Recently, managers at ANZ Bank were told by their new chief executive, Nuno Matos, to restrict their PowerPoint presentations to five pages. Current slide decks were too long and staff needed to show ‘respect for everyone’s time,’ Matos reportedly said.
We’ve all experienced ‘death by PowerPoint’. It’s that dull sense of stupefaction you get when being talked through a too-long slide pack. I’ve seen plenty of these before – 90 slides, each with multiple overlapping datasets, bulleted lists, charts, screen grabs, arrows, animated transitions and other details.
Of course, it’s hard to do things differently without a little guidance first. So understandably, the first question on several ANZ employees’ lips was: Well, how?
Surely complex topics deserve complex discussion? It’s tough work shrinking 30 slides’ worth of content into five.
But by focusing on the essentials and omitting everything else, it is possible. In this article I’m going to answer five questions I get asked frequently, which will help you shorten those slide decks.
1. Other managers don’t mind long PowerPoints. Why the change?
New leaders almost always introduce new priorities, policies or systems. It’s not just a flex – it’s a chance for everyone to consider a better way. I’ve seen teams’ writing culture adjust overnight when their leadership changed, from being guarded and diplomatic to being quite direct, or mostly word-based to 50 per cent visual.
But I’ve rarely met an executive who relishes excess detail. Maybe a tenth of those I’ve worked with, at most. Most leaders will applaud the shift to brevity, and will support your move away from oversized decks even if ‘it’s always been done that way’.
Your slides are there to help with decision-making, so start with complete clarity on the needs of your main audience. (This is the person making a decision based on your information). Speak with them early to ensure your points align with their risk appetite, business goals, strategic priorities or something else.
2. How can I condense a complex topic effectively?
Understand that brevity doesn’t mean magically saying the same thing in fewer words. It means saying only the essentials. Do this by planning your PowerPoint using a mindmap and keywords, not dense prose, to determine what you absolutely must include and what can be left out. Use simple phrasing, too – spare the dense jargon (more on that here).
Next, try to contain the deck to five slides by using this classic structure by Barbara Minto (author of the famous Pyramid Principle): 1. Context, 2. Problem or opportunity, 3. Options, 4. Recommendations and 5. Next steps.
It’s been used by the world’s top decision-makers for decades, and it’s bound to work for you.
3. But how will I know what content to keep – and what to omit?
As mentioned, know your audience and you’ll know your message. When you stop trying to share all information to all possible readers you’ll be surprised at how concise you can be.
Going back to your mindmap, start to add sparing amounts of detail that support the decisions you are trying to elicit. ‘Sparing’ means an edited selection of data, projections, insights or images – not entire datasets or multiple year-on-year comparisons.
To make sure your supporting points really are the most relevant ones, either cross-check with colleagues or consult your preferred AI tool. Try this prompt: ‘When presenting [topic] to [audience] with [these priorities], what are the main points to include? I am trying to [update them/request an action/persuade of a need].’
4. Any tips for simpler PowerPoint slide design?
Simple means you’ll want to stick to the default formatting, which is designed to help non-designers achieve a simple yet impactful result. Add maybe one chart, one table or one bulleted list per slide.
After all, PowerPoints were never intended to double as reports. They have always been a visual aid for speakers, and they’re actually great when used that way.
Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule on PowerPoints will help you achieve your goal of simplicity: 10 slides for every 20 minutes of speaking time, and text sized at 30-point font.
5. Can’t I sneak in extra content by adding appendices?
I knew you’d ask. After all, audiences often do refer back to your content. However, more appendices only means more slides. Instead, design your speaking slides to be separate to the reading materials and plan when to share these.
For example, for meetings that involve team-based discussions, try the Amazon ‘reading hall’ approach. Here, staff are given 30 minutes to read short strategic memos before the presentation begins. This solves the issue that not everyone arrives at the meeting having read key materials ahead of time.
For meetings that don’t require group problem-solving, share the information afterwards (again, in memo format). This ensures attendees aren’t trying to read while you talk.
If you still feel appendices are your best bet, limit them to three appendix slides at the most.
By designing your slides to prompt decision-making, not to inform endlessly, you’ll see instant improvements in your work. And your team will thank you for it.
