what is 5x5 presentation

PowerPoint 101: The 5/5/5 Rule

When it comes to presentations, we believe that content should drive design. That is, the way that you structure and organize your presentation should follow the needs of the content, rather than a rigid structure.

But this is a lot of work, and isn’t always easy, particularly if you are still learning the ropes of presentation design and storytelling. That’s where rules come in. If you’re struggling to get started, or are unsure of how best to structure a PowerPoint presentation, rules can offer an easy on-ramp to help you get going. And the 5/5/5 Rule is both one of the simplest and most effective.

What is the 5/5/5 Rule

The 5/5/5 Rule explains what it is right in the name: when creating slides for your presentation, use at most:

5 words on a single line

5 lines of text on a single slide

5 slides that apply the first two rules in a row

Now, let’s take a closer look at each part of the rule, and see how it helps build a better presentation.

5 words on a single line

Presentations are multi-dimensional. They rely on a combination of written words, spoken language, and visual storytelling to effectively communicate information. So if you are writing out lengthy, complete sentences in order to make sure that “all the information is there,” you are missing the point (and the value) of PowerPoint.

By applying the “5 words per line” rule, you’re ensuring that your writing stays sharp and clear, and that the audience is focused more on you than on the screen. As we noted in our blog 3 ways to up your PowerPoint game , too much content can actually lead to less information retention, which is very counterproductive.

5 lines of text on a single slide

When we are designing PowerPoints for clients, we have our own general rule we try to follow: one idea per slide .

That’s because people tend to think of a slide as a single unit of content. This tells the brain to keep those ideas together, creating associations between bits of info and helping us to cement them in our minds. And if a seminal piece of neuroscience is true, we can hold “ seven, plus or minus two ” pieces of short-term information in our brains.

By limiting yourself to 5 lines of text, not only are you helping to make your presentation more effective, you’re also helping your audience to internalize more of the information your trying to share.

(No more than) 5 slides that apply the first two rules in a row

If you followed the first two rules to the letter on every slide in your PowerPoint, you could still have way too much content for an effective presentation. So if you catch yourself relying too heavily on the first two 5’s, you should take a step back and look for ways to vary your content.

This could mean trimming back certain slides to reduce the amount of content, adding in more images/infographics, or simply removing some slides altogether.

When to use the 5/5/5 Rule

The purpose of this rule isn’t to blindly apply it to every PowerPoint you make. Rather, it’s to force you to take a step back and carefully consider each slide you’re creating for it’s content as well as keep the audience’s considerations front and center.

It’s also a great way to outline your content. If you’re ever feeling stuck on how to get started with a big presentation, creating content within the 5/5/5 Rule can help you to structure your presentation just enough that you can ignore the rule.

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5/5/5 Rule | How and Why to Use It with Best Examples in 2024

Ellie Tran • 05 April, 2024 • 9 min read

So, how to avoid bulky slides? Put a finger down if you have…

…done a presentation in your life.
…struggled with summarising your content 🤟
…rushed while preparing and ended up throwing every single bit of text you have on your poor little slides 🤘
…made a PowerPoint presentation with loads of text slides ☝️
…ignored a display crammed with text and let the presenter’s words go in one ear and out the other ✊

So, we all share the same problem with text slides: not knowing what’s right or how much is enough (and even getting fed up with them sometimes).

But it’s no longer a big deal, as you can look at the 5/5/5 rule for PowerPoint to know how to create a non-bulky and effective presentation.

Find out everything about this type of presentation , including its benefits, drawbacks and examples in the article below.

What is the 5/5/5 rule for PowerPoint?
Benefits of the 5/5/5 rule
Cons of the 5/5/5 rule

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What Is the 5/5/5 Rule for PowerPoint?

The 5/5/5 rule sets a limit on the amount of text and the number of slides in a presentation. With this, you can keep your audience from being overwhelmed with walls of text, which can lead to boredom and searching elsewhere for distractions.

The 5/5/5 rule suggests you use a maximum of:

Five words per line.
Five lines of text per slide.
Five slides with text like this in a row.

Your slides shouldn’t include everything you say; it’s a waste of time to read out loud what you’ve written (as your presentation should only last under 20 minutes ) and it’s incredibly dull for those in front of you. The audience is here to listen to you and your inspiring presentation, not to see a screen that looks like another heavy textbook.

The 5/5/5 rule does set boundaries for your slideshows, but these are to help you keep your crowd’s attention better.

Let’s break down the rule 👇

Five words on a line

A good presentation should include a mix of elements: written & verbal language, visuals, and storytelling. So when you make one, it’s best not to centre around the texts only and forget everything else.

Cramming too much information on your slide decks doesn’t help you at all as a presenter, and it’s never on the list of great presentation tips . Instead, it gives you a lengthy presentation and disinterested listeners.

That’s why you should only write a few things on each slide to trigger their curiosity. According to 5 by 5 rules, it’s no more than 5 words on a line.

We understand that you have a bunch of beautiful things to share, but knowing what to leave out is as important as knowing what to put in. So, here’s a quick guide to help you do this with ease.

🌟 How to do it:

Use question words (5W1H) - Put a few questions on your slide to give it a touch of mystery . You can then answer everything by speaking.
Highlight keywords - After outlining, highlight keywords that you want your audience to pay attention to, and then include them on the slides.

Take this sentence: “Introducing AhaSlides – an easy-to-use, cloud-based presentation platform that excites and engages your audience through interactivity.”

You can put it in fewer than 5 words in any one of these ways:

What is AhaSlides?
Easy-to-use presentation platform.
Engage your audience through interactivity.

Five lines of text on a slide

Text heavy slide design is not a wise choice for a fascinating presentation. Have you ever heard of the magical number 7 plus/minus 2 ? This number is the key takeaway from an experiment by George Miller, a cognitive psychologist.

This experiment implies that a human’s short-term memory typically holds 5-9 strings of words or concepts, so it’s hard for most ordinary people to remember more than that in a really short period of time.

That means that 5 lines would be the perfect number for an effective presentation, as the audience can grasp important information and memorise it better.

Know what your key ideas are - I know you’ve put tons of thought into your presentation, and everything you’ve included seems so vital, but you need to settle on the main points and summarise them in a few words on the slides.
Use phrases and sayings - Don’t write the whole sentence, simply pick out the essential words to use. Also, you can add a quote to illustrate your point instead of throwing everything in.

Five slides like this in a row

Having a lot of content slides like this can still be too much for the audience to digest. Imagine 15 of these text-heavy slides in a row - you'd lose your mind!

Keep your text slides to a minimum, and look for ways to make your slide decks more engaging.

The rule suggests that 5 text slides in a row are the absolute maximum you should make (but we suggest a maximum of 1!)

Add more visual aids - Use images, videos or illustrations to make your presentations more diverse.
Use interactive activities - Host games, icebreakers or other interactive activities to connect with your audience.

Instead of giving your audience a lecture, try brainstorming together to give them something different that helps them remember your message longer! 👇

Benefits of the 5/5/5 Rule

The 5/5/5 not only shows you how to set a boundary on your word counts and slides, but it can also benefit you in many ways.

Emphasise your message

This rule ensures that you highlight the most critical information to deliver the core message better. It also helps to make you the centre of attention (instead of those wordy slides), which means the audience will be actively listening and understanding your content better.

Keep your presentation from being a ‘read-out-loud’ session

Too many words in your presentation can make you dependent on your slides. You’re more likely to read that text out loud if it’s in the form of long paragraphs, but the 5/5/5 rule encourages you to keep it bite-sized, in as few words as possible.

Alongside that, there are three no-nos you can gain from this:

No classroom vibe - With 5/5/5, you won’t sound like a student reading everything for the whole class.
No back to the audience - Your crowd will see your before more than your face if you read the slides behind you. If you face the audience and make eye contact, you’ll be more engaging and more likely to make a good impression.
No death-by-PowerPoint - The 5-5-5 rule helps you avoid common mistakes while making your slideshow that can make your audience tune out quickly.

Reduce your workload

Preparing tons of slides is exhausting and time-consuming, but when you know how to summarise your content, you don’t have to put too much work into your slides.

Cons of the 5/5/5 Rule

Some people say that rules like this are made up by presentation consultants, as they earn a living by telling you how to make your presentations great again 😅. You can find many similar versions online, like the 6 by 6 rule or 7 by 7 rule, without knowing who invented stuff like this.

With or without the 5/5/5 rule, all presenters should always strive to reduce the amount of text on their slides. 5/5/5 is pretty simple and doesn’t get to the bottom of the problem, which is the way you lay out your content on the slides.

The rule also tells us to include, at most, five bullet points. Sometimes that means filling a slide with 5 ideas, which is way more than the widely held belief that there should be only one idea in a fall. The audience might read everything else and think of the second or third idea while you’re trying to deliver the first one.

On top of that, even if you follow this rule to a tee, you might still have five text slides in a row, followed by an image slide, and then a few other text slides, and repeat. That’s not appealing to your audience; it makes your presentation just as stiff.

The 5/5/5 rule can sometimes go against what is considered good practice in presentations, like having visual communication with your audience or including some charts, data , photos, etc., to illustrate your point clearly.

The 5/5/5 rule can be put to good use, but it does have its own pros and cons. There is still a bit of a debate here on whether it’s worth using, but the choice is yours.

Alongside using these rules, check out some tips to help nail your presentation.

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How to reduce text-heavy slide design?

Be concise at everything like minimizing texts, headings, ideas. Instead of heavy texts, let's show more charts, photos and visualizations, which are easier to absorb.

What is 6 by 6 rule for Powerpoint presentations?

Only 1 thought per line, no more than 6 bullet points per slide and no more than 6 words per line.

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The 5 by 5 rule in powerpoint: tips for better presentations.

Whether you’re presenting in front of a classroom, boardroom, or online audience, your goal is to engage, inform, and persuade your listeners. One of the most popular tools for creating professional-looking presentations is Microsoft PowerPoint.

However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of creating slides with too much information, cluttered layouts, or distracting visuals. That’s where the 5 by 5 rule comes in. This rule can help you design more effective and memorable presentations that resonate with your audience.

What Is the 5 By 5 Rule?

The 5 by 5 rule is a guideline for creating effective and engaging PowerPoint presentations. The rule suggests that each slide should contain no more than 5 bullet points, and each bullet point should have no more than 5 words. This means that the content on each slide should be concise and to the point, allowing the audience to quickly and easily understand the key message.

Don’t Take It Literally

It’s important to note that the 5 by 5 rule is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a guideline. It’s meant to help presenters simplify their content and avoid overwhelming their audience with too much information.

There may be times when it’s necessary to include more than5 bullet points or more than 5 words per bullet point and that’s okay. For example, if you’re presenting complex data or statistics, it may be difficult to convey the information with such a limited amount of text.

That said, even if you do need to include more content on a slide, it’s still important to keep the information as clear and concise as possible. This means breaking up the content into manageable chunks, using bullet points to highlight key information, and avoiding long blocks of text.

Ultimately, the 5 by 5 rule is a tool that can help presenters create more effective and engaging PowerPoint presentations. While it shouldn’t be taken as a strict rule, it’s a useful guideline to keep in mind when designing slides and deciding how much information to include.

By following the rule and practicing good design principles, you can create presentations that are memorable, impactful, and resonate with your audience.

How To Use The 5 By 5 Rule

When it comes to using the 5 by 5 rule in PowerPoint, there are a few key steps you can follow to ensure your presentations are effective and engaging. Here are some tips to help you apply the 5 by 5 rule in your PowerPoint presentations:

Plan Your Content

Before you start creating your slides, take some time to plan out your content. Think about the key messages you want to convey and the most important information you want to share. This will help you create a clear and focused presentation that aligns with your objectives.

Use Bullet Points

Once you have a clear idea of your content, start creating your slides. As you do, use bullet points to highlight key information and keep your text concise. Aim to have no more than 5 bullet points per slide, and keep each bullet point to no more than 5 words.

Choose Your Fonts and Colors Carefully

The fonts and colors you use can have a big impact on the effectiveness of your presentation. Choose a font that is easy to read and avoid using more than 2-3 colors per slide. Stick to a consistent color scheme throughout your presentation to create a cohesive look and feel.

Use High-Quality Visuals

Visuals such as images, charts, and graphs can help illustrate your points and make your presentation more engaging. However, make sure you choose high-quality visuals that are relevant to your content and don’t distract from your message.

Practice Good Design Principles

In addition to the 5 by 5 rule, there are other design principles you should follow to create effective presentations. For example, use plenty of white space to help your content stand out, avoid cluttered layouts, and incorporate visual hierarchy to guide your audience’s attention.

Tips For Designing Effective Slides

Designing effective slides is an important part of creating engaging and impactful PowerPoint presentations. Here are some tips to help you design effective slides that align with the 5 by 5 rule:

Keep It Simple and Focused

Each slide should have a clear and focused message. Avoid cluttered layouts and limit the amount of text and images on each slide. Use visuals and bullet points to highlight key information and make your message clear.

Incorporate Visual Aids and Multimedia

In addition to images, consider using other visual aids such as charts, graphs, and videos to help illustrate your points. Just make sure the multimedia is relevant to your content and supports your message.

Use Transitions and Animations Sparingly

While transitions and animations can add visual interest to your presentation, they can also be distracting. Use them sparingly and only when they support your message.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While designing a PowerPoint presentation, there are some common mistakes that can detract from the effectiveness of your message. Here are some mistakes to avoid when using the 5 by 5 rule:

Including Too Much Information

One of the most common mistakes is to include too much information on each slide. Remember, the 5 by 5 rule is a guideline, not a strict rule. Make sure each slide has a clear and focused message, and avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information.

Using Poor Quality Visuals

While visuals can enhance your message, using poor quality images or graphics can detract from your message. Make sure your visuals are high quality, relevant, and add value to your message.

Using Too Many Fonts and Colors

Using too many fonts and colors can make your presentation look cluttered and confusing. Stick to a consistent color scheme and font throughout your presentation to create a cohesive and professional look.

Overusing Transitions and Animations

While transitions and animations can add visual interest, overusing them can be distracting and take away from your message. Use them sparingly and only when they support your message.

Neglecting To Practice

Practice is key to delivering an effective presentation. Practice your delivery, timing, and slide transitions to ensure a smooth and professional presentation.

Not Tailoring Your Presentation to Your Audience

Failing to tailor your presentation to your audience can make your message irrelevant or difficult to understand. Make sure you understand your audience’s needs, interests, and level of knowledge to create a presentation that resonates with them.

In Conclusion

The 5 by 5 rule is a valuable tool for creating engaging and effective PowerPoint presentations. By following this rule and focusing on simplicity, clarity, and visual appeal, you can improve your communication skills and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Remember to practice good design principles and avoid common mistakes, and your presentations will be sure to stand out for all the right reasons.

If you’re not sure how to get this done right, working with a design partner like Mad Creative Beanstalk is a great option . Working with 100s of global clients, we know what makes an amazing presentation and we can do it for you too.

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