Many executives are tired of listening to long presentations. They usually request their staff to make presentation containing no more than 5 slides. The intent is of course to get to the point and make decisions faster. But, this usually causes confusion and results in even worse presentations. Here, we will try to understand the expectations of the executives as well as how you can do better as a presenter.
Why Does Boss Ask For Less Slides?
Decision makers are faced with having to dig for answers in data all the time. Presentations are supposed to make their job easier, but presentations with too much data in them are actually not very helpful. This is why they ask for presentations with less slides in them. They expect you to make more targeted and concise presentations.
But All My Presentations Are Fine
Many presenters actually take the smaller number of slides as a challenge for how much they can fill into each slide. Instead of thinking about what information belongs on the slides, they start trying to fit the old presentation in a smaller place.
How Executives Usually React
Executives are usually not happy with the result. Because, now its even harder to understand the presentation. Presentations that try to include all the information while reducing the number of slides drastically are not the answer.
How To Make an Effective Presentation in 5 Slides?
Instead of trying to include everything, presenters should try to add one insight per slide. Add only one main point, or only one main idea on one slide. This will require studying the data; asking meaningful question, and coming up with ideas that really help.
So, if you have been told to make much smaller presentations, or you have told your staff to make smaller presentations, then remember to focus on insights instead of including everything in there.
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