How to Create a Team Slide for a Pitch Deck: A Step-by-Step Guide

Behind every successful business idea stands a team of dedicated people who make every business dream come true. While the pitch deck's role is pivotal when you search for investment, your team slide can become your golden ticket.

A well-designed pitch deck team slide reflects your vision, leadership skills, company's direction, and collective mind behind the project.

Most investors spend around 15% of their time exploring the team slide. So, today, we'll share practical tips on creating a success-programmed team slide with you. WhitePage experts will share common mistakes to steer clear of when working on a team slide and suggest a list of tools to implement in the process to make it twice as effective.

Why the Team Slide Matters

Josh Kopelman of First Round Capital once said that at the seed stage, everything a startup has to offer, including the product, pricing, and go-to-market slide, is raw and incomplete. So, the only thing that the investor can hope to bet on is the team.

The role of the team in a startup's success

The best proof of any suggestion is a practical example of how it works. Think about Airbnb. A small startup launched by Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharzyk soon transformed into a global triumph. How did this happen?

All due to the diversity and experience of the team. According to Harvard Business Review, experienced founding teams feature a 30% increased likelihood of succeeding in the future.

First impressions and showcasing trust

Most presentation deck design services know that you have limited time to impress your potential investor, so you must make the most of the short span presented. A compelling team overview slide with high-quality photos, clear and consistent formatting, and a well-organized layout will signal your competence and attention to detail to the viewers. Thus, you will trigger a positive perception critical for future cooperation.

Keep in mind visual aids such as diagrams and graphs with the team's skill sets or achievements reflect the expertise and credibility of your business venture.

The connection between a strong team and potential success

The success of Apple is legendary. Nowadays, their project is on the list of the best pitch deck presentation examples to inspire from. But how did it get to that point? It took Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak to work closely as a team. They combined creativity, business vision, innovative thinking, and tech expertise into something that started as a garage startup and reached the entrepreneurial Olympus. If that isn't a perfect example of a connection between a strong team and future success – we don't know what is.

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Elements of an Effective Team Slide

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As inspiring as any industry's giants' success stories are, you need practical pitch deck team slide examples to craft your effective team slide. There are numerous components to focus on, and we'll discuss each of them in detail.

Clear, Professional Photos

The power of professional photography shouldn't be understated when it comes to credible and persuasive pitch deck slides.

Importance of high-quality photos

High-quality photos emphasize professionalism, expertise, and attention to detail. All these factors contribute to gaining investors' trust.

Tips: consistent background, professional attire, and good lighting

To make your pitch deck team slides look polished and trustworthy, you may want to keep a few vital aspects in mind:

• Consistent background. A neutral or branded background will help you preserve desirable unity across the pitch deck presentation.
• Professional attire. Team members dressed in the same professional style will positively impact the viewers.
• Good lighting. Well-lit settings will help you succeed with more explicit and more appealing images.

These days, the market is full of various tools and apps that can help you enhance the overall quality of your photos:

• Adobe Lightroom;
• Canva;
• Snapseed;

to name a few.

Concise Job Titles

The more complicated the presentation, the more distracted the investors will become. Concise job titles provide necessary clarity and add up to viewers' understanding.

Clearly defining roles

As you assign each team member a well-defined role, you will indicate that your team knows their responsibilities well. Such an approach eliminates confusion inside the company and doubles your chances of sealing the investment deal.

For instance:

• CEO(Chief Executive Officer)
• CTO(Chief Technology Officer)
• Design Manager
• Sales Specialist, etc.

Importance of hierarchy and organization

The hierarchical organization of all the members means you have a well-defined structure within the team. This will inform potential investors about your leadership skills, expertise, and responsibilities. Well-structured teams are more transparent, more effective at communication, and more organized.

Brief Background Information

An effective startup team slide containing background information on each member will help you preserve the proper balance between conciseness and expertise.  

Highlighting experience and expertise

You can briefly summarize each member's professional background, including their achievements and level of experience. Alongside the mentioned information, you can drop a few words about the unique skills of the founders. Such an approach will show how your team can contribute to the success of your project.

Balancing brevity with essential details

When providing the team's background information, it is essential not to go too far and overload the viewers with unnecessary details. Thus, WhitePage experts suggest you focus on:

• Past roles relevant to the current project
• Industry expertise
• Notable achievements, etc.

Relevant Achievements

One of the primary goals of a successful pitch deck presentation is to secure the desired investment. You will demonstrate your ability to achieve even more as you highlight your previous success.

Showcasing past successes and relevant experience

Keep in mind that any evident success isn't enough. You must provide proof of past accomplishments that are relevant to the presented idea. You can put the oldest principle to use. Base your "Show, don't tell" strategy on the following examples:

• Successful product launches
• Notable partnerships
• Boost in sales
• Revenue growth, etc.

How achievements can boost credibility

Some of you may think of showing past successes through a team slide for a pitch deck as wasteful bragging. However, your team's past accomplishments will show their capability, track records, and tangible proof of their effectiveness. These criteria can boost investors' confidence in your credibility and future achievements.

Social Proof and Endorsements

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Social proof plays a significant role in building credibility in the modern world.

The role of testimonials or endorsements

Using available and valid testimonials from various external sources, you can reinforce your team's strengths without looking overly confident about your capabilities. However, there are some dos and don'ts to keep in mind while introducing the information into your team slide:

Dos:

• Pick only genuine and relative testimonials.
• Use endorsements that align with your primary objectives.
• Choose concise messages.

Don'ts

• Avoid generic and vague claims that are non-specific and stay out of the context.
• Don't overwhelm the slide with numerous testimonials.

How it adds an extra layer of trust

Genuine and contextual testimonials boost credibility since you show that third-party sources find your team valid and capable. On top of that, positive testimonials indicate your positive reputation and reliability. Moreover, real experiences humanize your team and show that you can achieve what you promise in the presentation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Team Slide

Now that you know what the best pitch deck team slide should consist of, it is time to learn how to create one, step-by-step effectively.

Start with a Template

Everything starts with a good slide template.

Recommended platforms/tools

You can spend some extra time and design your own pitch deck slide, or you can choose a shorter path and use one of these tools instead:

• Canva – the platform is filled with pre-designed templates.
• PowerPoint – the tool provides a wide array of built-in templates for professional team slides.
• Google Slides – the platform offers a great range of easy-to-use templates.

Benefits of using a template

Ready-made templates give a reliable starting point, so you don't have to spend time developing and designing an appealing and well-structured outline on your own. Moreover, built-in templates are often consistent and professional-looking.

Add Photos

A persuasive team slide must contain quality photos of the members, but there are some essential points to consider.

Photo sizing and arrangement tips

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• All the photos you use should coincide in size. A neat and well-organized slide will promote the visual appeal of your presentation.
• Stick to a consistent aspect ratio because stretched or distorted images can ruin the overall visual appeal of your pitch deck team slide.
• Grid or line photo arrangements will add symmetry and balance to your slide layout.
• Make sure there are equal spaces between the images.
• To enhance information perception, you can group the photos by team roles or departments.

Insert Titles and Backgrounds

Job titles and member backgrounds can help to promote your team's credibility. However, the provided information should be visually appealing and easy to digest.

Typography and font recommendations

• The font pairs must complement one another. For instance, if you use Monserrat for titles, the body text in Georgia would suffice.
• Titles should always be more prominent and bold, while the body text should remain legible yet not too small.
• Try not to include more than 2-3 fonts in the same slide. It may negatively affect readability.
• Play around with your headings and titles so that they contrast with the body text.

Arrangement tips for readability

Not only the fonts but also the arrangement impact your team slide's readability.

• The slide's text and images should correlate with one another.
• Stick to a clear structure and proper formatting when it comes to fonts, their sizes, styles, and colors.
• Each element of your pitch deck founder slide should be adequately spaced.

Highlight Achievements

An effective team slide ensures that the team's achievements don't go unnoticed.

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How to select and phrase achievements

When you work with an experienced team, it may seem like a challenging task to pick only a few significant achievements. Yet, you can make your team slide stand out without overwhelming the viewers if you:

• Choose the achievements that have a direct connection with the project
• Make sure that every phrase achievement has quantifiable data to rely on
• Don't use elaborate phrasing to describe your accomplishments. Stick to concise language instead

Use icons or visuals to enhance your presentation

Your team slide's visual appeal can serve as a starting point for your future investment. That is why you should pair your team's achievements with corresponding visuals. It is possible to indicate revenue growth through graph icons and mark members' rewards with trophy icons and whatnot. The main thing to ensure is that both the icon styles and their sizes coincide with one another.

You can find quality icons by browsing through these libraries:

Flaticon

The Noun Project

Iconfinder

Include Testimonials or Endorsements (Optional)

If you are working on a startup pitch deck team slide, including testimonials is optional. However, if you add some, these practical tips will help you make the most of them.

Picking credible sources

As a professional pitch deck design service, Whitepage relies on credible testimonials from satisfied clients, reputable partners, industry experts, and well-known figures. We suggest that you do the same.

Keep your testimonials short, no longer than 1-3 sentences, and informative. Longer testimonials containing irrelevant details will disperse investor attention and leave no desirable impact.

Formatting endorsements effectively

Aside from the contextual aim, you must format your endorsements accordingly. Thus, you should:

• Add the name, title, and company of the source. Such details will boost credibility.
• Testimonials should be formatted slightly differently from the rest of the text body. You can use quotation marks, different font styles, and highlighting to make the statement stand out.
• Place the comment strategically that is close to the relevant member of the team or their achievements.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Alongside some practical tips, we must discuss the most common mistakes that can ruin your carefully planned and professionally designed team slide.

Information overload

The more isn't always, the better. Stick to the essential details and make sure you structure them well. The key points can be displayed through bullet points, categories, or visuals.

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Low-quality images

Low-quality images may compromise the overall quality of your presentation.

• Work only with high-quality images
• Organize the photos by size and style
• Improve the quality and visual appeal of the images with the help of reliable editing tools and platforms

Inconsistencies in design and format

Inconsistent design and formatting indicate a low level of professionalism. A consistent design scheme where all the fonts, colors, and images complement one another will help you steer clear of the trap. There are various tools and programs you can use to improve your odds.

Skipping the achievements or over-exaggerating them

While larger businesses don't include their team's achievements in the team slide, small startups may tend to exaggerate their accomplishments. Either road may lead to failure. That is why you should add those achievements that you are proud of and that are relevant to your presentation but keep away from hyperbolizing them. Honesty is the best policy. 

Tools and Resources for Crafting the Perfect Team Slide

It is twice as easy and effective to craft a perfect team slide with a reliable pool of tools, isn't it?

Presentation software recommendations

Canva

It is perfect for those seeking professionally designed templates. It is a user-friendly library of templates, yet its animation tools are somehow limited compared to other platforms.

PowerPoint

It is ideal if you want to create a traditional presentation. The platform presents a wide range of design tools. While it is simple to work with and highly customizable, it is less collaborative than cloud-based services.

Online resources for design inspiration

Dribble

It is a platform focused on unique concepts, attention to detail, and a professional approach to the design process.

Behance

It is a creative design portfolio platform. People from all over the globe exchange their ideas through it so that you can find your perfect presentation inspiration there.

Links to free high-quality image sources

Pexels – a free stock image gallery.

Unsplash – a free library of high-resolution images on different subjects and themes.

Conclusion

It is easy to underestimate the role of an effective team slide in your success-driven pitch deck presentation. However, a quality team slide can directly indicate your business's strengths, credibility, and unique potential. Moreover, it will inspire trust, boost investor confidence, and improve engagement.

Creating a perfect team slide takes time and effort since it relies on many aspects other than the visual components and member list. However, with a professional guide and a dedicated team of WhitePage experts, you can make your team slide tell a compelling story that will resonate with your potential investors and keep them alert and involved throughout the presentation!

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