Action title
An action title is a slide title that states what the slide proves instead of naming the topic. It is the slide-level Claim: a complete sentence that delivers the insight even if no one looks at the body.
| Topic title | Action title |
|---|---|
| "Q3 revenue" | "Q3 revenue missed plan by 6%, driven by the EU launch slip" |
| "Customer feedback" | "Three quarters of churned customers cite onboarding, not pricing" |
| "Competitive landscape" | "We are the only player without a self-serve tier" |
The Headline test
A deck whose action titles read in sequence should tell the full argument by themselves. This is the Headline test. If a reader who scrolls only the titles cannot follow the case, the action titles are not doing their job.
Construction rules
- Subject + verb + insight. A complete sentence, not a phrase.
- Specific. Numbers, names, or directional claims — not abstractions.
- Standalone. Comprehensible without the body of the slide.
- Aligned with body. The body is the Proof for exactly this title — no more, no less.
Failure modes
- Topic title. "Customer churn" — does not advance an idea.
- Restating the chart. "Revenue went up" when the chart already shows that. The action title should explain why it matters.
- Two ideas in one title. Split the slide.
- Action title that the body does not prove. Body is too narrow or too broad for the assertion.
Canonical phrasing
If the slide title cannot survive being read alone in an email forward, it is a topic, not an action title.