Appendix B: Slide Deck Reports

A slide deck report is a genre of written report that is presented in a set of presentation slides. Traditionally, slides are displayed during presentations, providing visual support for what a speaker is saying. However, a slide deck report is designed to be read by the recipient and provided as a standalone file.

According to Smith (2019), this type of report document is a midway point between a written technical report and a presentation deck. Because slide deck reports combine the compelling visual design of a presentation deck with the informative detail of a written report, this genre of communication has gained popularity in the professional workplace and may be used to deliver documents like research or strategy reports, project updates, scientific findings, or pitch decks.

Many of the same best practices for clear and consistent slide design still apply, but there are some key differences in how to approach writing a Slide Deck Report. As always, think about the audience (in this case, your intended reader) and what their reading experience will be. The table below contrasts the features of a typical presentation slides with a Slide Deck Report.

Writing Style Techniques & Strategies

In addition to the standard principles of a technical communications writing style—concise, precise, direct, and well-organized—keep the techniques outlined below in mind when creating a slide deck report. These features that affect how the text is presented in the slide deck can make it easier for your reader to absorb the information.

• Use meaningful and accurate headings and labels.
• Limit each slide to one main idea—notice that a “section” of the report (e.g., the Results) may be broken up and presented in multiple slides.
• Format text for readability using effective typography (or text design) strategies:
  • Use short phrases and “chunk” large blocks of text into smaller segments—these will often be shorter than typical paragraphs in a text-based document.
  • Organize information into bulleted or numbered lists when appropriate.
  • Note that left-aligned text in narrower columns is often easier to read than centered full-width text.
  • Use text formatting to highlight key words or phrases by bolding (best for key words) or using pull quotes (best for important phrases).
  • Ensure that the text is clearly visible against the background and avoid layering text over busy patterns or images.

Visual Design Considerations

Any time you use presentation software (e.g., PowerPoint or Google Slides), keep in mind these best practices for consistent, accessible, and impactful visual design:

• Layout should suit the type of information/content—choose a layout from the available templates that allows you to use the space on each slide effectively.
• Use a 12-14 point font for “body” text at a minimum—make sure it’s large enough to read comfortably.
• Choose a clear, professional font (e.g., script or ornate fonts are notoriously difficult to read).
• Add space between paragraphs and using consistent line spacing.
• Use consistent fonts and colors throughout the deck:
  • Headings, subheadings, and body text should have a similar format (font, color, size) throughout the deck, even if their placement varies depending on the specific slide layout.
  • Use the pre-set options from the presentation software templates unless you have a very good reason to introduce a variation.
• Maintain consistent and clear margins around edge of the slides (e.g., don’t place text too close to the edge of the slide) and keep elements like text boxes aligned and consistently sized.
• Incorporate meaningful visuals—consider the purpose and the reader’s experience and your communication purpose with different types of visuals:
  • informative (e.g., quantitative data visualizations, diagrams, annotated photos of a process) that enhance the reader’s understanding of the information
  • visual interest (e.g., photos of a general setting or people, graphical elements) to provide context or break up the text. Avoid overly generic stock photos and make sure the images deliver some relevant information or value. Purely decorative “placeholder” visuals should almost always be avoided in a technical communications context.

Recommended Process for Creating Your Slide Deck Report

For any presentation, you need to frame the message and write the content first—this ensures that you have a coherent and complete “narrative” before you identify an effective visual design strategies for your audience and purpose. Although it is tempting to open a PowerPoint template and start putting your content in there, you will end up with a much stronger slide deck report if you follow the process outlined below, which follows the same principles as the general writing process:

1. Outline and draft content—Outline the sections or components (for instance, if your Slide Deck Report is a Lab Report, you should have a good sense of the sections needed) and draft written text in a document. This step should allow you to focus on accuracy and coherence across all of the information while it’s in one “view” before breaking it up into the slide layout.
2. Sketch and organize slides—Start to visualize how the text can best be presented in the slides. Edit text in the draft document to mark how the text might get divided up or, if you prefer, you might sketch out the slides by hand to get a sense of the layout and potential visual information. Either way, begin to note where you have visuals that will enhance the report and/or opportunities to create additional visual support.
3. Choose the format—In your preferred presentation software, select a template that establishes the visual language for the report. Typically, a clean, simple template with a color palette that conveys a professional tone is best. If you are working in a professional setting, you may want to use a branded template. Below are some of the branded templates provided to faculty and students at Ohio State:
   • Ohio State’s branded Presentation Template resource (login required): https://brand.osu.edu/brand-guidelines/templates-tools/presentation-templates
   • The College of Engineering also provides presentation files that adhere to the university branding guidelines (under “Print and Digital Templates”): https://engineering.osu.edu/communication-resources
4. Review and revise—Once all of the content is in place, carefully read through your whole Slide Deck Report several times. Take a break and come back to it with fresh eyes, trying to imagine what it will be like for your reader to process the information for the first time. If possible, ask someone else to read through it as well and give you feedback.