The HOW Design Conference was in Austin this year and, while I failed to attend and therefore learned zero new design tricks, what I did get to do is spend time with Nancy Duarte. I have the pleasure of being a researcher on her forthcoming book, so I used that as leverage to force her to hang out with me!

If you’re unfamiliar with Nancy and her company, Duarte Design, all I can say is: are you also unfamiliar with Picasso? Nancy is the Picasso of PowerPoint. She produced Al Gore’s globally-famous presentation featured in an An Inconvenient Truth, and she’s got a client list that leaves no doubt about her level of talent and commitment. Perhaps most importantly, Nancy is a genuine, beautiful woman and an inspiration to other information designers who hope to mirror her greatness in our own work. (No pressure, lady.)

In my other efforts at stalking, I recently attended a webinar on Visual Storytelling with Duarte Design. The gems below are guidelines for effective presentations and they are timeless.

5 Unbreakable Slide Rules

1. TELL THE TRUTH.

If your data indicates that earnings for Q2 have plummeted, don’t stretch out your time horizon until the line barely dips. Just show it as it matters for your company.

2. GET TO THE POINT.

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah the house is on fire blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. Get it?

3. PICK THE RIGHT TOOL.

Why use a graph to show the number of children dying from water-borne diseases? To increase the likelihood that your audience will MOVE, show them a child in need.

4. HIGHLIGHT WHAT’S IMPORTANT.

Audiences have the attention span of, well, normal people. Don’t make them decipher what you’re saying – that’s just unpleasant. Show them the point you want them to walk away with by using color, contrast, and by eliminating chart junk.

5. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Slides are not documents – they’re not intended to be read. Before you start to write a paragraph for each of your five bullet points, ask yourself: What is the message? Distill your content and then present THAT.

If you’re interested in keeping people awake during your PowerPoint or Keynote presentations, I highly recommend Duarte’s webinars. I know we’re all fascinating in our own minds, but that doesn’t always translate. Audiences are composed of human beings who need to be told stories. We can do ourselves a favor by sharpening our ability to tell them. Thanks for the tips, Nancy.