Contents

A. Give a more professional impression

B. Avoid a messy look

C. Guide the reader

D. Other basics

E. Activity: “Pimp my slide”

1
 Use sober colors to give it a more professional look

Description and rationale

Use sober colors on slides rather than many different colors. Use darker colors to guide the reader and emphasize where to
look. Example: Light grey-blue towards a darker blue is for example an appealing sober color scale
Gives a more professional look

Before After

NOTE 1: Use color scheme in the Master – To get it

constant through the whole presentation
NOTE2: This example slide above still needs
improvements, for example hint 6: Always align

2
 Never ever use clip art illustrations. Use simple illustrations to give
a more professional look

Description and rationale

Never use clip art illustrations. Instead use easy illustrations to show what feeling you’re trying to convey. Use QPT visuals
or create own pictures with simple boxes and arrows to illustrate an improvement or other message
Gives a more professional look

Before After

Ugly clip art pictures

Just shape

Just boxes & circles

Just lines & arrows

3
 Experiment with lines to areas and objects to get a more
sophisticated look

Description and rationale

Experiment with lines to areas and objects, for example remove line and add shadow, or make the black line on the light
blue box medium-dark blue instead
Could give the slide a more sophisticated look and less heavy to look at. See example below to compare 6 vs. 3 boxes

Before After

Sometimes no lines + shadow

can look better and less
messy

The lines in the boxes makes …if lines are removed it feels
it totally six objects to look at like only three objects to focus
on the slide, but… on

4
 Experiment with lines to areas and objects to get a more
sophisticated look

Description and rationale

Experiment with lines to areas and objects, for example remove line and add shadow, or make the black line on the light
blue box medium-dark blue instead.

Before After

1 Insight 1 Insight

2 Imagination 2 Imagination
No lines or shadows to
3 Implication 3 Implication the grey boxes

4 Impact 4 Impact

1
1. Message Message
The “1”-circle has a
white line that is rather
1 Message thick (3-4pt)
1 Message

5
Contents

A. Give a more professional impression

B. Avoid a messy look

C. Guide the reader

D. Other basics

E. Activity: “Pimp my slide”

6
 Use lines and boxes to avoid a messy look

Description and rationale

Use lines and boxes to structure different parts of the slide
Avoids a messy look and makes the slide more easy to look at. The human eye appreciates order and alignments, if
something is not in line the human eye tends to focus on that anomaly

Before After

7
 Use lines and boxes to avoid a messy look

Description and rationale

Use lines and boxes to structure different parts of the slide
Avoids a messy look and makes the slide more easy to look at. The human eye appreciates order and alignments, if
something is not in line the human eye tends to focus on that anomaly

Before After

8
 Align as much as possible to get a less messy slide

Description and rationale

Align the objects as much as possible, especially in the outer parts of the slide
Minimizes the risk of the reader focusing on the wrong details. The human eye appreciates order and alignments, if
something is not in line the human eye tends to focus on that anomaly.

Before After

not aligned aligned

not aligned
aligned

not aligned aligned

not aligned not aligned aligned aligned

9
 Align as much as possible to get a less messy slide

Description and rationale

Align the objects as much as possible, especially in the outer parts of the slide
Minimizes the risk of the reader focusing on the wrong details. The human eye appreciates order and alignments, if
something is not in line the human eye tends to focus on that anomaly.

Before After

10
 Use one font size on the slide to avoid a messy look

Description and rationale

Use one font size in the body text (and graphs) on a slide, and similar to rest of deck – target font 12 or 14
Avoids a messy look, and minimizes the risk of the reader/audience focusing on the wrong things (e.g. a different font size)*

Before After
A A

B B

* The human eye appreciates order and alignments, if something is not in line the human eye tend to focus on that anomaly
11
 Use lines to underline headings in slide rather than the underlined
font to better illustrate what the heading covers

Description and rationale

Use lines to underline headings in slide rather than the underlined font
Shows how much underneath in width that belongs to that heading

Before After

Using lines to underline shows how

Underlined using underlining in the font much underneath in width that belongs
formatting to that heading
Gives a better structured look

12
 Straight braces for a more structured look

Description and rationale

When using braces, make them as straight as possible through moving the yellow dots in the brace
Avoids different types of bends in the brace and therefore a messy look and makes the slide more easy to look at. The
human eye appreciates order and alignments, if something is not in line the human eye tend to focus on that anomaly

Before After

13
Contents

A. Give a more professional impression

B. Avoid a messy look

C. Guide the reader

D. Other basics

E. Activity: “Pimp my slide”

14
 Use call-outs to effectively comment on the most important
conclusions

Description and rationale

Use call-outs to effectively comment on the most important conclusions
Makes the conclusion more noticeable since the eye catches anomalies

Before After

Important conclusion as a box at bottom of page Important conclusion emphasized with help of call-out

15
 If circling something make it fatter and different to get noticed

Description and rationale

When circling something, you want it the be noticed. Make it therefore thicker (3pt line), outside the area you’re circling and
in another shape than the background
Makes it more noticeable since the eye catches anomalies

Before After

Thin line Thicker line (3pt)

In line with arrows Outside the background area to get noticed
Squared with no rounded corners Other form than the other boxes

16
 Use re-occurring boxes to go through different parts of conclusions
or model

Description and rationale

Use same re-occurring boxes on slide series to describe different parts
Guides the reader and gives her/him a better understanding of where he/she is = More pedagogical

Before After

First slide First slide

Overview slide

Next slides Next slides

Use box with white fill & Use Line / Freeform

30% transparency to cover to create container of
boxes not explained explanations

17
 Use trackers to guide the reader and audience and minimize the risk
of confusing them

Description and rationale

Use trackers in the upper right corner to illustrate what part in the presentation is being presented. Use either “Group” and
then minimize the grouped object, or just paste a special bmp-picture and then reduce size
Guides the reader and audience in the presentation and minimizes risks of loosing them

Before After

Overview slide Overview slide

On every slide On every slide

no tracker

18
 Always put graph or illustration to the top-left

Description and rationale

Always put graph or illustration to the top-left (above the text), since people are always looking at the picture first and then
read the text
Makes it easier to read since the eye always starts on the top-left when starting reading (think of where you look after
you’ve turned a page in a book)

Before After

19
Contents

A. Give a more professional impression

B. Avoid a messy look

C. Guide the reader

D. Other basics

E. Activity: “Pimp my slide”

20
 Always use action titles and keep them as short as possible, to
communicate the storyline in a short and understandable way

Description and rationale

Always use action titles (the conclusion of the slide) on slides unless absolutely irrelevant* – use font 18 and never more
than 2 rows and keep it as short as possible (avoid unnecessary words such as “the”, “such as”, too many superlatives etc.)
Communicates the storyline of the presentation in a short and understandable way

Before After

* For example Action titles are not needed in data slides in appendix since it is often not part of the story line
21
 Use one row subject title to describe graphics on slide and a
description of main unit of measure used (if any)

Description and rationale

One row subject title to describe graphics (e.g., “Net sales 2006-2009”) + Main unit of measure used on the slide (e.g.
MSEK)
Less confusion of what the slide and/or graph is showing and gives room to write a action title as a part of the story line

Before After

No action
title, i.e. One row
conclusion subject title
or storyline to describe
in the graphics
heading

Main unit of
measure
used on the
slide – if any
(e.g., MSEK)

22
 Make executive presentation, placing very detailed slides in
appendix

Description and rationale

Since we’re often presenting to executives, put the detailed slides in appendix and make fewer and less content-heavy
slides for the presentation material (to not lose the point). If necessary in the meeting, go to the detailed slide in appendix
Presentation will be better received by C-level management clients

Before After

23
 Increase spacing between text to make it more easy to read slide

Description and rationale

We often have much text on the slide, so increase the spacing (lines and paragraph) where it is possible by going to the
QPT / Tools / Increase spacing (or under Format / Line spacing)
Presentation will be easier to read and therefore understand

Before After

Traditional hospital operating in a Traditional hospital operating in a

suburb of a major city suburb of a major city
Despite recent operational
improvements, costs continue to be Despite recent operational
high relative to competitors improvements, costs continue to be
Provides a broad range of services high relative to competitors
to the community Provides a broad range of services
Has focused on providing high-
to the community
quality, leading-edge services
Increasing patient/family Has focused on providing high-
dissatisfaction, which is suspected quality, leading-edge services
to be contributing to revenue decline
Increasing patient/family
over the past year
dissatisfaction, which is suspected
to be contributing to revenue decline
over the past year

24
 Remember to grayscale adjust the presentation when finished to
ensure correct printing results

Description and rationale

Grayscale format every object on each slide before printing and/or sending a presentation away (especially to clients)
When printing on a black/white printer, the “grayed” areas could be left out (depending on printer) and therefore important
details could be missed

Before After

Original color layout 1. Go to Grayscale settings

2. Select all objects in slide (ctrl + A)

3. Select “Grayscale” from new toolbar

Printed w/o grayscale Printed with grayscale

adjustments adjustments
(important details could
be missed)

25
Contents

A. Give a more professional impression

B. Avoid a messy look

C. Guide the reader

D. Other basics

E. Activity: “Pimp my slide”

26
% of Revenue per Market Revenue Original Slide

6000
APAC
4,861
17% 5000
3,854
4000 3,583

3000 M Eur
2,363

2000
Europé
54%
1000
The Americas
29% 0
2007
2007 2006
2006 20052005 2004 2004

27
Despite strong revenue growth, ABC Company is losing market
share due to new competitors and increased work in progress
Revenue vs Market Share ABC Company

Revenue Market
(MEUR) Decline due to new share
10.000 Chinese competitors 40%
and increased work
in progress
31%
8.000 29% 28% 30%

23%
6.000 Revenue compound
annual growth rate of Market share
20%
XX% for 200Y-20YY Europe
4.000 Americas
APAC
10%
2.000

0 0%
2004 2005 2006 2007

Revised slide

28
In management study, the concept of solving a problem by looking
at parts of the problem is quite efficient
The 80/20 Rule Definition & The Don’t Boil the Ocean Techniques

A. The 80/20 Rule

1. 80% of an effect under study will be generated by 20 of the examples analyzed
2. A small fraction of elements account for a large fraction of the effect
Examples:
1. 80% of sales from 20% of sales force
2. 80% of orders from 20% of customers

A. Don’t Boil the Ocean

1. Work smarter, not harder.
2. There’s a lot of data out there relating to your problem, and a lot of analyses you
could do. Ignore most of them.
3. Lesson: be selective and don’t try to analyze everything

Alternative 1:
Tagline above line & title
below line 29
The 80/20 Rule Definition & The Don’t Boil the Ocean Techniques
In management study, the concept of solving a problem by looking at parts of the problem is
quite efficient
A. The 80/20 Rule
1. 80% of an effect under study will be generated by 20 of the examples analyzed
2. A small fraction of elements account for a large fraction of the effect
Examples:
1. 80% of sales from 20% of sales force
2. 80% of orders from 20% of customers

A. Don’t Boil the Ocean

1. Work smarter, not harder.
2. There’s a lot of data out there relating to your problem, and a lot of analyses you
could do. Ignore most of them.
3. Lesson: be selective and don’t try to analyze everything

Alternative 2:
Title above line & tagline
below line 30