You’ve got the mic, the message, and the momentum. The crowd’s with you…until your slides hit the screen. Eyes squint. Brows furrow. You can almost hear the energy drain from the room. It’s not your content. Instead, it’s your design. Even the sharpest insight gets lost in a sea of bullet points and blurry graphs.
Your book established you as an industry expert and built your author platform. When you're speaking, your visuals must be equally compelling. Excellent slides don't merely adorn your speech, they add to it. They grab attention, evoke memory, and convey a simple message: This person knows what he or she is speaking about.
Research reveals an eye-opening fact: three days following a presentation, 60% of individuals recall visual information, yet merely 10% recall what was spoken. This colossal retention disparity indicates the degree to which excellent slides make a difference.
Here are some useful tips to create presentation slides to give your speaking presentations a boost:
1. Keep It Simple
The human brain struggles with multitasking. Research has shown that when audiences try to read text-heavy slides while you are talking, neither message penetrates.
Cut the fat. Put just one main point per slide in brief phrases instead of sentences. Your slides illustrate your speech - they don't compete with it.
Quick wins for simpler slides:
- Limit yourself to 1-2 font styles throughout
- Create lots of white space
- Never exceed 6 lines of text per slide
- Select legible, clear fonts (sans serif most desirable)
By eliminating visual clutter, you enable your audience to concentrate on what's really important: your message.
2. Let Visuals Do the Heavy Lifting
Words alone rarely capture attention like powerful visuals do. Studies show audience understanding jumps by 73% when presentations use varied colors and compelling images.
Actually, 100% of the people attending a presentation think slides ought to have pictures, and 40% think they're absolutely essential.
Bring your data to life in compelling graphs and charts. Swap word explanations for applicable images that invoke feeling. Dismantle intricate ideas into tidy infographics.
For maximum visual impact:
- Select high-quality, sharp images (blurry photos scream amateur)
- Select photographs which immediately relate to your point (not vague stock shots)
- Label all graphs and charts clearly
- Use consistent brand colors to give a professional look
When your visuals enhance rather than distract, your message becomes both clearer and more memorable.
3. Tell a Story
As you've done in your book, storytelling remains one of the most powerful ways to build author credibility with your audience. According to more than one Authors on Mission review, when facts are shared through story, they become 22 times more memorable than data alone.
Construct your slides to assist a story journey with a definite beginning, middle, and conclusion. Make each headline and image move the narrative of your story forward.
Effective slide sequences typically:
- Open by setting the scene and introducing key players
- Present a meaningful challenge or problem
- Reveal your unique solution or insights
- Showcase the transformation and results
- Close with a clear, actionable next step
This story-based approach creates an emotional connection that facts alone cannot achieve.
4. Maintain Visual Consistency Throughout
Nothing damages your professional image faster than slides that look cobbled together from different presentations. Consistency signals preparation and attention to detail.
Create a visual system and stick with it. Your audience shouldn't notice your design - they should simply absorb your content without visual distractions.
Consistency checklist:
- Create one master slide template for the presentation overall
- Pick 2-3 of your brand colors and stick to those only
- Apply absolute sizes to headings and body text
- Align all to an invisible grid
- Utilize transitions efficiently and consistently.
These small details add up to a presentation that looks thoroughly professional.
5. Prepare for Dual Audiences
Today's speaking engagements often reach both physical and online audiences simultaneously. Virtual viewers rely even more heavily on your slides to stay engaged.
Balance your design to work effectively across all viewing environments:
- Ensure text is large enough to be read on smartphone screens
- Avoid subtle visual effects that may get lost in video compression
- Include more regular visual stimuli to retain internet attention
- Practice your slides on different screen sizes prior to your presentation.
This dual-audience approach ensures everyone receives your message clearly, regardless of how they're connecting.
6. Apply the “Squint Test” to Every Slide
Try this easy but effective trick - move away from your computer, shut your eyes, and glance at each slide for only two seconds. Can you still read the key point? If not, then your slide should be simplified.
Use this test to:
- Verify your key messages stand out instantly
- Spot and remove unnecessary elements
- Confirm text size is adequate
- Check overall visual balance
This quick assessment reveals what your audience will actually notice during those brief moments when your slide first appears.
Conclusion
You leave the stage to a standing ovation. People come up to you, business cards in hand. Your inbox is full of speaking requests and client inquiries. Your book sales spike. All because your presentation didn't merely tell—it inspired and engaged.
This is not a dream situation. With beautifully crafted slides supporting your knowledge, this is your reality. Your effectively designed visuals don't simply present information—they turn your concepts into memories that linger long after the applause stops.
In a world where presentations are not remembered a few days later, yours will be different, leaving lasting impressions that turn into real opportunities for your business and your book.
Going from author to thought leader begins with presentations that enhance your speaking engagements rather than dilute your business book implementation. Your professional book writing deserves visuals that are equally compelling.
Are you ready to take your speaking appearances to another level with presentations that wow? Our professional book editing and marketing company can assist you in securing speaking engagements and designing slides that elevate your thought leadership on stage. Book your strategic consultation today at https://www.authorsonmission.com/call and learn how to turn your next presentation into your best business opportunity yet.
