Fast and Focused

Instant Slides

Getting Started with iA Presenter

1. Write

Start With a Script

Tell Your Story

The heart of a great presentation is the message. Get the script right before anything else.

Write it

Think about what you want to achieve. Then write it down like an email.

Or Paste it

From DMs to articles, any existing text can become a presentation in no time. Paste your instant messages, a work chat, or a Mastodon thread.

Use Placeholder Images

You will be tempted to add images while writing. Resist the temptation. To move fast, use placeholders. Search, choose and place images with the same concentration as a separate task.

2. Structure

Separating What You Say and What You Show

Chop Chop

Type three dashes to split your story up into slides, like this: ---

Don't show everything

Make it interesting. Show words and images that make people listen. Don't explain what everyone already sees.

Headings

Headings are always visible, so make them short, clear, and interesting, as you would in a standard article.

Body Text

To make a paragraph of plain text visible on the slide add a tab in front of the paragraph.

Visuals

Images, videos, and tables are shown by default. Images can be fine-tuned using filters, positioning, etc.

Most people don't like stuffed slides. Sometimes, you need to show more on a slide. You may want to discuss a whole paragraph of text. But if you do, be careful. No one likes having slides read aloud word-for-word. We read faster than we can speak, so we get bored hearing what we have already read. Don’t do to your audience what you wouldn't want done to you.