Say Goodbye to Bullet Points

Too many bullet points can be the death of a presentation. Here are a few ideas on how to organize your content and avoid the dreaded bullet point.

Bullet points have long been used as an organizing tool in presentations. As handy as they are, they are often overused and come across as outdated. Too many bullet points clutter slides and make it hard for the audience to follow your message. So, how do you organize your content and communicate your message clearly without them? Here are a few ideas and tips on how to cut down on bullet points or avoid them altogether.

Is a List Really Necessary?

This should be the first question you ask yourself when creating a slide. Although lists are great for structuring and organizing content, using one long list on a slide has the opposite effect. Your content can easily get lost in a sea of bullet points and your audience can lose interest. To keep your message clear and delineate your content, divide it over multiple slides. Your audience will thank you for it.

Use Icons

Using icons to visually support your key points is a great way of avoiding bullet points. Make sure your points and their corresponding icons can be listed horizontally.

PowerPoint Lists

Whether bulleted or numbered, PowerPoint offers many different types of lists. Under the Home tab in the Paragraph group, select Bullets or Numbering. You can select one of the provided styles or choose from more options in the drop-down menu.