Sometimes, you have a slide that’s just too busy. Sometimes, they’re just too wordy, and you lose your presentation in all of it. Don’t worry; you’re not alone! The good news is that there’s an easy trick to fix this problem: the 6×6 Rule.
However, some hacks many experts and public speakers accept in order to make their slides meaningful and understandable are allowed. We’re going to talk about what the 6×6 Rule is, why it’s important, and most importantly, how you can apply it in order to make your PowerPoint presentations even better.
Finally, What is The 6×6 Rule in PowerPoint Presentations?
6×6 Rule: Use no more than six lines of text on any slide, and no more than six words on any line. That’s it! That way, you won’t overwhelm your slides.
Imagine for just a moment that you are in the audience of a speaker who is trying to listen to a speaker while reading some text presented on a slide. That is really painful, right? The 6×6 Rule assures your audience has time to read, understand, and stay with your key messages as they occur within six seconds.
Why Use the 6×6 Rule?
- You Will Be Clear and Confidence: Condensing the text forces you to make the point. In this manner, your message is clear and easy to understand.
- Holds the Audience’s Attention: If slides are messy, then people read instead of listen. The 6×6 Rule keeps your audience focused on you rather than having to read through paragraphs galore.
- Keeps Them Better: This is for one simple reason. Simple and concise information is much easier to remember. Studies have proven that people remember more when the information is given in smaller, more digestible chunks.
- Looks More Professional: Let’s face it—cluttered slides are a thing of no professionalism. Following this rule will give your presentation a cleaner, polished look, which will leave a better impression on your audience.
How to Apply the 6×6 Rule to Your PowerPoint Slides?
Here is how you could apply the 6×6 Rule to your PowerPoint slides.
- Summarize Information: Do not write long sentences; write these in short, punchy points. Instead of saying “We have witnessed a massive growth in sales due to marketing strategies employed for the last quarter,” say “Sales up 20% – better marketing.”.
- Bullets: Bullets inherently constrain what you write so it can be a very natural way of going about the 6×6 Rule. Every bullet should be a punchy short sentence or phrase.
- Keywords: Put the message in a few keywords. For example, instead of using phrases such as “The survey reveals that there is a drastic change in customer satisfaction,” say “Survey: Customer satisfaction +30%”.
- Use Visuals: Images, graphs, or charts can substitute chunks of text. A picture can say a thousand words, so use visuals to make your slide more attractive without overwhelming the audience with words.
When to Bend the Rules?
The 6×6 Rule is a very good rule of thumb, but it certainly isn’t inviolable. Depending on your content and audience, you may have to adjust it somewhat. For example, slides on a technical topic might need a little more explanation, yet at all costs, be brief, yet make sure that all your slides are within the limit to have full effect. And if indeed you have so many words to say for a slide, split it into several slides instead of compressing everything into one.
Save Time with Pre-designed PowerPoint Templates
Perfect design presentations can be made quicker and clearer altogether with the help of pre-made professional PowerPoint templates. Pre-set, ready-to-use, editable designs adhere to best practices in the designing aspect, like spacings, and the text set up so you need not begin from scratch.
Conclusion
The 6×6 rule is a pretty simple but very effective method by which you can make your PowerPoint slides clearer and more effective. If you do not make your text to be more than six lines and six words per line, then it keeps the focus of your audience and provides information for the viewers in their minds for longer durations, and also adds some level of professionalism to your slides.
When preparing your next PowerPoint, remember the 6×6 Rule—and deliver a clearer, more engaging message that really leaves an impression.
