7x7 rule in powerpoint presentation example

What is the 7x7 Rule in PowerPoint?

Published: December 31, 2020

Despite its reputation for dry content delivery across virtual and in-person meetings alike, PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for many professionals , even as other options emerge that offer greater usability and flexibility outside of the Microsoft ecosystem.

Part of the presentation platform’s popularity stems from its familiarity — many organizations still run Microsoft-first IT software environments, making PowerPoint the obvious choice for straightforward presentation design. Simplicity provides the second part of this popularity permutation since creating a basic PowerPoint presentation on a single topic requires minimal time and effort.

The problem? “Simple” doesn’t always mean “effective”. Staff across markets, industries, and verticals worldwide have stories about unbearably long and boring PowerPoint presentations that were long on details but short on value. The 7x7 rule offers a framework to help boost PowerPoint form and function by reducing text volume and improving information impact.

In this piece, we’ll break down the 7x7 rule in PowerPoint , best practices , and offer some actionable examples of seven-by-seven solutions in-situ.

The PowerPoint Problem

To put it simply, most viewers don’t like PowerPoint. While the format has the benefit of speed and convenience — and can conceivably be used to communicate information quickly and concisely — many presentations are overlong and overwrought with bonanzas of bullet points that seem relevant but are really just digital hot air.

In most cases, the disconnect between appearance and action is boring at best and irritating at worst. As noted by the BBC , however, in extreme cases — such as NASA’s Challenger shuttle disaster — overlooked information in an overstuffed presentation can have significant real-world consequences.

Best bet? To avoid PowerPoint frustration and fatigue, it’s time for a new framework: The 7x7 rule.

What is the 7x7 rule in PowerPoint?

The 7x7 rule is simple: For every slide, use no more than seven lines of text — or seven bullet points — and no more than seven words per line. Slide titles aren’t included in the count.

There’s no specific data supporting the 7x7 model as the ideal; some PointPower proselytizers consider 8x8 good enough while others say 6x6 is more streamlined. The point here isn’t the hard-and-fast number but the underlying idea: Cut out extraneous information to improve presentation uptake.

Slides can still contain images — and should, wherever possible — but sticking to the 7x7 rule helps cut down on excess data that might be better-shared in follow-up emails or one-on-one discussions. In effect, the 7x7 rule is a way to reduce the amount of time staff spend pretending to care about PowerPoints and instead help them focus on slide information that’s relevant, contextual, and actionable.

Best Practices for the 7x7 Rule in PowerPoint

Building a typical PowerPoint slide is straightforward. Like any business practice, however, it can be improved with a standardized set of rules designed to limit waste and improve efficiency. And when it comes to most PowerPoint presentations, almost any change makes a positive impact.

Let’s break down some of the best practices for building PowerPoint slides with the 7x7 rule.

1. Single slide, single concept.

Each slide should address a single concept rather than trying to connect the dots across multiple data points, trends or ideas. While it’s fine to build on previous slide data as your presentation progresses the single slide, single concept approach helps focus presentation efforts from the word go.

2. Images increase impact.

As noted above images are a welcome addition to slides, so long as they’re relevant. If you find yourself adding unrelated stock photos just to add some color — don’t. Keep slides, text, and images on-track.

4. Forget the funny.

Almost everyone has a story about a “funny” PowerPoint joke that was nothing of the sort. In most cases, these heavy-handed humor efforts are shoehorned in ostensibly to help viewers better remember slide data. In fact, they shift the focus away from your primary objective.

5. Plan it out.

Before creating your presentation, create a basic outline that highlights your primary concept, how you plan to get it across, and how many slides in total it should take. Then, draft your slides. Take a break, review them, and cut back wherever possible.

6. Consider the 7x7x7.

If you really want to go all-in on the 7x7 rule, consider adding another 7 and aiming for no more than 7 words in each line, no more than 7 lines on each slide, and no more than 7 slides in total. It’s not easy — but offers a much better chance of getting your point across.

7x7 Rule in Powerpoint Examples

So what does the 7x7 rule look like in practice? It’s one thing to talk about building a better slide, but it’s easy to fall back into bad habits when it’s time to put together a presentation. It makes sense; content creators are often trying to convey a significant amount of information in a short period of time, and it’s easy to get sidetracked by the notion that every piece of data must be included to make the meeting a success.

Let’s start with a slide that’s substantially removed from the 7x7 rule:

There’s a lot to unpack here. We’re using too many lines and too many words per line. Lines are complex without saying much, and the attempt at humor doesn’t add anything.

Let’s try again:

This one is better — we’ve reduced the number of lines to 7 and lost the joke, but most of the lines still have more than 7 words and the text is overly convoluted.

Let’s try one more time:

This slide is clear and concise, and most lines have less than 7 characters. It offers the same information as the first two versions — it’s just more effective and efficient.

The 7x7 Solution

While using 7 lines of text with 7 words or less isn’t a silver bullet for all PowerPoint-related problems, it’s a good place to begin if you’re looking to boost viewer engagement and limit fatigue.

Bottom line? PowerPoint isn’t always the ideal format for getting your point across, but if you need to create a quick-hitter presentation that lands well with your audience, start with the 7x7 solution.

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Home Blog Design How To Apply the 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint

How To Apply the 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint

PowerPoint presentations are notorious for being dull and boring. This issue is so bad that the term’ Death by PowerPoint’ is commonly used to describe this problem. You might consider keeping your slides simple when reading through any tips for editing your PowerPoint templates or using other platforms such as Google Slides templates . However, how to do that is another question. This is where the 7×7 rule can be helpful.

What is the 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint?

The 7×7 rule in PowerPoint implies that you should use a maximum of 7 lines per slide, with no more than seven words in each line, and a total of 7 slides per presentation. This can be done in bullet points to simplify the slide. In such a case, the rule recommends using no more than seven bullet points with seven words each per slide. The 7×7 rule is meant to simplify how presentations are made to ensure that presenters don’t go overboard with text-heavy slides.

Why use the 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint?

There can be a number of benefits of using the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint. For example, the rule can help make your slides simple, easy to create and grasp. Below are reasons you might want to use the 7×7 rule for PowerPoint.

1. Easy to Create Slides

Slides created using the 7×7 rule are easy to develop since they take less time and effort. Some people might find it tricky to reduce words initially, but once you get used to the concept, creating slides will seem much more manageable.

2. Easy to Present Slides

Slides with fewer words are more accessible to present than content-heavy slides. By focusing on a handful of pointers, you can focus on the key topic and avoid deviating from the core discussion points.

3. The 7×7 Rule can Help Improve Presentation Skills

You can quickly get right to the point by showcasing information in just seven lines. This can help improve your skills as a presenter, as you will rely more on the depth of your knowledge than what’s written in the slides.

4. Attention Grabbing Slides

It can be arguably said that slides with less text can be better at grabbing the audience’s attention than lengthy blocks of text that might lead to people losing interest in your slides.

5. The 7×7 Rule Saves Time by Avoiding Verbiage

The 7×7 rule can help save time and avoid jargon. Using this simple rule, you can save your time and that of the audience with a simple and to-the-point presentation.

6. Clarity Regarding the Discussion Topic

The 7×7 rule can help clarify the topic under discussion by ensuring that the presenter sticks to the point with concise information.

7. Focused Presentation

The 7×7 rule for PowerPoint can be a great way to create a focused presentation that can help dig deep into the most essential bits of the discussion points. This can also be helpful to avoid deviation from the core topic that can often occur due to lengthy presentations with unrelated information or Q&A sessions going off track due to a member of the audience discussing something unrelated to the core topic.

8. Improved Efficiency in Communicating Information

You can make communication efficient by making the topic concise regarding slides and explaining the concept yourself. This is one aspect that many presenters usually struggle to ensure when giving presentations, as one can easily get lost in translation when creating and presenting PowerPoint slides.

9. Adaptability for Different Presentation Topics

The 7×7 PowerPoint rule can be adapted for any presentation topic. The universal nature of the rule helps make any presentation topic concise and focused. The rule is not designed for a specific presentation topic or concept.

10. Professional Looking Presentation Slides

A simple, to-the-point presentation will likely look professional and polished, with the information as plainly as possible for the audience’s ease. While many consider content-heavy and flashy presentation slides a good option, any public speaking expert would tell you that ‘less is more.’ An example is the 10/20/30 rule by Guy Kawasaki.

How to Use the 7×7 Rule in Presentations

If you want more precise guidelines for PowerPoint slides using the 7×7 rule, consider following the tips below.

1. Fewer Topics Per Slide

Using multiple subtopics with the 7×7 rule might not always be a great idea; it is best to try accommodating a single or fewer topics per slide. While you can build upon previous slides to assist your topic across multiple slides, trying to connect too many references and data points can lead to confusing slides. The 10-20-30 rule of Presentations also puts emphasis on this point.

For example, if we take an agricultural retailer as an example, they can express their customer’s journey cyclical process by using a 5A Customer Path Circular Diagram, a framework derived from the traditional AIDA model. The concepts can be simplified in one slide, and the presenter can dialogue about the components of the diagram.

• Aware: “Farmers learn about our high-yield seeds and organic fertilizers through agricultural fairs and social media.”
• Appeal: “Testimonials from successful harvests and competitive pricing capture the interest of the agricultural community.”
• Ask: “In-field demonstrations and Q&A sessions help farmers understand the benefits for their specific crops and soil types.”
• Act: “Farmers purchase our products with guidance on best practices for use to ensure improved yields.”
• Advocate: “Satisfied farmers share their success stories, recommending our products to fellow growers.”

2. Improve Text Legibility

One of the advantages of having less text is that you can increase the font size to make your slides easier for the audience to read. Try to use a clean-looking font with a large font size to help everyone in the audience read the text conveniently, especially the people located at the end of the room or venue.

3. Use Impactful Words

Since you will be using fewer words, you should try to use terms that might be more impactful instead of run-of-the-mill definitions and lengthy introductions. Be it terms associated with the topic, the line of work you are engaged in, or phrases derived from famous quotes, you should use words that hold meaning, captivate the audience, and help make information memorable.

4. Let Images Speak for You

Reducing text allows you to accommodate a few images or illustrations to do the talking for you. Self-explanatory or complementary imagery can help give the audience a picture of the topic under discussion without using much text or a lengthy speech. This will be particularly useful since you must work with no more than seven slides.

5. Avoid Cluttered Slides

While fewer lines of text should reduce clutter, the opposite can be true if you include too many images, icons, tables, or text with an untidy-looking font. Ensure your slides look clean since fewer words would not guarantee that automatically.

6. Avoid Unnecessary Information

Sometimes, people add unnecessary information in slides even when the audience knows the added details. For example, you don’t need to add an introduction for a project every time you present it to your colleagues since they will be familiar with the project’s background.

7. Plan Your Slides

It will not be easy to create seven slides, with seven lines of text, with seven words per line every time. It is best to consider the sequence of your presentation and plan how to create it to accommodate relevant information best. You can also look for visual aids that might help shorten your slides to get the job done.

8. Consider Other Simplification Methods

Most design languages today emphasize using less content to make the primary information pop out. A few examples include the material design used in smartphone UIs and the modern design introduced by Microsoft since Windows 8 was introduced in 2012. You can also consider wisely using colors, as mentioned in our article about color theory , and using AI tools to design your slides, such as the Designer feature in PowerPoint.

9. Use Speaker Notes

While you can use a brief slide, this does not mean you can’t use speaker notes . In fact, using speaker notes might be necessary to ensure that you can remember critical information, such as figures and data that might not be included in the original slide. It is essential not to make your speaker notes lengthy, as that would defeat the purpose of simplifying the presentation with fewer words.

10. Try to Engage Your Audience

By making brief slides, you can spare more time for engaging activities such as polls and quizzes to engage your audience . This can help make your presentation effective by breaking the monotony, improving the attention span of your audience, and helping you get insight from them regarding crucial discussion points.

Final Words

The 7×7 PowerPoint rule is among the guidelines presenters use to simplify their presentation creation tasks for effectiveness. This is similar to other concepts, such as the 10/20/30 rule made famous for pitch decks by Guy Kawasaki. While the PowerPoint 7×7 rule can be pretty handy, one must not limit one’s creative approach to a single rule. If you think you need more than seven slides, there is no reason to limit yourself unnecessarily. However, rules like 7×7 can be good guidelines for creating effective presentations.

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7X7 Rule in PPT (PowerPoint Presentation)

Table of Contents

Captivate your audience with impactful presentations using the 7×7 rule. This design principle encourages a clear and focused approach by limiting slides to a mere 7 lines of text, each containing a maximum of 7 words. By adhering to this format, you can craft presentations that are not only easy to digest but also leave a lasting impression on your viewers. Let’s jump into the article and find out how it works.

What is the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint Slide?

As discussed earlier, keeping presentations clear and engaging is the goal of the 7×7 rule. This means limiting each slide to around seven lines of text (excluding the title) with each line containing roughly seven words. This helps focus the audience on the main points.

While the specific number (7) might have some flexibility (some suggest 8 lines or 6 lines), the key idea is to prioritize clarity and avoid overwhelming viewers with too much information. Images can still be included to enhance understanding.

Ultimately, the 7×7 rule aims to make presentations more like conversation starters, sparking focused discussions rather than simply dumping information. This saves valuable time and ensures the audience is engaged with the most relevant and actionable content. It’s important to remember that this rule serves as a guideline, rather than a strict requirement.

How to apply the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint?

1. One Slide, One Point:

Ensure each slide focuses on just one main idea or message to avoid overwhelming your audience.

2. Keep it Simple:

Simplify your slides by avoiding complicated graphs or too much text. Clear, concise points make your presentation easier to follow.

3. Use Large and Readable Fonts:

Ensure that the text on your slides is large enough for everyone in the audience to read comfortably, even from a distance.

4. Maintain Consistent Formatting:

Keep your presentation visually coherent by using consistent fonts, colors , and layouts throughout. This creates a polished and professional look.

5. Leverage Visuals Effectively:

Add pictures, charts, and diagrams to help illustrate your points and make your presentation more engaging.

6. Practice Your Delivery:

Run through your presentation a few times to get comfortable with the flow, ensure clear communication, and get the timing right.

7. Engage Your Audience:

Encourage your audience to participate by asking questions and involving them in discussions throughout your presentation.

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Example of 7×7 Powerpoint Presentation

Let’s consider a presentation about “Effective Time Management Techniques”. We’ll start with a slide that doesn’t adhere to the 7×7 rule, followed by a revised slide that does follow the rule.

Slide Without 7×7 Rule:

Slide Title: Time Management Tips

Bullet Points:

• Make a comprehensive and detailed to-do list every single morning without fail.
• Prioritize tasks diligently based on both urgency and importance, ensuring a careful consideration of each factor in your decision-making process.
• Break down tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks, creating a detailed and organized plan for execution.
• Be sure to limit multitasking as it can negatively impact your ability to focus on individual tasks, potentially leading to a decrease in overall productivity.
• Utilize the technique of time-blocking, which involves allocating specific time slots for each task on your list, helping you stay on track and manage your time more effectively.
• Minimize distractions during your work period, including but not limited to turning off phone notifications, closing unnecessary tabs, and creating a dedicated workspace to foster a more focused and distraction-free environment.
• Take regular breaks to recharge your productivity levels, making sure to step away from your work and engage in activities that help refresh your mind and body.
• This slide is a mess! It’s overloaded with lengthy sentences and unnecessary explanations.
• People might get lost in all the words and lose interest in what the presenter is saying.
• The cluttered appearance of the slide makes it hard to focus on the main points.
• It lacks visual appeal and looks chaotic.

Slide With 7×7 Rule:

• Prioritize tasks daily.
• Break tasks into smaller steps.
• Use time-blocking to schedule tasks.
• Limit multitasking for better focus.
• Minimize distractions.
• Take regular breaks.
• Review and adjust your schedule.
• This slide follows the 7×7 rule, keeping things short and sweet.
• Less text means people can focus on what the presenter is saying.
• It looks clean and simple, making it more visually appealing.
• It’s easy for the audience to understand quickly.

How the Rule Makes the Slide Better:

• Easier to Understand : With fewer words, it’s easier for the audience to get the main points.
• More Engaging : Less text means the presenter can talk more and keep the audience’s attention.
• Rememberable : People are more likely to remember the key tips with a simpler slide.
• Looks Professional : Following the 7×7 rule shows professionalism and respect for the audience’s time.
• No design skills required
• 3 presentations/month free
• Don’t need to learn a new software

Closing Thoughts

The 7×7 rule is a simple yet effective way to make your presentations more engaging. By keeping your s lides clear and concise with strong visuals , you’ll help your audience understand the key points and remember them easily. This approach will not only ensure your message gets across but also encourage interaction and discussion. So, put the 7×7 rule to the test and watch your presentations come alive!

Ready to create presentations that captivate your audience? Visit SlidesAI today and discover how AI can help you craft compelling presentations that follow the 7×7 rule:  https://slidesai.io/

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. is the 7×7 rule a must-follow rule.

The 7×7 rule is more like a helpful tip than a strict requirement. You can adjust it as needed for your presentation. However, keeping the text short and clear is still very important.

2. What if I have a lot to share?

Consider splitting the information across multiple slides. You can also use charts and graphs to show complex data in an easy-to-understand way.

3. Does the 7×7 rule count the slide title?

No, the 7×7 rule usually doesn’t apply to the slide title. Keep the title short and clear, highlighting the main point of the slide.

4. What font size should I use?

Choose a font size that’s big enough for everyone in the audience to read easily, especially those seated further away. A size between 18 and 24 is generally a good choice.

5. Are there other design things to keep in mind?

Yes. Using a consistent style throughout your slides, including clear pictures or graphs, and having a simple color scheme can make your presentation look better and more professional.

6.Are there other options similar to the 7×7 rule?

Some people prefer using similar rules like the 6×6 rule or the 10×5 rule. The main goal is to keep your content short and interesting. Try different things to see what works best for your specific presentation and the audience you’re presenting to.

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What is the 7 by 7 Rule for PowerPoint Presentations?

By: Author Shrot Katewa

PowerPoint presentations are a powerful way of conveying a message to your colleagues, clients, and peers. The problem is if you do not know how to use PowerPoint in a way that grabs the attention of your audience, you might lose them by the second slide. This is where the 7 by 7 rule comes in handy. But, what exactly is it?

The 7 by 7 rule is a method used where each line has no more than 7 words and a slide has no more than 7 lines. This is a way of keeping your presentations easily readable and understandable to the audience. If your lines and slides are too “wordy” you run the risk of turning your audience away.

It is easy to forget the role of the audience in a presentation’s success. It does not matter how much time and energy you put into a presentation if your audience finds it a drab. If your presentation does not grab the attention of your audience, all the other qualities become meaningless.

The 7 by 7 rule lets you overcome this challenge with ease even if you are a beginner. So, let’s talk about this rule for PowerPoint.

What is the 7 by 7 Rule for PowerPoint?

I want you to think of how much effort you are putting into your presentations. Imagine all that work only for your audience to lose interest within the first few minutes. This happens more than most people think.

Using the 7 by 7 rule is the best way to keep your audience interested in the presentation. All it means is, there must be no more than 7 lines per slide and no more than 7 words per line.

The 7 by 7 rule is for presentations that have a lot of information in them. You get different rules such as the “5 by 5”, the “6 by 6”, and of course the 7 by 7. The last one being the bigger of the 3 and the focus of this article, it is used for presentations that are jam-packed with information.

While this rule helps, it is important to note that you still need to create a great presentation. The 7 by 7 rule should be used as a guideline to improve the presentation . Unfortunately, there is no secret method that can be a substitute for a well researched and well put together the presentation.

Why 7 Lines Per Slide?

When someone has a lot on their mind regarding their work and personal life, sitting in for a presentation can be a little tiring. It is easy for people to wander off into the abyss of their minds. This does not have to be the case for your presentations.

The 7 line rule is a guideline to help you keep your slides as clean and easily readable as possible. It is to reduce clutter in each of your slides so that when your audience scans the slide, they can easily navigate each point you are trying to make.

Use the guideline to help you stay on the topic through each slide. It is best to use each line as a bullet point and when you combine this with the 7-word rule below, your audience will mostly stay focused.

Another aspect that you need to keep in mind is that these 7 lines are merely points for you to elaborate on. Think of them as trigger points that will help you remember the overall discussion that you want to have for a particular slide.

You don’t want the audience to just read what is written on the slides. This will become boring pretty quickly. Keeping the points short and succinct, and directly related to the topic of your presentation is key to keeping the audience engaged. This way, the audience will also be able to absorb all the information a lot easier than if your slide was cluttered.

Why 7 Words Per Line?

When I see a presentation that has too much stuff on it, it is a big turn off for me.

A common mistake we make is to make the slide look too text-heavy, and we sound too verbose when we are trying to explain something. This is especially true when we are passionate about something. Being passionate about something is great but being too verbose is a sure-fire way to lose your audience in the clutter of words.

Using the 7-word guideline will help you be specific. You do not even have to structure your sentences, in fact, why not just get rid of sentences altogether? With the 7 word rule, you can make short statements.

Try to structure each line with small bullet points instead of long drawn-out sentences. This will help your presentation be more factual and less boring.

Remember, you want to use the slides only as visual reference to the points that you want to make during the presentation. Thus, it doesn’t make sense to stuff it with words when you are anyway going to talk about it.

How to Create the 7 by 7 Rule in PowerPoint

Great, so you are considering implementing this into your next presentation and want to know how to do it!

Making a presentation using the 7 by 7 rule is as easy as the name sounds. There is no specific option or a flip-switch that will help you create your presentation using the 7 by 7 rule in PowerPoint.

It is all about structuring the presentation according to the rule. Use the rule to structure the content on the slides in a clean a clutterless fashion. Use each line as a bullet point and the words per line should be mini statements instead of sentences.

That said, there are a few tips that can help you master this technique of presentation creation.

Tip 1 – Treat Each Line as a Reference for the Overall Point

It can not be highlighted enough that you ought to use the slides with text only as a reference to the whole story that you want to share using that slide.

Think of it this way – the slides that you are creating are like your personal short-hand notes . Only you can make a complete sense of what is written and connect the dots from one bullet point to another.

Likewise, when writing the text on the slides, make it more like short-hand personal notes that you can look at and elaborate in detail during the presentation. Keep it brief and succinct such that each line triggers the memory in your brain about what you want to convey on that specific slide.

This does 2 things –

• It makes sure that merely by reading what is written on the slide, your audience is not completely able to understand the point. Thus, they have to actively listen to your brief explanation of the point on the slide. This keeps them engaged and involved during the presentation.
• It also ensures that the audience is looking at you rather than the screen. That way, you can keep them engaged with your expressions and gestures.

Tip 2 – Don’t make it Obvious, use the Text for a Brain-tease

This one is a pro-tip!

Instead of using the text on the slides to merely laying out what point of a research study, you can perhaps pose a question or an interesting fact!

So, for instance, if you are giving a presentation about the fastest car on the earth and you want to talk about the speed of the car on a particular slide –

Instead of stating that the car is fast, and it goes at 305 mph, you could write the text a bit differently as follows –

• Bugatti Chiron – A Rocket on Road!

This clearly highlights that you will be talking about a fast car, but they still need to hear you out completely to fully understand the speed of the car and how it feels while driving the car.

As you can see, this example also kind of ties in with the first tip.

Remember, you don’t have to be conventional with the text on the slides. It is a presentation and not a word document.

What Is The Goal Of The 7 By 7 Rule

When it comes to the goal of the 7 by 7 rule, there are 3 main goals that it is designed to help you achieve. If you stick with the guideline, your presentation will have a greater chance of selling your product. Even if you are not selling anything, it will help your audience better understand the presentation.

Below is a list of the 3 main goals of the 7 by 7 rule, we will go into more detail for each one:

• Keep your presentation on topic.
• Reduces clutter and improves readability.
• Captivate your audience from start to finish.

Now, let us take a quick look at each of these goals a little bit closer and find out how it all fits together.

1. Keeps your Presentation on Topic

Sometimes it is hard to stay on topic throughout an entire presentation. It becomes even harder if your presentation is full of non-important words.

This is especially true when we are passionate about what we are talking about or selling. So, use the 7 by 7 rule to help you stay on topic.

2. Readability

A good portion of your audience will scan a slide before you even start talking. You want them to finish their scan as soon as possible and you want them to understand as much as possible. This is so that they can turn their attention back to you.

You don’t want your presentations to be cluttered or your sentences to be drawn out. This will make it harder for the audience to scan the slide. This might lead to them feeling lost as they will have missed most of your points.

3. Captivate your Audience

This pretty much stems from the readability goal. If you lose an audience member, even just through one slide, it is hard to draw them back in. The minute they feel lost, their mind starts wandering to all the important things they could be doing.

The 7 by 7 rule, if followed and implemented in an already good presentation, is designed to not only assist you but also assist your audience. It is a great way to grab and hold their attention.

Different Variations of the 7 by 7 Rule

There are a few different variations of this rule but the concept stays the same. If you have mastered how to convey your messages with as little wording as possible you could use fewer lines and fewer words per line. Let’s take a quick look at these rules.

• 5 by 5: 5 lines per slide and 5 words per line.
• 6 by 6: 6 lines per slide and 6 words per line.
• 7 by 7: 7 lines per slide and 7 words per line.
• 8 by 8: 8 lines per slide and 8 words per line.

As you can see, the concept stays the same for each of these rules.

Rule of 7 vs 7 by 7 Rule: What’s the Difference?

Sometimes people, especially in sales, might mistake the 7 by 7 rule with the rule of 7. There is a big difference between the two and in fact, they are not related at all. We have discussed, in detail, the 7 by 7 rule so lets just briefly explain what the rule of 7 is.

The rule of 7 is a simple but old marketing concept that is tried and tested to work. It suggests that if a customer sees your product or service 7 times, they are likely to become a customer or client.

I guess you can add the rule of 7 to your presentations if you are trying to sell something, perhaps in the form of pictures of your brand. That said, it should not be mistaken for the 7 by 7 rule.

Final Thoughts

Creating presentations, especially if you are the speaker, can be a little bit daunting. I could also use the word intimidating, because, let’s be honest, it is, especially for new professionals.

Luckily, there are experts who have developed techniques that make everything easier. These techniques, like the 7 by 7 rule can alleviate a lot of the stress of potentially losing your audience.

What is 7×7? The Golden Rule For Your PowerPoint Presentation in 2024

Jane Ng • 05 Apr 2024 • 7 min read

What is the 7×7 rule PowerPoint? Have you ever found yourself caught in a dilemma when preparing a presentation? On the one hand, you fear that providing too little information might leave your audience confused or unsatisfied.

On the other hand, you worry that bombarding them with an abundance of words will only lead to disinterest and fatigue, leaving vital content forgotten. It’s a predicament that many presenters face. Don’t worry! The 7×7 rule is here to rescue you from this. 

In this blog post, we will explore what is 7×7 , offer you invaluable best practices and examples in actions, and equip you with the right tools to transform your presentation into an engaging and impactful experience. Get ready to captivate your audience and deliver a truly memorable performance.

Table of Contents

What is 7×7 rule in powerpoint presentation, best practices for 7×7 rule in presentation.

• Examples Of the 7×7 Rule In PowerPoint Presentation
• Tools To Make Your Presentations Shine 
• Key Takeaways 

What Is 7×7? Or, more specifically, what is the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint?The 7×7 rule in PowerPoint is a guideline that suggests keeping the quantity of text on each slide to no more than seven lines – or bullet points and no more than seven words per line. 

This rule is widely embraced as it forces presenters to distil their content into concise, focused messages, making it easier for the audience to understand and retain key points.

In addition, by adhering to the 7×7 rule, you can complement their text with meaningful visuals, such as images, charts, or diagrams. This visual variety engagement aids comprehension and makes the presentation more seemingly appealing.

Whether you deliver a formal business presentation, a sales pitch, or an educational seminar, the 7×7 rule can be applied universally. It provides a framework for structuring slides effectively, regardless of the content or purpose of the presentation.

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You may now have many questions about applying the 7×7 rule in your presentation efficiently. For example, what will help make presentation slides appear uncluttered? Here are some tips to maximize the impact of the 7×7 rule in presentations:

#1 – Simplify and Focus

The 7×7 rule is all about simplicity and focus. By following this guideline, you can effectively convey your key messages and prevent overwhelming your audience with excessive information. Here are some of the key elements involved:

• Prioritize your key messages: Identify the main news or key takeaways you want to convey to your audience. Or core ideas or concepts that you want them to remember. Prioritizing them helps you maintain a clear direction and ensures that your presentation is focused.
• Condense information: Once you have identified your key messages, condense them into concise statements. To follow 7×7 PowerPoint rule, you should strip away unnecessary details and extraneous information that can dilute the impact of your message. 
• Avoid information overload: Overwhelming your audience with too much information on a single slide can lead to confusion and reduced engagement. By using the 7×7 rule, you can limit the number of lines and words on each slide to prevent information overload.
• Clear and concise communication: Simplicity and focus go hand in hand with clear and concise communication. Craft your statements using language that is easy to understand and avoids unnecessary jargon or complexity. Aim for clarity in your messaging, allowing your audience to grasp your points quickly and effortlessly.

#2 – Make Use Of Visuals To Improve Understanding

Visual elements can significantly contribute to the clarity and impact of your presentation. You can select visuals, such as images, charts, or diagrams, which are directly related to the information you are presenting to help reinforce your message.

In addition, visuals can simplify complex concepts and make them more accessible. Use visuals to illustrate relationships, demonstrate processes, or highlight key trends. This visual representation can aid comprehension and make your content more engaging.

#3 – Embrace White Space

How can the use of white space make a presentation more effective? White space , also known as negative space, refers to the empty areas between and around elements on a slide.

• Improve readability: Ample spacing between lines of text and paragraph legibility, making it easier for the audience to read and comprehend your content. It prevents the text from appearing cramped or overwhelming.
• Enhance visual appeal: White space adds elegance and sophistication to your presentation. It creates a clean and uncluttered look, allowing the content to stand out.
• Focus on essential elements: White space allows the audience to focus on the main content without distractions, improving their understanding and retention of information.

When incorporating white space, consider the following tips:

• Use generous margins and spacing around text and visual elements.
• Avoid overcrowding slides with too much content.
• Leave empty areas around images, charts, and other visual elements.
• Maintain consistency in the amount of white space throughout your presentation.

#4 – Streamline Slide Content

Streamlining slide content is a key principle of the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint. It requires organizing your slides in a way that ensures clarity, avoids information overload, and maintains a logical flow as follows:

• Each slide should focus on a single idea, concept, or message. Avoid overcrowding slides with excessive information or trying to convey multiple ideas on one slide. 
• Maintain a logical sequence and transition smoothly between slides. Each slide should build upon the previous one and prepare the audience for the next. This helps the audience follow your train of thought and understand the progression of ideas.
• Ensure that the visuals are directly related to the content being presented and add value rather than just serving as decorative elements.

📌 Learn to use idea board to organise opinions and idea better!

Examples Of The 7×7 Rule In PowerPoint Presentation

Here’s a slide that deviates significantly from the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint and how it can be transformed after applying the rule:

This is the original slide, which, as you can see, has a lot of information and text, making it difficult for the audience to absorb and less visually effective.

This is after you identify the key message of each line and truncate the extra words and unnecessary information.

Applying the 7×7 Rule makes the slide clear, allowing the audience to absorb and remember the content more easily.

Tools To Make Your Presentations Shine

Besides 7×7 rule, There are several tools available that can help make presentations more effective. Here are a few popular ones:

#1 – Google Slides

Google Slides is a web-based presentation tool allowing easy collaboration and sharing. It offers a range of templates, themes, and formatting options. Google Slides also allows real-time collaboration, enabling multiple users to simultaneously work, comment, and chat on the same presentation.

#2 – Prezi 

Prezi is a dynamic presentation tool that allows for non-linear storytelling. It offers a zooming user interface, enabling presenters to create more engaging and interactive presentations. Prezi provides templates, animations, and collaboration features to make presentations visually captivating.

#3 – Canva

Canva is a versatile graphic design tool that can be used to create visually stunning presentations. It offers many templates, fonts, images, and illustrations. Canva also provides various design elements and customization options to make presentations visually appealing.

📌 Related: Canva Alternatives (Best 12 Free and Paid Plans) in 2024

#4 – Powtoon 

Powtoon is a platform for creating animated videos and presentations. It provides a user-friendly interface and a library of pre-designed templates, characters, and animations. Powtoon allows you to add animated elements to your slides, making your presentations more dynamic and engaging.

#5 – Haiku Deck

Haiku Deck is a simple and intuitive presentation tool focusing on visual storytelling. It encourages minimal text on slides and emphasizes the use of high-quality images. Haiku Deck helps create visually stunning presentations with a clean and elegant design.

#6 – AhaSlides 

AhaSlides is a powerful tool for creating interactive and engaging presentations, fostering audience participation, and making your content more memorable. With a template library and features like live polls and word cloud , you can gather instant audience feedback, opinions, and insights, elevating the engagement level of your presentation. Also, live Q&A sessions allow the audience to submit questions through their devices, creating a dynamic and interactive environment.

For educational or training presentations, AhaSlides offers the option to create interactive quizzes and games like spinner wheel , adding a fun and competitive element to the session while reinforcing learning. These features enhance audience engagement and help them retain key information effectively.

AhaSlides also provides reporting features, allowing you to track and analyze audience responses and engagement. This valuable data shows your presentation’s effectiveness and enables you to make data-driven improvements for future productions.

Key Takeaways

What is 7×7? The 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint is a valuable guideline that promotes effective and engaging presentations. By limiting the amount of text on each slide, presenters can distil their content into concise and focused messages, preventing information overload and keeping the audience’s attention. 

By following the 7×7, presenters can create impactful and memorable presentations. So, remember to embrace simplicity, prioritize key messages, utilize visuals, and streamline the content to make your presentations shine with the power of the 7×7 Rule.

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How to Incorporate the 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint? Ultimate Guide for Beginners

The effective presentations via PowerPoint can make a person more efficient speaker and are considered to be the most powerful way of conveying the message to the colleagues, clients, and workmates. If one is succeeded to grab the attention of the audience while delivering his presentation, half the battle is already done then!

PowerPoint is the best way to deliver your message and ideas to people. They say ‘bring your idea to the table’, we hear excellent PowerPoint presentations that can leave the other person in an aura of creativity and complete engagement.

Hooking the audience is definitely not easy and in today’s world, when people have their phones with themselves everywhere, this can be very tricky to get them engage with the content written in the slides. For this purpose, the presentation should be very powerful and must be encompassing all the basic rules of the PowerPoint.

WHAT IS THE 7×7 RULE IN POWERPOINT?

Have you also given the PowerPoint presentations? Have you noticed something a bit off, not like the presentation in depth but there is an element that could make it seemed a little off! This could happen due to the lacking of understanding of the basic principles of PowerPoint.

The presentations designed with poor visuals can leave the audience feeling confused, bored, and definitely irritated. Forever the go-to choice of professionals for the presentations, PowerPoint is an all-rounder to present all types of content. Be it the dry one or the animated illustration of your ideas and topics, a PowerPoint presentation brings a win-win situation for the speaker and audience.

Get on the pace of the highly effective and powerful presentation by learning the basic rule of 7×7. This can help you to limit each and every slide to only seven lines of the texts, each containing a maximum of seven words.

A QUICK GLANCE AT THE 7×7 POWERPOINT RULE DEFINITION:

The basic rule of the 7×7 rule definition prohibits the use of more than 7 words per line and more than 7 lines per visual. In a nutshell, this is one of the most effective and highly-used method of keeping your presentations easily readable and understandable to the audience.

This is why the writers and the professionals of the writing industry always make sure to write short paragraphs that can hook the reader up.

While using the 7×7 PowerPoint rule, you must make the sub-points of the main points if you want to share more details. But writing everything in one point and making the presentation look wordy would make your audience run away. Your slides must be emphasized over the point while keeping the things on track and illustrating the graphics and photo proficiently.

Your answer to what is 7×7 rule in PowerPoint is explained rightly with the minor details of which you must be taking care of while designing your presentation. The PowerPoint presentation slides that can summarize the essentials of the presentation is a wonderful key to effective communication.

WHY FOLLOW THE 7×7 RULE OF SLIDES IN POWERPOINT?

There are so many organizations that still run Microsoft first IT software environment and this make the PowerPoint one of the most obvious choice for the genuine and creative presentation design. The simplicity and easy user interface make the PowerPoint popular because one doesn’t have to infuse a lot of time in creating the slides.

The PowerPoint 7×7 rule has made it a lot easier for the users to create hustle-free and classy presentations. The seven lines per slide refers to write only seven lines of the text in your presentation and only these lines must be focusing on the core element and message of your presentation.

Also, this is okay to have fewer than seven lines or bullet points in your presentation slides. The professional slide makers and designers from different online services also believe that it is the best idea to stick to one concept per slide.

Here, your complete focus must be on the keywords and the phrases because people can read quickly as compared to your speaking skills. Make sure not to make your presentation wordy or jargon-based, this would end up your PowerPoint presentation right into the list of most boring presentation because everyone would be only reading what you have written.

7×7 rule would help you to eradicate the unnecessary messages from the presentation and you would be able to bring the best on the table. Be it the 7×7, 6×6, or even 8×8, make sure to keep the presentation slide a lot simple and minimal.

You can choose any of the combinations of lines and words on the slides but the main target remains the same and that is to reduce the wordiness. By reducing the huge content over a single slide, it becomes easier for the audience to comprehend your message easily.

By incorporating the rule of 7×7 into your slides and presentation, this would become easier for you to bring engagement and discipline into your work. Personally, 7×7 is completely acceptable and would not be creating any problems for the presenter as well.

Be it the ppt slide number or the bullet points that you are infusing in your content, one thing is to make sure and that is the alignment of the text. The 7 lines rule is itself a complete guide to help you with the slides as clean and easily readable as much possible.

SAY A BIG NO TO HUGE CONTENT- THE POWERPOINT SNAGS:

You must have gone through such a presentation where the designers and creators both have focused just on the content that should be written on the slides. Since the concentration and focus span of the people is just for some seconds so writing a lot of wordy content on the slide can dump your hard work all in vain.

The 7 line rule is the complete guide to help you in keeping the slides as clean and possible. This would also reduce the clutter in the slides and the audience would be able to navigate easily through the presentation.

Make sure that your presentation is easy in the eyes of the viewers and is not having some very harsh colors or background. Some of the PowerPoint Snags are also helpful for you in such meantime.

• Clean layout and aesthetic visuals
• Tell a story using bold images
• Use the movement and statement colors to engage the learners
• Spice up the things with the cute icons and interacting images
• Make a static checklist a lot more engaging

Your presentation slide is in short your own visual presentation of the mindset. Making it appear messy can upset and bore your audience to the core and no one would ever enjoy listening or watching your presentations. Before jumping on the bandwagon of using PowerPoint, learn the basic principles of how to align it and keep it minimal.

THE WAY OUT; 7×7 POWERPOINT RULE:

The rule of PowerPoint presentation 7×7 is highly advantageous to the speakers and the presenters.

With the help of the 7×7 PowerPoint rule, the speaker is able to hold on to the focus of the audience. Rather than looking at the spacing slides, the audience is interested to listen to those points in detail from the presenter.

Following this simple rule can make your presentations highly effective and can leave people with the curiosity to listen to you with complete concentration and focus. All you have to do is, for every slide, use no more than seven lines of the text or the seven bullet points and no more than seven words per line.

EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF 7×7 RULE IN THE PRESENTATIONS:

We second the opinion that PowerPoint presentations are not only easy to read and to present but also finest to be understood by the audience. This eliminates the need of having handout to explain any topic and one can understand the concept by grabbing the idea from the slides and the visuals incorporated into the slides.

A bonus tip; the PPT slides with the size of 16:9 is a match made perfectly for all the screens. In this size, the designs also look stunning for the audience’s engagement.

If you are designing any PowerPoint presentation sooner then make sure to first find the complete material and the core message that you want to deliver to your audience. Stick to the concept and the messages and then tie up the belt to introduce the topic in a newer way to your audience.

Be it the teachers or the students, clients, or even the project manager, using the 7×7 technique can help you to keep the focus of the audience in your own hands. Make sure to follow the below-jotted tips to make your presentation more effective.

Avoid Too Much Detail in One slide:

Writing too much and making your presentation wordy with excessive and unnecessary content can result negatively. Your audience can lose the focus from the presentation and your speaking rehearsal would go all in vain. The wordy and highly bombarded presentation of the slide can make it unappealing and irrelevant for the audience within a second.

Include sleek visuals and catchy images:

The most effective way to hook the audience up with your presentation is to add sleek visuals and catchy images. You can add the pictures that are relevant enough to your concept and can explain it with the help of storytelling technique. People can forget the content but would always remember the pictures indirectly presentation would leave a great impact!

Prepare and rehearse again and again:

Before going for the presentation, put your confidence to the test. Prepare and rehearse for the stage and audience again and again. A lot of people are courageous enough while preparing but after getting in front of an audience, they are unable to cope up with the pace. Make sure to practice a lot before presenting the slide.

Dive into 7*7*7 effects for more impact:

The technique of 7*7*7 is highly beneficial for the presenters. Dive into this tip of 7x7x7 that refers to the seven lines of the text and each line of seven words on a single slide. In this word count, the titles of the slide are not included. Putting up more than 7 lines in the slide would make it wordy hence, making it messy.

The Illustration for PowerPoint 7×7 rule:

In PowerPoint, you are having complete charge of what you would like to present in front of your audience. Seven words per line and seven bullets per slide is the real technique to follow to enhance the engagement. The font must be at least 18pt and 24pt can also be used to present larger.

A QUICK WRAP-UP:

The 7×7 rule in the PowerPoint presentations is bringing ease and advantages for the speakers for sure! This would help the presenter to keep the attention of the audience in his own control and he would be able to present the concept efficiently. Using this technique in your content would make it look less wordy and more appealing for the audience and they would love to listen your thoughts and study about the certain topic.

PPT.AE is a robust presentation writing and designing company. At this platform, we offer diverse yet holistic presentation writing assistance. From writing inspiring speaker notes, providing unique presentation content, to designing aesthetically composed designs. Expert members of our team strive to offer best services of ppt design, in UAE and all across of it.

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• Jun 9, 2021

PowerPoint 101: The 7x7 Rule

PowerPoint 101 is an ongoing series about designing better PowerPoint presentations.

PowerPoint is an amazing tool. It can be used to create everything from stunning, movie-quality animations, to simple, effective slides that communicate a single key idea. But too often, people treat slides like pages in a book: they cram in bullet point after bullet point, layered over hard-to-read charts and pixelated images.

So whether you are a beginner who is still learning the best way to create slides, or an experienced hand looking to enhance your skills, an easy way to test new strategies and refine your approach is to apply some rules to your slide creation. In the past, we’ve talked about the 10-20-30 Rule and the 5-5-5 Rule , and today we’re going to share another popular rule for designing effective PowerPoints: the 7x7 Rule.

What is the 7x7 Rule for PowerPoint?

The 7x7 Rule says that, for each slide in your presentation, you should use no more than:

7 lines (or bullets) per slide

7 (or fewer) words per line

Easy, right? But why does a rule like this even exist? What’s the purpose of following these sorts of guidelines, rather than simply designing slides intuitively?

Why the 7x7 Rule helps you make better PowerPoints

Perhaps the most common mistake that people make when designing PowerPoint presentations is putting too much information onto a single slide.

In general, the best practice is to keep each slide focused on a single topic, with the minimum number of words needed to make your point. For people who are deeply familiar with the story they are telling in a PowerPoint, it can be easy to think that every piece of information is essential, and that leaving things out does a disservice to your offering and leaves the audience without a full picture of the topic. That’s because including too much information makes it harder for the audience to follow and retain your information.

The 7x7 Rule is a simple method for keeping your information concise, and it helps to ensure that each slide is focused on a single key point.

When (and how) to use the 7x7 Rule

The 7x7 Rule tends to work best when you are editing down to that amount of information, rather than trying to fill in the blanks to get to 7 lines and 7 words.

One way that we have found effective is to start by writing out everything you want to say in your presentation. Next, you should break those points down and choose one key message for each slide. From there, it’s a simple step to edit the longform information down to 7x7.

Remember, 7x7 is the maximum amount of content you want to include on a slide, not a goal to try and reach. If you are consistently using all 7 words and 7 lines, you may end up missing out on the value that the rule really offers.

A note on following rules in PowerPoint

As with the other rules , the 7x7 Rule is a guideline, not a fixed format that you should always adhere to. Our belief is that content should guide design , as opposed to adding content just to fill a gap.

So while we encourage you to test out the 7x7 Rule the next time you make a PowerPoint, we believe that it should be a part of your design process, and not the only thing you think about.

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What is the 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint?

Despite its reputation for dry content delivery across virtual and in-person meetings alike, PowerPoint remains the go-to choice for many professionals , even as other options emerge that offer greater usability and flexibility outside of the Microsoft ecosystem.

Part of the presentation platform’s popularity stems from its familiarity — many organizations still run Microsoft-first IT software environments, making PowerPoint the obvious choice for straightforward presentation design. Simplicity provides the second part of this popularity permutation since creating a basic PowerPoint presentation on a single topic requires minimal time and effort.

The problem? “Simple” doesn’t always mean “effective”. Staff across markets, industries, and verticals worldwide have stories about unbearably long and boring PowerPoint presentations that were long on details but short on value. The 7×7 rule offers a framework to help boost PowerPoint form and function by reducing text volume and improving information impact.

In this piece, we’ll break down the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint , best practices , and offer some actionable examples of seven-by-seven solutions in-situ.

The PowerPoint Problem

To put it simply, most viewers don’t like PowerPoint. While the format has the benefit of speed and convenience — and can conceivably be used to communicate information quickly and concisely — many presentations are overlong and overwrought with bonanzas of bullet points that seem relevant but are really just digital hot air.

In most cases, the disconnect between appearance and action is boring at best and irritating at worst. As noted by the BBC , however, in extreme cases — such as NASA’s Challenger shuttle disaster — overlooked information in an overstuffed presentation can have significant real-world consequences.

Best bet? To avoid PowerPoint frustration and fatigue, it’s time for a new framework: The 7×7 rule.

What is the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint?

The 7×7 rule is simple: For every slide, use no more than seven lines of text — or seven bullet points — and no more than seven words per line. Slide titles aren’t included in the count.

There’s no specific data supporting the 7×7 model as the ideal; some PointPower proselytizers consider 8×8 good enough while others say 6×6 is more streamlined. The point here isn’t the hard-and-fast number but the underlying idea: Cut out extraneous information to improve presentation uptake.

Slides can still contain images — and should, wherever possible — but sticking to the 7×7 rule helps cut down on excess data that might be better-shared in follow-up emails or one-on-one discussions. In effect, the 7×7 rule is a way to reduce the amount of time staff spend pretending to care about PowerPoints and instead help them focus on slide information that’s relevant, contextual, and actionable.

Best Practices for the 7×7 Rule in PowerPoint

Building a typical PowerPoint slide is straightforward. Like any business practice, however, it can be improved with a standardized set of rules designed to limit waste and improve efficiency. And when it comes to most PowerPoint presentations, almost any change makes a positive impact.

Let’s break down some of the best practices for building PowerPoint slides with the 7×7 rule.

1. Single slide, single concept.

Each slide should address a single concept rather than trying to connect the dots across multiple data points, trends or ideas. While it’s fine to build on previous slide data as your presentation progresses the single slide, single concept approach helps focus presentation efforts from the word go.

2. Images increase impact.

As noted above images are a welcome addition to slides, so long as they’re relevant. If you find yourself adding unrelated stock photos just to add some color — don’t. Keep slides, text, and images on-track.

4. Forget the funny.

Almost everyone has a story about a “funny” PowerPoint joke that was nothing of the sort. In most cases, these heavy-handed humor efforts are shoehorned in ostensibly to help viewers better remember slide data. In fact, they shift the focus away from your primary objective.

5. Plan it out.

Before creating your presentation, create a basic outline that highlights your primary concept, how you plan to get it across, and how many slides in total it should take. Then, draft your slides. Take a break, review them, and cut back wherever possible.

6. Consider the 7x7x7.

If you really want to go all-in on the 7×7 rule, consider adding another 7 and aiming for no more than 7 words in each line, no more than 7 lines on each slide, and no more than 7 slides in total. It’s not easy — but offers a much better chance of getting your point across.

7×7 Rule in Powerpoint Examples

So what does the 7×7 rule look like in practice? It’s one thing to talk about building a better slide, but it’s easy to fall back into bad habits when it’s time to put together a presentation. It makes sense; content creators are often trying to convey a significant amount of information in a short period of time, and it’s easy to get sidetracked by the notion that every piece of data must be included to make the meeting a success.

Let’s start with a slide that’s substantially removed from the 7×7 rule:

There’s a lot to unpack here. We’re using too many lines and too many words per line. Lines are complex without saying much, and the attempt at humor doesn’t add anything.

Let’s try again:

This one is better — we’ve reduced the number of lines to 7 and lost the joke, but most of the lines still have more than 7 words and the text is overly convoluted.

Let’s try one more time:

This slide is clear and concise, and most lines have less than 7 characters. It offers the same information as the first two versions — it’s just more effective and efficient.

The 7×7 Solution

While using 7 lines of text with 7 words or less isn’t a silver bullet for all PowerPoint-related problems, it’s a good place to begin if you’re looking to boost viewer engagement and limit fatigue.

Bottom line? PowerPoint isn’t always the ideal format for getting your point across, but if you need to create a quick-hitter presentation that lands well with your audience, start with the 7×7 solution.

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Rule of 7x7 in PowerPoint Guide

The 7x7 rule is a presentation design rule that advocates for a more focused and impactful approach to creating slides. It states that each slide should have no more than 7 lines of text, with no more than 7 words per line. This rule can help you create slides that are easier to read and understand, and that will make a greater impact on your audience.

Part 1. What is 7×7 Rule In PowerPoint?

The 7x7 rule is a fundamental principle that brings clarity and impact to PowerPoint presentations. It's a simple concept: limit each slide to a maximum of seven lines of text or bullet points, with each line containing no more than seven words. This excludes slide titles from the count.

Importance of Effective Slide Design: 7x7 in PowerPoint:

Clarity: Abiding by the 7x7 rule ensures concise and clear content on each slide.

Focus: Limiting text to seven lines with seven words per line keeps the audience engaged.

Visual Appeal: Well-designed slides with balanced text and visuals enhance aesthetics.

Retention: Digestible content aids in retaining information post-presentation.

Message Highlight: The rule spotlights key information, preventing overload.

Engagement: Presentations are more engaging when information is precise and structured.

Audience Understanding: The rule encourages meaningful content organization.

Effective Communication: Visual and textual harmony enhances communication impact.

Part 2:  How to Structure Your Presentation According to the 7 By 7 Rule?

Here's a tutorial on structuring a presentation according to the 7 by 7 rule in two different scenarios:

Scenario 1: No More Than Seven Lines of Text

Slide Title and Key Points

Step 1 Start with a clear and concise slide title that summarizes the main message of the slide.

Step 2 Limit the content on the slide to no more than 7 lines of text

Step 3 Craft each line to convey a single idea, concept, or key point.

Scenario 2: Seven Bullet Points

Step 1: Create a slide title that captures the essence of the slide's content.

Utilize the 7x7 Rule by listing no more than 7 bullet points on the slide.

Step 2 Enhance the understanding of your content by including supporting visuals alongside each bullet point. ( optional )

Step 3 Avoid clutter by focusing on the most critical information; prioritize content that directly contributes to your presentation's objectives.

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1. What is the 2 4 8 rule PowerPoint?

The 2-4-8 rule is widely endorsed by experts and practitioners for its effectiveness in leaving a positive impact on the audience. This rule advocates allocating 2 minutes per slide, including four bullet points per slide, each containing a maximum of eight words.

2. What is rule of 3 in PowerPoint presentation?

The rule of 3 in PowerPoint presentations draws from the power of threes seen in various storytelling and communication contexts. Similar to narratives like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" or "The Three Little Pigs," this rule suggests structuring content in threes for enhanced impact. This can be applied to introduce a subject, present a challenge, and offer a solution, following a natural beginning, middle, and end sequence.

3. What is the 6x6x6 rule for a professional PowerPoint presentation?

The 6x6 rule in PowerPoint presentations suggests condensing content by limiting each slide to one thought per line with no more than six bullet points, and each bullet point containing no more than six words.

The Rule of 7x7 serves as a powerful guide for crafting impactful presentations. By limiting each slide to seven lines of text, each with no more than seven words, clarity and engagement are amplified. This principle doesn't hinder creativity; it enhances it by fostering concise, effective messaging complemented by visuals.

Whether educating, persuading investors, or introducing a new product, adhering to the 7x7 rule ensures resonance and impact. And with WPS Office, a versatile office tool, elevating your presentations becomes effortless. Its modern features, cross-platform compatibility, and advanced tools make it a valuable companion for turning the Rule of 7x7 into presentation success.

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Rule of 7x7 in PowerPoint

by Elizabeth Mott

Published on 1 Jan 2021

Microsoft PowerPoint enables you to create presentations for group seminars, employee orientations, client proposals and just about any business situation that an earlier generation handled with 35mm slides. If you treat every slide in your presentation as if it contains every point you're trying to make, you'll build an unreadable mess of small, crowded type that no one can or will want to read. The rule of 7x7 helps you serve up information in small, readily digestible doses that help you make your point.

What is the "Rule of 7x7?"

You'll hear numerous versions of the rule of 7x7 -- 6x6, 5x5 and so on -- but the dictum boils down to two simple points. Don't put more than a specific number of lines of type on a single slide, and don't use more than that number of words on an individual line. If you overcrowd your slides, reduce your type size and even switch to a narrowly condensed typeface in an effort to cram more information onto each slide, you'll wind up displaying one of the primary symptoms of a bad presentation: the introduction in which you apologize for too-small type. Just say no to crowded slides and let the rule of 7x7 help you keep your vow.

Less Is More

Before you fall so much in love with the rule of 7x7 that you turn slide development into a bizarre form of haiku, focus on the primary point of any set of presentation materials. You're trying to convince, persuade, connect with and hold the attention of a group of people. If your audience participates involuntarily, either because you're presenting a mandated piece of continuing education or because you've required your employees to attend, you can meet with resistance when you seek your audience's attention. Don't make your job more difficult by filling every square inch of your slides with information, verbal or graphic.

7x7 in Practice

If you're trying to reform the habit of slide cramming, implementing a line-by-line word count may help you retrain yourself and avoid overcrowding your slides. To reach the point at which 7x7 becomes second nature, remember what slides provide in the context of a presentation. You're not projecting a read-along clone of your talk. You're buttressing your argument with succinct bites of information, preferably adding to your narrative rather than simply echoing it.

Before You Present

If you're unsure whether your slides pass the test of uncrowded, accessible information, turn the tables on yourself and impersonate your audience before you turn your material loose on a live group. Sit at a standard audience viewing distance from your projector screen or computer monitor, and look at your material with a fresh set of eyes. If you can't read your text, split your slides up to make them readable. If your slides pass the 7x7 test but remain hard to read, courtesy of longer technical terminology, product model numbers or other terms that take up the space of multiple shorter words, overrule 7x7 in the interest of a readable, workable presentation.

7×7 Rule for Presentations

Last updated on June 30th, 2023

Striving for perfection while crafting a presentation can often leave us caught in a catch-22 situation. Too little information might not serve the purpose of your discourse, leaving your audience craving for more. Conversely, inundating your audience with a tidal wave of words could induce exhaustion, causing important details to slip through the cracks. This conundrum is all too common in the world of presentations. But fret not, the 7×7 rule is your knight in shining armor, coming to your rescue.

Through this blog post, we’ll delve into the depths of the 7×7 rule, equip you with indispensable best practices, demonstrate it in action with real-life examples, and arm you with top-tier tools to morph your presentation into a captivating journey. Brace yourself to enthral your audience and deliver a presentation that leaves a lasting impression.

What is the 7×7 Rule in Presentations?

The 7×7 rule in presentation design is a simple yet powerful guideline that advocates the use of no more than seven words per line and seven lines per slide . It is a principle designed to maximize audience engagement, enhance comprehension, and encourage retention. By adhering to this rule, presenters can ensure that their audience’s focus stays on the topic at hand and not get lost in the labyrinth of text on a slide.

This guideline proposes a limit of seven lines per slide, with each line consisting of no more than seven words. Such an approach ensures that the audience’s attention remains firmly anchored to the essence of your presentation, promoting enhanced readability and engagement.

Best Practices Applying 7×7 Rule

Adopting the 7 by 7 rule for presentations can significantly enhance the efficacy of your presentations. Here are some best practices to follow:

• Simplicity is Key : Avoid complex sentences. Break them down into smaller, digestible chunks to ensure clarity of message.
• Strategic Use of Keywords : Emphasize keywords to highlight your message and guide your audience through your presentation.
• White Space is Your Ally : Embrace white space. It prevents your slides from appearing cluttered and allows your audience to focus on the content.
• Brevity over Verbosity : Use concise language. Long-winded sentences can lead to audience fatigue and hinder message retention.

7×7 Rule in Action: Real-World Examples

To better understand the application of the 7×7 rule, let’s consider a few real-world examples of the rule on different types of presentations :

• Business Proposals : A well-crafted slide following the 7×7 rule for presentations might present the problem, proposed solution, key benefits, and expected outcomes succinctly across four lines, each encapsulated in seven or fewer words.
• Educational Presentations : In a lesson about the solar system , a slide may contain seven bullet points, each representing a planet with a seven-word (or less) interesting fact.

Conclusions

The 7×7 rule for presentations can be used to streamline your message, maintain audience interest, and improve content retention. By applying this rule at the time of designing presentations in PowerPoint or any other presentation tool, your slides can be more memorable and engaging. Remember, your presentation is an opportunity to tell a story – let the 7×7 rule be the guiding star to your storytelling success.

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What is the 7x7 rule for PowerPoint?

Asked by Mayur 25/12/2023 Last Modified   19 Jan

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Pooja R. Jain

As a seasoned tutor on UrbanPro.com, understanding and implementing the 7x7 rule in PowerPoint is essential for creating engaging and impactful presentations in your Microsoft Excel TrainingCoaching sessions.

Section 1: The 7x7 Rule Explained

*1. What is the 7x7 Rule?

• The 7x7 rule suggests limiting each PowerPoint slide to a maximum of 7 lines of text with 7 words per line.

*2. Why Follow the 7x7 Rule?

• Enhances audience comprehension and retention.
• Prevents information overload by promoting brevity.
• Fosters a visually appealing and focused presentation.

Section 2: Implementing the 7x7 Rule in Microsoft Excel TrainingCoaching

*1. Condensing Content:

• Prioritize key points and essential information.
• Use bullet points and concise phrases to convey ideas.

*2. Visual Enhancements:

• Supplement text with relevant visuals, such as graphs or charts.
• Utilize images to convey concepts where possible.

Section 3: Balancing Text and Visuals

*1. Striking the Right Balance:

• Aim for a harmonious blend of text and visuals on each slide.
• Visuals should complement and reinforce key messages.

*2. Engaging Learners:

• Incorporate interactive elements to keep learners actively involved.
• Use animations sparingly to maintain focus.

Section 4: Adapting to Varied Learning Styles

*1. Addressing Diverse Learners:

• Recognize that learners have different preferences for processing information.
• Incorporate a mix of visual, auditory, and interactive elements.

*2. Feedback and Iteration:

• Encourage feedback from learners regarding the effectiveness of the 7x7 rule.
• Iterate and refine your approach based on the responses received.

Conclusion: Elevating Microsoft Excel TrainingCoaching with the 7x7 Rule

• Implementing the 7x7 rule in your PowerPoint presentations enhances the overall learning experience in Microsoft Excel TrainingCoaching.
• UrbanPro.com provides a platform for tutors to continually refine their teaching methods, including effective presentation strategies.
• By mastering the 7x7 rule, you ensure that your Microsoft Excel TrainingCoaching sessions are not only informative but also visually engaging and impactful.

Adhering to the 7x7 rule on UrbanPro.com demonstrates your commitment to delivering high-quality Microsoft Excel TrainingCoaching, setting you apart as a trusted and effective tutor.

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PowerPoint 101: Learn the best tricks to apply the 7×7 Rule

Learn the best tricks to apply the 7×7 rule. PowerPoint is an excellent tool that can be included in our marketing strategy to benefit your company in the UK. Its use is very versatile, so you can create quality content to communicate with your audience effectively. Also, a PowerPoint presentation comprises slides where you can add different elements, such as text, graphics, infographics, animations, and much more.

Are you a beginner at handling PowerPoint? It’s okay since there are many ways to learn to make PPT presentations without failing. For example, you can seek the help of professionals to aid you in creating a successful presentation. But also, you can use different rules, as is the case with the 7×7 rule in PowerPoint.

What is the 7×7 rule?

Does it seem easy to you? If there is a rule of this type, it must be for something.

The fact is that it has an obvious purpose, and that is to make better PowerPoint presentations.

The truth is that many people make many mistakes when designing a slide . And one of the most common is to clutter a single slide with a lot of information.

How to put the 7×7 rule on a slide?

The best practice to start putting the 7×7 rule of PowerPoint is to use each slide for a specific topic and use a minimum number of words to develop each point. If you don’t have much experience with PowerPoint , you may think leaving information out will be a great disadvantage for your company. But no, believe it or not, including a lot of information makes it more challenging to retain the audience’s attention.

Therefore, this rule will serve as a method for you to make the information you add to each of your slides as accurate as possible.

When to use the 7×7 rule?

To do this, there is a very effective way that we will explain below. Ideally, you should write down all the information you want to provide through your presentation.

Then, break down each of those points and start choosing a key message for each slide. This way, you will realise how easy it is to edit much information to comply with the 7×7 format.

To put this rule into practice, you must remember that 7×7 is the maximum amount of content you can include on a slide.

It is not a goal. It is a rule you must meet to end up with a quality PPT presentation. Of course, the rule must be considered without losing the value it offers.

Tricks for good use of the 7×7 rule

Take into account the essential elements of your presentation.

The first factor of the 7×7 rule limits the number of lines of text on a slide to a maximum of 7. In effect, these 7 lines do not include the title. They should only be focused on the essential elements of your presentation . It is the best way to give your audience a preview of the information they will obtain.

It is not necessary to use complete sentences.

Each of the seven lines should not contain more than seven words. For this, using complete sentences is unnecessary since using connectors, pronouns, and prepositions can be minimised.

The audience is the focus of the presentation.

The 7×7 rule allows you to capture the attention of your audience. When you use your presentations to replicate your content, the public notice it and will likely assume what they will present before they say it.

In this way, the audience will lose interest and will not have the incentive to listen to you.

Therefore, analyse the information and summarise vital concepts for a better presentation .

Generate a positive perception of your presentation, Apply the 7×7 Rule.

A speaker who goes word for word about what appears in a presentation quickly discourages the public by not feeling involved and considering that they are wasting their time. On the other hand, if you make use of the 7×7 rule, the audience will have a clearer and more positive perspective of your presentation. It will also make it easier for you to retain the information you’re providing. Also, if you speak actively, they will remember what you say and note the points they consider most important.

How about the 7×7 rule for PowerPoint presentations?

Do you need PowerPoint presentations for your marketing strategy? At BluCactus, we have what you need. Our design and content creation experts are ready to create quality PPT presentations that fit your goals and business model. The help of an expert is always essential so that your slides contain accurate information, and you can reach your target audience. You can contact us right now. We will have a personalized service for you.

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