How to Make Your Slides Look Good: 5 Tips for a Better Slide Deck

One of the most common mistakes I see educators make in the online space is spending too much time on making slide decks look good and not enough time on making sure they’re helpful and engaging to their students.

And while your deck should be on-brand and visually appealing, “looking good” is just as much about design, about placing graphic elements as it is about creating infographics, breaking up text, and emphasizing key points for your learners.

Both are possible, but it requires balance. Here’s what you need to know about slide deck design and how to make your slides “look good” to both your audience and YOU.

5 Tips to Make Your Slide Decks More Engaging

Before you get started with designing your slide decks, you must have your curriculum completed and on hand.

Do NOT start with just an idea, a blurb, and a goal to create an offer purely in Canva design—your students won’t get the information they need or the transformation you’ve promised.

On that note, here are five tips to make your slide decks more engaging and helpful to your students:

#1. Keep it On-Brand

You don’t need a custom-built slide deck to work from; you can use a template, but you should still be updating that template to match your brand fonts, colors, photos, and images. By keeping everything on-brand, you’re reducing creative fatigue, making it easier to complete everything without burning out!

#2. Have Very Clear Outcomes for Each Lesson

Have VERY clear outcomes for each lesson. What is the purpose of your online course as a whole? What is the purpose of each module, lesson, slide, and exercise? When you’ve figured all of this out ahead of time, the slides seemingly write themselves.

#3. Determine Your Voice

Determine your voice. This shouldn’t be forced—it’s your online course (and likely your brand). Be yourself! Use the same language you would use in your email copy or on a client call.

#4. Include White Space

Don’t be afraid to leave white space—aka open space—in your slide deck design. You don’t (and shouldn’t) cram paragraphs of text onto one slide. Give your text breathing room and your students room to think.

#5. Don’t Wing It!

Bonus tip when it comes to building your slide decks as an educator—don’t wing this. The way you teach and speak through your slide decks impacts how well your students can learn and apply your curriculum. Take it step-by-step and seek help when you need it.

How to Create an Engaging Slide Deck Your Students Will Love

If you want to create a slide deck that your students can learn from, you have to put them first, aesthetics second.

While you shouldn’t ditch your branding altogether, make sure you’re not getting lost in the design and that your students can still get the information they need without being confused or overwhelmed.

Not sure how to get started? Join Coaching to Curriculum, a course designed to walk you through getting your ideas out of your Notes app, developing your curriculum, and designing your course. Learn more here!