# Presentation glossary > Clear definitions of the terms behind good business presentations, from action titles and the pyramid principle to slide masters and waterfall charts. - Source: https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/ - Updated: 21 October 2026 - Language: English - German version: https://ai-presentations.com/de/glossar/ ## Pages - [Action title](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/action-title/): An action title is a slide headline written as a full sentence that states the slide's conclusion. Definition, before-and-after examples and rules. - [Appendix](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/appendix/): The appendix is the backup section after the closing slide: data, methods and details you show only if someone asks. See what belongs in it and what does not. - [ARR](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/arr/): ARR is the yearly value of a company's recurring subscription revenue at a point in time. Learn the formula, what counts and see a worked ARR roll-forward. - [Aspect ratio](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/aspect-ratio/): The aspect ratio is the proportion of a slide's width to its height, such as 16:9 or 4:3. What each ratio means, its PowerPoint size and which one to choose. - [Bullet point](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/bullet-point/): A bullet point is a short list item marked by a symbol. Learn when bullets work on slides, how to write them in parallel form and when a chart or table wins. - [Burn rate](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/burn-rate/): Burn rate is how much cash a company spends per month. Learn gross vs. net burn, the formula, a worked example and how burn relates to runway and growth. - [CAC](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/cac/): CAC is what it costs on average to win one new customer: sales and marketing spend divided by new customers. Learn the formula, what to include and an example. - [Chartjunk](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/chartjunk/): Chartjunk is decoration in a chart that does not help the reader understand the data, a term from Edward Tufte. Examples, the erase test and what research says. - [Corporate design](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/corporate-design/): Corporate design is the consistent visual look of an organization: logo, colors, fonts, imagery and layout rules. Definition and use in presentations. - [Data-ink ratio](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/data-ink-ratio/): The data-ink ratio is the share of a chart's ink that shows data, a concept from Edward Tufte. What it means, how to apply it and where it stops being useful. - [Driver tree](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/driver-tree/): A driver tree breaks a metric such as revenue or profit into the measurable drivers behind it, linked by simple math. See a worked example you can copy. - [Elevator pitch](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/elevator-pitch/): An elevator pitch is a short spoken summary of an idea, product or yourself that sparks interest during an elevator ride. Definition, example and a formula. - [Gantt chart](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/gantt-chart/): A Gantt chart shows a project's tasks as bars on a time axis, with milestones as markers. Definition, how to read it and how to simplify it for a slide. - [Ghost deck](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/ghost-deck/): A ghost deck is a draft presentation built from slide titles and rough sketches before any data exists, so a team can agree on the story first. - [Handout](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/handout/): A handout is a document given to the audience to take away: a summary, the key slides or reference material. The types and how to design one that gets read. - [Harvey balls](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/harvey-balls/): Harvey balls are round pictograms that show how far a criterion is met, from empty to full in quarter steps. Meaning, symbols and how to use them on slides. - [Issue tree](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/issue-tree/): An issue tree splits one key question into sub-questions, branch by branch, so every part can be analyzed and nothing is missed. Includes a worked example. - [Key message](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/key-message/): A key message is the one idea you want your audience to remember and act on after a presentation or a slide. Definition, examples and how to write it. - [KPI](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/kpi/): A KPI (key performance indicator) is a measurable value that shows progress toward a business goal. Learn the definition, examples and how to present KPIs. - [LTV](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/ltv/): LTV is the total gross profit a customer is expected to bring over the whole relationship. Learn the formula, a worked example and the usual mistakes. - [MECE](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/mece/): MECE means mutually exclusive, collectively exhaustive: a way to split a problem into parts that do not overlap and leave nothing out. With examples. - [NPS](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/nps/): NPS measures customer loyalty from −100 to +100: the share of promoters minus the share of detractors. Definition, formula, a worked example, tips for slides. - [OKR](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/okr/): OKRs pair one qualitative objective with measurable key results. Learn the definition, an example, scoring and how to present OKRs on a slide. - [One-pager](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/one-pager/): A one-pager is a single-page document that summarizes a proposal, product, project or decision so the reader gets the point in a few minutes. See the structure. - [Placeholder](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/placeholder/): A placeholder is a pre-formatted container on a slide layout that reserves a spot for a title, text, picture or chart. Definition, types and common mistakes. - [Pre-read](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/pre-read/): A pre-read is a document sent before a meeting so attendees arrive informed and the meeting goes to questions and decisions. See the format and an example. - [RAG status](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/rag-status/): RAG status is a traffic-light rating: red, amber or green. Definition, what each color means and how to show it on a status slide so it can be trusted. - [Runway](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/runway/): Runway is the number of months a company can keep operating before its cash runs out. See the formula, a worked example and how to show runway to investors. - [SCQA](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/scqa/): SCQA stands for Situation, Complication, Question, Answer: a four-step opening that shows your audience why your answer matters. Definition and example. - [Slide deck](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/slide-deck/): A slide deck is a set of slides with one purpose, presented or read in order. See what a deck contains, how to build one and how it differs from a presentation. - [Slide layout](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/slide-layout/): A slide layout is a template for how content is arranged on a slide: which boxes it has and where they sit. Definition, common layouts and how to choose one. - [So what](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/so-what/): The “so what” is the implication of a fact: why it matters to the audience and what they should do about it. Definition, examples and a test for slides. - [Speaker notes](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/speaker-notes/): Speaker notes are the text under a slide that only the presenter sees: what to say, the key numbers and the transition. Learn how to write and use them well. - [Storyline](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/storyline/): A storyline is the logical chain of messages that carries a presentation from its opening to its conclusion. Definition, an example and how to build one. - [TAM, SAM, SOM](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/tam-sam-som/): TAM, SAM and SOM size a market in three steps: everyone who could buy, the part you can serve and the share you can win. Definitions and a worked example. - [Two-by-two matrix](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/two-by-two-matrix/): A two-by-two matrix sorts items into four quadrants using two criteria. Definition, well-known examples such as the Eisenhower matrix, and how to build one. - [Unit economics](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/unit-economics/): Unit economics show whether one customer earns more than it costs to win and serve. Learn the core metrics, the formulas and a worked example you can copy. - [Visual hierarchy](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/visual-hierarchy/): Visual hierarchy is the arrangement of elements so the eye reads them in order of importance. Definition, the five signals and how to apply them on slides. - [Waterfall chart](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/waterfall-chart/): A waterfall chart shows how a start value becomes an end value through a series of increases and decreases. Definition, how to read it and typical mistakes. - [White space](https://ai-presentations.com/glossary/white-space/): White space is the empty area around and between elements on a slide. Definition, why it improves clarity and how to use it, with examples and mistakes. --- ai-presentations.com is published by Slaide (https://www.slaide.de), a sole proprietorship run by Nathalie Scholl in Heilbronn, Germany. [How this site is written, checked and corrected](https://ai-presentations.com/editorial-policy/).