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Page 1: Slidedocs by Duarte

SlidedocsSpread ideas with

effective visualdocuments

bynancyduarte

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+ Content Creation

+ Case Study: Dense Slides Converted

+ Architecture of a Slidedoc

+ Data and Diagrams Clarify Content

+ Case Study: SAP Top 10

+ Visual Systems Unify

+ Case Study: “Power of Story”

+ Grids Add Structure

+ Breathe With White Space

+ Typesetting Amplifies What’s Important

+ Printing and Projecting Slidedocs

+ Distributing Slidedocs

+ Case Study: From Cinematic to Slidedoc

+ Spread Big Ideas With Slidedocs

TABLE OF CONTENTS

+ The Call for Conversations

+ Reintroducingthe Slidedoc

+ Connecting With Your Audience

+ Case Study: Docs to Slidedocs

TheCaseforSlidedocs

WritingaSlidedoc

DesigningaSlidedoc

DeliveringaSlidedoc

01 02 03 04INTRO

Pages 137–159Pages 99–136Pages 37–98Pages 9–36Pages 3–8

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COMMUNICATION HAS CHANGED

Businessismovingfasterthanever.Employeesareconstantlyaskedtodoalittlebitmore,alittlebitfaster.

Thisobsessionwithpacehascausedustoweedoutinefficiencyonnearlyeverylevel,especiallywhenitcomestocommunication.

Internet and mobile communications have reconditioned people to prefer consuming information in small chunks.

Shortblogpostsgetthemosttraffic.Youcanbarelyfitacoupleofsentencesinatweet.Andtextmessagesusuallyonlytakeupalineortwo.

In the process, we’ve all but killed long-form business communications.

Today,contentnotboileddowntoitsessenceisatime-waster.Long,detailed,multipagedocumentsofprosetaketoolongtoreadbetweene-mailsandmeetings.So,weignorethemuntilourschedulesallowalongblockoftimeforconsumingdenseinformation—ifthattimeevercomes.

LINK:PICTORIALLEARNING

LINK:MULTIMEDIALEARNING

LINK:SCIENTIFICSTUDY

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SHORTER COMMUNICATION IS THE NEW NORM

Asaresult,shorter,tighter,visualcommunicationisthego-tomethodforgettingeverybodyonthesamepagequickly.Peoplelearnconceptsbetterwhentheyseepicturescombinedwithprose.Therefore,visualmedialikepresentationsareusedmorereadily.

SincefirststartingDuarte,Inc.in1988,I’vewatchedthistrendtowardcommunicatingvisuallyintensify.Inourearlyyears,wecleanedupslidesfrompeoplewhoweredesperatenotsomuchtogiveaverbalpresentation,buttoexpresstheirideasvisuallyandspreadthemthroughouttheirorganization.

The best way to spread visual ideas is through slides. The slide format makes it easy for people to capture great ideas and share them.

AtDuarte,we’doftenseeslideswehadvisualizedreusedinhundredsofdifferentpresentationswithintheorganization.Greatslidesspread.

Theseshort,tight,atomicbitesofcontenthavebecomethedefaultwayofvisuallycommunicatingideas.

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USERS NEED A BETTER WAY

We’veallseentheslidetotheleft.Worseyet,we’veallhadthisslidepresentedtousatonetime.

Theseodd,projectedmisdeedsareprobablyoneofthemosthateddigitalartifactsinbusinesstoday.They’rehatedbecausetheyfailtoaccomplishtheirpurpose,whichistocommunicateideasclearlyandeffectively.

Butthere’sareasonbehindwhypeoplemaketheseslides.First,thedefaulttemplatesinPowerPoint®encouragetheircreation.

Second,presentationsoftwareistheeasiestwaytocombinetextandvisuals,soithasbecomethedefaultvisualcommunicationplatform.

Third,peopleneedtheirideastobeunderstoodontheirownwithoutthehelpofapresenter.

Programs like PowerPoint® were created to make slide presentations, so users feel they need to project what they create. Many files should not be projected, but read instead.

Lovelysparseslidesareperfectasavisualaidwhenpresenting.However,inmanycases,youraudiencewouldbebestservedbycreatingadocument—butnotjustanydocument.

PowerPoint®isaregisteredtrademarkofMicrosoftCorporation.Allrightsreserved.

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SLIDEDOCS™: A NEW MEDIUM

It’s time for a new medium— a medium that retains presentation software’sability to seamlesslyintegrate graphics andwords—and quickly travel throughout organizations.

Aslidedocisadocumentcreatedusingpresentationsoftware,wherevisualsandwordsunitetoillustrateoneclearpointperpage.

Theresultisamediumthatcanbereadanddigestedmorequicklythaneitheradocumentorapresentation.

Slidedocsaremeanttobeprintedordistributedandreadonscreenwithouttheaccompanimentofapresenter.

Mybookssofarhaveadvisedpeopleonhowtocreatesparse,highlyvisualpresentations.So,itmightcomeasasurprisetohearmesupportanotheruseforslidesoftware.We’vebeencreatingslidedocsforthepast25yearsbecausetheyhelpquicklyspreadourclients’ideasaroundtheirorganizations.

Slidedocsworkbecause:

Uniformformatofaslideencouragesclear,succinctarticulationandvisualizationofconceptsononepage.

Editablenatureallowsittobealivingdocumentthatiscollaborativeandcancanevolveovertime.

Overarchingviewallowsyoutoseethewhole,insteadofonlytheparts.Byworkinginoutlineorslidesortermode,youcanseetheentiremessageandstructureinadditiontoindividualpages.

Spreadabilityallowsthesmartestpagestospreadthroughoutanorganization.Greatslidedocsarereusedagainandagain.

Slidedocs™isatrademarkofDuartePressLLC.Allrightsreserved.

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IN FACT, THIS BOOK IS A SLIDEDOC

Rightnow,youarereadingalong-formslidedoc.It’sprobablydifferentthanthelastfileyousawdevelopedinpresentationsoftware.IdecidedtomodelwhataslidedocisbyusingthemediumasthemessageandreleasingthisbookinPowerPoint®sothatyoucandeconstructit.

Some things you may notice:

• Pageshavemorecopyandvisualexplanationsthanacinematicpresentation

• Templatesystemusesgrids,columns,andfullsentences

• Denseanalyticalexplanationsappearthroughoutthebook

So,enjoypokingaroundandlearningfromthisslidedoc.

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YOU NEED A SLIDEDOC IF…

You should create a slidedoc if:

• Youhavedetailedinformationtoconvey,butyouwon’tbearoundtoexplainit

• Youhavedetailedsubjectmatterthatisconducivetobeingconveyedwithvisualsandprose

• Peopleconsumeyourinformationbetterwhenitisbrokenintosmaller,morevisualchunks

• Yoursalesteamneedsmodularcollateralandtoolsthatareflexibleenoughtogettherightmaterialtotherightcustomers

This slidedoc will teach you how to use presentation software to create visual documents that will travel throughout your organization without much effort on your part after the initial authoring process.

• Yourinformationcouldbeconsumedaheadoftimeandthemeetingtimecouldbeusedforconsensusbuilding

Hopefully,you’vealreadyreadmypreviousbooksasafoundationtohelpcreatestrongcontentandcompellingcinematicvisualsforyourpresentations.

Thisnewbookcoverskeyinsightsforcreatingaslidedoc.Yourslidedocswillbemoreimpactfulifyou’vereadResonateandSlide:ology.

Create persuasive story

content to connect to an audience who responds with

action.

Understand the visual display of information so the audience can see what

you’re saying.

Create persuasive visual documents for the way

people consume information today.

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TheCaseforSlidedocs

+ The Call for Conversations + Reintroducing the Slidedoc + Connecting With Your Audience + Case Study: Slides to Slidedocs 01

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+ The Call for Conversations

01

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PRESENTATIONS ARE FAMILIAR

There’s no doubt about it; we are a presentation culture. By some estimates, Microsoft’s PowerPoint® has been installed on roughly one billion computers. Plus, an average of 350 presentations are given every second of every day.

We’veadoptedthisbehaviorforagoodreason:presentationsareoneofthebestwaystocommunicateideas,persuadeanaudiencetoadoptanidea,andpursueacourseofaction.

Yet,manypopulararticleshavegrabbedheadlinesandwonpraisebycallingforanendtopresentations.

WhileIwouldn’tgosofarastosay“presentationsareevil,”Idobelievethatwecoulddoabetterjobofcreatingandusingthem.

Infact,I’vebuiltathrivingbusinessandwrittenthreebest-sellingbooksonhowtomakepresentationsmoreeffectiveandenjoyable.

However,eventhebestpresentationwon’tworkifit’snotdeliveredintherightcontext.Justlikeyouwouldn’tgiveapresentationtotellsomeonethere’satigerbehindhim,therearecertainbusinesssettingswhereapresentationisn’ttherightapproach.

Butmostpeopledoitanyway,becauseit’swhatweknow.Andthat’swherethetroublebegins.

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THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE RIGHT JOB

Presentations play a vital role in many settings, but they need additionalsupport through slidedocs to continue the momentum.

Conversation

E-mail

Presentation

Video

Webinar Meeting

Event

Spread Ideas

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CONVERSATIONS BUILD CONSENSUS

Apresentationcanbeanamazingtool,butonlywhenit’susedcorrectly.Presentationsaremosteffectivewhenyouneedtopersuadeagroupofpeopletochangetheirbehavior.Presentationsareoftenaone-waystreet:informationflowsfromthepresentertotheaudience.

Butwhathappenswhenyouneedtobringagrouptoconsensusormakeadecisionbasedonsomesharedinformation?Formalpresentationsdon’tallowforenoughback-and-forthtoaccomplishthesegoals.

Instead,consensus-buildinganddecision-makingeventsareperfectopportunitiesforinformedconversations,meaningconversationsinwhichalltheparticipantshaveaccesstoacommonsetofinformation.

Conversationsgiveparticipantstheabilitytobuildonyourideasinsteadofsimplyreceivingthem.

Theverbalback-and-forthofchallenginganddefending,resistingandaccepting,andcreatinganddestructing,refinestheideawhilehelpingyoubuildcredibilitybyshowingyourcommandofthecontent.

Asaresult,informedconversationscanhelpyoubuildconsensusanderoderesistancetoanidea.Thesebenefitsarethereasonswhyseveralnotableexecutives,includingSirRichardBranson,SherylSandberg,andJeffWeiner,havecalledforanincreasedemphasisonconversations.

Insteadofpresenting,we’vefoundthateveryonecangetuptospeedquicklyifyougivetheminformationbeforehand,orallow10minutesatthebeginningofthemeetingforpeopletoreadaslidedoc.Then,eachpersonisfullyinformedforthediscussion.Plus,theycanrefertothematerialsastheydiscusstheissues.

SLIDE14:SIRRICHARDBRANSONINTERVIEW

SLIDE22:SHERYLSANDBERGINTERVIEW

SLIDE27:JEFFWEINERINTERVIEW

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Too many people are hiding in dark rooms flipping through too many words on big screens. There’s a reason why I avoid boardrooms. I’d rather spend time with people ‘in the field,’ where eye contact, genuine conviction, and trustworthiness are in full evidence. Dyslexia shaped my—and Virgin’s—communication style. From the beginning, Virgin used clear, ordinary language. If I could quickly understand a campaign concept, it was good to go. If something can’t be explained off the back of an envelope, it’s rubbish. I believe in conversations and eye contact.

– Sir Richard Branson FounderandChairman,VirginGroup

Photo:virgin.com

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PRESENTATIONS VS. CONVERSATIONS

How do you decide when to give a presentation and when to facilitate a conversation? In order to make that decision, you need to decide on your goal. What do you want to get out of the time you have with the group? The table below will help you determine which mode of communication best suits your needs.Presentation Conversation

Needtocommunicateanalready-formedidea

Needtobuildupon,getconsensuson,ormorefullydevelopanidea

Alreadyhaveinformationabouttheaudience’swantsandneeds

Needmoreinformationaboutthegroup’swantsandneeds

Needtoinform,persuade,orentertainanaudience

Needtobuildapersonalrelationshipwiththeaudience

Doesnotrequirereal-timefeedbackfromtheaudience

Needthegroup’sinputinordertomoveforward

Needasingleeventtomoveanaudiencetowardyourobjective

Needcontinuousengagementtoaccomplishyourobjective

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+ Reintroducingthe Slidedoc

01

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DOCUMENTS ARE DENSE

The best way to build consensus during a meeting is to distribute the information beforehand to give people time to review and absorb it. But what is the best way to distribute that information?

Ifyouuseadocumentformat,youcanaddmoredetailwhilestillallowingpeopletoconsumeinformationattheirownpace.However,thedensenatureofdocumentscanraisesomeissues.Veryfewpeoplelookatapagefullofbusinessproseandthink,“Thislookslikegreatreading.Ican’twaittodivein!”

Also,documentscanbedifficulttoreferenceduringadiscussion.Hasanyoneeveraskedyoutofindthethirdsentenceinthesecondtolastparagraph

insectionfour?Ifso,howlongdidittaketofindit?

Whenyourefertoadocument,youlosevaluabletimejusttryingtogeteveryonetothesameplace—nevermindyouractualpoint.

Finally,manypeopleprocessinformationfasterandunderstanditbetterifit’spresentedvisually.Byhandingoutpagesfullofparagraphs,you’reputtingupbarriersontheroadtounderstanding—notthebestwaytostartameeting.

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SPECTRUM OF USE

DocumentEverydepartmenthaslonganddense,butnecessary,documentationintheformofmemos,reports,manuals,andbriefs.Theseartifactsareusefulforholdingalotofinformationinasinglecontainer.

PresentationEverydepartmentalsohaspresentationsituseswhenpeopleneedtocombinethepowerofthespokenwordandcompellingimagestopersuadeanaudience.

Characteristics of a Document Characteristics of a Presentation

Exhaustive Cinematicstory

Topicalstructure Dramaticstructure

Informative Transformative

Analyticalprocess Creativeprocess

Visuallydense Visuallysparse

Intendedtoberead Intendedtobeheard

Self-guided Presenter-guided

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SLIDEDOCS FILL THE GAP

SlidedocNeitherdensedocumentsnorsparseslidescontaintherightbalanceofdetailandscanabilitytobeusedasapre-readorhandout.Slidedocscombinethestrengthsofdocumentsandpresentationswhileminimizingtheirweaknesses.

Characteristics of a Slidedoc

Explanatory

Modularstructure

Educational

Visualthinkingprocess

Tightvisual-to-proseratio

Understoodquickly

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WHAT IS A SLIDEDOC?

Slidedocs are visual documents, developed in presentation software, that are intended to be read and referenced instead of projected.

I’d be willing to make three bets:

1. Youalreadyknowwhatslidedocsare

2. Youalreadyhaveslidedocsfloatingaroundyourorganization

3.Youyourselfhavealreadycreatedaslidedoc

HowcanIbesosure?Becauseit’sbeeninfrontofusthewholetime—thisawesomewayofcommunicatinginformationthat’sbotheasilyconsumedandeasilyreferenced.Manypeoplehaven’trealizedthebrilliancebehindtheseartifacts,becausethey’vebeenusingtheminthewrongway.

Insteadofallowingaudiencestoreadtheseslidedocs,peoplehavebeen“presenting”theminlong,boringread-alongsandputtingaudiencestosleep.Bydoingthis,peoplehavelearnedtooverlookpresentationsoftwareasatoolforcombiningwordsandvisualsinawaythatallowspeopletoquicklyconsumeandspreadinformationinatomicbites.

Whileusingpresentationsoftwareistheeasiestwaytocreateaslidedoctoday,theconceptactuallypredatessoftware.

Infact,HughesAircraftpublishedareportontheSequentialThematicOrganizationofPublications(STOP)in1965.

ProponentsoftheSTOPmethodbelievedthatcommunicatinginformationbyputtingasingleideaonapageandsupportingitwithtextandpictureswasamoreconciseandcollaborativewaytobuilddenseproposalsandreports.

Similarly,slidedocsallowcommunicatorstobreakcomplexideasintosmallchunksofinformationandgivereadersthetimetoabsorbtheinformationattheirownpace.

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HOW WILL YOU USE SLIDEDOCS

Simply put, slidedocs communicate on your behalf. When informationneeds to be conveyed without the help of a formal presenter, slidedocsserve this purpose.

Slidedoc

As a Pre-Read Themosteffectiveconversationshappenwheneverybodyisfully

informed.Bydistributingaslidedocbeforeameeting,youcanreserveamajorityofthemeetingforbuilding

consensus.Thisisparticularlyhelpfulwhenthetopicishighlycomplex

ortechnical.

As Follow-Up Material Presentationsoftenanswerthequestion,“WhyshouldIembraceyouridea?”Afteraformalpresentation,peopleneedanswerstothequestion,“HowdoIembraceyouridea?”Followupwithdetailssotheycanhelpyoupushforward.Thisiswhyslidedocsmakegreatmodularsalescollateral.

As an Emissary Peopleinpositionsofinfluencewill

sometimessay,“Sendmeyourslides”beforethey’llbookameeting

withyou.Slidedocshelpyoufullyexplainyourideawithoutbeingthere.

As Reference Material Informationshouldenhanceaconversation,notdistractfromit.Combiningwordsandvisualsaroundasingleideamakesiteasierforpeopletorefertotheinformationintheheatofadiscussion.

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When I joined Facebook, one of

the things I had to do was build the business side of the company, put some systems into place, but I wanted to do it without destroying the culture that made Facebook great. So, one of the things I tried to do was encourage people not to do formal PowerPoint presentations for meetings with me. Why don’t you come in with a list of what you want to discuss.

– Sheryl Sandberg COO,Facebook

Photo:Copyright2010DrewAltizer,FinancialTimesSource:http://drte.co/pz

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PRESENTATION SOFTWARE IS THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

Presentationsoftwarecanbeagreatpublishingtool.Theabilitytointegratewords,visuals,andotherinteractiveelementslikehyperlinksandvideoareafewofthekeyattributesofaslidedoc.

First,it’sapracticalalternativetoprofessionaldesignsoftware,whichisexpensiveandtakesyearstolearnwell.Whymakethatinvestmentwhenatoolyouuseeverydaywillworkformostofyourcommunicationneeds?Granted,professionaldesignersserveagreatpurpose.Designersspendyearslearningtheeffectivedisplayofinformation.Forhigh-stakescollateralofanykind,nothingcanreplaceadesigner’sabilitytovisuallyguideandengagethereader.

Second,presentationsoftwareispervasive.PowerPoint®isinstalledonmorethanabillioncomputersworldwide.

You’dbesurprisedbythenumberandqualityofideasthatbegininpresentationsoftware.Manypeopleuseittocreateconceptsandstrategies,andplentyofgreatideastrickleoutoftheseapps.

Lastly,veryfewtoolsallowyoutopickupentirepages,rearrangethem,easilymergethemintoexistingdocuments,orsavethemintotheirownfile.Theeasewithwhichyoucanaccomplishthesetaskswithpresentationsoftwaremakesittheperfectplatformforspreadinginformation.I’veseenslideswehelpedcreateforaclientinonepartofthecompanycomebacktousrepackagedinadeckfromacompletelydifferentdepartment.It’satestamenttopresentationsoftware’suniqueabilitytofacilitateandspreadideas.

Benefits of slide software:

Visual: Visualizinginformationhelpsyourreadersseewhatyou’reexplaining.

Versatile: Itincorporatesphotos,illustrations,sketches,andevenvideoifit’spostedonline.

Interactive: YoucanembedlinksandjumparoundthedocumentitselforouttotheInternet.

Tablet-ready: Itsaspectratiomakesiteasytoloadontodevices.

Spreadable:Itsmodularnatureallowsslidestobeincorporatedintootherdecksandspreaditthroughouttheorganization.

Shareable: PlatformslikeSlideShare™makeitembeddableandshareable.

SlideShare™ is a trademark of LinkedIn Corporation. All rights reserved.

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+ Connecting WithYour Audience

01

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USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB

Nowthatwehavethistool,howdoweknowwhentouseit?Whenisitbettertosendpeopleaslidedoc,andwhenshouldyougiveapresentation?Theanswerdependsagreatdealonthesituation,butmuchofyourdecisionshouldboildowntotwoquestions:

1. Do people need to hear your message directly from you? Ifso,youshoulddeliverapresentation.

2. Does the subject matter require a lot of detail to understand? Ifso,aslidedoccouldbeyourbestbet.Thetabletotherightservesasaguidetohelpyoudecidewheresomeinternalandexternalcommunicationsmayfallonthespectrum.

External

Internal

Slidedoc Presentation

ProposalResearchFindingsEarningsReportClientStrategySalesSheetRFICaseStudyWhitePaperDatasheet

PressBriefingInvestorPresentationExecBriefingVCPitchKeynotePresentationProductLaunchAnalystPresentationSalesPresentationCorporateOverview

ResearchFindingsReportsBrief/MemoCorporateStrategyExecutionPlanAppendixStaffMeetingStatusUpdate

Lecture/TrainingInternalLaunchBoardMeetingVisionMeetingAll-HandsMeetingQuarterlyUpdateProjectOverview

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SLIDEDOCS ARE BETTER FOR THE AUDIENCE

Space limitationsforceaslidedoc’sauthortoboildownthematerialtoitsessence.Donecorrectly,thismakesthematerialmorecleartothereader.

The advantages below trickle down to the audience, who reaps the benefits of consuming clear and concise prose paired with helpful visual aids.

Visualized ideashelptheaudience“see”whatyou’resaying.Whencriticalbusinessdecisionsneedtobemadequickly,visuallyarticulatedconceptsreducethetimetoreachconsensus.

Time savings areachievedbyallowingtheaudiencetoreadthematerialinsteadoflisteningtoitbepresented.(ImagineifIpresentedthisdocumenttoyouinsteadofgivingittoyoutoread!)

Consensus building isaccomplishedwhenpeoplehavetimetodiscussthematerial.Afterreadingaslidedoc,peoplecangathertohaveconversationsaboutitthatcreatemovementtowardobjectives.

Shorter time to understanding happenswithmaterialthat’sbeenparsed,structured,andvisualized.

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Once folks have completed the reading, it's time to open it up for discussion. There is no presentation. It's important to stay vigilant on this point as most people who prepared the materials will reflexively begin presenting. If you are concerned about appearing insensitive by not allowing individuals who worked hard on the materials to have their moment, constructively remind the group this is a new practice that is being applied to the entire company and will benefit all meeting attendees, including the artist formerly known as The Presenter. With the presentation eliminated, the meeting can now be exclusively focused on generating a valuable discourse: Providing shared context, diving deeper on particularly cogent data and insights, and perhaps most importantly, having a meaningful debate.

– Jeff Weiner CEO,LinkedIn

At LinkedIn, we have essentially eliminated the presentation.

In lieu of that, we ask that materials that would typically have been presented during a meeting be sent out to participants at least 24 hours in advance so people can familiarize themselves with the content.

Bear in mind: Just because the material has been sent doesn't mean it will be read. We begin each meeting by providing attendees roughly 5 to 10 minutes to read through the deck. If people have already read it, this gives them an opportunity to refresh their memory, identify areas they would like to go deeper on, or just catch up on e-mail.

Photo:Copyright

”Source: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130701022638-22330283-a-simple-rule-to-eliminate-useless-meetings

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SPREAD YOUR SMART THINKING

ChunkingThebestwaytodigestinformationistochunkitintoadigestibleformusingslidesoftware.

Unlikeadocument,slidedocscreatetheflexibilitytoreusesmallunitsofcontent.Theseunitsofinsightspreadreadily,becauseallofthecopyandimagesclearlysupportoneuniquethought.

Trapped IdeasThere’satimeandaplaceforcomplexreports,proposals,andcollateral.Businessesneeddensedocumentsforthingslikecontracts,fullresearchreports,andtranscripts.

However,importantinformationcangetlostifit’slockedinaseaofprose.Theslidedocformatputsthisinformationintothehandsofthepeople.

Make It SpreadableReallygreatslidedocs—theoneswheresmartthinkingmeetsinformativevisuals—spreadlikewildfire.Theygetpickedup,reused,andre-expressed.

Ifyouwantyourbrilliantworkpopulatedthroughoutanorganization,slidedocsareoneoftheeasiestwaysforyourideastotakerootineverydepartment.

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THREE WAYS TO PRODUCE EFFECTIVE SLIDEDOCS

Convert Documents to SlidedocsGreatinformationisoftentrappedindensedocuments.Rechunkingandturningwordsintopictureshelpsmakethemunderstood.(Seecasestudyonnextpage)

Convert Teleprompter Text to Slidedocs Whensomethingisneitheraslidenoraslidedoc,itcanbeanawkward,read-alonglength.Eithershortenthecopyintoaslideforprojection,oraddmorecontexttoitsoit’sastand-aloneslidedoc.(Seecasestudyonaddingcontentonpages58to63)

Convert Slides to SlidedocsIfyou’reagreatpresenter,simplevisualsworkforprojection.Sothenwhatdoyoudoafteryourtalkwhensomebodyasksforacopyofyourslides?Embedyourslidesasgraphicsinaslidedocwithlongerprose.(pages149to154)

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ConvertingDocumentsIntoSlidedocs

Thiscasestudytransformslengthy,text-basedprosefromNOAA’sSolarPhysicshighschoolcurriculumintoavisuallyrichandeasilyconsumableslidedocthatengagesthereaderandpassesalongknowledgequickly.

CASE STUDY

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NOAA SOLAR PHYSICS CURRICULUM | BEFORE

Studying the sun could be a visually arresting experience, but this document is dull and dense, which can be intimidating.

As a result, its dull nature may affect the comprehension of the subject matter. Chunking the text by topic and displaying it in a visually interesting way can entice students to dive in.

Source:http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Curric_7-12/Chapter_1.pdf

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NOAA SOLAR PHYSICS CURRICULUM | AFTER

Believe it or not, this is the same material as the “before” example on the previous page. It’s colorful and broken into smaller, more digestible chunks of information.

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This beautiful information was trapped in the original document. By using images from NASA, the information is visualized and easier to understand. You can use callouts associated with the text to emphasize your main point.

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Before After

Plotting the data in color, instead of black and white, helps students visualize the temperature like a heat map. It draws readers in and helps them comprehend the material better.

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And, of course, slidedocs are easy to convert into device-ready formats by using any one of a number of tools. This flexibility allows your information to be consumed on the go.

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PUBLISHING IS CHANGING

In2008,whenmyfirstbookwaspublished,therewereonlyahandfulofotherbusinessbooksthatusedvisualsasheavilyaswedid.Now,severalbusinessbooksperyeararereleasedwithavisualfocus.Theuptickinvisualbooksiscloselyrelatedtoorganizations’presentationcultureandhowweconsumeinformationonaday-to-daybasis.

There has been an incredible sea of change in publishing over the pastfew years. Large publishers are scrambling to figure out the digital eraand digital book sales are surpassing traditional print books.

Theintroductionoftabletsanddigitalbookshasconditionedpeopletoreadonscreens.Yet,Istillhaven’tfoundapublishingplatformthatmakesiteasytopublishadigital,visualbookthatworksonallscreens,acrossallplatforms.

Slidedocs,ontheotherhand,aremultiplatform.Youcandistributethemviae-mail,tablets,servers,orsocialmedialikeSlideShare.

Anotherbenefitisthefactthatslidedocsaren’ttrappedinaproprietyplatformthatisdifficulttopromoteorsharewithothers.YoucanconvertslidedocstootherfileformatssuchasPDF,HTML,video,andimagesrelativelyeasily.

Allthiscanbedoneinanapplicationthatyouuseeveryday.

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WritingaSlidedoc

+ Content Creation+ Case Study: Dense Slides Converted + Architecture of a Slidedoc + Data and Diagrams Clarify Content + Case Study: SAP Top 10 02

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+ Content Creation

02

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KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Take a mental walk in their shoes.

Inallthreeofmybooks,I’vespentasignificantamountoftimetalkingabouttheneedtocraftyourmessagearoundtheaudience’sconcerns.Youcouldsaysomethingsneverchange.

Thetruthisthatnomatteryourmodeofcommunication,youraudienceshouldalwaysbeyournumberonepriority.Theymustunderstandyourmessage.Withouttheirbuy-in,yourmessagedoesn’tgoanywhere.

Peoplearen’tmotivatedbywhat’simportant.They’remotivatedby“What’sinitforme?”Asyoucreateyourslidedoc,remembertomakeitevidenttoyourreaderswhat’sinitforthem.

Takeamentalwalkintheirshoes.Anticipatetheirconcerns,theirquestions,andtheircircumstances,andkeepthosethoughtsinmindasyouconstructyourcopy.You’llbegladyoudid.

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STATE YOUR BIG IDEA

Youknowwhenyourunintooneofthesepieces,becauseyoulookupattheend(ifyoumakeittotheend)andthinktoyourself,“Whatjusthappened?”

Youdon’teverwantsomeonetofinishyourslidedocwithaconfusedlookontheirface.That’swhyyoustateyourBigIdea.Traditionally,theBigIdeamustcontainthefollowingthreerequirements:

It goes without saying that your slidedoc should have a point, but you’dbe surprised by how many pieces of communication (from e-mail all theway to full-length books) are distributed without the author ever thinking,“What exactly am I trying to do here?”

Big Idea Requirements Example

Your unique point of view Slidedocsspreadyourmessagethroughmodularcontent.

What’s at stake for those who do or do not adopt your point of view

Slidedocsempowerpeopletoquicklyunderstandandeasilyshareyourideas.

These elements must be written in a complete sentence

Slidedocs spreadyourmessagethroughmodularcontentthatempowerspeople toquicklyunderstandandeasilyshareyourideas.

Stating your Big Idea in this format distinguishes it from simply being a

topic.

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UNITE AROUND ONE POINT

Puttingeachideaonasinglepageallowsyoutoeliminatedistractionsandfocusthereader’sattention.

Theone-idea-per-slidementalitywillalsokeepyoufocusedasyouwriteyourslidedocandpreventyoufromoverelaborating.

Presentationsoftwareisespeciallyusefulforkeepingyouhonestinthatregard.Beginauthoringyourslidedocbyputtingyourideasfortopicsandsubtopicsonindividualslides.

Onceyou’vesettledonacertainnumberoftopics,theseideaswillbecomeyourpagetitles.Asyoudevelopthesupportingcontent,usethetitleasalitmustesttotellwhetherornotyou’restayingontopic.

Just as your slidedoc should have a single Big Idea, each page should also focus on a single, core point.

Ifyoufindyourselfcrowdingthepagewithwords,thenyoumayhavestrayedofftopic.Eitheredityourmaterialdownorcreateanewsubtopiconanotherpage.

Ifyoudocreateanotherpage,makesureitsupportstheoverallpointyou’remakingwithyourslidedocandthatitreallyisrelevanttoyouraudience.Ifnot,thecontentmaybeextraneous.

Remember,it’slessaboutdemonstratingwhatyouknow,andmoreaboutmakingtheinformationeasytoconsumeandunderstand.Curbthetemptationtocreateafullexplanationofeverythingyouknowaboutthetopic.

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RECOMMENDED LENGTH OF SLIDEDOCS

Pre-read:

Before the meeting: Ifyoudistributetheslidedocbeforeameeting,itshouldbeabletobereadin20minutesorless.Itmaybehardforreviewerstofindlargeblocksoftimeintheirworkdayforfocusedreading.

Beginning of the meeting: Ifyoudistributetheslidedocforpeopletoreadatthebeginningofameeting,itshouldtakelessthan10minutestoread.Thatmeansitshouldbe10pagesorless.Thisisparticularlyhelpfulwhenthetopicishighlycomplexortechnical.

Slidedocs vary in length depending on how you use them. Here are some guidelines for the most common uses.Emissary:

Sent to executive: Ifanexecutiveasksyouto“sendalongyourslides,”theyjustwantthefactsandareasontobelievethatyourideaisagoodone.Fiveslidesseemstobethetolerancelevelforpeopleinpower.Sendthemwhattheyrequested;they’resharpenoughtofillinthegapsthemselves.

Sent to potential client: Slidedocsmakeamazingmodularcollateral.Apotentialclientmakingabuyingdecisionshouldhavealltheirquestionsansweredinaslidedoc10pagesorless.

Reference material:

Sent before or after a talk: Ifyouneedtodeliverdetailedinformationduringatalk,sendcontextaheadoftimeorshareadetailedreportwithreferencesafterthetalksoyouraudiencecanstudyyourfindings.Theseslidedocscouldbeupto50pages.

Distributed during a talk: Ifyouwanttodistributereferencematerialduringatalk,itneedstobelimitedtoinformationtheaudiencewillhearinthetalkorthey’llreadinsteadoflisteningtoyou.10pagesisthemostyoushouldhaveforthesetypesofslidedocs.

Follow-up material:

Sent after a talk or meeting: Usingslidedocsforfollow-uphelpsyousealadealoraddmoreinsightstohelppersuadekeystakeholders.Thesedocumentscanbeintheformofslidedoccollateral(10pages)orevenaslidedocbooklikethisone(upto200pages);italldependsonthecontentandtheaudience.

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SELL YOUR IDEA WITH GREAT COPY

Now that you know when to use a slidedoc, let’s look at how to compose one.

Writingaslidedocdoesn’tmeanyouhavelicensetotranscribeeverythoughtthatcomesintoyourhead.Nomatterthemedium,effectivecommunicationrequiresplanning,thought,andskillfulexecution.Thatmeansdustingoffthewritingskillsthatyoumighthavesetasidewhileyouwerecrankingoutfragmentedbulletpoints.

Soundlikemorework?Afterall,thosebulletpointswererelativelyeasytosqueezeout.Butifyouaretakingthetimetocommunicateyourideainthebestpossibleformat,itmakessensetomaximizetheuseofthatformat.

Don’tassumethatyourreaderswillfollowyourleadbecauseyourideaisimportanttoyou.Usewordsandvisualstoexplaintoyouraudiencewhyyourideaisimportanttothem.

Filter

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HAVE AN EDITORIAL PROCESS

Some slidedocs can be created by you alone. But when the stakes are high for your slidedoc to make a big impact, having an editorial process is helpful.

First,followinganeditorialprocesswillhelpbothyouandyourteamfocusonthemainmessageyouwanttocommunicate.Second,itwillfocusyourattentiononasingletaskandkeepyoufromfeelingoverwhelmed.

Tosetupyoureditorialprocess,stepbackandlookattheprojectasawhole.Definetheintentoftheslidedoc,andstayfocusedonthebestwaytoconveythatinformationtoyouraudience.Then,followthesethreestepstocompletingthecontent:ideate,create,andrefine.

oneIdeate two Create three Refine

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STEP 1: IDEATE

My process happens to start in PowerPoint®. I outline the sections that I think will be my slidedoc’s main components. Then, under those sections, I add pages (slides) with the titles of topics I want to cover. In high school, many of us learned how to structure reports by writing the points we wanted to cover on 3"x5" index cards and arranging the order. I still use that method, only I do it in PowerPoint®.

Onceyouidentifyrelevanttopicsthatsupportyouridea,invitetherestofyourteamintomakesureyou’vecoveredallthemainpointsandconfirmthattheoverallflowofyourslidedocworks.Again,it’simportanttothinkaboutyourslidedocasawhole.Askyourself,“Howwillmyaudiencenavigatethroughthis?”

ManytimesatDuarte,wepastetheentireslidedoconthewallandrearrangetheindividualpagesuntilwehavealogicalorder.Solidstructurecreatesanimpactfulexperiencetoguidetheaudiencethroughtheslidedoc.

ThisisalsowhereIstartthinkingabouthowIwantthereadertofeelastheypagethroughthematerial.

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STEP 2: CREATE

Afteryou’vecapturedyourteam’sideasaroundtopicsandestablishedaroughstoryflow,spillallyourthoughtsonthepage.Don’tholdback;itdoesn’thavetobefullyformedyet.Simplypourouteverythingthatcomestomind.Useeachpageasabuckettocollectconceptsandideasforeachtopic.

Byfollowingthispath,you’recreatingawealthofideasandinformationthatyoucanchoosefrominthenextstep.You’realsospeedingpastthementalblocksthatcankeepyoufromcapturingyourbestideas.

For now, aim for quantity instead of quality.

Exhaustyoursubject—qualitywillcomewiththenextstep.

Quantity

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STEP 3: REFINE

Onceyou’rehere,it’sagoodtimetoinviteyourteambackin.Makesuretheyhavecontext,butalsoencouragethemtobringacriticaleyeandrepresenttheneedsofyouraudience.

AtDuarte,wereposteverythingontheboardandtakeasecondlookattheflow.Withamorefullyfleshedoutversion,werefinetheslidedocuntilwefeelwehavetherightflowandrightinformationoneachslide.

Duringthisstep,wealsoensurethattheinformationischunkedproperly.Thisattentiontothebigpicturepaysoffinreadercomprehension.

Once you have your ideas collected, refine them. This is the time to craftyour copy and make sure every word and every sentence contributes tothe main idea on the page and the slidedoc’s Big Idea.

Refine

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WRITE SCANNABLE COPY

Duringapresentation,youhaveacaptiveaudience.Withaslidedoc,theycansimplystopreading.

So,organizeyourinformationinawaythat’seasilydigestibleandhelpsguideyourreadersthroughtheslidedoc.

Thebestpresentationslidesusejustatitleandminimaltext,whereasaslidedoccanusemanymoreorganizationaltechniquesthatmakeiteasiertoscananddrawtheeyethroughthematerial.

As you’re refining the copy into clearer and more succinct text,start thinking about the best way to organize that information on the page itself.

They usually contain this type of copy:

A. Headlines use6-to10-wordtitlesaroundtheslide’smaintopic.

B. Subheads includethethesisorasummaryoftheslide’smainpoint.

C. Paragraphs clustersentencesintocompletethoughts.

D. Bullets usefullsentencesandaparallelstructure.

E. Pull-quotes areusedforemphasisandhelpimportantcontentstandouteitherinlineorrepeatedinabox.

Inthefollowingpages,we’lldiscusshowtoturntextintosomethingthatgrabsyouraudienceandeffectivelyconveysyouridea.

a b c

d e

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CONCISION PAYS OFF

Constraint requires more thought and effort, but it’s worth it because it will keep your audience reading.

Informationseekersthriveonconcision.Ifourtendencytoreadtweetsandtextmessagesoverlong-formarticlesisn’tenoughtoconvinceyouofthisfact,considerthis:Asmuchas50percentofdailycognitionisspentdaydreaming.

Thismeansyoudon’thavealotoftimetosaywhatyouwanttosay,sogettothepoint.Clarityandconcisionshould

alwaysbeyourguidewhencommunicatingamessage,especiallywhenwritingyourslidedoccopy.

We’vefoundthat100wordsperpagesisconcise.Thisbookyou’rereadingisconsidereddensewithupto250wordsperpage.Anymorethanthat,andyoushouldcreateadocument.

Itkeepsyoufromexhaustingyour

audience.

Itmakesiteasiertostayfocusedonasinglesubject.

Itprovidesroomforvisuals.

1 2 3Putting a word count in place offers three

benefits:

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DEVELOP TITLES WITH MEANING

Forexample,youcouldhaveatitleread“NetworkRouterOptions.”Butwhatabouttheoptions?Andwhatdoesitmeantoyouraudience?Instead,youcouldsay,“FastNetworkRoutersSpeedTimetoMarket.”

Insteadofinformingyourreadersthatyou’reabouttotellthemaboutrouters,bychangingthetitleyou’veintroducedtwomoreideas:1)It’safastrouter.2)Itwillhelpyouraudienceaccomplishagoal.That’snotabadtradeforfivemorewords.

Strong titles are important. They introduce your overall topic and your point of view on that topic.

Reviewthetitleafteryouwritethebodycopyandaskyourselfthreequestions.First,doesthecopysupportthetitle?Ifnot,youmightneedtochangethetitleorchangethecontenttosupportthetitle.Second,doesthetitlefitwithinandsupportthegreaterslidedocmessage?Ifnot,thenyoumightnotneedtheslideatall.Third,isthetitleconcise?Ifyourtitleislongerthantwolines,tightenitbycuttingoutthefluff.

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OPPORTUNITY FOR STRONG TOPICAL STRUCTURE

Viewingyourslidedocinoutlineviewgivesyouanopportunitytoaudityourstoryflow.Presentationsoftware’sdefaultdisplayistheleftpanelhighlightslideview.Toviewslidetitlesonly,simplyclickthetabforoutlineviewandreadthroughyourslidetitlesinorder.Eachtitleshouldgiveyouagoodunderstandingofwhatthatpageisabout.Whenyoureadthemsequentially,iftheyarewrittenwell,thepagetitlesshouldmakealogicalcaseorpersuasivearc.

Manypeoplewritefragmentedslidetitlesthatstatethecategory,insteadofthepoint,oftheinformation.Writingclearheadlinesoneverypagewillhelpthereaderguessthecontentthatwillfollow.

Havingthetitlesflowintoeachothernotonlyhelpsyourreaders,butitcanalsoassistyouduringthecreationandrefinementprocesses.Asyoureadyourtitlesinoutlineview,checktomakesuretheyformacompletearc.Askyourselfifthethematicintentisclear.Doeseachtopicbuildnaturallyontothenext?Aretheresubordinateideasthatdon’tneedtheirownslide?Viewingyourslidesinthiscontextwillmakeyourcontentstronger.

This is the actual screenshot of outline view for

this book. Note how the titles create a sense of

what you’ll learn and hang together to create

structure.

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TOPICAL STRUCTURE IS STRONGERTHAN OUTLINING CATEGORIES

Traditional outline reads like a list: Topical outline creates meaning:

Source:http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/Curric_7-12/Chapter_1.pdf

Solar Evolution

I. Introduction• Summary• OurGalaxy• OurSun

II. The Protostar• TheSolarSystem• BinaryStarSystems• OtherPlanetarySystems• SupportingFacts• DefinitionofaProtostar

III. The Hydrogen Burning Stage• Birthto4.5BillionYears• LuminosityOverTime• Hurtzprung-RussellDiagram

IV. The Red Giant• HydrogenFusionattheCore• ExpandedHydrogenFusion• SunLifecycleDiagram

Solar Evolution• OurSun’sPlaceintheUniverse

• TheBirthofOurSolarSystem

• ThePossibilityofOtherPlanetarySystems

• Protostar:TheFirstStageofaStar

• HydrogenBurning:TheSecondStageofaStar

• GrowthinSizeandBrightness

• ContinuedGrowthandIncinerationofMercury

The difference between a traditional outline and topical headings is apparent. Topical themes dramatically increase the reader’s ability to predict content and read more like a story.

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FOLLOW GOOD WRITING PRACTICES

Slidedocsrequirefullsentences,becausetheydon’thaveapresentertofillinthegaps.Buttheyalsorequireprecisionandclarity,bothofwhichcanbeachievedbywritinginfullsentencesversusbullets.

Makingyourcopymoredirectcanhelpsharpenyourthinking.Thebestwaytodothatistouseanactivevoice.Theactivevoicehelpsmakeyourwritingsoundmoreinterestingbypropellingyourreadersthroughyourprose.

Grammarnerdscantellwhetheryou’reusingtheactivevoiceoritseviltwin,thepassivevoice.Theysimplysearchforformsoftheverb“tobe,”akeyindicatorofthepassivevoice’spresence.Youcanthinkofthepassivevoiceasanywordingthatdelaysoravoidsyourmainpoint.

A strong title will entice your audience to read the rest of the text on your slide. Clear copy, however, will make sure they fully absorb your message.

Changingyourcopyfrompassivetoactivevoicemostoftenmeansputtingyoursubjectatthebeginningofyoursentenceandhavingitperformanaction.

Writinginactivevoiceisn’talwayspossible—somesentencesarestubborn.Themosteffectiveauthorsuseitasoftenastheycan.

Formorewritingpointers,checkoutWilliamZinsser’sclassic,“OnWritingWell”.

Passive Voice Active Voice

Thenewversionofourproductwasdevelopedin9months.

Wedevelopedthenewversionofourproductin9months.

Thespeech-to-textfeatureisavailableonbothproducts.

Bothproductsofferthespeech-to-textfeature.

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WRITE COMPELLING COPY

The slidedoc format gives you a higher word count than a traditional slide, but less than a document.

Bywritingfullparagraphs,youhaveroomtocraftmorecompelling,persuasivecopy.Thisisimperativesince,withoutapresenter,yourcopyandvisualsaretheonlythingguidingtheaudiencethroughtheslidedoc.Thatsaid,aslidedocdoesn’thavetobeboringorineffectual—hereareafewwaystoavoidthat:

Use emotional appeal: Businesscopytendstobecoldandfactual.Butdecisions

aremadefromthegutbeforetheyarerationalized.Incorporateemotivevisuals,shockingstatistics,andstoriesthatcreateanemotionalresponseinthereader.

Make benefits explicit: Beforeareaderwillgetonboardwithwhatyou’reproposing,theyneedtoseewhat’sinitforthem.Makeitclearwhatrewardtheywillreceiveiftheytaketheriskofaligningwithyou.

Cite examples: Showreadersexamplesoftimeswhenothersinasimilarsituationmadeadecisiontoalignwithyourperspectiveandhadasuccessfuloutcome.Casestudiesandproofhelppeoplethroughtheirdecisionprocess.

Use analogies: Peoplerespondwhentheycanidentifythingsaseithersimilarordifferentfromtheirperspective.Usinganalogiestocomparethesimilaritiesanddifferencesaidsunderstanding.

This type of language helps people rationalize, remember your ideas, and make decisions easier.

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EDIT THE EXTRANEOUS AND AMPLIFY THE ESSENTIAL

Cuttingdownyourslidedoc'stextcanbeoneofthemostliberatingstepsoftheentireprocess—andthemostdifficult.Itispainfultodeletesomethingyouspentalotoftimecreating.Andit’stemptingtojustifykeepingeverythingtoavoidwhatwriterscall“murderingyourdarlings.”Thinkingaboutwhatyouwantyourslidedoctoaccomplishhelpsmotivateyoutorefineyourcontent.

First,youwantpeopletoreadyourslidedoc—notskim,read.Inordertodothatyoumustkeepitshort.Second,youwanttomaintaincontroloverwhatreaderstakeawayfromyourslidedoc.

Think about what you want your slidedoc to accomplish.

Themorecontentyouhave,themorechoicereadershaveoverthebitsandpiecestowhichtheychoosetopayattention.Bynarrowingthenumberofchoices,youhavemorecontrolovertheirfocus.

So,whentighteningthecopyinyourslidedoc,thinktoyourself,“IsthisoneofthemainpointsthatIwantmyreaderstotakeaway?”Ifnot,getoutyourax.

Youcanseeanexampleofapassagetrimmeddowntoitsessenceonthefollowingpage.

Review your document, highlight the main points to keep, then cut the rest.

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EXAMPLE OF PURGING

Source:nursinghometraining.ppt

EmergencyEvacuationFindings Basedonobservations,reviewoflocalfiredepartmentresponsetofirealarms,reviewofresidentcouncilminutereports,staffinterviews,andresidentinterviewsregardingtheirperceptionofthestaffduringemergencyevacuation,itwasdeterminedthefacilitystaffononeofthreefloorsofthefacility(thesecondfloor)wasnotfamiliarwithprocedurestoexitthebuildingincaseofanemergencyand/orfireasevidencedbythreestaffmemberswhodidnotknowthecodeforthekeypadtoopenthelockedexitdoortotheoutsidestairwellonthesecondfloor.Thefailureofthestafftoknowthecodetoopenthelockedexitdoorplacedtheresidentsonthesecondfloorinaseriousandimmediatethreattotheirhealthandsafetyifanevacuationwasneededthroughthelockeddoortothestairwell.

Full passage (140 words)

EmergencyEvacuationFindings Basedonathoroughreview,wedeterminedthefacilitystaffonthesecondfloorwasnotfamiliarwithemergencyexitprocedures.

Threestaffmembersdidnotknowthecodeneededtoopentheexitdoortotheoutsidestairwell.

Thissituationposedaseriousandimmediatethreattothatfloor’sresidents.

The passage above shows the original copy boiled down to its essence. This is exactly what you need to take away from the original, no more. The copy was cut by 64 percent.

Edited passage (51 words)

“When a sentence becomes stronger,

it usually becomes shorter. Thus, brevity is a by-product of vigor.”

–Strunk&White,ElementsofStyle

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CHUNK INFORMATION INTO BITE-SIZED PIECES

Your information is competing against a lot of distractions. So, you need to take every precaution possible to make sure people consume, understand, and embrace it.

Thereareseveralwaystomakeyourcontentmoreconsumable.

Youcanmakeyourinformationsoentertainingthatnobodywantstostopreading.Youcantrimyourmessage.Or,youcanchunkitintobite-sizedpieces.

There’salimittohowentertainingcopycanbe.Andnomatterhowmuchyoucut,there’salimittothat,too.Chunkingisanothertooltohelpgetthroughtopeople.

Chunkingstructuresyourmaterialinsmall,uniformbitsofdiscoursethatbuildtowardalargerpoint.Thismakesinformationlooklessdenseandintimidatingtothereader.

Chunkingyourcopyalsomakesiteasiertoconsumeintoday’shecticenvironment.Whenreadingadensedocumentonline,it’seasytoloseyourplaceifyou’reinterrupted.Butwhenreadingaslidedoc,youcanpickuprightwhereyouleftoff.

Slidedocsareanaturaltoolforchunking.Bykeepingyourcopybriefandchangingthesubjectoneverypage,youprovideeasilydigestiblecontent.It’slessintimidatingandmakesyourmessageseemmorecleartothereader.

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ConvertingDenseSlidesIntoSlidedocs

ThefollowingslidesfortheHawaiiTsunamiWarningSystemweretoodensetobeslides,butnotdenseenoughtobeeffectivedocuments.So,wecombinedthecontentfromtheslidesandspeakernotestomakeabeautifulslidedoc.

CASE STUDY

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Before After

The original slides are too dense to be projected, but unable to stand alone as slidedocs. One topic was spread across three slides.

Combining all three slides into one keeps all eleven insights of the end-to-end system on one page. It was important to keep the highlighted text skimmable.

Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/

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Before After

When reviewing the slides in notes view, we noticed there was critical information that needed to be moved to the slidedoc page.

Pulling the notes onto the page keeps all the content readable and in one place.

Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/

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Before After

These two slides have critical information, and the content is stronger if they are combined, but the graphic styles don’t work together.

By combining the two slides and using a consistent illustration style, you see the system in relation to its designated location.

Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/

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Before After

When the information you’re conveying is potentiallylife-saving, you need to be as clear as possible. The multidirectional arrows in this graphic are confusing.

Using concentric circles instead of swooping arrows clearly demonstrates how long it will take for a tsunami to reach each island.

Source:http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/education/ITTI/

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When reading on a tablet, you can split images across two slides for a seamless effect.

This diagram works as a navigational device that repeats on four pages to signify what section the reader is in.

Front cover has a bold title,

clear subtitle, and strong

visual element.

Readers understand

the core message of the

slidedoc just by reading the

table of contents.

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CRITIQUE FOR EXCELLENCE

Onceyouhaveadraftthatyou’resatisfiedwith,it’stimeforanothercritique.Don’twaituntilyourdraftispolishedandperfect.Acceptthattheroughdraftofnearlyanythingisjustthat—rough.

By putting an early draft in front of your colleagues, you can get feedback earlier, which will help you stay focused and avoid rabbit trails.

Theirinputcanalsohelpyoujumpdifficulthurdles,likeanawkwardtransition,aparticularlydifficultconcepttoexplain,oradullheadline.

Again,slidedocsareperfectforgroupeditingbecauseyoucanlaythemoutinanopenareaandthegroupcangatheraroundanddiscussvariousideasandimprovements.

Witheachslideasanindividualtopic,youcaneasilyalterthestructurebymovingslidesaround.Ifyouweretopostadocumentofproseonthewall,therewouldbemultiplepointsperpage.

Subjectingyourselftopeerreviewcanbepainful,butitoffersgreatrewards.Embracingotherperspectivesofyourworkhelpsitreachabroaderaudience,andhelpsyougrowintoastrongercommunicator.

Strengthenthequalityoftitles

Validatethestructureandflow

Suggestareastocutinformation

Lookforflawsin

reasoningorexecution Improve

examples,phrases,ordata

Here are someways the group might help improve your slidedoc.

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WRITE AN INTRODUCTION OR SUMMARY

Slidedocs can have an introduction and/or a summary—this is onething that makes them different from presentations. The introductionshould give a succinct overview of what’s in the slidedoc.

Youcantakeastabattheintroductionbeforeyoubeginwriting.However,sinceslidedocstendtoevolveasyouwrite,youmayneedtorevisittheintroductionwhenyourslidedociscomplete.Onceyou’vefinishedwriting,you’llhaveamoreaccurateideaofthepointsthatarecovered.Keypointsinyourintroductioncancomefromthetitlesoftheslidesthemselves.

Writingasummaryisagreatfinaltestofyourflow.Ifyoucan’twritethesummaryfromaderivativeofyourtitles,theremaybeaflawinyourstructure.

Iusedthisprocesstowritetheintroductiontothisslidedoc.

Introduction

Summary

GOTOTHISSLIDE6

GOTOTHISSLIDE157

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The traditional kind of corporate meeting starts with a presentation. Somebody gets up in front of the room and presents with a PowerPoint presentation, some type of slide show. In our view, you get very little information, you get bullet points. This is easy for the presenter, but difficult for the audience. And so instead, all of our meetings are structured around a 6-page narrative memo. When you have to write your ideas out in complete sentences, it forcesdeeper clarity.

– Jeff Bezos CEO,Amazon

Photo:Copyright2010SteveJurvetsonSource:http://drte.co/qa

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+ Architecture of a Slidedoc

02

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DRAWING INSIGHTS FROM BOOKS

Slidedocsborrowsomespecificdesignaspectsfrombooks.Bookshaveacover,tableofcontents,clearchapterindicators,prose,pagenumbers,andothersmalldesigndecisionsthathavebiginformationarchitectureimplicationstohelpreadersnavigatethecontents.

Flippingthroughthepagesofaslidedocshouldbesimilartoflippingthroughtheprintedpagesofabook.Inthecaseofaslidedoc,youmightturnaprintedpage,clicktoadvanceifreadingonacomputerscreenorswipewithyourfingerifreadingonatablet.

A great slidedoc is a bit like a well-designed book. It combines content with a visual style, consistent formats, and clear visuals, and then sequences them together into a cohesive whole.

Thissectiontakesinsightsfrombookdesignandpublishingtomakesureyougetthemostoutofyourslidedoc.

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COVER

How many times have you picked up a book just because it had a great cover? Publishers purposefully create book covers to grab people’s attention.

Coversworkbestwhentheyhaveahighlyconceptualvisualandasnappytitle,buttheyshouldalsoincludeasubtitleandtheauthor’sname.Aslidedocshouldhavealltheseelements.

Yourcoverpageisanopportunitytoconveyamessagerightoffthebat,somakeyourtitleandsubtitleintuitiveandinteresting.Titlingit“Q4Strategy”isn’tinteresting.Instead,becreativeandcallit“LandGrab:Competitiveshake-upinQ4.”Peopleshouldreadthecover,getwhatit’sabout,andwanttodivein.

Yourcompanylogocangointoyourslidedoc,butnotasahugecovergraphicoronthecornerofeverypage.Thinkofyourcompanyasthepublisherofyourslidedoc.Similartohowthepublisher’slogoonabookissmallandonthespine,yourcompany’svisualpresenceshouldbesimpleanddiscrete.

Your company is more like the publisher. It should be recognized with a discrete, simple presence.

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ANATOMY OF A BOOK COVER

Large contrasting title that is conceptual and stands out Subtitle

Author’s name

Publisher

FREEMULTIMEDIAVERSIONOFRESONATE

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

When a reader looks at the Table of Contents (TOC), they should “get” what the book is about and want to read it based on how the page titles string together.

Whenreadersaretryingtoconsumeinformationforapurpose,theywanttoknowwhatthey’regettinginto.Infictionalprose,it’sgreattobuildsuspenseandhavesurprisesandplottwists.Butit’sdifferentifthegoalistoconveyinformationquickly.

EventhoughtheTOCwillbeatthefrontoftheslidedoc,itshouldbethelastthingyouwrite.TheTOCwillbeaderivativeofyouroutlineviewinyourpresentationsoftware.Don’taddpagenumbersuntilyouarecertaintheywon’tchange.

AboveistheTOCforaslidedocaboutendangeredspecies.Moreofthisslidedocisshownonpage(74).Youcanseehowreadersgetthegistofwhatthedocumentisabout,sotheycanchoosetoreaditallorjumptoaspecificsection.

Section heads

Page numbers

Section names

Contentlinking

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ANATOMY OF A TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section heads

Content links: Each TOC item can have a hyperlink embedded that jumps to each section within PowerPoint®

Page numbers

Section names

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HEADERS AND FOOTERS

Allbookshaveheadersand/orfootersthatindicatethesectionorchapternametohelporientthereaderastowhatsectiontheyarein.Inthecaseofaslidedoc,usethefooterareatoaddyourcorporateconfidentialityorcopyrightinformationwhichdiscouragespeoplefromspreadingyoursecrets.

Havingyourcompany’sgreatthinkingfloatingaroundwithoutcopyrightinformationputsyouatriskforideatheft.

Using headers and footers in a slidedoc is even more important than in a book. Because slidedocs can be copied, pasted, and spread, you want your copyrighted or confidential information to travel with your slide pages.

Byinsertinga“HeaderandFooter”inPowerPoint®,youcanaddafootertotheslideviewandheadertothenotesview.

Theheaderandfootersettingisalsowhereyouaddpagenumbers.Projectedpresentationsdon’tusuallyshowpagenumbers,butthey’reimperativeforaslidedoc.

PagenumbershelpusersnavigatetheTOC.Duringmeetingswhereyou’rediscussingtheslidedoc,referencepagenumberssopeoplecanquicklyturntotheappropriatesection.

The “header” setting in PPT

appears on the notes page

Confidentiality and copyright information should appear at the bottom of every page

Page numbers need to be readable so they are easily referenced during dialogue

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SECTION HEADS

Thesectionheadislikeanewchapterheadinabook.Youknowwhenyou’veleftonechapterandareenteringthenext.

Eachtimethematerialtransitionstoanewsection,useadistinctlydifferentlayouttodistinguishthechangevisually.

Transitioningtoanewsectioncanbesignifiedbycolor,boldgraphic,ormemorabletype.Nomatterwhatvisualcueyouuse,thedesignshouldbedistinctenoughtomakeitobviousthatyou’reenteringanewsection.

Contrasthelpsmaketransitionsclearandsetsupthereadertoknowwhattoexpectfromeachsection.

Section heads inform readersthey are entering a new section.

You can see that the first and last pages serve as section heads. They have large type and images of endangered animals while the rest of the pages have dense prose. In the slidedoc you’re reading right now, we made the section heads full color, while the rest of the information is on white.

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SECTION SIGNIFIERS

Differentiating sections visually lets the reader know when they’re transitioning into a new topic. There are several visual mechanisms you can employ to alert the reader they’re moving into a new section.

TabsInphysicaldocuments,tabshelpreadersfliptoanewsectionquickly.Youcanusevisualdevicesthatmimictabsonyourslidestohelpreadersjumptoanysectionfromanypageinyourslidedoc.

Color CodingEachsectioncouldbeassigneditsowncolor.Colorbarsontheveryedgeofaslidecouldchangeasyoumovefromsectiontosection,orthepagesthemselvescouldbefloodedwithboldcolorsineachsection.

The top of this slidedoc clearly identifies you arein section 3.

Side bars map back to the colors of the major section heads. Here you can see we’re in section 2 of 5.

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SECTION SIGNIFIERS

Distinct layoutAsreadersturnpages,adistinctpagelayoutwillstandout.Forexample,contentpagestendtobewhiteandfulloftextandimages,soadistinctlayoutwoulduseboldtextorconceptualimages.

Graphical deviceWhencontentinaslidedocfitstogetherlikeasystemorprocess,youcanuseadiagramasanavigationdevice.Showthesectionsdemarcatedandclearlylabeled.Then,highlightthesegmentofthediagramthatidentifiesthesectionyou’rein.

This slidedoc uses a flood of color that is different from the white, content-filled pages. The contrast signifies that it’s a new section.

Navigational diagrams help readers stay oriented. In this example, the lower left segment is highlighted to signify the section the reader is in.

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TEXT EMPHASIS

If your readership is particularly pressed for time, you may need tohighlight the parts of the slidedoc that are most important to them. There are several ways to make text jump off a page.

Change the color or apply an effect to

the text, like bold or italic.

Pull out important pieces of text and

frame them with a box to make the

content skimmable.

Increase the text size and place it on the page in a way that breaks or crossesthe grid.

Set text in a graphic that amplifies your message with a visual metaphor.

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STRONG FIGURE-TO-TEXT RELATIONSHIP

When using slidedocs, words are more closely associated with the graphics, because both exist on the same page.

I’msureyou’vereadabookwhereapagereferences“figure4,”butthere’snographiconthepagecalled“figure4.”Booksanddensedocumentstypicallyinterspersegraphicswithlongsectionsofprose,whichmeansyouhavetoturnpagesbackandforthtofindthevisualassociatedwiththetext.

Traditionalbooksdon’thaveoneideaperpage,sothegraphicgetsseparatedfromthetextitisrelatedto.Thisistrueinmyownbook,theHBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.Thegraphicsandtextareondifferentpagessoyoucannotseebothatonce.

My Harvard Business Review book is a long-form document. Several of the images don’t

appear on the same page as the text that explains them.

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INTERACTIVE NAVIGATION

Anotherwaytomakenavigatingcontenteasierforthereaderistoletthemjumptothecontenttheyfindmostinteresting.Slidedocsareself-navigableifyouaddhyperlinksandinter-applicationlinkssouserscanjumparoundthematerial.Thisisanaddeduserbenefitandamajoradvantageofdigitalslidedocs.Herearesomeexamplesofnaturalwaystoaddinteractivityandnavigation:

Click directly to sections Cookie trail Hyperlinks Buttons Tabs

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END MATTER

SummaryEncapsulatethemainpointsinasummarytoremindtheaudienceofthemostimportantideas.

It should be clear when the reader is at the end of a section or at the end of the entire document. Below is a list of elements often found at the end of sections or documents:

ActivitiesTestifthereaderlearnedwhatyouneededthemtoknowbyaddingaquizorworksheets.

Topics of discussionFrameupprovocativequestionsfordiscussionattheendofyourslidedoctohelpreadersthink.

AppendixAddsupportingstatisticalandresearchinformationasanappendixforreaderswhowantadeepdive.

GlossaryHelpreadersunderstandyourdistinctvocabularyoracronymsbyclarifyingwhattheymeaninaglossary.

Additional infoLinktoin-depthmaterials(forums,discussionboards,whitepapers)forreaderswhowanttoresearchfurther.

Reference pagesCiteresourcesandgivecredittoyoursourcedauthorssoreaderscangainmoreinsights.

IndexKeywordsarepulledout,displayedalphabetically,andassociatedwithapagenumberbyusinganindex.

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SLIDEDOCS ARE INTERACTIVE

Slidedocs are a great opportunity for interaction. Clicking a button or swiping a screen kinesthetically stimulates the brain in short bursts.

Manypeopleunderstandandconsumeinformationbetteriftheyinteractwithit.Chunkingcontentintobite-sizedpiecesandloadingitontoatabletortouchscreenkeepsreadersengaged.

Theactionofclickingtoadvanceorswipingtoturnpagesoftenkeepsreadersinvolvedwiththeinformation.YoucanaddlinksthatjumparoundtheslidedocitselforlinkouttotheInternet,whichgivesthereaderamoreinteractiveexperience.

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+ Data and DiagramsClarify Content

02

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DATA CREATES MEANING

When it comes to incorporating data and diagrams in your slidedoc, you needto be cognizant of the meaning they create and how to make that clear.

DataDataisn’treallyjustaboutthenumbers—it’saboutthemeaningbehindthenumbers.Theconclusions.Theinsights.Theactionshumanswilltakebecauseofthenumbers.It’syourjobtouncovertheseelements.

Whenincorporatingdata,don’tjuststickachartonapage.Determinethefindingsandnarrativeofthedataandincludeprosearoundthat.

Remember,yourcopyneedstobeclearandsuccinct—thesameappliestoyourdata.Unfortunately,presentationsoftwarehasawealthofbuttons,bullets,lines,ticks,gradients,borders,fills,andotherchartdecorationsthatcanquicklyoverwhelmthedataonyourslide.Avoidusinganyunnecessaryinformationsothatyourmessagewillcomethroughmoreclearly.

DiagramsDiagramsarecontent,too.Puttingwordsintoshapesandplacingthemnextto,orconnectingthemto,eachothercreatesmeaningandestablishesrelationshipsbetweentheinformation.

Makesureyou’vechosentherighttypeofrelationship,becausehowyouplacetextinshapesonasurfacecreatesmeaning:Aretheysimilar?Aretheydifferent?Aretheyconnected?Istherehierarchy?Doesitindicateprocess?

Everytimetextinashapeisplacedonapage,makesuretheproximityandconnectionsareconveyingtherightmessage.

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Display data in a way that the audience will understand.

GET TO THE POINT

Audienceswhoareanalytical,financial,scientific,orengineer-mindedtendtolookatdatawithaskepticaleye—it’swhatthey’retrainedtodo.Iftheyfeelyourdatahasbeenmanipulatedorbecome“marketing-drivendata,”itwillfeellesssubstantialandaccuratetothem.

Avoiddecoratingyourdata;ornamentationcandetractfromcredibilityandskewtheperceptionsofthenumbers.

Anydatathat’sportrayedinaseeminglymanipulatedwaywillcausepeopletochallengetheaccuracyoftherestofyourcontentanddiminishyourcredibility.

Addingdepthtoachartwhenthere’snorealdataforthez-axisdetractsfromtheaccuracyoftheinformation.Forexample,trytodeterminewhatthenumberisthatwasplottedinthechartabovetodisplayattendanceintheNorth.Hint:thedepthandperspectivechangesthenumbersignificantly.

Youcanseethattheactualfigureis21.Youprobablywouldn’thaveguessedthat.Notonlydoesthischartprovideaclearviewofthedata,italsohighlightswhat’smostimportant.ByusingblueforNorth,youinstinctivelyfocusonitinsteadofallotherregionsthatareshowninneutralshades.

The trouble with 3D charts is that the data gets visually skewed.

This chart is the same data, but plotted without depth with a flat, front-on view.

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HIGHLIGHT WHAT’S IMPORTANT

When your organization needs to make decisions from data, make sureto show the conclusions of the data. A data chart has three layers:

Background Data Emphasis Result1 2 3

The background layer contains elements like tick marks, scales, legends, and grid lines. It provides context and scale. Backgrounds should use neutral colors.

The data plotted is usually pulled from a data table. Colors and attributes can be assigned when it’s visually plotted. Plot all the data in a neutral color and then continue to the next step.

Select the parts of your data that you need the reader to notice. Use a bright highlight color that contrasts with the neutral color so the important conclusions are quickly identified.

These final results contain all the data, but use contrast to draw the eye to the most critical information.

+

+

+

+

=

=

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DIAGRAMS SHOW RELATIONSHIPS

FlowShapesareconnectedbyanarrowtoconveydirectionormovement.

Process

Cycle

Timeline

Gears

Sequence

Five common diagram types are displayed below with visual exampleson the pages that follow.

NetworkShapesareconnectedbyalinetoshowhierarchy.

Tree

Mind-Map

Cluster

Ecosystem

Radial

Web

SegmentShapeisdividedintomultiplesegments.

Pie

Donut

Circle

Core

StackShapesstackinanascendingordescendingorder.

Bar chart

Concentric circles

JoinShapesareinterconnectedorshareasetofvalues.

Puzzle

Venn

Link

Professionalshavebeenusingtext-filleddiagramstoexplainabstractconceptsforhundredsofyears.Thebestwaytoshowhowthingsrelatetoeachotheristouseproximity,scale,andlinkssothehierarchyandrelationshipsareclear.

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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | FLOW

Shapes are connected by an arrow to convey direction or movement(process, cycle, timeline, gears, sequence).

Merge andDivide

Shape separates from or combines with other shapes.

Linear Shapes flow linearly, but not necessarily straight.

Parallel Shapes flow in a parallel direction where no shape intersects.

Loop Shapes flow creating a closed loop.

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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | NETWORK

Shapes are connected by a line to show hierarchy(tree, mind-map, cluster, ecosystem, radial, web).

Ring

Network expands from a central hub concentrically.

Spokes

Network bursts in a vertical or horizontal direction.Flare

Network expands from the center without a hub.

Hub and Spokes

Network connects exterior shapes with each other through a closed loop.

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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | SEGMENT

Shape is divided into multiple segments (pie, donut, circle, core).

Donut Shape is cut into pieces, but has a hole or hub in the middle.

Pie Shape is cut into pieces, with the center pieces coming to a point.

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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | STACK

Shapes stack in an ascending or descending order(bar chart, concentric circles).

Horizontal

Shapes stack horizontally.

Vertical Shapes stack vertically.

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DIAGRAM TAXONOMY | JOIN

Shapes are interconnected or share a set of values(puzzle, Venn, link).

Hook Shapes have a hook and eye that causes them to interlock.

Overlap Shapes touch or share space with each other.

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OVER 4,000 FREE DIAGRAMS

Duarte’s Diagrammer.com

Duarte,Inc.hasbuiltthousandsofdiagramsthatfitintothetaxonomyonthepreviousfivepages.Gotodiagrammer.comforover4,000free,custom-madediagramsthatfitinthisframework.

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DataandDiagramsConveyInformation

SAPcreatesaseriesofskimmable“SAPTop10”whitepapers.Theseinformativedocumentsshowsthetop10reasoncustomerschooseSAP.Theseuniquedocumentsaddressmanyoftheirclients’industries,suchasbusinesstransformation,lifesciences,andothers.

CASE STUDY

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Front page has a bold title, clear subtitle, and logo element.

Source:http://global.sap.com/netherlands/about/pdfs/2011-02_TenReasonsCustomersChooseSAP.pdf©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.

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Understand the benefits immediately, just from reading the table of contents.

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The tabulation system at the top helps with context and way-finding.They highlight what is important in the data.

©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.

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Bold color palette and typographical hierarchy make processing data easy. The important data is in a bold color and secondary information is neutral.

©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.

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The portability of this collateral form is a simple way to arm sales reps with chunks of impactful content.

©2014.SAPAGoranSAPaffiliatecompany.Allrightsreserved.

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DesigningaSlidedoc

+ Visual Systems Unify+ Case Study: “Power of Story” + Grids Add Structure + Breathe With White Space + Typesetting Amplifies What’s Important 03

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+ Visual SystemsUnify

03

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SLIDEDOCS ENABLE VISUAL CONVERSATIONS

Visualsclarifyideas.Whenvisualsareusedtoexplainconcepts,readersunderstandthembetter.Avisualbriefisbetterthanatextbrief,becauseifpeoplecanseewhatyou’resaying,theywillunderstandyoumoreclearly.

ToolslikePowerPoint®,Keynote®,andGoogleSlides®easilyincorporategraphicsandtextaroundasingleidea.

Createaslidedocthatactsasaresourceforyourorganization,withestablishedlayoutordesignguidelinesthatapersoncanworkwithinormanipulate.Thisslidedoctemplateshouldallowspacefordensetextandleaveroomforavisualthatcanamplifythemeaningoftheprose.

Visualizinginformationshowsyouhavecommandoverthesubjectmatterandthatyoucareenoughaboutittomakeiteasilyunderstood.

Keynote®isaregisteredtrademarkofAppleInc.GoogleSlides®isaregisteredtrademarkofGoogle.Allrightsreserved.

Ultimately, you’re communicating so you get people on board with your idea. When there’s agreement, there’s action.

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ESTABLISH A VISUAL LANGUAGE

Consistent visual language helps readers associate a visual style withyou or your brand. Baking it into a template will help employeesexpress your brand through slidedocs.

Use a consistent color palette. Select 3–5 colors, plus a neutral and highlight color.

Buy or create a robust illustration library that’s relevant to your industry and stylistically consistent. Avoid cheesy clip art.

Create or curate a library of photography that looks like it was shot by the same photographer.

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THIS SLIDEDOC USES THIS VISUAL LANGUAGE

Captions to graphics and photos use Georgia italics 12 pt. font size

TITLES USE ARIAL NARROW ALL CAPS 22 PT. FONT SIZE

MainbodycopyuseArial12pt.fontsize

Subtitles use Georgia italics 16 pt. font size

Typesetting and color are a strong design element in this slidedoc.

Constrain your color palette and always include at least two neutral colors. In this case, there are two shades of gray.

All the custom illustrations use the same style and overlap to create a sense of depth and richer colors.

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FREE PRESENTATION SOFTWARE TEMPLATES

Duarte, Inc. created two templates for you to download. You can use them as-is or as inspiration for your own slidedoc template. Visit www.slidedocs.com to receive free slidedoc templates.

Each template has a unique

look to it. Notice how they look

more like printed collateral than a

projected slide presentation.

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MAKE SLIDEDOCS EASY TO IDENTIFY

As an organization, you may want to develop two distinctly different templates for presentations and slidedocs. It will be easy for your employees to identify whether their content is to be read or presented.

Eachorganizationshouldmakeitself-evidentwhichtemplatesshouldbeusedforpresentations(slidestobeprojected),andwhichonesshouldbeusedforslidedocs(pagestoberead).Thispracticewillmakeiteasierforemployeestoquicklyidentifywhichtooltouseforthejob.

Thefollowingpagesofferdifferentwaysyoucoulddistinguishapresentationfromaslidedoc.Youcoulduseoneoracombinationofthedistinguishingidentifierstohelpyourorganizationcommunicateeffectively.

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MAKE SLIDEDOCS DISTINCT

The4:3aspectratioworkswellforslidedocstoreadondevicesandprintswellonlettersizepaper.Youmightchoosethisoptionforaslidedocandkeepa16:9versionofatemplateforpresentations.Moreprojectorsareusingthewideraspectratiowhichmakeitgreatforcorporatepresentations.

Below are choices that help differentiate between slidedocs and presentations.You can choose one or multiple.

Anotherpossiblewaytodifferentiatebetweentheslidedocsandslidesistouseportraitmodeforslidedocs,whichallowsittomimicatraditionaldocument,anduselandscapemodeforprojectedpresentations.Thisisnotahardrule,justanoptionalwaytohelpdistinguishthedifferences.

Sinceanimationscanonlybeviewedinslideshowmode,usingtheminpresentationsmakesperfectsense.Eliminatinganimationsandbuildsinaslidedocisagoodruleofthumbsincetheyareusuallyprintedandneedtobeclearofallartifactsfromanimationsthatobscuresanycontent.

4:3

16:9

Aspect ratio Orientation Animation

portraitlandscape

staticanimates

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TableofContents

BIGIDEA

MAKE SLIDEDOCS DISTINCT

Below are choices that help differentiate between slidedocs and presentations.You can choose one or multiple.

Sinceslidedocsaretoberead,thelayoutsshouldhaveamuchlongerwordcountanddensergraphicalcontentasadefault.

Whereaspresentationsareconceptualandusedtoamplifythespokenwordthroughsimple,emotiveconcepts,aslidemayhaveonlyoneword.

Word density

Oftenslidedocsareprintedorreadonscreen.It’sbestifthebackgroundisawhiteoralightcolortomakeiteasyontheeyetoreadandalsoprint-friendly.

Ifyouwanttomakeadistinctionusingcolor,youcouldprojectyourslidesonadarkbackgroundwithlighttext.Thiscreatesamoreformalpresentationsetting.

Background color

Severalfeaturesofaslidedocareinspiredbybooksanddensedocuments.Layoutscanhaveupto175wordsandotherdocumentfeatureslikeatableofcontents,pagenumbers,andsectionheads.

Presentationsaremorevisualthanwordsandusuallyhaveonlycinematicemotivevisuals.

Document-like features

OneConcept

Light

Dark

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CreateaUnifiedVisualSystem

JenniferAakeristheGeneralAtlanticProfessorofMarketingatStanfordGSBandteachesthe“PowerofStory.”Theworkbooksforherclassareslidedocs.ThefollowingexamplesaredesignedbyBrandonLyandwrittenbyBarbaraMcCarthy.Noticehowallthevisualsarethematicallysimilar.You’dbeabletoidentifythisasAaker’smaterial,becauseofthehandmadelooktomanyofthevisuals.

CASE STUDY

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The first page looks like a book title and has the author’s name on it.

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Every chapter segue is consistently simple with a flood of bold gray color.

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The copy is dense with clear segmentation and links. She uses other tactile elements like a story journal and pencil to continue the handmade theme of the design language.

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Repeating the wood grain background, wood texture, and pencil elementvisually signifies that these pages go together.

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WHEN FORMATTING SHOULD BE DONE BY A PRO

Creating beautiful and easy-to-read slidedocs isn’t always easy. There are times when you may need to bring in the professionals. There’s no shame in handing over your slidedoc to a professional for some extra love. That’s what they’re there for.

Buthowdoyouknowwhenit’sappropriatetoconsultanexpert?Totherightaresomerecommendationstosavetimeandpossiblyalotoffrustration:

When in a high-stakes situation:Doyouneedtolandthataccount?Andisthispieceofslidedoccollateralkeytogettingyourmessageacross?Haveaprofessionallookatit.

When your templates need an upgrade: Isyourtemplatejustnotequippedtocreateslidedocsthewayyouneedto?Don’tforce-fitnewmasters,getanewtemplatedesignedright.Designersbuildthemwithinbrandandarehighlyfunctional.

When you have highly complex slides:Areyoumixingalotoftypewithdetaileddiagrams?Isyourslidestartingtolooklikeyoujustthrewawholebunchofstuffonthere?Youknowwhattodo.

When you need to save time:Yourteamgetspaidtobeinnovative,nottolayoutslidedocsallday.Throwyourgreatideasontheslidesandhaveprofessionalstidythemup.

Slidedocs have too much content and you can’t cut it: Aprofessionalcanhelpreframecontent,spreaditacrosspages,andreworkmaterialsoitissuccinct.

A good question to ask yourself is whether the importance of your message outweighs the cost of hiring a design firm. If so, then hire an expert. They will know how to make your message clear and beautiful.

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THIS SLIDEDOC USED TO BE UGLY

Astheauthor,Ipouredallmytimeintothethinking,conceptualizing,andwriting.Then,adesignertookover.Designersaretrainedtoreadcopy,amplifythemostimportantpartsbyvisualizingthem,andaddclearhierarchy.Everyonegetstoplaytotheirstrengths.Ispentmytimeinnovating,andmyteamhelpedmakeitclear(andbeautiful).

Designers help amplify the content.

Before: Mydesignskillsarelimited.Ifocusoncopyfirst,thenfindvisualssodesignerscanseewhatI’mtryingtocommunicate,andthentheydotheirmagic.

After: Theteamturnsmywordsintopictures,clarifiesthinkingthroughdiagrams,andlaysouttypeandpicturesinvisuallycompellingways.

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+ Grids Add Structure

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EVERYTHING WAS MADE WITH STRUCTURE

Grids are everywhere in nature. Our skeletal system is what makes humans have a similar shape and structure. The leaf to the right has a strong vein structure. The grid system helps us identify things that are alike.

Becauseslidedocshavedensecontent,gridsserveamoreimportantfunctionforthemthantheydowithslides.Gridsprovidestructurefromwhichtoorganizeyourimagesandtextandkeepsyourlayoutstidy.

Gridshelpyoudeterminetheplacementofimagesbygivingthemaspinetowhichtheycanalign.Aligningimagestoagridmakesitfeelliketheyhaveasenseofplace,asiftheyhaveaspacethey“belong”in.

Layingoutthetypewithinagriddeterminesthewidthofyourtext.Inslidedocs,longtextblocksshouldbearrangedincolumns.Thegriddetermineshowwideyoumakethecolumns.

The next page has an example of a magazine layout. After that, you’ll see the underlying grid used to create it.

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GRIDS IN USE

Publications have structure.

Ontheleft,weoverlaidagridoverthestructureofamagazinespread.

Thisgridisconstructedsoyoucaninserttextandplaceimagesanywherewithinthegrid,anditlookstidy.

Eachpageinthearticlehasimagesandtextthatfallneatlyintothisstructuralsystemandnaturallylookorganized.

Likepublications,slidedocsalsoneedtohaveagrid.Granted,thegridforthismagazinearticlewasdevelopedbyaprofessionaldesignerandismorecomplexthanyou’llneedforaslidedoc.

Layoutcourtesyof:http://content-magazine.com/welcome/

DOWNLOAD10%OFSLIDE:OLOGYFREE

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TYPICAL SLIDEDOC 4X3 GRID

4 squares horizontally

3 squares vertically

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GRIDS CREATE CONSISTENT ORGANIZATION

Original content

Identify grid

Clean and organized resultContent flowed into grid

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4X3 IS A CLASSIC SLIDEDOC GRID

Togetaposter-sizedPDFofeveryoptionforlayingoutaslidedocina4:3grid,goheretogetaPDFofthesegrids,courtesyofDubberlyDesign.

There are 892 unique ways to partition the 4x3 grid.

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+ Breathe With White Space

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ADDING WHITE SPACE

Establishedin1867,Harper’s Bazaar wasAmerica’sfirstfashionmagazine.Thelate1800swasano-nonsenseerawhenresourceslikepaperwerescarceandhighlyvalued,andprintingwasexpensive.Youcanseehowmuchinformationwaspackedintothepagesofasingleissue.Whenreadersfinishedanissue,theydidn’tthrowitaway;itwasreusedforinsulatingwallsandkindlingfortheirfireplace.

Thedensedesignwasadirectreflectionofsocietalvaluesofthetime.

Source:HarpersBazaar.com

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YOUR CONTENT NEEDS ROOM TO BREATHE

In1934,themagazinediscoveredyoungRussiandesignerAlexeyBrodovitchandbroughthimonasArtDirector.Brodovitch’sworkhasbeendescribedas“boldandarresting,”featuring“croppedphotographs,typography,anddesign”on“pagesthatbledbeautifully.”

Brodovitch'ssignatureuseofwhitespaceandthecinematicqualitycreatedthroughimagecroppingbroughtgracefulnesstothelayouts.HisdesigncompelledTrumanCapotetowrite,“WhatDomPérignonwastochampagne...so[Brodovitch]hasbeento...photographicdesignandeditoriallayout.”*

Hisworkrevolutionizedbothfashionandmagazinedesign.AddingwhitespaceanddramaticcroppedimageshelpedHarper’s BazaarsurpassVogueasthetopfashionmagazine.

ThefollowingtwopagesprovideexamplesofhowBrodovitchcreateddesignsthatbreathewithwhitespace.

*Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harper's_Bazaarandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Brodovitch

“A good picture must be a completely individual expression which intrigues the viewer and forces him to think.”–AlexeyBrodovitch,ArtDirector

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LUXURY BRANDS USE WHITE SPACE

Manybrandshaveembracedtheconceptofwhitespace.Whencreatingaslidedoc,surroundkeypointswithwhitespace(alsocalled“openspace”or“clearspace”)todrawtheeyetowardthemostimportantelementsonthepage.

The more breathing room you give to a design or product, the more luxurious it’s perceived to be.

Examples of advertisements using white space

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+ Typesetting Amplifies What’s Important

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WHY TYPESETTING IS IMPORTANT

Upuntilnow,we’velearnedhowtowriteslidedoc-worthycopy.We’velearnedhowtointroducepeopletothatcopybytakingsomepointersfromprint.Andwe’velearnedabitaboutlayoutanddesign.Sofar,sogood.Inthissection,you’lllearnhowtomakethetextitselflooklikeitwasdesignedbyaprofessional.

Professionaldesignersusesophisticateddesignsoftwaretomakecopyeasilyconsumable.WhilePowerPoint®andKeynote®don’thaveallthecapabilitiesthatcomewithprofessionalprintdesign,thereareafewsimplestepsyoucantakewithinpresentationsoftwaretoachieveaprofessionallook.

Putting in this extra effort will not only make your text look nicer, it will make it easier to consume; which is an important factor when trying to get your message across to readers.

Createhierarchy

Selectyour type

Set up your typeto increase legibility

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FORMATTING LIKE A PRO

Thefirstruleofformattinglikeaproisstayingconsistent.Layingoutyourtextisn’tjustaboutmakingitfitormakingitpretty;it’saboutmakingitconsumable.

Theideallinelengthfortextisbasedonthephysiologyofthehumaneye.Atnormalreadingdistancethearcofthevisualfieldisonlyafewinches.Researchshowsthatreadingslowsandretentionratesfallaslinelengthbeginstoexceedtheidealwidth.*Thismaybecausedbyoneoftwoproblems:

Columns are too wide: Iflinesoftextaretoolong,yourreadersgetlostwhentheireyesreturntotheleftside.Thelonglengthmakesitdifficulttodeterminewhenthetextstartsandends.Donotusethefulllengthofyourslide;breakyourpagesintocolumns.

Columns aren’t wide enough: Iflinesoftextaretooshort,theeyehastotravelbackandforthtoooften.Thisistiringontheeyeandfrustratingtoreaderswhoareunabletoreadacompletethought.

Setyourcolumnsandfontsizesothattherearebetween50and70charactersperlineoftext(or12to15words).Thisistheoptimallengthforlegibilityandwillsignificantlyincreasethereadabilityoftheonlineorprintedtext.

*Source:Lynch,PatrickJ.andSarahHorton.WebStyleGuide:BasicDesignPrinciplesforCreatingWebSites.NewHaven:YaleUP,2009.

Thefirstruleofformattinglikeaproisstayingconsistent.Layingoutyourtextisn’tjustaboutmakingitfitormakingitpretty;it’saboutmakingitconsumable.Theideallinelengthfortextisbasedonthephysiologyofthehumaneye.Atnormalreadingdistancethearcofthevisualfieldisonlyafewinches.

Researchshowsthatreadingslowsandretentionratesfallaslinelengthbeginstoexceedtheidealwidth.Thismaybecausedbyoneoftwoproblems:

Columnsaretoowide:Iflinesoftextaretoolong,yourreadersgetlostwhentheireyesreturntotheleftside.Thelonglengthmakesitdifficulttodeterminewhenthetextstartsandends.Donotusethefulllengthofyourslide;breakyourpagesintocolumns.

Columnsaren’twideenough:Iflinesoftextaretooshort,theeyehastotravelbackandforthtoooftenwhichistiringontheeyeandfrustratingtoreadersunabletoreadacompletethought.

The default for PowerPoint®

is for a one-column layout that spans the entire slide. Instead, select the two- or three-column layouts for your slidedocs.

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TEXT HIERARCHY

Yourlayoutshelpreadersmakeawholehostofchoices—whattheyshouldreadfirst,wherethemainmessageis,whattextgoeswiththediagram,what’sextrareadingthattheycanskipfornow,andthelistgoeson...Thatmeansyouhavetocuratethecopy,andthat’swhyit’simportanttomakeyourtextconsistent.Consistentdoesn’tmeanrepetitive.Ofcourse,you’regoingtowantsomevariationinthewayyourslideslook.Butgivingpeopleanideaofwhattoexpectmakesthecontentmoreaccessible.

Giving your readers a clear typographic system to follow will helpthem digest your slidedoc clearly.

The most effective way tostay consistent is to establisha text hierarchy. A text hierarchy is a set of rules that govern how individual text elements will look.

Forexample,youmaydecidethattheslide’stitlewillalwaysbeinALL CAPS intheupperlefthandcorner,footnoteswillalwaysbeinitalics, andsubtitleswillalwaysbebright blue. Youwillneedtoestablishyourowntexthierarchy.Thesearethedecisionsthatwillmakeiteasierforyoutokeepaconsistentfeeltoyourslidedoc,andforyourreaderstoeasilynavigateyourinformation.

Youshouldestablishyourtexthierarchybeforeyoustartlayingoutyourcopy.It’smucheasiertoedityourproseusingapredefinedsetofrulesthanitistomakeitupasyougoandcontinuallybacktrackifyouchangeyourmindaboutfontsorcolors.It’sokaytotestandupdateyourtexthierarchyasyoulayoutyourslidedoc.Infact,it’samust.Thatsaid,takesometimetothinkaboutthebasicsbeforeyoustart.

Whenestablishingyourtexthierarchy,it’shelpfultoknowwhatpeopleexpectfromcertainkindsoftext.Onthenextslidewe’veincludedsomeguidelinestohelpyouasyouestablishahierarchyforthevarioustextualelementsonthepage.

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TEXT HIERARCHY GUIDELINES

Thetitleintroducesyourslideandshouldbethefirstthingthatpeopleread.Therefore,youwantittostandoutinsomeway.Forinstance,itcouldbebolder.Ifyou’reusingathinnerfont,youcouldputthetitleinallcapsormakeitverylarge.Justmakesureit’sthefirstbitoftextthatpeoplearedrawnto.

Thesubtitle goesrightbelowyourtitleandexpandsonitinsomeway.Thiscopyshouldbesignificantlysmallerthanthetitle,butnotsmallerthanthemaintextontheslide.

Subheadslabelthedifferentsectionswithineachslide.Theyarethenextleveloftexthierarchy,sotheyshouldbesmallerthanthetitleandsubtitle.Yoursubheadsmightevenbeequalinsizetothemaincopyonyourslide,butyoushoulddifferentiatetheminsomeway.Forinstance,theymightbeabitbolderoradifferentcolor.

Thebody copy,themainblocksoftextonyourslide,willtakethemostamountoftimetoread.So,thinkaboutconsumabilitywhenpickingafont.Peopledon’treadwordsletterbyletter.Theyseetheentirewordasapictureandunderstandtextbyconnectingthatpicturewithitsmeaning.Whenyoumakeitdifficulttorecognizethatpicture,you’reputtingabarrierbetweenyourreaderandyourmessage.Classic,cleanfontsarethewaytogohere.Besuretomakethetextbigenoughanddarkenough,soreadersdon’thavetostraintoseeit.

Calloutsarethesmallblocksoftextthatareusedtopointsomethingoutinagraphordiagram.Thistextcanbeequalinsizetothebodycopy,butitalsoneedstobedistinguishedinsomeway.Aclassicwaytosetyourcallouttextapartistoitalicizeit.Youcanalsomakeitaseparatecolor.

Anoteaboutcolortreatments:It’sveryeasytoincludetoomanycolorsasyou’retryingtodifferentiateonekindoftextfromanother.Trytoavoidcreatingatextrainbowandremembercolorisonlyoneofthetoolsinyourtoolbelt.Weight,CASE,size,anditalicsareallgoodwaystosetdifferentkindsoftextapart.

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ANATOMY OF TEXT HIERARCHY

Subtitle supports the main title.

Title text is larger and the most

dominant text on the page.

Web links can be color-

coded, underlined, or

both.

Body copy is a neutral color and smaller than headline copy, so headlines and subheads stand out.

Colored box is great for emphasized text or pull quotes.

Footers are the least dominant

element on the page.Tabulated navigation helps identify where you are; colored text identifies the current page.

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TEXT LAYOUT

After setting up your text hierarchy and designing your page, another step on the path to consistency and readability is actual typesetting.

Typesettingisadjustingalltheseeminglysmallthingsthatmakeiteasytonavigateyourcopy.Herearesomebasictypesettingitemstothinkabout:

Line spacing istheamountofroombetweenlinesoftext.Providingenoughspaceherehelpsthereaderkeeptrackofhisorherplaceandmakesforamorecomfortablereadingexperience.

Properparagraph spacing,orthespacebetweenparagraphs,helpsthereadertakeabreakbetweenparagraphsandhelpsdenoteachangeinideas.Thespacebetweenparagraphsalsomakesbodycopylooklessintimidatingwhenlookingatlargeblocksoftext.

AsImentioned,columnsmakeyourtexteasiertoconsume.Splitupbigchunksoftextintotwoormorecolumnsformaximumreadability.

Don’tgetfancywhenaligning your text. Leftjustifiedusuallyworksbest.Idon’tlikethebiggapsbetweenwordsthatjustifiedtextcreates,andpeopleareusedtoseeingtheircopyalignedtotheleft.Thatsaid,ifyouhaveacalloutthatneedstogowithaspecificgraphic,aligntothesideofthetextthat’sclosesttotheitemthatyou’retalkingabout.Thispracticemakesthetwoitemsseemmoreconnected.

Whenyou’refinishedadjustingtheformattingofyourtextusingtheseguidelines,takealookatitasawhole.Aretherightsidesofyourlinesoftextreallyjagged?Doyouhavesinglewordsorshortphrasesdanglingontheendofaparagraph?Goaheadandcleanthoselastfewlinesoftextmanuallywithsoftreturns(shift+return)forthatfinalpolish.

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SMALL SCREEN READABILITY

Don’tassumethatyourreaderswillalwaysaccessyourslidedoconalaptopordesktop.Ifyouraudienceisonthego(andwhoisn’tthesedays?),youmayconsideroptimizingyourslidedocformobiledevices.Thiswillrequiresomeextraconsideration.

Mostimportantly,forthesesmallerscreens,textneedstobelarger.Uselesstext,butlargerinsize,perslideifyouknowyouraudiencewillbereadingyourmaterialfromtheirphones.Herearesomerecommendationstoconsiderforviewingonvariousscreens:

Usage Tablet* Phone* 13" Laptop Printouts Slide Title 40pt 50pt 22pt 21pt

Subtitle 28pt 38pt 18pt 16pt

Body Copy 24pt 34pt 11pt 10pt

Graphic Callouts 30pt 40pt 10pt 8pt

*Retinadisplay

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TESTING YOUR SLIDES

Anybody who’s ever tried to follow a complicated recipe knows that just because you’ve completed the steps doesn’t mean that your creation is going to look exactly like the picture.

Likewise,whileit’simportanttofollowtheguidelineslaidoutinthisslidedoc,youshoulddoanoverallaudittomakesureyourpageshangtogetherwell.

Lookatyourslidedocasawholeinslidesorter(lightbox)view.Youshouldn’thavealltextslidesandyoushouldhavepageswithwhitespaceandbreathingroom.

Remember,graphicdesignersspendtheirlivesstudyingdesign,sodon’tbetoohardonyourself.Butyoushoulddoaquickauditofeachpageusingthetypeofscreenyouthinkmostpeoplewillusetoconsumeyourslidedoc.

Whenreviewingyourwork,youshouldaskyourselfthequestionslistedontheright.

DoIhavetoomanywordsontheslide?

Ismytextbigenoughorwillpeoplehavetostraintoreadit?

Doesmyeyeknowwhichtexttoreadfirst?

Aremainmessageseasytopickout?

Ismytextscannablelikeaslidedocordenselikeadocument?

Doesmyeyehaveaclearpathtofollow?

DoIhavetoomanyfontsorfontcolors?

Slidedoc Checklist

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BUYONAMAZON.COM

BEST PRACTICES FOR THE VISUAL DISPLAY OF INFORMATION

For a more exhaustive look into the visual display of information in presentation software, we recommend these two presentation books. Both convey the business case for design, explain powerful design principles, and have pages full of inspiring examples. Factoid: Garr talked me into writing

my first book. As a tribute to him, I used his silhouette on the cover of Slide:ology.

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DeliveringaSlidedoc

+ Printing and Projecting Slidedocs + Distributing Slidedocs + Case Study: Notes View How-To + Spread Big Ideas With Slidedocs 04

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+ Printing and Projecting Slidedocs

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YOUR JOB IS TO COMMUNICATE

Wow. This must feel like a lot of work. You have a “real job” with real results you’re supposed to deliver that have nothing to do with writing or distributing a slidedoc.

Whenyouhaveanideaorinitiativethatmustbearfruit,thenspendingyourtimeclearlycommunicatingcouldbewhatbringsyouthemosttraction.

Setasidetimetoconceptualizewhatyouaregoingtosay,howtovisualizeitsotheycanseewhatyou’resaying,andthendeterminethebestmeanstocommunicateit.

Whendeliveringinformation,somepeopledelivertoomuchanditdoesn’tgetconsumed,whileotherscommunicatesovaguelythatclarifyingconversationswastetime.Providingslidedocshitsagreatsweetspotthatdeliversenoughinformationinaconsumableformat.

Businesstodayoperatesinacompressedenvironment,soyouneedtocreateandspreadthoughtfulinsightsquicklyandclearly.

Your Real Job

Writer

Visualizer

Communicator

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PRINT SLIDEDOCS

Handout Printhandoutsofslidedocssopeoplecanreadthematthebeginningofthemeeting.Orusethemashandoutsthattheaudiencemayreferencewhileyouspeakandthatsupportyourtalkas

anappendixwithadditionalinformation.

There are multiple ways to printyour slidedoc.

BookSlidedocs,designedwell,makegreatbooks.Whetherspiral-boundorperfect-bound,theycanmakethecontentfeelmoresubstantialandformal.Infact,youcanprofessionallypublishandprintslidedocsatblurb.comandbookemon.com.

PlacematPlacematsareasingleslidedocpageprintedon11"x17"paper.Theyaregreatforcollaboratingaroundasharedpieceofpaperwhereallstakeholderscanwriteandsketchontheconcepts.Sometimesoneplacematisallyouneedtosparkagreatconversation.

PosterSlidedocpagescanbeprintedoversizedandpostedaroundtheroom.Readersstand,walkaround,andreadthematerial.Youcanalsoputblankpostersinbetweeneachonetocapturenotesandfeedback.Scientistsatconferencesoftenpresentposters.

Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins printed a slidedoc book called “USA, Inc.” with pages printed2-up. She sent one to everyone in Congress to help them understand the distressing state of the U.S. economy.

USA,INC.

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PROJECTING SLIDEDOCS

Collaboration: Projectapagetoreadanddiscussitindetailtorefinetheideaorbuildconsensus.

Review meeting: Whileeditingaslidedocwithagroup,youmayneedtoprojectitsoyoucancollaborativelyeditit.

Visual reference: Duringaformalpresentation,youmaywanttoprojectapagefromaslidedocsolelyasavisualreferencesotheaudienceknowswhatpageyou’reaskingthemtoread.

Overlay sketches: Ifyouprojectontoawhiteboard,peoplecansketchovergraphicstohelpclarifymeaning.

Slidedocs should be printed and not projected, but there are some instances when it is okay to project them:

Usuallyifslidedocsareprojected,itwouldbeinaroomwithtenorfewerinternalpeople,becauseit’snotaformalpresentation.Ifyouareinaroomwithsixormorepeopleorarepresentingexternally,rethinkwhetheraslidedocistherightmediumorifyoushouldbuildapresentationinstead.

To the right is a slide I used in a vision meeting. I projected cinematic

slides and provided a slidedoc as a handout. When I wanted the

audience to refer to a specific page, I projected a picture of that page as

a visual reference.

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BAD HABITS ARE HARD TO BREAK, BUT BREAK THEM

Bad Habit #1:Use slides as ateleprompter

Thebiggestreasonpeoplepresentslides-as-documentsisthattheywanttomakesuretheycovereverythingcomprehensively.Presentersputeverywordonaslidesotheydon’tforgetwhatthey’resupposedtosay.Theybuildwhatisessentiallyavisualteleprompter.Audiencesbecomefrustratedwhentheyhavetositthroughapresenterread-along,justlikeitwouldfrustrateyoutoreadthePresident’steleprompterinsteadoflisteningtotheStateoftheUnion.

Do not verbally present slidedocs.

Bad Habit #2:Leave no time to prepare a real presentation

Authorspourideas,words,andpicturesontoslidesaspartofthecreativeprocess.Theproblemisthatpeoplestopthere—withalltheirthoughtsinwritingontheslide.Ifyouplantopresentthematerial,there’sanadditionalstepyouneedtotaketodistillthedocumentintoatruevisualaid.Ifyoudon’thavetimetoperformthisstep,it’sbesttodistributeitasadocument.

Bad Habit #3: Think dense slides look smart

Peopleinanalyticalrolessometimesthinkthemeritofanideaisdirectlyproportionaltotheamountofinformationontheslide.Theyfeelthatifyoudon’thavedensechartsandgraphs,youhaven’tdoneyourresearchorbeenthoroughenough.However,projectingseverallayersofchartsonaslideisaverydifferentexperiencethandistributingseveralchartsthroughoutaslidedocforpeopletoreadandinterpretforthemselves.

Bad Habit #4: Desireaccreditation

Whenyou’veworkedhardonyourideas,it’stemptingtopresentthematerialinsteadofhandingitout.Presentingmaterialmakesitclearthatyou’retheauthorandsubjectmatterexpert.Butisthatnecessary?Thisbehaviorisbasedonprideofauthorship,notcommunicationefficiency.

Regardless of why people present their dense slides, the practice should stop.

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+ DistributingSlidedocs

04

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DISTRIBUTE SLIDEDOCS ONLINE

Link to your slidedoc on SlideShare to get the word out.

E-mailSlideSharecantrackwhohasseenthefile,connectthemtoyourwebsite,andcollectcontactinformationwhichgeneratesleads.

AnalyticsSlideShareisagreattoolfordistributingslidedocs.Uploadyourpresentation,andittranslatesintoaformatthatcanbebroadlyandpubliclydistributedonline.

ShareInsteadofe-mailingalargefilethatclogsinboxes,sendalinktotheSlideSharefileonline.

EmbedSlideSharepresentationscan

beembeddedintoHTMLpages.AnywhereaYouTubevideocango,aSlideShare

slidedocfilecango.

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USE SLIDEDOCS FOR WEBINARS

Afewyearsago,Iconductedasurveytoseehowmanypeopleattendedpresentationsremotelyversusinperson.Theresultsshowedthat85%ofpresentationswereremote.It’shardertomakeasincereconnectionwithanaudiencewhenyou’renotinthesameroom.

Managersspendmostoftheirworkdayinmeetings.Manymanagersconsideralmosthalfofthosemeetingsawasteoftime.Sowhenmeetingsarealreadyfeelinglikeawaste,makeyoursmoreproductivebyusingaslidedoc.

In a remote meeting situation, you’re competing with many attendee distractions, the primary one being their e-mail. If your material isn’t more interesting than their inbox, they won’t be 100% present.

Havemeetingattendeesreadonepageanddiscussthattopic.Whenattendeesreadtheslidedocandthendiscussit,itengagesthemmoreoften.Eachtimeyouadvancetoanewslide,ifattendeesaremultitasking,they’llhavetominimizee-mail(orwhateverthey’redoing)toreadtheslidesotheycancontinuetobeaparticipant.Butagain,don’treadorpresenttheslidetothem;it’sfasteriftheyreaditandthendiscussit.

Youcanalsouseslidedocsasaguideandcontextforallthetopicsyouwanttotalkover.Puttingthetopicsyou’llbediscussinginaslidedocmovesthemeetingalong.Italsohelpsattendeesgaugehowmuchyou’vecoveredasthemeetingprogresses.

Ifyou’reusingtelepresenceorotheremergingvideosystems,sendingslidedocsaheadoftimewillensurethatyourcommunicationisfailsafe(youneverknowwhatmightgowrongwithtechnology).

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VIEW SLIDEDOCS ON DEVICES

Slidedocs are the perfect content-density for reading and distributing on a tablet.

There’sbeenahugeuptickintheadoptionoftabletsinbusinessandeducation.Providingyourmaterialonadeviceletsreadersinteractwiththecontentandkeepsthemengaged.

It’seasytoconvertpresentationstodevices—the4:3aspectratioisaperfectfit.

Duarte’s preferred tools are:

SlideShark®: ConvertsPowerPoint®filesintonavigable,interactivepresentationsandincludesapowerfulanalyticsenginethatshowswholookedatyourslidedocandhowmanypagestheyread.

Keynote® foriPad®:ConvertsPowerPoint®filestoKeynote®,createsnewKeynote®filesfromscratch,andallowsyoutoviewandeditexistingKeynote®files.

Tabletscanbehookeduptoaprojector,orlinkstofilescanbesentaheadoftimeforyourreaders.I’veevenhadclientsloadtheslidedocsoniPadsandsendthemasagiftforpeopletoreadordistributeatconferences.

SlideShark®isaregisteredtrademarkofBrainshark,Inc.iPad®isaregisteredtrademarkofApple.Allrightsreserved.

©Duarte,Inc.2014

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THE DANGER OF CIRCULATINGSPARSE PRESENTATIONS

Beautiful,minimalistic,cinematicslidesdon’thaveenoughinformationinthemtostandontheirownasadocumentwhendistributed. Infact,whenslidestravelaroundwithonlyanimageandahandfulofwords,thereadershavetofillinfartoomanyblankstounderstandtheirmeaning.Asyouembracesimplifyingslides,thisisanunexpectednegativesideeffect.

Slidesareabackdropforthespokenword,notrichincontentthemselves.Theirvaguenessleavesroomforarecipienttomakeupwhatwassaid,developinaccurateconclusions,andmisconstruethemeaning.

Aspresentationsarepassedalongwithoutthepresenter,importantinformationislost.Dataisdroppedthathelpsmakeyourcase.

ThesameistruewhendistributingslidesonplatformslikeSlideShare.Theslidesneedtobeself-explanatoryandclear,becausemetaphoricalconceptsareopentointerpretation.Thefollowingcasestudyshowshowtocreateaslidedocinnotesviewofyourcinematicslidessoreadersknowwhatyousaidtoyourslides.

If the graphic above was used alone on a slide, how would you know what was said about it? For example, are these people contributing to or pulling from this “system”? Vague metaphors can be misunderstood if they are shared without explanation.

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ConvertCinematicSlidesIntoSlidedocs

DavidAllen,ofTheDavidAllenCompany,isagreatpresenterwhousescinematicslideseffectively.Whenheneedstoleaveinformationbehindafterhistalks,hedeliversbeautifullayoutsofhisslidesinnotesview.

CASE STUDY

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SIMPLE SLIDES NEED NOTES

Circulating cinematic slides as slidedocs

Whendeliveringapresentationinperson,usearrestingandcinematicvisuals,similartotheslidestotheright.Whenyourpresentationisoverandsomeonesays,“Hey,sendmeyourslides,”theseslidesmightbesosparse,theywillmakenosensetothereaderwithoutyourverbaldialogue.

Sparseslidescan’tbefullyunderstoodastheytravelthroughanorganizationwithoutapresenter.So,howdoyouretaintheintegrityofthecontent,createastorylinethattravelswiththeslides,andstillkeepitvisuallysimpleandclean?

Cinematic slides need more context if they are going to be sent around an organization.

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DEFAULT NOTES VIEW

Adding notes to your slides makes it a slidedocThere’salittle-known“NotesPage”viewthatcancombineanimageofyourslideswithyourscript,andanyothercontentyou’dlike.

Totherightisthedefaultlayoutofthe“NotesPage”viewinPowerPoint®.Youcanseethattheslidevisualtakesupthetophalfofthepageandthetextbelowdefaultstoabulletedlist.

Manypeopledon’tknowthatthislayoutisextremelymodifiable.NotonlycantheNotesmasterbemodified,buteachNotesPageitselfcanhavetext,charts,quotes,andimagesaddedtoitasseparateandadditionalcontentthat’sontheslideitself.

YoucanaddtextinNotesviewortheNotespane.

Whatever you type in the Notes pane

will appear underneath the slide.

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MODIFY THE NOTES MASTER

Theimagetotherightisthedefaultmaster.Theimagetothefarrightisamodifiedmaster.

Youcanscaleyourslidetoanysizeandplaceitanywhereonthemaster.Headers,footers,andbodycopycanbemovedintoanypositionyoudesire.Thechoicesareendless.

Ifyouplantoonlyputyourscriptinthenotes,alayoutsimilartothedefaultmaywork.Ifyouplantoaddsupportinginformationormoregraphics,considerscalingtheslideandtextsizedowntoaccommodaterichercontent.

Scale and move the master elements any way you’d like.

Default master has a large slide and cascading text.

Notes layouts are flexible

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SLIDEDOCS CAN TRAVEL WITH AN APPENDIX

Inthelayoutstotheright,you’llnoticethere’sasmallimageoftheslideonthetopleftofthepage,andaquadrantgraphicandquoteonthetopright.

Thisexampleshowsthatthe“NotesPage”viewhasenormousflexibility.It’sanadditionalsurfacethatyoucandesignanddevelopwithcontentthatyoumayhavechosentocutfromyourpresentation.

It’sasiftheappendixtoyourslidegetstotravelwiththeslideitself.

This”NotesPage”viewcanbeconvertedintoaPDFandsentaroundwithyourslides.Theseslidescanbedistributedwhenpeopleaskforacopy.Printthe“NotesPage”viewanddistributeitasadocument.

You can add a lot of content to your slides

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HORIZONTAL LAYOUTS ARE AN OPTION, TOO!

The“NotesView”pageisn’tlimitedtojustverticallayouts.Youcancreatelayoutsinlandscapeview,too.

Thedesignstotherighthavethesamecontentasthelayoutsonthepreviouspagebutthenotesmasterisformattedinthelandscapeorientation.

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+ Spread Big Ideas With Slidedocs

04

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PRESENTATIONS HELP SPREAD SLIDEDOCS

Let’s say you’ve created a brilliant slidedoc packed with research, data, process, and insights. When you need to present it, how do you present it? First, don’t present your research; present the results and findings in the research and turn that into a presentation with slides.

Useadifferentcreativeprocesstodevelopapresentationthatisaninspirational,persuasivederivativeofyourdocument.

Rememberbackwhenannualreportsusedtobeprinted?Theyhadathinglossysectioninthefrontthatwasverybeautiful,story-like,highlyvisual,andhuman-centric.Therestwasadensedocumentthatstatedhowthecompanyperformedfinancially.

Tomakeapresentationaboutyourslidedoc,isolatethekeyinsightsandfindingsinyourslidedoc.Thinkthroughwhytheymatterandhowyouwanttheaudiencetobetransformedwhenyoupresenttheinformation.Brainstormmetaphors,stories,andvisualsthathelpyourinformationcomealiveandonlypresentthatinformationverbally.

Creative process

Analytical process

Creating a presentation thatis inspirational requires a different mindset and process. Incorporate stories and pictures that will move an audience to action.

Creating a slidedoc is a highly analytical process.

It’s more report-making than creative, and is

heavily comprehensive in nature.

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BENEFITS OF SPREADING SLIDEDOCS

One of the most powerful attributes of a slidedoc is its modular nature.

Theabilitytohavesmall,organizedchunksofcontenttoarrangemakescreatingslidedocsveryefficient.Organizingcontentbyfocusingononeideaperpage,youcanmixandmatchideastomeetdifferentreaderneeds.Theatomicnatureoftheunitsmakesiteasytostructureyourthoughtsintoaclearcase.

Organizationsneedtocreatedifferentslidedocstoappealtodifferentaudiences.Theflexibilityofthisrichcontentsourceallowsemployeestobeagilecommunicators.Plus,torearrangethecontent,youdon’tneedtolearnnew,complicatedsoftware.

Marketingdepartmentsusewell-writtenandwell-designedslidedocstocreatekeymessagesthatemployeesshouldincludeineverykeypieceofcommunication.

Ifslidesaren’trichwithcontentanddon’tvisuallylookliketheyhangtogetherinaunifiedvisuallanguage,recipientswillfeellikeyou’vesimplypiecemealedittogether,or“Frankensteined”slidesfromdifferentdecks.They’llassumeyoucreatedtheslidedocwithoutcaringabouthowtheyneedtoprocesstheinformation.

Greatslidedocsspreadquickly.Ifyou’retheauthorofgreatslidedocs,yourstrategy,thinking,andsolutionswillbelatchedontobytheorganizationandbecomecoretothecompany’ssuccess.Slidedoccontenthelpsspreadyourideas,makingiteasyforpeopletorepurposeyourthinking.

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SLIDEDOCS IMPROVE COMMUNICATION

Weusedcolored text inthissummarypagetoillustratehowsomeoftheexactpagetitlesthroughouttheslidedoccanbeusedinthesummary.

Thewaywecommunicate is changing. Inourtime-strappedworld,welikeinformationthatisconsumedquickly.Thishasledorganizationstolookforawaytofill the gap betweenlong-formdocumentsandpresentations.Whathasemergedareslidedocs.

Aslidedocisavisualdocumentintendedtobereadandreferencedinsteadofprojected.Slidedocsworkforavarietyofcommunicationscenarios,fromsalescollateraltoin-meetingreferencematerial.Andbecauseoftheirmodularnature,slidedocscanspread your smart thinking throughoutyourorganization.

Below is a summary of this book. The summary page should reinforce key points from your slidedoc.

Butcreatingagreatslidedocalsomeanstakingthetimetodoitright—andthatmeansinvestinginboththewritingandthedesign.Effectiveslidedocsaredevelopedbyknowing your audience,understandinghowtheyconsumeinformation,andbyhavingoneclearbig idea.Fromthere,following good writing practices andwriting compelling copy wellhelpyoucreateaslidedocthatspreads.

Developingeffectiveslidedocsalsomeansvisualizingideasandmakingtheinformationeasytonavigate.Todothat,youneedtohighlight what’s important whileusingdiagrams and data to show the relationshipsbetweenthedifferentelementsofanidea.

Usingbasicdesignprinciples—likecreatingstructure with a grid andadding white spacetogive your content room to breathe—helpsamplifywhat’simportantandhelpsreadersdigestyourinformation.

Slidedocsareoneofthemosteffectivetoolsforcommunicatingideasquicklyandestablishingconsensus.Yourideasdeservethebestpossiblecommunicationvehicle.Slidedocsaredesignedforthewaywecommunicatetoday,andthesebestpracticeswillgiveyoutheskillsyouneedtochangeyourorganizationforthebetter.

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YOUR HARD WORK WILL PAY OFF

Presentationtoolsareeasytouseifyou’retryingtothrowsomethingtogetherquickly.However,whenthestakesarehigh—adealwillbewonorlost,yourvisionadoptedorrejected,yourprojectwillmovealongorbestoppedinitstracks—youneedtospendextratimecreatingtheslidedoc.

Just because slidedocs are easy to create doesn’t mean you have a license for laziness. Regardless of the tool you use, good work always pays off.

High-stakessituationsmayalsocallforadifferentkindofcontent.Traditionally,high-stakespresentationsareinspirationalwhileslidedocsaremorepragmatic.Butwhenyourslidedocisthatimportant,andneedstoinfluenceamake-or-breakdecision,itmustembodythetypeofinspirationalpersuasionusuallyreservedforin-personpresentations.

Goodcontent,agoodstoryline,andastructurethatcompelspeopletoactordecideareworththetimeyouputintothem.

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ThankYou

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ENGAGING WITH DUARTE

ConsultingDuarte’swritersareskilledinpersuasivestorytellingpractices.Whetheryourcontentneedsacompletereworkoryou’restartingwithablankpage,ourwriterscancreateyourentirestoryfromstarttofinish.

We’d love to help!

DesignWedesigncinematicpresentationsthataweandinspire,robusttemplatesystemsthathelpfosterbettercompanywidecommunication,andpre-existingcontentthatjustneedsthatextrasomething.

PublishingDuartecantransformyourcontent(presentation,book,salestools,slidedoc,technicalpub,andcollateral)intoaplatform-agnostic,visuallyrich,easilynavigable,dynamicdocumenttouseontabletsormobiledevices.

EventsWecraftcompelling,memorablekeynoteandbreakoutsessionpresentationsthatmotivateaudiences.Wecanalsoprovideoveralleventthemeanddesignsupport.

MultimediaDuartecreatesinteractivepresentations,visualessays,videos,andanimateddemosthatfurtherengageaudiences.Wecanalsoextendthelifeofapresentationbymakingitweb-and/orYouTube-ready.

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AmandaWorkingwithyouwasablast!Thankforwranglingandwritingchunksof

thispuppy.

DiandraThisbookisbeautiful

becauseyoumakeeverything

beautiful.

Aisling, Denise, Tyler & Ivan

Thebookwouldn’thavehappenedwithoutyourrockingdesignskills

andtenacity.

Denise, Janet, Kyle &

StephanieYourcasestudiesandtemplatedesignsarebeautifulandcentral

tothisbook.

DanYourtemplate

wizardryhasmadethisslidedocandthefreetemplatesmagicaltouse.

RicYoursupportovertheyearsandonthisslidedochasastoundedme.

http://www.ricbret.com

ThisbookisrealbecauseofaherdofDuartiansAshley, Chris, Dave, Doug, Emily, Janice,

Kelly, Michelle, Patti, & Paula

Thankyouforgenerouslydonatingtheslidedoc.comdomaintothiscause.

Anditwouldn’tbeavaluablebookwithoutacutepicofmygranddogs

BearandNecessity.

SpecialThanks

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About the author:

Nancy Duarte is a communication expert. Her firm, Duarte, Inc., is the global leader behind some of the most influential visual messages in business and culture.

She is the author of three award-winning books. Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences, identifies the hidden story structures inherent in great communication, and it spent more than 300 days on Amazon’s top 100 business book bestsellers list. Slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations teaches readers to think visually and has been translated into eight languages. Plus, the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations, a field guide with quick ways to up your presentation game and more effectively present data-rich information.