How to Use the Rule of Six for Designing Presentation Slides

"Less is more" is a good phrase to keep in mind when you are designing slides for a presentation. Your slides should be clear and simple so they don't confuse your target audience. By following the "rule of six," you'll create slides that will help your audience understand the points in your presentation.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Presentation/Slide Creation Software

1. Don't use more than six words per line in your slides. Long, wordy points and sentences are difficult for your audience to read. Make the point as simply as you can on the slide. Expand on it in your speech to keep your audience interested in what you're saying.

2. Use a maximum of six bullet points per slide. For example, if you are talking about the benefits of a program, list six benefits on your slide in a clear, large font. If you include too many bullet points on each slide, they will muddle together in your audience's mind.

3. Provide no more than six rows or six columns of data if you are using tables in your slides. Too much data in a table will confuse the audience rather than support your presentation. If you need to provide a great deal of information in tables or charts, prepare a handout that your audience can study and take with them.

4. Keep your discussion of each slide to six minutes or less. If you linger too long over a slide or a topic, you will lose your audience's attention. Keep everything short and to the point for the best results.

References

• Cheney 268: Tips for Effective PowerPoint Presentations