Exploring how we can improve nursing education together! Practical active learning ideas and interesting thoughts about nursing education.
[📊] Creating Captivating Presentations Series is here!
Published 11 months ago • 3 min read
Hey there! 👋 Martha here, back in your inbox to start off a new email series!
The goal of this series, “Creating Captivating Presentations,” is to empower you with practical tips for improving your slide decks.
🎊 New Year, New Skills
The skills needed to be an effective communicator in 2025 are different. “Death by PowerPoint" has become a normalized presentation approach, but we need to change this. And it can start with a mindset shift.
We cannot think of our slide decks as documents. We often treat the slides as if they were letters, books, or spreadsheets and then use text, bullet points, and a small amount of clip art to break things up. But, with the rapid influx of AI, information and ideas are becoming rapidly available. We can no longer read off the slides. As educators, we must start thinking of ourselves as storytellers and community builders.
🔦 Guiding Principles
Let’s start with some general rules based on quotes from famous creators.
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When forced to work within a strict framework, the imagination is taxed to its utmost and will produce its richest ideas. Given total freedom, the work is likely to sprawl.
— T.S. Eliot
Setting restrictions on yourself when building or editing a slide deck can create the confines that you need to get work done. This idea is similar to Parkinson’s Law, which states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. And so will your slides. Given immeasurable space and an unlimited number of slides, the presentation will expand beyond what is needed.
The recommended number of slides in a slide deck generally depends on the duration of the presentation and the content, but a typical guideline suggests having one slide for every 2-3 minutes of presentation time. For example, for a 30-minute presentation, you might aim for around 10-15 slides. This “rule” can help maintain focus and avoid overwhelming the audience with excessive information.
As for the amount of text on each slide, the “6x6 rule” is often recommended: no more than 6 six words per line and no more than six lines of text per slide. This promotes clarity and keeps the audience from reading too much while you’re speaking. Try putting these confines on your work and see if the restrictions are helpful.
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Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
— Leonard DaVinci
Like Apple’s design philosophy, which emphasizes clean lines, intuitive functionality, and minimalism, an effective slide deck avoids unnecessary clutter and focuses on the essentials. A well-designed slide deck provides an elegant balance of form and function, ensuring that every element serves a clear purpose. Superfluous details are stripped away, allowing the content to shine through in a way that’s easy for the audience to understand and remember. By embracing simplicity, you create a more powerful and memorable presentation.
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In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.
— Shunryu Suzuki
Try to look at your slides through the lens of a beginner. See if you can forget your years of practice, remove the patients you have seen, and really get into the mindset of a student with little to no context about working as a nurse.
Looking at your slide deck with this fresh perspective may leave you feeling confused and overwhelmed. Also, remember that the beginner’s mind is full of curiosity and wonder, and lean into that when creating and developing your slide decks.
👀 Here's what to expect
Are you ready to elevate your presentations to the next level? The upcoming series will cover the following topics:
Creating Captivating Presentations Outline
The short email newsletter will arrive on Mondays and give you a few practical ideas for the topic. I’ll see you next week for “Using Effective Visuals!”
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