How to Write the Best Damn PowerPoint Headlines Ever
Posted on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 by Frank RocheYour PowerPoint headlines suck.
I’m not going out on a limb to say that. It’s just true. Sorry about the scatology, but it’s the best word for the job. Let me guess, the PowerPoint deck right in front of you has these pages: Agenda, Introductions, Roles and Responsibilities, Guiding Principles, Status, Schedule, Item One split into a dozen slides, Item Two split into six slides, Key Milestones, Questions, and Next Steps.
C’mon, fess up. Those headlines are horrid. We can rebuild them. We have the technology.
Here’s how to write the best damn PowerPoint headlines ever.
Make it good enough to print on a t-shirt. The word Introductions isn’t good enough for a t-shirt. Say hello to my little friend is. Not every headline has to be t-shirt worthy, but that’s not a bad goal.
Make it fit on one line. Hey, what you lack in quality, you can’t make up for in volume. Read the really great headline writers. I like the New York Times and USA Today, but CNN and the New York Post write the killer headlines. They’re short. Often two words. But two killer words.
Say what’s on the slide. Obscurity is great for the CIA, but we’re talking about PowerPoint and communication. If a single word will do, then please be my guest. Otherwise, write descriptive headlines. (And if you violate the “fit on one line” rule, it had better rock.)
Forget headlines. If you can’t think of a great headline, then maybe you shouldn’t have one. Steve Jobs doesn’t need headlines.
If your slide is filled with bullet points, even a killer headline won’t help. You see that litle key on your computer that says DEL? Go ahead, push that one. Watch your presentation magically get better.
Now you know. Get out there and rock those PowerPoint headlines.
Lex Fortis
Jun 10th, 2008
Some serious words of wisdom, here. Frank, please spread this Gospel far and wide, especially to lawyers. Most attorneys treat Powerpoint like a teleprompter, jamming the full text of their speeches. The enlightened ones treat it like an outline. Save them both, please. Here’s a headline I’d like to see: PowerPoint Illustrates Presentation.
Laurie Ruettimann
Jun 10th, 2008
Dude, I’m over powerpoint. If you can’t tell me on Twitter, I don’t need to know it.
Frank Roche
Jun 10th, 2008
Lori, I’m writing a post just for you tomrrow.
dolly
Oct 11th, 2008
thats really a lesson that has hit the bulls eye .i m an amateur at presentations and i am looking for help ….this one really gets home ….thanks a lot.
Frank
Oct 12th, 2008
Good deal, Dolly. Glad to hear it helps…and every little bit of paring down PPT does!
Neva
Nov 27th, 2008
Lawyers treat their PowerPoint presentations as teleprompters, you say.
Are you kidding?
Most lawyers treat their PowerPoint presentations as legal agreements jam packed with legalise.
My definition of “legalise” having nothing to do with legal concepts and everything to do with extremely poor English and grammar.