Step 1
Write down the one point the reader should remember.
Before choosing a template or counting slides, complete this sentence:
After reading this, I want someone to understand that ________.
That is the central claim. If the source contains unrelated claims, split them into separate carousels. Supporting ideas are useful, but one carousel needs one main argument.
Step 2
Keep the original lines that carry your voice.
Find the phrases from your source that you would not want a generic rewrite to lose. This is often the opening observation, a useful reframe, or the closing takeaway. Those lines can anchor the carousel. Everything else can be shortened, reordered, or removed if it does not help the central claim.
Step 3
Give every slide one job.
Use this as an editorial starting point, not a rigid template. Remove a slide with no clear job. Add one when a single slide would otherwise carry two different jobs.
Cover
State the central claim or the tension worth understanding.
Context
Explain why the claim matters to this reader.
Support
Add the useful points that move the argument forward.
Takeaway
End with the practical conclusion that fits the original message.
Step 4
Check the sequence before shortening the words.
Read only the slide headings from top to bottom. Does the argument still make sense? Does each heading earn the next one? If the sequence is unclear at that level, move the ideas before you edit the copy or the design.
Step 5
Review the version you would actually publish.
The final review is more than proofreading. Check that the claim remains true, the source is authorised, the wording still sounds like you, and the final PDF is the version you want to publish through your own workflow.