Day 14 Tip - Advent Calendar 2025 (Making Your Presentation Clearer)

Day 14: One Message Per Slide — Create Clearer, More Impactful Presentations

I totally believe in presentations as a tool. But these don’t need to be complicated to be effective. Some of the best and most engaging presentations, I have seen follow one simple rule:

Simple presentations are more effective.

One message per slide.

When you think about the last presentation you saw and you think what do I actually recall from this. Was it overloaded with text, bullet points and data? This means an audience member, you don't really know where to focus. Therefore the message gets lost. A single clear idea per slide keeps attention where it belongs.

Why this works:

• It reduces cognitive overload

• It makes your message easier to remember

• It supports confident delivery

• It keeps your presentation clean and professional

  
  

Always think of your slides as visual support, not a script. Remember you are delivering the message, the slide reinforces your points.

Examples of one-message slides:

• One key statistic

• One strong statement

• One question

• One visual with a clear takeaway

Today’s challenge for you:

1. Choose one existing presentation

2. Redesign one slide to focus on a single idea

3. Remove anything that doesn’t support that message

Less clutter creates more clarity. And clarity is what your audience remembers.

Hazel, Empowering Your Circle