Rules of PowerPoint (Rule of 3 and More)
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Do you want to give the best presentation? Have you ever created a presentation and thought it could be better but don’t know how to make it better? You can follow PowerPoint rules to make your presentation look better.
One of these rules is the rule of three. In this article, we’ll cover the rule of three and other PowerPoint rules to help you create better presentations.
What Is the Rule of Three?
Before we cover how to use the rule of three in your PowerPoint presentation, we need to answer the questions: what is the rule of three?
This writing principle says people understand concepts, situations, and ideas in three groups. This rule can work for sentences, situations, or stories.
We are used to things coming in threes. Many phrases come in threes such as:
- blood, sweat, and tears
- stop, drop, and roll
Since it’s so common, our brain remembers things that come in three more easily because it’s expected.
Now we’ve answered the question, what is the rule of 3? Let’s look at how to use it in PowerPoint presentations.
The presentation that will be used throughout this article is the Minimal Presentation PowerPoint Template from Envato Elements.
This premium template comes with over 300 total slides. It also comes with ten color scheme options that you can choose from.
If you want to add some visual interest to your presentation, this template makes it easy through its picture placeholders and 4000 vector icons that come with it.
How to Use the Rule of Three in Your Presentation
The rule of three can be used to make your presentation more memorable and stand out. This is how you use the rule of three in your presentation, along with some rule of three examples.
1. Divide Your Presentation
When making a presentation that uses the rule of three, you need to divide your presentation into three parts. The parts are usually the beginning, middle, and end.
Two other ways you can divide your presentation are:
- opportunity, solution, benefit
- problem, solution, action
Your whole presentation should be structured around the number three. This means that you should have three main points in your presentation.
For example, three main points of a presentation could be:
Another example would be if your presentation were about the environment. You could divide it into three parts:
- identification
- mitigation
- conservation.
2. Use Bullet Points
According to the rule of three, you should only use three bullet points to support your points.
Three points are easier to remember. When you have three bullet points, your presentation looks full without looking overwhelmingly full.
3. Use Catchy Phrases
If you use catchy phrases, you should follow the rule of three to make those phrases more memorable.
You can use the rule of three in two ways.
- You can have a catchy phrase with three words, such as “lights, camera, action.”
- You can also use a phrase with three words like this quote from Plato: “There are three classes of men: lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain.”
4. Use Visual Images
Every good presentation has visuals, but how do you use the rule of three with your visuals?
It’s simple. If you use icons, you should only use three. If you use images, follow the rule of three.
You can also use a single image containing three aspects—the ground, mountains, and the horizon.
5. Use the Rule of Three in Flow Charts
Using the rule of three for this part is more complicated, but it is necessary to follow the rule. If you use graphs or flowcharts, you should have three main sections of that chart.
Flowcharts are great to show the process. If you want to follow the rule of three, make sure that It has three main sections.
If you use a graph to represent data, try to have three sections in your graph. For example, if you use a bar graph try having three bars in that graph if possible.
6. Use Three Main Colors
When deciding your color scheme, you should consider the rule of three. This can mean having three main colors that you use throughout your presentation. It can also mean having three colors on your slide.
More PowerPoint Rules
Here are more PowerPoint rules that you can follow to make your presentation look better:
1. Rule of Thirds
You may be asking what’s the difference between the rule of three and the rule of thirds.
Let’s answer What’s the rule of thirds?
The design rule of thirds is where you break up an image or design into different sections using columns and rows to form a grid. The grid is placed over the image and has nine equal boxes with three evenly spaced rows and columns.
The goal of the rule of thirds is that you don’t place the main elements in the center of images. You place the main elements on either the left or right. In the example above, you’ll see that the main focus (the girl with her dog) is on the left of the image, following the rule of thirds.
2. 5/5/5 Rule
The 5/5/5 rule says:
- You shouldn’t have more than five words per text in a line.
- Each slide should have no more than five lines.
- You shouldn’t have more than five text-heavy slides in a row.
When you have too many text-heavy slides in a row, it can tire your audience.
3. Font Rule
The font rule states that you should choose a font that is easy to read, and the color stands out against your slide background. Also, your text should be large enough for people in the back of the room to read it.
4. Seven by Seven
The seven-by-seven rule is where you use no more than seven words per line and no more than seven lines per visual.
If you need more words, make bullet points as sub-points below the main point. The maximum is one key point with six subpoints on a single slide.
Your slides are used to emphasize a single point. The example slide above follows the seven-by-seven rule because it has one key point and six sub-points.
5. Image Rule
The image rule is that you should use an image that is relevant to your presentation.
For example, if you’re doing a presentation on food, having an image of a basketball can confuse the audience. Your audience may forget the text but are more likely to remember your image. You also shouldn’t have too many images or graphics because they lose their effect if you do.
6. The One Principle
The one principle is similar to the image rule. It states that you should limit each visual to one idea, concept, or main point.
It can be overwhelming for the audience if you have more than one main point on a slide and use visuals for multiple points.
7. One-Minute Test
The one-minute test is where you put yourself in the audience’s shoes. If your audience needs more than one minute to figure out what your slide says, then it’s too complex. If your slide is too complex, it can cause your audience to lose focus on what you’re saying.
8. 10/20/30 Rule
The 10/20/30 rule says a presentation should be no more than ten slides longer than twenty minutes and use fonts no smaller than thirty.
Some believe it’s hard for audiences to comprehend more than ten concepts during a presentation. This means that your presentation shouldn’t have more than ten slides.
Knowing you have twenty minutes to give your presentation allows you to structure your presentation well.
Remember: small fonts can be hard to read. So, you should use fonts size thirty and above so that your audience can read the text on the slide.
The Top Source for PowerPoint Templates
Do you want to save time? Do you want to impress others with your presentation design? Then, try a premium PowerPoint template.
The best source for premium PowerPoint templates is Envato Elements. Using a premium template saves time because you don’t have to design a presentation from scratch. It’s already done for you.
A good template has labeled sections where all you need to do is add your text into the text holders and images in the picture placeholders. Every premium template is by professionals to be stylish and impressive. If you like to add personal touches to your presentation, you can still use a good premium template that is easily customizable.
Envato Elements is a premium subscription service with a low monthly fee and unlimited access to premium digital assets. Some of these assets include:
Learn More About PowerPoint
Read these articles and tutorials to learn more about PowerPoint:
Download a Premium PowerPoint Template Today!
Next time you need to make a PowerPoint presentation, try using one of these PowerPoint rules to make your presentation look better and more memorable. To impress your audience, download a premium template from Envato Elements. Sign up for Envato Elements today!
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