PowerPoint 101: best tricks to use the 5/5/5 rule. When creating a PowerPoint presentation, there are many elements that we can use to optimise our slides. There are rules that can help us structure and organisation our presentation better.
Also, if you find creating a PPT presentation for your business in the UK challenging, why not use the rules? In case you didn’t know, they are the best option or the easiest way to create a compelling presentation with accurate information. For example, there is the 5/5/5 rule, which is one of the simplest, and in this post, we will give you the best tips for its use. But first, we must tell you what the 5×5 PowerPoint rule is.
What is the 5/5/5 rule?
As its name suggests, the 5/5/5 PowerPoint rule is based on the following aspects:
- 5 lines of text per slide.
- 5 words on one line.
- Only 5 slides should contain the two rules in a row.
For a better understanding, let’s see in detail what each rule consists of:
5 lines of text per slide
When designing a PowerPoint presentation for your business, you must have one idea per slide. Why? People typically view a slide as a single unit of content. This tells the brain to keep those ideas together by creating bits of information that will then be consolidated in our minds. Going by neuroscience, we all have limits in information processing capacity.
For this reason, by limiting a text to 5 lines and helping your presentation have better results, your audience can internalise the information you plan to share.
5 words on one line
PowerPoint presentations are considered to be two-dimensional. This is because they are made up of a combination of written words, visual narration, and spoken language to provide the information you want to convey. The objective is that all the information is there, but in an attractive way and without losing value.
When you apply this rule, you can ensure that you will include clear writing, and the audience will focus more on you and not on the screen. It is essential to remember that a presentation with much content leads to less retention of information, which is ultimately very counterproductive for your company.
Only 5 slides should contain the two rules in a row
Once you follow the two rules we have already explained for your PPT slides, you will likely have too much content, and your presentation is not effective enough. Therefore, you can revise to vary your content even if you have used the previous rules.
What do we mean by this? You can trim the information on some of the slides to reduce the written content and add more images, charts, and infographics. In some cases, you can also remove some slides if they are not needed.
What are the benefits of the 5/5/5 rule?
The 5×5 PowerPoint rule, in addition to establishing a limit for the words and slides of your presentation, offers you other benefits that we will mention below:
Highlight your message, Best tricks to use the 5/5/5 rule.
As a rule, it ensures that the most important information is highlighted to convey the main message. It also helps make this information the centre of attention so that the audience actively listens and understands the message.
Reduce your workload, Best tricks to use the 5/5/5 rule.
Making a lot of slides is exhausting, and it will take a lot of time, time that you may not have. Now, when you know what the rules are and understand how to reduce your content, you won’t have to make a lot of effort to make a quality presentation adjusted to your company’s needs.
Avoid making your presentation sound like “reading aloud.” Best tricks to use the 5/5/5 rule.
When you add many words to your presentation, chances are you’ll always rely on your slides. You will likely read all the text that appears, while the 5/5/5 rule will keep it short by cutting down as many words as possible. This way, you won’t look like a student reading a presentation in the classroom. Much less, the audience will only see your back while you turn to see everything your slides say.
What are the cons of the 5/5/5 rule?
In addition to the 5/5/5 rule, there are other similar ones, such as 6×6 or 7×7. But they all focus on reducing as much text as possible in presentations. In the case of the 5/5/5 rule, it is very easy to apply to make great slides with exciting content.
In effect, this rule tells us that we should add a maximum of 5 bullet points, which means that we should add 5 ideas on a slide. Many prefer to believe that one idea per slide is better. The reason is that the audience may be reading the other ideas while you are just presenting the first one.
Also, if you follow this rule to the letter, you can end up with 5 text slides in a row, including an image slide and then other text slides, and repeat. This is usually not the most attractive thing for your audience.
In many cases, the 5/5/5 rule can go against what should be a good practice in presentations. For example, include photos, graphics, or other elements. Even have visual communication with your audience.
How about the 5/5/5 rule for PowerPoint presentations?
Can you make good use of the PowerPoint 5×5 rule? Of course, knowing its benefits and cons is essential before applying it. However, some people prefer to make their PPT presentations differently without looking too much at the rules.
If you need a PowerPoint presentation to tell the story or show the products or services of your company, at BluCactus, we can help you. PowerPoint presentations have many benefits, and we can create a design that fits your goals and personalised information. Contact us right now to tell you more about this service that works within any marketing strategy and for any business model.
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