The 30-Point PowerPoint Checklist: How to Create Sharp, Professional Slides
From a former McKinsey Associate Partner
In corporate environments — especially at the senior level — slides are currency. They don’t just present information; they reflect your thinking, your standards, and your credibility. Yet many professionals never receive proper training in how to build a strong deck.
This article gives you the checklist I used as a management consultant and private equity investment professional, and sharpened in a variety of corporate settings. It’s not about “design” in the artistic sense — it’s about communicating clearly, logically, and persuasively.
Whether you’re a beginner or just looking to upgrade your slides, these 30 principles will raise your floor — and your ceiling.
Section 1: Structure & Logic
1. One message per slide
A slide should have a single core idea — one point you're trying to land. If you try to make two or more points on the same slide, you dilute your message and confuse your audience. Clarity beats density.
2. Use action-oriented slide titles
Titles are not labels; they are headlines. “Revenue” is a label. “Revenue grew 12% YoY, led by Asia” is a headline — it tells the story. Your audience should understand the core message just by skimming titles.
3. Communicate top-down (start with the answer)
Executives don’t want a build-up — they want the bottom line first. Begin each slide (and the presentation overall) with the answer, then walk through the logic that supports it.
4. Ensure your slides form a storyline
Think of your deck as a movie. Each slide is a scene, and the scenes should follow a coherent arc. Does the presentation make sense from beginning to end? Does each slide set up the next?
5. Use MECE logic (Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)
When presenting lists or frameworks, avoid overlap (mutually exclusive) and make sure you haven’t left anything out (collectively exhaustive). This helps your logic be both clean and complete.
6. Ask “so what?” on every slide
Every slide must earn its place. Ask yourself: What does this mean? Why should anyone care? What’s the implication or recommendation? If you can’t answer that, rethink the slide.
Section 2: Visual Discipline & Layout
7. Use standardised templates
Don't improvise your layout. Use a small set of pre-approved templates. This ensures alignment, consistent font usage, and faster slide production. Consistency creates trust, reduces friction, and signals professionalism.
8. Stick to a disciplined font system
Use one font family (e.g., Arial, Calibri, or your company’s house font). Set fixed sizes: e.g., 26-28pt for titles, 16-20pt for body, 8-10pt for footnotes. Avoid resizing text randomly — it looks sloppy and amateur.
9. Use standardised shapes and formatting
When adding boxes, arrows, and labels, use the same color, line thickness, and corner radius throughout. Freestyling creates visual noise and makes it harder for your audience to read the slide.
10. Use white space intentionally
White space isn’t “wasted space” — it helps structure the slide, guide the readers’ eye and avoids overwhelming them with clutter. Group related elements together with white space between them. If everything is crammed together, nothing stands out.
11. Limit bullet points
While bullets can be helpful, they’re overused and often come across as lazy thinking. They also flatten structure and make your thinking look linear, even when it's not. If you use bullets, keep them short, parallel, and grouped logically. Better yet, use a diagram or framework.
12. Use colour with restraint
Too many colours = visual chaos. Stick to two or three consistent colours (often from your brand palette). Use bold colour to highlight what's important — not just to make slides “pop.”
13. Avoid shadows, gradients, and clipart
These belong in 2005. Modern slides should be flat, clean, and minimal. Let your content, not your effects, do the talking.
14. Balance visual weight
A slide should feel balanced. If one side is heavy with visuals or text, rebalance to avoid a lopsided feel. Think of visual “gravity” and distribute elements to achieve a balanced feel.
15. Align elements perfectly
Use PowerPoint’s alignment tools religiously. Alignment creates order. Misaligned text boxes and shapes are one of the most common (and easiest to avoid) signs of sloppy execution.
16. Use icons only when they add meaning
Icons can help reinforce ideas (e.g., a dollar sign for cost). But don’t add them for decoration. Every icon should clarify or emphasize something — otherwise, leave it out.
17. Standardise all spacing and placement
Title bar at the same height. Footer in the same spot. Margins consistent. These small details create a sense of professionalism — and their absence undermines it. Remember that consistency builds trust.
Section 3: Charts & Data Visualisation
18. Choose the right chart for your data
Use charts intentionally:
Bar for comparing quantities
Line for trends over time
Waterfall for showing build-up or breakdown
Pie (rarely) for simple part-to-whole relationships
Choosing the wrong chart type can confuse your message.
19. Use clear, descriptive chart titles
Chart titles should state what’s shown, over what period, and in what units (e.g., “Monthly Revenue by Region, Jan–May 2025, $m”). Aim to orient the reader, not to tell the story.
20. Highlight the key data visually
Use a bold color, callout box, or annotation to draw the reader’s eye to the insight. Don’t force your audience to study the whole chart to find the punchline.
21. Only break chart axes when necessary
Breaking the y-axis can distort perception — it should only be used when absolutely necessary and must be clearly indicated. Otherwise, you're misleading your audience.
22. Include a legend if more than one data series
Don’t assume the reader will figure out which line is which. Use a legend or — better yet — label lines directly on the chart where possible.
23. Avoid “German slides” (too much data)
German slides are dense, data-heavy, and often unreadable. If your slide needs a magnifying glass to read it, you’ve gone too far. Simplify or break into multiple slides.
24. Cite your sources in footnotes
Always include the source (and date) of your data. It builds credibility and protects you. It also answers the inevitable question: “Where did these numbers come from?”
25. Use footnotes for clarifications and assumptions
Footnotes are where you handle nuance: definitions, caveats, or special cases. Don’t clutter your main content — move complexity to the footnote if it’s not central to the story.
Section 4: Polish & Professionalism
26. Keep the deck short and focused
More slides ≠ more insight. In fact, long decks dilute your message. Ruthlessly trim fluff. The best decks are short, sharp, and high signal.
27. Use bold and italics sparingly
Bold is for emphasis. Italics are for nuance. Use them carefully. Over-formatting creates visual clutter and weakens the impact of the emphasis.
28. Avoid jargon unless absolutely necessary
If the audience doesn’t expect specialist language, don’t use it. Clarity wins. Translate technical complexity into business terms.
29. Test readability at 70% zoom
Zoom out to 70%. If you can’t read the slide, neither can your audience in a meeting or on a projector. Resize text or simplify the layout accordingly.
30. Do a final pass with “client eyes”
Before sending, read the deck as if you’ve never seen it. Is the story clear? Do the titles make sense? Are there typos? Would you bet your reputation on this?
Bonus Tip: Build Your Slide Toolkit
Create your own personal library of slides, frameworks, and visuals that meet this standard. It speeds up your workflow, raises your baseline quality, and ensures consistency across decks.
Final Thought
Great slides are not about artistry — they’re about clarity, structure, and trust. This checklist won’t just make your decks prettier — it will make your thinking sharper and your communication more persuasive.
The best presenters don’t just “decorate” their content — they shape it with intention. Every line, every chart, every visual decision is made to serve the message. When you build slides this way, you earn your audience’s confidence before you even speak.
And remember: slide-making is a craft. You’ll get faster, cleaner, and more effective with deliberate practice. So don’t just bookmark this checklist — turn it into muscle memory. That’s how you move from making slides… to making impact.