Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Foreword -- Introduction -- Slide Rule #1: Revisit Presentation Assumptions -- Chapter 1: Head the Pleas for Better Presentations -- Know the enemy -- Be an agent of change -- Call a meeting instead of summoning a slide deck -- Destroy the decks of drudgery -- Learn communication lessons from past tragedies -- Sidebar: From the Trenches -- Confront conventional poor practices -- Consider slides as a two-part deliverable -- Implement your own continuous improvement -- Chapter References -- Chapter 2: Apply Cognitive Science and Tell a Story -- Change presentation practices using grounded research -- Stay open to change -- Revisit how a slide works -- Design slides for the audience's cognitive load -- Lessen cognitive load with storytelling -- Apply science and storytelling -- Chapter References -- Chapter 3: Understand Audience Needs -- Scope content towards identified purpose -- Sidebar: From the Trenches -- Learn about your audience first -- Determine the presentation's purpose -- Determine the goals for a talk -- Elevate the moment -- Sidebar: From the trenches -- Assess the audience -- Prepare for a familiar audience -- Sidebar: From the Trenches -- Prepare for an unfamiliar audience -- Coping when your talk gets hijacked -- Ditch the “dumb it down” attitude -- Think of audience needs, not yours -- Think about logistics -- Chapter References -- Chapter 4: Challenge Your Organization's Culture of Text-Heavy Slides -- Understand the pattern's origin -- Stop assuming they want to read -- Sidebar: Notes from a Novice -- Work towards fewer bullets, less text -- Avoid using slides as teleprompters -- Build information deliberately -- Move beyond “How many slides should I use?” -- Encourage better presentation practices -- Create, compile, organize, and stabilize team presentations -- Work towards a change -- Chapter References -- Slide Rule #2: Write Sentence Headers -- Chapter 5: Clarify Topics with Full-Sentence Headers -- Write full sentences for headers, avoiding fragments.

Consider the case against fragmented headers -- Deploy best practices for sentence headers -- Expect immediate results -- Write targeted headers -- Influence outcomes with headers -- Frequently asked questions about sentence headers -- Chapter References -- Slide Rule #3: Use Targeted Visuals -- Chapter 6: Build Information Incrementally -- Build something better than bullets -- Devise methods that build information -- Design with words to make bullet lovers happy -- Solidify complex topics with refrains -- Use refrain slides for meeting agendas -- Build visuals for directed comprehension -- Build out to drill down -- Chapter 7: Generate Quality Graphs -- Portray complexity simply -- Determine the right visual -- Sidebar: The value of visualization -- Design reasonable pie charts -- Design impactful bar charts and histograms -- Sidebar: Transformation-Creating quality bar charts -- Design scatter XY charts and scatter plots -- Sidebar: Transformation-A chart grows up -- Craft line charts -- Map out area graphs -- Think through flow or process charts -- Address assorted other visual outputs -- Graph ethically -- Create accessible graphs -- Sidebar: Testing graphics for color-blindness accessibility -- Frequently asked questions about graphs -- Chapter References -- Chapter 8: Picture the Possibilities -- Picture your information -- Center yourself -- Manage image interpretation -- Model accurately -- Be ethical with visuals -- Frequently asked questions about using pictures -- Chapter References -- Chapter 9: Temper the Templates -- See the possibilities in a template, branded or otherwise -- Discover and assess a branded template -- Work with company templates -- Devise solutions for problematic templates -- Fix the template -- Provide template guidance -- Refine quad slides -- Establish brand when there is no template -- Chapter References -- Slide Rule #4: Archive Details for Future Use -- Chapter 10: Make Slide Decks with Archival and Legacy Value -- Understand that slides have two lives.

Start new best practices -- Document ideas efficiently -- Use the Notes or Presenter Notes feature -- Get others to see your notes -- Sidebar: Caution-The Inside doc/Outside doc -- Use hidden slides -- Keep hidden slides ready -- Make retrieval easy for everyone else -- Embrace full documentation as a part of workflow -- Chapter References -- Chapter 11: Include More Than One Language -- Know when English is not enough -- Start with audience analysis -- Anticipate formatting for translations -- Deploy plain language -- Write in one language and talk in another -- Design split slides -- Capture translation in notes -- Translate towards clarity -- Find resources -- Chapter References -- Slide Rule #5: Keep Looking Forward -- Chapter 12: Enact Organizational Change -- Listen to the studies -- Anticipate the stages of acceptance -- Tally the results -- Look for the opportunities -- Chapter References -- Chapter 13: Thinking Through the Next Big Thing -- See ahead -- Play with Prezi -- Use caution -- Amaze with Autodesk -- Apply apps -- Remain diligent in your best practices.