What to Put on a Next Steps Slide (And How to Make It Drive Action)

You have a great presentation. But you don't want to build beautifully to a conclusion and then end without a clear vision of what's next! That would lose impact right at the moment it matters most.

People leave the room uncertain about what happens next, who is responsible, or when things are supposed to move.

The good news is that a well-designed next steps slide fixes this completely. In this post we'll show you exactly what to put on one and give you six different formats to choose from.

The Power of a Simple 'Next Steps' Slide

Most people treat the next steps slide as a formality: something you throw together at the end because you know you're supposed to have one.

In reality, it could be the slide your audience remembers longest, because it's the last thing they see before they walk out the door.

A strong next steps slide does three things:

1. It converts agreement into action. The meeting was worth having if something happens afterward
2. It creates accountability. When next steps are visible and specific, people are more likely to follow through
3. It gives you something to reference in your follow-up email. You can reiterate or point to the shared record of what was agreed

The format you choose matters too. A simple checklist works perfectly in some situations. In others you need to show sequence, ownership, or priority. Here are six formats and when to use each.

6 Next Steps Slide Formats – And When to Use Each

Next Steps With Checkmarks

Best for: Action-oriented meetings where the list of tasks is the main deliverable

Use this next steps with checkmarks slide when you have a clear list of separate action items that need to be completed. They're distinct and don't necessarily build on each other. The checkbox visual signals that these items need to be ticked off, not just noted.

Example: Use this at the end of a project kickoff meeting, a client onboarding session, or a team planning call where you're assigning tasks.

Next Steps as a Numbered Process

Best for: Sequential actions where order matters

Use this numbered next steps slide when your next steps need to happen in a specific sequence: step 2 can't start until step 1 is done. The numbered format makes the dependency clear without needing to explain it verbally. It also helps the audience understand the overall flow at a glance.

Example: A product launch plan, an onboarding process, a fundraising timeline, or any situation where the order of operations matters

Next Steps With Responsible Party

Best for: Cross-functional teams where ownership needs to be crystal clear

Use this next steps slide with who's responsible when multiple people or teams are responsible for different actions and ambiguity about ownership is a risk. Showing each next step alongside the person or team responsible allows for greater transparency and accountability.

Example: Project status updates, client proposals where deliverables are split between parties, or leadership team action plans after a strategy session

Now, Next, Later Slide

Best for: Strategic planning sessions and roadmap presentations

Use this now, next, later slide when your next steps span different time horizons and you want the audience to understand not just what is happening but when. The three-column structure gives immediate clarity on priorities without requiring a detailed timeline or Gantt chart. Under each column, we have suggested timeframes: this week = now, next week = next, this year = later. Easily edit these to give a sense of your specific timeframes.

Example: Product roadmap presentations, quarterly business reviews, consulting proposals showing a phased approach, or any situation where you need to show short, medium, and longer term actions side by side

Next Steps as a Ladder

Best for: Initiatives or plans where each step builds on the previous one

Use this next-steps-as-a-ladder slide when your next steps aren't just sequential but genuinely cumulative – where each action creates the foundation for the next. The ladder visual communicates this building momentum better than a simple numbered list because the audience can see that progress compounds and grows.

Example: Growth strategy presentations, capability building plans, sales process improvements, or any situation where you want to convey that the early steps are investments that make later steps possible.

Next Steps With Priority Labels

Best for: Busy teams where not everything can happen at once

Use this next steps slide with priorities when you have more next steps than capacity and you need the audience to understand which items are critical versus which can wait. Priority labels help people make smart trade-offs when time or resources are limited. Our template has the labels simply titled as 'priority,' but you can edit them to say 'low,' 'medium,' and 'high' if you have additional levels of priority!

Example: Resource-constrained project planning, leadership team prioritization sessions, or any situation where your audience is busy and you need to set realistic expectations about what will actually get done first.

How to Choose the Right Format for Your Situation

The format you choose should match the nature of your next steps. Here's a quick summary and guide:

What Makes a Next Steps Slide Work

Regardless of which format you choose, the most effective next steps slides share a few common qualities:

1. They're specific, not vague
2. They're owned: every next step should have a person or team attached to it, even if you don't use the responsible party format explicitly
3. They're time-bound where possible
4. They're short enough to read at a glance

Ready-Made Next Steps Slide Templates

All six formats described in this post are available as fully editable PowerPoint templates.

Each one is designed to drop straight into your existing deck — just swap in your own action items, names, and dates and you're done.

Whether you need a simple checklist for a team meeting or a prioritized action plan for a leadership presentation, we've got options for you. Browse our next steps slide template collection or our roles & responsibilities slide collection to find one that matches your situation.