Help speakers make slides everyone can read
Speakers are about to build slides, and the back row, online viewers and captioner depend on them.
The short answer
Readable presentations come from a short set of speaker rules sent early. Large plain text, strong contrast, few words per slide, visuals described aloud and files submitted by a deadline. Put them in the speaker pack, not in a last-minute email.
The guideline helps many people at once, including those reading captions, those far from the screen and those on a phone. For a specific need, a qualified access adviser can advise further.
Rules worth putting in the speaker pack
| Area | Guideline | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Plain, large typeface, left-aligned, short lines. Ask the AV supplier for the minimum size that reads from the back row. | Readable from the back and on small screens |
| Contrast | Dark text on a plain light background, or the reverse. Avoid text over photos and colour as the only signal. | Reads in bright rooms and for colour-blind viewers |
| Amount | One idea per slide and no reading aloud of full paragraphs. | Keeps captions and interpreters in step |
| Visuals | Say what a chart or image shows. Give charts titles and labels in text. | Helps listeners who cannot see the screen |
| Pace | Leave time on screen. Avoid fast animation and flashing content. | Supports captions and note-taking |
| Language | Spell out acronyms and avoid idioms where interpretation or captions are used. | Cuts errors in translation and captioning |
| Files | Submit by the deadline in an editable format and a copy that can be shared after the session. | Allows captions, interpreters and accessible copies |
Where it connects to other plans
- Send final slides to the caption provider and interpreters before the session, as set out in the live captioning brief.
- Track versions and approvals with the materials version checker, so a late change does not leave a stale copy on the screen.
- If slides carry safety or wayfinding wording in several languages, use the signage workflow for review.
How to roll it out
- Agree the guideline with the programme chair and the AV supplier, including a minimum text size and slide template.
- Send it with the speaker invitation, with a deadline and a named contact.
- Offer a template with the rules built in.
- Check the first submitted decks against the checklist and send brief, specific feedback.
- Remind moderators to ask speakers to describe visuals if they forget.
Limits
A guideline sets a common standard. It cannot make every slide work for every person. Invite speakers to tell you if they need a different format, and route specific access questions to a qualified adviser.
Worked example · Fictional example
Speaker guideline for a professional conference
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
Institut Pengurusan Aset Fiktif sends a one-page guideline to 24 speakers. It comes with a slide template and a submission deadline set before the programme freeze.
Eight decks arrive late. The secretariat sends them to the caption provider at once and records the version in a tracker. Two decks use text over photos, so the secretariat sends specific feedback and a revised copy replaces the original before the session.
Use this yourself
Speaker slide checklist
Send this to each speaker with the template. Ask them to tick before submitting.
- Text is large, plain and left-aligned, and meets the minimum size set by the AV supplier.
- Text and background have strong contrast, with no text over busy images.
- Colour is not the only way a meaning is shown.
- One main idea per slide, with no long paragraphs.
- Charts and images have a text title and I will describe them aloud.
- No flashing or fast animation.
- Acronyms are spelled out and idioms avoided where captions or interpretation are used.
- Files are submitted by the deadline in the requested format.
- Any change after submission is sent to the named contact the same day.
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A small set of speakers and a secretariat that can send a template and chase files.
- The AV supplier has clear minimum text sizes.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many speakers, tracks and languages with slide versions changing late.
- You need the guideline aligned with captioning, interpretation and translated copies.
- A qualified access adviser is needed to review materials for a specific participant need.
Want the speaker guideline built into your pack?
An Event Blueprint can include the speaker pack, the slide template, the submission deadlines, the hand-off to caption and interpretation providers and the version tracking for late changes. Share your brief on WhatsApp and we will reply with which level of support fits and what it would cover.
Questions organisers ask
What minimum text size should we require?
Ask your AV supplier and the venue for the minimum that reads from the furthest seat in each room. Put that figure in the guideline.
Can we require speakers to follow the guideline?
State it as a requirement in the speaker agreement or pack, offer a template and give feedback early. Late exceptions should go through one named contact.
Do the guidelines make our event accessible?
They improve readability for many people but do not certify accessibility. Specific needs still go to a qualified access adviser.
Related resources
Content record: Written by the EventConsultant team to our editorial rules. Sources are listed on pages that rely on them.