Intermediate
60 mins
Teacher/Student led
+80 XP
Pupils work on their own device

Building a Slide Presentation: Structure First

Learn to construct the framework of your presentation by creating slide titles in logical order before adding any content or visual elements. This method ensures your ideas form a coherent narrative suitable for your VET interview presentation.

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    1 - Introduction ~5 mins

    Illustration for IntroductionFormat 1 is the piece you picked to show at your VET interview. Today you will plan it with titles only.

    Today you will

    • write the titles for your piece in order
    • leave the space under each title empty
    • check the order with the thumbnail strip or a numbered list

    Warm-up

    Think about the last talk or video you watched. Could you tell it back as five short titles?

    2 - Key Concepts ~6 mins

    Key words

    • Structure first means you put your titles in order before any text, pictures or design.
    • One idea per slide means each slide says just one thing.
    • Titles before body means you write every title first and leave the space below empty.

    Aoife's titles

    Aoife sells phone cases to GAA club supporters.

    1. Custom cases for club supporters: what I'm building
    2. The gap I'm filling
    3. Who buys and why
    4. What I've made so far
    5. Costs, price, and break-even
    6. What I need next
    7. Skills this project proves

    3 - Step-by-step Task ~15 mins

    You will make a practice copy of Aoife's titles. If your format 1 is slides, follow the steps in the box below.

    Not using slides?

    1. Open {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm2/}}.
    2. Make a new blank document called {{code:sm2_structure_practice_aoife}}.
    3. Type Aoife's seven titles as a numbered list.
    4. Read the titles out loud in order.
    1. Custom cases for club supporters: what I'm building
    2. The gap I'm filling
    3. Who buys and why
    4. What I've made so far
    5. Costs, price, and break-even
    6. What I need next
    7. Skills this project proves

    4 - Common Issues ~4 mins

    Common issues

    • I started on colours or pictures. Stop and finish all your titles first, because design comes in a later lesson.
    • My slides have bullet text from a template. Delete the body text and keep only the title.
    • I gave the practice file my VET file name. Rename it {{code:sm2_structure_practice_aoife}}.

    5 - Independent Practice ~20 mins

    Independent Practice

    Your goal: Build a titles-only plan that tells your Something Real story in order. This is your real VET file, so save it carefully.
    Time: ~20 minutes
    Task:
    1. Open {{code:Project_Portfolio/09_specialism/sm2/}}.
    2. If you use slides, make {{code:sm2_vet_presentation_v1.pptx}}. If not, make a document called {{code:sm2_vet_structure_outline_v1}}.
    3. Write 5 to 9 titles, one idea each, and leave the space below empty.
    4. Stuck for an order? Use these starters and change them to fit your project.
    5. Read your titles out loud in order.
    1. What I'm making
    2. The gap
    3. Who it's for
    4. What I've done so far
    5. Costs or time I track
    6. What I need next
    7. Skills this proves
    Success criteria:
    • My file is saved in {{code:sm2}}.
    • I have 5 to 9 titles, each with one idea about my project.
    • There is no body text or design yet.
    • I can tell my story out loud from the titles alone.
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