What to Do When Your Slides Have “Too Many Words”

Picture this: you’re recording your course content, staring at a slide that looks more like a book page than a visual aid. There are paragraphs of text crammed into every corner, bullet points that go on (and on, and on) forever, and you find yourself literally reading word-for-word from your slides during your presentation….

That’s what it looks like when your slides have “too many words” — and it’s killing your students’ learning experience.

When your slide decks are text-heavy, you’re creating cognitive overload, which means that rather than focusing on your brilliant insights, they’re struggling just to keep up. The result? Information that doesn’t stick and transformations that don’t happen.

What Happens When Your Slides Have “Too Many Words”

Text-heavy slides lead to a poor learning experience, period. When students can’t effectively process your information, they’re not retaining what you’re teaching. Even worse, they can’t apply what they’ve “learned” because, well, they haven’t actually learned it in a way their brains can use.

You cannot listen and read at the same time.

And when students can’t apply your teachings, they don’t get results. And when they don’t get results, they don’t complete your course. It’s a domino effect that ends with half-finished courses collecting “digital dust” and students feeling frustrated that they “wasted” their money.

But here’s where it really gets problematic: if this is an entry-level offer — like a mini-course or a masterclass — you’re losing out on more than your completion rates. You’re creating a breach of trust (not delivering on the promised transformation, even if all the information is technically there) that follows your students through their entire journey with you.

When they’re ready to invest in that higher-ticket program or signature course, guess what comes to mind? That time, they bought something from you and didn’t get the promised transformation, even if all the information is technically there.

How to Break up Big Chunks of Text on Your Slides

Before we really get into slide fixes, I just want to give you a quick reminder that if you haven’t nailed down your curriculum first, no amount of slide-tweaking will save your course. Your curriculum is the foundation of everything.

That said, once you’ve got a solid curriculum in place, here’s how to fix those text-heavy slides:

#1. Create More Slides

I know, I know — it feels counterintuitive. But if the information is truly unskippable (and we’ll talk about that in a minute), then give it the space it deserves. Break that wall of text into multiple slides that each focus on ONE key concept. 

There’s no magic number for how many slides you “should” have. The only rule? Every slide needs to serve a purpose in helping your students understand and apply your content. If you’re explaining a five-step process, consider making that five slides vs. one.

#2. Change How You Deliver the Information 

Instead of relying so heavily on text, ask yourself: “What’s the best way to communicate this concept?” Sometimes that’s an infographic that shows a process visually. Sometimes it’s a simple table that compares options. Sometimes it’s a chart that demonstrates growth or change over time. 

Visual elements don’t exist just to make slides “prettier,” they’re often more effective at helping students grasp complex concepts. 

#3. Check Your Curriculum

Maybe all the information on your slide isn’t as necessary as you think it is. Just because YOU know something, doesn’t mean your students need to know it to achieve the transformation you’ve promised them.

Go back to your curriculum and ask yourself the tough questions:

• Does this information directly support their end goal?
• Are they going to be able to take action with this?
• Is this necessary or is it just “nice to know?”

Remember, your students don’t need to become experts — they need to get results. Sometimes the best thing you can do is cut information that’s not serving that purpose, even if it feels important to you as the expert.

Part of checking your curriculum is checking your confidence! What information is actually important? What are you using as a crutch? Your notes should be prompts for your expertise, not your script.

How to Create an Experience That Delivers Your Transformation (and Then Some)

Fixing your slide situation is just one more step in creating an experience that delivers on the transformation you promised. Students who can easily process your information are students who can implement it (and students who can implement get results).

And the students who get results become your biggest fans and advocates.

So, whether you need a complete course audit to identify what’s working (and what’s not) or you’re ready ot build something new from the ground up with Coaching to Curriculum, the most important this is that you’re putting your students’ learning experience first.Ready to get started? Book your audit here.