how to write a title for a presentation

How to write a presentation title that gets people flocking to your session

by Olivia Mitchell | 31 comments

Get inspiration for your presentation title from magazines. Photo credit: bravenewtraveler

You might not give much thought to your presentation title for a conference presentation. The conference organizers will have asked you to provide a title and an abstract for the conference programme and you manage to slap something together just before the deadline.

But your presentation title can determine whether you have a smattering of people attending, or standing room only.

The good news is that it’s not that hard to craft a presentation title. There are a number of tried and tested formats which are easy to adapt to your topic. This is the way professional copywriters write headlines. They don’t start from scratch. They have a collection of previously used headlines (called a swipefile) and then they simply work out which type of headline will work best for their current topic. Next time you’re in the store, check out magazines like Cosmo. You’ll see the same alluring headlines time and time again.

I’ll show you how this can work by taking one topic and generating a number of possible presentation titles by applying the different formats.

The topic is teaching bioethics in secondary schools. I have a good friend who’s an expert on this topic and gives presentations at conferences around the world.

1. Promise benefits

Dale Carnegie’s famous book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is still one of the best-selling communications books on Amazon. The title of the book is a big part of it’s success. That title works because it promises benefits. It’s not enough to say:

How to teach bioethics

That’s ho-hum. Adding benefits to the title makes it sing:

How to teach a bioethics class that makes students think How to be an inspiring bioethics teacher How to engage and inspire your students through teaching bioethics

“How to” is the most common way of starting a benefit title. To explore the “How to” format more deeply check out this post on writing headlines for blog posts. It’s applicable to writing presentation titles too How to write a Killer How To Article that gets Attention

2. Promise a story

We love stories. You probably already know that telling stories is a powerful presentation technique. But you can also use the power of the story in your presentation title. For example:

How a poor school turned delinquent teenagers into philosophers How a burnt-out teacher reconnected with the love of teaching through bioethics

If you’re presenting a case-study, this format is ideal for your presentation title. Here’s the format “How A got to B”. Make “A” and “B” as far as part as possible by adding adjectives.

3. Put the number three at the front

Consider this title:

Critical concepts for teaching bioethics

Sounds kind of boring and academic, but what if you put a number in front of it:

Three critical concepts for teaching bioethics

Now your prospective audience member is thinking “I better know what those three critical concepts are”. Even if they’re an expert in teaching bioethics they’ll want to find out the three concepts a fellow expert considers critical.

Three is the ideal number of major points to cover in a presentation, and five at the outside. If you try and cover more you won’t be able to do justice to each point . It’s better to go deep, rather than wide. See my post When is it OK to break the rule of three-part structure .

4. Provoke curiosity

If you’re revealing new research in your presentation make the most of it. People want to hear what’s new. They come to conferences to be at the cutting-edge.

New classroom research reveals the bioethics teaching methodology that gets the best results

If you’re a teacher of bioethics how could you resist going to that session?

That title works because of the curiosity that it evokes. You can exploit the natural attraction power of curiosity even if you don’t have cutting-edge research to reveal. For example:

The #1 strategy for teaching bioethics in the classroom

5. Evoke concern

This type of presentation title makes people want to to come to your presentation to check that they’re not making big mistakes. It’s a powerful strategy. For example:

The common mistakes bioethics teachers make The flaws in current bioethics teaching methodology

or take some ownership with this version:

The mistakes I’ve made teaching bioethics and how you can learn from them

Mix ‘n’ Match Presentation Titles

You can use elements from these different types of title and mix them up. For example, many titles can be improved by adding the number 3. For example:

The common mistakes bioethics teachers make

The three common mistakes bioethics teachers make

Add contrast to your titles

Adding contrast adds the element of surprise to your title. For example, I can improve this title:

How to teach a bioethics class that makes students think

by changing ‘students’ to ‘teenagers’:

How to teach a bioethics class that makes teenagers think

Putting the words “students” and “think” next to each other doesn’t generate any surprise. But put the word “think” next to “teenagers” does.

So simply by applying these formats I’ve generated eleven possible titles. You can do the same. Once you’ve generated some titles, choose the one that resonates best with you and then plan your presentation to fulfill the promise that you’re making to your audience in the title.

Plan your Presentation with the SpeakerMap™ Template

Use a proven formula that will have you look confident and credible.

Success! Check your email for a link to download the SpeakerMap. And if you have a presentation coming up, do make use of the interactive email tips we'll send you.

Heads up: I will also send you valuable tips to help you improve your presentations and let you know about ways you can work with me. You can unsubscribe at any time.

31 Comments

Olivia, another technique is to imply privileged information: “Secrets of bioethics teaching” or “Bioethics teaching techniques of the pros”

Hi, On which topic should i make presentation

Thanks for adding that technique. Olivia

Thanks for posting this Olivia. I definitely have “title challenge.” Seems like by the time I get to naming my presentations, my creativity is shot. Specifically I like the fact that you give examples! This really helped to clarify the topic.

Olivia A very useful post. I always put a lot of effort into trying to pull together a good presentation, but thinking of a title that will catch the interest is always Ichallenging.

Olivia, I really enjoyed this article and will read it each week for inspiration creating titles for my blogs. When I create presentations, blogs, and articles I use a working title until I am finished. It keeps me on track. Then I create my real title. I have read others that promote creating your title, then the content. Which do you prefer and why?

Thank you for this information. I am definitely title challenged. My colleagues recently told me that they decided not to attend my presentation as it did have any relevance to their courses. I will be sure to utilize these suggestions next time.

Ouch! Of course if it’s correct that it wasn’t relevant then that’s fine. But if it’s because the title didn’t attract them and show the relevance then that’s disappointing. Good luck with your next title.

Excellent ideas, Olivia, and well expressed! I’ve linked to this (and some of your other posts) from my blog.

Also came up with a simple 3-word model for involving the audience through the presentation title: Question, Action, Mention. (See http://remotepossibilities.wordpress.com/2011/11/23/answer-peoples-key-question-first-framework-part-1a/#involve_people )

I’m happy to read this write up, @ olivia you’re indeed an inspiring character. I’m working on my magazine please I need your sopports And contrIbutions. Please Olivia need your support…

I have been writing blogs and articles for years and need ideas of how to create some new titles. This has been extremely educational and helpful for me to create better titles. Thanks

As a fellow speaker, I just wanted to say a hearty thank you. We all need fresh ways at looking at old stuff and to continuously think creatively regarding how we communicate to get the best outcomes.

Many Thanks Olivia for your post, Your techniques have helped me think differently from the ways I have always titled my presentations

That’s great to hear Bernard!

oh ! great you are right !!

I know you’ve said there’s no need to grab attention at the start of a talk, but the title’s one place you definitely need to! So you might also like this 4-part method I just posted for attention-grabbing titles.

(It uses an “ABCD” mnemonic, meaning the title includes an Action, Benefit, “Conversation” and/or Digit. For example, one title might be “Smash your class target – top 5 bioethics teaching tips”.)

Love it, thanks Craig!

You’re very welcome! Also, comments (and links) are always welcome on my blog. 🙂

Hi I am still having a problem of formulating a title. please help

I do not even know how I ended up right here, but I thought this publish was once good. I do not recognise who you are however certainly you’re going to a well-known blogger for those who are not already. Cheers!

I use your tips in presenting a title that is very helpful for me Thanks http://khelopcgames.com

IM STILL HAVING A PROBLEM GETTING STARTED WITH MY PRESENTATION PLEASE HELP! IWANT TO DO IT ON MY PAST BUT I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO BEGIN.

you suck dick

@barry: Thanks for that clarification … or are those the Before & After titles of your presentation after reading this excellent article?

Web series on Netflix are the most popular thing right now, with Netflix being the biggest seller among OTT platforms. Netflix viewers are only paid and have all the paid plans, while Netflix mod apk 2023 is a free platform and you can enjoy all the web series for free. This includes all advertising content. Netflix apk mod .

I liked it so much that you feel good here Sketch made with taste, the theme for your author elegant to buy impatience with what you have to offer. Well, without a doubt, you will come back before this, just like very often if you support this growth.

A Motivational Speech in a Psychological manner is an open demonstration intended to rouse, energize, and bring out certain feelings and activities in people. https://moodandmind.com.pk/2024/01/31/motivational-speech-in-psychological-perspective/

#Online Psychological Counselling . Psychological Counselling serves as a mental compass that can effectively guide individuals through tumultuous emotional and cognitive experiences.

Excellent read! The content you’ve shared in this article is not only thought-provoking but also exceptionally well-articulated. It’s apparent that you’ve invested a significant amount of thought and effort into creating this post, and it truly shows in the quality of your work.

Viral Video in India

fitnessplanet . Welcome to our Gym Page! ? We’re dedicated to helping you crush your fitness goals and live your healthiest life. From personalized workout plans to expert nutrition advice, we’ve got everything you need to transform your body and mind. Join Us Today #Fitness

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

• ACRL 2011 National Conference Update – Paper/Panel Submissions - [...] Good luck to all those who submitted a proposal. I hope you came up with a snappy title (see…
• Links: Memorial Day 2010 Edition - [...] How to write a presentation title that gets people flocking to your session: Tips applicable to writing, too! [...]
• Hur du gör en intresseväckande titel | I huvudet på Håkan Fleischer - [...] Blogginlägget är utmärkt – läs det här! [...]
• Public Speaking Tips and Techniques [2010-06-05] - [...] Mitchell reflects on how to write your presentation title to attract a larger audience. But your presentation title [...]
• Intrigue people (FiRST framework – part 1I) | Remote Possibilities - [...] are several places you can find bright ideas for titles that draw people to your talk. One is Olivia…
• Título de Presentación en PowerPoint | plantillas-powerpoint.com - [...] baja calidad. Es recomendable preparar un título que llame la atención. Un título adecuado puede prometer beneficios, una historia…
• VIRTUAL-BLOG.COM - VMworld 2013 Call for Papers Open - VIRTUAL-BLOG.COM - [...] Presentation titles that get people flocking to your session [...]
• Do your talks’ titles bore people? Use “ABCD” headlines to grab attention – and keep it | Remote Possibilities - […] more ways to title your talk, also see “How to write a presentation title that gets people flocking to…

Recent posts

• Why striving to be authentic can be a trap
• The first time is never the best
• The Need to be Knowledgeable
• Would you wear clothes that clash?
• An unconventional approach to overcoming the fear of public speaking

Connect With Me

Recommended Books

Click here to see my favorite presentation books.

I earn a small commission when you buy a book from this page. Thank you!

• Audience (22)
• Content (62)
• Delivery (31)
• Nervousness (30)
• Powerpoint (37)
• Presentation blogs (2)
• Presentation books (4)
• Presentation critiques (9)
• Presentation myths (6)
• Presentation philosophy (5)
• Presentation research (11)
• Presentation skills (23)
• Presenting with Twitter (10)
• Visual thinking (3)

Want to create your most engaging presentation ever?

Plan your presentation with the SpeakerMap™ - a proven system that will have you feeling confident and credible.

Success! You'll soon receive an email from us with a link to step 1 of the SpeakerMap system.

Heads up: I'll also send you useful tips to improve your presentations. If you no longer need them, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Free Course

How to tame your fear of public speaking.

In this video-training series (plus workbook with transcripts) you’ll learn:

• The three things you must know BEFORE you begin to tackle your fear of public speaking
• Why the positive-negative thought classification doesn’t work for fear of public speaking
• The two powerful self-talk tweaks that can make an immediate difference.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

I ask for your email address to deliver the course to you and so that I can keep on supporting and encouraging you with tips, ideas and inspiration. I will also let you know when my group program is open for enrolment. I will keep your email safe and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Discover more from Speaking about Presenting

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• Home →
• Speech Crafting →

9 Ways to Write a Catchy Presentation Title

What’s the first thing the audience sees about your presentation before you begin the speech? The title! 

Before starting your presentation, you must grab your audience's attention from the first moment. With a bland title, your audience will likely lose interest before you start.

One of the best ways to engage your audience from the beginning is by using a catchy title.

After all, it is the first thing your audience will see before the presentation commences. The title informs your audience about what your presentation entails; hence, it must be appealing. It must ensure that your listeners find the presentation interesting. 

So, if you want your presentation title to stand out, here are some tips on how to write a catchy presentation title.

9 Tips for Writing a Catchy Presentation Title

Utilize the tricks below to create the perfect presentation title according to your audience.

1. Provide Relevant Information

People typically seek to gain answers to their questions from presentations. One way they can confirm if a presentation holds information relevant to their question is with the title.

"How-to" titles usually do the trick if you want to attract your viewers and let them know that you can solve their problems.

You usually do not need to create lengthy titles to explain your content, and a simple yet informative title would suffice. Your title should inform your listeners what they stand to gain and make them curious about what your presentation entails.

Examples of this include:

• How to engage an audience and keep their attention
• How to create a presentation worth listening to

2. Tell a Story

People love to hear stories . However, you do not need to limit your storytelling to the actual presentation. You can also include the power of a story in your title.

The story you tell does not necessarily need to be your own but should be relevant to your presentation and resonate with your audience.

This format works best if you plan on presenting a case study. Remember that this format demands that you create a story that tells viewers how someone or something got from one point to another.

For example, 'How A got to B." Ensure to use adjectives to showcase the transformation from point A to point B truly.

Example titles include:

• How a low-income household started earning significantly
• How a charitable organization created opportunities for uneducated children

3. Make Use of Numbers

Adding numbers to your presentation title can attract even those well-versed in the topic you plan on discussing.

For instance, "three tips on how to teach kindergartners" sounds better than "how to teach kindergarteners."

Even the best kindergarten teachers would be intrigued and want to find out what these three tips are.

The number you decide to use depends on your presentation. However, it is best to keep the number at a minimum. Typically, it would be best to aim for three, but you can go as high as five.

Using fewer points allows you to go into detail on each point explicitly. This way, you can fully explain each concept to allow your viewers to grasp each.

It also shows them that you know what you are talking about. Remember, it is best to present your topic more deeply than to discuss numerous concepts widely.

4. Keep Your Audience Wanting More

Another way to grab your viewers' attention is to pique their interest. Provoke their curiosity, and you can keep them hooked until the end of your presentation.

This format works best when you want to reveal a new research study. After all, people attend seminars, workshops, and conferences to learn about the latest discoveries in their fields. An example of this is:

• New research shows that the most optimal method to teach kindergarteners

This title suggests there is a new trick that kindergarten teachers can use in their classrooms to improve the teaching and learning experience. If you were a kindergarten teacher, wouldn't you be intrigued to find out what this presentation is all about?

Alternatively, you can use this format even if you do not have recent research results to reveal. All you need to do is evoke curiosity. Here is an example:

• The best strategy to teach a classroom full of kindergarteners

This title does not discuss any research information, but it would still make the viewer wonder what the "best strategy is.

5. Use Questions in the Title

You can use questions in your headline to attract listeners.

However, ensure that the questions are related to something they care about. Otherwise, you risk losing your audience's interest. The trick is to relate your question to the benefit of listening to your presentation. Examples of this include:

• Do you want to know the five things you are doing wrong as a blogger?
• Are you ready to start exercising? Start the right way

The question in your header does not always need to be a question. You can simply hint or imply it. An example of this is:

• That's right! Skincare products produce better results than you expect

6. Command Your Audience

Sometimes, the best way to grab and keep your viewer's attention is to be direct. As a professional, you should tell them the action to make or to act a certain way. Tell your viewers what these actions can lead to.

This format's point is to ask your audience "why," so this curiosity would make them want to hear what you have to say. Some examples titles include:

• Stop wasting time on things that do not matter
• Throw that negativity away and embrace positive change

7. Imply Privileged Information

We all love secrets and want to feel like we are in on something private. This is why creating titles that imply that you are providing information that only a few people know can draw attention to your presentation. Examples include:

• Secrets of teaching kindergartners
• Teaching techniques that only pros know

8. Offer Easy Solutions

You can attract people when you tell them they can easily learn to do something or do it in a short amount of time.

In your title, ensure not to mention the process because it would seem like a lot of work. Instead, focus on the viewer's motivation. Talk about the result of listening to your presentation. For example, you can use:

• Learn to stop procrastinating right now
• Best way to cook chicken in less than 30 minutes

People get excited when they know they can learn something new that would instantly show significant improvements in their lives.

9. Create a Cause for Concern

This title format is a powerful technique to make people come to your presentation. This is because the title makes them wonder if they are making mistakes.

Hence, they would be interested to know if they are truly making mistakes and how they can fix or learn from them. For example:

• Common mistakes kindergarten teachers make
• Currents flaw in biology teaching techniques

The titles do not have to be general, and you can base the title on your experience. In some cases, these titles work best because it makes you more relatable, and the audience would be more receptive to what you have to say. Here is an example:

• Three mistakes I made while teaching kindergarteners and how you can learn from them

Conclusion: Writing an Interesting Speech Title

After creating informative and thought-provoking content for their presentation, some people find it hard to title their work properly. However, writing a catchy presentation title is quite easy.

The best presentation titles do not have to be complex, but they should not be simple either. All you need to do is ensure that the title is catchy.

You want to be able to grab your viewers' attention and hold it till the end of your presentation . Hopefully, you can now do so using one of the tips in this article.

How to Title a PowerPoint Presentation: For the Perfect First Impression

Discover key techniques to title your PowerPoint effectively, engaging your audience from the very first slide.

Understanding the Importance of a Good Title

• First Impressions Count: Your title is the first thing your audience will see. A strong title makes a good impression and piques interest.
• Sets the Tone: The title gives clues about the tone of your presentation, whether it's formal, humorous, informative, or persuasive.
• Guides Expectations: A well-chosen title helps set the audience's expectations about the content and the depth of the presentation.

Techniques for Crafting an Effective Title

1. keep it concise and direct, 2. use action words, 3. include keywords, 4. target your audience, 5. promise a benefit, 6. ask a question, 7. use numbers, 8. add a subtitle, examples of effective titles.

• Direct and Concise: “Future of Renewable Energy”
• Action-Oriented: “Transform Your Marketing Strategy with Data Analytics”
• Keyword-Focused: “SEO Fundamentals: Boosting Your Website’s Visibility”
• Audience-Specific: “For New Moms: Managing Time with a Newborn”
• Benefit-Oriented: “Learn 3 Essential Skills to Enhance Your Project Management”
• Question-Based: “How Can Digital Tools Elevate Your Business?”
• Numbered: “7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders”
• With Subtitle: “Silent Killers of Productivity: Identifying and Overcoming Workplace Distractions”

Crafting Your Title Slide

• Keep it Clean: Use minimal text and avoid clutter.
• Focus on Typography: Ensure your title is the focal point. Use large, readable fonts.
• Incorporate Branding: Include your logo or brand colors to make the slide visually cohesive with your organization's identity.
• Add a Relevant Image: If appropriate, use a background image that complements your title and theme without overpowering the text.

Create PPT using AI

Just Enter Topic, Youtube URL, PDF, or Text to get a beautiful PPT in seconds. Use the bulb for AI suggestions.

character count: 0 / 6000 (we can fetch data from google)

upload pdf, docx, .png

less than 2 min

Ayan Ahmad Fareedi

writer at MagicSlides

How to Create a Bullet Point + Image Slide with AI (with examples)

4 September 2024

Top Quotes and Wishes for Brother's Day 2024

31 August 2024

How to Involve Your Audience in a Presentation

29 August 2024

How to Compress a PowerPoint Presentation: A Step-by-Step Guide

26 August 2024

How to Introduce a Group Presentation: Engaging Your Audience from the Start

AI Glossary: 150+ AI Terms You Should Know

How Many Words Per Minute Should You Speak in a Presentation?

Which is an Example of a Presentation Skill?

What Makes a Presentation Effective?

Stunning presentations in seconds with AI

Install MagicSlides app now and start creating beautiful presentations. It's free!

Get AI-Generated Presentations Ready in Seconds

Free AI PPT Tools

• Speaking & Media

How to Create Catchy Presentation Titles

Alexia Public Speaking

I love words. And unfortunately, when I started out as a speaker, my presentation titles were stuffed full of them.

While there is not one formula for how to create catchy presentation titles to capture the attention of companies and event organizers, using too many words is a surefire way for your pitches and speaking submissions to land in a decision maker’s trash.

I’ve recently been purging old files, and in the process, unearthing my old speaker one-sheets and proposals. I’ve found some real title doozies!

2012 was a particularly “big year” when it came to keynotes. I had 10 listed and described on the speaking page of my website. And most of my titles were 15 words or more. (As you’ll see below, I also was collecting colons like they were going out of style.)

For example, for what would become my Discover Your ‘Secret Sauce’ as a Speaker signature presentation, instead, I had—

Share Your Story, Morning Glory: How to Use Public Speaking to Effortlessly Attract the Right Clients.

This was also the year I developed my Step into Your Moxie® keynote. But rather than call it Step into Your Moxie or How to Speak with Moxie, instead I was sweet on my colons again and went with the mouthful—

Step Into Your Moxie: Listen to Your Voice, Sculpt Your Message and Speak with Confidence and Impact.

Each time I run The Spotlight Speaker Accelerator and work with coaches, consultants and experts on creating catchy presentation titles for their keynotes and business and association presentations, I see many of the same mistakes I made.

Here are three tips for creating catchy presentation titles for your speeches that event organizers, meeting planners, and business leaders will love.

Create a title that zeroes in on your “idea worth spreading .”

While it’s okay to have some pizzazz in your presentation title, you still want it to accurately reflect the key idea you want your audience to take action on and not be too open for interpretation.

Let your title communicate your point of view on your topic.

Decision makers get pitched oodles of similar topics, and it’s easy for speakers and their submissions to sound alike. When your title reflects your unique voice and, if appropriate, how you are taking a fresh (and maybe even disruptive) approach to a familiar topic, this will help you and your presentation to stand out.

And last, but most certainly not least…

Use titles that contain 8 words or less.

While, unfortunately, this isn’t always possible, in-demand speakers rarely have excessive words and colons in their titles. Rather, their titles are short, clear, and crisp.

In case you are curious, here are my most frequently requested keynotes .

Have a catchy presentation title that you love?

That captures your core brand message?

Consider registering it as a trademark in order to protect your intellectual property. Doing this with Step into Your Moxie® was one of the most important business decisions I made – well worth the nominal cost of trademark registration because it provides important protection against copycats.

Similarly, before you decide, yes, this is my smokin’ hot presentation title, be sure to check online and ensure that you are first to market on your idea. It’s much easier to tweak your title before you start using it in the world and getting known for it.

Privacy Overview

How to write a catchy presentation title

Sep 15, 2022

Posted by: Gemma King

Title writing.

It’s not as easy as you might think.

Take this article, for example. Can we really call an article about writing catchy titles “How to write a catchy title”? It’s hardly… well, catchy.

Fortunately for you, your presentation title doesn’t need to be anywhere near as functional. You don’t have to be easy to find when people google advice. You’ve got (almost) free rein to come up with something truly catchy.

That comes with its own challenges too, of course.

So I’ve gathered together some top tips from Steve Rawling of Storyteller Tactics , and the internet at large.

Let’s get to work!

Why do you need to write a catchy presentation title?

For optional-attendance events, your title needs to catch the attention of your audience enough for them to consider attending. It doesn’t matter how good anything else you have prepared is, if they don’t like the title, they’ll never get to see any of that stuff.

Of course, for many work-related presentations, your audience is pretty much guaranteed. It’s a work thing, so the people who need to be there, will be. Even then, a catchy title is important to set the tone of the session. And you don’t want that tone to be boring, do you?

We want attendees who feel anticipation, not dread or (worse) indifference.

That’s the Why; here are some Hows.

Techniques for writing catchy presentation titles

Buckle up, we’re starting with… worms!

Our community recently explored Mindworms in a live session to discover why some ideas stick in our minds and our memories while others fade into obscurity. Here are some key points you can apply to writing titles. If you include a handful of these things, you’re on the right track:

• Simplicity : is it easy to understand and repeat?
• Unexpectedness : is it surprising in some way?
• Concreteness : does it paint a clear picture?
• Emotionality : does it evoke hopes and/or fears or engage our sense of identity ?
• Storyness : does it describe some sort of causal chain (cause and effect)?
• Sensory : does it include elements like touch, smell or taste?
• Repetitiveness : are any elements or words repeated to help it stick?
• Rhyme : do you have any rhyming words that will help people recall it easily?
• Metaphors : can you use a metaphor to simplify the message?

I’d also consider adding alliteration and humour to this list; the latter particularly if it’s an internal-facing presentation with a known audience.

For example, you might not be particularly enthused about joining a session called: ‘ First-quarter Financial Report on Product X ’ (although it does use concreteness in mentioning ‘first quarter’ and is easy to understand).

You might be slightly more enthusiastic about ‘ Breakeven and beyond; Project X’s first quarter ’, and positively excited about ‘ Product X; the cash cow whose milk smells like success ’. The first employs hope (‘breakeven and beyond’), which is an emotion, as well as being simple and concrete. The second uses a metaphor (cow/milk), sensory words (smell), emotions are evoked (success) and is unexpected. Perhaps too unexpected, but it takes all kinds!

Story approaches

Every good story needs a title, so it’s no surprise that Steve Rawling, Author of Storyteller Tactics, has also covered this topic.

We can start off with the Secrets and Puzzles Storyteller Tactic - a fantastic way to format your presentation, by the way. But even if you don’t use it throughout your talk, you can use it in your title. People love secrets and puzzles. And you can create the sense of a secret about to be shared, or a puzzle to be solved, by using specific ‘keywords’:

• Secret, confidential, insider, exclusive, hidden, restricted, banned, untold, forgotten.
• Puzzle, riddle, odd, bizarre, unexpected, ironic, paradox, peculiar, mystery.

But remember - and this is important - if you promise a secret or something puzzling, you must deliver. As Steve says, the use of these words without any type of secret is just clickbait.

So let’s try the exercise again. Can you think of a better way to phrase this title? ‘ Exit interview data: 2022 learnings ’.

The presentation sounds like it’ll talk through the findings of HR’s interviews with team members who have left since the start of the year. This is prime material for a secret-inspired headline (what secrets did the interviews hold?) or a puzzle (how can the data be used to inspire change?).

Something like “ Famous last words; what secrets do 2022’s exit interviews hold? ” or “ Unexpected push factors: can 2022’s exit interviews catalyse change? ”. Both of these are concrete (giving a specific time frame), simple enough for the specialised audience to understand and promise something secretive or surprising.

If there doesn’t seem to be an appropriate secret or puzzle, there are lots of other Storyteller Tactics cards you can use to inspire an intriguing title. For example, Order & Chaos , Good & Evil and Curious Tales .

Another great Storyteller Tactic to use when searching for the perfect title is That’s Funny . It has you pick out something about your presentation/story that is a bit odd and makes you go “ Hmm, that’s funny… ”, or perhaps a person that is acting unusually. Something a little bit out of the ordinary (and unexpected) is a good way to reel people in. And talking of reeling people in…

Finally, Story Hooks is a fantastic tool. Steve looked at 1,000 TED talks to look for story hooks in their titles. He found a tonne of useful approaches: questions, surprises, ironies, relatability, superlatives and of course - knowledge. The promise that you will impart your hard-earned experience, in simple language, so that others may benefit from it, is a powerful one.

Other title-writing tricks to try

The internet is full of suggestions, some great and some utterly absurd. This list sticks to the former category! Pick a couple that are relevant to your presentation and give them a whirl.

• Use your title to create a knowledge vacuum. Is the content of your talk going to change something big? "This talk could change the way we talk to customers forever" - it lets people know that they'll be missing out on something important if they don't pay attention.
• Look for inspiration elsewhere. Probably not in your own calendar - catchy titles are still not the norm in most industries! Look at events online - or local newspaper headlines. They are rife with creativity (a little too much of it, sometimes!).
• Ask a question ; it gets people thinking about the answer straight away! And once they have started wondering, they'll be invested in finding out what the real answer is.

And we might be biased here, but the Pip Club newsletter (Pip's Practical Prompts) is a goldmine if you're looking for catchy titles and punchy, shorthand content inspiration. 

Level up your career with Pip Club

Join 100,000+ leaders who get unique tips every week on storytelling, leadership and productivity - plus exclusive how-to guides, first-dibs on upcoming Pip Decks and our very best discounts.

Nearly there...

Check your inbox to confirm your email.

No spam, no email sharing - ever. Privacy Policy

One of the few newsletters I look forward to. — Dave Cunningham, Head of DesignOps @ NHS

You might find these articles useful

How to build a successful sales presentation, how to start a presentation: 18 ways to make an impact, how to make a presentation: a beginner’s guide.

PHILADELPHIA SEPTEMBER 12-13 PUBLIC SPEAKING CLASS IS ALMOST FULL! RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW

• Public Speaking Classes
• Corporate Presentation Training
• Online Public Speaking Course
• Northeast Region
• Midwest Region
• Southeast Region
• Central Region
• Western Region
• Presentation Skills
• 101 Public Speaking Tips
• Fear of Public Speaking

Catchy Presentation Titles Are the Start of a Great Presentation

Catchy presentation titles are important when you begin to design a great presentation . Your audience will determine whether your presentation is worthy of their time almost instantly. In most cases, they make that determination based entirely on the title of the speech . In this session, I’m going to show you a quick and easy way to come up with a great title for your presentation. If you do this well, it will actually make your audience want to pay attention to your speech. I always say in class, “If you start with a great title, the presentation almost writes itself.”

Want to beat stage fright, articulate with poise, and land your dream job? Take the 2-minute public speaking assessment and get the Fearless Presenter’s Playbook for FREE!

A Catchy Presentation Title is Important for Audience Satisfaction

Think about the last time you went to a conference that has multiple breakout sessions going at the same time. If you are like most people, you first scanned the list of titles. Almost instantly, you eliminated a few based solely on the topic or title. The titles that you looked at created an impression of the speech. Once you narrowed down your choices, only then do you move on to the description, etc. In that instant where you were scanning the titles, though, you probably had this inner monologue going. “Hhhmmmm… Nope. Not worth my time. Nope. Sounds boring. Nope. That one is unrelated to anything of interest to me. Aaahhh… That one might be okay.”

One of the real, closely-held, public speaking secrets is that every audience member has this inner monologue . This inner monologue occurs before every single meeting and every single presentation that we attend. In most cases, just as when we looked at the breakout session list, the answer we receive is, “Nope. This seems like a waste of my time.”

Examples of Presentation Titles that Make People Yawn

Here are a few titles that tell the audience that your presentation will be a snoozefest.

• Quarterly Financial Report
• Software Update
• Project Report
• Goals for 20__ [Fill in Your Own Year]
• Why We Need to Make Changes in Our Internal Processes

It is our job as the presentation designer (or deliverer) to make people want to pay attention to us. If you start with a great title, you are more likely to accomplish this task.

Presentation Title Generator

Follow this step-by-step approach, and your audience will want to hear you speak.

Create a One-Sentence Statement of What Your Topic is About.

• We Exceeded Our Corporate Goals and Increased Profit Last Quarter.
• The New Software Update Closed a Few Security Risks for Our Customers.
• The ABC Building Project is Behind Schedule.
• This Year, We Will Increase Revenue by $200,000 by Focusing on Repeat Business.
• Department Heads Need to Communicate Team Activities Better.

Just by forcing yourself to make your title into a complete sentence, you will narrow the topic down dramatically. If you look at the difference between the first list and the second, the second is more interesting already.

Identify Why the Audience Would Care About this Topic?

• Your Quarterly Bonus Has Increased.
• Your Customers are Less Likely to Experience a Data Breach.
• If We Adjust Our Plan, We Can Get Back on Schedule without Incurring Overruns.
• Your Commissions Will Also Increase.
• You Can Reduce Your Overall Department Costs.

Although we like to think that department heads care deeply about company revenue and profit, in reality, most of us are pretty self-centered. However, the department heads care very deeply about their bonuses. Outside of the tech folks, no one really cares about website security. However, if a company has a data breach, the entire company will have new challenges to deal with.

Combine the Sentence in Step #1 With the Benefit in Step #2.

Now that you have the two pieces, just put them together. When you do, you will create a series of catchy presentation titles .

• We Exceeded Our Corporate Goals and Increased Profit Last Quarter, So Your Quarterly Bonus Has Also Increased.
• Your Customers are Less Likely to Experience a Data Breach Because We Closed a Few Security Risks in the Recent Update.
• If We Adjust the Project Plan on the ABC Building, We Can Get Back on Schedule without Incurring Overruns.
• This Year, We Will Increase Revenue by $200,000 (And Commissions by $25,000) by Focusing on Repeat Business.
• If We as Department Heads Can Communicate Our Team’s Activities Better, We Should Be Able to Reduce Department Cost Significantly.

Maybe these presentation titles aren’t perfect, but you have to admit, they are dramatically better, now.

Compare the Two Titles

Originally, we had, “Quarterly Financial Report.” We ended up with, We Exceeded Our Corporate Goals and Increased Profit Last Quarter, So Your Quarterly Bonus Has Also Increased.” Which would you rather sit through? Guess what? Your audience thinks the same way. So, if you want to catch the attention of your audience right away, realize that catch presentation titles can help.

By the way, once you have a great title, the post called How to Design a Presentation Quickly is a good second step. In addition, we have a free Online Speech Creator that walks you through the entire process step-by-step. Also, make sure to visit our 101 public speaking tips blog post.

Podcasts , presentation skills | presentation skills

View More Posts By Category: Free Public Speaking Tips | leadership tips | Online Courses | Past Fearless Presentations ® Classes | Podcasts | presentation skills | Uncategorized

Looking to end your stage fright once and for all?

This 5-day email course gives you everything you need to beat stage fright , deliver presentations people love , and land career and business opportunities… for free!

• Strategy Templates

Consulting Templates

• Market Analysis Templates

• Business Case

• Consulting Proposal

• Due Diligence Report

All Templates

How to write slide action titles like mckinsey (with examples).

Table of contents

What is an action title, why are action titles important, how to write an action title, best practices for writing action titles.

When it comes to conveying impactful messages in a business context, PowerPoint slides are often the go-to medium. While the content of your slides is undoubtedly important, one often overlooked element that can elevate your presentation to new heights is the effective use of action titles. 

As former McKinsey and BCG consultants, we have witnessed firsthand the power of action titles in conveying a clear message, elevating a slide from ‘blah’ to ‘great’, and tying a presentation into a persuasive, cohesive story. 

In this blog post, we will explore what action titles are, why they are crucial for successful presentations, and provide you with practical tips on crafting compelling action titles.

An action title is the most important point of the slide, formulated as a short, simple sentence. It should ideally be the main takeaway or ‘so what’ of the slide, and – if done right – allows the audience to only read the title to understand the primary message of the slide.

It's called an ‘action’ title because it actively tells the audience what the key takeaway is. In contrast, conventional slide titles simply summarize the content of a slide. For example, look at the two slides in the figure below. The slide on the left is a conventional title that correctly summarizes what is on the slide but doesn’t add any insight. The slide on the right is an action title, which immediately tells the audience what the main message of the slide is.

Action title vs conventional slide title (example)

Spending so much time on the title of a slide may seem like a nice-to-have last-minute task, but in reality action titles are one of the most important skills that management consultants are taught and lay the groundwork for creating top-tier presentations .

Action titles are important for several reasons:

• Clear communication: An action title allows the audience to immediately understand what the slide is about and why it’s important. This makes it easier for them to digest the full slide, and in turn makes it easier for you to get your main messages across.  
• Cohesive storyline: Action titles help tie the whole presentation together in a cohesive story. They form the backbone and roadmap of your presentation and help both you and your audience follow the core logic and arguments, and ultimately better understand the suggested recommendations or next steps that you may present.  
• Forcing function: Finally, action titles serve the crucial role as a forcing function to trim and improve your slides. If you are having trouble formulating a good action title or placing the slide in a series of slides, it more often than not means the slide is either not clear enough or is not necessary.  A classic example is when you feel there are too many good points for it all to fit into one title. The wrong way to handle this is to shrink the title font size. The right way is to either divide that one slide into several slides with their own key takeaways, or to delete the data and information on the slide that is not contributing to the key takeaway.

See the same three slides below with conventional titles and action titles to get a sense of the power of action titles.

Crafting action titles may seem like an art form, but it is a skill that can be mastered with practice. Here are some steps to guide you in creating compelling action titles:

If you have already created your slide(s):

• Identify the core message Before attempting to write an action title, clearly define the main message of your slide or section. What is the key takeaway you want your audience to remember? The one thing they should know when reading this slide?  
• Formulate the title Think about that core message. How would you say that if you had to do a voice-over? Write that voice-over down as the action title.  
• Refine the title Now refine the title you just wrote. Make sure it is understandable as a stand-alone sentence, and that the words you use are active and convey an insight. See the end of this article for examples and best practices on action titles.  
• Trim the content Finally, look at the content of the slide. Does it support that one main message? If there is any content on the slide that does not directly contribute to the core message, either delete it or cut-and-paste it into a new slide. Reformat the remaining content so the slide is once again complete. See more on the anatomy of a slide here .

If you are starting on a new presentation:

Best practice when crafting action titles is to write them as the first step of creating a presentation. By writing them as the first step you are ensuring your presentation is cohesive and clear from the beginning, and you often avoid a lot of unnecessary work with creating slides you end up not using.

• Pick an overarching framework for your storyline     Your entire deck should narrate an engaging story. Many consulting decks follow the SCQA framework: Situation > Complication > Question > Answer Other successful frameworks might be Past → Present → Future or Problem → Solution → Evidence. See more on storylines and the vertical and horizontal flow of presentations here .   
• Draft slide titles      Divide each A4 page into four sections, each representing a slide. Craft a concise action title of less than 15 words for each slide which becomes the slide's title. This can also be done as a text document or similar. The goal is to be able to read the titles and from that alone understand the gist of the deck.  
• Outline supporting data for each slide      Would a graph or a table be helpful? Or perhaps a few bullet points in large font? Sketch out your first best guess of what type of data (numbers, text, images etc.) that you think is needed to support the slide title and that is plausible to get. This is likely to change during your project, but it provides you with a solid starting point to understand which data and analyses you should prioritize.  
• Create a draft presentation Create the blank slides in PowerPoint with just the titles and potentially a sticker or text box describing the supporting data and content of the slide. Tweak the slide titles as you put them into PowerPoint following the best practices outlined below.  
• Read through your entire storyline Once you’ve outlined your entire presentation, zoom out again and read only the slide titles. Does the story make sense and create a compelling case? Are there are slides that feel ‘off’ compared to the story? Slides that feel redundant? Anywhere there are holes in the story or logical jumps? Add empty slides with just titles to fill the holes, and move any slides that don’t feel strictly necessary to the back of the presentation or a separate document. The goal is a cohesive, clear presentation in as few slides as possible.

See more tips and tricks for accelerating your presentation creation here .

Although it can seem like a last thing, nice-to-have thing to have action titles this is actually one of the core parts of creating top-quality presentations and one of the easiest ‘hacks’ to taking your presentation up a notch.

• Be specific and concrete: Vague or generic action titles can dilute your message and fail to clearly get the main messages across. Instead, aim for specificity and concreteness, ideally including the most important quantitative takeaways. Your titles should provide a clear direction and measurable outcome, leaving no room for ambiguity. Generic : Supply chain processes can be optimized Specific : Optimize supply chain processes to reduce costs by 20%  
• Keep it concise: Action titles should be concise and to the point. Ideally, they should fit within one or max two lines, up to 15 words. Strive for brevity without sacrificing clarity and impact. NEVER have a title that is longer than two lines.  Too wordy : The analysis conducted shows that profits can potentially be increased by up to 15% by end of 2027 Concise : Analysis shows potential for up to 15% increase in profits by 2027  
• Focus on takeaways not just summaries: Your audience is interested in conclusions, not processes or descriptions. Make sure your title reflects the takeaway.  Summary : We interviewed experts and key internal stakeholders to identify potential cost-reduction levers Conclusion : 8 potential high-impact cost reduction levers identified Caveat: There may be slides where you explicitly want to summarize a process. This is fine, just make sure the slide focuses only on the process, and the results are included in a separate slide.  
• Be insightful: …and in line with the point above, make sure your takeaway is actually insightful. Don’t write an action title that is so obviously true it provides no new information. Not insightful : Focus on sales will help increase revenues Insightful : Direct outreach is main driver of revenue growth – added focus here can increase revenues 10-15%  
• Use an active voice: Opt for words that invoke a sense of action and avoid passive statements or verbs. This makes your titles more engaging for your audience. Passive : The structure and timeline of the project is determined by the Steering Group Active : Steering Group determines project structure and timeline  
• Prioritize simplicity: The primary purpose of an action title is to communicate effectively. Focus on crafting titles that convey your message with precision and always err on the side of simple. Complex : Through implementation of efficiency levers, 7.4 M USD in costs per year can potentially be saved Simple : Implementation of efficiency levers can potentially save 7.4 M USD  
• And finally, consistency is key: Maintain consistency in your action titles throughout your presentation, both in terms of narrative style and font size. This creates a sense of cohesion and reinforces your main story.

Creating compelling action titles is a powerful technique that can significantly enhance the impact of your PowerPoint presentations. By capturing attention, fostering clear communication, and inspiring action, action titles have the potential to transform your presentation from ordinary to extraordinary. 

Download our most popular templates

High-end PowerPoint templates and toolkits created by ex-McKinsey, BCG, and Bain consultants

Consulting toolkit and template

A comprehensive library of slide layouts, templates, and typically consulting tools and frameworks.

• Business Strategy

This template, created by ex-McKinsey and BCG consultants, includes everything you need to create a complete strategy.

Create a full business case incl. strategy, roadmap, financials and more.

Related articles

How to Write Key Takeaway Slides (with Examples and Free Template)

This guide, written by an ex-McKinsey consultant, teaches you how to create best-practice key takeaway slides based on a proven framework.

Sep 2, 2024

How to write a Due Diligence Report (with Examples and Template)

This guide, written by ex-BCG and Bain consultants, takes you through what a commercial due diligence report is, why it is important, and how to effectively craft your commercial due diligence slides.

Aug 19, 2024

Mastering Risk Mitigation Slides: A Best Practice Guide with Examples

Risk Mitigation Slides are an effective and efficient way to summarize your risk management strategy by assessing, prioritizing, and planning for risks. In this post, we will explore various risk mitigation slides and offer a few tips and tricks for building your own.

Jul 30, 2024

• Consulting Toolkit
• Market Analysis
• Market Entry Analysis
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Digital Transformation
• Product Strategy
• Go-To-Market Strategy
• Operational Excellence I
• Operational Excellence II
• Operational Excellence III
• Consulting PowerPoint Templates

• How it works
• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy

© 2023 Slideworks. All rights reserved

Denmark : Farvergade 10 4. 1463 Copenhagen K

US : 101 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor 10013, New York

• Public Speaking
• Visit our Store

How to Write the Perfect Titles for Your Slides

8 Effective Ways to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation

How to write a problem statement slide, pro tips to create an impactful employee induction presentation, powerful endings: how to conclude a presentation for maximum impact.

When it comes to presentations, the first thing your audience sees is the title of each slide. A well-crafted title not only grabs attention but also gives your audience a clear idea of what to expect from each slide. Contrary to this, a poorly-written title can leave your audience confused or disinterested. 

Even though slide titles are simple, they are an effective addition to your presentations. However, they are often missed or ignored by the presenters, and eventually, their presentations fail to grab the attention of the audience.

In this article, we’ll delve into the art of creating the perfect titles for each of your slides. Whether you’re giving a presentation for work, school, or a personal project, these tips will help you effectively communicate your message and keep your audience engaged.

1. An Action

One of the most important aspects of an effective slide title is what it tells the audience. Basic slide titles, such as “introduction” or “progress report,” disappear into the background when you add them on top of a slide.

Titles for your slides should ideally describe the actions or tasks that your audience will be taking on each slide. This will be a much better guide than just telling them the contents of the slide. Examples of this can be, “get to know the team” or crafting a title for reporting progress like “our efforts paid off!” and more.

2. Create a Title, not a Description

It is well-known that a powerful title is the most effective way to hook the audience. This does not just refer to the content or intention of the title, but rather, how you display the title. The most basic rule here is to make it look apart. You can do so by increasing the size of the text and making it bold. You can also use a serif font (optional). Another way is to use contrasting colors for the title, making it pop.

A simple act of making this visual shift will have a major impact on how people perceive your slide titles. 

3. Make it Succinct and Simple to Understand

A slide title, like a title for an article or blog, needs to be simple, clear, concise, and easy to understand. As its main purpose is to help the audience understand the point of the slide, a simple and crisp title works best. It does not take the audience away from the essential information.

A perfect slide title fits in one line and is not too wordy. You can achieve this by removing any extra words. If you need help, take inspiration from the titles of your favorite blogs and see how they form their titles.

4. Consider the Context and Tone

Titles set the tone; you know that. What you might miss is how much impact a fitting title can have and how catastrophic an out-of-place title can be. 

Picture this; you are giving a regular update in a corporate meeting room. You begin your professionally created presentation with the slide titles in funky fonts, emoticons, and clichéd puns. It will make your audience disinterested right from the beginning. On the other hand, formal and solemn titles would fail to grab the attention and interest of students in a classroom. Thus, your slide titles must be perfectly crafted to fit your particular use case.

Keeping these tips in mind when deciding on slide titles is sure to help you ace your presentation. However, there might be some cases where you might have to let go of one or more of these rules. That may be required where the content of the slide is either too crucial to add a title, which may be distracting, or if the slide is part of a sequence and does not require a separate title.

In a nutshell, crafting the perfect titles for your slides is an important aspect of giving a successful presentation. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can set the stage for each slide. Remember to keep your titles concise and to the point, use strong action verbs, and avoid using jargon or cliches. 

We hope this article was informative and helped you improve your slide titles. 

More articles

6 best powerpoint tips and hacks for engaging presentations, 9 tips to create a perfect powerpoint presentation, 50+ powerpoint shortcut keys to save you time (for windows and macos), leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Latest Articles

Simple steps to create effective business presentations , why is public speaking scary and how to overcome this fear , why does a presentation need good visuals, 9 types of presentations you should know (with examples), 10 tips to start your presentation impressively.

© 2024 Collidu.com. All Rights Reserved.

Information

• Visit Our Store
• Free PowerPoint Templates
• Google Slides Themes

Popular Categories

• Presentation Ideas 52
• Public Speaking 22
• Presentation Design 12
• Business 11
• PowerPoint Tips 4
• Google Slides Tips 1

Editor Picks

September special: Business Transformation PPT Templates

5 Ideas for Writing Eye-Catching Title for Your Presentation

• December 9, 2018

If you don’t hook your audience from the first seconds you start your presentation, you will lose them until the end. Check this blog for ideas on how to write an eye-catching title for your next presentation.

Explore our Business Performance PPT Reports category on the website for more resources to boost your presentation impact.

One of the first things your audience sees in the first 5 seconds of your presentation is the title. They usually have an idea of what your presentation is going to be about before you even show up.

Awesome presentations start with catchy titles, which appeal to the audience. Your listeners will judge if your presentation is interesting and clicks with them or not based on your title. So if you really want people to listen to you, you need an eye-catching title for your PowerPoint presentation. Keep reading the article below and find out how you can nail it when you create your next presentation title.

How to Write an Eye-Catching Title for PPT Presentation

1. promise relevant benefits.

People become interested in your presentation when they discover from the title that they might find the answer to their questions. The “how-to” titles will always work if you want to influence people and convince them that you really have the solution to their problems. You don’t even need too many words when you create such titles. You will offer them the benefits from the title and make them curious to hear more about what you have to say.

(Click this image or any others to get to this slide source)

2. Come up with a story

When you decide to use such a title, it is very important that your presentation includes examples. This is a title that asks for real-life examples. You can even share a personal story and thus create an emotional connection with your audience . What is more, when you use these titles, you should always add some adjectives to A and B to add even more emotion to your eye-catching title.

3. Make your audience curious

When you are invited to make a speech, this means that you have something important to say. This is why you should make the most out of it. However, if you want to keep your audience engaged until the end, you should grow the suspense gradually and make them curious.

In the example below, you can see how we used a big ribbon on the left to focus on the text and icons while making the background more subtle. You can use this technique to make sure the text is readable when you have many colors on the background picture.

People will always want to hear what’s new on the market. Use your presentation title to provoke interest and make them curious about the latest trends.

4. Use numbers in front of your title

Let’s do a simple exercise of the imagination. Which title seems more interesting to you? “Critical concepts to teaching mathematics” or “Five critical concepts to teaching mathematics”? Even if you are an expert in mathematics, wouldn’t you be curious to find out which of those five critical concepts you could use to teach mathematics? If you wonder which is the “magical” number you should use, the answer is pretty simple.

Depending on how big your presentation is, you can decide which is the number of benefits or methods you want to talk about. Usually, three is the “magical” number as it allows you to go into details and show your audience that you have a really solid case in your presentation. It is always better to go deep, rather than wide.

5. Tell your audience what to do

Creating a headline with a command in it doesn’t mean that you will scare your audience and lose them. On the contrary, people need guidance and they are interested in presentations where they find out how to do things better.

In Conclusion

First impressions always matter. Your title is the first impression you create for your presentation. Therefore, your title should convince your audience from the moment they read the agenda that your presentation is worth attending. Build curiosity and keep them in suspense until the end of the presentation.

Your title will also help you be more credible and show your audience that you are an expert in your field. Moreover, don’t forget to keep your titles short and concise. You should also take care to run a grammar check with the assistance of an AI tool to make sure that there aren’t any errors in your title. This is how you will help your audience to get the main idea and wait anxiously to hear more during the presentation.

Not sure how to best represent your ideas or show a particular topic? Reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you and help.

For more inspiration, subscribe to our YouTube channel:

Further Resources

If you’d like to get more inspiration for transforming your next presentation, check out these articles:

• How to Create Unique Attractive Tables in 4 Steps
• Get rid of bullet points! Three creative list presentation ideas
• How to make a presentation when you have no time

Author: Leona Henryson – freelance writer and UX designer. Also, she is a contributing writer for various blogs, including Writersquad. When she is not writing or designing, she is swimming, hiking, and, weather permitting, snowboarding.

infoDiagram

Related posts.

How to Present Inventory and Stock Metrics in PowerPoint

• August 8, 2024

How to Present OpEx Analysis with Visual Impact in PowerPoint

• July 4, 2024

How to Present Balanced Scorecard Framework: PowerPoint Design Tips

• June 10, 2024

How To Write A Presentation 101 | Step-by-Step Guides with Best Examples | 2024 Reveals

Jane Ng • 05 April, 2024 • 9 min read

Is it difficult to start of presentation? You're standing before a room full of eager listeners, ready to share your knowledge and captivate their attention. But where do you begin? How do you structure your ideas and convey them effectively?

Take a deep breath, and fear not! In this article, we'll provide a road map on how to write a presentation covering everything from crafting a script to creating an engaging introduction.

So, let's dive in!

Table of Contents

What is a presentation , what should be in a powerful presentation.

• How To Write A Presentation Script
• How to Write A Presentation Introduction 

Key Takeaways

Tips for better presentation.

• How to start a presentation
• How to introduce yourself

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Presentations are all about connecting with your audience. 

Presenting is a fantastic way to share information, ideas, or arguments with your audience. Think of it as a structured approach to effectively convey your message. And you've got options such as slideshows, speeches, demos, videos, and even multimedia presentations!

The purpose of a presentation can vary depending on the situation and what the presenter wants to achieve. 

• In the business world, presentations are commonly used to pitch proposals, share reports, or make sales pitches. 
• In educational settings, presentations are a go-to for teaching or delivering engaging lectures. 
• For conferences, seminars, and public events—presentations are perfect for dishing out information, inspiring folks, or even persuading the audience.

That sounds brilliant. But, how to write a presentation?

• Clear and Engaging Introduction: Start your presentation with a bang! Hook your audience's attention right from the beginning by using a captivating story, a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a powerful quote. Clearly state the purpose of your presentation and establish a connection with your listeners.
• Well-Structured Content: Organize your content logically and coherently. Divide your presentation into sections or main points and provide smooth transitions between them. Each section should flow seamlessly into the next, creating a cohesive narrative. Use clear headings and subheadings to guide your audience through the presentation.
• Compelling Visuals: Incorporate visual aids, such as images, graphs, or videos, to enhance your presentation. Make sure your visuals are visually appealing, relevant, and easy to understand. Use a clean and uncluttered design with legible fonts and appropriate color schemes. 
• Engaging Delivery: Pay attention to your delivery style and body language. You should maintain eye contact with your audience, use gestures to emphasize key points, and vary your tone of voice to keep the presentation dynamic. 
• Clear and Memorable Conclusion: Leave your audience with a lasting impression by providing a strong closing statement, a call to action, or a thought-provoking question. Make sure your conclusion ties back to your introduction and reinforces the core message of your presentation.

How To Write A Presentation Script (With Examples)

To successfully convey your message to your audience, you must carefully craft and organize your presentation script. Here are steps on how to write a presentation script: 

1/ Understand Your Purpose and Audience

• Clarify the purpose of your presentation. Are you informing, persuading, or entertaining?
• Identify your target audience and their knowledge level, interests, and expectations.
• Define what presentation format you want to use

2/ Outline the Structure of Your Presentation

Strong opening.

Start with an engaging opening that grabs the audience's attention and introduces your topic. Some types of openings you can use are: 

• Start with a Thought-Provoking Question: "Have you ever...?"
• Begin with a Surprising Fact or Statistic: "Did you know that....?"
• Use a Powerful Quote: "As Maya Angelou once said,...."
• Tell a Compelling Story : "Picture this: You're standing at...."
• Start with a Bold Statement: "In the fast-paced digital age...."

Main Points

Clearly state your main points or key ideas that you will discuss throughout the presentation.

• Clearly State the Purpose and Main Points: Example: "In this presentation, we will delve into three key areas. First,... Next,... Finally,.... we'll discuss...."
• Provide Background and Context: Example: "Before we dive into the details, let's understand the basics of....."
• Present Supporting Information and Examples: Example: "To illustrate...., let's look at an example. In,....."
• Address Counterarguments or Potential Concerns: Example: "While..., we must also consider... ."
• Recap Key Points and Transition to the Next Section: Example: "To summarize, we've... Now, let's shift our focus to..."

Remember to organize your content logically and coherently, ensuring smooth transitions between sections.

You can conclude with a strong closing statement summarizing your main points and leaving a lasting impression. Example: "As we conclude our presentation, it's clear that... By...., we can...."

3/ Craft Clear and Concise Sentences

Once you've outlined your presentation, you need to edit your sentences. Use clear and straightforward language to ensure your message is easily understood.

Alternatively, you can break down complex ideas into simpler concepts and provide clear explanations or examples to aid comprehension.

4/ Use Visual Aids and Supporting Materials

Use supporting materials such as statistics, research findings, or real-life examples to back up your points and make them more compelling. 

• Example: "As you can see from this graph,... This demonstrates...."

5/ Include Engagement Techniques

Incorporate interactive elements to engage your audience, such as Q&A sessions , conducting live polls, or encouraging participation. You can also spin more funs into group, by randomly dividing people into different groups to get more diverse feedbacks!

6/ Rehearse and Revise

• Practice delivering your presentation script to familiarize yourself with the content and improve your delivery.
• Revise and edit your script as needed, removing any unnecessary information or repetitions.

7/ Seek Feedback

You can share your script or deliver a practice presentation to a trusted friend, colleague, or mentor to gather feedback on your script and make adjustments accordingly.

More on Script Presentation

How to Write A Presentation Introduction with Examples

How to write presentations that are engaging and visually appealing? Looking for introduction ideas for the presentation? As mentioned earlier, once you have completed your script, it's crucial to focus on editing and refining the most critical element—the opening of your presentation - the section that determines whether you can captivate and retain your audience's attention right from the start. 

Here is a guide on how to craft an opening that grabs your audience's attention from the very first minute: 

1/ Start with a Hook

To begin, you can choose from five different openings mentioned in the script based on your desired purpose and content. Alternatively, you can opt for the approach that resonates with you the most, and instills your confidence. Remember, the key is to choose a starting point that aligns with your objectives and allows you to deliver your message effectively.

2/ Establish Relevance and Context

Then you should establish the topic of your presentation and explain why it is important or relevant to your audience. Connect the topic to their interests, challenges, or aspirations to create a sense of relevance.

3/ State the Purpose

Clearly articulate the purpose or goal of your presentation. Let the audience know what they can expect to gain or achieve by listening to your presentation.

4/ Preview Your Main Points

Give a brief overview of the main points or sections you will cover in your presentation. It helps the audience understand the structure and flow of your presentation and creates anticipation.

5/ Establish Credibility

Share your expertise or credentials related to the topic to build trust with the audience, such as a brief personal story, relevant experience, or mentioning your professional background.

6/ Engage Emotionally

Connect emotional levels with your audience by appealing to their aspirations, fears, desires, or values. They help create a deeper connection and engagement from the very beginning.

Make sure your introduction is concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy explanations. Aim for clarity and brevity to maintain the audience's attention.

For example, Topic: Work-life balance

"Good morning, everyone! Can you imagine waking up each day feeling energized and ready to conquer both your personal and professional pursuits? Well, that's exactly what we'll explore today – the wonderful world of work-life balance. In a fast-paced society where work seems to consume every waking hour, it's vital to find that spot where our careers and personal lives harmoniously coexist. Throughout this presentation, we'll dive into practical strategies that help us achieve that coveted balance, boost productivity, and nurture our overall well-being. 

But before we dive in, let me share a bit about my journey. As a working professional and a passionate advocate for work-life balance, I have spent years researching and implementing strategies that have transformed my own life. I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences with all of you today, with the hope of inspiring positive change and creating a more fulfilling work-life balance for everyone in this room. So, let's get started!"

🎉 Check out: How to Start a Presentation?

Whether you're a seasoned speaker or new to the stage, understanding how to write a presentation that conveys your message effectively is a valuable skill. By following the steps in this guide, you can become a captivating presenter and make your mark in every presentation you deliver.

Additionally, AhaSlides can significantly enhance your presentation's impact. With AhaSlides, you can use live polls , quizzes , and word cloud to turn your presentation into an engaging and interactive experience. Let's take a moment to explore our vast template library !

Frequently Asked Questions

How to write a presentation step by step .

You can refer to our step-by-step guide on How To Write A Presentation Script: Understand Your Purpose and Audience Outline the Structure of Your Presentation Craft Clear and Concise Sentences Use Visual Aids and Supporting Material Include Engagement Techniques Rehearse and Revise Seek Feedback

How do you start a presentation? 

You can start with an engaging opening that grabs the audience's attention and introduces your topic. Consider using one of the following approaches: Start with a Thought-Provoking Question: "Have you ever...?" Begin with a Surprising Fact or Statistic: "Did you know that....?" Use a Powerful Quote: "As Maya Angelou once said,...." Tell a Compelling Story : "Picture this: You're standing at...." Start with a Bold Statement: "In the fast-paced digital age...."

What are the five parts of a presentation?

When it comes to presentation writing, a typical presentation consists of the following five parts: Introduction: Capturing the audience's attention, introducing yourself, stating the purpose, and providing an overview. Main Body: Presenting main points, evidence, examples, and arguments. Visual Aids: Using visuals to enhance understanding and engage the audience. Conclusion: Summarizing main points, restating key message, and leaving a memorable takeaway or call to action. Q&A or Discussion: Optional part for addressing questions and encouraging audience participation.

A writer who wants to create practical and valuable content for the audience

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

Services by software

PowerPoint presentation >

Remarkable Powerpoint presentations

Keynote presentation >

Presentations in software Keynote

Google Slides presentation >

Professional Google slides presentation

ALL SERVICES

• Pitch deck design
• Google slides redesign
• Investor deck design
• Marketing Presentation
• Sales Presentation
• Keynote redesign
• PowerPoint redesign
• Prezi presentation
• Executive Presentation
• Corporate presentation
• Pitch deck redesign
• Thesis presentation
• Investor Presentation
• Presentation For Event
• Branded email designs that convert
• Corporate Overview Presentation

My availability status:

Currently accepting work

Start a project

• March 3, 2022

Creating Titles for Your PowerPoint Slides: Tips & Tricks

Written by Tom Caklos

Presentation designer

Adding titles, visible or not, to your PowerPoint slides will help you in many ways. Navigating through the presentation, structuring the content, and keeping your audience in the loop are some of the main benefits that come with working with titles.

Does every PowerPoint slide need a title?

It is highly recommended to use the title on every PowerPoint slide. While you don’t need to necessarily make them visible to your audience, it still provides a great amount of value and benefits. Having a title on every slide helps your audience to keep up with the content structure.

It also helps them to understand the topic much better. Especially if the presentation is about some study with a lot of terminology and facts.

While some people would argue with me that sometimes “less is more” – having a title on every slide will give you many benefits I already mentioned.

Another thing to keep in mind.. you don’t need to make them visible to your audience. Just keep them there so you can remind yourself where you are in the presentation. It helps a lot.

Recommendation : Check out 6 PowerPoint Design tips to learn how to improve the design of your presentations!

How do you make a good title for each slide?

When crafting titles for your slides, try to always keep in mind a bigger picture. Step back, and try to think: “What sentence would draw the best conclusion for this specific slide?” and “How it would impact the rest of my presentation” ?

Don’t make the mistake of titling your PowerPoint slides without deeper thinking. It’s essential that it makes perfect sense.

Now be careful.. while it can make perfect sense to you, your audience might not get it. So what I recommend to avoid this scenario is to always show your presentation to a few people and ask them, if they understood everything.

That way you get non-biased opinions and feedback.

The best PowerPoint slide title ideas

Some of the best titles are usually:

• Funny & Humorous
• Draw conclusion

Here are a few great examples of the best PowerPoint slide title ideas:

When crafting titles for your slides, try to draw inspiration from other presentations on the internet – so you get a better idea of what worked and what didn’t. Life is too short to make all the mistakes, so we need to start learning from the mistakes and successes of other people!

Wrapping it up

So now that you understand the importance of titling your PowerPoint slides, and what role they are having in your success – go and apply what you learned! That’s the only way to learn properly.

Thanks for reading my article! When I write, I always try to bring as much value as I can. If you're having any questions, or if you need any help, feel free to reach out to me!

Did you learn something new? Share it with your network!

6 Design Tips for Creating Remarkable PowerPoint Presentations

How Long Does It Take To Make a Presentation? (Answered)

Let's get to work.

Oravicka 423 027 12 Vitanova Slovakia

[email protected] +421 903 958 162 Linked In

@Tom The Designer 2021

Blog > 10 creative Ideas for your Title- and End-Slides in Presentations

10 creative Ideas for your Title- and End-Slides in Presentations

11.13.19   •  #powerpointtips #presentation.

Of all the slides in a PowerPoint presentation, the ones that are without a doubt the most important ones are the first and the last one. It makes perfect sense – the title slide sets the general tone. Make it boring and you’ll loose your audience’s attention within the first few minutes. If you’re making it exciting and innovative on the other hand, you’re taking a big step towards giving an amazing presentation and having an engaged audience. It is very similar with the final slide. It will be the one that people are going to remember most, the one that is supposed to make people leave the room thinking ‘Wow! What a great presentation!’ A bad ending could even mess up what would otherwise be a good performance overall (just think of a good TV show with a bad ending…).

The most common mistakes for title and final slides

If you asked 100 people what belongs on your PowerPoint’s title slide, the majority would answer ‘The title, maybe a subtitle, the presenter’s name and company, the date’. That kind of title slide is alright, but you usually say all of these things in the beginning of a presentation anyway. Also, it is very likely that most of your attendees know these things – they usually signed up for it after all. So what’s the point in listing all of that information on your title slide, when you could also use it for making a stunning first impression? Not only the title slide is commonly designed in an uncreative and conventional way. Too often, you can see PowerPoint presentations ending with the ‘Any Questions?’ or even worse – the ‘Thank you for your attention’ slide. ‘Thank you for your attention’ is a set phrase that has been said so many times it can’t possibly be delivered in an authentic way anymore. Therefore, it’s better to think of something else for your grand final. Finding an unconventional ending that suits your presentation style makes you seem much more charismatic and authentic than using an empty phrase.

1. An inspiring quote

An inspiring quote on your slide is a perfect way to both start and finish your presentation. Well, it does not have to be inspiring. It could be any quote that is somehow connected to your presented topic. Just have fun looking through books and the internet to find interesting quotes that you want your audience to hear. Good pages to look at for inspiration are goodreads and brainyquotes.com .

2. A blank slide

This might seem strange to some people, but a blank slide can be really powerful if you want to have your audience’s full attention. You can use the advantage of blank slides by incorporating them at the beginning, in the end or even in between your regular slides. You can either use a blank slide of your regular template (so there will still be some design elements on it) or go all in and make the slide completely black (or white).

3. A call to action

If the goal of your presentation is to really make your audience act in some kind of way, there is no better way to start – or better yet end your presentation than with a call to action. This can be literally anything from little trivial things like “Drink enough water during the presentation so your brain stays intact!” – which will lighten up the mood – to more serious calls like “Help reducing waste by recycling whenever possible!”.

4. A question

Usually, it is the audience that asks questions after a presentation. However, you can also turn that around and ask your attendees instead. However, it’s important to ask a question that can be answered easily and individually – the best questions involve previous experiences and personal opinions (asking about facts or questions that are hard to understand can often lead to silence and no one wanting to answer).

5. An interactive poll

Nothing engages the audience like a live poll. Conduct one right at the beginning to get everybody envolved, and/or wait until the end to get your audience’s opinion on something. Icebreaker polls are the perfect way to start, as they lighten the mood. You can easily create polls for free with interactive software tools such as SlideLizard .

6. A funny picture, meme, or quote

I’m pretty sure that every student nowadays has that teacher that just tries a little too hard to be cool by throwing in a meme on literally every single slide. That may be a bit too much. But just a little comedy at the beginning or in the end can make you seem very charismatic and entertaining and catch the attention of your listeners. Open (or close) with a joke, a funny picture or a quote – whichever you feel comfortable with. It is usually best if it has something to do with the topic you’re presenting.

7. An interesting fact

Catch the audience’s attention by putting an interesting fact concerning the topic on one of your slides – ideally at the beginning, but maybe also in the end (to keep up the audience’s interest even after the presentation is done).

8. The title, but with a twist

If you feel like you need to put the presentations name/topic on the front slide, but still want that little creative twist, just change the title slightly. According to what I’m proposing, rather dull presentation titles like e.g. “Marine Biology – An Introduction to Organisms in the sea” can be transformed to “Marine Biology – Diving Deep” (or something less cheesy if you prefer). Make it either funny or over-the-top spectacular and catch the audience’s attention!

9. A bold statement, opinion, or piece of information

This is probably the best way to capture your audience from the beginning on. Start with a radical, crazy opinion or statement and then get your attendees hooked by telling them that during the presentation, they will learn why you’re right. It could be anything, really, as long as it goes well with your presented topic – from the statement “Everybody has the time to read 5 books a month” to “Going to college is a waste of time” or “The human species is not the most intelligent on earth” – Take whatever crazy, unpopular theory or opinion you have, throw it out there and (very important!) explain why you’re right. You’ll have your audience’s attention for sure and might even change some of their opinions about certain things.

10. No title and end slide at all

Yes, that’s a possibility as well. If you absolutely can’t think of any creative or otherwise good way to start and end your presentation – even after reading the tips mentioned above – then simply don’t. That’s right - no title and end slide at all. You can pull that of by simply introducing yourself in the beginning, then getting right into the topic (which makes a good impression, long introductions are usually rather tedious) and when you’re at your last slide just saying a simple ‘Goodbye, thank you and feel free to ask questions’.

Related articles

About the author.

Pia Lehner-Mittermaier

Pia works in Marketing as a graphic designer and writer at SlideLizard. She uses her vivid imagination and creativity to produce good content.

Get 1 Month for free!

Do you want to make your presentations more interactive.

With SlideLizard you can engage your audience with live polls, questions and feedback . Directly within your PowerPoint Presentation. Learn more

Top blog articles More posts

6 Tips to turn your boring slides into stunning presentations

Microsoft Copilot: A Comprehensive Review of the AI tool

Get started with Live Polls, Q&A and slides

for your PowerPoint Presentations

The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

Visual communication.

If there are used images or videos for communication, it is visual communication. Visual Communication is almost used everywhere like on television, posts on social media (Instagram, Facebook), advertisement.

.ppt file extension

A .ppt file is a presentation which was made with PowerPoint, that includes different slides with texts, images and transition effects.

Virtual Event

Virtual events take place entirely online. They are very convenient as anyone may join from wherever they are via a smartphone or computer.

Recall Questions

With recall questions, you have to remember something or something has to be recalled. Example: A teacher asks his students a question so that they remember the material from the last lesson.

Be the first to know!

The latest SlideLizard news, articles, and resources, sent straight to your inbox.

- or follow us on -

We use cookies to personalize content and analyze traffic to our website. You can choose to accept only cookies that are necessary for the website to function or to also allow tracking cookies. For more information, please see our privacy policy .

Cookie Settings

Necessary cookies are required for the proper functioning of the website. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information about the number of visitors, etc.

• Speech Writing
• Delivery Techniques
• PowerPoint & Visuals
• Speaker Habits
• Speaker Resources

Speech Critiques

• Book Reviews
• Browse Articles
• ALL Articles
• Learn About Us
• About Six Minutes
• Meet Our Authors
• Write for Us
• Advertise With Us

Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics

• What kind of titles were used on the slides?
• Do you remember any of them?
• Were there titles like “Background”, “Research Study”, “October Sales”, and “Conclusions”?

If you are nodding to that last question (and most people reading this will be), you already know that most slide titles are pretty mundane: they are quickly written and quickly forgotten.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Slide titles can help communicate your message , and set the context of the slide for your audience.

In this article, we discuss five simple guidelines you can use to quickly improve your slides, and see how these guidelines apply to slide examples .

• Slide Titles
• Slide Fonts
• Slide Charts
• Rule of Thirds (Layout)
• Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity
• Slide:ology
• Presentation Zen
• Clear and to the Point

Slide Title Guidelines

These guidelines are easy to follow. Once you are aware of them, you will find that they are almost second nature.

• Slide titles should convey your main point as an assertion . Avoid using topics or labels as titles such as “Background”, “Research Study”, “Sales”, and “Conclusions”. Titles like this are weak and do little to help your audience understand the slide. Titles written as clear assertions provide meaning for your audience which is elaborated upon with the visual in the body of the slide (chart, photograph, diagram, table, etc.) and also with your verbal delivery.
• Slide titles should be crisp, not wordy. Titles should fit on one line (or, at most two lines). Spend the time to distill the essential meaning into a short, clear statement.
• Slide titles should be larger than any other text on the slide . In every medium where text is present, size conveys importance. (Think of posters, newspapers, books, reports, and even web pages like this one.) Large text is perceived as more important than small text. Since your slide title conveys your main point, you should make it the largest text on the slide. (I typically use 44 point text for titles.)
• Slide titles should be consistently located. In English and other left-to-right languages, the best place for the title is in the upper-left of the slide. That’s where your audience will glance first, before exploring the rest of the slide. If you choose to go against this guideline, be sure the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. (Beware placing title text along the bottom of a slide. In many presentation venues, your audience will have difficulty seeing the bottom edge of your slides due to heads of people in front of them.)
• Slide titles should be easy to read. Don’t make your audience struggle. Use a clean font and a color with strong contrast so your title can be read and understood at a glance.

If you follow the guidelines above, your audience will understand the purpose of the slide. This will help them as they view and study the evidence you have provided to support the assertion in the body of the slide.

Exceptions to the Guidelines

“ Slide titles should convey your main point as an assertion. ”

Like nearly all speaking guidelines, there are exceptions. In this case, there are many situations where you can safely ignore one or more of the guidelines above:

• title slides, agenda slides, transition slides, housekeeping slides;
• quotation slides (the main idea is the quotation, and so a separate title is rarely helpful);
• setup slides which are employed as part of a sequence (e.g. the first slide might pose a problem or ask a rhetorical question, while the follow-up slide may have the solution as an assertion);
• artistic slides; and
• any other slide where a title is not warranted or perhaps even detrimental

Further, the guidelines above don’t apply if you are using an irregular presentation format, such as the Lessig Method .

These guidelines do, however, apply to the majority of normal “body” slides that are used in business, scientific, and classroom presentations. In most cases, if your slide has a title, it should follow the guidelines.

Proponents of Assertion Slide Titles

Michael Alley and Melissa Marshall offer comprehensive coverage  of the benefits of assertions for slide titles. They have conducted research studies which show that students perform better after receiving presentations designed using the assertion-evidence method (as compared to traditional “topic”-titled slides). Their site also includes resources for instructors who teach this approach to slide design.

Olivia Mitchell provides an accessible overview of the assertion-evidence style.

Cliff Atkinson, author of  Beyond Bullet Points :

Writing headlines in the form of complete sentences imposes a discipline on your ideas by forcing you to turn them into coherent thoughts and remove any ambiguity. […] The point of the headline is to help your audience understand your point as efficiently as possible.

Slide Examples

Below I’ve given seven pairs of slides (taken from my PowerPoint design course), where the only difference is the slide title.

• The left slide uses a “topic” or “label” title.
• The right slide uses an assertion for a title to convey the primary meaning to the audience.

Slide Example #1

• The title on the left (“Sensory Perceptions”) is the topic being discussed.
• However, the title on the right makes the two-step process much clearer (stimuli must be [1] perceived and then [2] processed)

Slide Example #2

• The title on the left adds no value. The slide is obviously about text sizes.
• The title on the right emphasizes the key takeaway — that text readability is a critical factor to consider.

Slide Example #3

• The title on the left is a weak topic, but leaves the audience wondering: is it good to decorate your text or not?
• The title on the right is a forceful assertion that is reinforced by the slide evidence.

Slide Example #4

• The title on the left describes what is being charted. That’s helpful, but is something that the presenter could explain.
• The title on the right emphasizes the key takeaway — the new safety policies are working!

Slide Example #5

• The title on the left establishes two chart options, but leaves the audience wondering which is better. While the “Do” label suggests line charts are better, it’s not clear why.
• The title on the right emphasizes the key takeaway — line charts do a better job illustrating data trends than bar charts.

Slide Example #6

• The title on the left gives the topic, but no meaning.
• The title on the right emphasizes the key takeaway — that diagram labels should be placed in close proximity to the objects they label.

Slide Example #7

• The title on the left is a form of rhetorical question. That’s not a bad idea, although it would be more effective if the presenter asked the rhetorical question before displaying the slide on the right…
• The title on the right emphasizes the key takeaway — that photographs should be chosen over clip art. This assertion doesn’t say why… that’s part of my verbal delivery.

Summary of Slide Title Guidelines

If you follow these guidelines, your slides will provide effective support for your presentation.

• Slide titles should convey your main point as an assertion.
• Slide titles should be crisp, not wordy.
• Slide titles should be larger than any other text on the slide.
• Slide titles should be consistently located.
• Slide titles should be easy to read.

Please share this...

This is one of many public speaking articles featured on Six Minutes . Subscribe to Six Minutes for free to receive future articles.

Add a Comment Cancel reply

E-Mail (hidden)

Subscribe - It's Free!

Similar Articles You May Like...

• The 10-20-30 Rule: Guy Kawasaki on PowerPoint
• Slide Charts: 20 Guidelines for Great Presentation Design
• Slide Fonts: 11 Guidelines for Great Design
• Book Review: Multimedia Learning by Richard E. Mayer
• How to Improve Your PowerPoint Slides with the Rule of Thirds
• PowerPoint Book Review – Clear and to The Point: 8 Psychological Principles for Compelling PowerPoint Presentations

Find More Articles Tagged:

13 comments.

Andrew, Excellent topic to address. Still I meet with much resistance from graduate students in my workshops when confronted with the assertion-evidence slide. Why? Because they’ve seen nothing else. And many of their supervisors say the “old way is the only way”. Thanks, John Kluempers (Germany)

True… “Old way is the only way” thinking often blocks progress.

Another great article Andrew…keep up the good work. It is always a pleasure to read your stimulating take on the art of presenting…

Andrew, loved reading this article. PowerPoint abuse is something we’ve all seen and dealt with. However, proper teaching, like this, can vastly improve the quality of our meetings.

Andrew, Thank you for your article. You have brought together compelling examples to support your argument. One hidden advantage to creating assertion headlines is the effect that creating such a headline has on the speaker. We have found that speakers creating such headlines are more focused in their speaking and will eliminate extraneous details from the body of the slide that do not contribute to the assertion (or message). Best wishes, Michael Alley (Penn State)

Since I began using assertions on slides years ago, I have experienced the positive effect you refer to, Michael. The assertions habit has helped me clarify [1] my overall message, [2] the visual on the slide, and [3] how I deliver it.

Thank you Andrew. I don’t know how you keep coming up with topics, but well done. This is a great idea. I hadn’t thought about it but it makes so much sense.

Great article Andrew. I especially like if somebody provides real examples (don’t/do). I personally do not like 2 lines titles, so I would not recommend those. Based on my experience nobody reads such a long titles. I also recommend using info graphics on the slides. It is a great way to explain your message using minimum amount of words.

Andrew, I’m interested in your thoughts on the timing of *when* to display the assertion as you talk, and to what degree it might “steal the thunder” from the speaker.

Below, I discuss a related topic (namely how to stick to just 1 idea per slide) and I use this example of a (spoken) sentence to illustrate a point: “Our solution has 3 benefits, which are that it’s usable, reliable, and scalable.” In the context of an assertive title, to me it seems “Our solution has 3 benefits” would be good, because it asserts the main point yet also intrigues listeners about what the benefits *are* – so people stay focused to find out. A more thorough title of “Our solution is usable, reliable, and scalable” would be a more memorable and meaningful takeaway, but I believe would also cause people to tune out to the speaker because he or she is relegated to backing up what the slide says, instead of vice versa. http://remotepossibilities.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/minimise-blur-firstframework-part-1m/#one_thought

I think the people at M62 are wary about titles, as #2 on their list of 10 “presentation myths” is: “Slide titles should summarise the content of the slide”: http://www.m62.net/presentation-theory/presentation-best-practice/10-presentation-tips-that-suck/

What’s your view on those examples?

Andrew, I couldn’t agree more – many of us have sat through terrible presentations with no content. For me, the worst ones are always presentations where the you’re left wondering what on earth the key message is. Using titles like this is a great idea.

Great suggestions, Andrew.

Coincidentally, I’m developing a PPT presentation right now. Your column has caused me to review some of my headlines. Plan to make them stronger!

– Tom

Thank you for sharing these clear, simple, and persuasive examples. While many engineering and science students and professors use this approach, I suspect that many other students (high school and university) could benefit by choosing this powerful technique.

I would additionally add that assertive slide titles are even MORE important when you aren’t actually presenting your slides, and instead are passing them around as a proposal or client deliverable.

Use the title to tell your audience EXACTLY what your point is, don’t make them guess or try and figure it out.

Thanks for the great post!

Recent Tweets

Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics http://t.co/rwQsTofy via @6minutes — Gavin McMahon Dec 12th, 2012

Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics http://t.co/rwQsTofy via @6minutes — fassforward Dec 12th, 2012

Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics http://t.co/u2lTf0i1 — Carlisle Rainey Dec 16th, 2012

RT @Stella_Yiu: Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics http://t.co/mJCEWkHI via @6minutes — Merrilee Fullerton Dec 20th, 2012

RT @Stella_Yiu: Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics http://t.co/mJCEWkHI via @6minutes — Charles de Mestral Dec 20th, 2012

Final preparations for my New York visit – finishing touches to my #presentation with useful hints and tips: http://t.co/nYfESCKl — Dee Clayton Jan 7th, 2013

Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics http://t.co/X06EU6dBZm via @6minutes Excellent primer for #presentations #talks #speech — @compellingtalks Apr 16th, 2014

Great advice on slide titles: Use Assertions, Not Topics! https://t.co/rzihwyJXdD by @6minutes #publicspeaking — Christine Clapp (@christineclapp) Jul 9th, 2018

Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics https://t.co/XES2kpH2cK #presentations #presentationdesign — @Visual_Hackers Jul 13th, 2018

Slide Title Guidelines: Use Assertions, Not Topics https://t.co/qc9jukkdde by @6minutes — @ericrodwell Jul 31st, 2018

Featured Articles

• Majora Carter (TED, 2006) Energy, Passion, Speaking Rate
• Hans Rosling (TED, 2006) 6 Techniques to Present Data
• J.A. Gamache (Toastmasters, 2007) Gestures, Prop, Writing
• Steve Jobs (Stanford, 2005) Figures of speech, rule of three
• Al Gore (TED, 2006) Humor, audience interaction
• Dick Hardt (OSCON, 2005) Lessig Method of Presentation

Books We Recommend

Six Minutes Copyright © 2007-2022 All Rights Reserved.

Read our permissions policy , privacy policy , or disclosure policy .

Comments? Questions? Contact us .

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Laura M. Foley Design

Cheat Death by PowerPoint!

How to create an effective title slide in PowerPoint

April 10, 2013 by Laura Foley 5 Comments

Presenters often overlook a valuable opportunity to connect with their audience: their title slides.

Think about it. Your title slide is up there on the screen while you wait for the audience to arrive and find their seats. It might be onscreen while you’re being introduced by your host. Your title slides can be very effective billboards for you, but only if you design them well.

The most important elements of a title slide

Since title slides are usually on display for a while before a presentation, you want to make sure that they’re doing a good job of marketing you, your topic, and your company. Always include the following elements on your title slides:

• Title of presentation, with a subtitle if the presentation’s title is unclear
• Contact information (email address, Twitter account, website, etc.)
• Company logo

Providing this information on the title slide tells the audience what they’re about to hear, who’s responsible for the presentation, and how to get in touch with you if they need to.

Simple title slides

Let’s look at a typical title slide for a corporate presentation:

• There is too much text on the slide and it’s all competing for our attention.
• The abundance of Facebook logos distract viewers from the logo of the presenter’s company.
• That subtitle looks more like a paragraph.
• You don’t have to point out the organization to which your audience belongs. The audience already knows what company they work for.
• You also don’t have to tell them what day it is.

Here’s how I would redesign this slide while remaining true to the template:

• The multiple Facebook logos have been replaced by an image that appears to be on a computer screen. Because I chose the typographic Facebook logo, it doesn’t compete with the presenter’s company logo.
• The presenter’s name appears to be a window on a computer screen, and his email address and Twitter name have been provided.
• The company logo is now on the top of the slide, giving it the most importance.
• The subtitle has been shortened from 19 words to four.

Animated title slides

Sometimes your subject matter will lend itself to a more interesting approach to your title slides. Animating a title slide can be a great way to provide contact information, to invite people to subscribe to your blog or newsletter, or to introduce opportunities for audience participation. The animation reveals information a little at a time, creating anticipation and interest.

We begin with a plain, unimaginative title slide:

Wake me when it’s over

ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZ ZZ … snork! Wha…what? I’m awake, I’m awake. I wasn’t sleeping!

The title and subtitle are fine, but, again, the remaining text doesn’t tell the audience something they don’t already know. And the layout is totally boring.

Now you’re talking!

Click on the video link below to see how the animations play on this title slide. I’ve sped up the animation for this demo, but if this slide were actually being used in a presentation I’d wait a couple of minutes between animations.

Presenting this information in the form of sticky notes is a good idea for this particular subject because they are used to organize thoughts and messages. They are often overused, being pasted on top of one another until their original purpose of organization is lost. Take a look at the image below, which is what the audience would see after the animations have played out.

This slide tells the audience who the presenter is, provides a personalized greeting, and includes four calls to action, including an opportunity for an audience member to win a prize. This last bit will keep people interested and engaged in the presentation, because everybody likes getting something for nothing!

What are of your ideas for creating more interesting, informative title slides?

Unsupported browser

This site was designed for modern browsers and tested with Internet Explorer version 10 and later.

It may not look or work correctly on your browser.

• Presentations

How to Make a Great PowerPoint Title Cover Slide Quickly (+ Video)

Want to avoid creating another boring presentation? Well-designed presentations make a great first impression. A PowerPoint title slide sets the stage for your subsequent slides!  

Your PowerPoint title slide is critical for a successful slide deck.

Half the battle is building excitement with a PowerPoint title page. Invest extra time to add design polish to your cover slide PowerPoint design. Build a bold PowerPoint title slide that shows your audience that you're excited to share!        

In this tutorial, I'll show you how to build a PowerPoint title page. You'll see intro slide examples that spark success. Attention is everything, and presentation title pages help you get and keep it. It's quick, easy, and key to success in 2024! 

Learn How to Make Great Presentations Today: Grab our FREE eBook!

Before we take a closer look at PowerPoint cover slides, let's look at another great resource. We've got a helpful complement to this tutorial. Download our FREE eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . Grab it now before you read on .

How to Quickly Make Great PowerPoint Presentation Title Cover Slides (Video)

If you're making a PowerPoint title slide for your presentation, you need it to look good.  Learn how to make a visually appealing PowerPoint title page quickly in the video below:

To learn even more about cover slides for PowerPoint, study the rest of the tutorial. You'll see real world examples of PowerPoint title pages. These presentation title page designs are tried-and-true options for great design.

Jump to instructions for the type of PowerPoint cover slide you're interested in:

• The Logo Slide
• The Big Question Slide
• The Introductory Slide
• The Roadmap Slide
• The Team Slide
• The Quote Slide
• The Challenge Slide

The Seven PowerPoint Cover Slides to Build

There's no limit to the directions that you can take your PowerPoint title slide. You can let your creativity run wild as you build title page in PPT designs.

But it's hard to disagree that the first slide is going to set the stage for the rest of your presentation. So, it's essential that your presentation gets off to a strong start. But what direction should you go with your presentation title page so that you grab and keep audience attention?

In this tutorial, you'll learn to build seven types of PowerPoint title slides. Here are the intro slide examples that I tend to think about when designing my PowerPoint title pages:

• The Logo Slide. Focus on the branding and brand image of your group with this PowerPoint title page! Start off by putting your logo and tagline front and center.
• The Big Question Slide. Most presentations work to inform. But it's also fun to flip the script and ask a question of your audience. It kickstarts the conversation.
• The Introductory Slide. This slide focuses on showcasing your credentials and background to establish authority.
• The Roadmap Slide. Chart the course for your presentation ahead by giving a sneak preview of the topics you'll cover.
• The Team Slide. Does your presentation focus on a group's effort? It's a great idea to start your presentation by showcasing all the minds behind the project.
• The Quote Slide. Sharing an inspirational or motivational quote is a fun way to engage your audience. 
• The Challenge Slide. Many presentations strive to help solve problems. Set the stage by highlighting the big challenge immediately. 

In this tutorial, we're going to build an example of each of these PowerPoint cover slides. We'll use pre-built templates to create impactful slide designs with ease. Let's dive in!

How to Make PowerPoint Title Slides

We're going to use an impressive template called the BePro PowerPoint Business template. This is one of the top PowerPoint templates for Envato Elements subscribers.

BePro has a litany of cover slide PowerPoint designs that you can use to create the perfect PowerPoint title page! It also includes several color schemes to make it easy to reuse on multiple presentation title pages.

Explore the BePro Template

Envato Elements includes over 25,000 premium PowerPoint themes! You have countless title page in PPT options. With these, you can build amazing intro slide examples of your own. Start with this collection for more great ideas:

Now, you can learn about each of the seven types of title slides:

1. The Logo Slide

The Logo Slide focuses on your brand image and showcasing the logo of your company. Branding takes center stage with this title page in PPT concept. It's ideal to use a logo slide to show your branding on the PowerPoint title page when you're building brand awareness.

A good starting point for this slide is slide design three that's built into the BePro template. It's perfect for just adding a logo and background image. In the example below, I dropped in the logo on the slide. I also took the same logo and faded it into the background image placeholder.

Make sure too that your version of the logo slide stays with the branding message. Adjust the colors of shapes and text to match the overall color scheme of your business. Presentation title pages should always fit with your overall brand style.

Building a logo slide as your title slide doesn't have to be complicated. A well-made logo slide shows your branding quickly. An alternate option for this slide is slide design 4, a simple slide with a dark color scheme. Just add your logo to that slide to create contrast.

2. The Big Question Slide

Your audience may be expecting you to impart knowledge on them. But you can flip the script by asking a question up front.

The "Big Question Slide" doesn't take much time to design. It helps you free up time that you can spend thinking about the rest of your content.

When you're writing a presentation, there should always be a goal or big idea. In the example below, I used the minimalist slide design 4 to ask a question of the audience. Over the course of the presentation, I'll answer this question for the audience. 

If you aren't  answering a question or sharing an idea, it might be time to re-think the content. 

3. The Introductory Slide

There's nothing wrong with getting a bit personal in your presentation. Set the stage by building your authority and expertise, and the audience will trust and follow you through the presentation.

BePro has many slide designs that work well for this, but I opted for slide 25. It's a clean and straightforward slide design. It's easy to add points that explain your expertise to the audience. 

As you can see above, I also added a stock photo as the background image. Envato Elements features a ton of stock images as part of the subscription. They're ideal for sourcing a stock image for your presentation. 

In my example slide, I grabbed a great photo and faded it into the background. It's a great reminder that Elements is a total solution for building presentations—not just for the PowerPoint templates.

4. The Roadmap Slide

The roadmap style slide is used to tell the story of where your presentation is headed. I've sat through many presentations that seemed to wander through the agenda and would've benefitted from a roadmap slide. 

When you build a roadmap, you show the audience the direction that you'll take them on over the course of the presentation. 

Slide design 41 might take a bit of customization, but I do think that it's the perfect choice for showcasing your roadmap for the presentation. Just update each of the four placeholder boxes with a key section of your presentation to architect the roadmap of your big speech.

5. The Team Slide

This type of slide is the perfect intro to showcasing a project that was a total team effort. If you're going to spend your presentation sharing how you built a big app, product, or project, it's only right that you share the credit with your team. 

Slide 22  in BePro is the perfect choice to build a team slide of your own. It's tailor-made to drop in images and descriptions of your team members and see it come to life. 

In my example below, I put a vital member of the project team in each of the image placeholders. Giving a brief background or description of their contribution to the project is a great way to set the stage. 

I think the Team Slide approach is perfect when multiple speakers are involved. Some of my favorite presentations are when several different presenters will each take a part of the presentation. If this is the style of your presentation, use a team slide that introduces everyone's role and contributions.

6. The Quote Slide

Starting off with a quote is a great way to build a PowerPoint cover slide. Share a signature quote and you can inspire and engage with your audience! Quotes provide motivation and inspiration. They can be key to helping you convey your message.

Let’s use slide #9 in the BePro template. Over on the left, you’ll see a text placeholder. Here, you can quickly keyboard in a quote to share with your audience. Optionally, up at the top, you can add a title. Using this layout as your title slide makes for a fun and inspiring opener.

As you can see, it’s easy to add a quote to your cover slide PowerPoint design. This is a good way if you’re motivating your audience to take action. Sharing the inspiring words of others helps you inspire confidence and drive your audiences to act on your message. 

7. The Challenge Slide

In PowerPoint, you’re often sharing the solution to a problem. Don’t waste time - address things head-on right away! To do that, consider PPT title slide examples that outline a challenge. After all, if you’re proposing solutions, you first must define the challenge.

Above, I’ve used slide #6 to create a challenge slide. Once again, the process is quick and easy. Simply swap out the placeholder content with your own words and numbers. When you use layouts like this, there will be no confusion on the part of your audience. You can clearly show the challenge that must be accepted. 

5 Quick PowerPoint Title Cover Slide Design Tips for 2024

We've looked at how to make a great PowerPoint cover slide. Soon, you can begin building amazing slides on your own.

Still need inspiration? These tips can serve as PPT title slide ideas. Let's check out five quick design tips that are sure to help you out:

Bold style is essential on your PowerPoint cover page. Remember, you've got one goal: capturing audience attention . Sharp, eye-catching design does exactly that on cover slide PowerPoint designs.

Premium templates built by creatives provide unmatched designs. They even help inspire you to do your very best work. I think of templates as a top source for PPT title slide ideas. And they're incredibly easy to customize, making you look like a PPT expert.

2. Create Your Own Layouts

PPT decks are really frameworks for your message. Inside the app, you've got the flexibility to customize every slide layout. That's never more important than on the first page of PPT presentations.

By adjusting layouts, you can show exactly what you want, where you want. It's the best way to create a memorable and unique PowerPoint cover page.

Ready to implement PPT title slide ideas of your own? Tweaking layouts helps you do just that. Learn how to customize PPT layouts with our quick tutorial:

3. Embrace Minimalism

Minimalism. It's a popular design aesthetic, and for good reason. It adds style without being overpowering or distracting. That's perfect for a PowerPoint cover page.

Try to build a cover showing only the essentials. These could be things like an image, the presentation title, a date, and your name. Be careful to avoid adding clutter: it's a quick way to lose your audience.

4. Add Kinetic Typography

You might not think of animated text. But it's actually a great way to grab attention and lock in audience focus on your title page in PPT. Thanks to PowerPoint, you can add these animations (called kinetic typography) easily.

Kinetic typography brings subtle, stylish text animation to any slide. It's ideal for the first page of PPT presentation layouts in need of a bit more energy.

Learn how to use kinetic typography in just 60 seconds here. It's yet another source of inspiration for PPT title slide ideas:

5. Use Industry-Specific PowerPoint Cover Slides

First impressions are key in a title page in PPT, and you'll make one with your PowerPoint cover page. So why use generic layouts if you can find something specifically suited to your needs?

My favorite PPT title slide ideas are situation specific. That means choosing PowerPoint title slides that match your purpose. Check out Pizzarena , for example. The designs are targeted at a pizza restaurant. That's far from the norm, but it will instantly resonate with your audience with eye-catching intro slide examples.

This might mean choosing a premium template built for your industry. Or, you might add your brand's colors, logos, and more. Either way, being specific and tailoring your cover slide to your needs is sure to impress.

5 Top PowerPoint Title Cover Slide Templates (For 2024 Presentations)

Premium templates from Envato Elements include stunning PowerPoint cover page designs. And remember, they're a top source for intro slide examples. Let's check out five of the very best PowerPoint templates with built-in PPT title slide examples:

1. VERA PowerPoint Template

Bold colors abound in this visually stunning PPT deck. With 55 unique slides, you're sure to find the perfect PowerPoint cover page. Also, inside is a custom icon set that's easy to work with. This title page in PowerPoint template is perfect for almost any project.

2. STYLE - Multipurpose PowerPoint Template V50

Style: it's in the name of this template, and for good reason . This is a perfect example of a sleek, minimalist PowerPoint cover page. Customize it in seconds, and with 4,000 slides to choose from, your options are almost unlimited. You're sure to find outstanding options for title page in PowerPoint designs!

3. IPSUM - PowerPoint

IPSUM offers a key part of a successful PowerPoint cover page. That's creative flexibility. Over 50 layouts are built into the pack. You can use those pre-built designs as PPT title slide examples! You'll also see custom infographics, icons, and more. Each slide element is completely editable.

4. Livy PowerPoint

Searching for a timeless, retro inspired PPT cover page? Livy has you covered. With 50 slides and resizable graphics, it's easy to adapt to your project needs. The included gallery slide makes for a perfect mosaic cover layout. It's yet another great example with PowerPoint title slide examples.

5. Conference PowerPoint Presentation Template

Last but not least is Conference, a modern PowerPoint cover page deck. Choose between multiple color themes and quickly add in your content. Plus, slides are pre-animated, saving you precious time as you build a title page in PowerPoint! Each slide is in full HD, helping them look great on large screens.

More Top PowerPoint Templates

PowerPoint templates give you a tremendous advantage when creating a presentation. Many of them even give you pre-built title page in PowerPoint designs. You've already seen options for PowerPoint cover pages in this tutorial, but these just scratch the surface.

Check out more of the top templates below. Many of these templates give you even more options for PowerPoint title slide examples:

Learn More About How to Use PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a fantastic app because it's easy to learn. But it also has many advanced features that you can use to build beautiful slides. The title slide designs and the template we used to build them are a great example of how easy it can be.

Still want to learn more about PowerPoint? One of the best resources for learning the app is our article,  Ultimate Guide to the Best PPT . That guide and the tutorials below will help you build competence and present confidently.

The Top Source for the Best PowerPoint Cover Slide Templates (With Unlimited Downloads)

As we've shown, the title page of your PowerPoint presentation sets the tone.  But you need to make sure that the rest of your presentation looks good too.

The best way to build a presentation is to use pre-built templates from Envato Elements. Elements has a massive library of PowerPoint presentation designs you can use. Each template has starter slides that you can just drop your own content into! The PowerPoint cover slides we feature are the fastest way to design.

Find PowerPoint Templates

The best part of Elements? It's an all-you-can-download creative buffet. With a single subscription, you've got access to all that Elements offers. It includes thousands of PowerPoint designs plus millions of total creative assets. That includes:

• stock photos
• so much more!

With Elements, finding the perfect assets is easier than ever. Use the tool to find PowerPoint title slide examples, and so much more with a bit of AI-assisted help. Elements now includes a powerful AI search tool ! With it, you can simply describe your own project needs.

With this prompt, Elements will deliver a curated list of assets from the vast library! It's an amazing way to save time and find the perfect content for your title page in PowerPoint. Join Elements and try it today!

Make Great Presentations ( Free PDF eBook Download )

We also have the perfect complement to this PowerPoint tutorial. It walks you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

Download our new eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It's available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

Start Using PowerPoint Cover Pages Today

In this tutorial, you saw some of the best options for PowerPoint cover pages inside of premium templates. These files set the tone with the help of the first page of PPT presentations, presented perfectly. Choose one of these templates and get started now.

When you use these PPT title slide examples, you’re sure to wow your audience. You’ll kick off every presentation with a strong start! You’ll capture attention and keep everyone engaged. Try it today!

Editorial Note: This tutorial was originally published in August of 2019.  It's been revised to make it current, accurate, and up to date by our staff—with special help from Andrew Childress .

• Sep 5, 2023

How to write an attention-grabbing title for a scientific poster

Scientific poster sessions are the best opportunity to be introduced to new, exciting, and potentially unfamiliar research topics. It’s a treasure trove of scientific know-how.

But as you do a little window shopping at the session, how do you decide which poster to walk towards?

Of course, eye-catching visuals are important for drawing attention. Though naturally, your eyes are also going to be drawn to the titles of each poster.

You see the typical “Investigation of X” and the classic “Characterisation of Y”.

It’s kind of what you expected. But you’re the lookout for the unexpected .

Instead, you might be more drawn to bolder posters written by an academic wordsmith with a compelling and captivating title which dares to challenge the literature and tugs at your heartstrings. After all, the title is the first thing the audience tends to read, and can influence whether they want to engage in a conversation with the presenter.

Though what kinds of titles grab the most attention at a poster session?

If you’re at the stage of writing your poster abstract and want to land a solid impression with the attendees, we’ve got a few tips to help you to create a solid title! 👇

Write your main key finding as your title

Have you ever wondered why it’s extremely tempting to click on news articles with headlines which sound like major clickbait?

“Homeless man wins $100M lottery and his life changed FOREVER”

“Family reunited with missing pet dog after searching for 5 long years”

It’s because these titles immediately convey the main take-away or finding of the story, and as readers, we want to know how the article got to that conclusion. I want to know HOW they found their dog and HOW they persevered for 5 years! Tell me MORE!

You can apply that exact same writing principle when concocting your scientific poster title when you’re writing your abstract.

In practice, having your main research take-away displayed as your title can poke and prod at the audience’s curiosity to want know the rest of the story . But it’s important to remember that your title should reflect the closest possible truth and isn’t misleading (i.e. does Drug X “cure” or “alleviate” disease symptoms?)

So why not try a title along the lines of:

“Living fossil discovered in the ancient waters of the Amazon River”

“Killer T-cells possess unique cellular compartments for carrying cytotoxins”

Though if you don’t yet have any conclusive findings, what’s another great approach for writing your title?

Write your title as a short question

This one’s easy! Everyone has a research question for their topic that they know like the back of their lab glove.

If you can shorten yours to <15 words, then you’ve got a solid title right there!

“Do malaria parasites need Protein X and Y in order to grow?”

“Who are the victims of ocean acidification in coral reefs?”

“How do macrophages promote multiple myeloma development?”

Though how else can we be more creative with our titles? 🎨

Write your title as a creative analogy

Have you got a penchant for wordsmithing? For those who want to get a little more creative with their titles, writing an analogy is a great way to dust off your high school poetry skills and makes your findings more accessible to everyone.

We’ve covered analogies for communicating research in extensive detail in our other post , but in a nutshell:

Write a metaphor, like:

“Chromosome 17 contains the blueprints for cellular DNA-damage responses”

“Angiogenesis: Blood vessels are complex highways inside of your body”

Write a simile, like:

“Black holes are like whirlpools in outer space: a model of their formation”

“Click-chemistry is like putting together pieces of LEGO ”

Not sure what analogy you could use? Perhaps you can ask a handy tool to inspire you. 👇

Write your title with the aid of Generative AI

We spend a LOT of brainpower on science already. So if any of the above examples resonated with you (but you just can’t think of a good title that hits the spot), pass the job over to generative AI!

After all, it’s no secret that generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, are helping us to develop new ideas by cutting down brainstorming time. If you’re not familiar with these tools, check out our guide here .

Then, after introducing your topic to your preferred AI model (perhaps by first feeding it your abstract), you can ask it these simple prompts:

“What is my main key finding or take-away message based on my abstract?”

“Write me 10 catchy titles which are <15 words based on my abstract”

“Write me 10 creative analogies for my research topic based on my abstract”

“What key research question am I asking based on my abstract?”

“Tell me something cool about my abstract that I don’t yet know myself” 🤪

Make an impact at your next poster session!

Ready with your brand new poster title? Fantastic! ✨

Though perhaps the title is all you’ve got time for, and there’s still the matter of actually DESIGNING the rest of the poster. And you’re running out of time until the conference!

Animate Your Science’s poster design services will connect you with our team of PhD-trained science communicators and professional artists to craft you a poster that’ll grab everyone’s attention. From layout to illustrations, allow us to take care of the design work so you can focus on what’s most important: your research!

Contact our team today to maximise your research poster’s impact.

Related Posts

How to use ChatGPT: Opportunities and Risks for Researchers

How to deliver an engaging scientific poster presentation: Dos and Don’ts!

5 compelling reasons to create a fresh scientific poster for every conference

Presentation

Different Types of Slides for Your Presentations

Table of Contents

Presentations are a great way to share information and ideas. Whether you’re selling a product, teaching a class, or showing off your work, the slides you use can make a big difference.

There are many different kinds of slides you can add to your presentations, each with its own purpose and advantages. By knowing the different types of slides and how to use them well, you can create interesting and informative presentations that will stick with your audience.

Different Types of Slides

There are many different types of slides that you can use in your presentations. Some of the most common types include:

Opening Slides

1. title slide.

The title slide is your chance to make a strong first impression and set the tone for your presentation. It should clearly convey the topic, your identity, and relevant details. A good title is both practical and creative.

The main title is the focal point and should be concise yet descriptive. Use a large font size that’s easy to read from a distance. If needed, add a subtitle for more context. Clearly state your name, job title, and affiliation. Include the date and venue for reference.

Design your slide to reflect your brand or personal style using logos, colors, and fonts. Keep it clean and uncluttered for a professional look. Remember, less is more. Use high contrast for readability and avoid distracting background images. Consider adding subtle effects like fade-in or morph for visual interest.

2. Agenda Slide

Agenda slides serve as a valuable tool for guiding your audience through the structure of your presentation. By outlining the main topics and their expected duration, you can help them anticipate the flow of information and manage their expectations.

This is especially beneficial for lengthy presentations or academic talks where a clear roadmap can enhance understanding and engagement.

When creating an agenda slide, consider including the following elements:

• Clear Topic List: Present a concise and well-organized list of the main topics to be covered.
• Optional Timings: Indicate the estimated duration of each section to provide a sense of pacing.
• Visual Progress Indicator: Use checkmarks, arrows, or other visual cues to highlight the current topic and show what’s ahead.
• Distinctive Headings: Use clear and concise headings to visually separate different sections.
• Hyperlink Integration: If using PowerPoint, consider adding hyperlinks to specific slides to ensure smooth navigation and avoid abrupt jumps.

Learn more on How to Create Agenda Slides in Powerpoint .

Transitional Slides

Transitional slides act like bridges that connect different parts of your presentation. They help your audience smoothly move from one topic to the next. These slides are important because they:

• Clearly Signal a Change: Let your audience know that you’re moving on to something new.
• Keep the Audience Engaged: Prevent sudden jumps between topics, helping them stay focused.
• Make Your Presentation More Visually Interesting: Add variety and visual appeal.

Here are some examples of transitional slides:

3. Quote Slide

Quote slides incorporate wisdom, authority, or inspiration from renowned sources into your presentations. They can provide strong support for your arguments or motivate your audience.

These slides are perfect for emphasizing a point, sparking thought, or introducing a new direction in your presentation. Use them to highlight the importance of an idea.

Here are the elements of a quote slide:

• The Quote: Clearly presented and attributed to the speaker or writer. The text should be easy to read and emphasized to stand out.
• Author’s Name and Credentials: Provide context by including the author’s name and, if relevant, their qualifications or why they are an expert on the topic.
• Related Imagery or Background: An image or design that matches the theme of the quote can make it more impactful.

Consider using a quote presentation template with a professional layout. You can find something directly on SlidesAI . For readability, ensure there is a good contrast between the text and the background. Text boxes with backgrounds are often used. If you use an image, choose one that enhances the text, not competes with it.

4. Image Slides

Image slides can significantly make your presentations better by gaining attention with their visual appeal and transitions. For a smooth flow, use a full-screen image with a fade effect. To create a more dynamic experience, experiment with the Morph transition between slides featuring overlapping images.

You can also build anticipation with a thematic image series that subtly connects your topics. Remember to keep these transitions concise and impactful to maintain your audience’s attention.

Closing Slides

5. q&a slide.

Q&A slides are often used in presentations for various reasons. For instance, some presenters like to ask questions to the audience after their presentation and answer any questions they may have.

Other presentations might encourage the audience or panel members to ask questions throughout the presentation. If you’re planning to incorporate Q&A into your presentation, consider using some well-designed templates to make a positive impression.

6. CTA Slides

A call-to-action slide, or CTA slide for short, serves to encourage viewers to take a specific step after your presentation. This could range from initiating a conversation to purchasing a product or service, or even engaging in a project.

Typically placed at the end, following the concluding remarks and thank you slide, the CTA aims to spark immediate action. Here’s what makes a strong CTA slide:

•  A Clear Direction: The heart of the CTA itself should be direct and persuasive. Think of something like “Register Now,” “Join Our Team,” or “Visit Us Online.”
• Reasons to Act: Briefly remind viewers of the benefits they reap by taking action. This strengthens the appeal and motivates them to follow through.
• Contact Information or Links: Make it easy for them to act! Include all necessary links or contact details so viewers know exactly where to go next.
• Visually Appealing Design: Grab their attention! Use a design that pops and features large, easy-to-read text. Opt for strong, action-oriented language to drive the message home.

7. Summary Slide

A summary slide is a great way to give your viewers an overview of the presentation once it ends. By recapping everything that was presented, summary slides make it easier to remember the most important takeaways.

A summary slide should include:

• Important Points: Clearly summarize the main points covered in your presentation.
• Visual Recap: Use simple visuals like graphics, charts, or callouts to visually represent significant data or conclusions.
• Concluding Remark: End with a sentence or two that encapsulates the overall message or conclusion of your presentation
• Maintain consistency in styling throughout your presentation for a cohesive look.
• Use color or size variations to emphasize the hierarchy of concepts summarized.

Closing Thoughts

Understanding the different types of slides and how to use them can significantly enhance your presentations. Feel free to mix and match slides based on your needs and presentation style. By choosing the right slides, you can create a more engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

Create presentation slides with AI in Seconds in Google Slides

10M+ Installs

Works with Google Slides

Frequently Asked Questions

Which are the important slides for any presentation.

The core slides include:

• Title Slide: Captures attention with your presentation title, your name, and affiliation (if applicable).
• Agenda Slide: Briefly outline the key points you’ll cover, setting expectations for your audience.
• Closing Slide: Summarize your main takeaways and leave a lasting impression.

I have a ton of data. Should I use a text-heavy slide or a chart?

Charts win every time! Bullet points and dense text overload audiences. Visualize your data with clear charts (bar graphs, pie charts) to make it easily digestible.

Can I use images and videos in my slides?

Absolutely! High-quality visuals like pictures, infographics, and short videos can boost engagement and illustrate complex concepts. Just ensure they’re relevant and add value.

How can I make my slides more visually appealing?

Maintain a consistent color scheme, use high-resolution images, and avoid clutter. Explore presentation software features like animations and transitions, but use them sparingly to avoid distraction.

How can I find high-quality visual templates for my slides? 

There are many resources available! Many presentation software programs like SlidesAI offer built-in image libraries. You can also find free stock photo websites or purchase royalty-free images from online marketplaces. Remember to check licensing requirements before using any visuals.

Are there any slide types I should avoid?

Slides overloaded with text are a major turn-off for audiences. Aim for visuals and concise points. Similarly, avoid excessive animations and transitions, which can be distracting.

Related Posts

Streamline Your Presentations with Automated Presentation Software

What are Automated Presentation Tools? Automated presentation tools are software applications or platforms that use artificial intelligence and automation technology to generate visually compelling and professional presentations from textual content. These technologies speed up presentation development procedures, save time, and improve presentation quality by automating several tasks, including slide layout design, formatting, and content summarising. […]

How to Time Slides on Google Slides

Presentations can be a powerful tool for sharing information and captivating your audience. But a presentation that drags on or rushes through key points can lose its impact. This blog will guide you through mastering the art of slide timing in Google Slides. We’ll explore how to set the perfect pace for your presentation, whether […]

8 Types of Presentation with Examples and Tips

Every presentation is different, reflecting your unique business and the information you share. But, some common presentation types are used across various fields and teams. Before diving into specific slides or organization, consider the type that best suits your audience.

Save Time and Effortlessly Create Presentations with SlidesAI

Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Make a Presentation Longer: 7 Strategies to Master

How to Make a Presentation Longer: 7 Strategies to Master

A common question asked by presenters is how to extend a presentation’s duration. This can be because they feel the topic is covered superficially for the audience’s knowledge level or because they find themselves intimidated by the allocated time slot. Either way, adding filler content without care can lead to losing audience interest and significantly impact the presentation’s effectiveness.

The key to making a presentation longer without compromising quality lies in enhancing content depth, utilizing visual and interactive elements, and effectively managing the timing of the delivery. In this article, we will explore seven different strategies for extending a presentation’s length while preserving its quality and ensuring the additional time is meaningful.

Table of Contents

Strategy 1 – Expanding Content Depth

Strategy 2 – enhancing visuals and multimedia, strategy 3 – interactive elements and audience engagement, strategy 4 – revisiting and recapping, strategy 5 – time management and pacing, strategy 6 – supplementary materials and handouts, strategy 7 – enhancing the introduction and conclusion, final words.

As we previously mentioned, the feeling that the presentation can go much in depth is frequent when presenters have to simplify the complexity of their ideas (check our article on how to present complex concepts for more information) to meet the audience’s knowledge level. This can either work or be a total disaster if the presentation is trimmed without considering if the audience is getting a clear picture of what you’re explaining.

N.B.: If you’re wondering how to simplify explanations in your presentation to speak with a non-technical audience, check our article on applying Feynman’s Technique for presentations . 

Revisiting Core Topics: Adding Depth to Key Points

Start by reviewing the main topics of your presentation. Identify areas where you can provide additional insights or expand on existing points. This could involve discussing the historical context, exploring underlying theories, or addressing potential counterarguments. By doing so, you not only lengthen your presentation but also offer a more thorough exploration of the subject matter. This is a strategy commonly applied in thesis presentations .

For example, if your presentation is on marketing strategies, you could delve into the psychological principles behind consumer behavior or discuss the evolution of marketing trends over the years. This added depth can provide valuable context and make your presentation more compelling.

Providing Additional Examples and Case Studies

Real-world examples and case studies are powerful tools that help illustrate key points and make abstract concepts more relatable. By including more examples and detailed case studies, you can extend the length of your presentation while enhancing its practical value.

Consider breaking down elaborate examples step-by-step, analyzing the outcomes, and discussing lessons learned. You can also compare multiple case studies to highlight different approaches or outcomes, adding depth and duration to your presentation. An ideal tool for such a purpose is a comparison chart .

Integrating Data and Statistics

Data and statistics add credibility and authority to your presentation. More data points, charts, and graphs can help you fill additional time while supporting your arguments with concrete evidence.

When presenting data , take the time to explain its significance, how it was gathered, and what it means in the context of your topic. This will add length and ensure that your audience fully understands the importance of the information presented.

Visual elements and multimedia can significantly contribute to a presentation’s overall length and quality. By thoughtfully incorporating more slides, videos, and interactive media, you can both extend your presentation and make it more visually appealing.

Using More Slides with Detailed Information

One simple way to extend your presentation is by adding more slides. However, it’s essential to ensure that these slides contribute meaningful content. Apply one of the core concepts of the 10-20-30 rule of PowerPoint presentations and deliver one idea per slide.

For instance, if discussing a new software tool, you could dedicate one slide to its features, another to its benefits, and additional slides to real-world applications. This approach allows you to cover more ground without overwhelming your audience with too much information on a single slide.

Adding Videos and Animations

Working with video presentations and adding animations to PowerPoint slide decks can effectively increase the length of your presentation while providing a dynamic change of pace. Videos can serve as powerful visual aids, offering demonstrations, testimonials, or additional context that might be difficult to convey through text alone.

Ensure that any videos or animations used are directly relevant to the content and add value to the presentation. You can also pause after the video to discuss its content in detail, further extending the time. Another tip we can mention from our experience is to test the control buttons for the video, as sometimes presenters lose a lot of time trying to stop or rewind a video if a question arises.

Incorporating Infographics and Diagrams

Presentation infographics and diagrams are valuable tools for summarizing complex information in a visually engaging way. By taking the time to explain each component of an infographic or diagram, you can extend your presentation while helping your audience better understand the material.

For example, if your presentation involves explaining a process, a flowchart or diagram can break down each step. You can then discuss each part in detail, highlighting its significance and how it contributes to the overall process.

Let’s be clear: audience engagement is THE power element to extend your presentation’s length. This can be as simple as incorporating exercises inside your presentations, like questions to let the audience think about an idea. This section will explore three different approaches to boosting engagement through audience interaction.

Including Q&A Sessions

Designating specific times for Q&A sessions throughout the presentation effectively engages your audience and extends the presentation’s length. Encourage your audience to ask questions about the content you’ve covered and provide thorough answers.

If you anticipate questions that require more detailed responses, consider preparing additional slides or materials to support your answers. This lengthens the presentation and ensures that your audience feels their questions are being addressed comprehensively.

Q&A sessions don’t have to be neglected to the final part of your presentation. You can add them in the middle after defining a series of concepts and then engage with the audience to test their understanding until that point.

Utilizing Polls and Surveys

Interactive presentation elements like polls and surveys are great tools for involving your audience and gathering real-time feedback. You can use polling software to ask questions during the presentation, and the results will be displayed instantly on the screen, or work with a traditional method like survey PPT templates .

After each poll, discuss the results. You can compare them to industry data or research and explore what the answers might imply about your audience’s perspectives. This interaction extends the presentation and makes it more engaging for participants.

Encouraging Group Discussions

This strategy is commonly used in motivational presentations when speakers invite their audience to do two—to three-minute exercises in which a question is asked between pairs. 

After the group discussions, bring the audience together to share insights and observations. You can then comment on these points, adding your own perspective and tying the discussion back to the main content of your presentation.

Revisiting key points and providing recaps is a highly effective strategy for increasing content retention while extending the duration of your presentation.

Summarizing Key Points After Each Section

Summarize the key points at the end of each major section of your presentation. This reinforces the material and helps the audience retain the information.

Briefly recapping the content allows you to transition smoothly into the next section, which can naturally lengthen the presentation. This practice not only aids retention but also ensures that your audience stays on track with the flow of the presentation. Additionally, it can be a good strategy if the slide deck is repurposed in PDF format so the audience can revisit each section and remember the concepts.

Providing Multiple Recaps Throughout the Presentation

In addition to summarizing after each section, consider including recaps at various points throughout your presentation. These could be more detailed and involve revisiting earlier content in light of new information presented later.

For instance, if you introduce a concept early in the presentation, you could revisit it in a new context, showing how it applies to a different aspect of your topic. This would extend the presentation and deepen the audience’s understanding of the content.

We’ve spoken in the past about the importance of time management in leadership . For presenters, time management is as clear as understanding which is the adequate pacing for your speech, which areas to prioritize, and where you feel you can add an extra edge for the sake of improving your performance as a presenter.

Slowing Down Delivery for Emphasis

Presenters can naturally extend their presentation by slowing down their delivery, particularly when emphasizing key points. Speaking more slowly and deliberately can give your audience time to absorb the information and reflect on your words.

This approach also gives you the opportunity to elaborate on important concepts, ask rhetorical questions, and create a more thoughtful, measured pace for your presentation.

Practicing to Ensure Adequate Timing

Practice is essential for acknowledging that your presentation is the correct length. By rehearsing multiple times, you can identify areas where you can slow down, add more detail, or insert pauses for reflection or interaction.

Consider timing yourself during practice runs to see where you might need to extend or shorten sections. This will help you achieve a balanced, well-paced presentation that meets your time goals. 

Providing supplementary materials and handouts can add depth to your presentation and extend its duration by encouraging ongoing engagement with the content.

Preparing Extended Handouts

Create detailed presentation handouts that expand on the content of your talk. These can include additional information, resources for further reading, or detailed explanations of complex topics.

Refer to these handouts during the presentation and walk through them with your audience. This not only extends the presentation but also ensures that the audience has access to valuable take-home materials.

Distributing Reading Materials During the Presentation

If appropriate, you can distribute reading materials during the presentation and give the audience time to read them before continuing. These could be articles, reports, or any other document that adds to the presentation content.

After the reading, take the time to discuss the material with the audience, asking for their thoughts or providing your analysis. This is a well-known method of encouraging active learning in presentations.

Using Post-Presentation Content for Extended Engagement

To extend engagement after the presentation, consider offering additional content or activities. This could include follow-up emails with additional resources, online discussions, or even a webinar that delves deeper into the topic.

The introduction and conclusion of a presentation are critical moments that set the stage and leave a lasting impression. Expanding these sections can effectively lengthen your presentation while ensuring it is impactful from start to finish.

Starting with a Detailed Introduction

Presenters often dwell on the best way to start a presentation . A well-crafted introduction does more than just outline the structure of your presentation—it sets the tone and provides context that can draw in your audience. Take time to introduce the topic comprehensively, explaining why it matters and how it relates to the audience’s interests or challenges.

You might also include a brief overview of what led you to explore the topic, such as personal experiences, research findings, or current industry trends. This adds a narrative element to your presentation, making it more engaging and setting the stage for the detailed content to follow.

Additionally, consider using an anecdote, a thought-provoking question, or a surprising statistic to hook your audience from the start. These elements capture attention and allow you to explore the topic from different angles, thus extending the length of your introduction.

Expanding on the Conclusion with Actionable Takeaways

The conclusion of your presentation should do more than simply recap the content—it should also offer actionable takeaways that the audience can apply in their own work or lives. Take the time to clearly articulate these takeaways, explaining why they are important and how they can be implemented.

You can also revisit any questions or challenges posed in the introduction, providing answers or solutions based on the content covered in the presentation. This full-circle approach reinforces the material and adds additional time as you guide the audience through applying what they’ve learned.

Consider ending with a call to action slide , encouraging your audience to take specific steps based on the information presented. Whether it’s implementing a new strategy, conducting further research, or simply reflecting on the insights shared, a strong conclusion with clear next steps can significantly extend the duration of your presentation while leaving a lasting impact.

We’ve explored seven ways of creating more meaningful time in your presentations, several of which encourage active audience participation. Working on your presentation skills is a good idea to optimize your abilities in handling transitions, unexpected pauses, unplanned questions, and any inconvenience that can divert your attention from the planned course. 

Whether you are preparing for a business, academic, or public speaking event, the strategies outlined in this article provide a comprehensive guide to ensuring your presentation is both longer and more impactful.

Like this article? Please share

Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Filed under Presentation Ideas

Related Articles

Filed under Google Slides Tutorials • August 29th, 2024

How to Insert an Equation in Google Slides

Make your math-related slides stand out by learning the different methods for how to insert an equation in Google Slides.

Filed under Presentation Ideas • August 22nd, 2024

How to Write a Presentation Script

The script of a speech is a vital aspect for a presentation’s success. Join us here to learn the process of writing a presentation script.

Filed under Business • August 7th, 2024

How to Moderate Question-and-Answer Sessions in Your Presentation

Reduce your anxiety over Q&A sessions by learning how to moderate this part of your presentations. A step-by-step guide.

Leave a Reply

• Essay Editor

College Assignment Heading: A Simple Guide for Formatting

Crafting an effective college assignment heading is key to making a strong first impression on professors. The title serves as the face of your paper and reflects your focus on precision and adherence to academic standards. Curious about how to create a proper title? This guide provides clear instructions on creating an impressive college paper heading, guiding you to comprehend what a header in writing is, and the appropriate way to format it. By applying these tips and guidelines, be confident your prep aligns with the required scholarly standards. 

Basic Rules for an Assignment Header

A well-organized college assignment heading is crucial for clearly identifying your assignment and presenting it professionally. Adhering to the basic rules will help you craft a carefully designed title:

•  Include Crucial Information: A typical heading generally features the student and teacher’s name and surname, the due date, and the current course name. Clearly display and align the project’s title to the document’s left margin. 
•  Use the Correct Font and Size: Standard academic papers require a legible font like Times New Roman or sometimes Arial and 12-point size. Avoid choosing decorative fonts that may undermine the professional quality of your composition. 
•  Follow Proper Spacing Guidelines: Your prep’s heading needs to be double-spaced, and coherent with the remainder of the writing. This maintains uniformity and readability within the document. 
•  Add Page Numbers (if indicated): Some teachers might ask for page numbers to be positioned in the header section. So, format them as per the given instructions. 

A well-crafted essay title guarantees your assignment recognition for clarity and compliance with academic standards, paving the way for successful submission.

How to Head an Assignment?

Understanding what is a heading in an essay and grasping how to head a paper correctly are foundational skills in scholarly writing. A proper essay header normally contains the instructor’s and student’s details, the course code or title, the current date, and the prep’s title. Most colleges follow APA, MLA, or Chicago-style guidelines, so familiarize yourself with these standards. Your header needs to be aligned correctly and placed where it doesn’t interfere with your work’s content. Adhering to these guidelines ensures your college paper heading is both succinct and polished.

Formatting Rules for a Heading

Following these guidelines guarantees your heading format meets academic expectations:

•  Ensure Consistent Alignment: Align all components of your header close to the left margin, maintaining uniformity in the paper. 
•  Use Double-Spacing: Keep double-spacing between the lines of your prep’s heading. 
•  Avoid Unnecessary Information: Keep the college heading concise, avoiding any extra text or embellishments. 
•  Capitalization and Punctuation: Properly capitalize and punctuate your essay heading consistent with style guidelines, ensuring consistency across the prep. 
•  Consistency: Use identical size, font, and style for all components in your header. 

Adhering to these rules will give your composition a polished look. This simplifies it for the lecturer to move through your composition.

Why Is a Good College Assignment Heading Important?

A skillfully designed paper heading gives your assignment a sophisticated look and helps to clearly organize the essentials for your readers. It signals to your lecturer that you have carefully followed educational standards and put thought into every aspect of your project. In addition, a proper heading for an essay guarantees that all relevant data is easily accessible. That’s specifically useful in larger classes where preps are handled by multiple lecturers or TAs. By concentrating on a succinct and accurate essay heading, you set a strong foundation for the rest of your home tasks.

Tips for Refining Your College Paper Heading

Refining your college paper heading is vital to guarantee it meets academic criteria and effectively represents your paper. By carefully focusing on the particulars, you can elevate the expertise and coherence of your home assignment. See some practical tips to consider:

•  Review institutional guidelines: Always verify your institution's detailed formatting instructions or templates to ensure adherence. 
•  Keep it simple: Steer clear of irrelevant information in your heading; a clean, straightforward format is best. 
•  Maintain consistency: Make sure that the font, size, and alignment are uniform across your header. 
•  Double-check accuracy: Verify that all components in your title, comprising your name and surname, course name, and submission date, are correct. 
•  Align with your prep's style: Confirm the header complements the overall tone and style of your written work. 

By applying these suggestions, you can develop an assignment title that fulfills academic standards and improves the overall appearance of your prep.

 Recap

A well-formatted college paper heading is a minor but vital part of academic composition. From understanding what a title is to mastering how to head a text, focusing on these details can make a notable difference in the overall presentation of your composition. Always stick to the fundamental formatting standards and each time confirm that you follow the heading format specified by your educational institution's guidelines. To further enhance your writing, consider utilizing our tools at AI Essay Detector and College Essay Generator to help you create outstanding essays with ease.

Related articles

How to write essays faster using ai.

Creating various topical texts is an obligatory assignment during studies. For a majority of students, it seems like a real headache. It is quite difficult to write a smooth and complex work, meeting all the professors' requirements. However, thanks to modern technologies there appeared a good way of getting a decent project – using AI to write essays. We'd like to acquaint you with Aithor, an effective tool of this kind, able to perform fine and elaborated texts, and, of course, inspiration, i ...

What Is Self-Plagiarism & How To Avoid It

Have you ever thought about whether using your own work again could be seen as copying? It might seem strange, but self-plagiarism is a real issue in school and work writing. Let's look at what this means and learn how to avoid self-plagiarism so your work stays original and ethical. What is self-plagiarism? Self-plagiarism, also called auto-plagiarism or duplicate plagiarism, happens when a writer uses parts of their old work without saying where it came from. This isn't just about copying w ...

What is Citation and Why Should You Cite the Sources When Writing Content

When we write something for school, work, or just for fun, we often use ideas and facts from other places. This makes us ask: what is a citation in writing? Let's find out what this means and why it's really important when we write. What is Citation? Citation in research refers to the practice of telling your readers where you got your information, ideas, or exact words from. It's like showing them the path to the original information you used in your writing. When you cite something, you us ...

Top 10 Use Cases for AI Writers

Writing is changing a lot because of AI. But don't worry — AI won't take human writers' jobs. It's a tool that can make our work easier and help us write better. When we use AI along with our own skills, we can create good content faster and better. AI can help with many parts of writing, from coming up with ideas to fixing the final version. Let's look at the top 10 ways how to use AI for content creation and how it can make your writing better. What Is AI Content Writing? AI content writin ...

Paraphrasing vs Plagiarism: Do They Really Differ?

Academic assignments require much knowledge and skill. One of the most important points is rendering and interpreting material one has ever studied. A person should avoid presenting word-for-word plagiarism but express his or her thoughts and ideas as much as possible. However, every fine research is certain to be based on the previous issues, data given, or concepts suggested. And here it's high time to differentiate plagiarism and paraphrasing, to realize its peculiarities and cases of usage. ...

How to Write a Dialogue in an Essay: Useful Tips

A correct usage of dialogues in essays may seem quite difficult at first sight. Still there are special issues, for instance, narrative or descriptive papers, where this literary technique will be a good helper in depicting anyone's character. How to add dialogues to the work? How to format them correctly? Let's discuss all relevant matters to master putting conversation episodes into academic essays. Essay Dialogue: Definition & Purpose A dialogue is a literary technique for presenting a con ...

Can Plagiarism Be Detected on PDF?

Plagiarism has been a challenge for a long time in writing. It's easy to find information online, which might make some people use it without saying where it came from. But plagiarism isn't just taking someone else's words. Sometimes, we might do it by accident or even use our own old work without mentioning it. When people plagiarize, they can get into serious trouble. They might lose others' trust or even face legal problems. Luckily, we now have tools to detect plagiarism. But what about PDF ...

Plagiarism: 7 Types in Detail

Your professor says that it is necessary to avoid plagiarism when writing a research paper, essay, or any project based on the works of other people, so to say, any reference source. But what does plagiarism mean? What types of it exist? And how to formulate the material to get rid of potential bad consequences while rendering original texts? Today we try to answer these very questions. Plagiarism: Aspect in Brief Plagiarism is considered to be a serious breach, able to spoil your successful ...

Title Case Capitalization

APA Style uses two types of capitalization for titles of works (such as paper titles ) and headings within works : title case and sentence case .

In title case, major words are capitalized, and most minor words are lowercase. In sentence case, most major and minor words are lowercase ( proper nouns are an exception in that they are always capitalized).

• major words: Nouns, verbs (including linking verbs), adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, and all words of four letters or more are considered major words.
• minor words: Short (i.e., three letters or fewer) conjunctions, short prepositions, and all articles are considered minor words.

Title case capitalization is covered in the seventh edition APA Style manuals in the Publication Manual Section 6.17 and the Concise Guide Section 5.7

How to implement title case

In title case, capitalize the following words in a title or heading:

• the first word of the title or heading, even if it is a minor word such as “The” or “A”
• the first word of a subtitle
• the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading
• major words, including the second part of hyphenated major words (e.g., “Self-Report,” not “Self-report”)
• words of four letters or more (e.g., “With,” “Between,” “From”)

Lowercase only minor words that are three letters or fewer in a title or heading (except the first word in a title or subtitle or the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading):

• short conjunctions (e.g., “and,” “as,” “but,” “for,” “if,” “nor,” “or,” “so,” “yet”)
• articles (“a,” “an,” “the”)
• short prepositions (e.g., “as,” “at,” “by,” “for,” “in,” “of,” “off,” “on,” “per,” “to,” “up,” “via”)

When to use title case

Use title case for the following:

• titles of articles, books, reports, and other works appearing in text

In the book Train Your Mind for Peak Performance: A Science-Based Approach for Achieving Your Goals

In the article “Turning Frowns (and Smiles) Upside Down: A Multilevel Examination of Surface Acting Positive and Negative Emotions on Well-Being”

• titles of tests or measures, including subscales

Beck Depression Inventory–II

• all headings within a work (Levels 1–5; these are also bold or bold italic)
• the title of your own paper and of named sections and subsections within it

the Results section

• titles of periodicals (these are also italicized)

Journal of Latinx Psychology

Chicago Tribune

• table titles (these are also italicized)
• figure titles (these are also italicized), axis labels, and legends

We Trust in Human Precision

20,000+ Professional Language Experts Ready to Help. Expertise in a variety of Niches.

API Solutions

• API Pricing
• Cost estimate
• Customer loyalty program
• Educational Discount
• Non-Profit Discount
• Green Initiative Discount1

Value-Driven Pricing

Unmatched expertise at affordable rates tailored for your needs. Our services empower you to boost your productivity.

• Special Discounts
• Enterprise transcription solutions
• Enterprise translation solutions
• Transcription/Caption API
• AI Transcription Proofreading API

Trusted by Global Leaders

GoTranscript is the chosen service for top media organizations, universities, and Fortune 50 companies.

GoTranscript

One of the Largest Online Transcription and Translation Agencies in the World. Founded in 2005.

Speaker 1: Today we will discuss what is perhaps the most single important element of your research paper, the title. The title is the first thing that journal editors and reviewers see when they look at your paper. It is also the only piece of information that fellow researchers will see in a database or search engine query. Therefore, you want to make sure the title captures all of the relevant aspects of your study but does so in a way that is accessible and captivating to readers. Follow these steps to create a perfect title for your paper. First, ask yourself some questions about what your paper seeks to answer and what it accomplishes. What is my paper about? My paper studies how program volume affects outcomes for liver transplant patients on waiting lists. What methods or techniques did I use to perform my study? I employed a case study. What or who was the subject of my study? I studied 60 liver transplant patients on a waiting list in the U.S. aged 20 to 50 years. What were the results? Positive correlation between waiting list volume and poor outcome of transplant procedure. After answering these questions, move on to the second step, which is to identify and list key words and phrases from these responses. Program volume, outcomes, liver transplant patients, waiting lists, case study, 60 liver transplant patients, age 20 to 50 years, positive correlation. These keywords will form the foundation of your title. Once you have identified and listed these keywords, use them to create one long sentence. This study used a case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the U.S. aged 20 to 50 years to assess how the waiting list volume affects the outcome of liver transplantation in patients. These indicate a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and a negative prognosis after transplant procedure. Next create a working title. Remove elements that make it a complete sentence, but keep everything that is most important to what the study is about. Delete all unnecessary or redundant words. Now let's shift some words around and rephrase it a bit to shorten the length and make it leaner and yet more natural. What you are left with is a case study of 60 liver transplant patients around the U.S. aged 20 to 50 years assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcome of a transplantation and showing a positive correlation between increased waiting list volume and negative prognosis. This is getting closer to what we want in a title, which is just the most important information. But note that the word count for this working title is still 38 words, whereas the average published journal article title is 16 words or fewer. Therefore we need to eliminate some words and phrases that are not essential to the title. In step 5 you will delete all extra words and phrases and put key words at the beginning and end of your title. Since the number of patients studied and the exact outcome are not the most essential elements of this paper, remove these elements first. In addition, the methods used in a study are not usually the most searched for keywords in databases and represent additional details that you may want to remove to make your title a little leaner. So we are left with assessing the impact of waiting list volume on outcome and prognosis in liver transplantation patients. In this final version you can immediately see how much clearer the title is and what the study is about and what it aims to achieve. And note that the important terms are written at the beginning and the end of the title. Assessing, which is the main action of the study, is at the beginning and liver transplantation patients, the specific subject of the study, is given at the end. This will help a lot with search engine and database queries, meaning that a lot more researchers will find your article once it is published. And if you want to add a subtitle to give more detail about methodology, you can do this by putting this information after a colon. A case study of US adult patients ages 20 to 25. We abide strictly by our word count rule, this may be unnecessary, but every journal has its own standard formatting and style guidelines for titles, so it's a good idea to be aware of these both while writing your title and writing the study itself. So let's review these steps. First, answer some basic questions about your paper. Next, identify and list keywords and phrases from these responses. Third, turn these keywords into a long sentence. Out of this long sentence you can create a working title, deleting any unnecessary and redundant words. Last, delete any extra elements to meet a suitable word count for your title. Note key terms at the beginning and the end, and again you may add a subtitle if it seems necessary or important to this study. Keep these tips in mind when creating your research paper title. Write the title after you've written your paper in abstract. Include all of your paper's essential terms. Keep it short and to the point, about 16 words or fewer is best. Avoid using jargon or abbreviations that will not be understandable by the general reader. Use keywords that closely relate to the content of your paper, and never use a period at the end of your title. Remember, your title is not a sentence. For more tips on how to improve your writing, visit wordvice.com and check out our resources page where you will find a great many helpful articles and videos. And be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel and social media pages to stay up to date with more excellent academic writing and journal publications content.

• School Life

Best Anchoring Script for Teacher’s Day 2024 for School Performance

Anchoring script for teachers’ day in school: get here the best, funny, and engaging anchoring script ideas for teachers’ day assemblies in school. know what questions can be asked from teachers and students during the activities to make it more touching.  you can download the script in pdf format for easy understanding. read the complete script suggestions and give the special school assembly a smoother presentation..

Best Anchoring Script for Teachers’ Day: India celebrates September 5 as Teacher’s Day to mark the birthday of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a prominent Indian philosopher, statesman, and the 2nd President of India. This day is special for the student-teacher bond. On this day, students recognise the efforts of their teachers and organise activities to make them feel happy and special. The day starts with a special assembly for Teachers’ Day that includes speeches, poems, and activities for teachers to participate in. Check out the anchoring script ideas for Teachers’ Day celebrations here. Make your script more interactive by adding engaging questions for teachers and students during the Teachers’ Day activities.

• Teachers' Day Song Suggestions
• Teacher's Day 2024 Quiz in Hindi

Why Teachers' Day is Celebrated on Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Birthday?

How to make the best anchoring script.

Anchoring Script For Teacher’s Day 2024 in School

Questions You Can Add To Anchoring Script on Teachers’ Day

1. for teachers:.

• "Can you share one memorable experience from your teaching journey that has stayed with you over the years?"
• "What inspired you to become a teacher, and what keeps you motivated every day?"
• "If you could give one piece of advice to your students, what would it be?"

2. For Students:

• "Can you describe a moment when a teacher helped you overcome a challenge?"
• "Which teacher has had the biggest impact on your life, and why?"
• "What is one lesson from a teacher that you will never forget?"

3. General Questions:

• "What do you think makes a teacher great?"
• "If you were a teacher for a day, how would you teach your favourite subject?"
• "What is the most fun activity you have done in class with your teacher?"

4. For a Fun Segment:

• "If you had to give your teacher a fun award, what would it be?" (e.g., “Best Storyteller” or “Most Likely to Crack Jokes”)
• "What is one funny or unexpected thing a teacher has said or done in class?"
• "If your teacher were a superhero, what would their superpower be?"

These questions can add a personal and interactive touch to the event, encouraging both teachers and students to share their experiences and thoughts.

• Teachers’ Day Celebration School Assembly Ideas
• Teacher’s Day Quiz
• Top 5 Classroom Decoration Ideas with Images
• Teachers Day Drawing Ideas for School Students
• Teacher’s Day Speech in English
• 10 Lines on Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
• Teacher's Day Song Suggestions for School Performance (2024)
• 10 Best Teacher’s Day 2024 Poems in English
• शिक्षक दिवस पर पढ़ें कविताएँ और दोहे
• Teacher’s Day Essay 2024
• 45+ Teacher's Day Thoughts And Best Quotes By Students To Their Favourite Educator!
• Teacher's Day Card Ideas 2024: Easy and Creative Handmade Greeting Card Designs For Kids and Students!

Get here latest School , CBSE and Govt Jobs notification and articles in English and Hindi for Sarkari Naukari , Sarkari Result and Exam Preparation . Download the Jagran Josh Sarkari Naukri App .

• What should be included in an anchoring script for Teachers’ Day? + A typical anchoring script for Teachers’ Day includes a welcome address, introductions of guests and performers, announcements, and a closing speech.
• Who is Teachers' Day celebrated in honour of? + Teachers' Day is celebrated in honour of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a prominent Indian philosopher, statesman, and former President of India.
• How can I celebrate Teachers' Day? + You can express your gratitude to your teachers through cards, gifts, or heartfelt messages. Schools often organise special events and programs to honour their teachers.
• What are some ways to make Teachers' Day memorable? + You can organise a surprise party for your teacher, write a poem or song, or simply spend quality time with them.
• India Post GDS Merit List 2024
• TNPSC Group 2 Hall Ticket 2024
• RBI Grade B Admit Card 2024
• SSC GD Recruitment 2025
• SSC CGL Admit Card 2024
• UP Police Constable Question Paper 2024 PDF
• CDS Question Paper 2024
• RRB NTPC Recruitment 2024
• Teachers Day Speech
• Teachers Day 2024
• Education News

Latest Education News

HNBGU Result 2024 OUT at online.hnbgu.ac.in, Direct Link to Download UG and PG Marksheet

Haryana BJP Candidate List 2024: 67 उम्मीदवारों की पहली लिस्ट जारी, यहां देखें सभी के नाम

15 Best Teacher’s Day 2024 Poems in English for School Kids and Children

उत्तर प्रदेश के 8 रेलवे स्टेशनों को मिले नए नाम, यहां देखें नई लिस्ट

Genius IQ Test: Find the poisonous milk bottle in 10 seconds!

SSC CGL Admit Card 2024 Out at ssc.gov.in: Direct Link to Download Region Wise Tier 1 Hall Ticket PDF Here

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Biography: Early Life, Career and Achievements

RUHS BSc Nursing Result 2024 OUT: बीएससी नर्सिंग के परिणाम bscnursing2024.com पर जारी, यहाँ से करें PDF Download

SSC KKR CGL Hall Ticket 2024 OUT at ssckkr.kar.nic.in: Download Admit Card Download Link

ADRE Syllabus 2024: Download Assam Direct Recruitment Syllabus PDF and Exam Pattern

10 Lines on Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan in English for School Students

IISER IAT Counselling 2024 Round 8 Seat Allotment Tomorrow, Download at iiseradmission.in

RBI Grade B Admit Card 2024 OUT at rbi.org.in: Download Phase 1 Call letter Link Here

SSC SR CGL Admit Card 2024 OUT at sscsr.gov.in: Download Hall Ticket Link Here

Ganesh Chaturthi Board Decoration Ideas for School Students (2024)

SSC GD Recruitment Notification 2025 Live: Online Application Link Today at ssc.gov.in, Check Constable Exam Details

UP Police Constable Result 2024: लेटेस्ट अपडेट! यहां जानें कब जारी होगा यूपी पुलिस का रिजल्ट, ऐसे कर सकते हैं चेक

List of Players with Most Centuries in International Cricket

List of the Top 10 Most Dangerous Places in the World

Paris Paralympics 2024 India Medals list: किन भारतीयों ने जीते पदक, पढ़ें सबके नाम