Use a logical structure
Here is a simple logical structure to help guide you as you present a slide:
1. Introduce
2. Describe
3. Explain
4. Conclude
1. Introduce
First, let the audience know what they are looking at. Be careful, however, just like in your overview and when you are using signposts, not to waste this opportunity to showcase your excellent communication skills. Use variety in the language you use:
This graph/slide/picture…
The horizontal/vertical axis…
…is/shows/describes/represents/illustrates
2. Describe
The audience can already see your slide, so you don’t need to spend too much time on this stage:
As you can see sales have fluctuated significantly.
3. Explain
This is the part where you can really add value by explaining what the audience cannot see; the background for your images. This often involves explaining the causes of what you have just described. Again, a variety of language is recommended:
Result>Cause Cause>Result
because (of) therefore
due to consequently
as a result (of) leads to
4. Conclude
Finally, before you move onto your next slide, conclude by emphasizing the main point of the slide:
The important thing here is..
What I’d like you to remember is..
The thing I want to point out is…
