Slide titles that state the point
A slide title is the so what of the slide, written as a full sentence. Weak and strong titles side by side, and how to check a deck by reading only its titles.
Key takeaways
- A slide title should be a full sentence that states the takeaway, not a label for the chart.
- The label tells the reader what the chart is about. The point tells them what it shows, so they read the chart to check your claim instead of hunting for one.
- The strong title answers the question the survey was run for and quotes the number that proves it.
- A title can carry the action too. Keep it to one sentence and two lines at most; if it needs more, the slide is doing two jobs and should be two slides.
Key idea
A slide title should be a full sentence that states the takeaway, not a label for the chart. Read only the titles of a deck, in order, and you should get the whole argument.
Bar chart: Southeast Asia drove 70 percent of this year's revenue growth. Values in USD millions of revenue growth. Southeast Asia: 14; India: 4; Middle East: 2.
So-what
The title does the work: it names the region, gives the share (14 of 20, which is 70 percent), and tells the reader where to look.
The chart above, with a label for a title and with the point for a title.
A label
"Revenue growth by region"
The point
"Southeast Asia drove 70 percent of this year's revenue growth"
Why the stronger answer wins: The label tells the reader what the chart is about. The point tells them what it shows, so they read the chart to check your claim instead of hunting for one.
A slide on a customer survey for a telecom company in Saudi Arabia.
Weaker answer
"Customer survey results (n = 2,000)"
Stronger answer
"Customers leave over price, not network quality: 6 in 10 name price first"
Why the stronger answer wins: The strong title answers the question the survey was run for and quotes the number that proves it.
A slide on airline costs.
Weaker answer
"Cost overview, 2025 and 2026"
Stronger answer
"Fuel explains most of the margin fall, so hedging policy is the first lever"
Why the stronger answer wins: A title can carry the action too. Keep it to one sentence and two lines at most; if it needs more, the slide is doing two jobs and should be two slides.
Rules for a title that states the point
- One full sentence with a verb. "Revenue by region" has no verb, so it cannot make a claim.
- At most two lines. Cut words that do not change the meaning.
- A number where it helps: 70 percent, 6 in 10, EUR 1.2 million.
- The chart proves the title. If the chart does not show what the title says, change one of them.
- Read the titles alone, in order. If they do not tell the story from start to recommendation, fix the titles before the charts.
Using the chart above, what share of total revenue growth came from Southeast Asia, in percent?
A chart shows a grocery chain in India: online orders grew from 8 percent to 14 percent of sales in two years, while shop sales were flat. Write a slide title that states the point in one sentence. Then reveal a model.
Which is the strongest slide title?
Sources for this lesson (1)
- Recognized public explanations of case-interview concepts and terms
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