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Distress in social situations, causing impaired functioning in daily life. Triggered by perceived or actual scrutiny from others. Physical symptoms may include: blushing, excess sweating, trembling, palpitations, and nausea, stammering, along, rapid speech, panic attacks.. Introversion and shyness (personality characteristics) are not social anxiety (mental distress). Socially anxious people may be shy/introverted, but shy/introverted people do not necessarily have social anxiety

I have a 10 minute presentation tomorrow 😭

I’ve only started preparing for it today because I was super sick these past few days (I didn’t email my professor for an extension because well…social anxiety 😃) and UGH this presentation plays a huge role in my grades and I JUST WANNA DO IT PROPERLY not just get it over with :( and the presentation includes a 3 minute qna session where i have to spontaneously answer questions?? fun!

please pray for me y’all and any last minute tips (especially involving speaking louder) would be super helpful too thank you! 😭

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How Many Slides Do You Need for a 10-Minute Presentation?

How Many Slides Do You Need for a 10-Minute Presentation?

Table of Contents

Are you struggling with the dilemma of how many slides to include in your 10-minute presentation? Whether you’re gearing up for a crucial business meeting or preparing for an important academic lecture, the challenge of balancing the right number of slides without overwhelming your audience is real. 

Many presenters and students face the anxiety of overloading their PowerPoint slides, the clarity of content quantity, and the fear of exceeding the time limit. In this blog, we’ll tackle these concerns head-on and guide you through the exact number of slides to use, perfectly tailored for your 10-minute slot.

How Many Slides Do You Need? Guidelines for Slide Count

A good rule of thumb is one slide per minute , so aim for about 10 slides in a 10-minute presentation. The total number of slides can make or break your presentation’s effectiveness and engagement level. 

Estimated number of slides based on presentation time:

  • 10-minute presentation: 5 to 12 slides
  • 15-minute presentation: 8 to 17 slides
  • 30-minute presentation: 15 to 32 slides

💡 Presentation tip: Keep your slides readable from a distance (minimum 30pt font size)

In the following sections, we’ll look at general guidelines and the factors that might adjust your slide count.

Preparing for a 10-minute slideshow presentation

One Idea Per Slide

To make your 10-minute slideshow effective, align your script with your slides. A practical method is to dedicate one idea to each slide . This helps you to break the topic into concise sections, resulting in an easy-to-digest presentation structure.

In a typical 10-slide setup, you’ll have around 8 slides for your key points, considering that the first and last are usually extra slides reserved for an introduction and conclusion. This approach helps you organize your content clearly and ensures that each slide effectively conveys a single, focused message.

💡 Interesting fact: Attendees typically retain just 3% of the content from a presentation.

Remember, the guideline on the number of slides is not a strict rule. The goal is to ensure you have enough time to convey your message clearly and concisely.

How Many Minutes Per Slide?

10 minute presentations

Generally, aim to spend between 0.5 to 2 minutes on each slide. The 10/20/30 rule by Guy Kawasaki suggests a maximum of 2 minutes per slide, but consider these points and adjust based on these factors:

  • Spend more time on slides with detailed data or complex concepts.
  • Ensure thorough explanation for audience understanding.
  • These usually require less time as they indicate topic changes.
  • Allow extra time for questions and discussions with the audience.
  • These slides might remain on screen while you interact.

💡 Presentation tip: Vary the time spent on each slide, focusing on its importance and complexity.

The purpose of timing yourself is to keep your presentation dynamic. Spending appropriate time on a slide keeps your audience engaged, even if some slides take longer than two minutes.

Talking Speed: How Fast Should I Speak?

Concerned about how fast you should speak during your presentation? The thing is, we all talk (and present) at different speeds in different settings. Your talking speed is connected to the total length of the presentation, the number of slides, and the complexity of the content. Whether it’s an in-person or virtual presentation might also affect your talking speed.

For presentations, use a moderate talking speed of around 100 to 150 wpm (words per minute) so your audience can easily follow and absorb your message.

Man giving a presentation to an audience

These factors also affect your talking speed:

🗣️ Your natural pace: Stay close to your regular speaking rate for comfort and authenticity.

🗣️ Language fluency: If you or your audience are not native speakers, a slower pace can aid understanding.

🗣️ Audience’s background: Adapt to the audience’s level of knowledge in the presentation’s subject matter and their language comprehension.

🗣️ Presentation style: A conversational style might be slower, while a scripted talk could be faster.

Be mindful that speeds over 150 wpm can be challenging for some, particularly for non-native speakers.

💡 Presentation tip: Use visuals and graphics to break the monotony and help convey part of the information.

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How to Time a Powerpoint Presentation?

There are two ways to time your PowerPoint slides: auto-advancing slides or rehearsing within PowerPoint for pre-recorded timings. Note: These features are exclusively available to PowerPoint users (not Google Slides).

Method #1: Use Transitions to Advance Slides Automatically

  • On the ‘Transitions’ tab, look for ‘Timing’ > ‘Advance Slide’.
  • Check the box for ‘Advance Slide After…’.
  • Type in the duration you prefer. For example, you can set your slides to switch to the next one after 30 seconds.
  • The timer starts when the last animation or effects on the current slide finishes.
  • To have more control during your presentation, you can select both ‘On Mouse Click’ and specify a timing on ‘After..’. This allows you to use a mouse click to advance the slide before the timer is up or let the slides advance after the timing ends.

Auto-advance slides (PowerPoint)

Image from Microsoft

💡 Learn more: How To Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides

Method 2: Rehearse and Time Your Slides

Rehearse Timings is a powerful feature alongside Speaker Coach. You’ll rehearse your slides and record how much time you take for each slide. PowerPoint can use the recorded timings to advance your slides automatically during your presentation.

  • Select ‘Slide Show’ > ‘Rehearse Timings’. 
  • You’ll enter presentation mode, a recording toolbar will appear, and the timer will start.
  • As you rehearse, click ‘Next’ to go to the next slide.
  • Click ‘Pause’ to temporarily stop recording the time. Select ‘ Resume recording’ to restart the timer.
  • If you want to reset the timer on a particular slide, click ‘Repeat’ > ‘Resume recording’.
  • Press’ Esc’ on your keyboard to stop recording and exit presentation mode.
  • On the last slide, select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ if you want to keep the recorded timings for the slides.
  • To see the timings for each slide (from the rehearsal), go to ‘View’> ‘Slide Sorter’.
  • With the recorded timings, you can let it auto-advance slides at your next presentation. If you prefer to avoid having your ppt slides advance automatically based on these timings, go to ‘Slide Show’> unselect ‘Use Timings’.

Read more about rehearsing PowerPoint slides from Microsoft here .

  • No design skills required
  • 3 presentations/month free
  • Don’t need to learn a new software

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Presentation Tips to Stay on Time

Presentation tips to stay on time

  • Rehearsing is key for timely presentations. Even if it seems obvious, it’s the most crucial step. If you’re new to your material, practice to gauge the time you need accurately.
  • Prioritize your content. Start with what’s most important. If time runs short, at least you’ve covered the essentials without missing critical points.
  • Say more with less. Decide which 3 takeaways (most essential points) you will structure your presentation around, and state them clearly at the start and end of your presentation. It’s easier for the audience to remember a few key points than 20 (which are not all that important).
  • Set time checkpoints within your presentation. Plan to reach certain slides at specific times to track your pace and make adjustments on the fly.
  • Focus on your main points and simplify. People’s attention spans are limited, and packing too much into a 10-minute presentation can overwhelm your audience. It’s better to cover a few key topics well than to skim over many.
  • Stick to one main idea per slide . This keeps your presentation clear and focused. It also ensures that your slides flow logically. 

Without practicing with your slideshow, you might discover that your points don’t connect smoothly too late, which is especially noticeable in professional settings. Use these tips while rehearsing and clarifying your core message; you are more likely to deliver a polished and timely presentation. 

Struggling to Start Your Presentation? Learn 4 Ways to Start Confidently here !

To deliver a successful 10-minute presentation, balance your slides with clear content. We’ve shared guidelines on deciding the number of slides you need and tips to align your slides with your script.

Aim for about 10 slides for a 10-minute presentation, each with a single idea, and adjust your speaking speed and slide timing to match your content’s complexity. This guideline isn’t a fixed rule, so don’t worry about adding a few extra slides! Remember, effective rehearsal and preparation are crucial for a clear, concise, and impactful presentation.

How long does it take to make a 10-minute presentation?

Preparing a 10-minute presentation can take anywhere between 2 to 20 hours. This variation depends on your familiarity with the topic and subject matter, the depth of content, and your audience (professional, business, or academic). On average, you spend around 30 minutes to 2 hours preparing each slide, which includes creating content and rehearsing.

Use presentation templates or AI presentation makers such as SlidesAI to save time on preparation.

Follow these steps to manage your presentation preparation time efficiently:

  • Research your topic.
  • Create and design your slides.
  • Write a script.
  • Practice your presentation.
  • Revise and finalize your slides.

How many words is a 10-minute speech?

At an average speed of speech, a 10-minute speech is roughly the equivalent of a 1500-word paper, according to this source . It doesn’t mean your script has to be strictly 1500 words long since there are variations in speaking speeds. 

What should I do if I go over time?

If you find your presentation overrunning, tell your audience the new end time immediately and confirm they can stay. If you have lost your audience’s attention, proceed to summarize your key points to end your presentation effectively. A well-executed summary will drive home your main points and is more likely to be remembered by your audience for a long time.

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Sometimes, when you often create presentations, you might find yourself in a situation where you need to prepare your slides on one device but present them on another. This can cause your slides to look different depending on the device. It’s a good idea to learn how to adjust the slide size or aspect ratio in PowerPoint to avoid any issues during your presentation. You’ve put in a lot of effort into your project, from researching to practicing your speech, so it’s frustrating to encounter problems like mismatched slide sizes that could have easily been avoided.

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Ideal Number of Slides for a 5, 10 and 15-Minute PowerPoint Presentation

Ideal Number of Slides for a 5, 10 and 15-Minute PowerPoint Presentation

How many slides for a 10 minutes presentation are needed? At first glance, it seems straightforward to answer the question; but when you face it, you realize that it is not that simple. If you want to be focused, efficient, and pay enough attention to the details, the number of slides is critical. Knowing the exact number of slides, and planning everything to perfectly fit your time slot gives you extra confidence during your presentation.

Here, I’ll show you how many slides you have to prepare for 5, 10, and 15-minute presentations.

Table of contents

  • How many slides for a 5-minute presentation?
  • How many slides for a 10-minute presentation?
  • How many slides for a 15-minute presentation?
  • How to automatically time your slides?

How to prepare to present with a timer?

  • Tips for creating a short presentation

Banner for PowerPoint templates by SlideBazaar

How Many Slides for a 5-Minute Presentation?

The short answer: 5 slides that are 1 minute long would be perfect. You could even add more slides, but you’ll get less time to spend on each slide.

Preparing a 5-min presentation is extremely difficult. It gets more arduous when you have less time to present since you have to select the most important details to cover your topic clearly and thoroughly.

Although 5 minutes is short for a presentation, you can present an efficient report on one topic if you omit fillers. It is enough to consider the limit of time, keep an organized structure, and capsulize the most helpful information for your presentation.

How many slides for a 5-minute presentation are sufficient?  To find the answer to this question, first you need to have a good understanding of the following points:

  • What the topic and its needs are,
  • How the information should be organized.

However, pay attention that the fewer number of slides, the better. We do not mean fewer than five slides, but we cannot recommend using more than six slides as well.

Notice that nobody will listen to your speech if they cannot read your text. So, decrease your text as much as possible. You can choose to include only the basics in your text.

On the other hand, you have less time to talk about the topic, so you should concentrate on the necessary words and make your speech as precise as possible. Remember that doing a lot of practice is recommended because:

  • It helps you to keep the track of your scenario throughout the presentation
  • It would be best if you matched the slides and text with your speech
  • You should end your presentation in just 5 minutes.

If you’re short on time, we can help. You can take advantage of the many well-designed templates available on our website. They are great options to help you organize your slides and text. Check out our collection of PowerPoint templates and use them to create your slides within minutes!

How Many Slides for a 10-Minute Presentation?

The short answer: Anywhere between 10 slides of 1 minute each to 20 slides of 30 seconds each are ideal for a 10-minute presentation. Since you have ample time, be sure to go into more detail. Remember, a boring 10-minute presentation can feel like 30 minutes for your viewer! So be sure to keep your presentations interesting and engaging.

Ten minutes mean more time to cover more details of your topic. If in a 5-min presentation, you are forced to tell your story using a small number of words, a 10-minute presentation gives you more room to plan your slides and speech. So, what should you do with your time? How many slides for a 10-minute presentation are perfect?

To answer the former question, we have to say you have the following choices:

  • Decide to go for a similar number of slides (around ten slides) and dedicate your time to discuss necessary points.
  • Use more slides and determine the time you need to spend on each one.

Our typical answer to the latter question is to create 10-20 slides. It’s up to you to choose the exact number. However, note that each person, on average, speaks 120 to 160 words per minute. So, you have enough time to use 1200 to 1600 words in a 10-minute presentation.

When you determine the time you spend on each slide, you can decide on the exact number of slides for your 10-minutes presentation. However, choose 20 slides if only you can finish each one in 30 seconds. Remember that every word counts, so pick them carefully to support the main idea of your presentation.

While thinking of how many slides you need for a 10-minute presentation, you should also decide on the perfect font size. The correct size for fonts makes your slides perceptible and not troublesome. Moreover, use bullets and numbers to organize your text but overdoing them may not have the effect you are looking for.

We think that it would be better for everyone, even experienced presenters, if they get access to well-designed 10-min presentation templates. Check out our page and benefit from tons of our professional PowerPoint templates.

How Many Slides for a 15-Minute Presentation?

The short answer: Anywhere between 10 slides to up to 30 slides of 30 seconds each are perfect. We recommend an average of 20-25 slides if you have a lot to cover. However, 15 mins can take a toll on your audience, so be sure to make your presentations as engaging as possible.

There is a plausible relationship between how much time you have to present and how many slides you need. Accordingly, the importance of the number of slides decreases when the length of your presentation increases.

You are the person who decides on everything but recall the two options we mentioned earlier: 1. spending your time talking more about critical points, or 2. increasing the number of slides. These are also applicable to your 15-minute presentation.

How many slides for a 15-minute presentation are needed? Our answer is that you can use more, perhaps as many as 30, although you’d better not to go for a number much greater than a 10-min presentation.

If you prefer to stick to the standard, it is 10 to 20 slides on average. You may wonder, this is similar to our answer to the question,  how many slides for a 10-minute presentation . The reason is that it is only a matter of time increased.

Nonetheless, a 15-min presentation gives you greater freedom to step forward and do something more. You cannot, for example, create slides for your supporting facts in a 5- or 10-minute presentation; however, you have enough space to include them in a 15-minute presentation.

Don’t forget that our services come in handy whenever you need help creating presentations! No matter how experienced you are, you can create professional-looking slides using our high-quality templates.

How to automatically time your slides ?

It is not difficult to time your slides; you can set a specific time for each slide so that your presentation keeps the expected pace. As the time limit is critical, you should use the PowerPoint Transitions tab to ensure you complete your presentation in time.

So, if you want to set a time for each slide to run to the one, complete the following steps:

  • Choose the slide for which you are going to specify the timing.
  • Select the  Transitions  tab.
  • Find the  Timing  group.
  • Find the  Advance Slide  and go to the next step.
  • Select the  After  check box, and enter your desired number of minutes or seconds.

Now, you have made the slide move automatically after the given time. You can also use  Apply to All  button to use the same speed time for all the slides.

Note:  If you choose no timing, slides will advance by clicking the mouse.

There is only one way to get prepared for a successful presentation, and that is: Rehearse! It doesn’t matter that it is a 5, 10, or 15-minute presentation; you must do as much rehearsal as needed before presenting.

Practice makes perfect, so rehearse as much as you can. For example, you can practice the following:

  • Take time differences into account when tailoring your speech.
  • Record yourself. Which one do you prefer, video or tape?
  • Watch or listen to your tape or video. This way, you can enhance your speech.
  • Peer feedback is also helpful. Remember that your family members and friends can also give you practical advice.

In this way, you can prepare your presentation as perfectly as possible.

Tips for Creating a Short Presentation

It is not all about, for example,  how many slides for a 10-minute presentation . There are other ways you can use to present much better. Here are some tips:

What does your audience want? The answer to this question creates your presentation focal point – the audience’s needs. It would help if you even decided on the presentation length based on your subject and the occasion.

How appealing is your presentation? Try to improve the appearance of your slides. Stunning designs will be sure to impress your audience and managers. You do not have to do design work; use templates! It helps you give your presentations a unified and appealing look.

Some tips like the following ones may also be helpful for you:

  • Each slide should have a lot of white space. It gives the presentation an organized, convenient layout.
  • A mix of images and text is preferable to display the content.
  • Use readable fonts and try to keep them compatible.
  • It is better to break the messy slides into multiple ones.

Creating a presentation is an art, but it is not difficult for you now. You not only found out how many slides for a 5, 10, and 15-minute presentation are sufficient, but you also know that you should pay attention to other details. However, if you are still out of ideas or need any help, you can use our well-designed templates to create the desired slides for your presentation.

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Home Blog Design Calculating the Slide Count: How Many Slides Do I Need for a Presentation?

Calculating the Slide Count: How Many Slides Do I Need for a Presentation?

Cover for How Many Slides Do I Need for a Presentation guide by SlideModel

Have you ever wondered how many slides you need for a presentation? Perhaps you’ve been in a situation where you felt the slides were too many or too few for the time given. Who sets the standard for the number of slides per minute?

Thankfully for you, we’ve included some calculations based on our expertise in the presentation industry. This article includes an interactive calculator and suggestions for how many minutes per PowerPoint slide, content to list for such situations, etc. 

Table of Contents

Slide Calculator

Rules for choosing your ppt slides, typical presentation length in minutes by topic, how many slides for a 3-minute presentation, how many slides for a 5-minute presentation, how many slides for a 7-minute presentation, how many slides for a 10-minute presentation, how many slides for a 15-minute presentation, how many slides for a 20-minute presentation.

  • How Many Slides for a 25-Minute Presentation?

How Many Slides for a 30-Minute Presentation?

How many slides for a 45-minute presentation, how many slides for a 60-minute presentation, final words.

We crafted this easy-access calculator tool to simplify the experience of choosing how many slides your presentation should contain. Please consider that the total count is entirely subjective; for some presenters, the slide count may feel too restrictive, whereas it can be a relaxed approach for others. As a general guideline, don’t overdo 30% of the total count suggested by this calculator.

How many slides?

One Topic per Slide

We cannot stress enough the importance of not over-populating your PPT slides. Presenters feel the need to compact their presentation into as few slides as possible, which compromises their readability, especially if we talk about a data presentation .

One topic per slide only; if you are required 2-3 slides over your planned limit for easier comprehension, go for it.

Choose Quality Over Quantity

Building a huge slide deck is not the answer. Concise presentations like elevator pitches are identifiable for the maximum impact-driven in a short selection of slides, where data is precise, and where the key points for the presentation are highlighted through correct visual communication , allowing the presenter to focus on the speech.

Importance of data visualization in presentations

Work with presentation templates that customize the layout and contain visual cues to make relevant points stand out.

On Font Sizing and Graphs

The 10/20/30 Rule of Presentations by Guy Kawasaki is a valid approach to presentation design as it specifies a minimum size of 30 pt for titles in presentations. Taking this method, in our experience, secondary text should be between 18-24 pt, depending on the amount of text to add, but no less than that.

Graphs should occupy 1/3 of the slide layout for easier visibility. Remember to work with legible legend text and bold colors. If you have to work with multiple graphs, opt for one or two graphs per slide top (two graphs in case you are comparing variables/scenarios and don’t want to go back and forth with the slides).

The typical length of a presentation can vary depending on the context and purpose of the presentation. Here are some common presentation lengths for different scenarios:

Business Presentations

  • Team Meetings: 10-20 minutes
  • Project Updates: 15-30 minutes
  • Sales Pitches: 20-30 minutes
  • Client Presentations: 30-60 minutes

Academic Presentations

  • Classroom Lectures: 45-90 minutes
  • Conference Talks: 15-30 minutes
  • Thesis Defense: 45-60 minutes

Public Speaking and Events

  • Keynote Speeches: 30-60 minutes
  • Workshops: 60-120 minutes (including interactive elements)
  • TED Talks: 18 minutes

Webinars and Online Presentations

  • Webinars: 45-60 minutes
  • Online Workshops: 60-120 minutes

Elevator Pitches

  • Elevator Pitch: 1-2 minutes

Being a super-concise format, the 3-minute presentation can be done in 2-3 slides. Ideally, one slide showcasing the context of your problem, the second slide offering a solution, and optionally a CTA slide to conclude the presentation – although the call-to-action can be added to the second slide.

Applying our calculator, the ideal number of slides for a 5-minute presentation is between 3 and 4, which you can expand to 5 slides if you have multiple graphs to introduce. Check our article for further information on how to create and deliver a professional-quality 5-minute presentation .

When working with a 7-minute presentation, the typical length is 4-7 slides, ideally 5. You need to include two slides for the core main ideas, with one slide reserved for the summary of key points. If we add the title slide to the mix, that gives us a minimum of four slides.

Ten-minute presentations are the average length for project update presentations or in-team meetings. However, this format is not commonly used for academic presentations, which require a minimum of 15-20 minutes to present a case properly. Consider a length of between 7 and 9 slides for 10-minute presentations.

Example of a product demo presentation slide

Depending on whether you are approaching a product presentation , a sales presentation requires the title slide, an introduction slide with the background or context for the presentation, the main content, and a call-to-action slide. The main content can be arranged in 3-5 slides, giving an overview of the value offering, strategy, and implementation plan ( roadmap , timeline , etc.)

15-minute presentations are ideal for conveying more in-depth topics, like introducing case studies for marketing research or academic presentations. In terms of slide count, consider a minimum of 10 slides, as going below that count implies remaining over 2 minutes per slide and a maximum of 15 slides.

Academic presentations can follow the same approach regarding the number of slides as long as three slides are present: background, methodology, and conclusion. However, 15 minutes is the minimum length acceptable for a conference talk as presenters feel too rushed to disclose the information that backs up their research process. Still, the poster session is a fine example of how to deliver an academic presentation in a concise time allocation.

Presentations that last 20 minutes are the common ground of business meetings, as we allow for questions and answers , to demonstrate live features in a product as in a demo presentation, or to define strategic planning for team meetings. In terms of length, the 20-minute presentation has to cover at least these slides:

  • Title + Introduction
  • Context (2-3 slides): Where you bring all the data to present the problem.
  • Body (5-7 slides): Where you introduce your research, tools, or strategy to tackle the issue.
  • Proposal: One or two slides where you deliver a response based on your presented findings.
  • Conclusion (1-2 slides): Aim to include a powerful call-to-action and the Q&A session introduction.

Slide highlighting a company's team achievements by department

Therefore, it makes a minimum of 12 slides, and you can go all the way up to 20 to complete your presentation. One particular format that stands out in this time block is the TEDx Talks, which typically last 18 minutes. TED Talks have very much in common with video presentations , where audience engagement is key, so the total count of slides is not considered by minutes but rather by how presenters structure their storylines .

The 30-minute presentation format is commonly used in training presentations , as it allows presenters to structure lessons to cover theory and one practical example in multiple lesson formats rather than lengthy webinar sessions. Depending on the platform to use, if handouts are delivered as part of the study material, and if videos are included, we can define the actual count of slides to work with. 

In this type of long-presentation format, it’s best to stick to a maximum of 25 slides and use multimedia elements to boost audience engagement. Otherwise, the format can be dense and tiresome in terms of content retention.

The average length of live events and webinars is 45 minutes, as they can condense a 30-minute presentation format, end with a powerful call-to-action or testimonial, and include a five to ten-minute Q&A session. 

If the presenter opts to do a live course event format, then a minimum of 10 slides must be included aside from the main screen-sharing event. In the case of recorded interviews, structure the slide deck so you can count an equal number of slides before and after the interview. By doing so, the presentation is not perceived as streaming an interview but as a multi-resource event featuring an interview. 

Finally, the 60-minute presentation format is strictly academic or educational. It’s seen in thesis defense sessions, where the candidates must explain their research in detail and often provide live demonstrations. In business settings, the 60-minute presentation format is reserved for workshops, which may include a concise slide deck of 25 slides at the top and, most of the time, covered in live-time exercises or mentoring.

There’s no golden rule for defining the number of slides per minute, as the presentation delivery experience depends on both presentation skills and the niche. With this guide, we intend to provide some general guidelines that can help you consider an estimated count, but once again, it shouldn’t restrict your own creativity. Always consider that in presentation design, less is more. Don’t go overboard with slides to add content, as the same concepts can be explained in your speech.

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How Many PowerPoint Slides Should You Use in a Presentation?

How Many PowerPoint Slides Should You Use in a Presentation

Instead, you want to figure out what you want to say first . Then, after you have designed a great presentation, go back and figure out what visual aids you will need to better make your key points. The main rule of thumb is to provide only the number of slides that you absolutely need and absolutely no more than that.

So in this session, I’m going to cover a few examples for the right number of slides needed in short presentations, the long presentation, the best way to give corporate presentations.

The Max Number of Slides for a 15-Minute Presentation (or Less.)

Number of Slides for a 15-Minute Presentation

Instead, especially for short talks, the first thing you want to do is make a list of the most important items that need to be covered in your presentation. Then, rank these items based on their list of importance. As you go down the list, you should notice that the level of importance for each item drops exponentially as you go down the list. So, instead of covering all of the items, just cover the three (or five) most important items in your presentation.

On your first slide, give an overview of all of the points. Just list them out for the audience so they can see what you will be covering. Then, create a separate slide for each of the three (or five) main points. Finally, on your last slide, just copy the content from your first slide and your introduction now becomes a nice conclusion as well.

By the way, for most business presentations, if you can deliver the important things in a 10-minute speech, you will be loved. If you require a 30-minute presentation time, the audience will like you about three times less.

For more details about how to design presentations or to use our helpful online presentation generator click here.

What If You Have an Hour-Long Talk? How Many Slides Do You Need?

How Many Slides for an Hour-Long Presentation?

Start with an introduction slide with an overview of all five bullet points. On your internal slides, just cover the single main idea for each bullet. You will have five internal slides. Then, end with your summary slide with the main concepts one more time. This repetition of the main concepts will increase the audience’s retention of the material. For the more seasoned presenter, you can use just three main bullet points but add an extra relevant story to each point. The more that you use this technique the easier you will find it to fit your content into the correct presentation length.

For instance, if you find yourself rushing at the end without enough time to finish, you can give fewer details in your stories. If you finish early, you can add more details into your examples and stories.

For a 60-minute presentation, use five bullet points and seven slides . This time insert a couple of different stories as evidence of each bullet point. I like to use the “bad example/good example” technique. On each of the internal slides, give your audience an example of yourself or someone else who did the opposite of the point. Then, follow up with a good example.

The “Bad Example/Good Example” Technique.

If I were to use the technique to prove the point that you need seven slides for an hour presentation, I could use the following…

Bad Example : A few years ago, I went to a three-day seminar where the presenter taught about how to market to universities. On the first morning, his team gave each of us a three-ring binder with hundreds of pages. I was actually pretty excited as I scanned the binder. It was full of a ton of great information. During the first hour, the speaker gave us over 50 great tips and techniques. In the next hour, he covered another 50. He did this over and over for two and a half days. Because I am a public speaking

However, a better example is…

Good Example : A few weeks ago, a long-time client asked me to design a custom workshop for his team. He had a team who were working on a project that had been discontinued. So, he wanted to help the team members have an easier time getting rehired elsewhere in the company. We created a short class for them on how to do well in a job interview. I started by making a list of the most important items they would likely want to know. Art the top of the list was how to reduce nervousness. I spent the first few minutes covering details on how to do this. Second, I gave them a simple process to help them answer questions with credibility. Finally, I gave them a list of questions they would likely be asked. I could have covered hundreds of other tips. However, these were the things that would give them the most bang-for-their-buck.

How Many Slides for a Longer Presentation

How Many Slides for a Longer Presentation

Basically, if you design a 120-minute PowerPoint presentation, start by creating two 60-minute presentations. Then, just insert a short break in between each session. When I created the two-day Fearless Presentations ® class, I didn’t start with two days of content. On the contrary, I started with an outline of the “most important” items just like what I suggested you do in your 15-minute presentation.

Here is the list that I started with:

  • How to Reduce Public Speaking Fear.
  • Designing Short Impromptu Speeches.
  • How to Create a Presentation that Is Easier to Deliver.
  • Adding Energy and Enthusiasm to Boring Topics.
  • Ways to Add Impact and Interactivity to a Presentation.

If I wanted to, I could deliver the entire content of this speech in an hour-long keynote. I’d just need to insert a few examples for each point. That is pretty easy. However, if I want to turn the list into a 2-day seminar, that is pretty easy as well. I’d start with the first point, “How to Reduce Public Speaking Fear.” This becomes the topic of a new one-hour presentation. I use the same technique. “What is the most important thing I can teach the audience about reducing nervousness? What is the second most important thing? And the third thing?”

Basically, the entire two-day class is just a collection of five shorter presentations. In my entire slide deck, I use about 30 different slides in two full days.

The Guy Kawasaki 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

Guy Kawasaki created an interesting PowerPoint rule for entrepreneurs coming to him for venture capital. He calls it his 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule . This general rule is what he requires presenters to use when they come to him for help. Basically, he noticed that presenters spend too much time blathering about unimportant things. So, he gave them a guide and set time limits for each presenter.

  • 10 PowerPoint Slides
  • 20-Minute Presentation
  • 30 Point Font

Obviously, he created these criteria for a certain type of presentation. However, his logic is sound. In fact, the only thing I might argue with him about is the 10 slides rule. Kawasaki says, “Ten is the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting.”

Let me reiterate that. A normal human being cannot comprehend. He doesn’t say retain. The average person can comprehend more information than he or she can retain. For instance, if I read an entire book on accounting, I might comprehend all of the content. However, because the book covers so many concepts, I’m likely to retain only a few. Knowing this, reduce your number of slides and you will increase retention of your important points.

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

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10-minute presentation: how many slides do you need

The organizers have told you: You only have 10 minutes to pitch. You need to make a brilliant presentation. How many slides should there be?  Which is better with many or few slides?  

The Wonderslide team researched presentations for speeches and concluded that the quality of the presentation was not dependent on the number of slides. 

10-minute presentation: how many slides do you need

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  • Communication

How Many Slides to Use for a 5, 10, 15+ Minute Presentation?

Sharon Hurley Hall

Presentations—they're a part of life. One of the first things you may wonder about when you're assigned a presentation is how long it needs to be. You may also wonder how many minutes per slide.

How Many Slides to Use For a 5 10 15 Minute Presentation

Unfortunately, that question doesn't have a simple answer. But in this guide, I'll help you to work out how many slides you need for presentations of different lengths . I'll also include some tips to help you with presentation timing and delivery. 

Jump to content in this section:

How Many Slides for a 5-Minute Presentation?

How many slides for a 10-minute presentation, how many slides for a 15-minute presentation, how many slides for a 20-minute presentation, how many slides for a 30-minute presentation, how many slides for a 45-minute presentation, how many slides for a 1-hour presentation, how many powerpoint slides per minute, how to make your presentations better, learn more about presentation preparation, find a template for your next presentation, the top source for premium presentation templates.

how many slides for a 5 minute presentation

Let's start with the answer to a common question: how many slides for a 5-minute presentation? 

While 5-minute presentations may not be the norm (let's face it, that's a pretty short presentation slot), sometimes that's all the time you've got. Typically, you might do a 5-minute presentation at a weekly stand-up or similar meeting. 

Can a Presentation Be Too Short? 

If your presentation lasts less than ten minutes, then it is considered a short presentation. It isn't bad to have a short presentation as long as you're able to deliver the message you're supposed to correctly.

But if you’re unable to deliver your message, then your presentation is too short.

For short presentations, it's best to limit the number of slides. In fact, you probably won't want more than 10 slides. And you could get away with fewer.

Here are five tips to make an effective short presentation:

Only put essential information in your presentation. This means that any unnecessary information should be left out. This means that your slides should be brief and concise.

Context is important, so just because you are taking out unnecessary information doesn’t mean that you should leave out context. You want everyone to be able to understand what you are talking about.

3. Series of Three

Try using the series of three. This helps people remember your topic better. You do this by breaking your topic into three main ideas. This makes your presentation more concise.

4. Use Stories

People relate to stories more than facts. So, try to use stories to get your main point across in a relatable or entertaining way.

5. Bare Minimum

You should keep your presentation minimal. They should look good but also not have a ton of information on them.

For example, if you’re wondering how many slides are in a 5-minute presentation, The answer is you should have only five slides. That’s about one minute per slide. The general rule is 1-2 minutes per slide.

So, if a 5-minute presentation is short and sweet, how many slides do you need for a 10-minute presentation? There are a couple of answers to this question. 

One option is to keep the number of slides similar (no more than 10) and spend longer discussing key points. 

But another option is to have more slides, ideally no more than 20. Then decide how much time you want to spend on each slide. As before, it's good practice to stick to one main point per slide. 

Get more PowerPoint presentation tips in How to Use PowerPoint (Ultimate Tutorial Guide) .

As you start to increase the length of your presentation, the issue of the number of slides becomes less important. So, when thinking about how many slides for a 15-minute presentation, you can include more slides. You could perhaps use as many as 30. 

But you don't have to. You can also stick with a smaller number of slides and spend more time talking about key points . In other words, adjust the verbal part of your presentation without changing much else. 

If you do decide to go for more slides, you can move beyond the bare-bones approach. That means besides having slides for your main talking points, you can include slides for supporting points, too.

how many slides for a 20 minute presentation

Once your presentation starts getting a bit longer, the question of how many slides you need for a 20-minute presentation gets more complex. Guy Kawasaki believes the ideal presentation has 10 slides, lasts 20 minutes, and has no font smaller than 30 points. That's his 10/20/30 rule.

Here are some tips for a 20-minute presentation:

1. Go Longer

With 20 minutes, you can go longer. Some recommend 20 slides for a 20-minute presentation, with an allocation of a minute of speaking time per slide. 

2. Spend Time on Slides

But it's not always necessary to have a set time per slide . Just spend more time on the slides where you've got more to say. With longer presentations, include a brief introduction and conclusion to make your presentation even more polished. 

3. Use Charts and Graphs

A 5-minute presentation can have a pretty simple design. As presentations get longer, it's important to think about ways to hold your audience's attention. This is a good time to illustrate key points with graphics, photos, charts, and graphs. They'll give your audience images they'll remember long after you end your presentation.

The same principles apply when considering how many slides for a 30-minute presentation. If you used 30 slides for a 15-minute presentation, you'll likely feel more comfortable with more slides for a longer presentation slot. In that case, add more slides for sub-points.

But if you prefer a minimalist approach, that's OK, too.  Stick to the main talking points and spend more time talking about each one. See our public speaking guide for more presentation tips:

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

Once your presentation slot gets longer, you'll probably want to have a LOT more slides. When planning how many PowerPoint slides for a 45-minute presentation, it's unlikely that you're going to stop at 10 or 15 slides.

As always, well-designed slides will help hold your audience's attention.

So, what about the number of slides for a 1-hour presentation? This is a pretty long presentation slot. There's a good chance your audience's attention will wander. Here are some tips for longer presentations:

1. Make a Choice

As advised for presentations 20 minutes and above, you've got the choice to add more slides for supplementary points. Or you can speak much longer about the key points. And you'll need to keep slide design appealing to give your audience something to focus on.

2. Make it Interactive

There's another option, though. Even if you've got a 1-hour presentation slot, you don't have to fill the whole thing with your own voice. Instead, make it interactive by getting the audience involved throughout. You can also leave plenty of time for a Q&A session at the end. 

3. Plan a Break

An hour can be a long time to sit and listen to a person speak. If you're working on a longer presentation, scheduling a break not only gives your audience a chance to stretch and move around. It also gives you a fresh chance to capture their attention when they come back.

powerpoint presentations slides per minute

Another question people often ask is how many PowerPoint presentation slides per minute you should have for a typical presentation. Again, this question doesn't have a simple answer. 

The number of slides you need per minute may depend on your topic. If it's simple, a few slides might do, while a more complex topic might need more slides. 

Another factor is your speaking rate. The average person speaks at 150 words per minute . If you speak faster than that, you'll cover more slides in a minute than someone who speaks more slowly.

Match your slides to your material. Even long presentations can hold attention if the topic is interesting enough. 

A notable example is Mary Meeker's Internet Trends  (Source: TechCrunch ). This runs over 100 slides. It makes good use of graphs and charts. Learn how to do this for your own presentations in our infographics creation guide . 

how many minutes per powerpoint slide

Instead of focusing on how many PowerPoint presentation slides per minute you need, there are other ways to improve your presentation. 

For example,  focus on what your audience needs . Choose the presentation length that's right for your subject and the occasion. Here are a couple of examples:

An executive presentation is usually short and focused. So, you'll get straight to the point and may only need a few slides.

In contrast, a keynote speech or lecture is usually longer. Spend more time painting a picture or telling a story. 

Use templates to give your presentations a harmonious and attractive look without having to do the design work yourself. Human beings are very visual. Attractive slides will subtly enhance the appeal of your presentation. 

how many slides for an hour presentation

When designing your slides, avoid walls of text , which are a real turnoff.  Keep your slides uncluttered. It'll be easier for the audience to focus on them.

Finally, practice your presentation so you know your speaking rate and get the timing right for moving from slide to slide. This will help you deliver an appealing presentation, no matter how long it is.

If you want to learn more about preparing presentations, check out the articles below:

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

I've shared some example presentation templates throughout this guide. You can find even more stunning templates for your next presentation in the following presentation template guides:

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

Make sure your slides pop with an attractive design template. If design isn't your strong point, there's no need to worry. Envato Elements has a great offer you can take advantage of today. Download as many PowerPoint presentation templates for your 5-minute presentation as you want all for one low price.

To find the perfect PowerPoint slide design, select Presentation Templates from the onscreen search box. You'll find thousands of templates. Use the on-site filtering tools to find the perfect one for your next presentation.

Find Presentation Templates

Find the best premium PowerPoint templates

These PowerPoint slide designs are professionally created and well supported to allow you to create virtually any kind of presentation you want.

Plus, Envato Elements now has AI-assisted search . So, you can find the presentation template you need even more quickly.

Download Your Next Presentation Template and Get Started!

We've just discused questions such as how many minutes per slide and how many slides are needed for various timeframes. As we've learned, the number of slides per timeframe can vary per speaker. But it's important to plan your presentation to fit the time allotted.Remember, for a head start on creating the perfect visual identity for your presentation, download unlimited PowerPoint template s from Envato Elements. 

Now it's over to you now to get started on creating the perfect slides for your next presentation.

Editorial Note : This tutorial was originally published in February of 2019. It's been completely reviewed for accuracy and relevancy by Sarah Joy .

Sharon Hurley Hall

May 7, 2024

How many slides do I need for my presentation?

How many slides for a 10 minute presentation and the 3-2-1 rule for presentations

The 3-2-1 rule for presentations

Co-founder, CEO

Preparing for a presentation can be a daunting task for anyone. If you are presenting to an important client, a large audience, or a group of classmates, it can feel like it's impossible to figure out where to start.

However, with some planning and preparation (and help from wonderful blog posts like this one!), you can go into your presentation with confidence and deliver your message effectively. So don't worry, we've got you covered!

Here are some tips to help you determine how many slides you need for your presentation, based on the length of time you have to speak.

How many minutes per slide for a presentation?

A general guideline is to allocate approximately 2 minutes per slide. This means that for a 10-minute presentation, you should aim for around 5 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Try the calculator below or read the 3-2-1 Rule for presentations for a more in-depth guide on how to budget the number of slides for your next presentation.

How many slides for a presentation? (Calculator)

Here is a calculator that can help you budget how many slides you will need for your presentation depending on the time you need to present for. Just type in how long your presentation needs to be in minutes, and it will give you a suggestion for the number of slides.

While this is a simple calculation, the number of slides in your presentation can vary widely depending on the complexity of the content, the type of presentation, and the goal of the presentation.

For example, a slide deck for an 18 minute TED talk might only have a few slides with very little text, while the slide deck for a ~18 minute research presentation might have 30 slides (although many of them could be backup slides in an appendix).

Here are some additional rules for thinking about the number of slides in a presentation: 

  • When using this calculator, enter the amount of "presentation" that you will be actively presenting. Don't worry about time that will be spent in discussion or Q&A
  • If you are presenting data, try to reduce the complexity of the presentation itself and put most of the charts and data in an appendix.
  • If you are creating a presentation as a 'leave-behind' that can stand by itself, you should aim for the higher end of these recommended ranges. If you are creating a presentation that is a visual aid for you to tell a story, you should aim for the lower end of these ranges.

Follow the "3-2-1 Rule" for presentations

Follow the "3-2-1 Rule" for presentations. THREE takeaways for your audience, TWO minutes to present a slide, ONE idea per slide

While every presentation is different, and everyone's presentation style is different, the 3-2-1 rule is a good rule of thumb to plan the overall structure of a presentation. This applies whether you are a management consultant advising Fortune 500 CEOs or if you're a student making a high school presentation.

Here are the three components of the 3-2-1 Rule:

  • THREE takeaways for your audience
  • TWO minutes to present a slide
  • ONE idea per slide

As you create the outline for a new presentation or revise an existing presentation, you should ask yourself:

  • What are the 3 things that I want my audience to remember from my presentation when I am done talking (or they are done reading)?
  • How many slides will I have to make these points? Divide the time of your presentation by 2 to get a general idea for how many slides you will need in your presentation
  • What is the main idea for each slide? A common refrain among professional consultants is that you should be able to understand the story of a slide deck just by reading the slide titles

Regardless of the length of the presentation, you should always start the planning or revision process by thinking about the key points that you want your audience to take away (that's the whole point of a presentation, really!).

Then, if you are making a 10 minute presentation, you probably need 5 slides plus or minus 1 to 2 slides depending on the style of presentation or depth of content. If these are slides to start a conversation, you probably need fewer. If these are slides to present your takeaways from a research project, you may need more (and maybe some backup slides in an appendix, too).

From there, write out the key idea for each slide. One great way to do this is to make the key idea of the slide the slide title itself. Then, you should be able to read all of the slide titles one after another and make sure that they deliver a cohesive story.

If you need a quick way to get started, try using an AI presentation maker to generate the first draft of your presentation.

How many slides do I need for a 5 minute presentation?

If you are making a 5 minute presentation, your goal should be for your audience to only remember one or two key ideas, so you should have 2 or 3 slides max.

  • For work: Try to create 1 slide with your main idea, along with 1 or 2 backup slides that can present supporting data like a data visualization, customer quotes, or an execution plan.
  • For sales: Try to create 1 slide to focus your discussion, along with 1 or 2 backup slides that can help answer customer questions.
  • For school: Try to create 1 slide for each key point in a story or research idea and make sure the key points can tie themselves together in a conclusion.
  • For storytelling: Try to create one slide with a poignant story, quote, or data point to help your audience remember the key message from your presentation. Then, you may also want to have 1 or 2 slides to build up to the idea or present conclusions from that idea.

How many slides do I need for a 10 minute presentation?

In a 10 minute presentation, you should aim for 5 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Here are some suggestions based on the type of presentation:

  • For work: Create 2 or 3 primary slides to present your key points (e.g., a framework slide, a key data visualization, or a plan of action), and 2 to 3 additional slides with supporting data or examples.
  • For sales: Create 3 main slides that highlight the benefits of your product or service (e.g., problem statement, customer story, value proposition), and 2 additional slides for testimonials or data to help support the conversation if your customer wants to dive deeper on a specific topic.
  • For school: Create 2 or 3 main slides for your key arguments or findings, and 2 to 4 additional slides for evidence or further explanation. A book report, for example, could have a slide with a plot summary and another slide with the key themes in the story.
  • For storytelling: Create 3 main slides that build a narrative arc (introduction, rising action, conclusion), and 2 additional slides for impactful quotes or visuals. The key slides for a TED talk might be an image to tell a captivating story, a slide to present a shocking statistic, and end with a story about a hopeful new project to solve a key problem.

How many slides do I need for a 15 minute presentation?

For a 15 minute presentation, aim for 7 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Here are some suggestions based on the type of presentation:

  • For work: Create 3 primary slides to present your key points (e.g., a framework slide, a key data visualization, or a plan of action), and 4 to 5 additional slides with supporting data or examples.
  • For sales: Create 3 main slides that highlight the benefits of your product or service (e.g., problem statement, customer story, value proposition), and 3 to 4 additional slides for testimonials or data to help support the conversation if your customer wants to dive deeper on a specific topic.
  • For school: Create 3 main slides for your key arguments or findings, and 3 to 4 additional slides for evidence or further explanation. A book report, for example, could have a slide with a plot summary, a slide with the key themes in the story, and a final slide with how those themes apply to your life.
  • For storytelling: Create 4 main slides that build a narrative arc (introduction, rising action, climax, conclusion), and 3 to 4 additional slides for impactful quotes or visuals. The key slides for a TED talk might be an image to introduce a captivating story, a slide to present a memorable statistic, a slide to with a story about a hopeful new project, and a slide with the results to-date.

How many slides do I need for a 20 minute presentation?

For a 20 minute presentation, aim for 10 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Here are some suggestions based on the type of presentation:

  • For work: Create 3 primary slides to present your key points (e.g., a framework slide, a key data visualization, or a plan of action), and 6 to 7 additional slides with supporting data or examples.
  • For sales: Create 4 main slides that highlight the benefits of your product or service (e.g., problem statement, customer story, value proposition, evidence), and 5 to 6 additional slides for testimonials or data to help support the conversation if your customer wants to dive deeper on a specific topic.
  • For school: Create 4 main slides for your key arguments or findings, and 5 to 6 additional slides for evidence or further explanation. A book report, for example, could have a slide with a plot summary, a slide about a key moment/decision in the story, a slide with the key themes in the story, and a final slide with how those themes apply to your life.
  • For storytelling: Create 4 main slides that build a narrative arc (introduction, rising action, climax, conclusion), and 4 to 5 additional slides for impactful quotes or visuals. The key slides for a TED talk might be an image to introduce a captivating story, a slide to present a memorable statistic, a slide to with a story about a hopeful new project, and a slide with the results to-date. One thing to note here is that the length of a storytelling slide deck does not need to get much longer for 15, 20, or 30 minute presentations.

How many slides do I need for a 30 minute presentation?

At 30 minutes and above, it becomes increasingly likely that you won't be expected to present for 30 minutes straight, and the "presentation" itself becomes more of a conversation aid that can support a back-and-forth discussion about a topic.

For these types of presentations, you should calculate how much time is going to be used in a "single-sided" presentation and how much time will be used in discussion. If you expect 10 minutes of your 30 minute presentation (or more) to be a discussion, you should refer to the section on "How many slides do I need for a 20 minute presentation?"

If you think you will need to present for a full 30 minutes, here is our recommendation for the number of slides you need, based on the type of presentation.

For a general 30-minute presentation, aim for 15 slides, plus or minus 2 to 3 slides.

How many slides do I need for a 45 minute presentation?

45 minutes is a long time for a one-sided presentation, so it's more likely your presentation will be used to facilitate a back and forth conversation (which may use slides as support to make a strategic decision), or present an in-depth look at research data and conclusion (which may use slides with in-depth data analysis).

For these types of presentations, you should calculate how much time is going to be used in a "single-sided" presentation and how much time will be used in discussion. If you expect half of the time to be a discussion, you should refer to the section on "How many slides do I need for a 20 minute presentation?"

If you think you will need to present for 45 minutes, here is our recommendation for the number of slides you need, based on the type of presentation.

For a general 45-minute presentation, aim for 20 slides, plus or minus 3 to 5 slides.

How many slides do I need for a 60 minute presentation?

60 minutes - one hour - is a very long time for a one-sided presentation. For these types of presentations, you should calculate how much time you expect to give a "single-sided" presentation and how much time will be used in discussion or Q&A. 

If you expect half of the time to be a discussion, you should refer to the section on "How many slides do I need for a 30 minute presentation?"

If you think you will need to present for 60 minutes, here is our recommendation for the number of slides you need, based on the type of presentation.

For a 60-minute presentation, aim for 25 slides, plus or minus 3 to 8 slides.

How should I create slides for my presentation?

Staring at a blank page when you need to create a dozen slides for your presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience. One of the best ways to get a quick start on your next slide deck is to use AI to speed up your workflow.

To get started, install the Plus AI add-on. Enter a prompt or an existing text block (e.g., an article, a blog post, a document), and then ask Plus AI to generate a first draft of your presentation.

From there, you can use Plus AI's editing, rewriting, remixing, and design features to apply the perfect finishing touches on your deck to make it yours!

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Hype Presentations

How many slides should I have in my PowerPoint presentation?

When you’re planning out your next big presentation, it can be hard to know what the slide count sweet spot is. How many slides to put in a presentation, to keep your audience’s attention, is a much bigger question than it may seem.

We’d love to tell you there’s a simple answer, but if you really want to create a persuasive argument, there are a few variables to consider when planning the number of slides in your presentation. And despite what other articles spout, it has nothing to do with time.

We bet you’ve heard a few conflicting theories on this subject, so we thought it was about time we weighed in. You might’ve heard  Guy Kawasaki ’s 10/20/30 rule. This rule states that the “perfect” presentation has ten slides, lasts for 20 minutes, and uses a 30pt font. Or you might’ve read that every minute you speak equates to one slide on display behind you. You might even have uncovered some more formulaic and intricate theories than those, where x = the perfect number of slides. To reach x, you simply divide the number of people in the audience by how many seconds you have to speak, times that by how many steps between your house and the venue, to the power of your height in centimetres. If you’ve already worked your way through a series of varying opinions, you might currently be crying out “just tell me how many damn slides I need!”

Just tell me how many damn slides I need! You

While a lot of these theories are rooted in intelligent thinking and, sometimes, even science, we can’t get on board. They’re just too damn limiting. The people behind the theories were probably trying to over-simplify this complicated question, just to give you an answer. But do you want any answer? Or do you want the right answer?

The right answer is: you’re thinking about presentations wrong.

Do you think Jack Kerouac, Graham Greene, or Dan Brown ever sat down to write with the sole intention of landing on 432 pages? No, they had stories to tell, and it didn’t matter how many pages they took to tell them.

What makes you so different from  Kerouac ?

writing materials

How many slides until there’s purpose?

You’re writing a presentation with a purpose. There’s a change you want to make, and your task is to convey your message persuasively, to inspire everyone that hears it to want the same change. Your purpose is not to fill exactly 20 minutes with exactly ten slides. It takes as many slides as it takes.

No, we’re not just going to leave you with that. We’re not trying to lose friends, clients and beloved readers.

We understand that presentations do often have a time limit, and that limit is one we have to consider when writing. But that limit needs to influence the number of ideas you try to convey, not dictate how many slides go into your presentation to convey these ideas. Because that’s what we’re really talking about here: ideas. For a shorter presentation, you’re going to need to be cut-throat with your editing. To trim the excess, until all that’s left is the most impactful, delicious centre piece. 

That doesn’t mean, if you have the freedom of time, you should use it to reel off every idea you’ve ever had. But you can allow yourself the luxury to layer linked ideas that all point towards one conclusion. To build a nest of ideas. And to support those ideas with facts, figures, previous successes, as well as other people’s ideas.

Only once you’ve written your detailed narrative structure, or your full script , if that’s how you feel most comfortable, should you even start to think about PowerPoint slides.

Give your ideas room to breathe

Each of your ideas deserves its time to shine. A dramatic pause works to let an impactful sentence sink in, giving the audience a moment to consider the gravity of the spoken word. Uncluttered slides have the same effect. If you try to include too many ideas on one slide, none of them are going to be understood, or remembered. 

If you’re just starting out in the world of persuasive communications, a good rule to follow is:  one idea, one slide . This will allow each idea to have its moment, without competing with any of the other ideas. This will also mean, visually, you’ll have more opportunity to enhance your message. With more slide real estate to play with, you can create presentation designs that hammer your ideas home, rather than confuse the situation further.

The journey of an idea:

  • introduce it
  • let it sink in

and signal the introduction of the next idea with a brand-new slide.

This is a great guide, for those lacking confidence, to use as a starting point. It is not a rule.

What counts as an idea?

Now, this is a much more complicated question, and one that will change for every presentation. In our role as guides in this scenario, we want to give you a tangible answer to your query, not simply introduce more questions, and more confusion, into the mix. After all, if your presentation is tomorrow and your search was the result of extreme desperation and maybe a little too much wine, well, you’re probably not reading this anymore because you’ve already poured said wine over your laptop in frustration. But if you are still with us, you’re probably really keen to get an answer right about now.

woman tired at laptop

Frustration and confusion are not our goals. We just respect you too much to lie to you. We trust that you’ve caught on to the general theme that there are many considerations that go into the slide count of any presentation that comes through the Hype Presentations studio doors. Now that we’ve addressed that, we can give you a template to help you along your way.

If you’ve read any of our other  storytelling blogs , you already know that every story – this includes your presentation – needs a beginning, middle and end . Let’s break down a very basic structure, and accompanying slide count, for these three key sections.

This is where you set the scene, pique the audience’s interest, give them a clue as to what’s in it for them, and establish common ground. It might look something like this:

  • Title slide : give your audience something exciting to look at, as they’re waiting for the presentation to begin. One slide.
  • Agenda: lay out the journey they’re about to go on, and why it will be worth their while. One slide.
  • Current situation : describe the landscape as it currently stands, making sure everyone is on the same page before you set off. No man left behind. One slide.

This is where we get into the real juicy bit of storytelling. And it’s also where all hope you had of squeezing a definitive slide count out of us will come tumbling down. 

A persuasive argument needs to acknowledge your audience’s challenges, and propose a solution to each one of them. Your audience might have one challenge, they might have 50, which is where the ambiguity kicks back in. Each challenge needs its own slide, and each solution does too. 

If your audience does have 50 challenges, try to find common themes between them, so you can address them as a cohesive group, all under one idea umbrella. Human beings find patterns comforting, so they’ll appreciate the bundling, as well as the reduced slide count.

Appealing to emotion, by showing you have the answer to your audience’s problems, is just one part of landing a persuasive argument. You also need to apply to logic and establish credibility. Again, this could take one slide, or it could take nine, but here is some general guidance:

  • Case studies: one case study per slide.
  • How it works: if the technology, service, or process you’re proposing is simple, showing your audience how it works may only take one slide. However, if it’s complicated, you’ll need to break it into component parts and tell this story across multiple slides. Remember, it’s about clarity and comprehension. It takes as many slides as it takes for the information to be processed.
  • About you: audiences don’t care that much about how you were formed, or where your CEO worked before he came to be with you. Edit your company information down to what actually matters to them, and what will establish credibility in their eyes. If you’ve won awards that prove your innovations are the best in your field, show them the accolades. If the technology partner you work with is exclusive to you, let them know. The most effective ‘About us’ sections are one or two slides at the most. Avoid the company timeline, at all costs.

To close, you’re going to want to sum your key points up in one slide. Just a gentle reminder of the immense benefits they will receive by working with you.

And finally, your end slide should be, as the name suggests, one slide with a powerful call to action. To find out more about how to leave a lasting impression on every audience you encounter,  take a look at this article .

Even if you’re still pulling your hair out, desperately grasping for a simple number, hopefully these guidelines have given you some food for thought.

And now we’re going to complicate the already-fuzzy rules we’ve put in place. 

At Hype Presentations, we never look at the number of slides.

Give a shit, that’s what we say. Slide count doesn’t mean a damn thing. Sometimes we spread one message across five slides, because that’s how you get the animation to work seamlessly. Complicated navigation often requires duplicating slides, so that you don’t confuse PowerPoint as to where action came from. In contrast, we can present really complicated messaging on just one slide by using animation builds to break up the story, instead of a series of slides. There are so many variables. All we’re trying to say is, stop worrying yourself about slide count. 

However, some things, to do with slide count, you should worry yourself about:

Bad advice  

This is a call back to some of those other articles you likely stumbled across in your search. If you’re basing your presentation on hitting exactly one minute per slide, you’ve already lost your audience and you’re not even stood in front of them.

If you’re basing your presentation on hitting exactly one minute per slide, you’ve already lost your audience and you’re not even stood in front of them.

Are all ideas created equal? No. Does your audience care about everything you have to say in equal measure? No. Even if you’ve taken the “so what?” test, and all your messages have passed and are providing value to them, they’re not going to appreciate you skipping over important parts of the solution because the clock is ticking. 

Take time to explain the ideas with the greatest impact, and appreciate your audience’s intelligence enough to assume they’ll understand what an award means, without you describing it for a minute, just because the rule says so.

Do you need slides at all? 

Pick your jaw up off the floor. Just because we create next-level presentations day in, day out, and we absolutely bloody love PowerPoint, doesn’t mean we’re going to lead you astray. Sometimes, you just don’t need the support that slides bring. 

Slides are not there to remind you, as presenter, what your key talking points are. If you’re one of the – terrifyingly few – people who practice adequately ahead of a big presentation, you won’t need your memory jogged anyway. 

Slides are not there to tell the whole story for you. The slideshow is not the presentation. The words coming out of your mouth are what the audience came to hear. You are the star of your own presentation.

Before you start closing your laptop down in celebration, let’s take a step back and talk about why you (probably) do need slides.

What are slides for, anyway?

When  designed  and animated correctly, slides enhance your spoken message so that it’s easier to understand, easier to remember, and more persuasive. You and your slides are a team. There are some things that a visual can just do better than you can. Take, for example, a chart. You could spend half an hour painting a word picture of a chart you saw once. Or you could whack an impactful piece of data vis up on the screen and move on.

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

So, back to the original question you never even asked:

When might you not need slides?

If you only have five minutes to influence that desired change in the minds, hearts, and actions of your audience, an emotional and well-told story, spoken directly from your heart, without the dilution of technology or the fumbling of a slide clicker, could be the best way to get your message across. No distractions, no gimmicks, just authenticity. 

In this instance, it wouldn’t matter how many slides are in your presentation, they’re never going to be more impactful than your honesty and vulnerability.

In this short amount of time, your audience is unlikely to suffer from information overload and forget any of your messages, so you don’t need the slides for their ability to enhance memory. They’re unlikely to lose the train of your narrative, so you don’t need the slides as visual guidance. And if your story is told right, speaking to their challenges, and wrapped up in a situation that’s personal to them, you won’t need the persuasive powers of PowerPoint either.

But, nine times out of ten, a PowerPoint can only better your spoken messaging. Fact.

Nine times out of ten, a PowerPoint can only better your spoken messaging.

Extra time means extra slides 

And not just because of the extra ideas. If you’ve been asked to speak for a long time, firstly ask yourself if it’s really necessary. Can your audience concentrate for that long? Could the session be split into smaller chunks? Is it even going to be valuable for them? Do you have that many relevant ideas?

If it turns out to be necessary, there are some extra slides you’re going to want to add to your deck. Consider adding regular breaks (one slide per break), recaps (one slide per recap), even quizzes (one slide per question-answer combo) to keep your audience engaged, check understanding, and give them a chance to stretch their legs.

And, with the freedom of time, comes the opportunity to use other people’s voices to enhance your own. Consider adding relevant quotes, audio clips, or videos from recognisable people who support your message. Of course, you could animate these elements onto your slide with a click, but if you’re not that confident using PowerPoint, creating a new slide for each is an easier option.

When we’re deciding what the most impactful way to tell a client’s story is, we bring brilliant minds from each department together to throw ideas around, consider workarounds for each limitation, and push ourselves to deliver the best solution for each client. And not once do we say “But is that the right number of slides?”

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How to produce the best presentation in the shortest time possible: 10-step guide

How to produce the best presentation in the shortest time possible: 10-step guide

Carrie Swift

Have you ever been asked to give a presentation and had no idea where to start?  It’s easy to waste a lot of time and effort when creating a PowerPoint presentation.  Common mistakes include producing far too much content only to cut half of it out later, making your slides too text heavy rather than visual, and losing sight of your key message amongst the waffle!  

Follow our 10-step guide to building a killer presentation in the shortest time possible:

  • Start by getting crystal clear on your presentation purpose

What is the outcome you want from this talk?  What is the best possible reaction or feedback you could get from the audience?  Start with this and write it down on paper.

  • Find out who’s attending

Ask the event organiser for details of the audience.  What are their job titles?  How much do they know about the topic?  Most importantly, what do they want to get out of your talk?

  • Clarify your core message

Now that you’re clear on your presentation’s purpose and audience, what is the key message you want to leave your audience with?  Hint: you should be able to say this in 15 words or less, and it should be clear enough for your audience to be able to repeat at the end of your presentation.

  • Begin creating your content.

The basic outline of your presentation should look like this:

(i) Tell the audience what you’re going to tell them

(ii) Tell them it

(iii) Tell them what you told them

And the expanded version might look like this:

‍ Opening - Could open with a startling question / statement / story to grab attention…

‍ Introduction - Good morning, my name is X and today I’m going to tell you X….

‍ Body - ‍ Point 1 – Support material (Story? Facts?) Point 2 – Support material (Story? Facts?) Point 3 – Support material (Story? Facts?)

‍ Conclusion - To summarise, today I have told you about X….

‍ Call to action - If you’d like to know more, you can contact me at X…

‍ Close - Thank you for listening. I’ll hand you back over to X…

  • Calculate how many slides should be in your presentation

The recommended slide use is to speak for 2 minutes per slide, so if you’re giving a 20 minute presentation, aim for around 10 slides.  Open up PowerPoint and insert the right number of slides before you begin writing so you can see how big the canvas is.

  • Populate your PowerPoint slides, using a font size of no less than 30 pts

When you see how big this looks, it will help you to keep the text on your slides to an absolute minimum!  Use simple language and steer clear of jargon.  You can use the ‘notes’ section underneath the slide for more extensive notes to help you talk around the slide content.

  • Now swap some of the text for visual content to bring your presentation to life

This could be photos, videos, infographics, graphs… anything that presents the information in a visually stimulating way.  Believe it or not, our brains process imagery 60,000 times faster than text!

  • Incorporate stories, metaphors and anecdotes

Did you know we are 22 times more likely to remember a story than a fact?  This is because stories engage the emotional part of our brains.  If you want to make a point no one will forget, link it to a story or a metaphor.  For example, I once saw a conference speaker open their presentation like this:

“The early bird gets the worm or the second mouse gets the cheese.  Which one of these is true when it comes to business?”

  • Add in questions.. or at least rhetorical questions

Some audience interaction is a great way to wake people up, especially at the beginning of your presentation.  You could ask a poignant question that leads you onto your next slide, or ask for a raise of hands, for example “Does anyone here want to guess what % of people in the UK give money to charity?”  “Raise your hands if you’ve spent more than 20 minutes on Facebook today!”

  • Practise, practise, practise

Do a dry run with friends, or video record yourself giving the presentation to familiarise yourself with the content and practise the flow.  The earlier you do this in the process or building your slides, the more time you will save.  Always leave tidying up your slides until the last stage, as the content of your presentation will evolve as you practise it in real time.

The final word?  Make sure your PowerPoint slide show supports your talk, not the other way around.  Be careful not to just read your slides out.  Keep the audience focused on you rather than your PowerPoint by presenting with flair and enthusiasm.

Fancy a practice run-through with us?   You can get some expert feedback through private coaching.

This article was written by Carrie Swift, founder of Fearless.

Carrie Swift

Communication Skills Coach, Founder and CEO at Fearless

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How Many Slides For Presentations (10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 Minutes)

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

You should limit your presentations to one slide per minute at a maximum. Try to include the least amount of slides while trying to get your message across in a concise while still complete manner.

An alternative rule is the “10/20/30 Rule,” which suggests that a good presentation will limit itself to 10 slides, last 20 minutes in length, and include a font size no smaller than 30 points.

PowerPoint presentations can be overwhelming to the point that they put off people from learning new material and discourage them from taking in the presented information.

The purpose of this article is to help people make their presentations more exciting and easier to follow and discover how many slides are generally needed so you can time your presentations accordingly.

Of course, all of the below points are just suggestions and the number of slides that you will use for your own presentation will of course depend on the content as well your target audience.

How many slides for a 10-minute presentation?

How many slides for a 15-minute presentation, how many slides for a 20-minute presentation, how many slides for a 30-minute presentation, how many slides for a 40-minute presentation, how many slides for a 50-minute presentation, how many slides for a 60-minute presentation.

A 10-minute presentation would require no more than 10 slides. It’s much better to start with too few than too many, so users will likely appreciate the shorter list of bullet points. Your goal is to provide the right amount of information for your audience to understand the topic without overwhelming them.

If you are just giving an overview of something that you want the audience to remember in 10 minutes or less, then this is probably enough. Keep your slides simple and keep them limited to two-three bullet points per slide.

A 15-minute presention should have a maximum of 15 slides. This is the right amount of information for audiences to grasp without feeling overwhelmed or bored. If you can give this type of presentation in 10 minutes or less, it’s even better.

During a 15 minute presentation. These slides should be able to cover the basics of your topic, but if you try to make it too complicated, your audience will lose interest, and you will end up wasting their time.

A 20-minute presentation should require no more than 20 slides. On average, you should only be using 5-7 bullet points on each slide. You can also include one or two images on each slide to help facilitate understanding.

If you are giving an overview of something that you want the audience to remember in 20 minutes or less, this might be the perfect time to follow the 10/20/30 rule. This concept should relate to the audience or is a key part of your speech or presentation.

A 30-minute presentation would require no more than 30 slides. You can use 5-7 bullet points per slide or 8-10 bullet points if the presentation is necessary to convey ideas in great detail. If you are including lots of images and charts to help illustrate your point, then reduce the amount of bullet points used.

It’s a good idea to follow this rule because too many slides can make it challenging to keep track of all the points you are trying to make, and your audience will be more likely to lose interest in what you’re saying or miss important ideas as they go by quickly. It’s also easier for people to focus on your presentation when it’s broken up into smaller sections.

On 30 minute presentations, it is a good idea to leave a few minutes for Q&A. This will allow your audience to ask questions about things they didn’t understand or missed in the part of the presentation. It also gives your audience a reason to get involved in the session.

For a 40 minute presentation, you should try to keep it to 40 slides maximum, you can dole out some information in detail and leave a bigger chunk of time for Q&A. People will stay attentive when the material is broken up into smaller segments.

You should keep in mind that different people respond to different mediums and will better understand an idea when it’s presented to them in a way they are accustomed to receiving information (i.e. some people benefit from text and others from images, some people need the material broken up into small pieces while others prefer a long, steady stream of information).

It will also depend on the type of presentation you are doing. If it’s a demonstration or special event, then more slides are better (and less time per slide is good). If you’re there to present statistics, research, comparison charts, etc., fewer slides with more information per slide would be best.

A 50-minute presentation should include no more than 50 slides. You can have more slides than this if you have a very engaging visual presentation with limited amounts of information per slide.

Similar to a 40-minute presentation, a 50-minute presentation can allow you to go into a lot of detail in some places and remain at a high level. You should also feel free to leave out certain information if it is not essential in a particular presentation’s overall scheme of things.

As a general rule of thumb, experienced public speakers or subject matter experts are the ones who feel the most comfortable holding longer presentations and sessions, which allows them to go into greater detail in certain areas.

If you’re new to this kind of work, it might be best to keep your presentations between 30 and 40 minutes and leave the rest of the time slot open for questions from the floor.

A 50-minute presentation would require no more than 20-25 slides, as the only purpose they serve here would be just as a reminder for the speaker to stay on point as he conveys the story to the audience.

A 60-minute presentation should include no more than 60 slides. If you have a very engaging visual presentation with limited amounts of information per slide, you can have more slides than this.

If the presentation is going to be more interactive, then it’s better to cut down on the number of slides and instead focus on how much each slide will contribute to the overall story you’re telling. You must also leave plenty of time for a Q&A session at the end. 

The number of slides for a presentation varies. While too many can bore your audience, not enough will leave them wondering what you’re talking about.

Your slides can serve as visual reminders of your talk and also help you maintain a narrative flow in your presentation. You must know what you want to accomplish with each slide, how long it will take to read the text and absorb information from a chart or graph and how much time you have for Q&A.

Remember that slides can and should be used as visual aids, not as the main point of the presentation. The speaker needs to convey that information, not just read it from their slides.

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Endurance Learning - Training Design Consultants

Table of Contents

The 20-minute presentation checklist.

If you’ve been given only 20 minutes, 10 minutes, or even 5 minutes to make your point, you don’t need to jam everything you ever learned into that precious time.  It won’t make you look smarter. Let’s take a look at what’s possible.  Below are three TED Talks that I find to be amazing examples of short presentations.

How many slides should be in a 20 minute presentation?

There is a lot of advice about slides and it usually starts with a rule about what you should or shouldn’t do. My experience tells me that people often rely too heavily on slides. Don’t think of your slides as your content.

20-minute Presentation Example

Take a look at this example from a compelling presentation by Jane McGonigal titled The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years Of Life .

Did Jane make her point? Just like in her presentation, you should think about your slides as your co-facilitator.

Capture 10 4 2021 Monday 8.09.03 PM 0

In 2018 ATD published my thoughts on this in a booklet called PowerPoint: Your Co-Facilitator . When you design your slides, ask yourself how many times you want your audience looking at the slides and not listening to you? Years ago, my company, Endurance Learning , worked with a manufacturing company and reduced their slide deck from hundreds to 13 for a day and a half training session. This training program continued to be successfully implemented for years with 13 slides. The number isn’t as important as what work the slides do for you.

How many slides should you have in a 10 minute presentation?

Shorter presentations come with new challenges. In a 10 minute presentation, you should be very careful. Conventional wisdom would say that you can have roughly 5 slides at 2 minutes each. Just like when you had to edit your essay down from 3 pages to 1, a shorter presentation will challenge you to only show the slides that matter. Even the slightest change of pace or adjustment to your talking points could have you leaving slides on the proverbial cutting room floor.

10-minute Presentation Example

Take a look at this compelling presentation by Marla Spivak: Why Bees Are Disappearing.

How many slides should you have in a 5 minute presentation?

Now we’re talking! You may have gotten the sense above that the rules aren’t as important as why you’re using the slides. When you get to a 5 minute presentation (and maybe even on the 20 and 10 minute presentations), you should ask yourself why you are using slides.

5-minute Presentation Example

How important are slides in this 5-minute presentation by William Kamkwamba titled How I Harnessed The Wind ?

There are, of course, examples where you can take a short presentation with rapid-fire slides. I talked about Pecha Kucha before and showed how you can make it incredibly fun and engaging. That said, Pecha Kucha is a very specific format that is often used at events where a group of people are presenting in this format. For your 5 minute presentation, think about what you want to achieve and ask yourself if slides will be a critical part of supporting that message.

Designing Slides for Short Presentations

How can you emulate great short presentations the next time you’re asked to make a short presentation – in a staff meeting or in a public symposium?  Try incorporating the following elements:

  • Give Your Presentation a Compelling Title : Who doesn’t want to know more just by reading the title?
  • Find a Hook : Within the first minute, there’s a reason for me to pay attention – whether it’s looking at photos of an empty grocery store or how I can increase my lifespan. There’s something in these presentations for me .
  • Remove Physical Barrier and Crutches : There’s no podium between the speaker and the audience. The speaker just feels more accessible.
  • Focus on Making Attractive Visual Aids : Though PowerPoint is used, there’s not a single template. There are no bullet points. The slides have vivid, dramatic images and few words. Even statistics and scientific evidence is easy to digest. If you want to learn more consider checking out the podcast with Connie Malamed about visual design . In it she says, “When the visual design is poor, when there’s a lot of extraneous information, when things aren’t aligned, when it’s sloppy, it detracts from the learning. It makes it harder for people to visually process the screen or the slide in terms of e-learning and in terms of job aids or manuals, books, it’s the same story.”
  • Encourage Active Listening : The Jane McGonigal presentation especially uses this strategy by giving the audience an assignment at the beginning (“I want you to think about how you’ll spend your extra minutes and hours of life”). She also intersperses questions throughout, inviting the audience to think for a moment before she proceeds. You should also check out the discussion with Melissa Marshall about creating engaging technical presentations . In it, she says that “… the concept of being a tour guide for the slide is even more important than it’s ever been, which is to very methodically walk people through what they should be noticing, what’s important about it.”
  • Provide Concrete, Real-life Examples : We could have been exposed to the numbers of people without power in Malawi or mind-numbing charts on the science behind gaming, but the presenters instead chose to share stories and make an emotional connection. Since we live in the real world (and not in theory or in books), presentations are more gripping when they’re about what we do and how the numbers or the theories actually impact us.
  • Share Your Passion : Each presenter shared their passion through their obvious preparation, their voice intonations and they allowed their personalities to show. They’re not just smart, but they care about both their topic and their audience.
  • Tie It All Together : The speakers didn’t simply end by saying “thank you.” Their thank-you to the audience came in the form of a brief summary, wrap-up and call to action.

The next time you have a chance to present, don’t just do what’s easy. Use some of these tips and deliver a meaningful presentation!

What inspiration have you gotten from TED talks? Have you used this formula to sharpen your 20-minute, 10-minute or 5-minute presentation?

Brian Washburn

Brian Washburn

Brian has over 25 years of experience in Learning & Development including the last 7 as CEO of Endurance Learning.

Brian is always available to chat about learning & development and to talk about whether Endurance Learning can be your training team’s “extra set of hands”.

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Jessica Kriegel on keynote presentations

What can training designers learn from a popular keynote speaker?

What can anyone who designs training learn from the way a keynote speaker designs and refines their presentation? Renowned keynote speaker, Jessica Kriegel, answers that question and more in today’s podcast.

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How Many Slides to Use in a Presentation? 5 Tips

There’s nothing worse than a presentation that goes over time or poorly-designed slides that cram too much information onto the screen at once.

While there are a lot of things that can dictate how many slides to use in a presentation, key factors include how long you have to speak, what content you are presenting, and the visual nature of the content. (Some speakers don’t need slides at all to keep audiences engaged!)

Here, we’re breaking down common presentation times with a guide for how not to overload slides, and use them well—no matter what type of talk you are giving.

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How Many Slides for a 5 Minute Presentation?

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

When it comes to short presentations, you probably want to keep the number of slides to a minimum. Think about the venue here in particular. How many people are you presenting for?

Often short presentations might be for a small group or on a small screen. That’s a major consideration when it comes to how many slides you need for a 5-minute presentation.

For most speakers that comes down to 5 to 10 slides, up to 2 per minute of speaking time .

  • Design for screen size. If you’ll be presenting on a desktop or laptop screen, ensure that text is large enough to read for people standing or sitting a few feet away.
  • Practice your timing. Five minutes might seem like a long time until you start talking.
  • Put one point on each slide. (That’s probably all you’ll have time for.)
  • Include a call to action at the end for the audience. This might include anything from an email address to answer a question or provide feedback to taking a survey or visiting a website.
  • Don’t include a questions slide unless you will actually have time to take questions at the end of a short presentation.

How Many Slides for a 10 Minute Presentation?

With a 10-minute you have a little more flexibility in terms of slide count.

With more time, you can vary pacing and might have time to take questions at the end of the talk. (Your slide count will be less if you cut time from your presentation to answer questions.)

For a 10-minute presentation, you’ll probably end up creating 10 to 20 slides, but don’t feel like you have to move through two slides per minute. It really depends on the complexity of the information you are talking about.

Record your presentation as you run through it. Did you finish on time? And were you able to see each slide long enough to understand it during the natural flow of the presentation before moving on to the next one?

  • Include plenty of white space for an organized, easy to read design.
  • Use a mix of images and text to keep the visual flow moving.
  • Use legible fonts that are consistent from slide to slide.
  • If a slide looks cluttered, break the content into multiple slides.
  • Don’t go crazy with bullets. The goal of each slide is to present an idea, not serve as notes for you.

How Many Slides for a 15 Minute Presentation?

 how many slides for a 15 minute presentation

There’s a fairly logical relationship between the time you have to present information and how complicated the content is. The number of slides you need for a 15-minute presentation might not be that much different than at 10 minutes.

That’s because what’s on each slide might need to sit with the audience a little longer. You need to leave a chart on the screen long enough for the audience to understand it. A photo, on the other hand, can flash up and go away quickly and still be understood.

Carefully consider your presentation topic and then use this recommendation as needed: Allow for 20-30 slides for a 15-minute presentation .

  • Pick a theme for each slide: Image or text? Don’t expect the audience to “read” both on every slide.
  • Use image based slides to connect a short text point (or no text at all) to an idea the audience can see.
  • Use text-based slides without images for more complex information or to show bullet points, charts or numbers.
  • You don’t have to have a new photo and image for each slide. Use the same image and change the text if you need to. Or don’t use an image at all. Nice typography is pretty awesome.
  • Include more detailed information in the notes area for you as you are giving the presentation or to the audience to download and print later.

How Many Slides for a 30 Minute Presentation?

Once you get into the territory of longer presentations, you might want to use slides of varying types – some that are super quick and others that stay visible longer – to get different points across and fit the conversational flow.

This varying approach can be interesting for the audience but might require a little math and planning on your part to determine the exact right number of slides.

Start with this formula for a 30-minute presentation :

  • 4 minutes: Amount of time for opening and closing (1 slide each)
  • 2 minutes: Time for each point in your presentation (1 slide per point)
  • 1 minute: Time for each sub-point in your presentation (1 slide per sub-point)
  • 3 minutes: Deep dive for one or two key takeways (1-2 slides)
  • Flash slide (quick on and off the screen): For transitions between large topic areas or polling the audience to keep them engaged

Now you can look at your content and do a few quick calculations to get a rough idea of how many slides you might need. For a 30-minute presentation with 5 points with two subpoints each and a takeaway, that’s in the neighborhood of 20 slides.

How Many Slides for a 45 Minute Presentation?

 how many slides for a 45 minute presentation

For longer presentations, pace and energy are key. Some presenters can go through an exceptional number of slides because of the way they speak.

Seasoned speakers, often giving a presentation that they’ve done a lot of times, can average 5 slides per minute. These are fast-paced quick hit images that really keep the audience thinking and engaged. It’s a fun style but can be difficult to pull off.

A more moderate estimate is 1 to 2 slides per minute at a varying pace. That’s what you commonly see in corporate presentations and talks. (The content is often complex as well.)

  • Consider location with longer presentations. Will the slides be projected on a large screen? Design for that environment.
  • Include mixed media clips if appropriate in longer presentations. Varying formats can keep the audience interested.
  • Use a design theme for a consistent look and feel for the entire presentation.
  • Don’t let slides sit on the screen for too long. Mix it up with a new photo even if the content theme hasn’t changed much. Once you set an expectation for the audience with visuals, you don’t want them to check out.
  • Make the most of the top half of the slides. If you are in a big room, sometimes the lower portion is obscured for some audience members. Even if you need to use more slides to keep content toward the top, do it.

Frantically Speaking

10-Minute presentations: How to Write, Design & Deliver (Complete Guide)

Hrideep barot.

  • Presentation , Public Speaking

how many slides for a 10 minute presentation reddit

Presentations are an interesting way to introduce a new topic, perspective, or study to your audience. 10-minute presentations serve the same purpose but they come with a specified restriction on time.

When we see the word presentation, we instantly think of PPTs and while PPTs are used in many cases, some presentations are completely oral as well.

The number of speakers is another variable while presenting. It can be done individually like in the case of a job interview presentation or in a group setting like in the case of a college assignment. 

How long should a 10-minute presentation be?

Ideally, for 10-minute presentations, you should focus on adding 5-10 effective, crisp slides. And a speech of about 1000-2000 words should be enough to complete the presentation within 10 minutes.

However, there are no set rules while making a presentation which means that you are free to increase or decrease the number of slides in your presentation depending upon your pace of presenting.

Now when we talk about the pace of presenting, we mean the number of words you can speak in an understandable manner per minute. So, if you can speak 100-120 words per minute (adding the usual pauses), then a 1000–1200-word speech would be enough for your 10-minute presentation.

While we cannot point out an exact word count specifically catered for you in this blog, we can surely suggest you take up any piece of long article and go on reading it out loud while taking necessary pauses and timing it. It might give you an idea of your speed which in turn would help you gauge the perfect word count for your presentation.

Another factor that would define the way you present your topic is whether you are presenting it individually or in a group.

Individual Presentations

A man presenting his topic.

In Individual presentations, you are the one to shoulder your entire presentation’s responsibility. You can make use of effective PowerPoint presentation skills or use props to keep the audience engaged and interested in your presentation.

Further, it becomes extremely important for you to have sufficient knowledge about your topic, as in case of any doubts you are the only one to be questioned by the audience members.

Group Presentations

A group of two college students presenting to a class full of students.

On the other hand, in group presentations, the responsibility to carry out an effective and good presentation falls on all group members. This calls for a lot of coordination which would require a ton of practice.

In groups, you can make use of skits to explain a certain phenomenon. Or maybe the use of coordinated props per speaker can also make your presentations more eye-catchy.

Further, involving your entire group to present rather than just 2 people doing it with beautifully placed content, will easily stand out to the audience.

The placement of your content could be in a para format wherein one person speaks a para followed by another one. Or one person can explain one subtopic followed by another; whatever suits best for your group.

A beautiful example of group presentations is the one by The minimalists .

It is a beautiful presentation because we see that while one person is speaking, the other enacts what is being said, thus making it an interesting presentation involving both speakers.

Tips for your 10-minute presentations

1. avoid information overload.

While it can be very tempting to add all the relevant information in your presentation, limiting it will turn out to be one of the best decisions taken by any presenter.

The reason is very simple, every individual has a very limited attention span and capacity to take in new information . 10-minute presentations exceed the average duration of attention span among humans which is 7 minutes.

If you bombard them with tons of information, chances are that they might feel exhausted and detached from your topic and presentation altogether.

2. Avoid reading from your slides

We know you might have heard this a gazillion times but here we are to say it again because it is very important. Avoid reading from your slides. As it might indicate your lack of understanding of the topic . It can also end up being a little boring for the audience to listen to something present in front of them that they can easily read themselves.

3. Give your audience an incentive to listen to you

It is always better to assume that your audience is not innately motivated to listen to your presentation and hence to give them a reason why listening to your presentation would be worth it.

Are you planning on discussing a new perspective on a widely-spoken topic? Are you trying to introduce new findings? Is your presentation trying to motivate the audience?

Whatever goal you wish to achieve through your presentation, make it known to the audience.

4. Try to offer something new

The very essence of presentations is to offer some new idea, perspective, or study to your audience. This holds especially true when your presentation is on a generic or widely-spoken topic like climate change.

5. Avoid exceeding the time limit

This goes without saying, avoid exceeding your time limit. If you know you have been given 10 minutes, either finish it by the time it hits the limit or better yet, finish it before time.

Everyone would appreciate you for finishing your presentation before time for sure.

6. Make it easy to understand

Another point that goes without saying is to make your content very easy for everyone in the audience to understand.

Try to tweak your presentation in a manner that is convenient for the youngest and the least experienced member to understand easily.  For if your presentation doesn’t reach your audience, it might not fulfill its very purpose.

Structuring 10-minute presentations

Just like we structure any speech, with a beginning, a middle, and an end, structuring your presentation follows a similar pattern.

In the initial few minutes or even seconds of your presentation, the audience might have decided whether they should listen to your presentation or will it be more fruitful to dive deep into their thoughts.

This is the reason why starting 10-minute presentations on a strong foot is emphasized so much. But again, there is no need to stress out about it.

Here are a few tips on how you can start your presentation:

1. Provocative statements

Provocative statements are the ones that try to shake some strongly held views of the audience. Reggie Rivers make use of a provocative statement in his TED talk that might help you understand its use better.

He begins by saying

If you want to achieve your goals, don’t focus on them.

The statement clearly goes against a belief we have grown up with; the idea that we should chase and focus on our goals in order to achieve them.

2. Hypothetical scenario

Starting with a hypothetical scenario includes the use of words like “Imagine” or “what if.” It gives your audience a chance to put themselves in a situation that you are about to address in your presentation.

An example of the same is given below.

Imagine you are going out for a drive with your friends. It is a little late and the roads are wet from the heavy shower that had surrendered only a few minutes ago. You are all singing and laughing. But then you look to your left only to realize two giant lights come close to you at lightning speed and you know at that moment you are going to die. That you are going to die in that crash. Then you hear a screech and *pause* the truck halts 5 cm from your car. That is exactly what someone with anxiety feels but unlike you, it doesn’t end within a few minutes; it persists for hours or even days.

3. Hard-hitting questions

While questions are one of the most widely used ways to open any speech or presentation, the task here is to open with a hard-hitting question.

A question that your audience probably doesn’t have an answer to, which you plan on providing them through your presentation.

Some examples of these would be:

  • Is there anyone here who can give me the exact amount of microplastics they consumed during this week?
  • Did you know that with the advancement in technology, there is a possibility that the organ transplanted to you in 20 years would not be from another human but from an animal?

Starting your presentation with props is the easiest and most creative way to start a presentation. The reason why it is creative is that you can use absolutely anything as a prop. Be it a plastic bottle, a jar full of waste, or even some hula hoops.

Once you have introduced yourself and your topic, you can go on to the next step: the main content of your presentation.

However, it isn’t just about presenting your points but how you present them that we will take a look into.  Presenting your topic in a more structured manner makes it easier for your audience to stay in tune with your presentation.

One of the formatting ways is the 3-pointer format . The idea behind using a 3-pointer structure is to divide your main content into 3 huge chunks or points. And while you are free to add more points, having 3 points makes it a tad bit easier to recall the information and to maintain a flow among the listeners.  

An example of using a three-pointer structure is this 5 slide presentation by Ashley Stahl where she talks about 3 key questions to unlock your authentic careers.

  • What are you good at?
  • What do people tell me I am good at?
  • What is holding you back?

The closing remarks like the opening lines are quite important.

There are several ways in which you can close your presentation. But it takes more than a mere thank you to make it an effective closing remark for your presentation.

A few ways in which you can close 10-minute presentations are:

1. Fitting remark

A fitting remark or in simple terms a summary is where you revise what you just spoke in a couple of lines. It is better to keep it as short as possible as 10-minute presentations don’t give you enough tie to elaborate.

2. Calling for action

You can end your speech by instilling a sense of action and purpose among the audience members to make a difference. An amazing example of this is the speech by Leonardo DiCaprio. While it is a speech, you can observe his way of delivering the last couple of lines and inculcate the same in your presentation.

For more ways in which you can close your presentation check out our video on 5 Powerful Speech Closing Remarks for your next Presentation.

Designing 10-minute presentations

Designing your PowerPoint is as important as presenting your topic confidently and effectively.

A few dos and don’ts of designing your PPTs are:

Keep it short.Don’t add an unnecessary slide to your presentation.
Select a template and add appropriate information.Try not to select a basic and generic template.
Add information in the form of bullets if possible.Avoid using whole sentences in your slides.
Use images and charts.Do not use colors and fonts that are not situation appropriate.

Some amazing websites that will help you in making effective and aesthetically pleasing presentations are canva , Prezi , and more.

Best PowerPoint presentations on TED 

Some of the most innovative PowerPoint presentations we came across on Ted were the ones given by Tim Burton and Adam Grant.

1. Tim Burton

I can not emphasize how absolutely wonderful the Presentation by Tim is. A mix of information with tons of humor coupled with very entertaining visuals.

His confidence makes the presentation quite engaging and interesting to watch.

2. Adam Grant

Adam Grant like Tim Burton has made use of animated cartoons to make the statistical data quite entertaining. However, the way he presents his topic is a little different.

His presentation is filled with images and cartoons . When he states quantitative data, the font size and color are something that must be taken a look into. Further, the language that he includes in his PPT is very candid and informal.

Delivering 10-minute presentations

While you are trying to make your content crisp, 10 minutes may seem way too little; But when it comes to presenting it and speaking, 10 minutes is not that short of a time.

There are a few things that you can do so as to deliver your presentation in its most effective way.

1. Practice your presentation in chunks.

Chunks are the division of your main content into small parts. 5-to-9 chunks are easy to remember.

We are not encouraging you to memorize or rote learn your presentation. However, it is important to remember the flow in which you are supposed to be presenting. And for this dividing, your presentation into chunks to practice can help navigate you through your entire presentation.

This also raises the question that,

How Long Should You Practice for a Presentation?

It is advisable to practice your presentation at least 3 times and a maximum of 10-12 times . But as the old saying goes “Practice makes a man perfect,” you can practice as long as you feel you have perfected your presentation.

If you are looking for a specific time duration for which you should practice then, for a 10-minute presentation, 30 minutes to about An hour and a half should suffice.

For some amazing tips on how you can rehearse your presentations, check out 13 Tips For Rehearsing A Presentation .

2. Add a story or share a personal experience

Stories are a very binding way to let your point across. It adds a personal touch, especially if you are sharing your personal experience. It also gives the audience a chance to understand where you come from and maybe even relate to you.

The TED by Jarret J. Krosoczka is a wonderful presentation where he illustrates his story while talking about it to the audience.

The creative bend makes it a presentation worth remembering, don’t you think?

3. Engage the audience.

While it isn’t mandatory for you to add elements that would ensure that the audience stays engaged, adding it will only help in enhancing your and your audience’s experience (if time permits).

You can add a quiz , or a small game like spot a difference between the two pictures. you can also ask a question and take a poll by asking the audience members who agree to raise their hands.

4. Add humor to your presentations

Humor can be your friend or your enemy while presenting a topic. If you get it right, it can make your presentation an unforgettable one. At the same time, if you end up making jokes that the audience might not find funny or worst even derogatory, It may land you in some trouble.

One of the funniest and most energy-filled presentations I have come across was the one by Alexis Nikole Nelson and her take on Veganism. The way in which she makes use of the prop is another thing you must take a look into.

Add elements of credibility

Elements of credibility include stating facts and figures . You can also quote some renowned personalities . All these things would build the confidence of the audience in your presentation. It also works best to give a reality check. How do you ask?

Simple, when you state figures, you give them a clear picture of the situation.

An example of this is the use of statistics used by Randy Palisoc in his Ted talk “Math isn’t hard, it’s a language.”

26%..Thats is the percentage of US 12 graders who are proficient in math

Find the full video of the same below.

Famous 10-Minute Presentations

1. bill gates.

We might have all heard about Bill Gates and his talks or speeches on Climate Change. But this presentation was a little different.

Here, Bill Gates goes on to explain how teachers have not been receiving sufficient feedback which could’ve led to drastic changes in their teaching patterns.

He explains the wide disparity in feedback given to teachers through charts , thus providing a way to easily compare and evaluate one’s country’s performance to that of others.

His bidding statement ends on a positive note as it is filled with optimism. He says,

I am excited about the opportunity to give all our teachers the support they want and deserve. I hope you are too.

2. Vishaan Chakrabarti

Renowned Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti gives an insight into the need for sustainable housing to provide a roof over the head of additional 3 billion people who are expected to be born by 2100.

The presentation is particularly interesting for the way in which he has used the visuals and animations . The language is kept simple which makes it easy to understand even if you have no degree in architecture.

Topics for 10-minute presentations

Presentation topics for college students.

  • Population explosion
  • The increasing gap between Rich and Poor
  • Virtual money as the next evolution in monetary exchange
  • Diversification and blending of cultures
  • Change in seeking entertainment post-pandemic
  • Data is the new oil
  • Are we prepared for the next pandemic?
  • Electric Vehicles: Future of Transportation
  • E-learning and the shift in the education system
  • Veganism and sustainability
  • Evolution of the fashion industry in the metaverse
  • Legalization of cryptocurrencies
  • Need for immediate action toward climate change
  • Do your degrees define your success in life?
  • Evolution in careers across the years

Presentation Topics for Interviews

  • Overcoming fears can lead to success
  • Diversification in the workplace and its impact on better decision making
  • Right to work is a fundamental right
  • Can a few jobs permanently start working from home?
  • Women as leaders
  • The rise in startup culture
  • The increasing threat of data breach
  • Influencer marketing and its advantages
  • Employee motivation and its relation to monetary rewards
  • Should employees be paid for working overtime
  • Paternal leave and its benefits
  • Building skills is more important than degrees
  • The efficiency of a 4 day work week
  • Benefits of going paperless to the organizations

Funny 10-minute presentation topics

  • 11 ways to order a pizza
  • Why you don’t need success
  • Why be excellent when you can be mediocre?
  • World’s worst Disaster: Crocs Heels
  • Evolution of Dance: from Bellydance to TikTok dance
  • Being an Adult: The Most challenging task
  • Struggles of Being a Planned Child
  • Alcohol fixes relationships
  • How autocorrect ruins your life
  • LOL: Only Socially Acceptable way to Avoid laughing
  • If only I had the life I do on My Instagram
  • 5 easy ways to make it out of the friendzone
  • 3 Totally useless professions
  • 6 ways to do absolutely nothing
  • The Rise of Family Whatsapp Groups

You can also find more speech topics depending on the type of your speech. Check out Demonstrative Speech Topics , Informative Speech Topics , and Persuasive Speech Topics on our website to get some inspiration for your speech.

10-Minute presentation sample

Presentation on Sustainable Fashion

I want you to imagine the amount of water you drink in a day. Now imagine and tell me if you can do the math, how much water would you have consumed in 3 years?

Let me help you.

2720 liters of water.

Now how would you feel if I tell you that this also equal to the amount of water that went into making the t-shirt you quite stunningly adorn right now?

*Imitates mind being blown*

With a 4-fold increase in the production of clothes over the last 20 years, we cannot even imagine the extent to which it has penetrated the pollution index across the world. Every year, fast fashion brands release several micro collections against the ideal 2. So if you ever wondered how the store has a very different collection every time you step into H&M or Zara, you know now. In fact, In the US per person, approximately 35 kgs of textile waste are generated every year.

If this wasn’t enough, the extent of water pollution caused by Fast fashion is beyond imaginable. 22,000 toxic waste is released into rivers by tanneries in Bangladesh,

Every. Single. Day.

So, what is the most immediate action that you can take to switch to more sustainable styling?

I am going to introduce a mantra that has worked wonders for me when I felt overwhelmed about switching to sustainable fashion. The 4 Rs and No it isn’t Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

The 4 Rs for sustainable fashion are

Reduce your consumption of clothes. Has it ever happened that you end up buying a shirt only to realize you don’t a perfect pair of pants to wear with it? Or bought something that you found super cute but never touched once you got home? It’s okay! Don’t feel guilty, I have done that too.

But that can be avoided. A simple method is to ask yourself “Do I need this Now?” and “Will I be able to use it in the long run?” The answer to the second question will immediately direct you away from fast fashion brands that offer cheap quality clothing at a very affordable rate.

If the clothes you own can be repaired in any way, it is better to do that than jump on to buy a new one. There were many times when I repaired or redesigned my outfits. For example. this one time when I slipped in my yard and tore my jeans a little from the knee area. Guess the ground was desperate for me to own another pair of ripped jeans and so I did exactly that. The other time a friend of mine, an amazing artist got some splashes of paint on her pants, Any guess what we did with those pants?

Exactly! Splashed more paint over it. Now I know it may sound bizarre but that was a time when that was in trend.

The third option is to Resell your stuff or give it to someone else.

This is where our popular thrift stores come into the picture. You’ve got a piece of clothing that you are never going to wear? Why let it take up the space in your closet when you can easily make money out of it and get rid of it at the same time. But if you are more altruistic, you can even consider donating your not-so-frequently used clothes to those who need them. And I know for a fact that every brown person sitting here is a pro at both lending and receiving hand-me-downs.

Lastly and the most important of all is, to rethink your consumption of fashion. It is 2022. Some brands have dedicated their entire efforts to providing you with sustainable alternatives. You can choose to buy consciously.

For instance, Adidas’s future craft loop edition shoes are one such example of big brands trying to do their part in this battle of saving our planet from our species. Further, there are brands like Baggit that use vegan leather for all their products.

Then there are completely sustainable brands like Eco India that use the clothes thrown into landfills to make fashion statements that are both iconic as well as sustainable.

While I can talk about this for as long as my voice doesn’t give in, I guess I should cut it short.

Reduce, Repair, Resell and Rethink what you can do to make the change towards a healthier fashion choice. After all the industry thrives upon you and your impulsiveness, try not to give in to it.

So the idea is simple. Maintain your style but not at the cost of the planet.

Final Thoughts

Presentations are an effective mode of presenting your topic with creativity.

10-minute presentations however come with a restriction on time which makes it important to focus on crunching the information you plan to add and thus keeping it short.

The use of visuals can be effective in carrying out successful presentations, be it PPTs or props.

Sharing personal experiences, humor, or any other element that makes your presentation stand out would enhance your presentation and make it easier for the audience to recall the information shared by you.

Lastly, there is no right or wrong way of presenting.

The only way we know is to enjoy your presentation just as much as you would want the audience to enjoy listening to it.

If you feel like you need more personalized guidance on carrying out your presentation in a more effective and confident manner, Check out Frantically Speaking .

We will be more than happy to help you!

Hrideep Barot

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  1. Ten Things You Should Know About Using Videos in Google Slides

  2. How many slides do I need for my 10 minute presentation?

  3. Make Cool Presentation In Just 5 Minutes 🔥😍 #shorts #thesigmaaj #viral #ytshorts

  4. 5 Slides in 10 Minutes

  5. 10/20/30 Rule For PowerPoint Presentation Explained

  6. How many slides for a presentation #shorts

COMMENTS

  1. 10 minutes Power point presentation (only 12 slides)

    Dorianne_Gray_. •. That is more than a slide per minute of presentation time. You may want to cut it down to half of that, around 5-6 slides. I second the idea of not just reading out what is on the slide. We call it PowerPoint karaoke and it's a bit annoying for a listener. The slides are a means to support your speech, not the other way around.

  2. Tips for a 10-Minute Presentation : r/math

    Two tips for a 10-minute presentation: Get across your main point in the first 5 minutes. When the time reaches 10 minutes, stop . I will be having a 10-minute presentation of my master's thesis for my PhD application. Do you have any advice on the contents and way of presenting….

  3. LPT: When you are giving a presentation, always include in ...

    The audience does not always need to have agency in a presentation, slide format varies based on the information you're presenting, 25 slides isn't "too many" unless it is (again - situation dependent). LPT - tailor your presentation to the situation and don't make it painful to watch.

  4. I have a 10 minute presentation tomorrow

    For voice training: at home going over speech, hum before you talk. Feel the vibration in lungs with your palm. That's your full voice and you should use it to be heard in big rooms. If you loose it during presentation, make a false cough - to hum a little and it comes back to you. Like everything in life, making presentations takes practice.

  5. How Many Slides Do You Need for a 10-Minute Presentation?

    A good rule of thumb is one slide per minute, so aim for about 10 slides in a 10-minute presentation. The total number of slides can make or break your presentation's effectiveness and engagement level. Estimated number of slides based on presentation time: 10-minute presentation: 5 to 12 slides. 15-minute presentation: 8 to 17 slides.

  6. Ideal Number of Slides for 5, 10, 15-Minute PowerPoint Presentation

    The short answer: Anywhere between 10 slides of 1 minute each to 20 slides of 30 seconds each are ideal for a 10-minute presentation. Since you have ample time, be sure to go into more detail. Remember, a boring 10-minute presentation can feel like 30 minutes for your viewer! So be sure to keep your presentations interesting and engaging.

  7. How Many Slides Do I Need for a Presentation?

    Ten-minute presentations are the average length for project update presentations or in-team meetings. However, this format is not commonly used for academic presentations, which require a minimum of 15-20 minutes to present a case properly. Consider a length of between 7 and 9 slides for 10-minute presentations.

  8. How Many Slides Should You Use in a Presentation?

    If you finish early, you can add more details into your examples and stories. For a 60-minute presentation, use five bullet points and seven slides. This time insert a couple of different stories as evidence of each bullet point. I like to use the "bad example/good example" technique.

  9. 10-minute presentation: how many slides do you need

    The longer you show one slide, the faster the attention span of the audience decreases. 3-4 slides for 10 minutes is too short. Most often, speakers use 10-12 slides. But there can be more if the slides are not overloaded with information, show examples, and contain 1-2 photos. Also, we noticed that in excellent presentations the authors do not ...

  10. How Many Slides to Use for a 5, 10, 15+ Minute Presentation?

    Guy Kawasaki believes the ideal presentation has 10 slides, lasts 20 minutes, and has no font smaller than 30 points. That's his 10/20/30 rule. Here are some tips for a 20-minute presentation: 1. Go Longer. With 20 minutes, you can go longer.

  11. How Many PowerPoint Slides for a 10 Minute Presentation

    A PowerPoint presentation should never be longer than 10 or more slides, more than 20 minutes long, or use fonts smaller than 30-point size. This rule is an excellent way to keep your P owerPoint presentation on track. Sure, there are times when longer presentations are required and your time frame changes, but ultimately this is a good rule to ...

  12. How many slides do I need for my presentation?

    A general guideline is to allocate approximately 2 minutes per slide. This means that for a 10-minute presentation, you should aim for around 5 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Try the calculator below or read the 3-2-1 Rule for presentations for a more in-depth guide on how to budget the number of slides for your next presentation.

  13. Mastering 10-Minute Presentations: Slides for Maximum Impact ...

    Mastering 10-Minute Presentations: Slides for Maximum Impact - Unlimited Graphic Design Service. Wondering how many slides you need for a 10-minute presentation? Here's everything you need to know and more.

  14. How many slides should I have in my PowerPoint presentation?

    You might've heard Guy Kawasaki 's 10/20/30 rule. This rule states that the "perfect" presentation has ten slides, lasts for 20 minutes, and uses a 30pt font. Or you might've read that every minute you speak equates to one slide on display behind you.

  15. How to produce the best presentation in the shortest time possible: 10

    The recommended slide use is to speak for 2 minutes per slide, so if you're giving a 20 minute presentation, aim for around 10 slides. Open up PowerPoint and insert the right number of slides before you begin writing so you can see how big the canvas is. Populate your PowerPoint slides, using a font size of no less than 30 pts.

  16. How Many Slides For Presentations (10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 Minutes)

    A 15-minute presention should have a maximum of 15 slides. This is the right amount of information for audiences to grasp without feeling overwhelmed or bored. If you can give this type of presentation in 10 minutes or less, it's even better. During a 15 minute presentation. These slides should be able to cover the basics of your topic, but ...

  17. The 20-minute Presentation Checklist

    The 20-minute Presentation Checklist. If you've been given only 20 minutes, 10 minutes, or even 5 minutes to make your point, you don't need to jam everything you ever learned into that precious time. It won't make you look smarter. Let's take a look at what's possible. Below are three TED Talks that I find to be amazing examples of ...

  18. Here's How Many Slides You Need for a 10 Minute Presentation

    For short presentations, it is a good rule of thumb to limit the number of slides you include. Realistically, you shouldn't really need more than ten slides....

  19. How many slides should a 10-minute presentation have?

    The Ideal Number of Slides for a 10-Minute Presentation • Discover the ideal number of slides for a 10-minute presentation in this engaging video. Learn abou...

  20. How Many Slides to Use in a Presentation? 5 Tips

    For most speakers that comes down to 5 to 10 slides, up to 2 per minute of speaking time. Design for screen size. If you'll be presenting on a desktop or laptop screen, ensure that text is large enough to read for people standing or sitting a few feet away. Practice your timing. Five minutes might seem like a long time until you start talking.

  21. How Many Slides for a 10-Minute Presentation? Your Guide to ...

    Any idea how many slides you can have in a 10-minute presentation? Do you struggle with how many to include in your presentation, be it a critical business meeting or an essential academic lecture…

  22. 10-Minute presentations: How to Write, Design & Deliver (Complete Guide)

    A few ways in which you can close 10-minute presentations are: 1. Fitting remark. A fitting remark or in simple terms a summary is where you revise what you just spoke in a couple of lines. It is better to keep it as short as possible as 10-minute presentations don't give you enough tie to elaborate. 2.