The Simple Slide Technique That Instantly Elevates Your Message

⏳ Read Time: Less than 4 min.

I’m thrilled to welcome you back to The Winning Edge—your go-to source for leveling up your communication, leadership, and performance skills.

Ever been halfway through a presentation and realized:

“They’re nodding... but I’m not sure they get it.”

This week’s strategy solves that—fast.
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This Week’s Insights

✅ The “Concept Slide” Technique – One slide that makes your big idea unforgettable
✅ Design with the 3-Second Rule in Mind
✅ Delivery Deep Dive: The Rule of Three – Your secret to sounding polished & persuasive
✅ AI Tip of the Week – Automate your deck’s structure with a prompt
✅ Quick Hitters to sharpen your edge

THE MAIN EVENT
🎤 The “Concept Slide” That Makes Your Message Memorable

Most presentations are a blur of bullets. But the best ones?

👉 They revolve around one clear visual idea—what I call the Concept Slide.

🧭 Think of it as your anchor point: one slide that sums up your message in a bold statement or metaphor.

Examples:

• A single phrase: “Trust is built, not declared.”

• A visual metaphor: A bridge. A maze. A mountain.

• A custom icon: Something that becomes your idea’s logo

This isn’t decoration—it’s retention strategy. Your Concept Slide should:

1. Show up early

2. Be referenced throughout

3. Leave a lasting imprint

🎯 Pro Tip: Use black or white background, minimal text, and strong contrast. Let the idea breathe.

QUICK HITTERS: Fast Wins for the Week

💡 Tip of the Week: Great slides serve the speaker—not the other way around. Don’t narrate your slides. Own the room.

📊 Stat of the Week: Viewers retain 65% of a message when paired with a relevant image—vs. only 10% with spoken word alone. (Brain Rules, Medina)

🎭 Power Move: Pause before you show your most important slide—not after. The pause builds anticipation and directs attention.

📖 Recommended Read: Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte – Your go-to guide for creating visual slides that support, not suffocate, your story.

WEEKLY DEEP DIVE
Mastering the Rule of Three in Delivery

Want to sound more polished and persuasive—without a script?

Use the Rule of Three: Group ideas into sets of three. It’s a simple cognitive pattern that:

• Feels complete

• Is easier to remember

• Creates rhythm and flow

💬 Example:

🧠 Why it works: The human brain is wired to recognize patterns. “Threes” hit the sweet spot between simple and substantial.

🚀 Try it today:

• End your next point with a trio summary: “It’s clear, it’s actionable, and it’s effective.”

• Use it in storytelling: “I walked in nervous, spoke with confidence, and walked out with a deal.”

🔁 It’s a tiny trick with a massive impact on how you’re perceived: clear, composed, and credible.

AI TIP OF THE WEEK

📌 Tool: Gamma.app

💡 Prompt to Try:
"Create a 10-slide business presentation where Slide 3 is a Concept Slide using a metaphor for team alignment."
The AI will give you a deck structure, visuals, and phrasing options—all in minutes.

🎯 Why it’s powerful: You can focus on clarity and message, not formatting.

WINNING WITH AI: The Future of Sales Proposals and Presentations

AI isn’t just for tech geeks or big corporations—it’s transforming how we sell, present, and communicate. The best sales teams are already using AI to:
✅ Generate compelling, tailored proposals in minutes (not hours).
✅ Turn data into engaging, visual stories that capture attention.
✅ Automate tedious tasks so they can focus on closing deals instead.

This isn’t the future—it’s happening right now.

Get your copy of my ebook here!

ACTION STEPS & COMMUNITY QUESTION

🎯 This week’s challenge:

Try building your next presentation around a single Concept Slide—then structure your key talking points in sets of three.

💬 Question for You: What’s the most memorable slide or idea you’ve seen in a recent presentation? Hit reply and let me know—I’ll share the best ones in an upcoming issue.

P.S.
Next week’s edition dives into Winning Communication—and a powerful way to get people to listen, even when conversations get tough.

Keep building your edge—one conversation at a time.

YOUR OPINION MATTERS!

If you have more feedback or just want to get in touch, respond to this email, and we’ll get back to you!

Thanks for reading!

Until next week!

Mary Beth