Presenting with PowerPoint: How many slides are ideal?
So, it's important to find a good balance. But how do you determine the right number of presentation slides? First of all: there's no single perfect ratio. No one can tell you, "A new slide every two minutes is always the right approach!" And if someone does, don't believe them. Every presentation is different. Every speaker and every company is different. And every presentation situation is different.
Ultimately, it's up to you to decide on the right number of slides for your presentation. However, you can certainly make use of a few basic guidelines.
Seven rules for the right number of slides in presentations
1. Quality over quantity
Providing a wealth of detailed information can impress people – but it can also overwhelm and bore them. Focus on the key points and stick to them without getting bogged down in details. You can always clarify any uncertainties upon request.
Presentation slides should therefore not be a mere string of complex information and dense blocks of text. Your audience shouldn't be busy reading (if they even were), but rather listening to you. And if everything you say is also written on your slides, it makes what you say almost superfluous.
A good presentation slide should therefore only provide an overview of key points or supplement it with audiovisual material. It should support the presentation, but not be the presentation itself. Keep it clear and minimalist.
2. "Portion" information
In our world, efficiency is often paramount, and it's applied all too quickly and automatically to everything. However, information dissemination doesn't always work according to this principle. You can compare it to a good meal. You prefer to eat it attractively presented and in bite-sized pieces, rather than unattractively piled on a plate and eaten whole.
And the same should apply to information. It, too, is more "appetizing" and "easier to digest" for the audience when presented in well-structured portions. Just because you have enough space on one slide for several important points doesn't mean you have to cram them all onto it. Distribute key points sensibly across multiple slides to emphasize their importance and focus the audience's attention.
For example, if you're presenting on a product range, don't list product A, product B, and product C on one slide. Instead, create a separate slide for each product. These can then be supplemented with images or keywords. This will naturally increase the number of slides in your presentation, but you'll achieve a more impactful result.
3. As much as necessary, but as little as possible.
This is where efficiency comes into play. However, we're talking about sensible savings. Slides can and should support a presentation. They can provide a guide, supplement visual information, or simply liven up the presentation. As already mentioned, text shouldn't play too large a role.
But you should also always question the purpose of other elements, such as images or graphics, and how they contribute to the presentation. Anything that seems superfluous or unnecessary, or that could just as easily be conveyed verbally, can be omitted.
What is appropriate and what is superfluous is, of course, a matter of your own judgment! For example, if you want to include a caricature for amusement, it may not be very relevant to the topic, but it could still be useful for you to lighten the atmosphere.
Keep in mind that the more slides you use and their length, the less flexible you are during your presentation. You are bound to the slides and their content, and the more slides you have, the fewer options you have to deviate from them. This can certainly be helpful if you're feeling a bit unsure. However, those who prefer to speak freely and without strict guidelines may find themselves limited by the slides.
Fourth attempt makes you wise - practice makes perfect!
We often tell our children to simply practice things they're unsure about more often. So why don't we do the same ourselves? A very effective way to determine whether a presentation works as intended is simply to rehearse it once (or even several times) beforehand.
Practicing this in front of friends or family can provide valuable feedback. But even practicing alone in front of a mirror or with an imaginary audience can be very helpful. It quickly becomes clear where things are still lacking, whether the allotted time is sufficient, and how the slides fit into the presentation. Adjustments can then be made accordingly.
If you find during rehearsal that you're finishing your presentation faster than planned, you can add further information and slides. Conversely, if you had trouble completing the presentation within the allotted time and were barely able to address individual slides or had to skip them, you should shorten it.
Speaking pace also plays a role. Those who speak quickly can cover many slides in a short time. Those who speak slowly accomplish significantly less. Ideally, one should speak at a pace that is comfortable for the audience and allows them to follow the presentation easily. However, not everyone has the self-control or the necessary talent for public speaking in this situation. In any case, the number of slides should be adjustable to match one's speaking pace.
5. Keep it moderate!
Some presenters like to keep a few extra slides "in reserve" in case there's time left at the end and they need to address something further, or simply to cover all their points. This is perfectly acceptable. However, it's not ideal. If the reserve slides aren't discussed, it can easily give the audience the impression that the presenter hasn't finished and that some information is missing.
Conversely, some speakers keep their slides very minimal to make their presentation as flexible or simple as possible. That's certainly an option. However, it can also confuse the audience, as they lack visual support.
So, there shouldn't be too many or too few slides. That's often easier said than done. Ultimately, only you can decide what's important, what's unimportant, what's helpful, and what's superfluous. Trust your instincts and expertise!
6. Circumstances also play a role!
Another reason why there's no one-size-fits-all solution for the perfect presentation is that the circumstances under which a presentation is given always play a role. Individual factors such as the topic, the audience, and the venue should always be considered when it comes to the scope and structure of slide presentations.
Here's what you should keep in mind:
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The issue: Depending on the topic, the number of slides required and helpful in presentations can vary considerably. For example, if the goal is to explain technical processes, document construction progress or new products, or present business figures and statistics, images or graphics are best. In such cases, it makes little sense to cut relevant content simply to keep the number of slides down. Furthermore, with a very dry, perhaps even "sleepy" topic, visual support can help to boost attention. Conversely, if a topic relies primarily on verbal explanations, where the slide presentation is merely intended to provide some orientation, artificially increasing the number of slides would be equally pointless.
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The audience: Depending on the audience, more or fewer slides may be needed for a given topic. For example, if you are giving a presentation with many technical terms to an expert audience, you will hardly need any additional material for explanation and illustration. However, if you are trying to convey the same content to laypeople or a less experienced audience, you will have to explain many things first and may find visual aids very helpful.
- The venue: The best presentation slide is of little use if it's poorly designed or not clearly visible to everyone. Important content might not be conveyed as intended, leading to frustration for both the presenter and the audience. Therefore, in unfavorable lighting and/or visibility conditions, it can be beneficial to invest less effort in the slides and focus more on the oral presentation. Conversely, good technical conditions that allow for more extensive visual aids can be advantageous for both parties. However, these should only be expanded if they truly seem worthwhile.
7. Have the courage to showcase your own expertise!
This point sums up something very fundamental. There are many opinions. Even when it comes to something as seemingly innocuous as the optimal number of slides for a presentation, it's apparently a topic ripe for discussion and philosophical debate. And so, there are plenty of guides from (sometimes self-proclaimed) experts on how many slides are appropriate for presentations. You can certainly follow their advice.
However, you should bear in mind that none of these experts has developed their method specifically for your presentation style and topic. Furthermore, their recommendations vary considerably. While some recommend 40 slides in ten minutes, others criticize this as "cartoon-like" and advise only two slides in ten minutes. Therefore, when it comes to the number of slides, you can confidently be your own expert and choose as many slides as you deem necessary and appropriate.
This also applies to the time you spend on individual slides. Not every slide needs to, and even can, require the same amount of time. It always depends on the structure and content of the slide. If you spend several minutes on one slide, but can cover another in just a few seconds, that's perfectly fine.
Expert opinions: useful, but not binding!
If you feel more comfortable with a predefined guideline, you can of course still use various well-known presentation methods for orientation. However, make sure that these are applicable to your presentation. Here are some well-known methods used for slide presentations:
The 10-20-30 method, also known as the Kawasaki method:
Perhaps the best-known and most frequently used method is Guy Kawasaki's 10-20-30 rule. It suggests using ten slides in a 20-minute presentation. Text should be in a font size of at least 30. This equates to roughly two minutes per slide – a guideline commonly encountered in this field. For beginners or those who are unsure of themselves as speakers, this method can certainly be a helpful starting point. However, it shouldn't be considered a hard and fast rule.
The Pecha Kucha method:
The PechaKucha method is becoming increasingly popular. Originating in Japan, the term translates roughly as "talking nonstop." PechaKucha is based on very strict guidelines regarding time and the number of slides. A PechaKucha presentation consists of 20 slides. Each slide is displayed for exactly 20 seconds. The speaking time is therefore precisely 6 minutes and 40 seconds. The clear, simple rhythm seems to be what makes this method so successful. However, you are free to adapt the strict rules to suit your own needs.
Lessig method or speed slide show:
The Lessig method, also known as the speed slide show, is very interesting. It's based on numerous slides with very rapid slide changes. The goal is 15 seconds (or even less) per slide, resulting in about four slides per minute. These rapid changes give the audience little chance to lose focus and keep them captivated by the presentation. A key element is strong synchronization between the speech and the slides. This requires practice and makes the method quite challenging for the speaker.
The Takahashi method:
The Takahashi method works on a similar principle to the Lessig method. Here, too, the slides appear for only a few seconds at a time. The distinguishing feature: all slides contain only one or a few words in very large print. These are intended to highlight the key points of what is being said. Here, too, the focus is on capturing the audience's attention.
Furthermore, this method always provides the speaker with suitable bullet points, making aids such as index cards unnecessary. Of course, this method is not suitable for presentations that rely on images, graphics, or similar visual aids.
As you can see, the various approaches and ideas differ widely. So which method is the right one? The answer is simple! It's your presentation: therefore, yours! If one of the methods with fixed guidelines works well for you and you like it, then use it! If not, then adapt it or simply follow your own guidelines entirely.
More useful PowerPoint tips:
- Don't start your preparations by creating the slide presentation; instead, leave this step as far as possible until the end of your work. Many presenters take the opposite approach and design their presentation around the slides. This creates a false focus, because the presentation itself, not the slides, should be the central element. Prepare your content first, and then decide how to present it effectively.
- When preparing your presentation, keep in mind that you need to allow some time for questions, discussion, or other delays. You should only allocate about 80% of the allotted time to your presentation. If you take longer than planned and run over, your audience will quickly become restless and dissatisfied. If you finish a little early, accept it. Don't try to artificially lengthen the presentation by adding extra sections or jumping back in time. Instead, focus more on addressing your audience's questions and comments.
- A little flexibility is generally a good thing, as presentations don't always go as planned. You might find that some of the content is already familiar to the audience. In that case, don't necessarily stay on the corresponding slide as planned, but instead focus more on other points. You might also need more time than planned due to questions or uncertainties. Such deviations are normal and shouldn't throw you off balance.
- Don't forget to check in good time whether everything is working as it should technically and familiarize yourself with the necessary settings and steps. This is especially important if you are working with embedded videos or sounds.
One last piece of good advice:
The biggest pitfall in presentations is usually not the slides themselves, but the presenter's own insecurity. Your audience has likely been in your shoes, understands the same challenges, and will likely forgive you for having a few too many or too few slides. Just stay confident and be yourself. A perfect but lifeless presentation is often less impressive than one with a few rough edges and a strong personality.
