Very few of us are fully versed in all of the nuances that go into a powerful, compelling, and effective presentation. Creating a slide deck that captivates, compels, and enthralls, all while looking professional and slick? That’s a true art that can take years to perfect.

If your presentations have been lacking — or if you don’t know where to start — then you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn about an effective and simple technique used by PowerPoint presentation specialists: the one point slide. And find out how this often-overlooked technique can greatly impact the strength of your PowerPoint presentation in any field or industry.

What Is a One Point Slide?

This one’s easy. The one point slide is quite literally a slide with one point or one clear and singular message. It can be reinforced using digital illustrations, videos and other supporting visuals that reinforce the point, but it makes only one point at a time.

So what are the benefits of this strategy?

There’s Minimal Distraction

For one, there’s less distraction. If a slide is full of screeds of text that bounce between topics and ideas, your audience will inevitably turn their focus to reading ahead. Even attentive audiences may possibly dwell, daydream or ruminate on a point that’s farther down on the slide while you’re still covering a line or topic near the top.

By reserving each slide for one point only, your audience will have all eyes on you (the speaker), which means you can stay on pace and focused on the topic at hand.

It Can Boost Understanding

Focusing your audience’s attention on one point per slide significantly impacts their understanding of the subject matter, no matter what you’re talking about.

As mentioned above, audiences will be truly focused on the speaker instead of distracting text. One focused, explained, and thoroughly explored message is much easier for the audience to retain and understand than slides packed with bullets.

It Empowers the Point

Focusing on select points, instead of muddying the water of a presentation with surplus, unnecessary, and redundant information, will emphasize that one point or topic that’s on your slide.

Using this technique, you can really highlight and cast eyes upon a big win, an impressive statistic, a shocking piece of data, or a slide that draws an emotional response from observers.

One Point Slides Look Professional

A professional and slick PowerPoint presentation inevitably gives a great impression. Even if you have a fantastic sales pitch with a charismatic and captivating host or speaker, your efforts can be quickly undone by using a slide deck that’s busy and hard to follow.

Don’t let your PowerPoint be the weak link in your presentation. By utilizing the one point slide — among other techniques for a strong deck — you’re heading in the right direction and making strides toward a robust, compelling and effective presentation that accurately represents your polished and professional brand.

The Bottom Line

A PowerPoint presentation is more than a bunch of colourful slides. It’s sometimes your one and only opportunity to inspire, educate, or sell an idea or concept to either external clients or for internal colleagues.

Make it count by honing any professional strategies that you can, including harnessing and wielding the power of the one point slide.