PART VI: Slide Design

A slide can contain the right message and the right visual and still fail if the audience cannot process it quickly. Case competition slides are viewed under difficult conditions. Judges are simultaneously:

• looking at the slide;

• listening to the presenter;

• thinking about your argument;

• taking notes;

• evaluating your recommendation;

• preparing questions.

Your slides should make that job easier, not harder.

Part VI focuses on two principles:

1. Design for the person sitting furthest from the screen.

2. Show only what the audience needs at that moment.

The objective is not to create the most beautiful deck in the competition. Good slide design makes good thinking easier to understand.