Avoiding death by PowerPoint

We have all been there: Meetings with dull, over-detailed PowerPoints. Well, there are metods to avoid such presentations.

In the TEDx Talk "How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint" by David JP Phillips, he outlines five key design principles for creating effective PowerPoint presentations:

1. One Message Per Slide
   – Each slide should communicate only one clear idea to avoid cognitive overload.

2. Working Memory
   – Limit the amount of information on each slide to match the audience's working memory capacity. Avoid clutter to make comprehension easier.

3. Size Matters
   – Emphasize the most important element by making it the largest. Visual hierarchy helps guide the viewer’s attention.

4. Contrast
   – Use strong contrast between text and background to enhance readability. Poor contrast reduces clarity.

5. Objects
   – Keep the number of visual objects (text boxes, images, shapes, etc.) on a slide to a minimum—ideally no more than six—to avoid distraction.

These principles are grounded in cognitive psychology and aim to make presentations more engaging, memorable, and digestible.