Open with a memorable – but brief – story while slide one projects one image conveying the essence of your story. Segue right into the content. Slides two through nine contain pictures with minimal text (i.e. seven to 10 words in 30-point font). Colors and fonts are consistent except when differentiation of letters or words are vital. Your opening story is threaded throughout the presentation, strengthening the content in your listener’s mind as you make logical connections between the story, the content, and the pictures. You’ve practiced your presentation so you rarely have to look at your notes, your body language is confident, and your voice is strong and unrushed. Slide ten returns to the opening story and image, closing with the three key pieces you want the audience to remember.

If only all the presentations we give and listen to followed these basic rules. We’d all might enjoy presentations a bit more and look forward to committee and board meetings like TED talks.