I subject every single PowerPoint slide, I use to a two part test. Number one, does the slide make an idea that's really important to me important to the audience more understandable than me simply explaining it. And number two, does it make the idea more memorable than me just explaining it, it doesn't pass both of those tests. It is by definition, a horrible slide. It's a waste of time, throw it in the trash can. Now what does this mean?

It by definition means putting text up doesn't work because words on a screen aren't that much different than words out of my mouth. If I can say the words, simply having words up on a screen doesn't help things. The other aspect of this words on screens are not memorable. Words are made of letters Those are just little abstractions. So that's why I do not recommend if you want to be effective, using text on a PowerPoint screen that you're projecting very different if it's the PowerPoint, you're emailing or handing out. So that's the two part test.

If you actually apply that test to all the slides in your deck, you're gonna find it's very easy to eliminate an awful lot of slides. And that's okay. But what you can do also is give those out later is the handout but not project them. So don't forget the two part test