Participant quote from a fictional council flood recovery program evaluation
Pull quote slide from a program evaluation
A pull quote slide lifts one line out of a longer source, here an interview, and gives it a whole slide so the audience hears the voice behind the findings. This one quotes a participant in the Bellinvale flood recovery program, run by the fictional Elderbrook Shire Council, from the program's 2028 evaluation, without a name and with written consent.
What is on the slide
- Eyebrow and sub headline
- PROGRAM EVALUATION 2028. In a participant's words.
- Quote
- Someone came back every single week. That is why we rebuilt instead of leaving.
- Attribution
- Bellinvale program participant. Quoted with written consent, Elderbrook Shire Council recovery evaluation.
When this is the right slide
Pick this slide when one short line from an interview, survey or consultation explains a finding better than a chart, and the speaker is described by role with their consent recorded.
What to swap it for
Takeaway: Featured Pull Quote. Use the featured pull quote takeaway when the quote is the main conclusion of a section and should close it, with one line of supporting evidence beneath.
What this slide shows
A small uppercase eyebrow at the top centre reads PROGRAM EVALUATION 2028. Below it a sub headline reads In a participant's words, sitting on a dark horizontal rule. An orange dot marks the opening of the quote, which is set in heavy serif display type over three lines: Someone came back every single week. That is why we rebuilt instead of leaving. Under the quote the attribution reads Bellinvale program participant, and on the line below, Quoted with written consent, Elderbrook Shire Council recovery evaluation. A second rule closes the block. The Bellinvale flood recovery program and Elderbrook Shire Council are fictional; the program ran for 18 months on a $14.2M budget after a flood displaced 212 households. There are no images, no logos and no colour beyond the dot, so the slide reads as a quotation from a document rather than as a promotional testimonial.
When this is the right slide
Use a pull quote slide when a presentation reports on people's experience and one line says what the numbers cannot: program evaluations, research findings, community consultations, staff surveys, user research readouts. It suits a moment where the audience has just seen a figure, such as most households rebuilding in town, and needs to understand why. It is also a strong opening for a talk about a program, if the findings that follow support it. The layout with rules suits quotes from participants rather than customers, because it reads as an excerpt with a source, not as an endorsement. Use it when the quote is short, under about 15 words, and the speaker cannot or should not be named. It is the wrong slide for a customer testimonial with a name, a role and a company, where a hero quote with a byline does more. It is also wrong when you have several quotes that tell a story together; put those on a slide with three short excerpts and a theme heading.
How to adapt it
First, for a consultation report, replace the eyebrow with the consultation name and date, such as MAIN STREET CONSULTATION, MAY 2028, and describe the speaker by their group, such as business owner, so readers know whose view it is. Second, if the participant agreed to be named, use their first name and suburb only when that cannot identify them more than they agreed to; otherwise keep the role. Third, when presenting to the people the quote is about, such as the community itself, check the quote with the participant again before the event, since hearing their words read in a public hall is different from reading them in a report. Keep the sub headline short and neutral. In a participant's words or What families told us work; a heading that tells the audience how to feel about the quote does not.
What makes this slide work
One line, set as large as the title of a talk
Someone came back every single week. That is why we rebuilt instead of leaving. Fourteen words at display size, with nothing else competing, give a participant's voice the same weight as any chart in the evaluation.
Attribution protects the participant
Bellinvale program participant, with the line Quoted with written consent, Elderbrook Shire Council recovery evaluation. The audience knows the source and the consent without learning who said it, which matters in a small rural community.
Rules frame it as an excerpt
A rule above and below the quote, with the orange dot marking the opening, tell the viewer this is lifted from a longer interview. The eyebrow PROGRAM EVALUATION 2028 places it in the evaluation, not in marketing.
Questions people ask
Can you quote a research participant by name on a slide?
Only with their explicit consent to be named, which most evaluations do not ask for. The default is to describe the person by their role in the program, such as program participant, and to remove details that could identify them. In a small town, even a street name or a job can identify someone, so check the whole quote.
What consent does a participant quote need?
Consent that covers quoting their words in reports and presentations, given before the interview and recorded. Ethics guidance for human research expects participants to know how their information will be used. If the consent form only mentioned a written report, ask again before putting their words on a slide shown in public.
How do you choose which participant quote to pull?
Pick a line that captures a finding the data also shows, not a line that contradicts it. Here the evaluation would show that regular contact kept families in town, and the quote says the same in a person's words. A striking quote that is unrepresentative misleads the audience, even if every word is genuine.
How long should a pull quote be?
One or two short sentences, under about 15 words if possible. This layout holds up to 82 characters at display size, roughly 15 words. A pull quote is a headline in someone else's voice; if it needs more words to make sense, it is an excerpt and belongs on a slide with room for context.
Should a pull quote be edited for grammar?
Keep spoken words as spoken, apart from removing filler such as um, and never change meaning. If a word must be added for sense, put it in square brackets so readers can see it was added. Tidying a participant's grammar can make them sound like the report's author, which removes the reason to quote them at all.
Where should a pull quote slide go in an evaluation presentation?
Next to the finding it illustrates, usually straight after a chart or number. The data says how many families stayed; the quote says why. A pull quote opening the talk also works, as long as the findings that follow support it. Avoid stacking several pull quotes in a row, which turns evidence into anecdote.
Build your own in about a minute
The button below opens the generator with this use case already described. Change the wording to match your own, generate, then edit anything you like.
Make one like thisOther slide examples
Reviews slide with six short reviews and their stars
A reviews slide shows several short customer reviews at once, so the audience sees a pattern of good experiences rather than one happy customer. This one shows six reviews of Kettlewick Removals, a fictional removals company, from jobs in August 2027, each with its star rating, including one four star review.
Customer quote slide with one quote and full attribution
A customer quote slide puts one real customer's words on screen, large enough to carry the slide, with the name, role and organisation that make the quote believable. This one quotes the rostering manager at Wyncliffe Aged Care, a fictional provider, on what Rostrel, a fictional rostering app, changed for her team.
Three testimonials slide from three kinds of client
A three testimonials slide shows that a product or service works for more than one kind of customer, with three short quotes side by side and a name and role under each. This one gives Ferncastle Accounting, a fictional firm, three clients who could not be more different: a cafe owner, a family joinery and a volunteer club treasurer.
Want the steps in the builder? Read Add and generate images in slides, then Style text and add callouts, stats and lists. For everything this generator can do, see the slide maker.
Written and checked by the OneCraft team. Last checked .