EC-301e · Module 1

The Slide That Tells One Story

3 min read

The hardest discipline in slide architecture is the one-story constraint. Every slide tells exactly one story. Not two related stories. Not a main story and a supporting observation. One story, stated in the headline, supported in the body, extended in the call-out. When a slide tells two stories, the reader has to choose which one to process, and they will choose the one that fits their existing position — which may not be the one you needed them to process.

Diagnosing the multi-story slide requires writing the headline. If you cannot write a single declarative sentence that captures the complete point of the slide, the slide has multiple stories. The test is simple and brutal. A headline like "AI Performance Results and Implementation Timeline" is diagnostic: the word "and" reveals two stories. Split the slide. Each story gets its own slide, its own evidence, and its own call-out.

Do This

  • Write the headline before building the slide — if you cannot write it, the slide is not ready
  • Split any slide where the headline contains "and" or "but" — those are two stories
  • Move one of the two stories to the next slide or to the appendix
  • Test: can a new reader understand the slide's single point in under five seconds?

Avoid This

  • Combine related data on one slide because it "saves space" — saved space creates lost attention
  • Use bullet points to list multiple findings — each bullet is a story; they belong on separate slides or in a table
  • Leave the headline until last when building the slide — you will rationalize the multi-story slide rather than split it