We all have a lot going on nowadays. Between work stuff, personal stuff, deciding what to wear, deciding what to eat, keeping up with the conversation on Twitter, stalking people on LinkedIn, and wondering why so-and-so posted that stupid link on our Facebook timeline, we have a lot on our minds. There’s now more competition for our attention than ever. That’s why, whenever you’re conveying your business message, you must keep it extremely simple. If you don’t, you’ll lose people.

I like to use the Five Second Rule (not the one involving food that fell on the floor):

Whenever you put something in front of an audience to make a point, they should be able to “get it” within five seconds.

This is particularly important when using slides in a presentation. If your slides are full of information, they become intimidating and confusing. The audience doesn’t know what to focus on, so they choose to focus on nothing. Following the Five Second Rule by showing just one clear and simple idea per slide allows you to:

  1. Get your point across quickly before people tune out.
  2. Bring the attention immediately back to you and your supporting commentary.

Trim the fat, keep the meat.