Of every 10 people that view an article headline, about 8 will read it. But only 2 will exert the effort to read the rest of the post. Although this statistic relates to blog post and news article headlines, the importance of the first impression created from a title extends to the presentation arena. Do schools kill creativity? Your body language shapes who you are. My stroke of insight. This is what happens when you reply to a spam email. A Saudi, an Indian and an Iranian walk into a Qatari bar… This is just a sampling of the titles of the most popular Ted Talks. And every single one represents one or more of the 5 elements of a perfect presentation title, described in depth below.
1. Relevancy
The presenter that places his or her audience at the forefront of presentation title creation will reap the most benefits – from respect to attention. A relevant title slide demonstrates knowledge of the target audience’s pain points. It could even hint at providing a solution to a particular problem. For example, Seventeen magazine – a publication catering to primarily teenage girls – titled a recent article “Here’s How Taylor Swift Spent July 4th.” This headline works for this article because it is relevant to Seventeen’s audience, who would love to know the details of T Swift’s patriotic festivities.
2. Suspense
By evoking the curiosity of presentation attendees, a presenter is able to grab their attention from the get go. A suspenseful title slide might propose a question – the more aligned the question is to audience concerns, the better.
3. Expectation
A recent article published by Mashable carried the following headline: “How the Apple Watch wants to be the first fitness tracker for people in wheelchairs.” The title of this post cultivates an expectation in the minds of those who read it. At the same time, the headline clearly states the primary information a reader can reasonably anticipate obtaining and appeals to the part of every human being that seeks out answers to their many and varied questions. Provide answers to audience queries through your presentation title.
4. Brevity
According to Hubspot analysis, the sharing potential of headlines on Twitter is highest when they consist of 8 to 12 words. But aside from social media popularity, no one wants to walk into a conference room and receive a digital greeting on a display screen like this one: “The Amount of Carbohydrates Recommended for the Average Teenager.” An improved presentation title slide could read, “Why Your Teens Are Carbohydrate Crazy.” This title is not only shorter and more comprehensible, but it also creates suspense – indicating that the rest of the presentation will answer the question posed.
5. Tone
The tone conveyed through a presentation title is perhaps the most important component to consider when deliberating headline options. To capture an appropriate tone for your presentation, start by selecting an overall theme for the narrative. Determine how you want audience members to feel before, during, and after your presentation. These two simple exercises should assist you in creating the perfect presentation title. Also, establish the tone by utilizing literary elements within the title – such as alliteration, metaphor, or foreshadowing.
If your presentation title slide meets these 5 criteria, you can rest assured that the first impression of your deck will be received well by event participants. To learn more about crafting a perfect presentation title, check out the following posts:
Giving a Sales Presentation? Make Your Titles Work Harder
