Last added part (07/29/2009): "Wow, I like it!" is not equal to "I buy it!" Although I don't have special art education and don't familiar with special requirements of b-schools, I have 10 year experience in creating different types of presentations for different purposes. I love gmatclub community as well as Chicago Booth and would like to share my hands-on ideas with all who need them. I was thinking of this guide for 2 months and have decided to write it step by step. I hope it will help somebody without essential experience to express his or her ideas more clearly and effectively as well as to avoid typical pitfalls and mistakes in creating slide presentation. All materials presented here are just my point of view. So, take them with a grain of salt. Schools that require slide presentation: Chicago Booth , NYU (one of the options). TABLE OF CONTENTS (preliminary) Introduction Ideas - general structure - "Wow, I like it!" is not equal to "I buy it!" - first slide - last slide - people and cats: 7-things rule - 3-sec rule Visual representation - introduction: like/dislike - Colors - Style - Highlighting - Background - Headers - Text - Supporting elements - Instruments Sample presentation INTRODUCTION Slide presentation (presentation) is one of the elements of an application. It is like a piece of a cake: different but harmonic and consistent part of whole thing. Therefore, the information in presentation represents new ideas and adds new dimensions to existent ones. I've divided my guide by 2 main parts: "ideas" and "visual representation". It does not mean you should finish with ideas at first and then go to visualization. Although generating ideas are a start point of working on presentation, it is rather "back and forth" process. Sometimes, An unexpected stunning visual image can force you to rearrange structure of ideas. So, let's start. IDEAS general structure 4 slides = 4 ideas. I would not recommend to use a few slides for one idea. One idea per slide approach will help you to keep your presentation clear. Some examples: introduction/personal/professional/community; character trait 1/ character trait 2 / character trait 3 / character trait 4 introduction / past / present / future leadership / personal / professional / future - it is structure of my presentation . "Wow, I like it!" is not equal to "I buy it!" Although these two stages seem to be obvious, even professionals often forget that "Wow, I Iike it!" is no equal "I buy it!". Look around, you see a lot of beautiful ads but do you really want to buy what they are offering? Why? It is very important to understand and test your presentation asking these two different questions. It is like fishing where ""Wow, I Iike it!" stands for "bait" and "I buy it!" stands for "hook". Each part is important but do not forget about hook! Let me repeat Rhyme's example: " ...and what they really lack is meaningful content. For instance, I saw one last year where the guy used his name to spell out something like "D.A.N" = "Dedicated, Adventure...". That might be 'clever' and a bit creative, but its pretty low on the scale of actually communicating anything of consequence.... ". Interesting idea that attracts attention but "empty", it doesn't add anything to "buy" question. It is possible to use such idea for your first slide only if later in your presentation you offer a lot of arguments why adcom has to "buy" you. first slide ... It was 3rd hour of boring presentation at scientific conference. A speaker showed black and white slides with a lot of intricate formulas printed with small size of font commenting them with his lulling voice. it was stifling. I lost reasoning of speaker speech after his first words and was fighting with nap. Majority of people did the same and even a few old professors quietly slept with serious faces expressed illusion of attention and intense work of mind. Sometimes they began to snore but their colleagues pushed them avoiding big awkward situation. "Don't sleep, don't sleep!" - I repeated to myself. The speaker finished and next speaker, professor from Japan, appeared on the stage. Suddenly, laud and cheerful voice of the professor filled out the conference hall. Beautiful photo of green rows of wheat and blue sky flooded screen. The professor talked about connection between order in our worlds and world of atoms but I didn't listen to him, I was among juicy stems of wheat and felt as fresh spring wind blows in my face. I saw clean sky and waving fresh ears of wheat. "What's going on?!". In a moment I suddenly realized that I was live, fresh and happy. I absorbed all information about atomic order from the professor's report. I looked around: All seemed to return from beautiful realm of Japanese fields.... This odd story is a real story that illustrates how one unexpected colorful slide and a few connecting sentences can make unbelievable effect. It would be great if you can make such "Wow" effect at first slide and pull reader/viewer out of his or her routine. Example: My first slide - not "wheat and sky" but interesting: slide1.jpg It the slide I illustrate my understanding of leadership through riding motobike and present my motto: "You can reach all goals but there is only one person, who prevents you from achieving them - your reflection in a mirror". last slide Last slide is less important than first one but more important than middle slides. Physiologists say that people remember first and last words. So, that is why first and last slides weigh more. In most cases your last slide is your last idea in your package. Therefore, I would recommend to use something like conclusion: your future, you in school, last achievement, main trait that is crucial for business and so on. people and cats: 7-things rule There is threshold between "separate" and "many". Cats can perceive up to 3 things as separate things. People can perceive up to 7 things as separate ones. This is what my teachers said me. So, I would recommend use not more than 7 (or better not more than 5) subordinate ideas in one slide. For example, your slide describes "Future". You can divide it by 4 parts: school, 2 years after graduation, 5 years, 15 years. But it is worse to use: school, 2 years after graduation, 4 years, 7 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. Last example looks like mess. 3-sec rule Your idea should be expressed clearly and be understood in 2-3 seconds. Our mind forms first assessment of visual information very fast (our predecessors must react fast in jungle to survive). So, if somebody cannot understand what you are going to say with the slide, his or her first assessment will be rather negative.

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Walker's guide to Slide Presentation

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amitshrivastava15

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10 Dec 2009, 11:00

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Cool Job Walker...Nice info... :cool

tomirisk

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A very helpful post, I'm just starting on my presentation.
Kudos to you Walker!

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thanks for this excellent information.

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Walker this is an excellent discussion on slide presentations. It is thoughtful and practical. I plan to use these techniques in my next presentation at work.
Thanks
Skip

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Nice post!
Thanks!!

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Thanks Walker! Great guide, very helpful for those of us in the grinding through the applications. Thanks!

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interesting.. nice

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thanks!

n2739178

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thanks!

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05 Oct 2010, 21:28

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I have a question for you - is that you in the picture?

walker

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yes, it's me.

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wow, where were you [thread] this whole time!?!

thanks for pointers... helping me perfect some of the final touches on my first two slides.

+1

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05 Nov 2010, 14:01

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Wow! amazing stuff. Keep on rocking

Kudos!!!!

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I have been sitting in front of my PowerPoint with absolutely no clue about what to say in those four slides. Now with your guide I'm starting to have ideas bouncing in my head and to understand the kind of information Booth is looking for.

Is the guide achieved or will there be more information added to it?

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great job!!
Thanks..

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didn't realize that booth presentation allowed imagery...i thought i had read somewhere that you had to keep to a certain size...and images/videos weren't allowed. i guess i now know not to trust that source... :shock:

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22 Feb 2012, 09:40

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fxsunny

The slides are printed so video and flash images aren't allowed, but you can def use static pictures. In fact I'd say 80% of applicants use pictures in their Booth PPT.

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23 Dec 2012, 12:05

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Wonderful article walker...

+1 from me...

Wish you merry Xmas and a very Happy 2013 ahead....

Cheers! :thumbup:

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Hello from the GMAT Club MBAbot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

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