Types of presentation
A defence deck is the strictest kind: it mirrors the structure of the work — relevance, aim, method, results, conclusions. The panel expects exactly that order.
A lesson deck is built differently: more questions, examples and visuals, less text. The goal is to explain, not to report.
A conference deck is short: 7–10 slides, focused on the result and why it matters.
In a pitch or business deck, figures and benefits lead; the academic apparatus moves to the background.
How the design is chosen
The palette follows the topic: greens and blues for medicine and ecology, a dark ground with bright accents for finance and statistics, soft warm tones for pedagogy.
For a formal defence, avoid decoration — the panel looks at substance. For a lesson, a brighter design holds attention.
No more than two typefaces in one deck: one for headings, one for body text. The finished file already follows this.
When to turn figures into a chart
More than three numbers — use a chart. Nobody reads a run of figures inside a sentence; a bar chart lands at a glance.
Change over time — line chart. Shares of a whole — pie (but no more than five slices). Comparison — bars.
For processes and stages you need a diagram, not a chart. The system draws both depending on the topic.
Tying the deck to your talk
Don't read the slide aloud — the room can read. The slide is the anchor; you are what opens it up.
Speaker notes are written for every slide, telling you what to say. Only you see them.
Transitions matter: "now let's turn to the results" holds the talk together. A silence between slides reads as lack of preparation.