A slide should state its claim, not its topic
Ten minutes, three rules from the evidence
This talk makes three points in ten minutes
- What the screen shows
- What the headline says
- When each point appears
Words on screen should not repeat the voice
Written text that repeats the voice adds nothing over text alone (Adesope 2012, measured).
Key terms on screen, the whole sentence in the voice
A sentence headline with its evidence beat the default design
One controlled study of the whole bundle: sentence headline, graphic, fewer words (Garner 2013).
Open each slide with its claim, as a sentence
Points shown as you say them are easier to follow
- Show the first point
- Say it, then show the next
- The room reads what you say
- Recorded studies only, so far
Show each point at the moment you say it
A slide should state its claim, not its topic
Key terms on screen, a claim as headline, each point as you say it
Questions: a slide should state its claim, not its topic
Slides and evidence: github.com/Tewf/reader-ergonomics-presentations
Each rule rests on a review of the evidence
- Screen and voice: a meta-analysis (Adesope 2012)
- Claim headline: one controlled study (Garner 2013)
- Points as you say them: two recorded studies (Liu 2022, Ito 2026)
Whether this holds for an hour-long talk is not known
The studies used short lessons, most of them recorded