Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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Before you start creating slides for your next talk, plan what you’re going to say. A storyboard — a visual outline of your presentation — will save you more time than it takes to create it.

o First, draw small representations of your ideas on sticky notes. The small space forces you to use simple, clear words and pictures.

o Limit yourself to one idea per slide: There’s no reason to crowd them. This sketching process will help you clarify what you want to say and how you want to say it.

o As you storyboard, you’ll be able to tell immediately which concepts are clunky or overly complex (you’ll run out of space on your sticky notes). Eliminate them, and brainstorm new ways to communicate those messages more clearly.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.

To check out that book and join the discussion, please click here.

Also, you may wish to check out an anthology, Management Tips from Harvard Business Review, by clicking here.