The 10/20/30 rule: ten slides, twenty minutes, thirty-point text
The 10/20/30 rule, popularised by venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki in 2005, says a pitch should have 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes and use no font smaller than 30 points. It forces you to cut to what matters. Use it as the default for pitches and short talks, and bend it for lessons, data reviews and decks sent to be read.
10 slides
Kawasaki argued that a normal person can't take in more than ten concepts in a meeting. His list for a startup pitch covers the problem, your value proposition, the technology behind it, the business model, the go-to-market plan, the competition, the team, projections and key metrics, and your status and use of funds, after a title slide.
20 minutes
Even with an hour booked, present for twenty minutes. Meetings start late, equipment fails, and the most valuable part is the conversation afterwards.
30-point text
No text smaller than 30 points means you can't fit a paragraph on a slide, so you have to know your material and say it rather than read it. Kawasaki's shortcut: find the age of the oldest person in the audience and divide it by two for your font size.
Why it works
- It forces choices. Ten slides means deciding what matters, which is most of the work.
- It leaves room for questions, where the decision actually happens.
- It makes slides support the speaker instead of replacing them.
When to break it
| Situation | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| A lesson or workshop | More slides, each with one step; the time is set by the class. |
| A data review | Fewer, denser slides that you discuss; smaller labels on charts are fine. |
| A deck sent to be read | Smaller text is acceptable because nobody reads it from across a room; keep one idea per slide. |
| A visual keynote | Many fast slides with one image or number each. |
Applying it with DeckLume
- Ask for ten slides in the brief, and DeckLume plans a ten-slide story.
- Keep extra material as detail cards that stay out of the count until someone asks.
- Present with a timer in the presenter view to stay inside twenty minutes.
A 10-slide pitch for [company] to present in 20 minutes. Very few words per slide, large text, titles that state each point. Problem, solution, why now, market, traction, business model, competition, team, the ask. Put extra detail in detail cards.
Try this promptQuestions
Who created the 10/20/30 rule?
Guy Kawasaki, a venture capitalist and former Apple evangelist, described it in a 2005 blog post about pitching to investors.
Is the 10/20/30 rule still relevant?
Yes, as a default for pitches and short talks. The principle (fewer ideas, less time, more readable slides) holds even when the exact numbers don't fit your situation.
Does the 30-point rule apply to decks I email?
Less strictly. It's about legibility from a distance. A deck read on a screen can use smaller text, though large text still helps on phones.
Your next deck starts with a sentence.
Describe it, attach what you have, and get a finished deck in your own style. The free plan is yours to keep.
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