Storyline
- Read only the titles, in order. Do they tell the whole story?
- Every title is a full sentence with the takeaway (an action title), at most two lines.
- The agenda and dividers match the sections, in order, with the right page numbers.
- The executive summary matches the body; nothing in it is new.
Charts
- Each chart proves its title. If not, change the chart or the title.
- Units are stated once, in the title or a footnote.
- Scales match when charts sit side by side (use “same scale”).
- Totals add up; bridges start and end at the right numbers.
- Every chart has a source line.
Text
- No double spaces, repeated words or spaces before punctuation.
- Typographic quotes, consistently.
- Every footnote marker has a footnote.
- The proofing language is right for the audience.
- Nothing is smaller than the house minimum font size.
Brand and layout
- Only house colours, tints and greys.
- Only house fonts.
- Titles, trackers and sources sit in the same place on every slide.
- Shapes aligned to each other and to the grid; nothing off the slide.
- No empty text boxes left behind.
Before sending
- Remove speaker notes that hold internal remarks.
- Remove animations if the deck will be read, not presented.
- Check hidden slides and anything off the slide edge.
- Save with a clear name: topic, version, date.
- Send a PDF unless the recipient needs to edit.
Deckcell’s Check presentation covers most of the text, brand, layout and clean-up items above in 17 rules, with a fix for each.