Use Less Text
A few weeks ago, I introduced 2 Design Changes that Follow All Brain Rules.
Use Less Text
Everyone has heard the phrase, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Turns out, it’s true. Written language has evolved over the years from cave drawings and paintings. Indeed, text is nothing more than a series of very simple pictures. For this reason, the brain takes considerably longer to decode strings of text (i.e. bulleted sentences) than it does single words or short statements. In other words, pictures are faster at conveying information than words – at least when we’re talking about concepts and ideas (detailed data is difficult to convey via words or pictures – which is why scientific papers turn to tables and charts).
Here are two steps you can take to use less text.
1. Whittle your titles. Take the time to reduce slide titles down to their core meaning. This will remove clutter and superfluous information that can confuse and distract your students. Use short, concise titles to get the main point across. Then fill in the gaps while lecturing. This allows the student to understand the context which aids in better retention of the details you provide.
Oftentimes, I find a lot of redundancy in slide titles throughout a lecture. For instance, “Using Peer Mentors to Drive Students Toward Deeper Learning and Productive Reflective Writing” could become “Peer Mentors Improve Learning.”
“What Do Professional Learning Communities Have to Do With Factoring A Trinomial?” could become “Math and Society” or “The Role of Math in Society.”
“A History of the Culture of Tea in Britain” might be simplified as “British Tea Culture.”
2. Remove bulleted text. Bullets on a slide often serve only as lecture notes to prompt the professor and are not necessary for the students. Sure, they need to know the information, but you’re going to explain the important concepts during the lecture. If you need those notes while you’re presenting, cut and paste them into the Presenter Notes in your slideware. You can then print off the slides as lecture notes or use Presenter Mode while in class. Remember, guns don’t kill people, bullets kill people.
April 10th, 2010 at 6:18 am
I’m not convinced that trimming titles is as appropriate in academic contexts as it is in other contexts. I’m good with removing extraneous words, like in your “British Tea Culture” example. (The revision is a much better title slide.) However, I think academics expect a fair amount of information in the title of a talk. There’s a risk in oversimplifying. The peer mentors example is, perhaps, oversimplified. The “reflective writing” phrase is important, for instance.
Then there’s the idea that a title can be a little provocative or mysterious. I’d really like to know “What Professional Learning Communities Have to Do With Factoring A Trinomial?” for instance! That kind of title slide serves a different purpose than just introducing a presentation–it acts as a hook for the audience. That’s a good use of a longer title, I would say.
April 15th, 2010 at 12:18 am
Derek, I actually agree with you, especially in regards to the importance of context. I deliberated over the math slide for a long time and ultimately decided to include it as another example. I think in the right context, such a specific, mysterious title could improve interest and curiosity, thereby increasing retention. I think that context would be very limited, however, because I’m not sure most people (including myself) really understand what a ‘Professional Learning Community’ is. I also consider whether the important details, such as ‘reflective writing’, need to be included on the slide itself when there is a presenter to introduce them.
I go back and forth between the Presentation Zen approach and the Tufte assertion model. Short and sweet titles help eliminate distracting text (i.e. decrease cognitive load), yet at the same time risk the loss of context. On the other hand, a concise sentence at the top of the slide makes a point clear and unambiguous. As I sit in lectures I quickly get lost in slides with bullet points and sentences, wondering what to pay attention to and wishing for clutter free slides (the Zen). Once I get a grasp for the material however, I begin to think, “What exactly is the point trying to be made?” (assertion).
Maybe it can be a combination of these? Could we begin with a curious statement or question that puts two unlikely topics together, then present related topics in a simplified, uncluttered manner, and follow it up with an assertion that seals the deal?