittomimicatraditionaldocument,anduselandscapemodeforprojectedpresentations.Thisisnotahardrule,justanoptionalwaytohelpdistinguishthedifferences.
Sinceanimationscanonlybeviewedinslideshowmode,usingtheminpresentationsmakesperfectsense.Eliminatinganimationsandbuildsinaslidedocisagoodruleofthumbsincetheyareusuallyprintedandneedtobeclearofallartifactsfromanimationsthatobscuresanycontent.
4:3
16:9
Aspect ratio Orientation Animation
portraitlandscape
staticanimates
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TableofContents
BIGIDEA
MAKE SLIDEDOCS DISTINCT
Below are choices that help differentiate between slidedocs and presentations.You can choose one or multiple.
Sinceslidedocsaretoberead,thelayoutsshouldhaveamuchlongerwordcountanddensergraphicalcontentasadefault.
Whereaspresentationsareconceptualandusedtoamplifythespokenwordthroughsimple,emotiveconcepts,aslidemayhaveonlyoneword.
Word density
Oftenslidedocsareprintedorreadonscreen.It’sbestifthebackgroundisawhiteoralightcolortomakeiteasyontheeyetoreadandalsoprint-friendly.
Ifyouwanttomakeadistinctionusingcolor,youcouldprojectyourslidesonadarkbackgroundwithlighttext.Thiscreatesamoreformalpresentationsetting.
Background color
Severalfeaturesofaslidedocareinspiredbybooksanddensedocuments.Layoutscanhaveupto175wordsandotherdocumentfeatureslikeatableofcontents,pagenumbers,andsectionheads.
Presentationsaremorevisualthanwordsandusuallyhaveonlycinematicemotivevisuals.
Document-like features
OneConcept
Light
Dark
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CreateaUnifiedVisualSystem
JenniferAakeristheGeneralAtlanticProfessorofMarketingatStanfordGSBandteachesthe“PowerofStory.”Theworkbooksforherclassareslidedocs.ThefollowingexamplesaredesignedbyBrandonLyandwrittenbyBarbaraMcCarthy.Noticehowallthevisualsarethematicallysimilar.You’dbeabletoidentifythisasAaker’smaterial,becauseofthehandmadelooktomanyofthevisuals.
CASE STUDY
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The first page looks like a book title and has the author’s name on it.
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Every chapter segue is consistently simple with a flood of bold gray color.
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The copy is dense with clear segmentation and links. She uses other tactile elements like a story journal and pencil to continue the handmade theme of the design language.
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Repeating the wood grain background, wood texture, and pencil elementvisually signifies that these pages go together.
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WHEN FORMATTING SHOULD BE DONE BY A PRO
Creating beautiful and easy-to-read slidedocs isn’t always easy. There are times when you may need to bring in the professionals. There’s no shame in handing over your slidedoc to a professional for some extra love. That’s what they’re there for.
Buthowdoyouknowwhenit’sappropriatetoconsultanexpert?Totherightaresomerecommendationstosavetimeandpossiblyalotoffrustration:
When in a high-stakes situation:Doyouneedtolandthataccount?Andisthispieceofslidedoccollateralkeytogettingyourmessageacross?Haveaprofessionallookatit.
When your templates need an upgrade: Isyourtemplatejustnotequippedtocreateslidedocsthewayyouneedto?Don’tforce-fitnewmasters,getanewtemplatedesignedright.Designersbuildthemwithinbrandandarehighlyfunctional.
When you have highly complex slides:Areyoumixingalotoftypewithdetaileddiagrams?Isyourslidestartingtolooklikeyoujustthrewawholebunchofstuffonthere?Youknowwhattodo.
When you need to save time:Yourteamgetspaidtobeinnovative,nottolayoutslidedocsallday.Throwyourgreatideasontheslidesandhaveprofessionalstidythemup.
Slidedocs have too much content and you can’t cut it: Aprofessionalcanhelpreframecontent,spreaditacrosspages,andreworkmaterialsoitissuccinct.
A good question to ask yourself is whether the importance of your message outweighs the cost of hiring a design firm. If so, then hire an expert. They will know how to make your message clear and beautiful.
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THIS SLIDEDOC USED TO BE UGLY
Astheauthor,Ipouredallmytimeintothethinking,conceptualizing,andwriting.Then,adesignertookover.Designersaretrainedtoreadcopy,amplifythemostimportantpartsbyvisualizingthem,andaddclearhierarchy.Everyonegetstoplaytotheirstrengths.Ispentmytimeinnovating,andmyteamhelpedmakeitclear(andbeautiful).
Designers help amplify the content.
Before: Mydesignskillsarelimited.Ifocusoncopyfirst,thenfindvisualssodesignerscanseewhatI’mtryingtocommunicate,andthentheydotheirmagic.
After: Theteamturnsmywordsintopictures,clarifiesthinkingthroughdiagrams,andlaysouttypeandpicturesinvisuallycompellingways.
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+ Grids Add Structure
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EVERYTHING WAS MADE WITH STRUCTURE
Grids are everywhere in nature. Our skeletal system is what makes humans have a similar shape and structure. The leaf to the right has a strong vein structure. The grid system helps us identify things that are alike.
Becauseslidedocshavedensecontent,gridsserveamoreimportantfunctionforthemthantheydowithslides.Gridsprovidestructurefromwhichtoorganizeyourimagesandtextandkeepsyourlayoutstidy.
Gridshelpyoudeterminetheplacementofimagesbygivingthemaspinetowhichtheycanalign.Aligningimagestoagridmakesitfeelliketheyhaveasenseofplace,asiftheyhaveaspacethey“belong”in.
Layingoutthetypewithinagriddeterminesthewidthofyourtext.Inslidedocs,longtextblocksshouldbearrangedincolumns.Thegriddetermineshowwideyoumakethecolumns.
The next page has an example of a magazine layout. After that, you’ll see the underlying grid used to create it.
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GRIDS IN USE
Publications have structure.
Ontheleft,weoverlaidagridoverthestructureofamagazinespread.
Thisgridisconstructedsoyoucaninserttextandplaceimagesanywherewithinthegrid,anditlookstidy.
Eachpageinthearticlehasimagesandtextthatfallneatlyintothisstructuralsystemandnaturallylookorganized.
Likepublications,slidedocsalsoneedtohaveagrid.Granted,thegridforthismagazinearticlewasdevelopedbyaprofessionaldesignerandismorecomplexthanyou’llneedforaslidedoc.
Layoutcourtesyof:http://content-magazine.com/welcome/
DOWNLOAD10%OFSLIDE:OLOGYFREE
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TYPICAL SLIDEDOC 4X3 GRID
4 squares horizontally
3 squares vertically
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GRIDS CREATE CONSISTENT ORGANIZATION
Original content
Identify grid
Clean and organized resultContent flowed into grid
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4X3 IS A CLASSIC SLIDEDOC GRID
Togetaposter-sizedPDFofeveryoptionforlayingoutaslidedocina4:3grid,goheretogetaPDFofthesegrids,courtesyofDubberlyDesign.
There are 892 unique ways to partition the 4x3 grid.
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+ Breathe With White Space
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ADDING WHITE SPACE
Establishedin1867,Harper’s Bazaar wasAmerica’sfirstfashionmagazine.Thelate1800swasano-nonsenseerawhenresourceslikepaperwerescarceandhighlyvalued,andprintingwasexpensive.Youcanseehowmuchinformationwaspackedintothepagesofasingleissue.Whenreadersfinishedanissue,theydidn’tthrowitaway;itwasreusedforinsulatingwallsandkindlingfortheirfireplace.
Thedensedesignwasadirectreflectionofsocietalvaluesofthetime.
Source:HarpersBazaar.com
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YOUR CONTENT NEEDS ROOM TO BREATHE
In1934,themagazinediscoveredyoungRussiandesignerAlexeyBrodovitchandbroughthimonasArtDirector.Brodovitch’sworkhasbeendescribedas“boldandarresting,”featuring“croppedphotographs,typography,anddesign”on“pagesthatbledbeautifully.”
Brodovitch'ssignatureuseofwhitespaceandthecinematicqualitycreatedthroughimagecroppingbroughtgracefulnesstothelayouts.HisdesigncompelledTrumanCapotetowrite,“WhatDomPérignonwastochampagne...so[Brodovitch]hasbeento...photographicdesignandeditoriallayout.”*
Hisworkrevolutionizedbothfashionandmagazinedesign.AddingwhitespaceanddramaticcroppedimageshelpedHarper’s BazaarsurpassVogueasthetopfashionmagazine.
ThefollowingtwopagesprovideexamplesofhowBrodovitchcreateddesignsthatbreathewithwhitespace.
*Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper's_Bazaarandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Brodovitch
“A good picture must be a completely individual expression which intrigues the viewer and forces him to think.”–AlexeyBrodovitch,ArtDirector
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LUXURY BRANDS USE WHITE SPACE
Manybrandshaveembracedtheconceptofwhitespace.Whencreatingaslidedoc,surroundkeypointswithwhitespace(alsocalled“openspace”or“clearspace”)todrawtheeyetowardthemostimportantelementsonthepage.
The more breathing room you give to a design or product, the more luxurious it’s perceived to be.
Examples of advertisements using white space
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+ Typesetting Amplifies What’s Important
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WHY TYPESETTING IS IMPORTANT
Upuntilnow,we’velearnedhowtowriteslidedoc-worthycopy.We’velearnedhowtointroducepeopletothatcopybytakingsomepointersfromprint.Andwe’velearnedabitaboutlayoutanddesign.Sofar,sogood.Inthissection,you’lllearnhowtomakethetextitselflooklikeitwasdesignedbyaprofessional.
Professionaldesignersusesophisticateddesignsoftwaretomakecopyeasilyconsumable.WhilePowerPoint®andKeynote®don’thaveallthecapabilitiesthatcomewithprofessionalprintdesign,thereareafewsimplestepsyoucantakewithinpresentationsoftwaretoachieveaprofessionallook.
Putting in this extra effort will not only make your text look nicer, it will make it easier to consume; which is an important factor when trying to get your message across to readers.
Createhierarchy
Selectyour type
Set up your typeto increase legibility
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FORMATTING LIKE A PRO
Thefirstruleofformattinglikeaproisstayingconsistent.Layingoutyourtextisn’tjustaboutmakingitfitormakingitpretty;it’saboutmakingitconsumable.
Theideallinelengthfortextisbasedonthephysiologyofthehumaneye.Atnormalreadingdistancethearcofthevisualfieldisonlyafewinches.Researchshowsthatreadingslowsandretentionratesfallaslinelengthbeginstoexceedtheidealwidth.*Thismaybecausedbyoneoftwoproblems:
Columns are too wide: Iflinesoftextaretoolong,yourreadersgetlostwhentheireyesreturntotheleftside.Thelonglengthmakesitdifficulttodeterminewhenthetextstartsandends.Donotusethefulllengthofyourslide;breakyourpagesintocolumns.
Columns aren’t wide enough: Iflinesoftextaretooshort,theeyehastotravelbackandforthtoooften.Thisistiringontheeyeandfrustratingtoreaderswhoareunabletoreadacompletethought.
Setyourcolumnsandfontsizesothattherearebetween50and70charactersperlineoftext(or12to15words).Thisistheoptimallengthforlegibilityandwillsignificantlyincreasethereadabilityoftheonlineorprintedtext.
*Source:Lynch,PatrickJ.andSarahHorton.WebStyleGuide:BasicDesignPrinciplesforCreatingWebSites.NewHaven:YaleUP,2009.
Thefirstruleofformattinglikeaproisstayingconsistent.Layingoutyourtextisn’tjustaboutmakingitfitormakingitpretty;it’saboutmakingitconsumable.Theideallinelengthfortextisbasedonthephysiologyofthehumaneye.Atnormalreadingdistancethearcofthevisualfieldisonlyafewinches.
Researchshowsthatreadingslowsandretentionratesfallaslinelengthbeginstoexceedtheidealwidth.Thismaybecausedbyoneoftwoproblems:
Columnsaretoowide:Iflinesoftextaretoolong,yourreadersgetlostwhentheireyesreturntotheleftside.Thelonglengthmakesitdifficulttodeterminewhenthetextstartsandends.Donotusethefulllengthofyourslide;breakyourpagesintocolumns.
Columnsaren’twideenough:Iflinesoftextaretooshort,theeyehastotravelbackandforthtoooftenwhichistiringontheeyeandfrustratingtoreadersunabletoreadacompletethought.
The default for PowerPoint®
is for a one-column layout that spans the entire slide. Instead, select the two- or three-column layouts for your slidedocs.
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TEXT HIERARCHY
Yourlayoutshelpreadersmakeawholehostofchoices—whattheyshouldreadfirst,wherethemainmessageis,whattextgoeswiththediagram,what’sextrareadingthattheycanskipfornow,andthelistgoeson...Thatmeansyouhavetocuratethecopy,andthat’swhyit’simportanttomakeyourtextconsistent.Consistentdoesn’tmeanrepetitive.Ofcourse,you’regoingtowantsomevariationinthewayyourslideslook.Butgivingpeopleanideaofwhattoexpectmakesthecontentmoreaccessible.
Giving your readers a clear typographic system to follow will helpthem digest your slidedoc clearly.
The most effective way tostay consistent is to establisha text hierarchy. A text hierarchy is a set of rules that govern how individual text elements will look.
Forexample,youmaydecidethattheslide’stitlewillalwaysbeinALL CAPS intheupperlefthandcorner,footnoteswillalwaysbeinitalics, andsubtitleswillalwaysbebright blue. Youwillneedtoestablishyourowntexthierarchy.Thesearethedecisionsthatwillmakeiteasierforyoutokeepaconsistentfeeltoyourslidedoc,andforyourreaderstoeasilynavigateyourinformation.
Youshouldestablishyourtexthierarchybeforeyoustartlayingoutyourcopy.It’smucheasiertoedityourproseusingapredefinedsetofrulesthanitistomakeitupasyougoandcontinuallybacktrackifyouchangeyourmindaboutfontsorcolors.It’sokaytotestandupdateyourtexthierarchyasyoulayoutyourslidedoc.Infact,it’samust.Thatsaid,takesometimetothinkaboutthebasicsbeforeyoustart.
Whenestablishingyourtexthierarchy,it’shelpfultoknowwhatpeopleexpectfromcertainkindsoftext.Onthenextslidewe’veincludedsomeguidelinestohelpyouasyouestablishahierarchyforthevarioustextualelementsonthepage.
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TEXT HIERARCHY GUIDELINES
Thetitleintroducesyourslideandshouldbethefirstthingthatpeopleread.Therefore,youwantittostandoutinsomeway.Forinstance,itcouldbebolder.Ifyou’reusingathinnerfont,youcouldputthetitleinallcapsormakeitverylarge.Justmakesureit’sthefirstbitoftextthatpeoplearedrawnto.
Thesubtitle goesrightbelowyourtitleandexpandsonitinsomeway.Thiscopyshouldbesignificantlysmallerthanthetitle,butnotsmallerthanthemaintextontheslide.
Subheadslabelthedifferentsectionswithineachslide.Theyarethenextleveloftexthierarchy,sotheyshouldbesmallerthanthetitleandsubtitle.Yoursubheadsmightevenbeequalinsizetothemaincopyonyourslide,butyoushoulddifferentiatetheminsomeway.Forinstance,theymightbeabitbolderoradifferentcolor.
Thebody copy,themainblocksoftextonyourslide,willtakethemostamountoftimetoread.So,thinkaboutconsumabilitywhenpickingafont.Peopledon’treadwordsletterbyletter.Theyseetheentirewordasapictureandunderstandtextbyconnectingthatpicturewithitsmeaning.Whenyoumakeitdifficulttorecognizethatpicture,you’reputtingabarrierbetweenyourreaderandyourmessage.Classic,cleanfontsarethewaytogohere.Besuretomakethetextbigenoughanddarkenough,soreadersdon’thavetostraintoseeit.
Calloutsarethesmallblocksoftextthatareusedtopointsomethingoutinagraphordiagram.Thistextcanbeequalinsizetothebodycopy,butitalsoneedstobedistinguishedinsomeway.Aclassicwaytosetyourcallouttextapartistoitalicizeit.Youcanalsomakeitaseparatecolor.
Anoteaboutcolortreatments:It’sveryeasytoincludetoomanycolorsasyou’retryingtodifferentiateonekindoftextfromanother.Trytoavoidcreatingatextrainbowandremembercolorisonlyoneofthetoolsinyourtoolbelt.Weight,CASE,size,anditalicsareallgoodwaystosetdifferentkindsoftextapart.
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ANATOMY OF TEXT HIERARCHY
Subtitle supports the main title.
Title text is larger and the most
dominant text on the page.
Web links can be color-
coded, underlined, or
both.
Body copy is a neutral color and smaller than headline copy, so headlines and subheads stand out.
Colored box is great for emphasized text or pull quotes.
Footers are the least dominant
element on the page.Tabulated navigation helps identify where you are; colored text identifies the current page.
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TEXT LAYOUT
After setting up your text hierarchy and designing your page, another step on the path to consistency and readability is actual typesetting.
Typesettingisadjustingalltheseeminglysmallthingsthatmakeiteasytonavigateyourcopy.Herearesomebasictypesettingitemstothinkabout:
Line spacing istheamountofroombetweenlinesoftext.Providingenoughspaceherehelpsthereaderkeeptrackofhisorherplaceandmakesforamorecomfortablereadingexperience.
Properparagraph spacing,orthespacebetweenparagraphs,helpsthereadertakeabreakbetweenparagraphsandhelpsdenoteachangeinideas.Thespacebetweenparagraphsalsomakesbodycopylooklessintimidatingwhenlookingatlargeblocksoftext.
AsImentioned,columnsmakeyourtexteasiertoconsume.Splitupbigchunksoftextintotwoormorecolumnsformaximumreadability.
Don’tgetfancywhenaligning your text. Leftjustifiedusuallyworksbest.Idon’tlikethebiggapsbetweenwordsthatjustifiedtextcreates,andpeopleareusedtoseeingtheircopyalignedtotheleft.Thatsaid,ifyouhaveacalloutthatneedstogowithaspecificgraphic,aligntothesideofthetextthat’sclosesttotheitemthatyou’retalkingabout.Thispracticemakesthetwoitemsseemmoreconnected.
Whenyou’refinishedadjustingtheformattingofyourtextusingtheseguidelines,takealookatitasawhole.Aretherightsidesofyourlinesoftextreallyjagged?Doyouhavesinglewordsorshortphrasesdanglingontheendofaparagraph?Goaheadandcleanthoselastfewlinesoftextmanuallywithsoftreturns(shift+return)forthatfinalpolish.
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SMALL SCREEN READABILITY
Don’tassumethatyourreaderswillalwaysaccessyourslidedoconalaptopordesktop.Ifyouraudienceisonthego(andwhoisn’tthesedays?),youmayconsideroptimizingyourslidedocformobiledevices.Thiswillrequiresomeextraconsideration.
Mostimportantly,forthesesmallerscreens,textneedstobelarger.Uselesstext,butlargerinsize,perslideifyouknowyouraudiencewillbereadingyourmaterialfromtheirphones.Herearesomerecommendationstoconsiderforviewingonvariousscreens:
Usage Tablet* Phone* 13" Laptop Printouts Slide Title 40pt 50pt 22pt 21pt
Subtitle 28pt 38pt 18pt 16pt
Body Copy 24pt 34pt 11pt 10pt
Graphic Callouts 30pt 40pt 10pt 8pt
*Retinadisplay
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TESTING YOUR SLIDES
Anybody who’s ever tried to follow a complicated recipe knows that just because you’ve completed the steps doesn’t mean that your creation is going to look exactly like the picture.
Likewise,whileit’simportanttofollowtheguidelineslaidoutinthisslidedoc,youshoulddoanoverallaudittomakesureyourpageshangtogetherwell.
Lookatyourslidedocasawholeinslidesorter(lightbox)view.Youshouldn’thavealltextslidesandyoushouldhavepageswithwhitespaceandbreathingroom.
Remember,graphicdesignersspendtheirlivesstudyingdesign,sodon’tbetoohardonyourself.Butyoushoulddoaquickauditofeachpageusingthetypeofscreenyouthinkmostpeoplewillusetoconsumeyourslidedoc.
Whenreviewingyourwork,youshouldaskyourselfthequestionslistedontheright.
DoIhavetoomanywordsontheslide?
Ismytextbigenoughorwillpeoplehavetostraintoreadit?
Doesmyeyeknowwhichtexttoreadfirst?
Aremainmessageseasytopickout?
Ismytextscannablelikeaslidedocordenselikeadocument?
Doesmyeyehaveaclearpathtofollow?
DoIhavetoomanyfontsorfontcolors?
Slidedoc Checklist
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BUYONAMAZON.COM
BEST PRACTICES FOR THE VISUAL DISPLAY OF INFORMATION
For a more exhaustive look into the visual display of information in presentation software, we recommend these two presentation books. Both convey the business case for design, explain powerful design principles, and have pages full of inspiring examples. Factoid: Garr talked me into writing
my first book. As a tribute to him, I used his silhouette on the cover of Slide:ology.
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DeliveringaSlidedoc
+ Printing and Projecting Slidedocs + Distributing Slidedocs + Case Study: Notes View How-To + Spread Big Ideas With Slidedocs 04
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+ Printing and Projecting Slidedocs
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YOUR JOB IS TO COMMUNICATE
Wow. This must feel like a lot of work. You have a “real job” with real results you’re supposed to deliver that have nothing to do with writing or distributing a slidedoc.
Whenyouhaveanideaorinitiativethatmustbearfruit,thenspendingyourtimeclearlycommunicatingcouldbewhatbringsyouthemosttraction.
Setasidetimetoconceptualizewhatyouaregoingtosay,howtovisualizeitsotheycanseewhatyou’resaying,andthendeterminethebestmeanstocommunicateit.
Whendeliveringinformation,somepeopledelivertoomuchanditdoesn’tgetconsumed,whileotherscommunicatesovaguelythatclarifyingconversationswastetime.Providingslidedocshitsagreatsweetspotthatdeliversenoughinformationinaconsumableformat.
Businesstodayoperatesinacompressedenvironment,soyouneedtocreateandspreadthoughtfulinsightsquicklyandclearly.
Your Real Job
Writer
Visualizer
Communicator
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PRINT SLIDEDOCS
Handout Printhandoutsofslidedocssopeoplecanreadthematthebeginningofthemeeting.Orusethemashandoutsthattheaudiencemayreferencewhileyouspeakandthatsupportyourtalkas
anappendixwithadditionalinformation.
There are multiple ways to printyour slidedoc.
BookSlidedocs,designedwell,makegreatbooks.Whetherspiral-boundorperfect-bound,theycanmakethecontentfeelmoresubstantialandformal.Infact,youcanprofessionallypublishandprintslidedocsatblurb.comandbookemon.com.
PlacematPlacematsareasingleslidedocpageprintedon11"x17"paper.Theyaregreatforcollaboratingaroundasharedpieceofpaperwhereallstakeholderscanwriteandsketchontheconcepts.Sometimesoneplacematisallyouneedtosparkagreatconversation.
PosterSlidedocpagescanbeprintedoversizedandpostedaroundtheroom.Readersstand,walkaround,andreadthematerial.Youcanalsoputblankpostersinbetweeneachonetocapturenotesandfeedback.Scientistsatconferencesoftenpresentposters.
Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins printed a slidedoc book called “USA, Inc.” with pages printed2-up. She sent one to everyone in Congress to help them understand the distressing state of the U.S. economy.
USA,INC.
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PROJECTING SLIDEDOCS
Collaboration: Projectapagetoreadanddiscussitindetailtorefinetheideaorbuildconsensus.
Review meeting: Whileeditingaslidedocwithagroup,youmayneedtoprojectitsoyoucancollaborativelyeditit.
Visual reference: Duringaformalpresentation,youmaywanttoprojectapagefromaslidedocsolelyasavisualreferencesotheaudienceknowswhatpageyou’reaskingthemtoread.
Overlay sketches: Ifyouprojectontoawhiteboard,peoplecansketchovergraphicstohelpclarifymeaning.
Slidedocs should be printed and not projected, but there are some instances when it is okay to project them:
Usuallyifslidedocsareprojected,itwouldbeinaroomwithtenorfewerinternalpeople,becauseit’snotaformalpresentation.Ifyouareinaroomwithsixormorepeopleorarepresentingexternally,rethinkwhetheraslidedocistherightmediumorifyoushouldbuildapresentationinstead.
To the right is a slide I used in a vision meeting. I projected cinematic
slides and provided a slidedoc as a handout. When I wanted the
audience to refer to a specific page, I projected a picture of that page as
a visual reference.
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BAD HABITS ARE HARD TO BREAK, BUT BREAK THEM
Bad Habit #1:Use slides as ateleprompter
Thebiggestreasonpeoplepresentslides-as-documentsisthattheywanttomakesuretheycovereverythingcomprehensively.Presentersputeverywordonaslidesotheydon’tforgetwhatthey’resupposedtosay.Theybuildwhatisessentiallyavisualteleprompter.Audiencesbecomefrustratedwhentheyhavetositthroughapresenterread-along,justlikeitwouldfrustrateyoutoreadthePresident’steleprompterinsteadoflisteningtotheStateoftheUnion.
Do not verbally present slidedocs.
Bad Habit #2:Leave no time to prepare a real presentation
Authorspourideas,words,andpicturesontoslidesaspartofthecreativeprocess.Theproblemisthatpeoplestopthere—withalltheirthoughtsinwritingontheslide.Ifyouplantopresentthematerial,there’sanadditionalstepyouneedtotaketodistillthedocumentintoatruevisualaid.Ifyoudon’thavetimetoperformthisstep,it’sbesttodistributeitasadocument.
Bad Habit #3: Think dense slides look smart
Peopleinanalyticalrolessometimesthinkthemeritofanideaisdirectlyproportionaltotheamountofinformationontheslide.Theyfeelthatifyoudon’thavedensechartsandgraphs,youhaven’tdoneyourresearchorbeenthoroughenough.However,projectingseverallayersofchartsonaslideisaverydifferentexperiencethandistributingseveralchartsthroughoutaslidedocforpeopletoreadandinterpretforthemselves.
Bad Habit #4: Desireaccreditation
Whenyou’veworkedhardonyourideas,it’stemptingtopresentthematerialinsteadofhandingitout.Presentingmaterialmakesitclearthatyou’retheauthorandsubjectmatterexpert.Butisthatnecessary?Thisbehaviorisbasedonprideofauthorship,notcommunicationefficiency.
Regardless of why people present their dense slides, the practice should stop.
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+ DistributingSlidedocs
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DISTRIBUTE SLIDEDOCS ONLINE
Link to your slidedoc on SlideShare to get the word out.
E-mailSlideSharecantrackwhohasseenthefile,connectthemtoyourwebsite,andcollectcontactinformationwhichgeneratesleads.
AnalyticsSlideShareisagreattoolfordistributingslidedocs.Uploadyourpresentation,andittranslatesintoaformatthatcanbebroadlyandpubliclydistributedonline.
ShareInsteadofe-mailingalargefilethatclogsinboxes,sendalinktotheSlideSharefileonline.
EmbedSlideSharepresentationscan
beembeddedintoHTMLpages.AnywhereaYouTubevideocango,aSlideShare
slidedocfilecango.
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USE SLIDEDOCS FOR WEBINARS
Afewyearsago,Iconductedasurveytoseehowmanypeopleattendedpresentationsremotelyversusinperson.Theresultsshowedthat85%ofpresentationswereremote.It’shardertomakeasincereconnectionwithanaudiencewhenyou’renotinthesameroom.
Managersspendmostoftheirworkdayinmeetings.Manymanagersconsideralmosthalfofthosemeetingsawasteoftime.Sowhenmeetingsarealreadyfeelinglikeawaste,makeyoursmoreproductivebyusingaslidedoc.
In a remote meeting situation, you’re competing with many attendee distractions, the primary one being their e-mail. If your material isn’t more interesting than their inbox, they won’t be 100% present.
Havemeetingattendeesreadonepageanddiscussthattopic.Whenattendeesreadtheslidedocandthendiscussit,itengagesthemmoreoften.Eachtimeyouadvancetoanewslide,ifattendeesaremultitasking,they’llhavetominimizee-mail(orwhateverthey’redoing)toreadtheslidesotheycancontinuetobeaparticipant.Butagain,don’treadorpresenttheslidetothem;it’sfasteriftheyreaditandthendiscussit.
Youcanalsouseslidedocsasaguideandcontextforallthetopicsyouwanttotalkover.Puttingthetopicsyou’llbediscussinginaslidedocmovesthemeetingalong.Italsohelpsattendeesgaugehowmuchyou’vecoveredasthemeetingprogresses.
Ifyou’reusingtelepresenceorotheremergingvideosystems,sendingslidedocsaheadoftimewillensurethatyourcommunicationisfailsafe(youneverknowwhatmightgowrongwithtechnology).
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VIEW SLIDEDOCS ON DEVICES
Slidedocs are the perfect content-density for reading and distributing on a tablet.
There’sbeenahugeuptickintheadoptionoftabletsinbusinessandeducation.Providingyourmaterialonadeviceletsreadersinteractwiththecontentandkeepsthemengaged.
It’seasytoconvertpresentationstodevices—the4:3aspectratioisaperfectfit.
Duarte’s preferred tools are:
SlideShark®: ConvertsPowerPoint®filesintonavigable,interactivepresentationsandincludesapowerfulanalyticsenginethatshowswholookedatyourslidedocandhowmanypagestheyread.
Keynote® foriPad®:ConvertsPowerPoint®filestoKeynote®,createsnewKeynote®filesfromscratch,andallowsyoutoviewandeditexistingKeynote®files.
Tabletscanbehookeduptoaprojector,orlinkstofilescanbesentaheadoftimeforyourreaders.I’veevenhadclientsloadtheslidedocsoniPadsandsendthemasagiftforpeopletoreadordistributeatconferences.
SlideShark®isaregisteredtrademarkofBrainshark,Inc.iPad®isaregisteredtrademarkofApple.Allrightsreserved.
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THE DANGER OF CIRCULATINGSPARSE PRESENTATIONS
Beautiful,minimalistic,cinematicslidesdon’thaveenoughinformationinthemtostandontheirownasadocumentwhendistributed. Infact,whenslidestravelaroundwithonlyanimageandahandfulofwords,thereadershavetofillinfartoomanyblankstounderstandtheirmeaning.Asyouembracesimplifyingslides,thisisanunexpectednegativesideeffect.
Slidesareabackdropforthespokenword,notrichincontentthemselves.Theirvaguenessleavesroomforarecipienttomakeupwhatwassaid,developinaccurateconclusions,andmisconstruethemeaning.
Aspresentationsarepassedalongwithoutthepresenter,importantinformationislost.Dataisdroppedthathelpsmakeyourcase.
ThesameistruewhendistributingslidesonplatformslikeSlideShare.Theslidesneedtobeself-explanatoryandclear,becausemetaphoricalconceptsareopentointerpretation.Thefollowingcasestudyshowshowtocreateaslidedocinnotesviewofyourcinematicslidessoreadersknowwhatyousaidtoyourslides.
If the graphic above was used alone on a slide, how would you know what was said about it? For example, are these people contributing to or pulling from this “system”? Vague metaphors can be misunderstood if they are shared without explanation.
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ConvertCinematicSlidesIntoSlidedocs
DavidAllen,ofTheDavidAllenCompany,isagreatpresenterwhousescinematicslideseffectively.Whenheneedstoleaveinformationbehindafterhistalks,hedeliversbeautifullayoutsofhisslidesinnotesview.
CASE STUDY
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SIMPLE SLIDES NEED NOTES
Circulating cinematic slides as slidedocs
Whendeliveringapresentationinperson,usearrestingandcinematicvisuals,similartotheslidestotheright.Whenyourpresentationisoverandsomeonesays,“Hey,sendmeyourslides,”theseslidesmightbesosparse,theywillmakenosensetothereaderwithoutyourverbaldialogue.
Sparseslidescan’tbefullyunderstoodastheytravelthroughanorganizationwithoutapresenter.So,howdoyouretaintheintegrityofthecontent,createastorylinethattravelswiththeslides,andstillkeepitvisuallysimpleandclean?
Cinematic slides need more context if they are going to be sent around an organization.
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DEFAULT NOTES VIEW
Adding notes to your slides makes it a slidedocThere’salittle-known“NotesPage”viewthatcancombineanimageofyourslideswithyourscript,andanyothercontentyou’dlike.
Totherightisthedefaultlayoutofthe“NotesPage”viewinPowerPoint®.Youcanseethattheslidevisualtakesupthetophalfofthepageandthetextbelowdefaultstoabulletedlist.
Manypeopledon’tknowthatthislayoutisextremelymodifiable.NotonlycantheNotesmasterbemodified,buteachNotesPageitselfcanhavetext,charts,quotes,andimagesaddedtoitasseparateandadditionalcontentthat’sontheslideitself.
YoucanaddtextinNotesviewortheNotespane.
Whatever you type in the Notes pane
will appear underneath the slide.
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MODIFY THE NOTES MASTER
Theimagetotherightisthedefaultmaster.Theimagetothefarrightisamodifiedmaster.
Youcanscaleyourslidetoanysizeandplaceitanywhereonthemaster.Headers,footers,andbodycopycanbemovedintoanypositionyoudesire.Thechoicesareendless.
Ifyouplantoonlyputyourscriptinthenotes,alayoutsimilartothedefaultmaywork.Ifyouplantoaddsupportinginformationormoregraphics,considerscalingtheslideandtextsizedowntoaccommodaterichercontent.
Scale and move the master elements any way you’d like.
Default master has a large slide and cascading text.
Notes layouts are flexible
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SLIDEDOCS CAN TRAVEL WITH AN APPENDIX
Inthelayoutstotheright,you’llnoticethere’sasmallimageoftheslideonthetopleftofthepage,andaquadrantgraphicandquoteonthetopright.
Thisexampleshowsthatthe“NotesPage”viewhasenormousflexibility.It’sanadditionalsurfacethatyoucandesignanddevelopwithcontentthatyoumayhavechosentocutfromyourpresentation.
It’sasiftheappendixtoyourslidegetstotravelwiththeslideitself.
This”NotesPage”viewcanbeconvertedintoaPDFandsentaroundwithyourslides.Theseslidescanbedistributedwhenpeopleaskforacopy.Printthe“NotesPage”viewanddistributeitasadocument.
You can add a lot of content to your slides
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HORIZONTAL LAYOUTS ARE AN OPTION, TOO!
The“NotesView”pageisn’tlimitedtojustverticallayouts.Youcancreatelayoutsinlandscapeview,too.
Thedesignstotherighthavethesamecontentasthelayoutsonthepreviouspagebutthenotesmasterisformattedinthelandscapeorientation.
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+ Spread Big Ideas With Slidedocs
04
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PRESENTATIONS HELP SPREAD SLIDEDOCS
Let’s say you’ve created a brilliant slidedoc packed with research, data, process, and insights. When you need to present it, how do you present it? First, don’t present your research; present the results and findings in the research and turn that into a presentation with slides.
Useadifferentcreativeprocesstodevelopapresentationthatisaninspirational,persuasivederivativeofyourdocument.
Rememberbackwhenannualreportsusedtobeprinted?Theyhadathinglossysectioninthefrontthatwasverybeautiful,story-like,highlyvisual,andhuman-centric.Therestwasadensedocumentthatstatedhowthecompanyperformedfinancially.
Tomakeapresentationaboutyourslidedoc,isolatethekeyinsightsandfindingsinyourslidedoc.Thinkthroughwhytheymatterandhowyouwanttheaudiencetobetransformedwhenyoupresenttheinformation.Brainstormmetaphors,stories,andvisualsthathelpyourinformationcomealiveandonlypresentthatinformationverbally.
Creative process
Analytical process
Creating a presentation thatis inspirational requires a different mindset and process. Incorporate stories and pictures that will move an audience to action.
Creating a slidedoc is a highly analytical process.
It’s more report-making than creative, and is
heavily comprehensive in nature.
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BENEFITS OF SPREADING SLIDEDOCS
One of the most powerful attributes of a slidedoc is its modular nature.
Theabilitytohavesmall,organizedchunksofcontenttoarrangemakescreatingslidedocsveryefficient.Organizingcontentbyfocusingononeideaperpage,youcanmixandmatchideastomeetdifferentreaderneeds.Theatomicnatureoftheunitsmakesiteasytostructureyourthoughtsintoaclearcase.
Organizationsneedtocreatedifferentslidedocstoappealtodifferentaudiences.Theflexibilityofthisrichcontentsourceallowsemployeestobeagilecommunicators.Plus,torearrangethecontent,youdon’tneedtolearnnew,complicatedsoftware.
Marketingdepartmentsusewell-writtenandwell-designedslidedocstocreatekeymessagesthatemployeesshouldincludeineverykeypieceofcommunication.
Ifslidesaren’trichwithcontentanddon’tvisuallylookliketheyhangtogetherinaunifiedvisuallanguage,recipientswillfeellikeyou’vesimplypiecemealedittogether,or“Frankensteined”slidesfromdifferentdecks.They’llassumeyoucreatedtheslidedocwithoutcaringabouthowtheyneedtoprocesstheinformation.
Greatslidedocsspreadquickly.Ifyou’retheauthorofgreatslidedocs,yourstrategy,thinking,andsolutionswillbelatchedontobytheorganizationandbecomecoretothecompany’ssuccess.Slidedoccontenthelpsspreadyourideas,makingiteasyforpeopletorepurposeyourthinking.
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SLIDEDOCS IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
Weusedcolored text inthissummarypagetoillustratehowsomeoftheexactpagetitlesthroughouttheslidedoccanbeusedinthesummary.
Thewaywecommunicate is changing. Inourtime-strappedworld,welikeinformationthatisconsumedquickly.Thishasledorganizationstolookforawaytofill the gap betweenlong-formdocumentsandpresentations.Whathasemergedareslidedocs.
Aslidedocisavisualdocumentintendedtobereadandreferencedinsteadofprojected.Slidedocsworkforavarietyofcommunicationscenarios,fromsalescollateraltoin-meetingreferencematerial.Andbecauseoftheirmodularnature,slidedocscanspread your smart thinking throughoutyourorganization.
Below is a summary of this book. The summary page should reinforce key points from your slidedoc.
Butcreatingagreatslidedocalsomeanstakingthetimetodoitright—andthatmeansinvestinginboththewritingandthedesign.Effectiveslidedocsaredevelopedbyknowing your audience,understandinghowtheyconsumeinformation,andbyhavingoneclearbig idea.Fromthere,following good writing practices andwriting compelling copy wellhelpyoucreateaslidedocthatspreads.
Developingeffectiveslidedocsalsomeansvisualizingideasandmakingtheinformationeasytonavigate.Todothat,youneedtohighlight what’s important whileusingdiagrams and data to show the relationshipsbetweenthedifferentelementsofanidea.
Usingbasicdesignprinciples—likecreatingstructure with a grid andadding white spacetogive your content room to breathe—helpsamplifywhat’simportantandhelpsreadersdigestyourinformation.
Slidedocsareoneofthemosteffectivetoolsforcommunicatingideasquicklyandestablishingconsensus.Yourideasdeservethebestpossiblecommunicationvehicle.Slidedocsaredesignedforthewaywecommunicatetoday,andthesebestpracticeswillgiveyoutheskillsyouneedtochangeyourorganizationforthebetter.
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YOUR HARD WORK WILL PAY OFF
Presentationtoolsareeasytouseifyou’retryingtothrowsomethingtogetherquickly.However,whenthestakesarehigh—adealwillbewonorlost,yourvisionadoptedorrejected,yourprojectwillmovealongorbestoppedinitstracks—youneedtospendextratimecreatingtheslidedoc.
Just because slidedocs are easy to create doesn’t mean you have a license for laziness. Regardless of the tool you use, good work always pays off.
High-stakessituationsmayalsocallforadifferentkindofcontent.Traditionally,high-stakespresentationsareinspirationalwhileslidedocsaremorepragmatic.Butwhenyourslidedocisthatimportant,andneedstoinfluenceamake-or-breakdecision,itmustembodythetypeofinspirationalpersuasionusuallyreservedforin-personpresentations.
Goodcontent,agoodstoryline,andastructurethatcompelspeopletoactordecideareworththetimeyouputintothem.
159©Duarte,Inc.2014 159©Duarte,Inc.2014
ThankYou
160©Duarte,Inc.2014
CONTACT US
If you want to contact Duarte:
Twitter: @nancyduarte
LinkedIn:NancyDuarte
www.duarte.com650-625-8200
Twitter: @duarte
Facebook:Duarte,Inc.
LinkedIn:Duarte,Inc.
Blog RSS: DuarteBlogFeed
SlideShare: Duarte,Inc.
YouTube: Duarte,Inc.
If you want to contact Nancy:
161©Duarte,Inc.2014© Duarte, Inc. 2014
162©Duarte,Inc.2014© Duarte, Inc. 2014
163©Duarte,Inc.2014
ENGAGING WITH DUARTE
ConsultingDuarte’swritersareskilledinpersuasivestorytellingpractices.Whetheryourcontentneedsacompletereworkoryou’restartingwithablankpage,ourwriterscancreateyourentirestoryfromstarttofinish.
We’d love to help!
DesignWedesigncinematicpresentationsthataweandinspire,robusttemplatesystemsthathelpfosterbettercompanywidecommunication,andpre-existingcontentthatjustneedsthatextrasomething.
PublishingDuartecantransformyourcontent(presentation,book,salestools,slidedoc,technicalpub,andcollateral)intoaplatform-agnostic,visuallyrich,easilynavigable,dynamicdocumenttouseontabletsormobiledevices.
EventsWecraftcompelling,memorablekeynoteandbreakoutsessionpresentationsthatmotivateaudiences.Wecanalsoprovideoveralleventthemeanddesignsupport.
MultimediaDuartecreatesinteractivepresentations,visualessays,videos,andanimateddemosthatfurtherengageaudiences.Wecanalsoextendthelifeofapresentationbymakingitweb-and/orYouTube-ready.
164©Duarte,Inc.2014
AmandaWorkingwithyouwasablast!Thankforwranglingandwritingchunksof
thispuppy.
DiandraThisbookisbeautiful
becauseyoumakeeverything
beautiful.
Aisling, Denise, Tyler & Ivan
Thebookwouldn’thavehappenedwithoutyourrockingdesignskills
andtenacity.
Denise, Janet, Kyle &
StephanieYourcasestudiesandtemplatedesignsarebeautifulandcentral
tothisbook.
DanYourtemplate
wizardryhasmadethisslidedocandthefreetemplatesmagicaltouse.
RicYoursupportovertheyearsandonthisslidedochasastoundedme.
http://www.ricbret.com
ThisbookisrealbecauseofaherdofDuartiansAshley, Chris, Dave, Doug, Emily, Janice,
Kelly, Michelle, Patti, & Paula
Thankyouforgenerouslydonatingtheslidedoc.comdomaintothiscause.
Anditwouldn’tbeavaluablebookwithoutacutepicofmygranddogs
BearandNecessity.
SpecialThanks
165©Duarte,Inc.2014 165©Duarte,Inc.2014
About the author:
Nancy Duarte is a communication expert. Her firm, Duarte, Inc., is the global leader behind some of the most influential visual messages in business and culture.
She is the author of three award-winning books. Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences, identifies the hidden story structures inherent in great communication, and it spent more than 300 days on Amazon’s top 100 business book bestsellers list. Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations teaches readers to think visually and has been translated into eight languages. Plus, the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations, a field guide with quick ways to up your presentation game and more effectively present data-rich information.