PowerPoint is an application that allows users to create professional-looking and engaging presentations with advanced tools and functions. Creating professional presentations has become a demanding skill nowadays. However, many presenters struggle and fail to maintain their audience‘s attention and fail to convey their message creatively. So how to achieve a concise presentation in PowerPoint using the 6x6 rule? In this article, you’ll explore the 6x6 PowerPoint rule and how it can transform your presentations into compelling experiences.
Part 1: What is the 6x6 PowerPoint rule?
A thought might be dangling in your mind about what the 6x6 rule is. The 6x6 PowerPoint rule is a rule which suggests that a presentation shouldn’t have more than 6 words per line and no more than six bullet points per slide. The goal of the 6x6 rule is to make your slides more readable yet informative. Presenters mostly create PowerPoint presentations and dense, text-heavy slides that people don’t read.
Moreover, the 6x6 PowerPoint rule suggests that you should have one idea per slide, have no more than six points per slide, and each bullet point have a maximum of six words. The core aim of the 6x6 rule is to ensure that slides don’t look boring and people read them.
However, it’s evident that the 6x6 rule doesn’t fit everywhere. To persuade people to read, understand and help them memorize the information, 6x6 should be implemented, but you can amend the rule. You can take the 7x7 rule PowerPoint example here, which is similar to the 6x6 rule, but with one additional point and word.
PowerPoint presentations help with professional work, analysis, and conveying a message or a general survey, and presenters want to persuade their audience. That’s where 6x6 is essential. Too much text in one slide looks boring; hence nobody will ever read it.
Part 2: Why use the 6x6 PowerPoint rule?
Now that you know the 6x6 PowerPoint rule, it’s time to learn why using the 6x6 rule is essential and its benefits.
Here are some key benefits of the 6x6 PowerPoint rule:
Trust
When you add little text to slides, your audience will listen and trust you more. They’ll focus more on your speech and this way, they will start trusting you.
Focus
Heavy text on slides looks boring, and people will only focus on something other than the actual sim of the presentation. Remember that text-dense slides tend to be less readable, and the audience needs more focus. By implementing 6x6 rule, you can present your idea concisely and build your audience's focus.
Clarity
It’s evident that heavy text on slides may not be clear, and it would take a lot of time to clear each point. Adding 6 points and words is essential to make your presentation more straightforward.
Appealing
Short headings, points, and words are always appealing to the readers. By following the 6x6 rule, you’ll make your slides appealing to your audience, resulting in the audience reading your slides.
Retention
All presenters want their audience to remember the information they read in the slides. Less and small bullet points will help people remember your slide information and spread it to others. The 6x6 rule helps you with the aims of your presentation. Of course, you want your audience to focus, read and think about your presentation, and this is only possible when your presentation is light in the text but in fewer and small points, explaining or conveying the message concisely yet informatively.
Respect
When you speak less and speak meaningfully, there are high chances that the audience will respect you and your presentation. This is because you’ll speak to the point and won’t exaggerate things.
Part 3: How to use the 6x6 PowerPoint rule for a concise presentation? (4 important points)
6x6 has many advantages and can be game-changing for your presentations and help you grow. However, you might be thinking about how to use the 6x6 PowerPoint rule in your presentations. Here’s how to use it:
Point 1: Limit Bullet Points
The main focus of the 6x6 PowerPoint rule is to limit your text per slide. This text can be points, body, and headlines. Each slide should have a maximum of six bullet points. Now you’ll have to edit your presentation and limit the bullet points. You can add the most important ones and rest on the next slide.
Point 2: Constrict Word Count
The next thing to do is to limit the number of words you use in a bullet point. This is important because bullet points shouldn’t be too long. Write each bullet point within six words so that people read and understand and remember your points.
Point 3: Break Down Complex Ideas
Your presentation shouldn’t be complex to understand. Once readers find a complex idea or term, they’ll lose focus and might stop reading your slides. You must break down complex ideas into small points, images, videos, and more to make them understandable.
Point 4: Use Visuals
The 6x6 rule promotes the use of visuals. Use as many images, diagrams, infographics, charts, videos, or more to support and enhance the quality of your presentation and convey your message effectively to the audience.
Part 4: When is the 6x6 PowerPoint rule appropriate?
Here’s when to use the 6x6 rule:
Business Presentation
The 6x6 rule can help you quickly present your idea, convey your message, or provide information to your boss or manager. It ensures that your information is clear, concise, and to the point. For example, suppose you are presenting an annual report instead of adding the material. In that case, you can create 6 slides, each highlighting different perspectives such as revenue, costs, challenges, solutions, customer growth, etc. Moreover, each slide will have 6 different points explaining the slide in detail, which you can then explain to your audience. This will make the presentation easier to understand and help provide good feedback.
Academic Lectures
For teachers and professors, the 6x6 will help teach students better and more efficiently. Studying becomes boring when all a teacher does is present lengthy PowerPoint presentations and lectures for hours. Instead, teachers could use the 6x6 rule to create 6 slides and highlight the critical points in each slide. This will help students read, understand, and remember more.
Sales Pitches
This is where you want to persuade your client to purchase your product. It’s a time crucial meeting with your buyers, so you want to ensure they aren’t bored with the presentation. For this, the 6x6 PowerPoint rule will help you create an informative yet precise and attractive presentation that persuades clients and improves your sales.
Training Material
If you are training someone, 6x6 may be the best rule to apply. 6x6 makes it easy for the trainee to understand the basics of work, and you can give a speech about the work’s depth. Moreover, the trainee can even have a copy of the presentation and revise what they learned during the training. This will benefit you as a trainer and them as trainees both.
Part 5: How to Edit Your PowerPoint for Free?
WPS Office is an office-based suite that allows users to create, edit, save, share, and do more on its application. It allows users to simultaneously use Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF on its platform, enabling them to multitask and save time and energy.
WPS Office is free software with various tools and functions, allowing users to be creative and professional. It’s free software with millions of users globally. Moreover, the software is compatible with Windows and Mac.
Step to edit, Word/Excel, PowerPoint in WPS.
Step: 1: Visit the WPS official website and click on download to download the app.
Step 2: Download the application and open it.
Step 3: Click on Word, Excel, or PowerPoint presentation.
Step 4: Use the tools to create a Menu bar to save and share the files easily.
Step 5: You can download and use the free templates of Word and PowerPoint from its website for free.
FAQs
1. Can I not use the 6x6 PowerPoint rule when making my PowerPoint?
Of course, the 6x6 PowerPoint rule is a suggestion; please use it according to your actual situation.
2. Is WPS Office compatible with PowerPoint?
Of course, IWPS Office suite seamlessly integrates Microsoft PowerPoint, offering a user-friendly platform for dynamic presentations. With extensive file format compatibility, users can create captivating slides, add animations, and transitions for impactful presentations.
3. What is the 7x7 rule?
The 7x7 rule is similar to that of 6x6, it has 7 slides, 7 points per slide, and 7 words per point.
4. What is the 8x8 rule?
Like the 6x6 rule, your PowerPoint presentation must have 8 slides, 8 points per slide, and 8 words per line.
Summary
The 6x6 PowerPoint rule is an essential rule as it helps presenters to convey their message, communicate and spread information to their audience quickly and make them able to understand and retain it. Moreover, it helps grab the audience's attention easily and gains respect. Microsoft Office’s PowerPoint is indeed a creative and practical tool; however, it's not free. The best alternative to it is WPS Office.
WPS Office is an office-based suite that allows users to create, edit, save, share, and do more on its application. It allows users to simultaneously use Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF on its platform, enabling them to multitask and save time and energy. It’s free software with more than 500 million users globally and compatible with Windows and Mac. Try it now! Download here!
