Presentations and talks
Outline slides from evidence rather than headings
Start from the evidence you have, not from a list of topic headings. Each slide should state one claim, show the data or example that supports it and carry a sentence you will say aloud. A slide with a title but no proof is a placeholder, so mark it as one.
A text to start with
My talk's central claim is [claim] for [audience]. My evidence includes [data, quotes, results, examples, with sources]. Draft a slide outline where each slide has a claim written as a full sentence, the evidence that supports it, a visual idea, and one or two spoken sentences. If a claim lacks evidence in what I provided, mark it as unsupported instead of filling the gap.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Slide evidence outline
Central claim of the talk: [ ] Slide number: [ ] Claim as a full sentence: [ ] Evidence: [ ] Source of the evidence: [ ] What the evidence does not show: [ ] Visual idea: [ ] What I will say: [ ] Status: [supported / partly supported / unsupported] If unsupported, my decision: [find evidence / soften claim / drop slide] Person who checked titles against evidence: [ ]
Titles that outrun their evidence
Read each slide title as a promise and look at what sits beneath it. A title that says results improved, backed by a single anecdote or a number with no comparison, promises too much. Check that visuals show what the claim says and not something nearby. Make sure every figure, quote and example traces to material you supplied, because assistants sometimes invent plausible support. Slides marked unsupported need new evidence from you or a softer claim. Keep any slide that exists only to make the deck look complete out of the final version.
Ask another agent to check the result
Go slide by slide and flag any title that claims more than its evidence shows. Say what the evidence supports and suggest a more accurate claim. List any figure, quote or example that does not appear in the material I supplied.
Fill the gaps before designing
Go through the unsupported slides and decide, one at a time, whether to find evidence, weaken the claim or drop the slide. Then build the deck from the outline, with one claim per slide. Run through it once speaking only the planned sentences, and note any slide where you reach for a point that is not on it.