Writing action titles
A slide title is the most important line on the slide. Many decks fail because the title only names a topic (“Market analysis”) instead of stating the point (“Mid-market accounts drive 70% of growth”).
An action title is a short full sentence that says what the slide concludes. If someone read only the titles from top to bottom, they should understand the whole argument.
Five checks
- Is it a conclusion, not a topic?
Topic: “Market analysis.” Conclusion: “Mid-market accounts drive 70% of category growth.” - One idea only. If you need “and” to join two claims, split into two slides or drop the weaker one.
- A full sentence with a verb. Not a fragment.
“Cost pressure” → “Cost pressure is rising 6% year on year, driven by input costs.” - About 15 words or fewer (roughly two lines). If it needs three lines, you haven’t found the point yet.
- Does the slide prove the title? Everything on the slide should support that sentence. If it doesn’t, remove it — or change the title.
Before and after
| Original | Problem | Better |
|---|---|---|
| "Market Analysis" | Topic | "The mid-market drives 70% of category growth" |
| "Options" | Topic | "Only Option B meets both cost and time-to-market" |
| "Q3 Financials and Q4 Outlook" | Two ideas | Split into two slides |
| "Recommendations" | Topic | "Three actions restore EU share within 12 months" |
| "Strong growth across all segments" | Not true | "Growth in three of four segments; EMEA needs a fix" |
| "Our Approach" | Topic | "A two-phase rollout reduces risk in the migration" |
| "Competitive Landscape" | Topic | "Only two competitors match our price at our margin" |
| "Executive Summary" | Topic | Restate the answer: "Consolidate around two markets by Q3" |
| "Financial Overview" | Topic | "Revenue up 14%; margin down 200 basis points on input costs" |
Avoid marketing slogans, emojis, and soft words like “perhaps” when the data is clear.
To have PowerSlide check a whole deck, turn on the Action title check skill and ask it to review (and rewrite on your approval). Section divider slides can stay short; content slides should still pass these checks.