a presentation has slides for three presenter

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February 13, 2024

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Powerpoint - 3 monitors, slides show opens on correct monitor but presenter open on wrong monitor

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View your speaker notes privately, while delivering a presentation on multiple monitors

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Power Tip: Controlling Multiple Monitors in Presenter Mode

About this lesson.

Take control of 1 or 2 or 3 multiple monitors in PowerPoint. Learn pro tricks for presenter mode and even editing while “live.” The tutorial shows all three scenarios with live screen views. Plus a bonus on how to set up a conference presentation without a projector.

00:00 Intro 01:16 Controlling 1 Monitor 01:58 Running Presenter View on 1 Monitor 02:22 Controlling 2 Monitors 03:23 Force Presenter View to Chosen Monitor 03:56 Controlling 3 Monitors 05:20 How to Use 3 Monitors While Editing 06:10 Bonus Tip: Running Without a Projector 06:41 Wrap-Up

Subject Microsoft PowerPoint

Software Compatibility All Versions

Course Completed Complete

PDF Files There are not any files associated with this lesson.

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Mulitple Monitor Transcript

If you are fine with just plugging your projector into your external display port of your laptop and hitting F5 to run your slide show on a big project. And it works every time, then you are good to go.  But if you want to take full control of utilizing one or two or even three combinations of monitors or projector systems, then the next five minutes will put you in control.

Hi, this is Les McCarter of Power UP Training, where I take my decades of PowerPoint experience and share it with you for free.

Do subscribe to our YouTube channel to encourage me to make more free training videos for you.

In the next five minutes, I will show you how to take complete control of how PowerPoint interacts with multiple monitors, including tricks of how to get Presenter view to show up on one monitor plus how to control where the project screen show will show up every time! No fumbling on stage in front of your audience. Plus some bonus tips.

Let’s go power up to Taking Control of your multiple monitors.

Let’s start with a single connected monitor and get used to examining the DISPLAY SETTINGS to confirm our configuration.

Make sure you can see your desktop; for me it is one of my ocean photographs.

Right-click the empty desktop and select  DISPLAY SETTINGS.

In our 1 monitor scenario, we see NO MENTION display.  Take note, as when we return, we will see a screen like this.

So no changes here, lets go ahead and open up PowerPoint with an existing

presentation.

It should come as no surprise that if you launch a slide show, it show up full screen on your single monitor.

But here is a SLICK TRICK of on your keyboard do a ALT+F5 to show the presenter mode on a single monitor to do a practice run on presenting without a two-screen setup.  This is just for practice but it is useful.  Once again, just ALT-F5 and he PRESENTER MODE pops up instead of the full-screen presentation

Let’s move on to the TWO MONITOR Scenario.

Just like before, I will show my desktop and right click to select DISPLAY SETTINGS.

Here we see that we do have two displays and if we click IDENTIFY, we can match up which one is which in relative relations to each other

Do note that my background is duplicated on all my displays, so I will add some numbers for us to track which is which.

Back to the same PowerPoint Presentation  which pops up on monitor 1. and  when in SLIDE SHOW view, we can see that the display is set on the default AUTOMATIC.  Which to me is just a roll of the dice for which monitor will pop up the slide show and which for the presenter view.

If you don’t like the layout, then just go the PRESENTER VIEW, and click DISPLAY SETTINGS and chooses SWAP PRESENTER VIEW AND SLIDE SHOW to have them jump back and forth.

If you want to take full control, then in SLIDE SHOW view, click the drop down arrow for MONITOR and choose.  It may be confusing as you need to know either which is your primary monitor or use the earlier trick to find you DISPLAY number.  In our case, we will force the presentation to MONITOR #1

So you can either just swap when live, or elect to choose in advance in SLIDE SHOW and MONITOR.

Now to our last scenario: 3 monitors on one computer.  As before, let’s look at  our setup by going to  our desktop RIGHT CLICKing and choosing DISPLAY SETTINGS

In Windows 10, the monitor numbering is tied to your video card ports, not where they are physically located on your desk.  Like a card in the computer game solitaire, you can click and drag the monitor number to match the physical location of each monitor.  Also take note, the my monitor #2 is a much smaller resolution monitor as seen in the screen menu, but I am showing it as full screen in this tutorial.

Now let’s check out where the slide show and presenter windows will show up.  I will reset the DISPLAY in SLIDE SHOW VIEW back to Automatic and then launch the slide show.

So the actual presentation show is on monitor #2 to the farthest right and the presenter view is on Monitor #3 in the middle and our regular edit NORMAL view is shown on Monitor #1 on the far left.

Now watch what happens when in the presenter windows, I tell it to swap monitors and all it does is swap between monitors #2 and #3, leaving monitors #1 untouched.

So is there any advantage to working on three monitors?

Yes.  In my final workflow, while do a last minute quality review, I will have all three views up on my workstation to look at how everything flows both on the big screen slide show and the presenter view.  And if I have any corrections, I can do them LIVE on the normal edit view with the results immediately shows.

Watch how I add in a new slide in the normal edit view and insert a photo, with the resulting new slide automatically showing up in both the slide show and in my presenter view.

Wrap Up (New Slide)

Now you have all the need knowledge to take complete control of your PowerPoint presentation monitors.

Here is one extra bonus tip.  If you have a tabletop presentation, but no projector, just setup a second monitor to face away from you. Then put your display settings (Windows Key + P for Project) and select DUPLICATE.  Now the slide show will be facing you and your tabletop audience.

If this training tutorial was helpful, do subscribe to our channel as subscriptions help greatly to encourage me to share more of my expertise with you for free.

Also if it was helpful, do LIKE and SHARE with others.

If you have a specific PowerPoint tutorial, leave your suggestion in the comments below or any other questions that you might have for me to answer.

Lastly, if you want to see our whole catalog of PowerPoint video tutorials, visit us at our website of Power-UP. TRAINING.

Until next time, go Power Up!

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powerpoint presenter view

Present Better with PowerPoint Presenter View: Tips & Tricks

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The PowerPoint presenter view is the ideal tool for your presentation. The PowerPoint presenter view is the ideal tool for your presentation. It allows you to display your speaker notes and slides on your computer while presenting. Meanwhile, your audience will see the presentation without your notes on another screen or projector.

What is PowerPoint presenter view?

The PowerPoint presenter view is a presentation mode that allows presenters to see a preview of the next slides as well as their speaker notes. The advantage of this mode is that your audience will only see the current slide and nothing else.

PowerPoint presenter view: advantages

powerpoint presenter view

Presenter view offers a number of features that can help you streamline and improve the flow of your presentations:

1. You can add notes to each slide. This gives you more freedom and you won’t have to struggle with clumsy index cards. You can individually design the notes for each slide and, when you switch slides, you’ll see that slide’s notes as well.

2. You always see the current slide number (e.g., slide 5 of 13). That way, you can begin preparing for the next slide. You receive an overview of the entire presentation throughout.

3. A preview image on the side of your presentation always shows you the next slide.

4. A timer notifies you of how much time has elapsed. This is especially helpful if you have a limited amount of time to present.

5. You can use the pen tools to mark, highlight and augment your slide content . These freehand markups can even be saved afterwards.

6. You can view a thumbnail overview of all your presentation slides. This lets you choose slides freely and jump from slide to slide.

7. You can use the magnifying glass to enlarge individual sections of the current slide. The virtual laser pointer allows you to highlight specific points .

8. During breaks and discussions, you can fade to a black screen and don’t have to turn off the projector. This allows you to restart the presentation in less time.

How to set up PowerPoint presenter view with a projector 

PowerPoint presenter view requires two separate monitors. This often includes a projector. Here’s how to properly set up a projector:

1. Connect your laptop to the projector. Make sure the laptop isn’t switched on.

2. When you turn on the laptop, the projector will recognize it as a second screen.

3. When you start Microsoft PowerPoint, you should see the same image on both screens.

4. Now press the Windows + P key combination and then select Extend . Click on the check mark to the right of Presenter View in the Slide Show tab.

powerpoint presenter view

5. You’ll now see the different views on your two monitors. As the presenter, you’ll see the presenter view while your audience will see the current slide.

6. Normally, presenter view is automatically displayed on the correct monitor (namely, yours). If it still appears on the audience screen, set it to Primary Monitor in the Monitor drop-down menu. Presenter view should now run on your monitor.

powerpoint presenter view

How to disable PowerPoint presenter view  

To disable presenter view during your presentation, simply uncheck the Presenter View box in the Slide Show tab.

Tips for optimal use of the PowerPoint speaker view

1. practicing the presentation in advance.

If you want to use this tool effectively, you should be confident in using it . Therefore, test it extensively beforehand to be able to confidently operate the tool when it matters. In addition, also go through your presentation whilst projecting the speaker view. This way you can guarantee a more fluent presentation and fill in missing or insufficient notes.

2. Designing effective presentation notes

To ensure your notes are effective, keep them concise and to the point so you can access them quickly and easily during the presentation. Avoid long paragraphs and instead focus on bullet points that summarize the main ideas and important details .

By highlighting key terms or using abbreviations , you can make your notes easier to read. Your notes should also be large enough. To adjust the size of notes and previews, simply drag the edges of the relevant elements until they reach the desired size.

Be sure to structure your notes well to support the flow of your presentation and ensure a smooth transition between slides.

3. Managing time and breaks during the presentation

The integrated timeline allows you to always keep track of time during the presentation. To make the best use of your time, it is important to plan your presentation carefully and include breaks, if necessary, to give your audience time to process the information.

Be sure to use pauses deliberately, for example, to answer questions or emphasize important points. Also use the time display to keep track of your presentation speed so you don’t speak too fast or too slow to keep your audience’s attention.

This way, you guarantee a well-structured and engaging presentation that is both informative and enjoyable for your audience.

4. Integration of interactive elements

It’s no secret that interactivity in presentations helps keep the audience’s attention . Speaker View in PowerPoint offers the possibility to insert media and interactive elements into your presentation to make it more visually appealing and interesting.

For example, you can integrate videos, audio clips, animations, and interactive polls . Use the Speaker View to control the flow of media playback and make sure everything works smoothly.

For more ideas on how to make your presentations interactive, see the article “ Interactive presentations “.

5. Updating slides

PowerPoint presenter view allows you to update slides during your presentation. Dies This is really useful if you’ re in a team working on your presentation and changes are still being made, possibly right up to the last minute. To activate this setting, go to Set Up Slide Show from the Slide Show tab and select Keep slides updated .

powerpoint presenter view

Pro tip: Use shortcuts during your presentation

Shortcuts are keyboard combinations that allow you to quickly access certain PowerPoint functions. Here are five useful shortcuts which can simplify your presentations, especially in presenter view:

  • Fade to the next slide by pressing the Enter key or the right or down arrow keys .
  • To go back to the previous slide, press either the up or left arrow key .
  • To jump to the last slide of your presentation, press the End key .
  • If you want to skip slides during your presentation, press the slide number on your keyboard + Enter .
  • To make your screen appear white or black, select either W or the comma key for a white screen and B or the period key for a black screen . These functions can be especially helpful when you want to make sure that the audience’s entire attention is on you and not the screen.

For more useful shortcuts to make working with PowerPoint easier, feel free to check out our blog .

Use PowerPoint presenter view for better presentations

Presenter view makes it much easier for you to present and navigate your presentation. Thanks to many useful features, you can make your presentation more fluid and hold your audience’s attention.

Feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any questions about presenter view and PowerPoint in general. We’ll help you out.

Are you looking for visually supportive and professionally designed slide templates? Feel free to have a look around our store. Here we have numerous slides prepared for you to download on a wide variety of (business) topics. Take a look today! ► To the store

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Using PowerPoint and 3 monitors to deliver a video workshop

For a workshop delivered by video with PowerPoint, using three monitors creates a powerful advantage. I’ll share what I’ve learned from delivering video-based writing workshops to people connecting from their homes.

(Note: if you’ve arrived here to solve a technical problem regarding PowerPoint Presenter View, skip to “ Resolving a technical issue with PowerPoint Presenter View and and multiple monitors ” below.)

My workshop includes the following:

  • A carefully designed set of PowerPoint slides, tested and refined over dozens of writing workshops.
  • Frequent moments for interactions, when I ask questions intended to get the audience to think and participate.
  • Exercises that take about five minutes, in which participants must analyze and make revisions to writing samples from their own organization
  • Content that can be completed even when allowing time for audience interruptions and questions.

My workshop takes about three and a half hours when delivered in person, including a couple of 15-minute breaks. When I deliver it by video , I divide it into two sessions of 90 minutes each, which is close to the maximum amount of time people in their homes can concentrate. The content is the same, but by eliminating the breaks and doing one of the exercises between the two sessions, my participants and I can get everything in without rushing. It’s actually more efficient to deliver this way than in person.

The 3-monitor solution

When I conduct the workshop in person, I shift my viewpoint among these three things:

  • The audience.
  • The PowerPoint slide that the audience is seeing.
  • The Presenter View screen on PowerPoint, which displays the slides that are coming up next and speaker notes.

I wanted to duplicate that experience in the video workshop with three monitors .

Ideally, the center monitor (my laptop screen) should show the audience. This also means that when I’m looking at the audience, I’m looking into the camera of my Mac laptop, so they see me looking at them. I’ve done this with Google Meet and Zoom; the setup is the same either way.

On the left, I have the Presenter View screen of PowerPoint.

On the right is the audience view of PowerPoint. That has to be there so I can share it on Zoom, Google Meet, or whatever system the client has requested, and the audience can see the slides.

Here’s a photo my son took while I was presenting to 20 people in several Asian countries last night:

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Resolving a technical issue with PowerPoint Presenter View and multiple monitors

I had to get past one technical hurdle to make this work. PowerPoint allows you to select the monitor for the audience display. You just go into the Slide Show group in the ribbon, click on “Set Up Slide Show,” and then click on the pulldown for “Slide Show Monitor:

a presentation has slides for three presenter

But despite extensive Web research, I could not find a setting that determined what monitor PowerPoint uses for the Presenter View. On my system, PowerPoint seemed determined to show the Presenter View on my laptop screen — where I wanted the participants to appear. If I move the videoconferencing view of the participants to another monitor, I have to look off to the side to see them, which makes it look like I’m not paying attention them.

Here’s how to make the Presenter View appear on a different monitor on a Mac. First, open the Display item in System Preferences and click on Arrangement. If you normally use the additional monitors as an extended desktop, you’ll see something like the screen shot below, where the arrangement of the blue boxes mimics the actual physical arrangement of the monitors. This setup is what allows you to drag items from monitor to monitor as you work normally.

a presentation has slides for three presenter

The skinny white rectangle at the top of the center (laptop) monitor represents the menu bar. (That’s a misnomer, since on a Mac, the menu appears on all three screens, but that’s what they call it.) Drag that white rectangle to a different monitor, and you’ve designated that monitor as the main or “default” monitor.

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Lots of applications take note of the default monitor (the one with the menu bar in this Preferences screen). For example, when you start your Mac, this is where the password screen will appear. And crucially for this discussion, it’s also the monitor where the Presenter View appears when you do a presentation with PowerPoint. That’s how I got the Presenter View to appear on the left monitor, allowing me to concentrate on the audience on the center, laptop screen.

A few more tips

Delivering a workshop to people locked down in their homes creates extra demands. In the workshops I’ve been doing for the group in Asia Pacific , it’s even more challenging, because Asian living spaces are small and often shared with other family members, and because the only way to present during their workday is to do it at night, past my normal bedtime.

Here are few tips that can help make video workshops like this effective:

  • Keep the workshop size to about 20 people. More than that are difficult to observe in the shared audience view.
  • Keep sessions to 90 minutes or less. It’s hard for people to stare at a screen for hours. And they’re staving off interruptions from spouses, children, and coworkers. Break things up on into multiple sessions — unlike a real workshop, you don’t have a desperate need to fit everything into one session “while everyone is together.”
  • Tell the participants to stay on mute unless they have a question. (Most remote workers have become accustomed to this now.)
  • Tolerate pop-ins. The occasional cat or child will appear. So long as there is no noise to distract others, that’s fine with me. These people are real humans with home lives, and they have invited me into their homes. I feel touched by that, and the appearance of a child who wants to give Mommy a hug makes me feel warmth, not resentment.
  • Check the audience view frequently and observe them intently. (Many public speakers do this by instinct; it’s an instinct you’ll need to shift over to the virtual audience view.) You’ll see heads nodding, or puzzled looks, depending on how you’re doing. If people seem confused, ask for questions and be patient, often people in this shared setting are shy.
  • Call on people. In my in-person workshops, I’ll often pick out a participant and ask a question like “Tell me about a project you’re working on.” It’s a question intended to involve people, and there is no wrong answer — everyone else learns from the participant’s answers and how I apply the techniques of the workshop to them. I do the same on video, trying to seek out people who seem interested or who’ve volunteered responses earlier in the session.
  • Share materials that participants need for exercises ahead of time. I share documents they’ll need to work on in Google Docs.
  • Put the exercises on the screen. My exercises are short and medium text samples from the client. I work on them myself, along with the audience. Putting them on screen reminds people what they’re working on.
  • Solicit responses in the chat window. I look to the chat window for questions. And when I am asking for questions or responses, I ask people to paste their responses into the chat. This allows me to see what everyone has come up with, and to call on people for further discussion. It works better than the cacophony of 20 people chattering at once.
  • Learn from sessions and adjust. I’m grateful that my Asia Pacific client has requested three sets of workshops, each over two successive mornings (their time). After the first set, they distributed a questionnaire and shared the responses with me. This allowed me to improve the workshop for the second and third sets of sessions. Sure, it would be more efficient for me to give the same content three times, but the opportunity to make improvements and make the client happier is precious and valuable.

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Brilliant! I’ve used two before, but I see the advantages of the third screen. (time to go to Best Buy)

I love this post, Josh.

I started messing around with different configurations based upon my new tech needs. Unfortunately, my Mac doesn’t support Sidecar but DuelDisplay came to the rescue. It took a bit of doing, but I finally can present slides with Presentation View enabled and a separate iPad for the Zoom call.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I can’t tell you how many boards I read and attempted solutions from before finding yours. The Display settings control for the Primary Monitor was the missing piece.

This took me weeks to figure out. I felt a desire to save others the trouble.

Hi, I read your article on the above topic. I’m on windows, with a laptop and 2 external monitors. Normal setup is (left to right) laptop, mon1, mon2, with mon1 is main. I want speaker notes on mon1 (external camera hanging on mon1), and presentation (to be shared) on mon2. No matter what I do, one of the monitors in use always ends up being laptop, I can’t get it to just use mon1 and mon2. Using laptop isn’t good because it’s smaller and I’m looking either sideways or down. If I swap screen in PPT the laptop display is not proportional. Any ideas?

This is very good. But it stops too soon. It works well in setting it up, but once I do screen share so they can see the PowerPoint my windows get scrambled. Any tips for preventing that?

I do workshops al the time and have this exact same issue. i want my laptop view with participants. i want my presenter deck on one side and slide show on the other. I have a Mac Book Air with 16G and the max hard drive, but i cannot enable this and have been trying for 6 months. i have had the IT guys here and tried everything. can this be a mac/zoom/ppt issue? one of the techs felt i need 16 video rams and my mac book air has 1.5. the hard drive is way large enough but something about the video memory or something? i need a solution

Are you unable to change the default monitor as described here?

You are my hero. Been looking everywhere for this solution. Thank you.

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PowerPoint Presenter | The Ultimate Guide For Beginners in 2023

PowerPoint Presenter | The Ultimate Guide For Beginners in 2023

Jane Ng • 14 Sep 2023 • 5 min read

Have you ever wondered how some presenters make their slideshows look so smooth and engaging? The secret lies in PowerPoint Presenter View – a special feature that gives PowerPoint presenters superpowers during their presentations. 

In this guide, we’ll explore how you can use PowerPoint Presenter View and its best alternative to become a confident and captivating presenter, leaving your audience inspired and wanting more. Let’s discover PowerPoint Presenter View together!

Table of Contents

How to access presenter mode powerpoint.

  • What is PowerPoint Presenter View?

How To Use Powerpoint Presenter View

An alternative for powerpoint presenter view, in summary , frequently asked questions.

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Get started in seconds..

Sign up for free and build your interactive PowerPoint from a template.

What Is PowerPoint Presenter View?

PowerPoint Presenter View is a feature that allows you to view your presentation in a separate window that includes the current slide, the next slide, and your speaker notes. 

This feature brings many benefits for a PowerPoint Presenter, making it easier for you to deliver a smooth and professional presentation.

  • You can stay organized and on track by seeing the current slide, the next slide, and your speaker notes all in one place.
  • You can control the presentation without looking at your computer, which allows you to make eye contact with your audience and deliver a more engaging presentation.
  • You can use Presenter View to highlight specific parts of your slides or to provide additional information to your audience.

Step 1: To start, open your PowerPoint presentation.

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Step 2: On the Slide Show tab, access Presenter View . You will see a new window that displays:

a presentation has slides for three presenter

  • Slide Thumbnails: Miniature previews of the slides, you can navigate through the presentation slides effortlessly.
  • Notes Page: You can note and view your own notes privately on your screen without revealing them to the audience, ensuring they stay on track and well-prepared.
  • Next Slide Preview: This feature displays the upcoming slide, enabling you to anticipate the content and transition seamlessly.
  • Elapsed Time: Presenter View shows the time elapsed during the presentation, helping you manage their pacing effectively.
  • Tools and Annotations: In some versions of PowerPoint, Presenter View offers annotation tools, such as pens or Laser pointers , Blackout screens , and Subtitles, allowing PowerPoint presenters to emphasize points on their slides during the presentation.

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Step 3: To exit Presenter View, click the End Show in the top-right corner of the window.

PowerPoint Presenter View is a handy tool for presenters using dual monitors, but what if you only have a single screen at your disposal? Don’t worry! AhaSlides has got you covered! 

  • AhaSlides is a cloud-based presentation software , so you can access it from any device with an internet connection. This means that you can use AhaSlides to present your slides even if you don’t have a projector or second monitor.
  • AhaSlides also offers a variety of interactive features that you can use to engage your audience, such as polls, quizzes, and Q&A. These features can help you to keep your audience’s attention and make your presentation more interactive.

How To Use AhaSlides Backstage Feature When Presenting

Step 1:   Sign In and Open Your Presentation

a presentation has slides for three presenter

  • Go to the AhaSlides website and sign in to your account. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one for free.
  • Create a new presentation or upload an existing presentation.

Step 2: Click on Present With AhaSlides Backstage in Present Box

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Step 3: Utilizing Backstage Tools

  • Private Preview: You’ll have a private preview of your upcoming slides, enabling you to prepare for what’s ahead and stay on top of your presentation flow.
  • Slide Notes: Just like PowerPoint Presenter View, Backstage allows you to note your presenter slides, ensuring you never miss a beat during your delivery.
  • Seamless Slide Navigation: With intuitive navigation controls, you can effortlessly switch between slides during your presentation, maintaining fluid and polished delivery.

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Or you can follow the simple instructions provided in AhaSlides Backstage Guide .

Tips For Preview and Test Your Presentation With AhaSlides

Before stepping into your presentation, wouldn’t it be great to see how your slides appear on other devices, even without the luxury of an additional monitor?  

To utilize AhaSlides’ preview feature effectively, follow these simple steps:

  • Create an account on AhaSlides and log in.
  • Click on the “Preview” button in the top right corner of the screen.
  • This will open a new window where you can see your slides and notes.
  • On the right side of the window, you will see a preview of what your audience will see.

By using this feature, you can ensure your presentation looks stunning, guaranteeing a captivating experience for your audience regardless of how they access your content.

Whichever option presenters choose, mastering PowerPoint Presenter View or utilizing AhaSlides’ Backstage, both platforms empower speakers to become confident and captivating presenters, delivering memorable presentations that leave their audience inspired and eager for more. 

Who is the person who presents a presentation? 

The person who presents a presentation is typically referred to as the “presenter” or “speaker.” They are responsible for delivering the content of the presentation to an audience. 

What is a PowerPoint presentation coach? 

PowerPoint Presentation Coach is a feature in PowerPoint that helps you to improve your presentation skills. Presentation Coach provides you with feedback on your presentation, such as how long you are spending on each slide, how well you are using your voice, and how engaging your presentation is.

What is PowerPoint presenter view?

PowerPoint Presenter View is a special view in PowerPoint that allows the presenter to see their slides, notes, and a timer while the audience only sees the slides. This is useful for presenters because it allows them to keep track of their presentations and to make sure that they are not going over their time.

Ref: Microsoft Support

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Are you using the right features to engage your audience?

Quick Links

Presenter coach for practicing, cameo for a live camera feed, subtitles for showing spoken words, presenter view for tools during the show, pen, highlighter, and laser pointer for visual emphasis, zoom for a closer view, speaker notes for talking points.

As you may already know, Microsoft PowerPoint offers a robust feature set for creating presentations. But what kind of tools are useful for actually presenting a slideshow? We'll walk you through several features that can help you engage your audience.

Before it's time for your presentation, you can practice with help from PowerPoint itself. Using Presenter Coach , you can receive feedback as you walk through your slideshow.

Related: How to Practice Your Presentations with PowerPoint's Presenter Coach

To use Presenter Coach, head to the Slide Show tab and select "Rehearse with Coach." When your slideshow opens in full screen mode, click "Start Rehearsing" to begin.

Start Rehearsing in PowerPoint

You'll see feedback in real-time as you speak and move through your presentation. You can also view a rehearsal report after you finish that summarizes your time spent practicing, filler words you use, your pace, and more.

Presenter Coach Rehearsal Report

Plan ahead for your presentation by practicing with this handy built-in tool.

For a personal touch or a way to communicate visually, consider using a live camera feed. With the Cameo feature, you can put your face and voice front and center during your slideshow.

To add the Cameo object, go to the slide, open the Insert tab, and select "Cameo" in the Camera section.

Cameo on the PowerPoint Insert tab

You can then move or resize the object, see a preview using the camera icon, and customize the object using the Camera Format tab that appears when you select it.

Cameo on a slide with the Camera Format tab open

If you add the Cameo element to additional slides, your camera feed continues seamlessly through your presentation.

For complete details on this feature, take a look at our how-to for using a live camera feed in PowerPoint .

Related: The Best Webcams of 2023

You may have audience members viewing your PowerPoint presentation who have a hearing impairment or speak a different dialect. With subtitles, you can display every word you say during a presentation in the language of your choice.

Related: How to Set Up and Use Subtitles in Microsoft PowerPoint

To set up the subtitles , go to the Slide Show tab and select the Subtitle Settings drop-down menu. You can then adjust the spoken and subtitle languages, the microphone you want to use, and the placement of the captions.

Subtitle Settings in PowerPoint

You can check the box above the menu to Always Use Subtitles or use the Toggle Subtitles icon (Windows) or Closed Caption button (Mac) to turn them on and off during your presentation.

Subtitle toggle in PowerPoint on Windows

For an excellent way to accommodate your audience during your slideshow, give the subtitles feature a try.

When you present your slideshow, you probably want every tool available to you, and PowerPoint has many. To access those tools like a laser pointer or your presenter notes, check out Presenter View .

To use the feature on Windows, go to the Slide Show tab and check the box for Use Presenter View in the Monitors section of the ribbon. Then, start your presentation as normal. On Mac, simply click "Presenter View" on the Slide Show tab.

User Presenter View on the Slide Show tab

To start Presenter View during the slideshow, click the three dots on the bottom left and pick "Show Presenter View."

Show Presenter View during a presentation

Next, you'll see a dashboard-like screen with everything you need. On the top left is the current slide, to the right is the next slide, and below that you have your notes.

On the left, you can open additional tools, turn subtitles on or off, black or unblack the show, toggle the camera, and end the show.

Presenter View in PowerPoint

Presenter View puts everything you need at your fingertips during your presentation.

These may seem like super basic tools, but they can be quite handy while presenting a slideshow. You can use a pen to circle an image or draw an arrow, a highlighter to call out certain text, or a laser pointer to emphasize parts of a slide.

Related: Turn Your Mouse into a Laser Pointer in PowerPoint

To access the tools in Presenter View, select the Pen and Laser Pointer Tools icon (pen) below the current slide.

To access the tools without Presenter View, select the Pen and Laser Pointer Tools icon on the bottom left of the slide.

Pen, Highlighter, and Laser Pointer in Slide Show View

Choose a tool and then use your cursor to control it. For the pen and highlighter, you can also pick a color in the pop-up window.

To "put away" the tool you're using, access it using the steps above and deselect it.

Along with using the tools above for making parts of your presentation stand out, you can take advantage of the Zoom feature. With it, you can zoom in on part of a slide , move around if you like, and then zoom back out.

As of November 2022, this feature is not available in PowerPoint on Mac.

In regular slide show view or Presenter View, select the zoom icon (magnifying glass) on the bottom left.

Zoom button in Presenter View

You'll then see a rectangle on your screen indicating the zoom area. Move that rectangle to the spot you want to enlarge and click.

Zoom on a PowerPoint slide

You can then drag to move around the slide while it's zoomed in. Right-click or use your Escape key to zoom back out to the original view.

Just like giving a speech with index cards for your talking points, notes in PowerPoint are just as beneficial. You can include information you want to highlight or further details for text or images you use.

Related: How to Insert a Check Mark or Checkbox in PowerPoint

To add presenter notes to your slideshow, open the notes panel. Either select "Notes" in the status bar or drag up from the bottom of the slide in the PowerPoint window.

Notes panel in PowerPoint

Then when it's time to present, use Presenter View to display your notes during the show.

With an update to PowerPoint in 2022, you can also edit your notes while you present. This is a good way to capture additional points you think of while presenting or if an audience question pops up.

Place your cursor in the notes area on the right side and add or remove text. You can also use the buttons at the bottom to increase or decrease the font size.

Having your speaker notes with you during a slideshow is a key element in a successful presentation.

When you finish creating your PowerPoint slideshow , prepare to present it by trying out these features ahead of time. Then, incorporate them into your slideshow where it makes sense. Your audience will be glad you did!

  • Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view Article
  • Add speaker notes to your slides Article
  • Rehearse and time the delivery of a presentation Article
  • Record a slide show with narration and slide timings Article
  • Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes Article
  • Create a self-running presentation Article

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Add speaker notes to your slides

When you're creating a presentation, you can add speaker notes to refer to later while delivering the slide show in front of an audience.

During your presentation, the speaker notes are visible on your monitor, but aren't visible to the audience. So the Notes pane is the place to store talking points that you want to mention when you give your presentation.

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Add notes while creating your presentation

The Notes pane is a box that appears below each slide. (It is outlined in magenta in the picture below.) An empty Notes pane will prompt you with text that says, Click to add notes . Type your speaker notes there. If you don’t see the Notes pane or it is completely minimized, click Notes on the task bar across the bottom of the PowerPoint window (also marked in magenta in the picture below).

Shows the speaker Notes pane in PowerPoint

If your notes exceed the allotted length of the Notes pane, a vertical scroll bar appears on the side of the pane. You can also enlarge the Notes pane by pointing your mouse at the top line of the pane and then dragging upward after the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow.

What the notes look like in Presenter view

Tip:  You can add notes either while you’re presenting, directly from Presenter view, or as you’re editing your presentation. For information on how to add speaker notes to while editing your presentation, see  Add speaker notes to your slides.  

a presentation has slides for three presenter

The notes appear in a pane on the right. If you need to add or delete something, simply click in the text box to edit it. The text wraps automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears if necessary. You can also change the size of the text in the Notes pane by using the two buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane:

Change the size of the text in the Notes pane in Presenter view

Presenter view isn't something you have to create. PowerPoint assembles it for you by gathering the notes you've typed for each slide and pairing them with a set of controls for navigating through your presentation.

By default, PowerPoint is set to use Presenter view when you run a slide show. You can change this setting on the Slide Show tab of the PowerPoint ribbon:

The Presenter View option is controlled by a check box on the Slide Show tab of the ribbon in PowerPoint.

Read Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view for more details about how to see and use Presenter view.

Print speaker notes

See Print slides with or without speaker notes .

Print slides with or without speaker notes

Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view

Transfer slides from one presentation to another

Add notes to your slides

To add notes to your slides, do the following:

On the View menu, click Normal .

Select the thumbnail of the slide you want to add notes to.

Shows a slide selected in the thumbnail pane in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

The notes pane will appear beneath your slide. Click where it says Click to add notes and type whatever notes you'd like to add.

Shows the notes pane in PowerPoint 216 for Mac

View your notes while you present

If you want to view your notes while you're presenting but make sure your audience only sees what you've put on the slide itself, use presenter view. Here's how:

On the View menu, click Presenter View .

You'll see the main slide that you're presenting, a preview of the next slide, and any notes you've added for the current slide below the preview of the next slide.

Shows notes in Presenter View in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

Your audience will only the slides that you're presenting in your presentation, and not your notes.

Print your slides and handouts

PowerPoint for the web lets you create speaker notes, but it doesn't have the ability to show you the notes while you're presenting your slide show.

Create speaker notes

On the View tab of the ribon, in the Show group, select Notes.

The pane appears across the bottom portion of the PowerPoint window, with the cursor blinking, ready for you to begin typing.

The Notes pane appears across the bottom portion of the window.

If you're a Microsoft 365 business subscriber and your presentation is stored on OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint in Microsoft 365, you can print your speaker notes. See Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes for more information.

See speaker notes while presenting

Currently you must use a desktop version of PowerPoint to see speaker notes while you're presenting.

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Multiple Presenters? Here’s How to Run Your Virtual Meeting Without a Glitch

Profile picture Katy Mrvova

Have you ever run an online meeting or event that featured multiple presenters? If so, then I reckon you’re no stranger to hearing lines such as:

“Can you see my screen?”

“Next slide, please.”

“Can I start sharing now?”

Organizing multiple speakers is indeed tricky. Especially in an online environment.

There can be a lot of friction involved, the tech can fail you, and handovers from one speaker to another can get confusing…

In this blog post, you’ll find 7 useful tips that will help you overcome all these challenges and successfully manage all your presenters during your next meeting or event.

All tried, tested, and proven by my wonderful colleague, Kristina Kumor – a seasoned moderator and virtual event organizer.

Actually, if your eyes are tired of reading, watch her video below :

1. Create one master deck

Your presenters don’t necessarily need their own separate slide decks. Having to switch between multiple presentations only makes things more complicated on the technical end.

Create a single master deck that you share with your speakers before your event or meeting. They will then simply paste their slides on this master deck, allowing you to share everyone’s slides from one place. Way simpler, isn’t it?

Another great thing about having a master deck is that you’ll be able to see how many slides your presenters have. This will put you in control of the presentation and in control of the timing.

2. Decide who is going to move through the slides

Once you have the master deck ready, agree on one person who’s going to share the screen and move through everyone’s slides.

If the web conferencing tool that you’re using has a remote control feature, even better. This way, the speaker that is currently presenting will be able to take control of the shared screen and move through the slides themselves.

3. Invite a meeting moderator

A good moderator is a win for any meeting or event. They greet the audience, set the mood at the beginning, and make sure everything runs according to plan.

Slido virtual masterclass live poll

Most importantly, a moderator is there to steer the whole presentation .

They keep an eye on handovers – who’s next to speak, which content is next to be shared. They also act as a bridge between the audience and the speakers and facilitate a discussion during the Q&A .

Read also: Tips on How to Moderate a Panel Discussion as a Beginner

4. Switch speakers every 5-7 minutes

The best thing about having multiple presenters is the dynamic you can create at your meeting or event. We recommend switching the speakers as often as every 5-7 minutes.

Slido virtual masterclass speakers

Listening to one person for too long can get tedious for your audience.

If your speakers take turns in the delivery of the content, your audience will be much more likely to stay engaged and keep their focus.

Read also: Behind the Scenes of Our First Virtual Event

5. Have every speaker take part in the Q&A

If you’re running a Q&A session at the end of your meeting or event, bring every presenter in to answer questions. This is the part for all of them – and your moderator – to shine.

A great moderator will give everyone a chance to speak and distribute the time to answer the questions equally among all of the speakers.

In case it’s just two people answering questions, a great practice is to run the Q&A as a conversation: one speaker reads a question, the other one answers it, and the other way round.

Slido webinar tips q and a session

Read also: The Complete Guide to Running Q&A in a Virtual Setting

6. Set up a communication channel

Agree on a channel where you – as a meeting/event owner – your speakers, and your moderator, are going to communicate during the live meeting or event. This will allow you to stay in touch with each other in case anything unexpected happens, or you need to talk something through.

It can be a WhatsApp group, a Slack channel, or a group chat on Messenger; whatever works best for you. Just make sure that everybody has access to it when you go live, and that everyone has notifications turned on for that channel.

TIP: Invite your tech/AV person into this channel as well, so that they can monitor the situation and help out if anything goes wrong.

7. Have a dry run

A sure-fire way to make your meeting or event a success is to have a dry run. There are so many things that can go wrong – avoid them, and smooth out all the hiccups, during a practice round.

Invite the speakers, moderator, and everybody involved in the meeting/event, and run through the entire content of the presentation. Check the sound, practice handovers from one speaker to another, and align the presenters with the person who’s going to manage the slides.

A dry run gives you a great chance to tweak minor hiccups or shorten/lengthen certain parts. Trust us, a careful rehearsal saved many of our meeting and event disasters!

We hope that these tips will help you make your next online meeting or event exceptional. If you want to make it better still, try Slido.

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How can you make a good presentation even more effective?

This page draws on published advice from expert presenters around the world, which will help to take your presentations from merely ‘good’ to ‘great’.

By bringing together advice from a wide range of people, the aim is to cover a whole range of areas.

Whether you are an experienced presenter, or just starting out, there should be ideas here to help you to improve.

1. Show your Passion and Connect with your Audience

It’s hard to be relaxed and be yourself when you’re nervous.

But time and again, the great presenters say that the most important thing is to connect with your audience, and the best way to do that is to let your passion for the subject shine through.

Be honest with the audience about what is important to you and why it matters.

Be enthusiastic and honest, and the audience will respond.

2. Focus on your Audience’s Needs

Your presentation needs to be built around what your audience is going to get out of the presentation.

As you prepare the presentation, you always need to bear in mind what the audience needs and wants to know, not what you can tell them.

While you’re giving the presentation, you also need to remain focused on your audience’s response, and react to that.

You need to make it easy for your audience to understand and respond.

3. Keep it Simple: Concentrate on your Core Message

When planning your presentation, you should always keep in mind the question:

What is the key message (or three key points) for my audience to take away?

You should be able to communicate that key message very briefly.

Some experts recommend a 30-second ‘elevator summary’, others that you can write it on the back of a business card, or say it in no more than 15 words.

Whichever rule you choose, the important thing is to keep your core message focused and brief.

And if what you are planning to say doesn’t contribute to that core message, don’t say it.

4. Smile and Make Eye Contact with your Audience

This sounds very easy, but a surprisingly large number of presenters fail to do it.

If you smile and make eye contact, you are building rapport , which helps the audience to connect with you and your subject. It also helps you to feel less nervous, because you are talking to individuals, not to a great mass of unknown people.

To help you with this, make sure that you don’t turn down all the lights so that only the slide screen is visible. Your audience needs to see you as well as your slides.

5. Start Strongly

The beginning of your presentation is crucial. You need to grab your audience’s attention and hold it.

They will give you a few minutes’ grace in which to entertain them, before they start to switch off if you’re dull. So don’t waste that on explaining who you are. Start by entertaining them.

Try a story (see tip 7 below), or an attention-grabbing (but useful) image on a slide.

6. Remember the 10-20-30 Rule for Slideshows

This is a tip from Guy Kawasaki of Apple. He suggests that slideshows should:

  • Contain no more than 10 slides;
  • Last no more than 20 minutes; and
  • Use a font size of no less than 30 point.

This last is particularly important as it stops you trying to put too much information on any one slide. This whole approach avoids the dreaded ‘Death by PowerPoint’.

As a general rule, slides should be the sideshow to you, the presenter. A good set of slides should be no use without the presenter, and they should definitely contain less, rather than more, information, expressed simply.

If you need to provide more information, create a bespoke handout and give it out after your presentation.

7. Tell Stories

Human beings are programmed to respond to stories.

Stories help us to pay attention, and also to remember things. If you can use stories in your presentation, your audience is more likely to engage and to remember your points afterwards. It is a good idea to start with a story, but there is a wider point too: you need your presentation to act like a story.

Think about what story you are trying to tell your audience, and create your presentation to tell it.

Finding The Story Behind Your Presentation

To effectively tell a story, focus on using at least one of the two most basic storytelling mechanics in your presentation:

Focusing On Characters – People have stories; things, data, and objects do not. So ask yourself “who” is directly involved in your topic that you can use as the focal point of your story.

For example, instead of talking about cars (your company’s products), you could focus on specific characters like:

  • The drivers the car is intended for – people looking for speed and adventure
  • The engineers who went out of their way to design the most cost-effective car imaginable

A Changing Dynamic – A story needs something to change along the way. So ask yourself “What is not as it should be?” and answer with what you are going to do about it (or what you did about it).

For example…

  • Did hazardous road conditions inspire you to build a rugged, all-terrain jeep that any family could afford?
  • Did a complicated and confusing food labelling system lead you to establish a colour-coded nutritional index so that anybody could easily understand it?

To see 15 more actionable storytelling tips, see Nuts & Bolts Speed Training’s post on Storytelling Tips .

8. Use your Voice Effectively

The spoken word is actually a pretty inefficient means of communication, because it uses only one of your audience’s five senses. That’s why presenters tend to use visual aids, too. But you can help to make the spoken word better by using your voice effectively.

Varying the speed at which you talk, and emphasising changes in pitch and tone all help to make your voice more interesting and hold your audience’s attention.

For more about this, see our page on Effective Speaking .

9. Use your Body Too

It has been estimated that more than three quarters of communication is non-verbal.

That means that as well as your tone of voice, your body language is crucial to getting your message across. Make sure that you are giving the right messages: body language to avoid includes crossed arms, hands held behind your back or in your pockets, and pacing the stage.

Make your gestures open and confident, and move naturally around the stage, and among the audience too, if possible.

10. Relax, Breathe and Enjoy

If you find presenting difficult, it can be hard to be calm and relaxed about doing it.

One option is to start by concentrating on your breathing. Slow it down, and make sure that you’re breathing fully. Make sure that you continue to pause for breath occasionally during your presentation too.

For more ideas, see our page on Coping with Presentation Nerves .

If you can bring yourself to relax, you will almost certainly present better. If you can actually start to enjoy yourself, your audience will respond to that, and engage better. Your presentations will improve exponentially, and so will your confidence. It’s well worth a try.

Improve your Presentation Skills

Follow our guide to boost your presentation skills learning about preparation, delivery, questions and all other aspects of giving effective presentations.

Start with: What is a Presentation?

Continue to: How to Give a Speech Self Presentation

See also: Five Ways You Can Do Visual Marketing on a Budget Can Presentation Science Improve Your Presentation? Typography – It’s All About the Message in Your Slides

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

  • Carmine Gallo

a presentation has slides for three presenter

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

a presentation has slides for three presenter

  • Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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How to See Your Notes When Presenting in PowerPoint

A person standing in front of a powerpoint presentation

As a presenter, delivering a seamless and confident presentation is key to making a lasting impression. However, it can be challenging to remember every detail of your presentation, especially if you have a lot of content to cover. Fortunately, with PowerPoint’s Presenter View, you can easily access your notes and confidently deliver your presentation. In this article, we will cover all aspects of using PowerPoint’s Presenter View to enhance your presentation.

Table of Contents

Why You Need to See Your Notes When Presenting in PowerPoint

Presenting without having your notes at hand can be daunting and can affect the quality of your presentation. Whether you are presenting in front of a small group or a large audience, you will need to have access to your notes. This will help you deliver your presentation confidently, as you will have a clear idea of what to say or do next. In addition, having your notes visible can help you stay focused on the topics you want to cover and avoid straying off-topic.

Another reason why it is important to see your notes when presenting in PowerPoint is that it can help you manage your time effectively. By having your notes visible, you can keep track of the time and ensure that you are covering all the important points within the allocated time frame. This can help you avoid rushing through the presentation or running out of time before you have covered all the key points.

Furthermore, having your notes visible can also help you engage with your audience better. When you are confident and well-prepared, you are more likely to make eye contact with your audience and use body language effectively. This can help you build a connection with your audience and keep them engaged throughout the presentation.

How to Access Presenter View in PowerPoint

Before you can access Presenter View, you need to have a PowerPoint presentation open in Slide Show mode. Once your presentation is open, simply click on the ‘Slide Show’ tab and check the box beside ‘Use Presenter View.’ Your screen will then automatically switch to Presenter View, allowing you to see your notes and other helpful controls.

Presenter View is a great tool for giving presentations, as it allows you to see your notes and upcoming slides while your audience only sees the current slide. You can also use Presenter View to zoom in on specific parts of your slide, draw on your slides, and even use a virtual laser pointer to highlight important information. To exit Presenter View, simply press the ‘Esc’ key on your keyboard.

Understanding the Presenter View in PowerPoint

Presenter View is a powerful tool that enables you to manage your presentation effectively. It comprises several elements, including:

  • The slide display area, which shows the slide that your audience sees.
  • The notes section, which displays any text that you have added as notes or comments.
  • The timer, which can help you stay within your allotted time.
  • The navigation controls, which let you move forward and backward in your presentation easily.
  • The zoom slider, which enables you to zoom in and out of your slides for added detail.
  • The laser pointer and highlighter tools, which allow you to emphasize important points on your slides.

Presenter View also allows you to preview upcoming slides, giving you a chance to prepare for the next section of your presentation. This feature can be especially helpful if you need to refer to specific information on a later slide.

In addition, Presenter View provides a way to keep your audience engaged by allowing you to add annotations to your slides. You can draw attention to specific areas of your slide, highlight key points, or even add additional information that may not be included in the slide itself.

Setting Up Presenter View: Step-by-Step Guide

If you want to customize your Presenter View experience, follow these steps:

  • On the ‘Slide Show’ tab, click ‘Set Up Slide Show.’
  • Under ‘Multiple Monitors,’ select the ‘Use Presenter View’ checkbox.
  • If you’re using a single monitor, select the ‘Display slide show on’ option and choose your primary monitor.
  • If you’re using dual monitors, select the ‘Display slide show on’ option and choose the monitor that you want to display Presenter View on.
  • Customize the Presenter View by selecting the options that you want to use, such as speaker notes, the timer, and the navigation controls.
  • Click ‘OK.’ Your Presenter View should now be set up.

It’s important to note that not all versions of PowerPoint have the Presenter View feature. If you don’t see the ‘Use Presenter View’ checkbox under ‘Multiple Monitors,’ it’s likely that your version of PowerPoint doesn’t support this feature. In this case, you may need to upgrade to a newer version or use a different presentation software that offers Presenter View.

How to Customize Presenter View Settings in PowerPoint

If you have specific preferences for Presenter View, you can customize it by following these steps:

  • Click the ‘Settings’ button in the Presenter View toolbar.
  • Select the options that you want to use, such as the color scheme, font size, and slide size.
  • Click ‘Save Changes’ to apply your changes.

Customizing your Presenter View settings can greatly enhance your presentation experience. For example, you can choose to display your notes on one screen while your audience sees only the slides on the other screen. Additionally, you can select the option to display a timer or a clock to help you keep track of time during your presentation. Experiment with different settings to find what works best for you and your audience.

Using Presenter View on Dual Monitor Setup

If you have a dual-monitor setup, you can use Presenter View to present your slides on one screen while managing your notes and tools on the other screen. To do this, simply select the ‘Use Presenter View’ checkbox under ‘Multiple Monitors’ in the ‘Set Up Slide Show’ dialog box. Once you start presenting, the Presenter View screen will appear on the secondary monitor, while the slides will appear on the primary screen.

Presenter View is a great tool for presenters who want to keep their notes and tools hidden from the audience. With Presenter View, you can see your notes, upcoming slides, and a timer, while your audience only sees the current slide. This feature is especially useful for longer presentations, where you may need to refer to your notes or keep track of time.

Another benefit of using Presenter View is that it allows you to easily navigate through your presentation. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move forward or backward through your slides, or you can use the thumbnails on the Presenter View screen to jump to a specific slide. This makes it easy to adjust your presentation on the fly, without having to interrupt the flow of your presentation.

Troubleshooting Common Issues with Presenter View in PowerPoint

If you experience common issues with Presenter View, such as notes not displaying correctly, audio not working, or distorted visuals, try these troubleshooting tips:

  • Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements for using Presenter View.
  • Check that the correct audio output is selected in the control panel.
  • Review your slides and notes to ensure that there are no formatting errors.
  • Try closing other open applications to free up system resources.
  • Ensure that your computer is updated with all available updates.
  • Try reinstalling or repairing PowerPoint to eliminate any software conflicts.

However, if these troubleshooting tips do not resolve your issues, there may be other factors at play. One possible cause of issues with Presenter View is outdated or incompatible drivers for your computer’s graphics card. Check with your computer manufacturer or graphics card manufacturer to see if there are any updates available.

Another potential issue could be related to your computer’s display settings. Make sure that your display settings are optimized for the resolution and aspect ratio of your presentation. You may also want to try adjusting the scaling settings to see if that improves the display of your slides and notes.

Tips and Tricks for Effective Note-taking During Presentation

To get the most out of Presenter View, try these effective note-taking tips:

  • Organize your notes by slide or topic to stay on track during the presentation.
  • Use bullet points and keywords to keep your notes concise and easy to read.
  • Include cues or action words to remind you of any demonstrations, animations, or other interactive elements in your presentation.
  • Use the highlighter tool to draw attention to the most critical points.

Enhancing Your Presentation with Presenter View

Presenter View can enhance your presentation in several ways, such as by allowing you to add visual aids and multimedia elements, manage your time effectively, and engage your audience. By using Presenter View, you can keep your presentation on track, highlight key information, and maintain your audience’s attention throughout.

The Importance of Rehearsing Your Presentation with Presenter View

Practicing your presentation with Presenter View can help you become familiar with the interface, identify any errors or issues, and ensure that your presentation will run seamlessly. Use Presenter View during your presentation rehearsal to simulate the actual presentation environment and get a feel for how it works.

Taking Advantage of the Laser Pointer and Highlighter Tools in Presenter View

The laser pointer and highlighter tools are handy for emphasizing key points on your slides and improving audience engagement. To use them, simply press and hold the ‘Ctrl’ key and click the mouse to activate the laser pointer or highlighter. Release the key to deactivate them.

How to Switch Between Slides and Notes during a Presentation

If you need to switch between slides and notes during your presentation, simply click the ‘Notes’ button in the Presenter View toolbar. This will display your notes and allow you to scroll through them as needed.

Utilizing the Timer and Countdown Features of Presenter View

The timer and countdown features are useful for keeping your presentation on track and ensuring that you do not exceed your allotted time. To use them, simply enable the ‘Timer’ feature in the ‘Settings’ section of Presenter View. You can then set the countdown time and choose whether to display it during the presentation or keep it hidden.

Sharing Your Screen Using Presenter View in Microsoft Teams or Zoom Meetings

If you are using Microsoft Teams or Zoom Meetings to deliver your presentation remotely, you can still use Presenter View by sharing your screen. To do this, simply select the ‘Share Screen’ option and choose the ‘Presenter View’ screen. This will allow you to present your slides while keeping your notes and controls visible to you for an uninterrupted presentation experience.

By following the steps and tips outlined in this article, you can use PowerPoint’s Presenter View to deliver a polished and professional presentation that wows your audience. Always remember to rehearse your presentation before the actual day so that you’re comfortable with the tools and settings for Presenter View, and ready to tackle any issue that might arise.

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Home Blog Education Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Getting the perfect presentation design is just a step toward a successful presentation. For the experienced user, building presentation skills is the answer to elevating the power of your message and showing expertise on any subject. Still, one can ask: is it the same set of skills, or are they dependable on the type of presentation?

In this article, we will introduce the different types of presentations accompanied by the skillset required to master them. The purpose, as always, is to retain the audience’s interest for a long-lasting and convincing message.

cover for presentation skills guide

Table of Contents

The Importance of Presentation Skills

Persuasive presentations, instructional presentations, informative presentations, inspirational presentations, basic presentation skills, what are the main difficulties when giving a presentation, recommendations to improve your presentation skills, closing statement.

Effective communication is the answer to reaching business and academic goals. The scenarios in which we can be required to deliver a presentation are as diverse as one can imagine. Still, some core concepts apply to all presentations.

 We define presentation skills as a compendium of soft skills that directly affect your presentation performance and contribute to creating a great presentation. These are not qualities acquired by birth but skills you ought to train and master to delve into professional environments.

You may ask: is it really that evident when a presenter is not prepared? Here are some common signs people can experience during presentations:

  • Evasive body language: Not making eye contact with the audience, arms closed tightly to the body, hands in pockets all the time.
  • Lack of interest in the presenter’s voice: dull tone, not putting an effort to articulate the topics.
  • Doubting when asked to answer a question
  • Irksome mood

The list can go on about common presenter mistakes , and most certainly, it will affect the performance of any presented data if the lack of interest by the presenter is blatantly obvious.  Another element to consider is anxiety, and according to research by the National Institute of Mental Health, 73% of the population in the USA is affected by glossophobia , which is the fear of public speaking, judgment, or negative evaluation by other people.

Therefore, presentation skills training is essential for any business professional who wants to achieve effective communication . It will remove the anxiety from presentation performance and help users effectively deliver their message and connect with the audience.

Archetypes of presentations

Persuasive presentations aim to convince the audience – often in short periods – to acquire a product or service, adhere to a cause, or invest in a company. For business entrepreneurs or politicians, persuasive presentations are their tool for the trade.

Unless you aim to be perceived as an imposter, a proper persuasive presentation has the elements of facts, empathy, and logic, balanced under a well-crafted narrative. The central pillar of these presentations is to identify the single factor that gathered your audience: it could be a market need, a social cause, or a revolutionary concept for today’s society. It has to be something with enough power to gather critiques – both good and bad.

That single factor has to be backed up by facts. Research that builds your hypothesis on how to solve that problem. A deep understanding of the target audience’s needs , concerns, and social position regarding the solution your means can offer. When those elements are in place, building a pitch becomes an easy task. 

Graphics can help you introduce information in a compelling format, lowering the need for lengthy presentations. Good presentation skills for persuasive presentations go by the hand of filtering relevant data and creating the visual cues that resonate with what your audience demands.

One powerful example of a persuasive presentation is the technique known as the elevator pitch . You must introduce your idea or product convincingly to the audience in a timeframe between 30 seconds and less than 2 minutes. You have to expose:

  • What do you do 
  • What’s the problem to solve
  • Why is your solution different from others 
  • Why should the audience care about your expertise

presentation skills an elevator pitch slide

For that very purpose, using engaging graphics with contrasting colors elevates the potential power of your message. It speaks professionalism, care for details, and out-of-the-box thinking. Knowing how to end a presentation is also critical, as your CTAs should be placed with care.

Therefore, let’s resume the requirements of persuasive presentations in terms of good presentation skills:

  • Identifying problems and needs
  • Elaborating “the hook” (the element that grabs the audience’s attention)
  • Knowing how to “tie” your audience (introducing a piece of information related to the hook that causes an emotional impact)
  • Broad knowledge of body language and hand gestures to quickly convey your message
  • Being prepared to argue a defense of your point of view
  • Handling rejection
  • Having a proactive attitude to convert opportunities into new projects
  • Using humor, surprise, or personal anecdotes as elements to sympathize with the audience
  • Having confidence
  • Be able to summarize facts and information in visually appealing ways

skills required for persuasive presentations

You can learn more about persuasive presentation techniques by clicking here .

In the case of instructional presentations, we ought to differentiate two distinctive types:

  • Lecture Presentations : Presentations being held at universities or any other educative institution. Those presentations cover, topic by topic, and the contents of a syllabus and are created by the team of teachers in charge of the course.
  • Training Presentations : These presentations take place during in-company training sessions and usually comprise a good amount of content that is resumed into easy-to-take solutions. They are aimed to coach employees over certain topics relevant to their work performance. The 70-20-10 Model is frequently used to address these training situations.

Lecture presentations appeal to the gradual introduction of complex concepts, following a structure set in the course’s syllabus. These presentations often have a similar aesthetic as a group of professors or researchers created to share their knowledge about a topic. Personal experience does tell that course presentations often rely on factual data, adequately documented, and on the theoretical side.

An example of a presentation that lies under this concept is a Syllabus Presentation, used by the teaching team to introduce the subject to new students, evaluation methods, concepts to be learned, and expectations to pass the course.

using a course syllabus presentation to boost your instructional presentation skills

On the other hand, training presentations are slide decks designed to meet an organization’s specific needs in the formal education of their personnel. Commonly known as “continuous education,” plenty of companies invest resources in coaching their employees to achieve higher performance results. These presentations have the trademark of being concise since their idea is to introduce the concepts that shall be applied in practice sessions. 

Ideally, the training presentations are introduced with little text and easy-to-recognize visual cues. Since the idea is to summarize as much as possible, these are visually appealing for the audience. They must be dynamic enough to allow the presenter to convey the message.

presentation skills example of a training presentation

Those key takeaways remind employees when they revisit their learning resources and allow them to ruminate on questions that fellow workers raise. 

To sum up this point, building presentation skills for instructional presentations requires:

  • Ability to put complex concepts into simpler words
  • Patience and a constant learning mindset
  • Voice training to deliver lengthy speeches without being too dense
  • Ability to summarize points and note the key takeaways
  • Empathizing with the audience to understand their challenges in the learning process

skill requirements for instructional presentations

The informative presentations take place in business situations, such as when to present project reports from different departments to the management. Another potential usage of these presentations is in SCRUM or other Agile methodologies, when a sprint is completed, to discuss the advance of the project with the Product Owner.

As they are presentations heavily dependent on data insights, it’s common to see the usage of infographics and charts to express usually dense data in simpler terms and easy to remember. 

a SCRUM process being shown in an informative slide

Informative presentations don’t just fall into the business category. Ph.D. Dissertation and Thesis presentations are topics that belong to the informative presentations category as they condense countless research hours into manageable reports for the academic jury. 

an example of a thesis dissertation template

Since these informational presentations can be perceived as lengthy and data-filled, it is important to learn the following professional presentation skills:

  • Attention to detail
  • Be able to explain complex information in simpler terms
  • Creative thinking
  • Powerful diction
  • Working on pauses and transitions
  • Pacing the presentation, so not too much information is divulged per slide

skill requirements for informational presentations

The leading inspirational platform, TEDx, comes to mind when talking about inspirational presentations. This presentation format has the peculiarity of maximizing the engagement with the audience to divulge a message, and due to that, it has specific requirements any presenter must meet.

This presentation format usually involves a speaker on a stage, either sitting or better standing, in which the presenter engages with the audience with a storytelling format about a life experience, a job done that provided a remarkable improvement for society, etc.

using a quote slide to boost inspirational presentation skills

Empathizing with the audience is the key ingredient for these inspirational presentations. Still, creativity is what shapes the outcome of your performance as people are constantly looking for different experiences – not the same recipe rephrased with personal touches. The human factor is what matters here, way above data and research. What has your experience to offer to others? How can it motivate another human being to pursue a similar path or discover their true calling?

To achieve success in terms of communication skills presentation, these inspirational presentations have the following requirements:

  • Focus on the audience (engage, consider their interests, and make them a part of your story)
  • Putting ego aside
  • Creative communication skills
  • Storytelling skills
  • Body language knowledge to apply the correct gestures to accompany your story
  • Voice training
  • Using powerful words

skills required for inspirational presentations

After discussing the different kinds of presentations we can come across at any stage of our lives, a group of presentation skills is standard in any type of presentation. See below what makes a good presentation and which skills you must count on to succeed as a presenter.

Punctuality

Punctuality is a crucial aspect of giving an effective presentation. Nothing says more about respect for your audience and the organization you represent than delivering the presentation on time . Arriving last minute puts pressure on the tech team behind audiovisuals, as they don’t have enough preparation to test microphones, stage lights, and projector settings, which can lead to a less powerful presentation Even when discussing presentations hosted in small rooms for a reduced audience, testing the equipment becomes essential for an effective presentation.

A solution for this is to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Ideally, one hour is a sweet spot since the AV crew has time to check the gear and requirements for your presentation. Another benefit of this, for example, in inspirational presentations, is measuring the previous presenter’s impact on the audience. This gives insights about how to resonate with the public, and their interest, and how to accommodate your presentation for maximum impact.

Body Language

Our bodies can make emotions transparent for others, even when we are unaware of such a fact. Proper training for body language skills reduces performance anxiety, giving the audience a sense of expertise about the presented topic. 

Give your presentation and the audience the respect they deserve by watching over these potential mistakes:

  • Turning your back to the audience for extended periods : It’s okay to do so when introducing an important piece of information or explaining a graph, but it is considered rude to give your back to the audience constantly.
  • Fidgeting : We are all nervous in the presence of strangers, even more, if we are the center of attention for that moment. Instead of playing with your hair or making weird hand gestures, take a deep breath to center yourself before the presentation and remember that everything you could do to prepare is already done. Trust your instincts and give your best.
  • Intense eye contact : Have you watched a video where the presenter stared at the camera the entire time? That’s the feeling you transmit to spectators through intense eye contact. It’s a practice often used by politicians to persuade.
  • Swearing : This is a no-brainer. Even when you see influencers swearing on camera or in podcasts or live presentations, it is considered an informal and lousy practice for business and academic situations. If you have a habit to break when it comes to this point, find the humor in these situations and replace your swear words with funny alternatives (if the presentation allows for it). 

Voice Tone plays a crucial role in delivering effective presentations and knowing how to give a good presentation. Your voice is a powerful tool for exposing your ideas and feelings . Your voice can articulate the message you are telling, briefing the audience if you feel excited about what you are sharing or, in contrast, if you feel the presentation is a burden you ought to complete.

Remember, passion is a primary ingredient in convincing people. Therefore, transmitting such passion with a vibrant voice may help gather potential business partners’ interest.  

But what if you feel sick prior to the presentation? If, by chance, your throat is sore minutes before setting foot on the stage, try this: when introducing yourself, mention that you are feeling a bit under the weather. This resonates with the audience to pay more attention to your efforts. In case you don’t feel comfortable about that, ask the organizers for a cup of tea, as it will settle your throat and relax your nerves.

Tech Skills

Believe it or not, people still feel challenged by technology these days. Maybe that’s the reason why presentation giants like Tony Robbins opt not to use PowerPoint presentations . The reality is that there are plenty of elements involved in a presentation that can go wrong from the tech side:

  • A PDF not opening
  • Saving your presentation in a too-recent PowerPoint version
  • A computer not booting up
  • Mac laptops and their never-ending compatibility nightmare
  • Not knowing how to change between slides
  • Not knowing how to use a laser pointer
  • Internet not working
  • Audio not working

We can come up with a pretty long list of potential tech pitfalls, and yet more than half of them fall in presenters not being knowledgeable about technology.

If computers aren’t your thing, let the organization know about this beforehand. There is always a crew member available to help presenters switch between slides or configure the presentation for streaming. This takes the pressure off your shoulders, allowing you to concentrate on the content to present. Remember, even Bill Gates can get a BSOD during a presentation .

Presentations, while valuable for conveying information and ideas, can be daunting for many individuals. Here are some common difficulties people encounter when giving presentations:

Public Speaking Anxiety

Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, affects a significant portion of the population. This anxiety can lead to nervousness, trembling, and forgetfulness during a presentation.

Lack of Confidence

Many presenters struggle with self-doubt, fearing that they may not be knowledgeable or skilled enough to engage their audience effectively.

Content Organization

Organizing information in a coherent and engaging manner can be challenging. Presenters often grapple with how to structure their content to make it easily digestible for the audience.

Audience Engagement

Keeping the audience’s attention and interest throughout the presentation can be difficult. Distractions, disengaged attendees, or lack of interaction can pose challenges.

Technical Issues

Technology glitches, such as malfunctioning equipment, incompatible file formats, or poor internet connectivity, can disrupt presentations and increase stress.

Time Management

Striking the right balance between providing enough information and staying within time limits is a common challenge. Going over or under the allotted time can affect the effectiveness of the presentation.

Handling Questions and Challenges

Responding to unexpected questions, criticism, or challenges from the audience can be difficult, especially when presenters are unprepared or lack confidence in their subject matter.

Visual Aids and Technology

Creating and effectively using visual aids like slides or multimedia can be a struggle for some presenters. Technical competence is essential in this aspect.

Language and Articulation

Poor language skills or unclear articulation can hinder effective communication. Presenters may worry about stumbling over words or failing to convey their message clearly.

Maintaining appropriate and confident body language can be challenging. Avoiding nervous habits, maintaining eye contact, and using gestures effectively requires practice.

Overcoming Impersonal Delivery

In virtual presentations, maintaining a personal connection with the audience can be difficult. The absence of face-to-face interaction can make it challenging to engage and read the audience.

Cultural and Diversity Awareness

Presenting to diverse audiences requires sensitivity to cultural differences and varying levels of familiarity with the topic.

In this section, we gathered some tips on how to improve presentation skills that can certainly make an impact if applied to your presentation skills. We believe these skills can be cultivated to transform into habits for your work routine.

Tip #1: Build a narrative

One memorable way to guarantee presentation success is by writing a story of all the points you desire to cover. This statement is based on the logic behind storytelling and its power to connect with people .

Don’t waste time memorizing slides or reading your presentation to the audience. It feels unnatural, and any question that diverts from the topic in discussion certainly puts you in jeopardy or, worse, exposes you as a fraud in the eyes of the audience. And before you ask, it is really evident when a presenter has a memorized speech. 

Build and rehearse the presentation as if telling a story to a group of interested people. Lower the language barrier by avoiding complex terms that maybe even you aren’t fully aware of their meaning. Consider the ramifications of that story, what it could lead to, and which are the opportunities to explore. Then, visualize yourself giving the presentation in a natural way.

Applying this technique makes the presentation feel like second nature to you. It broadens the spectrum in which you can show expertise over a topic or even build the basis for new interesting points of view about the project.

Tip #2: Don’t talk for more than 3 minutes per slide

It is a common practice of presenters to bombard the audience with facts and information whilst retaining the same slide on the screen. Why can this happen? It could be because the presenter condensed the talk into very few slides and preferred to talk. The reality is that your spectators won’t retain the information you are giving unless you give visual cues to help that process. 

Opt to prepare more slides and pace your speech to match the topics shown on each slide. Don’t spend more than 3 minutes per slide unless you have to introduce a complex piece of data. Use visual cues to direct the spectators about what you talk about, and summarize the principal concepts discussed at the end of each section.

Tip #3: Practice meditation daily

Anxiety is the number one enemy of professional presenters. It slowly builds without you being aware of your doubts and can hinder your performance in multiple ways: making you feel paralyzed, fidgeting, making you forget language skills or concepts, affecting your health, etc.

Meditation is an ancient practice taken from Buddhist teachings that train your mind to be here in the present. We often see the concepts of meditation and mindfulness as synonyms, whereas you should be aware that meditation is a practice that sets the blocks to reach a state of mindfulness. For presenters, being in the here and now is essential to retain focus, but meditation techniques also teach us to control our breathing and be in touch with our body signals when stress builds up. 

The customary practice of meditation has an impact on imagination and creativity but also helps to build patience – a skill much needed for connecting with your audience in instructional presentations.

Having the proper set of presentation skills can be quite subjective. It goes beyond presentation tips and deepens into how flexible we can be in our ability to communicate ideas.

Different presentations and different audiences shape the outcome of our efforts. Therefore, having a basic understanding of how to connect, raise awareness, and empathize with people can be key ingredients for your career as a presenter. A word of advice: success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes dedication and patience to build communication skills . Don’t condition your work to believe you will be ready “someday”; it’s best to practice and experience failure as part of the learning process.

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Home » Podcast » Create Content for Impactful Presentations with Ella Marks

Promo for Salesforce Admins Podcast featuring Ella Marks and a cartoon goat with a smartphone and presentation board.

  • Create Content for Impactful Presentations with Ella Marks

Today on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we talk to Ella Marks, Senior Marketing Manager at Salesforce. Join us as we chat about the keys to creating a great presentation, how to prep, and how to always nail your ending.

You should subscribe for the full episode, but here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Ella Marks.

Presenting is a core skill for admins

Presentations are an important part of every admin’s life. And I’m not just talking about speaking in front of your local user group. Admins present every time they go in for a budgeting conversation, or demo a new process for their users.

That’s why I’m so excited to bring Ella Marks on the pod. She’s presented on some of Salesforce’s biggest stages, like Dreamforce and several World Tours. So I wanted to hear her tips for how to put together and prep for a great presentation.

The cool thing is that no matter the format or venue, Ella uses the same core principles to prep for every presentation.

Know your audience

Ella’s first step is to identify the audience that you’re presenting for. Who’s in the room? What do they already know, and what are you going to teach them? Your content is going to be very different if you’re presenting to a room full of admins versus a room full of new users.

There are several situations where you might not know exactly who’s going to be in the audience or what their level of expertise is. Ella’s trick for this is to just ask them, for example, “Raise your hand if this topic is new to you.”

Experienced presenters will be able to use the information they get about their audience to change things on the fly. If this sounds daunting to you, Ella recommends that you start small. Pick one slide or part of your presentation that you’ll adjust based on the answer to your question. That gives you a manageable way to practice thinking on your feet, and you’ll soon find yourself getting more comfortable with improvising.

Make an effective outline

The next step is to make an outline. For Ella, that’s listing out everything she could say about the presentation topic in a big list. This gives her the chance to move things around, pick out some themes, decide on a call to action, and then start editing it down.

When she’s ready to start creating her slide deck, Ella uses a technique called “blue boxing” to make a rough draft. Essentially, you use blue boxes to map out what you’re going to put on each slide. So a slide might have three blue boxes that say:

  • Title about why this is important right now
  • Text of the most important point I’m going to say
  • Image to illustrate the point

This allows you to visually sketch out what each slide looks like and how the presentation flows as a whole. Variation is what keeps your audience engaged, so we want to make sure that we have a balance of slides with more text and slides with more visuals. Blue boxing lets you make these decisions before you spend time hammering out the specifics of which image or bullet point you’re going to use.

The trick to nailing your ending

Conclusions are always tricky. Ella recommends asking yourself three questions:

  • After my presentation, how do you want them to feel?
  • After my presentation, what do you want them to think?
  • After my presentation, what do you want them to do?

These are your three goals, and the secret to nailing your ending is to work toward them throughout the presentation. Every slide should be aimed at answering one of these questions so that, by the end, you’ve brought the audience with you and it feels inevitable.

This episode is chock-full of great tips for creating presentations, including how to prep with a group and the importance of a good pump-up song, so be sure to take a listen and subscribe so you’ll never miss out.

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Full show transcript

Mike Gerholdt: This week on the Salesforce Admins Podcast, we are talking with Ella Marks about building phenomenal presentations and the art of presenting how she gets ready. Now, if you don’t know who Ella is, Ella’s on our Admin Relations team and she’s done Dreamforce keynotes. Maybe you’ve seen her in the Release Readiness Live and at Dreamforce, also on stage at Release Readiness Live. So she’s presented to a few thousand people at a time and knows quite a thing or two about getting ready. Now, how is this relevant to you, admins? Well, you are going to be presenting at some point, either maybe to a board of directors or peers, or hopefully you’re at a user group and you’re getting ready to present a really cool idea.

But presentation is really part of what we do a lot because we’re showing all kinds of stuff and always presenting new ideas. Now, before I get into this episode, I want to make sure you’re following the Admins Podcast on iTunes or Spotify. That way whenever a new podcast drops, which is Thursday morning, it shows up right on your phone and you don’t have to do anything. You can just press play and get on the bus and go to work or take your dog for a walk. So with that, let’s get Ella on the podcast.

So Ella, welcome to the podcast.

Ella Marks: Thanks so much, Mike. Thanks for having me.

Mike Gerholdt: Well, it’s been a while, but I think people have seen you elsewhere in the ecosystem. I mean, we’re on the same team together, but for community members that haven’t run into you or seen the plethora of work that you’ve put out, what are some of the things you do at Salesforce?

Ella Marks: I’ve been at Salesforce for almost seven years now and I’ve done a lot of different things and I’m so grateful. A lot of the time that I’ve spent here has been working with the admin community. You may have seen my face before on Release Readiness Live or on the keynote stage at Dreamforce, but I have the privilege of focusing on creating and distributing content for admins like you on some of our new release features and really exciting new innovations like AI. It’s really fun. I get to learn a lot about the platform and I’m always really excited to hear from admins and speak to admins and create presentations for admins. So really excited to be here today and talk to you a little bit more about that.

Mike Gerholdt: Cool. I’m thinking ahead and for some of the admins we’re getting ready. There’s TDX coming up, but also user groups for those of us in the Midwest that aren’t snowed in anymore, we can get to user groups and presentations are important there and there’s all kinds of stuff that we present. Not to mention that it’s probably almost budget season. I got to do some presentations for budget. I got to do a whole bunch of presentations if I’m an admin.

Ella Marks: There’s no limit I think to the type of presentations and the amount of presentations that you can do as an admin. Like you mentioned, there’s events where you’re speaking to your fellow admins and developers, there’s internal presentations. And I think the most exciting thing or interesting thing to me about presentations is no matter what presentation you’re giving or who you’re giving it to, you can go about planning for it and preparing that presentation in kind of the same way. There’s some fundamentals that go across every type of presentation that you may have or create in your role as an admin.

Mike Gerholdt: And you’ve done quite a few because I remember seeing you on the Dreamforce keynote stage and Release Readiness. I feel like you’ve done a lot of different style presentations too.

Ella Marks: I’ve honestly had the privilege to be on a bunch of different stages at Salesforce, whether it’s a virtual presentation or a webinar on the Dreamforce stage or even at an event. This year, I got to present and connect with a lot of people at world tour events, and like I said, they’re all very different. The people in the audience are very different, and so the way that I create content for them, while I might be covering the same things is always going to have a different output because I am trying to tailor it to the audience that I have, but I kind of use the same fundamental principles when approaching any presentation I give, whether it’s online, in person, a hybrid. There’s a few key things that I really go back to.

Mike Gerholdt: Well, let’s dive into those principles. Where do you start?

Ella Marks: The first thing that I do when I’m putting together any presentation is identify the audience that I’m presenting for. Now, this can be super straightforward. Sometimes you’re going to know exactly who’s going to be in the room. You might be doing an internal presentation at work, the stakeholders, the names on a meeting invite, and you can take the guidance from there. In other times, you may not have the list of everybody exactly who’s going to be in the room, but you have a sense of who they are. So a user group presentation, for example, you may know there’s a mix of admins and developers and maybe architects in that room.

And you need to know who those people are in order to build a presentation that is really going to engage them and teach them or persuade them or whatever your goal is. You need to start with knowing who that audience is to understand where that goal fits in and how can I communicate this information best to them.

Mike Gerholdt: But I’m going to play devil’s advocate and say, so what if I’m presenting to a user group and maybe I’ve only been there once and I don’t know all the people that are going to see my presentation. What do you do then?

Ella Marks: One of my favorite things that presenters do, and I use this trick sometimes. And Mike, I’ve seen presentations where I know you’ve done this too, is you can ask the room. I think it’s important for us to not make any assumptions about the audiences that we’re speaking to. I think that can lead sometimes to a lack of clarity and confusion. And so if you’re presenting to a user group about a topic that you know a lot about, I think it’s a great tool. Sometimes even just engage the audience and bring them with you to say, “Before I get started, raise your hand if you’re an admin or raise your hand if you have familiarity with the topic that I’m going to cover.”

And that does two things. One, it tells you how you can tailor the rest of your content or your presentation to the people in the room, but it also kind of opens up almost a dialogue between you and the audience. So even if they don’t speak for the rest of your presentation, you’ve created a real human moment of engagement with them that is going to be super important and key to holding their attention for the entire time that you’re presenting.

Mike Gerholdt: And much like that, and Ella, I’ve seen you do this, is if you’re going to ask the question, make sure it’s data that you’re going to actually act upon. Because I feel if you’re going to somehow tailor your presentation and make a couple versions, which I’ve done for user groups because I wasn’t sure what the level of interest or the level of knowledge of the topic that I was talking about was, then you can kind of immediately pivot based on that. And I think everybody appreciates when they took the time to raise their hand that you’re actually curating the content for that.

Ella Marks: There absolutely needs to be a payoff. If you’re someone that’s not as comfortable giving presentations, starting with the question at the very beginning and trying to weave that throughout can feel intimidating. And what I would recommend instead is to pick a moment within your content where you can do exactly Mike, what you just said. Which is, you have a slide that hits on, maybe it’s a new feature or a different topic. Instead of asking a super broad question that you then need to weave into your story for the rest of your presentation. You can tailor your question to exactly what you’re talking about on the slide.

And that can help you build that muscle to incorporate who’s in the room and that audience into your talk track without having to start with that big broad question at the beginning. We have to start somewhere. And I think a great place to learn that skill is really starting with something small, a specific slide or a specific product, and learning from there how to incorporate the questions that you’re asking to a more broader scale to cover a whole presentation.

Mike Gerholdt: So sticking on the theme of building content, there’s a lot of mechanics to a presentation, but building the content. Depending on the topic you’re choosing, it can feel like you’re boiling the ocean. “I have all this to show, and I’m on slide 68 already. I can’t possibly show “What are some of the techniques that you use to really boil down what you’re presenting given sometimes the restricted timeline that you have?

Ella Marks: First, before I go into tips, I just want to reiterate that phrase, don’t boil the ocean. That is the number one thing that literally…

Mike Gerholdt: Literally don’t. If you have a big death ray, please don’t boil the ocean.

Ella Marks: Please don’t boil the ocean. Global warming, we don’t need that. But I think with presentations, it’s super important because you usually have limited time to communicate whatever it is in your presentation you’re going to communicate. That’s not even considering the fact that people’s attention spans are short. So you need to do that work to figure out what are your key points. And one of the things that I really like to do is I create a document and I will just start an outline. I’ll start typing out what I think the points are in the story that I need to cover.

I’ll include any important examples, include a CTA, kind of those key pieces of a presentation, but I’m not actually putting it together yet. I’m just making a huge list of everything I think might be included. And then from there, I go in and I kind of prioritize. So that list is usually way longer than what the presentation ends up being or has way more information, but it is a starting point. And that’s the starting point that I kind of use to say, “Okay, I’m identifying that I’m seeing a couple common themes in what I’ve written out here. How can I communicate those most effectively?”

And what I like about the list is that if you’re doing it… Whatever platform that you’re using, a Google Doc, a Quip Doc, whatever, it’s really easy to copy and paste and move around the order as well to think about not just, “What am I including, but how am I going to start creating this story?” And that gives you kind of a framework to use moving forward.

Mike Gerholdt: I would agree. So you mentioned story, and I think a big part of storytelling is the visual element. How do you balance just not putting paragraphs of text up on the slides and that imagery?

Ella Marks: It’s a really good question, and it’s something that I ask myself all the time. Because I’m not a designer, I do not consider myself to be good at graphic design. And so when I build a presentation, it can feel really intimidating to think about what are the visuals that I need to create? And there’s a technique that I learned at Salesforce that I was taught called blue boxing, and that’s really what I use. And the way that it works is once I’ve gotten to that state, I have my outline, I kind of know what I’m going to put on slides. Instead of jumping right to what is my final slide going to look like, here is the exact paragraphs, here’s the exact talk track, here’s the exact visual.

I kind of take a step back from that and use blue boxes, literal blue boxes on a slide to map out what I think it could look like and how I think the content on the slide can reinforce what it is that I’m going to say. So if I know that I’m going to put together a slide that has some tips, for example. I might put together a placement of where those tips might go and think, “Oh, there could be a supporting image for this.” What I don’t do is I don’t dive in and find that image right away. I really take that step of thinking through, “Okay, what is a visual that can support what I’m saying?” And I go through the whole deck like that first and then come back to really hone in on what the message is on that particular slide and pull in those core visuals.

But taking that step to do that kind of blue boxing framework really helps you identify how the story is going to flow and how those visuals are going to support you. Because I will say there are times when you’re going to want more text on a slide than others, and so you want to have a good balance of that. You don’t want folks to also just only be reading the content on your slides while you’re speaking to them. And so if you take that kind of step to build it out first, you’ll have a better idea of what the mix of your presentation is going to look like, how you might use different slide formats to engage people, because we know people have short attention spans, so you want to make sure that we’re kind of switching things up.

We’re providing different visuals every few minutes, and I think using design is a very powerful tool to help you do that.

Mike Gerholdt: I would agree. I would agree. Plus pacing, when you’re thinking that through, you mentioned people have short attention spans, so keeping the slides moving also helps keep people’s attention as well. I think often when I’m reviewing decks or I’m watching presentations at events, and these are outside of Salesforce too, sometimes people have a hard time closing their presentation. I feel like it’s either one, they kind of fade off into the distance. It’s like an eighties’ movie where they just walk off into the beach into the sunset and we never hear from them again. Or it’s like a steel door slamming shut where it’s like, “Okay, so that’s this. And if you have any questions, thanks.” Bam. And the presentation’s done. What’s your approach for the closure because I feel like the closure is the most important part?

Ella Marks: I’d agree that if you don’t have people with you at the end, I think you’ve really missed a big opportunity when it comes to creating presentations. The way that I would think about it is throughout your entire presentation, as you’re putting together that outline. There are three things that you can think about that you want people to take away, how you want them to feel, what you want them to think and how you want them to act. And I would say that’s not just your final slide or the thing that you leave the audience with. That should be at the core of why you’re putting that presentation together.

I think the final slide in that CTA is incredibly important, but I also think that as someone in the audience who doesn’t know anything about your presentation going into it, I think that they should know where you’re going throughout the presentation. And that’s really how you make whatever it is you share, whatever your CTA is super impactful. So I’ll give you an example of that. If you’re going to do an amazing presentation, let’s say it’s on new release features and you’re going into great depth about… We have the spring 24 release right now, I know that’s top of mind for a lot of admins.

If you go through great content throughout, at the end, to your point, if you don’t leave folks with something to do next, they start to question what the purpose was of you sharing all that information. And as a speaker, that is the opposite of what you want. You want to be able to say, “I’m doing this presentation to help you prepare for the release, and I’m going to do that by showing you features and leaving you with either a resource or an approach or tips for you to take and go do this at your own companies or deliver your own presentation.”

And I think where sometimes people fall flat is they think, “Great, I’ll throw a CTA in my presentation at the end, and then everybody will go read my blog post or they’ll all go follow me on various social media networks.” And unfortunately, if you’re not working in the purpose of what that CTA is throughout, it’s not going to have that same impact. So you need it to close strong, but it shouldn’t be an afterthought. Everything in your presentation should in essence be pointing towards your end goal, whatever you want to leave the audience with.

Mike Gerholdt: I’ve many a times seen an entire slide devoted to resources and thought to myself, “I don’t know where to start.” There’s a lot of resources, but a library is a resource too, and it’s full of books, but I don’t know where to start. [inaudible 00:16:32]

Ella Marks: It’s so common. Well, and that’s the thing, it’s kind of a double-edged sword, right? Because a lot of times there’s so many resources because there are so many good resources out there, and that’s awesome. But one thing to keep in mind when you’re putting together a presentation is you’re presenting because you have expertise or you have a message to share. And so really rely on that. Use that to say, “Okay, great. I know there are tons of resources.” But actually share your recommendation. What is the number one thing that you would do. That’s something that you as a presenter bring that no one else can that’s unique to you, what that next step is.

We know that where most presentations, if you put 10 resources, people usually don’t look at all 10. I hate to say it, but they probably won’t look at more than one anyway, so focus on that one thing. And you really use your credibility that you’ve built with your audience to drive towards something more specific than a laundry list of things that people can do or read or engage with.

Mike Gerholdt: A lot of this content creation focused around a solo presenter, but I think it carries over if you’re presenting with someone else. And I see this a lot at our events, even user groups. It’s a lot easier. And myself included, the first time I presented at Dreamforce, I had a co-presenter. It’s a lot easier to feel like more people carrying the weight of a presentation. What advice or what best practices do you have when you’re pairing up with somebody to present on how you divide up content and how the two of you interact during the presentation?

Ella Marks: The first thing that I would do if I was presenting with someone else is have a meeting, get together with them, chat with them. I’m someone that prefers a meeting. I know some folks like to communicate on Slack or other formats, but I just love to chat with someone about this because you are going to be presenting and speaking. And to me, that’s the best way to get a sense of that person’s presentation style. And in that conversation, we might divide, if we’re building content together, we might talk about our own expertise and where we feel like we can add the most value to the story and divide up the content that we work on and the slides and who’s speaking based on what we think our strengths are.

And then making sure that we’re having a really open conversation about that. And I think one thing that you can do that when you divide a presentation, a lot of times what you see is, “Okay, Mike and I are presenting together. I’ll take one slide, Mike, you take the next one, then we’ll go back and forth.” And sometimes that doesn’t feel super. It feels a little disjointed when you haven’t had the chance to actually talk through your content and rehearse. Rehearsing is so important for any presentation, but if you have more than one person, it is absolutely critical because that’s how you’re going to feel out how that story is going to come together.

And what you may find is, “Yeah, I’m presenting with Mike, and Mike has a ton of expertise in this one area, but I have something to add there too.” And actually switching up who’s speaking on a particular slide that can reengage the audience. That’s another tool that we have in our toolkits to make sure that people are staying with us throughout our presentation. And all that’s going to come down to whether or not you’ve communicated all of these things with your co-presenter. Making sure that you guys are connected every step of the way is I think the best way to make a successful presentation with a partner or with the group, whoever it is.

Mike Gerholdt: I would agree. And I feel to that point of, I’ve seen decks and presentations where it’s every other slide. Change it up where it makes it most relevant because there is a little bit with the audience of context switching going on where they’re trying to understand who’s speaking and it should be relevant if the person’s speaking and not just, “Oh, well, that means if we go every other one, I’m on this slide and I don’t know anything about this.” It can also help you regroup content that you’re putting together.

Ella Marks: Absolutely. And there’s a lot of different ways that you can do this, but I really think that having that conversation with your co-presenter or co-presenters is going to be the best way to highlight how can you use your collective energy to get your message across in the best way possible?

Mike Gerholdt: Right. Stage presence or stagecraft, even in small presentations where boardrooms I think are super important. How do you prepare for that? What are some of the things that you’ve gone through as you’ve kind of honed your ability as you were getting ready for a Dreamforce keynote to kind of make sure that your presence was there and it was adding to what the content you were presenting?

Ella Marks: There are definitely a few things I do before every presentation, but I think a lot of it for me personally comes down to some important self-talk and pump up for a presentation. When you’re chosen to present at an event or you’ve submitted something to a community conference, sometimes you need to remind yourself the day of, you get a little bit nervous, you might be scared to present. You were chosen for this, and you have knowledge and expertise to share. And going back for me and giving myself that confidence is probably the most important step that I take before I present anything. I always have to remind myself there’s a reason I’m here.

I have valuable knowledge to share. I’ll reset on whatever the topic or the goal is of the presentation. And then my hidden trick, I would say. I was like, “I don’t know where I was going with that sneaky trick.” I guess. Sneaky trick, my trick or treat tip, which is not uncommon at all, is I love a pump up song. I just love something to help, I don’t know, make me feel energized and excited because I know that if I go into a presentation not pumped up, it’s going to be really hard for people to listen. A lot of times we present… Internally, we present in a meeting and there’s a lot of other people presenting or we’re in a lot of meetings that day, or at Dreamforce, people attend a lot of sessions. That’s a lot of listening. And if you come out there with flat energy and aren’t excited to be there and excited to get going, it shows and it makes it a lot harder for people to actually listen and absorb the content. And so going in pumping myself up is actually something that when I don’t do it, I feel like I can tell in the presentation that my energy is not there, that I’m not communicating what I could in the best way possible.

Mike Gerholdt: You know I have to ask what your pump up song is, right?

Ella Marks: I know. It changes. A lot of my pump up songs are Lizzo though. I have to say Lizzo. I do love Taylor Swift as well, but I just… Lizzo, the number one song for me last year was Truth Hurts. There’s some lyrics in there that I can’t repeat on the podcast, but if you listen to the song, I think…

Mike Gerholdt: My pump up song…

Ella Marks: I think you’ll know.

Mike Gerholdt: A lot of lyrics I can’t repeat on the podcast.

Ella Marks: If you do listen, I think you’ll know exactly what part of the song I’m referring to where I walk out and I’m like, “Aha, let’s go. Let’s get into it.”

Mike Gerholdt: So if you see people at community events or at Salesforce events, walk up to the stage with their AirPods in, it’s probably a pump up song that they’re listening to. I can’t blame them. If you were to boil down and think of maybe, I don’t know… Let’s choose five because five’s a good number to remember. What are five things that you always try to include that you really look for in like, “Wow, that presentation knocked it out of the park?”

Ella Marks: That’s a good question. As a reviewer of a lot of content, I’m just trying to think the things that have absolutely wowed me. Well definitely first, when it comes to presenting a good title to me, I’m immediately locked in. If there’s a description associated with it like it would be for an event or maybe even a calendar invite. That to me is a sign of a good presentation. I know what I’m going to see. I’m excited for that content and I’m kind of hopeful to dive in. The second is probably… This is tough. There’s just so many different ways to present, but I think looking for people that engage with the audience.

So either doing what we talked about before, getting that post-check of who’s in the room or have some sort of engaging component to their presentation. That for me, because my attention span is very short, tends to be a very effective way to get my attention. And I enjoy presentations that have that. I think when people also set context by sharing their own expertise, we didn’t talk about it in this conversation, but I think one important thing that you really need to do when you present is make sure that you highlight who you are. You need to have an introduction that is, “Here’s who I am, here’s why I’m here.” And that builds credibility.

So when I hear something or see a presentation that I know the person is credible, that usually also is an indicator to me that it’s a great presentation. Mike, I feel like you wanted five quick tips, and I’m giving you a lot longer than that.

Mike Gerholdt: I don’t know. I just picked five out of the air because it sounds good. It doesn’t have to be five.

Ella Marks: I also can’t count, so I don’t know what I’m on, but I’ll say…

Mike Gerholdt: Well, as a good host, you’d think I was paying attention and counting.

Ella Marks: This is where I would use a visual to reinforce what I’m saying and remind me. If I was presenting this, I would put together a slide and I would have probably five horizontal bubbles on the slide and a few words about each, and that would help me stay on track. And at the end, I would have a super effective CTA, which I think would be one of the things that I look out for. If I know what… If I’m feeling inspired or motivated, or even just know the next steps I have to take after a presentation. That’s how I know that it was good and it was effective.

And then I think my final thing would be, and this may seem counterintuitive, but if I have questions, a lot of times that’s a sign to me that the content was really interesting. I think if I want to approach a speaker after their presentation and want to learn more and want to continue the conversation. I have follow-ups or things like that, that’s a sign that they did a really good job in engaging me. It could sometimes be a sign that they didn’t share the right information. So I think you have to be careful there, but wanting to connect with the presenter, wanting to learn a little bit more and asking a question, I think is engaging in itself. So that to me is a good sign that it was a good presentation as well.

Mike Gerholdt: I go back and forth with questions, but I see your point. I think for me, I mean if I was to boil it to one thing. I don’t have a word, but the comfort ability that the presenter has with the content. I really love it when somebody, it doesn’t feel like their first time going through the content. And it so bugs me when I see somebody walk through and they click and goes to the slide and it surprises them. You’re like, “Really? Okay.” I really like it when somebody knows something and the slides are almost happening in the background and they’re really paying attention to the audience. That to me, really gets me. And that comes with rehearsals, it comes with knowing the content, everything that you said previously.

Ella Marks: Absolutely. I think a lot of us think, especially people who give presentations all the time, we’re like, “Oh, we can win this. It’ll be fine. I know the content.” But the reality is people can tell when you have not done the preparation necessary for a particular presentation. And so I think it is a great sign of a good presentation and good content when someone isn’t overly relying on their visuals or words on the slide to tell the story. It’s actually a story that they’re telling where the visuals are supporting. It’s not at the center of everything that they’re doing. It’s really more of a show that you’re watching.

Mike Gerholdt: I often compare presenting to athletes. Some of the greatest athletes that we’ve had in baseball or basketball or whatever sport you watch, they practice and there’s a reason for that. They don’t just show up and naturally wing it. Derek Jeter didn’t naturally winged being good. It’s repetition and it’s doing and becoming comfortable with the moment. So it’s great stuff. Thank you, Ella for coming on the pod and sharing. This is very relevant for where we are right now. Not only heading into TDX, but heading into world tour. And I feel like community group season, not to mention just budget presenting. I want more things in Salesforce season to my executives and all kinds of presentation times.

Ella Marks: This is definitely super timely. So thanks so much, Mike, for having me.

Mike Gerholdt: So it was a great discussion with Ella. I feel like we only scratched the surface. We talked about content creation and also stagecraft. I know there’s so much more. I could probably do two or three more episodes with Ella. So if you enjoyed this episode and you’ve got some content ideas that you’d like to have her speak on, ping us, let us know. I’d love to have her back on to talk more about content and the art of presenting. Now, I need you to do one thing, the art of presenting, which is press share on this episode. So if you’re listening to it on iTunes, it’s super easy. You just tap the dots and click share episode and you can post it to social.

Maybe you got a friend that’s getting ready for a big user group presentation or they’re going to do a presentation to their company. This would help them 20, 30 minutes, they’d go out, walk the dog, “Hey, come back. I got a whole bunch of knowledge about how I’m going to get my presentation together.” And of course, we have way more resources for admins at admin.salesforce.com, including a transcript of the show. Now, if you got more interesting things, questions, comments, concerns, you can go to the Admin Trailblazer group in the Trailblazer community. Of course, the link is in the show notes. And with that, until next week, I’ll see you in the cloud.

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Mike Gerholdt is the Senior Director of Salesforce Admin Evangelism at Salesforce. He is part of a group of World-class Admin Evangelists who are helping Salesforce Admins realize their dreams by being technology leaders and advancing their careers.

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12 chatgpt prompts for engaging powerpoint presentations in 2024.

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If you regularly deliver presentations at work, you have the opportunity to create an engaging ... [+] experience for all attendees and improve productivity in your work culture

The corporate world has a meetings problem. And if you're regularly responsible for conducting or facilitating meetings at work, you might (unfortunately) just be part of that problem.

We know that most times, work presentations are boring and induce sleep. But we simply can't afford to escape or avoid them because at some point, they're needed to enhance collaboration, present new ideas or projects for approval, or for other noteworthy occasions.

Back in 1998, a Verizon Conferencing white paper entitled "Meetings in America." highlighted that approximately 90% of work meeting attendees are daydreaming while you're presenting, and more than a third are most likely dozing off in the meeting.

Unfortunately, more than 20 years later, the situation hasn't improved significantly. Although video-conferencing technology and AI presentation tools and software have been introduced and gained widespread popularity and adoption, people are still disengaged in presentations. This is why we have the term, "death by PowerPoint."

This also explains an interesting observation from an AVCOM survey , which noted that in their research of 200 professionals, 97% of business event attendees are disengaged during presentations and spend their time browsing through their phones, chatting with someone, multitasking, or working.

This results in lost productivity, wasted time for both you as the presenter and for your attendees, and the fostering of a disengaged work culture. For work presentations to be more engaging, they must fulfil several criteria, including:

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  • Encouraging active participation from attendees
  • Being relatable to attendees in their line of work (and this should be obvious)
  • Having attractive visuals and multimedia
  • Holding a clear structure and be well-organized

Below are 12 ChatGPT prompts that, with a little fine-tuning and background context from you on the details of your presentation, can help you craft and deliver a highly engaging presentation at work, whether you use PowerPoint, Canva, or other slide deck creation software.

  • Suggest some attention-grabbing, catchy titles for my work presentation to draw in my audience, who will consist of [job titles].
  • I am a [job title] presenting to [job titles of audience] for the purpose of [objective of presentation]. Give me an outline for this PowerPoint presentation, [title], which will last 15 minutes. Keep it to no more than 12 slides.
  • Provide some ideas for starting my presentation with a bang, including attention-grabbing opening slides. (Once it provides the answer, write this prompt:) Repeat the above with this presentation [title] in mind.
  • Generate a list of ideas for supplementary handouts and resources to complement my presentation.
  • How can I handle or field questions about my presentation, from the audience of stakeholders effectively and confidently?
  • How can I strike the right balance between text and visuals to keep my slides visually appealing and informative?
  • Give me a list of techniques for improving readability through choosing appropriate fonts, sizes, and text formatting for my work presentation.
  • Explore some ways that I can make my presentation interactive through quizzes, polls, and audience participation.
  • Suggest some ways I can introduce and present the concept of [name of concept] to a non-technical audience.
  • What key points should I cover in a presentation about [name of topic]?
  • Provide a list of topic-relevant icebreakers that I can use to kick off my presentation on [name of topic], which will be suitable for the 30 team members who will be attending.
  • Suggest some ways I can include storytelling in my presentation.

Bonus prompt idea in line with the last recommendation: Create an outline for this story, and incorporate it into my presentation outline [detail list of main points from your story].

ChatGPT prompts save you time when planning your presentation by drafting outlines, talking points, ... [+] and engaging activities within seconds

From generating title and content ideas when you're stuck with a mind blank, to best practice and structure for engaging your audience at work, make use of ChatGPT prompts to coach you through the process, enable more engagement, and reduce your prep time.

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Nita M. Lowey

21 st century community learning centers grant program 2021 state education agency coordinators meeting, nita m. lowey 21 st century community learning centers | 2024 summer symposium | july 31 - august 1, 2024 | san francisco, ca, call for presentations.

The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is seeking proposals for more than 80 breakout sessions across five conference strands at the Nita M. Lowey 21 st Century Community Learning Centers (21 st CCLC) 2024 Summer Symposium in San Francisco, CA July 31-August 1. This year's Symposium theme is The Bridge to Excellence:  Together We Can, Together We Will .

Deadline for submission: Friday, March 22, 2024, 11:59 p.m. ET

Call for presentations informational webinar (optional):   wednesday, february 28, 2024 1:30 p.m. et..

The Department will hold an optional Informational Webinar reviewing the Call for Presentation submission process. Click here to Register for the Webinar

Who Can Submit Abstracts for Consideration

  • 21 st CCLC State coordinators
  • Afterschool practitioners
  • Network representatives
  • Program directors
  • Researchers
  • Subject matter experts
  • Time: Design content for delivery in a 75-minute time block.
  • Session design: Use interactive strategies and follow best practices for adult learning to make your session engaging. Include activities that invite audience participation, like polls and hands-on activities.
  • Utility of strategies and information: Provide practical strategies and information that participants can take home to improve or enhance their programs — things like concrete examples, samples, and interventions that can be implemented in a reasonable timeframe.
  • Audience awareness: Target one or more of the following audience role groups: project directors, site coordinators, program evaluators, local school system officials, State educational agency coordinators, program finance staff, community partners, program staff, and school-day leaders.
  • Relevance to 21 st CCLC programs: Offer actionable strategies, insights, and information that will help 21 st CCLC programs support students who need intervention and support to improve academic achievement and other outcomes. Many of these students attend schools that are implementing comprehensive or targeted support and improvement activities. Some may be at risk for academic failure, dropping out of school, and involvement in criminal or delinquent activities. Others may lack strong positive role models, or they may have experienced trauma. Make sure your session addresses the real-life strengths and needs of students and their families.

Selection Criteria

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of outside experts and Department staff and will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • Alignment with proposed conference strand: The extent to which the design and intent of the proposed presentation align with the theme and desired outcomes of the selected conference strand.
  • Statement of session outcomes and how they will be attained: The extent to which the proposal states the intended objectives and outcomes of the proposed presentation and how those outcomes will be attained.
  • Clarity of session description and relevance to expected audience: The extent to which the session abstract communicates the proposed presentation’s structure, content, and applicability/relevance?to the expected audience.
  • Presenter(s) expertise: The extent to which the submission demonstrates the presenter’s (or presenters’) level of expertise with the content to be delivered.
  • Engaging, interactive techniques suited to adult learners: The extent to which the proposal includes engaging, interactive presentation techniques and adheres to adult learning best practices.

Proposal Submission

To be considered, proposals must be submitted through the online form by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, March 22, 2024. You must submit a brief biography and resumé for each session presenter and answer questions regarding your presentation aligned with the selection criteria. You must also provide information relevant to your proposed presentation, such as target audience(s); student grade level(s); and locale type (e.g., rural, suburban, urban). If your submission is accepted, you will be notified via the email address you provide with your submission. 

Conference Strands

There are five (5) conference strands for the 2024 Summer Symposium

Sessions should target one or more of these audience roles:  

  • Project directors
  • Site coordinators
  • Program evaluators
  • Local school system officials
  • State educational agency coordinators
  • Program finance staff
  • Community partners
  • Program staff
  • School-day leaders

Presenter Information

All personnel who will take part in the presentation must be listed in the submission or they will not be allowed to present. Also, please note the following: 

Please note that The Department does not provide reimbursement for any expenses. All presenters taking part in the approved sessions are responsible for any costs related to attending the 2024 Summer Symposium (travel, hotel, etc.).?  

Session size will vary. Presenters should be prepared to present to large audiences (150 or more people). The Department’s contractor, Leed Management Consulting, Inc. (LMCi), will provide an estimated number of people expected in each breakout session one week before the Symposium. 

All presenters must attend an online presenter training session that will provide information about the Symposium format. People who do not attend the training session will not be allowed to present at the conference. 

Department staff will review all final presentation materials (PowerPoint slides and handouts)  before the Summer Symposium to ensure that they are informative and unbiased in their presentation, meet the selection criteria, and are free from any conflicts of interest. Instructions for submitting presentations and other materials will be provided in the acceptance email. If your slides are not received and approved, you will not be allowed to present at the conference. 

Conflicts of Interest

Presenters and their organizations must be free from any conflicts of interest regarding the 21 st CCLC program. Presentations and/or presenters may not engage in the following activities: 

Endorse or otherwise require the use of a particular product or service to obtain the stated outcomes.

State that the Department (or another federal government agency) certifies or endorses a particular product or service. 

Receive any monetary benefit from the publication or distribution of materials or recordings used in or as the basis of the presentation. 

All presenters must certify that they, their family members, colleagues, or any institution(s) or entities that they represent, or with which they have a professional affiliation, will not benefit financially from their presentations. If it is determined that a violation of the above requirements has occurred, you may not be allowed to present at future Summer Symposia for up to three years .

We look forward to receiving your proposal for consideration. Mark your calendar today and prepare to inspire others — and be inspired — by joining us in San Francisco in 2024!

COMMENTS

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  24. Call for Presentations

    Call for Presentations. The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is seeking proposals for more than 80 breakout sessions across five conference strands at the Nita M. Lowey 21 st Century Community Learning Centers (21 st CCLC) 2024 Summer Symposium in San Francisco, CA July 31-August 1. This year's Symposium theme is The Bridge to Excellence: Together We Can, Together We Will.