Communication Part 8: Slides, rehearsal and Q&A

Slides should help people follow you, not hold everything you're going to say. Rehearse out loud, and prepare for questions before anyone asks them.

Slides that help

• One idea per slide. Make the title the point: "Most students we asked had fought over a bill", not "Survey results".
• Few words, big text. If you could read the slide out instead of talking, it has too much on it. Keep text at about 24 point or bigger, so the back row can read it.
• Show rather than list: a photo, a chart with one number highlighted, or a short demo.
• Plain backgrounds and strong contrast. Skip the fancy transitions.
• End with your one sentence from Part 7 and how to reach you.

Rehearse out loud

Reading your slides in your head isn't rehearsal. Stand up and say the whole thing out loud, at least three times:

1. The first run shows you the parts that don't flow. Fix them.
2. The second run is for timing.
3. The third run is in front of a friend, or recorded on your phone.

Learn your first and last lines by heart. For everything in between, know your points rather than every word, so you sound like you're talking, not reciting.

Questions

• Before the talk, list the five questions you'd least like to get, and prepare short answers.
• When someone asks, pause, repeat the question so the room hears it, then answer in a sentence or two.
• If you don't know, say so: "I don't know, but I'll find out and send it to you." That's a good answer, and much safer than a guess.
• If a question is really a long comment, thank them and move on.

When something goes wrong

The projector dies or the video won't play. Say what happened in one line, and carry on without it. If you lose your place, pause, look at your notes and continue. Most audiences barely notice a slip if you stay calm.

Try it

Turn your outline from Part 7 into five slides: a title, one for each point and a closing slide. Rehearse out loud three times, record the last run, and write down the five questions you'd least like to get.

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That's the Communication series. Try one part this week: the point first in a message, a play-back line in a conversation, or a three-part outline for your next talk.