Best Practice
Using Parallel Structures in Lists
Developing presentations is easier if a set of best-practice guidelines is used to govern the processes. This best practice provides guidance for creating cohesive lists by using parallel structure.
Guideline: express parallel ideas in parallel form.
The two lists below show the contrast between a poorly constructed list and a correctly constructed list.
Poor way to construct a list
PowerFrameworks helps companies raise presentation quality. This presentation will identify:
- How to find the improvement opportunities
- Common pitfalls when developing messages
- What the presenter needs to do in addition to delivering messages.
Better way to construct a list
PowerFrameworks helps companies raise presentation quality by teaching their presenters how to:
- Identify improvement opportunities
- Avoid common message-development pitfalls
- Expand the role of a presenter.
The bulleted text above is parallel: each bullet begins with a verb and is action oriented.
As you develop lists in presentations, make sure that the list items are parallel. All list items should be the same type of sentence, e.g.:
- Imperative
- Interrogative
- Declarative
- Fragment that completes the lead-in sentence.