The 'Three Sentences' Rule for Any Slide That Wants Approval

Reading Along with the Class

There is nothing more tragic in the corporate world than “Karaoke Presentation.”

You know the scene. The consultant puts up a slide. It is covered in text. 150 words. Size 11 font. The consultant turns their back to the audience and starts reading the slide. Word. For. Word.

The client sits there, reading faster than the consultant can speak, getting bored, and checking their phone. By the time the consultant finishes reading paragraph three, the client has mentally left the building.

We do this because we are lazy. We use the slide as our own script. We figure, “If I write it all down, I can’t mess it up.”

But a presentation is not a document. A document is for reading; a presentation is for convincing. When you put a Wall of Text on the screen, you are asking the client to choose between listening to you or reading the screen. They cannot do both.

The Clutter: The Cognitive Bottleneck

The human brain has a limited amount of working memory. It clogs up easily.

If you show me a complex chart and a paragraph of text and you are talking to me, my brain crashes. I get the “Spinning Wheel of Death.”

I simply stop processing information. I nod politely, but I am not agreeing with you. I am just waiting for you to stop making noise.

The Clarity: The Three Sentences Rule

To stop this madness, I enforce the Three Sentences Rule.

On any given slide, there should be no more than three sentences of text.

1. The Headline: What is the main point?
2. The Evidence: What proves it?
3. The implication: What does it mean?

That’s it. If you have more to say, say it out loud.

Example of the Transformation:

This hypothetical slide pair keeps the same facts, including a 20% increase in CPA. It does not equate that increase with a 20% fall in another metric.

+------------------------------------------------------+
| THE SLEEP INDUCER                                    |
|                                                      |
| During the last quarter, cost per acquisition rose   |
| by 20%. New competitors are bidding aggressively on  |
| our core brand terms. We need to decide whether to   |
| defend our position or accept lower volume.          |
+------------------------------------------------------+

+------------------------------------------------------+
| THE DECISION MAKER                                   |
|                                                      |
| CPA rose 20% last quarter.                           |
|                                                      |
| New competitors are bidding aggressively on our core |
| brand terms.                                         |
|                                                      |
| We need to defend our position or accept lower       |
| volume.                                              |
+------------------------------------------------------+

The first slide makes one block of the explanation. The second separates the headline, supporting observation and decision into three sentences. The change is in the presentation, not the numbers.

It sounds easy, but it is incredibly hard. Writing short is work. You have to edit. You have to decide what matters.

But the result is magic. The client looks at the slide, reads the three sentences in five seconds, and then looks back at you.

“Okay,” they say. “I see the problem. What do we do?”

Now you are having a conversation, not a reading lesson. And conversations are where contracts get signed.

FAQs

What if the topic is really complicated?

Then use two slides. Or three. But don't cram it all onto one. White space is your friend.

Can I use bullet points instead?

Only if the bullet points are short. A bullet point that runs to three lines is just a paragraph in disguise.

Where do I put the extra detail?

In the speaker notes. Or in your mouth. You are there to present, not to read out loud.