Present Like a GPS: 3 Simple Ways to Help Your Audience Follow Your Slides
A good GPS never leaves you guessing—it tells you exactly where you are, what’s next, and how to get there. Presenting with slides should be the same.
But here’s what usually happens: we paraphrase our headlines instead of saying them clearly. We cram all our points onto one slide and hope people keep up. And we do it for good reasons—maybe we don’t want to sound like we’re reading, maybe we think we’re saving time by showing everything at once. But the result? Our audience is split between reading, listening, and trying to figure out what matters most.
If you’ve ever watched eyes glaze over halfway through a slide, you know the feeling. It’s not because you’re not working hard enough—it’s because they need clearer signposts.
Here’s how to keep your audience on the right route:
Say exactly what you write: Make it easy—no cognitive dissonance. It’s okay to read the headline verbatim as long as you’re looking at your audience. Then point them where you want them:
" The main point is..." "At the bottom left you see..." "Let's focus in on this chart..."
2. Connect the dots between slides: Just like a GPS says “In 300 meters, turn right,” preview what’s on the next slide so no one’s lost.
“Now that we’ve looked at the challenge, let’s explore the three ways we can solve it.”
3. Reveal as you go: Don’t dump all your directions at once. Use animations or builds to bring up one point at a time so your audience can focus without wandering off-course.
Help them stay on track, and they’ll arrive at your key message with you—clear, confident, and convinced.
