If you use PowerPoint to teach the Bible, you don’t want to miss today’s teaching tip. There’s one simple

principle to keep in mind when you create your PowerPoint slide deck: Clarity is King!

Your audience doesn’t have time to pull your data in to closely examine it. In fact, they need to be able to process each slide in about 3 seconds.

When it comes to PowerPoint slides, less is definitely more. It’s counter-intuitive, but it works.

“Data slides are not really about the data. They are about the meaning of the data” (Slide:ology, p.64).

Don’t present complicated slides full of data. You’ll frustrate your audience members. Instead, summarize the data and keep it simple. Communicate the big idea behind the data in each slide.

“Slides aren’t a good medium for showing complex data. When it’s important for your audience to examine the data and come to their own conclusions, you should distribute the data in a handout.” (Slide:ology, p.64).

Don’t forget: the purpose of your slides is not to show all the data possible, but to communicate conclusions and insights. Too much data can confuse your audience. Trust that less is more and keep slides simple.

And by the way, lose those ready-made slides that are pre-loaded on your computer!