Give Bullets the Bullet

Back to the Slides section Page

Photo by Photos8.com

Bullet points work fine within a written document but they make for boring slides. They are usually there as a crutch for the speaker, to help her remember what she has to say. Unfortunately reading bullet points off a slide with the back of your head to the audience doesn’t make for an inspiring presentation.

Here’s another slide from my personal Gallery of Horrors, made a few years ago:

And here’s the version I use now:

Now, when I present using the second slide I may not cover every single one of the nine points in the original, but I give the gist of the subject in a much more lively and engaging way.

Here’s another example – which should make it crystal clear I’m not a graphic designer!

And here’s the latest version. As well as the image, note the use of plain English instead of psychological terminology:

Back to the Slides section Page