There is a well-respected principle of making one point per slide. This principle is important because it prevents slides from becoming overly ambitious and cluttered. With every principle come exceptions. Sometimes it is important to present a complicated concept in a broad stroke and then break it down into smaller, more explainable and digestible parts. We’re going to look at a couple of techniques for creating and presenting a complex concept on a single slide:

• Semitransparent overlays
• Animated reveals.

Semitransparent overlays are not widely used, which is a shame. They are such a great way to build a complex concept without obscuring the previously presented part of the slide. These slides use semitransparent overlays to convey three concepts:

1. There will be a global rollout
2. What needs to happen before a global rollout can take place
3. The geographical order for the phased global rollout.

This slide does not get into the specifics. Those will be presented in subsequent slides. This slide just provides the overview.

First layer of information

This is the beginning view. You can use a photograph of earth or other symbol you like better to represent the world. The symbol will have overlays, so choose something that does not have a great deal of detail.

A clipart globe is used here.

Second layer of information

The next stage of information explains what needs to be in place in order to begin rolling out the global offering. A round puzzle cut into four pieces is used to overlay the globe. Each piece of the puzzle can be added individually with a click so that the presenter can offer information about each piece.

The puzzle can be found in series sg003 in the PowerFrameworks library.

Third layer of information

The last stage of information is another overlay in the form of a target. The order of the phased rollout is revealed by clicks, starting with North America (the center) and radiating out. This is the finished slide. All of the layers are visible, so the audience still has access to all of the information presented.

The concentric circles can be found in series sg034 (”halos”) in the PowerFrameworks.

When you need to present a complex issue, remember this concept and see if it will do the job. Have fun putting this concept to work in your presentations.