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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

  • Carmine Gallo

presentation writing tips

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.

presentation writing tips

  • 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 Write A Presentation 101: A Step-by-Step Guide with Best Examples

How To Write A Presentation 101: A Step-by-Step Guide with Best Examples

Jane Ng • 02 Nov 2023 • 8 min read

Is it difficult to start of presentation? You’re standing before a room full of eager listeners, ready to share your knowledge and captivate their attention. But where do you begin? How do you structure your ideas and convey them effectively?

Take a deep breath, and fear not! In this article, we’ll provide a road map on how to write a presentation covering everything from crafting a script to creating an engaging introduction.

So, let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

What is a presentation , what should be in a powerful presentation.

  • How To Write A Presentation Script
  • How to Write A Presentation Introduction 

Key Takeaways

Tips for better presentation.

  • How to start a presentation
  • How to introduce yourself

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Presentations are all about connecting with your audience. 

Presenting is a fantastic way to share information, ideas, or arguments with your audience. Think of it as a structured approach to effectively convey your message. And you’ve got options such as slideshows, speeches, demos, videos, and even multimedia presentations!

The purpose of a presentation can vary depending on the situation and what the presenter wants to achieve. 

  • In the business world, presentations are commonly used to pitch proposals, share reports, or make sales pitches. 
  • In educational settings, presentations are a go-to for teaching or delivering engaging lectures. 
  • For conferences, seminars, and public events—presentations are perfect for dishing out information, inspiring folks, or even persuading the audience.

That sounds brilliant. But, how to write a presentation?

How To Write A Presentation

How To Write A Presentation? What should be in a powerful presentation? A great presentation encompasses several key elements to captivate your audience and effectively convey your message. Here’s what you should consider including in a winning presentation:

  • Clear and Engaging Introduction: Start your presentation with a bang! Hook your audience’s attention right from the beginning by using a captivating story, a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a powerful quote. Clearly state the purpose of your presentation and establish a connection with your listeners.
  • Well-Structured Content: Organize your content logically and coherently. Divide your presentation into sections or main points and provide smooth transitions between them. Each section should flow seamlessly into the next, creating a cohesive narrative. Use clear headings and subheadings to guide your audience through the presentation.
  • Compelling Visuals: Incorporate visual aids, such as images, graphs, or videos, to enhance your presentation. Make sure your visuals are visually appealing, relevant, and easy to understand. Use a clean and uncluttered design with legible fonts and appropriate color schemes. 
  • Engaging Delivery: Pay attention to your delivery style and body language. You should maintain eye contact with your audience, use gestures to emphasize key points, and vary your tone of voice to keep the presentation dynamic. 
  • Clear and Memorable Conclusion: Leave your audience with a lasting impression by providing a strong closing statement, a call to action, or a thought-provoking question. Make sure your conclusion ties back to your introduction and reinforces the core message of your presentation.

presentation writing tips

How To Write A Presentation Script (With Examples)

To successfully convey your message to your audience, you must carefully craft and organize your presentation script. Here are steps on how to write a presentation script: 

1/ Understand Your Purpose and Audience:

  • Clarify the purpose of your presentation. Are you informing, persuading, or entertaining?
  • Identify your target audience and their knowledge level, interests, and expectations.
  • Define what presentation format you want to use

2/ Outline the Structure of Your Presentation:

Strong opening: .

Start with an engaging opening that grabs the audience’s attention and introduces your topic. Some types of openings you can use are: 

  • Start with a Thought-Provoking Question: “Have you ever…?”
  • Begin with a Surprising Fact or Statistic: “Did you know that….?”
  • Use a Powerful Quote: “As Maya Angelou once said,….”
  • Tell a Compelling Story : “Picture this: You’re standing at….”
  • Start with a Bold Statement: “In the fast-paced digital age….”

Main Points: 

Clearly state your main points or key ideas that you will discuss throughout the presentation.

  • Clearly State the Purpose and Main Points: Example: “In this presentation, we will delve into three key areas. First,… Next,… Finally,…. we’ll discuss….”
  • Provide Background and Context: Example: “Before we dive into the details, let’s understand the basics of…..”
  • Present Supporting Information and Examples: Example: “To illustrate…., let’s look at an example. In,…..”
  • Address Counterarguments or Potential Concerns: Example: “While…, we must also consider… .”
  • Recap Key Points and Transition to the Next Section: Example: “To summarize, we’ve… Now, let’s shift our focus to…”

Remember to organize your content logically and coherently, ensuring smooth transitions between sections.

Ending: 

You can conclude with a strong closing statement summarizing your main points and leaving a lasting impression. Example: “As we conclude our presentation, it’s clear that… By…., we can….”

3/ Craft Clear and Concise Sentences:

Once you’ve outlined your presentation, you need to edit your sentences. Use clear and straightforward language to ensure your message is easily understood.

Alternatively, you can break down complex ideas into simpler concepts and provide clear explanations or examples to aid comprehension.

4/ Use Visual Aids and Supporting Materials:

Use supporting materials such as statistics, research findings, or real-life examples to back up your points and make them more compelling. 

  • Example: “As you can see from this graph,… This demonstrates….”

5/ Include Engagement Techniques:

Incorporate interactive elements to engage your audience, such as Q&A sessions , conducting live polls , or encouraging participation.

6/ Rehearse and Revise:

  • Practice delivering your presentation script to familiarize yourself with the content and improve your delivery.
  • Revise and edit your script as needed, removing any unnecessary information or repetitions.

7/ Seek Feedback:

You can share your script or deliver a practice presentation to a trusted friend, colleague, or mentor to gather feedback on your script and make adjustments accordingly.

More on Script Presentation

presentation writing tips

How to Write A Presentation Introduction with Examples

How to write presentations that are engaging and visually appealing? Looking for introduction ideas for the presentation? As mentioned earlier, once you have completed your script, it’s crucial to focus on editing and refining the most critical element—the opening of your presentation – the section that determines whether you can captivate and retain your audience’s attention right from the start. 

Here is a guide on how to craft an opening that grabs your audience’s attention from the very first minute: 

1/ Start with a Hook

To begin, you can choose from five different openings mentioned in the script based on your desired purpose and content. Alternatively, you can opt for the approach that resonates with you the most, and instills your confidence. Remember, the key is to choose a starting point that aligns with your objectives and allows you to deliver your message effectively.

2/ Establish Relevance and Context:

Then you should establish the topic of your presentation and explain why it is important or relevant to your audience. Connect the topic to their interests, challenges, or aspirations to create a sense of relevance.

3/ State the Purpose

Clearly articulate the purpose or goal of your presentation. Let the audience know what they can expect to gain or achieve by listening to your presentation.

4/ Preview Your Main Points

Give a brief overview of the main points or sections you will cover in your presentation. It helps the audience understand the structure and flow of your presentation and creates anticipation.

5/ Establish Credibility

Share your expertise or credentials related to the topic to build trust with the audience, such as a brief personal story, relevant experience, or mentioning your professional background.

6/ Engage Emotionally

Connect emotional levels with your audience by appealing to their aspirations, fears, desires, or values. They help create a deeper connection and engagement from the very beginning.

Make sure your introduction is concise and to the point. Avoid unnecessary details or lengthy explanations. Aim for clarity and brevity to maintain the audience’s attention.

For example, Topic: Work-life balance

“Good morning, everyone! Can you imagine waking up each day feeling energized and ready to conquer both your personal and professional pursuits? Well, that’s exactly what we’ll explore today – the wonderful world of work-life balance. In a fast-paced society where work seems to consume every waking hour, it’s vital to find that spot where our careers and personal lives harmoniously coexist. Throughout this presentation, we’ll dive into practical strategies that help us achieve that coveted balance, boost productivity, and nurture our overall well-being. 

But before we dive in, let me share a bit about my journey. As a working professional and a passionate advocate for work-life balance, I have spent years researching and implementing strategies that have transformed my own life. I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences with all of you today, with the hope of inspiring positive change and creating a more fulfilling work-life balance for everyone in this room. So, let’s get started!”

Check out: How to Start a Presentation?

presentation writing tips

Whether you’re a seasoned speaker or new to the stage, understanding how to write a presentation that conveys your message effectively is a valuable skill. By following the steps in this guide, you can become a captivating presenter and make your mark in every presentation you deliver.

Additionally, AhaSlides can significantly enhance your presentation’s impact. With AhaSlides, you can use live polls, quizzes, and word cloud to turn your presentation into an engaging and interactive experience. Let’s take a moment to explore our vast template library !

Frequently Asked Questions

1/ how to write a presentation step by step .

You can refer to our step-by-step guide on How To Write A Presentation Script:

  • Understand Your Purpose and Audience
  • Outline the Structure of Your Presentation
  • Craft Clear and Concise Sentences
  • Use Visual Aids and Supporting Material
  • Include Engagement Techniques
  • Rehearse and Revise
  • Seek Feedback

2/ How do you start a presentation? 

You can start with an engaging opening that grabs the audience’s attention and introduces your topic. Consider using one of the following approaches:

3/ What are the five parts of a presentation?

When it comes to presentation writing, a typical presentation consists of the following five parts:

  • Introduction: Capturing the audience’s attention, introducing yourself, stating the purpose, and providing an overview.
  • Main Body: Presenting main points, evidence, examples, and arguments.
  • Visual Aids: Using visuals to enhance understanding and engage the audience.
  • Conclusion: Summarizing main points, restating key message, and leaving a memorable takeaway or call to action.
  • Q&A or Discussion: Optional part for addressing questions and encouraging audience participation.

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A writer who wants to create practical and valuable content for the audience

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How to Write A Good Presentation?

While a good presentation is a mix of content, slide organization and presentation, the way you write content forms the foundation. Hence, it is essential that every presenter knows how to write a good presentation. Read more for handpicked presentation writing tips, along with additional tips to organize your content and present it.

How to Write A Good Presentation?

In a world where attention spans are shorter, the ability to captivate your audience has become a necessity. 

Imagine this – You have a brilliant idea, a groundbreaking discovery, or a game-changing proposal, but without the art of effective presentation, it remains locked within your head. 

So, how do you unlock the full potential of your ideas and leave a lasting impression? The answer lies in mastering how to write a presentation that drives engagement. In this article, we’ll discover presentation tips on how to write a good presentation, thereby organizing your content and presenting it in a way that leaves a lasting impact.

3 Things to Consider When Executing a Presentation

The three main factors to take into account while preparing a presentation are:

  • Organization
  • Content: Ensure that your presentation’s content is clear, concise, and relevant to your audience. Use visuals, graphics, charts, videos, bullet points, and engaging text to convey your message effectively.
  • Organization: Create a logical flow for your presentation, using a well-defined structure with clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Organize your ideas and slides in a way that helps your audience follow your message effortlessly.
  • Delivery: Practice your delivery to be confident and engaging. Maintain eye contact, speak clearly, and use body language effectively to connect with your audience and make your presentation memorable.

While these three components hold equal significance for any presentation, the content of the forms the foundation on which the entire presentation stands. Therefore, knowing how to write a good presentation on PowerPoint as well as Google Slides is vital .

How to Write A Good Presentation on PowerPoint And Google Slides?

Whether you’re in a corporate boardroom, a classroom, or presenting to a global audience through virtual platforms, the importance of writing a good presentation cannot be overstated. It’s not more than just slides and bullet points. Remember the below mentioned presentation writing tips to write a good presentation in PowerPoint and Google Slides :

  • Keep text on slides brief
  • Limit each slide to one idea
  • Make your sentences shorter
  • Incorporate powerful visuals
  • Write for your audience
  • Avoid using slides as notes and be relevant

Keep Text on Slides Brief

One of the typical presentation blunders to avoid is using slides to give a whole essay. A concise approach can enhance message comprehension. 

Use the “6 by 6 technique” to avoid overly wordy presentations. This presentation writing tip urges a maximum of six bullet points or lines on each slide, with six words per line. It helps trim down your bullet points and focus on highlighting only the essentials rather than presenting the entire concept. 

Or you can use the 40-word technique and feature fewer words on each slide, ideally less than forty.

Limit Each Slide to One Idea

The significance of each thought may be diminished if there are too many ideas on one slide or there are too many slides for 1 idea. Focusing on one main point on each slide will make it easier for your audience to follow along. You can explore various font styles and image dimensions to achieve your desired visual impact. Avoid overwhelming your audience by refraining from cramming excessive information onto your slides. One of the most important presentation writing tips is to limit your presentation to around ten slides, even if it’s lengthy, to facilitate easier digestion of the content.

Make Your Sentences Shorter

You should opt for an active voice to make your statements more direct and engaging. It is a good idea to cut out unnecessary adjectives and adverbs that don’t add value to your message. Moreover, use clear and simple language to ensure your audience easily understands your points.

Incorporate Powerful Visuals

Making your presentations visually appealing will make them more interesting and exciting. A nostalgic photo might evoke the audience’s emotions in a way that a stock photo might not be able to. 

Similarly, you can prevent your audience from becoming overloaded with information by including appealing graphs and charts to clarify complex material rather than laying down a ton of numbers as text.

For example, pizza graphs within presentations to facilitate pie charts can leverage the potential of the information, creating a lasting impression. Lastly, ensure the utilization of high-quality, high-resolution images to bolster your content’s professionalism.

Write for Your Audience

An important presentation writing tip to remember is to keep your audience in mind while choosing the words to utilize. Before embarking on script creation, take a moment to grasp your audience truly. Your best outcomes will be achieved if you adopt the reader’s perspective, allowing you to craft content that resonates with them effectively.

Think through if it’s appropriate to utilize jargon that can confuse your audience depending on who your presentation is for. Even if you’re talking to peers who are accustomed to the technical lingo, keeping your audience interested in your presentation may help.

Avoid Using Slides as Notes And Be Relevant

There are components of an effective presentation that aren’t usually included in the deck that is delivered. For instance, telling stories during your introduction rather than writing them on a slide is a presenting method that works better when spoken. Reading directly from your presentation deck is a common presentation mistake. 

It contradicts the first piece of advice given above and results in a disinterested and bored audience. For enhanced relevance and sustained audience engagement, create “hooks.” These hooks include interactive questions, captivating anecdotes, surprising facts, or compelling brief videos.

Now that you have tips for writing a PowerPoint presentation, let us see how you can easily organize a PowerPoint presentation to make it more effective.

How To Organize A Presentation?

Once you have added the content in your presentation, the next important thing to do is to organize the content and slides of your presentation. Follow the tips below to organize a presentation:

  • Identify your main topic
  • Logically arrange your slides
  • Design your presentation

Identify Your Main Topic

In a presentation, each slide serves as a carefully crafted chapter. The first step in organizing a PowerPoint presentation is identifying your main topic and the overarching narrative connecting all your slides. It could be a central idea, a key finding, or a critical argument. 

Once you’ve identified your central theme, ensure each slide aligns with and contributes to this main narrative. Remember, simplicity is your ally. Consider assigning only one topic or point to each slide. If a topic or point requires a lot of content, spread it across slides strategically. The goal is not to overwhelm your audience but to guide them through your presentation seamlessly.

Logically Arrange Your Slides

You must arrange your slides and make sure they flow logically. You can’t just skip from one subject to another without thinking about how they relate to one another. Ensure the transition feels smooth and predictable rather than strange or unnatural. 

You can just go with your instinct and organize the themes in an order that makes the most sense if your content contains related topics that don’t necessarily need to be presented in a specific sequence to be understood.

Design Your Presentation

Designing your presentation should come last after you’ve decided how your slides and material will be organized. By selecting from pre-designed PowerPoint templates , you can opt for a minimalist design. 

You can create your own template by selecting your own background, accent colors, fonts, borders, etc., if you really want to be original and creative. Make sure the template you select is acceptable for the style of your presentation.

EXPLORE: Choose from 40,000+ PowerPoint Templates And Google Slides Themes

How to Deliver A Presentation?

The true power of a PowerPoint presentation lies not just in the content displayed on the slides but also in how that content is delivered to the audience. Follow the tips below to deliver presentations effectively:

  • Confident body language
  • Voice modulation
  • Engage with your audience
  • Adapt to your audience

Confident Body Language

Your non-verbal cues play a significant role in delivering a compelling presentation. Maintain eye contact with your audience, use expressive gestures to emphasize key points, and stand or move purposefully. Confident body language helps convey your expertise and engages your audience.

Voice Modulation

A monotonous voice can quickly lose your audience’s interest—practice voice modulation by varying your tone, pitch, and pace. Use a strong, clear voice to project confidence and enthusiasm, especially when delivering crucial information.

Engage with Your Audience

Foster interaction to keep your audience engaged. Encourage questions, feedback, or participation throughout your presentation. Pose thought-provoking questions, conduct polls, or share relatable experiences to connect with your audience on a personal level.

Adapt to Your Audience

Tailor your presentation to your audience’s needs and preferences. Consider their interests and expectations. Adjust the depth of your content, choice of language, and examples accordingly. It will take some time to adjust the content to your audience’s needs, but a presentation that resonates with the viewers is more likely to be impactful.

Crafting and structuring the content within your presentations is an integral factor that can make or break your message’s impact. While you may not have someone to assist you during the delivery, when it comes to getting help with creating and organizing your presentation materials, consider outsourcing. It is where professionals specializing in content development and presentation design can help you with your presentation needs.    

Outsourcing presentations aims to take advantage of the skills of experts in content creation and design rather than simply assigning duties to them. It’s a calculated move that recognizes how crucial fascinating presentations are for getting points across and leaving a positive impression. You can outsource your presentation design services to various companies, including SlideUpLift, to improve the presentations’ caliber. 

Our services cover an entire range of presenting requirements. We provide a comprehensive presentation production approach, from creating visually attractive slides that hold your audience’s attention to editing content for maximum clarity and impact. Try us out with our custom-slides service or schedule a call to know more.

What are outsourcing presentations?

Outsourcing presentations involves giving the task of creating your presentations to experts in content development, presentation design, and delivery. It lets you concentrate on your primary obligations while utilizing specialized knowledge, saving time, and ensuring high-quality presentations.

How do I write a presentation that stands out?

Writing a presentation that captivates your audience involves understanding your topic, structuring your content effectively, and employing storytelling techniques.

How can I get started with SlideUpLift's presentation services?

You can get started by visiting SlideUpLift’s website to explore our presentation services . If you have a limited requirement, you can also try our custom-slides service . Contact us to know more, and our team will guide you through the process of creating engaging presentations that leave a lasting impact.

What are the key elements of a good presentation?

Crafting a good presentation involves clarity in message delivery, engaging visuals, and an organized structure. 

Is SlideUpLift suitable for individual presenters, educators, and businesses alike?

Yes, SlideUpLift serves a wide range of customers, including working professionals, teachers, and students. We customize our offerings to match each presenter’s requirements, ensuring that presentations are efficient and in line with their goals.

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14 effective presentation tips to impress your audience

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

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Anete Ezera July 15, 2022

An effective presentation can communicate key ideas and opinions, save time, and contribute to your overall success as a business, but good presentation skills don’t come naturally to everyone. In this blog post, you’ll find 14 effective presentation tips you can implement in your next presentation to make it a success. 

Whether you’re preparing for an important presentation at work or school, or you’re looking for ways to generally improve your presentation skills, you’ll find these presentation tips useful. We’ve gathered a list to help you impress your audience from the get-go. You’ll find tips for creating and presenting your slides, talking in front of an audience, and other effective presentation techniques to help you stand out. 

Confident businessman talking into microphone during seminar. Happy male professional is giving presentation to colleagues. He is wearing smart casuals.

Most common presentation mistakes

Before we list our top effective presentation tips, let’s explore the most common presentation mistakes. If you’ve made one or more mistakes in this list, you’re not alone. Most people have made at least one mistake. However, what’s important is to be aware of these errors and try avoiding them next time.

#1 A poor start

One of the most common mistakes people make is undermining the importance of the first few minutes or seconds of their presentation. 

Let’s say you’ve practiced your key talking points meticulously and gone over your slides a million times, but when you’re in the spotlight and need to say your first line, do you know exactly what to say to wow the audience? 

The start of your presentation is crucial. Not only because how you start sets the tone for the rest of your presentation, but also because people generally require around 8 seconds to decide whether they find the subject interesting enough to keep listening. Starting your presentation with a captivating intro is even more important than you think. To ensure you start off right, read our guide on how to start your presentation . 

#2 Lack of preparation

Yes, even though it’s clear that you should prepare before giving a presentation, it’s still a common mistake amongst presenters. Preparing content and talking points is an obvious start, but there are other steps that you might be overlooking.

Before you even join a meeting or walk into a room where you’re going to present, consider the technical requirements and get familiar with the equipment. If you’re presenting online, make sure to test-run your presentation and the visual aids you’re going to use. The last thing you want is a broken video link, poor audio, or a weak connection when you’re presenting. 

Also, consider the questions your audience might want to ask you about the topic. Think about how you’d answer those questions, or do even further research to really impress the audience with your answers. 

Explore other ways to prepare for a presentation to feel even more confident when presenting.

effective presentation tips

#3 Losing track of time

It’s great to feel passionate about your topic. However, you’ll have to consider your audience’s level of interest and knowledge. Some details might seem fascinating to you, and you’d like to talk about them for hours, but for your audience, too much information will drain their energy and lose their attention. 

Therefore, make sure to keep track of time. Also, consider your audience’s interests. A concise presentation is always better than a long one with a ton of information. Plus, you’ll have a higher chance of keeping your audience’s attention throughout the presentation. 

Effective presentation tips

Now that we’ve looked at some of the most common presentation mistakes – let’s dive into effective presentation tips that’ll help you excel in future presentations. 

#1 Tell a story

Stories connect, inspire, and empower people. Telling a story can entice action, help understand an idea, and make people feel connected to the storyteller. It’s also one of the most effective presentation tips. A study by organizational psychologist Peg Neuhauser found that a well-told story is easier to remember than facts, which makes it a highly effective learning technique. 

With that in mind, telling a story when you’re presenting can engage your audience and make it a more memorable experience. You can either share a personal story or a historical event, just make sure to have a clear connection between the story and the topic you’re presenting. 

effective presentation in a company

#2 Work on your body language

Body language can make a huge difference in how your presentation is perceived. It’s one of the presentation tips you definitely shouldn’t overlook. 

Body language says a lot about a person’s confidence level, emotions, state of mind, and even credibility. For the audience, it’s a way to understand what the person is saying and how interested they are in the topic. 

Therefore, work on your body language to better convey the message you’re trying to communicate. Practice in front of a mirror before your presentation and be conscious of your hand gestures and facial expressions. 

#3 Understand your audience

Before crafting your presentation, you must know who you’re speaking to. Understanding the interests, demographics, professional background, and other valuable information of your audience is crucial in making your speech successful. 

Back view of large group of business peoplein a board room. Someone is presenting in front.

If you’re speaking at an event, contact the organizers to get more information about other speakers and the audience. If you’re presenting at work, you may already know your audience fairly well. Use this information to your advantage and create content you know they’ll resonate with.

#4 Use high-quality visuals

What’s one of the most effective presentation techniques? Use of visuals. They play a crucial role in your presentation. However, only high-quality visuals will make a good impression and effectively communicate your message. Use high-quality visuals like images, videos, graphs, maps, and others to really land your point. 

Using visuals is a great way to convey your ideas as they’re easier to process than text. If you’re not sure where to find great visuals, check out our blog post on presentation visuals for five free resources.

P.S. the Prezi library holds a variety of images, videos, GIFs, stickers, and other visuals, including different charts and maps to spice up your presentation. It’s all available in your dashboard .

#5 Use data visualizations

Do you want to showcase statistics or other datasets in your presentation? Use data visualizations to make your data stand out and impress your audience. 

There’s nothing more boring than a bunch of data presented in a flat way. If you want to tell a story with your data, use interactive infographics or slides enriched with eye-catching visuals. Showcasing data will make your ideas appear more trustworthy and credible. 

Prezi Design offers a range of templates to choose from. You can start creating data visualizations from scratch or choose a template and edit the data there. 

#6 Make it engaging with interactive elements

It’s not easy to deliver an engaging presentation. People can easily get distracted or try to multitask, especially in the virtual environment. Sometimes, it’s difficult to focus on the speaker and the written text. Other times, the content just isn’t impressive enough to hold the audience’s attention. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

You can make your presentation more engaging for everyone by including interactive content like graphs and charts. With interactive data visualizations, you’ll make the data discovery process more engaging and exciting for your audience. 

Your audience will be able to hover over data points and click on certain icons or datasets to discover information on their own. Interactive visualizations will make the presentation more memorable and impressive. 

As you can see in the example below, you can discover different data by engaging with the infographic. 

#7 Stay consistent with fonts and color styles

You want your presentation to look visually appealing and highlight essential information. To make that happen, stay consistent with font styles and color schemes throughout your presentation. 

Use one or two fonts max to make the text easy to read and understand. Also, use a carefully selected color scheme that’s not too distracting. If you’re using Prezi Design, you can easily copy and paste styles by right-clicking on your data visualizations and selecting “copy styles.” This makes it easier to stay consistent and saves time when picking matching colors. 

#8 Structure your presentation properly

Before creating your presentation, think about its structure. What’s the main idea you want to convey? Use that as your starting point, and only include information that adds value to the narrative. 

Plan out the first topics carefully to properly introduce your argument. Add the essential information in the middle part of your presentation. Lastly, close your presentation with a summary of the main points and leave your audience with an afterthought. Also, plan when you’re taking questions and for how long. 

For more insight, watch this tutorial on how to structure your presentation:

#9 Practice your public speaking skills

Public speaking may not be your forte, but you can get better with practice. Don’t decline a great opportunity to share your ideas with a larger audience just because you feel nervous speaking in front of a group of people. 

One of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills is to practice in front of your family or friends – people you feel comfortable with. Also, focus on the topic you’re presenting and get excited about the idea you want to convey. This way you’ll appear more confident and feel less nervous about public speaking. 

Explore other public speaking tips from Jessica Chen, the founder, and CEO of Soulcast Media: 

#10 Show your slides next to you on-screen

If you’re presenting on Zoom or in a virtual meeting , think twice before you share your screen. The days of hiding behind slides are over. People want to see and connect with other people, not sit through another run-of-the-mill screen share. To do that, use Prezi Video to showcase all your content right next to you in your video feed. 

As a result, your presentation will look more engaging than a traditional virtual presentation . Also, your audience will have the chance to read your body language and follow along with what you’re saying even better. 

If you already have your slides prepared, don’t worry – you can easily integrate them into Prezi. 

See Prezi Video in action and check out our video templates to get started.

#11 Calm down before presenting

Being in front of an audience can feel nerve-racking. However, there are ways to calm down before presenting that will make you feel more centered and confident. The last thing you want is all your hard work to go to waste just because of stress. 

Try breathing exercises or a five-minute guided meditation before presenting. The trick is to remove all distractions and focus on the present moment so you’re not overthinking right before starting your presentation. Also, be fully prepared and know exactly what to say and when which will help you feel more collected. If you want to discover other ways to feel and look more confident, read how not to be nervous before a presentation . 

#12 Use transitions and animations 

Add movement to your slides with transitions and animations. You’ll make your presentation more visually appealing and engaging. However, be careful not to overwhelm your audience with your choice of transitions and animations. 

Choose a transition that matches your presentation visually and use it throughout your presentation. Consider what animations will be relevant to your audience and select a few to add to your slides. Don’t overdo it. Keep the focus on the message you’re trying to convey, and use animations to only support that message. 

#13 Be enthusiastic 

When you’re in a room with a positive and enthusiastic person, you can’t help but feel uplifted as well. High-energy people have this effect on others. Most importantly, a lot of people tend to mimic people’s behavior and mirror their energy when they feel a connection or relate to them. That’s called the chameleon effect . 

effective presentation tips

When you’re presenting, you want your audience to feel curious about what you’re presenting. You may also want to leave your audience feeling uplifted, interested to know more, or inspired. To have that effect on others, try to convey those emotions when presenting. Practice your speech, slow down your narration at times, or take a pause after you’ve delivered a statement, and use different presentation techniques to present your project and really drive your points home. 

#14 End your presentation in a memorable way

The first few minutes of your presentation are crucial for captivating your audience’s attention. However, don’t underestimate the importance of ending your presentation as powerfully as you started it. 

The way you end your presentation will play a crucial part in how your audience will remember it. You want to make a memorable impression by closing your presentation with a summarizing statement, a rhetorical question, a call to action, or another impactful way. Discover 10 ways you can end your presentation in our guide.  

Young woman sharing her views with team in office meeting.

There are a lot of factors to consider when creating and delivering a presentation. You want your slides to look professional and visually appealing while conveying your main points. You also want to look and sound confident even if you’re nervous about public speaking. Whatever your concerns may be, remember that preparation is essential. Practice and dedication are the keys to giving a successful presentation . Make sure to follow these effective presentation tips to excel in your future presentations. If you’re interested in creating a captivating presentation with Prezi, contact us to learn more or try it for free . 

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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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Make Every Word Count: How to Nail Your Next Presentation

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I once rapped Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" in front of a 300-plus person audience.

The occasion: I was in charge of the personal training department on our college campus, and I needed a way to introduce our program during an all-staff meeting. I was searching for a fresh, funny way to kick things off—and after jotting down a few shaky rhymes, I figured out that writing my own rap was going to be tough.

I was still polishing my lyrics late the night before, and I could only fit in one run-through before stepping on stage.

Some say public speaking is like standing on stage in your underwear. I felt like I was naked, plus my hair was on fire.

After five years, I have yet to perform another public rap. But I have improved my public speaking skills by emulating engaging speakers. Whether it's a pitch at work or a TEDx talk, these strategies will take your presentation game to the next level.

Build Your Slide Deck

Practice Your Speech

Perfect Your Speaking Skills

1. Brainstorm Your Topic

brainstorm a topic

The most difficult part of giving a talk is pinpointing an idea or a message. Here's how you can cruise through the brainstorming stage.

Don't Wait Until You're an Expert

My biggest fear about getting on stage has nothing to do with me. It has to do with the audience. What if someone in the audience is an expert on the particular topic I choose, and I make a mistake?

If everyone waited until they were an expert on a subject matter to get on stage, there would be very few people available for presentations. You don't have to be an expert at all. According to Zach Holman, author of the speaking advice site Speaking.io , presenters have two main qualities :

They’ve done this particular something a lot

They want to talk about it

Holman admits that getting beginners on stage can be beneficial, even for experts. "I’ve also listened to beginners talk about subject matter that I knew very well," he says, "but it was still interesting to me because it made me rethink with fresh eyes something that I had thought I had known all about."

Here are questions to get you started:

What are one or two uncommon things that you do on a daily basis, which everyone else should also consider doing?

During the past one or two years, which skills have you improved at the most?

What is one skill you have taught someone during the past year that could also be beneficial to someone else?

Keep it Small

If you're giving a talk on inspiring musicians, your initial inclination is to cover everyone from the past 200 years. That's a mistake.

Trying to include every single detail in a presentation is overwhelming for both the speaker and the audience. Chris Anderson, curator of TED, says that this is the number one mistake he sees in presentation drafts.

"You can’t summarize an entire career in a single talk. If you try to cram in everything you know, you won’t have time to include key details, and your talk will disappear into abstract language that may make sense if your listeners are familiar with the subject matter but will be completely opaque if they’re new to it."

Instead, focus on a very specific subject matter. Rather than giving a presentation on writing (vague) consider limiting your scope to tips for mastering first drafts (specific).

2. Build Your Slide Deck

It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. – Mark Twain

Even if you consider yourself an expert in your chosen topic, you can't deliver eloquent prose off-the-cuff. You need to iron out the kinks in your message first. Here are some tips for turning your ideas into slides.

Type Out Your Talk

It's tempting to hop right into PowerPoint and start building your deck. Without a proper outline in place, you'll end up frustrated and disorganized. I've found it helpful to start with three questions:

Who is my audience?

If they walk away remembering only one thing, what do I want it to be?

What are 3-5 points that help to convey that idea?

With those three questions, I have the skeleton of my talk fleshed out. Mike Knoop, co-founder of Zapier, uses an outline format to structure his talks, too. He begins by coming up with top-level categories he wants to hit during his presentation. Eventually, he transforms each top-level category into three full sentences:

"For each top-level category I like to have (at least) three sentences: one for the introduction, one for the meat, and one for the transition to the next top-level category. You'll use these sentences as waypoints (and can even read verbatim while practicing...)."

Whichever method you choose, the key is to get your ideas down on paper.

Pretend Your Presentation is a Trip

Dave Paradi from ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com provides one of the most helpful analogies for planning a presentation: Pretend that it's a trip, and that your slides are the GPS .

The GPS for your presentation

For example, say you’re pitching the higher-ups on why they should create a new branch of the company. The first marker on your "trip" is actually the destination - what you want the audience to agree with you on?

Next, plot your audience's current location—what do they think right now? Are there certain opposing arguments you know you’ll have to overcome? What hurdles are between you and your destination?

Finally, you can create a road-map to get from one point to the other. With the whole map in front of you, it’s easier to organize points in a way that creates a compelling argument.

John Coleman, author of Passion & Purpose: Stories from the Best and Brightest Young Business Leaders , even invites presenters to give away the destination at the very beginning . His goal is to create a conversation, not a presentation. This is particularly useful in business environments:

"When I worked as a consultant, I was perennially guilty of "the great unveil" in presentations—that tendency to want to save key findings for the last moment and then reveal them, expecting a satisfying moment of awe… The last-minute nature of the unveiling meant that our clients (or internal teammates to whom we were presenting) did not have time to fully understand the information and were not prepared to participate in discussion."

Coleman recommends a "punchline first" strategy that lists the key conclusions at the very beginning; you can even let your audience see your deck in advance. If they where you’re headed, they’ll think more critically about your supporting arguments.

Create Your Slides

Now, it's time to transform your notes into slides. Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote are two well-known options, but there a dozen other presentation tools to try.

I rely on Deckset since it allows me to write my slides in Markdown , a plain-text formatting syntax. Don't get caught up in this step though: your message is more important than the tool. Here are some key points to keep in mind.

1. Drop the Intro Slide. After watching several talks from one of my favorite presenters, Chris Lema , I noticed one commonality; Chris never begins with the typical introduction. Instead, he begins with a story that immediately grabs the audience’s attention. Speaking from personal experience, it's more effective than the typical, "Hi, I'm Jeremey…" approach.

It may be ‘an honor and a privilege’ to have been invited to speak, but that is not what people came to hear. Plunge into what you want to say.

Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson in Writing That Works: How to Communicate Effectively In Business

Put your name and Twitter handle on the last slide, not the first.

2. Slides Aren't Your Notes. Using a ton of texts on your slides will backfire. First, regardless of the screen size, paragraphs are hard to read from the back of the room. Second, as Dr. Susan Weinschenk explains , the audience stops to read.

"If slides are hard to read, complicated, or hard to understand, they’ll be distracting," she says. "We’re visual creatures so the visual channel trumps auditory. If you have complicated information on slides, they’ll stop listening."

Keep your slides short and sweet.

3. Increase the Font size, and Then Increase it Again. It's impossible to imagine just how small your text will appear when seated at the back of an auditorium.

Remove words if necessary, but make sure the font size is big .

4. Check for Contrast. Don't use a light blue font on a blue background. If you have a black and white photograph, think twice before using white text. The colors you choose should make your presentation easy to read.

5. Explain What Your Data Means. Inevitably, large charts and graphs will sneak into your slides. But don't leave people hanging: make sure each graph has a headline that explains the key takeaway, and that you spell out your findings for the audience.

Remember the advice of Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson in "Writing that Works" : "Presenters often have impressive data on their charts, but fail to extract what the data shows, so the audience doesn’t understand what the numbers prove. What does your data say? Headings on charts should tell the audience how to think about the numbers."

6. Focus on Stories. There's one way to guarantee you won't miss a beat during your talk: Make your points with stories. If you're sharing a personal experience to explain a point, you can't forget; you were there . Stories also increase audience retention as well as authors Dan and Chip Heath illustrate in Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die : "When students are asked to recall the speeches, 63 percent remember the stories," they wrote. "Only 5 percent remember any individual statistic."

Stories increase both understanding and retention. You might not remember every point to this post, but you'll remember my rapping story in the intro.

3. Practice Your Speech

brainstorm a topic

If there's one thing every presenter can agree on, it's that practice makes a huge different in the quality of your talk and your confidence on stage.

Get in Front of a Group

Practicing by yourself is not a suitable replacement for getting in front of other people. Chris Lema recommends a two-pronged approach .

First, practice in front of your peers. The good and bad news: this group will be easy on the feedback. It's a good starting point to get your feet wet, but to improve, you have to get in front of a real audience.

Chris' second step is to practice your presentation in front of strangers. Local meet-ups are perfect for this sort of thing. There's also Toastmasters , a network of local groups dedicated to helping their members improve their public speaking skills. Alternatively, try to find a smaller conference or gathering before your big presentation to give yourself a dry run.

Regardless of whether you're in front of peers or strangers, TED's Anderson does have one tip for assembling your test audience:make sure they're presenters themselves.

"In general, the more experience a person has as a presenter, the better the criticism he or she can offer," he says.

Practice Timing

On your way out after a speech, do you remember ever thinking it was good—but a little too short?

Writing That Works by Kenneth Roman and Joel Raphaelson

There's a good chance you were given a time limit for your talk. Time yourself to make sure you're hitting that mark. When in doubt, go shorter.

If you're slated for a talk longer than 20 minutes, Dr. Weinschenk recommends splitting it up if possible . Research on adults concluded that a presentation broken into three 20-minute chunks produced more enjoyment, more learning, and better retention than the 60-minute version. See if you can build in stretch breaks during longer sessions.

Also, confirm with the organizers of the event whether or not there will be a Q&A section, and whether or not that's part of your time allotment.

It's Not (Just) About Your Words

When you're on stage, the audience reads into more than just your words. "People react to not only your message but your voice, your stance, your facial expressions, and your hand movements," says Dr. Weinschenk

Don't practice sitting down if you'll be standing up. Don't hold your laptop if your hands will be free on the big day. Practice all aspects of your performance, not just your words.

...But Don’t Practice Too Much

According to author Sir Ken Robinson , whose TED talk has amassed over 34 million views, there is a danger in practicing too much.

"…the danger in rehearsal is that it is possible to seem too rehearsed when you present. That is, we may seem too perfect, too inflexible, too unnatural, and though technically perfect, we may lose the ever important natural connection with the audience. And I say if there is no connection, there is no communication."

The last thing you want to sound like when you get up on stage is a robot. Nervousness might compel you to memorize everything, but Knoop urges otherwise . "You don’t need to memorize your entire talk," he says. "All you need to memorize is the general flow of the talk and the transitions and you’ll be able to improvise the in-between bits."

Practice enough that you feel confident to get on stage, but not so much that you could recite the whole thing verbatim.

Amy Cuddy discusses the benefits of power postures

The big day is here, and you're about to put all of your hard work to the test. Here's how to success on stage.

Don’t Worry About Being Nervous

Whether it's your first time on stage or your thousandth, you're going to be nervous. But TED's Anderson says that nervousness is actually a smaller deal than you might think.

"In general, people worry too much about nervousness. Nerves are not a disaster. The audience expects you to be nervous," he says. "It’s a natural body response that can actually improve your performance: It gives you energy to perform and keeps your mind sharp. Just keep breathing, and you’ll be fine.

One way to calm your nerves? Practice power postures . Amy Cuddy, a Harvard professor, explains that even something as simple as going into the bathroom and standing tall with your chest puffed out for two minutes can increase your confidence level. Visualization can also be helpful according to Nancy Duarte, author of HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations , since our mind has trouble deciphering between real and imaginary experiences .

It's easy to forget the main reason you're on stage: You had something exciting to share with the audience. Dr. Wienschenk emphasizes that this is terribly important; the audience mimics your energy .

"People imitate what they see," she says. "If you’re smiling, they tend to smile. If you’re energetic, they’ll be energetic. When you are passionate about your topic, your audience will be passionate."

You're on stage sharing something you love with awesome people. Act like it.

Don’t Move (Too Much)

When I'm on a stage, I often pace back and forth as if I'm trying to elude the audience's gaze. There's a natural temptation to fidget. To Anderson, this is a key mistake . "Simply getting a person to keep his or her lower body motionless can dramatically improve stage presence," he says.

You don't need to stand like a stick with your feet glued to one spot, but you're not on stage to talk a half-marathon.

Record Your Talk

You can’t always rely on your venue to record your talk. Make sure you set up a game plan ahead of time to get yourself on tape.

Zach Holman recommends using the screen recording option in Quicktime on your laptop to record your session. If you're laptop is hooked up to a projector, you can even use a simple trick to record your actual slides instead of the presentation view by moving your mouse to the other screen (i.e. the projector).

Your audio is captured via your laptop's internal microphone, and Quicktime grabs your slides.

Speak S-l-o-w-l-y

It's nearly impossible to speak too slowly on stage. Knoop echoes a piece of advice Paul Graham gave when Zapier was preparing for Y Combinator Demo Day: "Speak unnaturally slowly and clearly."

Make Eye Contact

If there's one piece of presentation advice that everyone has heard before it's to look out into the audience, and not down at your feet. Anderson offers a tactic on how to translate that advice into action .

"Find five or six friendly-looking people in different parts of the audience and look them in the eye as you speak," he says. "Think of them as friends you haven’t seen in a year, whom you’re bringing up to date on your work."

5. Perfect Your Speaking Skills

perfect your skills

You made it! You’re off stage and relieved. Allow yourself to relax just a bit, but there’s still a few ways to improve for the next presentation.

Ask for Negative Feedback

Negative feedback is hard to hear, but it’s the best way to find out what you need to focus on for next time. If you have friends in the audience, ask them for feedback on your talk. Knoop recommends specifically prompting them for critical feedback . "Take this opportunity to bluntly ask people, 'What is one thing I could have improved?' or 'What is one thing you liked the least?'"

Don’t have friends in the audience? Don’t worry: That’s even better. Friends might hold back their critiques. Strangers don’t have the same personal attachment. Pick out two or three people that you know were in the room and grab them for a few minutes after the talk. To make it a win-win situation, ask if there are any challenges related to your topic you can help them personally overcome.

Watch and Learn

Maybe you felt like you nailed your talk. Since you recorded the whole thing (right?), now is your chance to double-check.

Although it might be difficult, watch the entire talk over again starting at the very beginning. Here are some things to watch out for:

Were any points unclear? Were there questions afterwards that you should’ve answered in your talk?

What were your strongest points where your body language was confident and the audience was engrossed? What were your weaker points?

How was your body language? Did you move a lot on stage?

How many filler words like "um" and "uh" did you use?

When rapping "Just a Friend," I was lucky to have some background music and everyone clapping along to help drown out my terrible lyrics and poor singing.

I've improved since then (plus, I gave up rapping), but public speaking is still intimidating. It always will be. However, the tips above have allowed me to give a presentation without having a nervous breakdown.

I’d love to hear from you. What are your favorite public speaking tips? Let me know in the comments.

Find a Venue: What should you do if you have a speech written, but no stage to give it on? Consider sending an application to your favorite conferences, or check out Meetup.com , where you can find local groups to speak in front of. If you prefer a conference setting, Lanyrd can help.

Credits: Speaker photos courtesy Silicon Prairie News ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) and TEDx Somerville . Brainstorming photo courtesy Marco Arment . GPS photo courtesy of Forbes . Amy Cuddy photo courtesy of Winnovating .

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Jeremey DuVall

Jeremey DuVall is a freelance writer focused on health, science and productivity and a Happiness Engineer at Automattic. When he's not behind the keyboard, he's usually getting lost in the mountains or in a good book.

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presentation writing tips

How To Write A Presentation: An Ultimate Guide

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Preparing a presentation can be a daunting experience. Standing in front of an audience to give a speech can be an even more overwhelming prospect. However, you are unlikely to get through university without having to create a presentation. Depending on your subject, instructors may require you to provide feedback from a group task or deliver the findings of a scientific experiment. Whatever the topic, you’ll be presenting to your tutor and fellow students. While preparing a presentation and making your case in front of them is not easy, especially if you’re not used to doing it, it is a good practice since many employers use presentations as part of the recruitment process.

How to Write a PowerPoint Presentation Successfully

Creating an excellent PowerPoint presentation is a skill that any professional must have, especially in the corporate and business world. The problem? It is very easy to get it wrong. From poor color choices to confusing slides, a bad PowerPoint slideshow can distract the audience from the awesome content. A PowerPoint presentation is like a poster presentation; only that the information is on computer slides rather than actual posters. It often accompanies and enhances oral presentations instead of serving as speaking notes. Well-designed slides used sparingly and with good timing can be brilliant. Heck, they can even make an otherwise good presentation awesome. Here are some tips to help you illustrate why your creative talents are the perfect ingredients for a killer presentation.

Use the 10-20-30 Rule

A PowerPoint slide should only have the main points. Guy Kawaski suggested the 10-20-30 rule to make presentations engaging and captivating. He says that a good presentation should not contain more than ten slides, shouldn’t last for more than 20 minutes, and the content should not be more than 30 points. But how do you make your texts lean on the slides? Draw relevant information from your narrative and feature only core ideas and points on slides. You can use the “6×6 technique” to avoid getting too wordy. This guideline suggests using no more than six bullet points or lines per slide with no more than six words per line.

Write an abstract for a Presentation

The purpose of an abstract is to highlight the most critical information in a piece of writing. However, a presentation abstract is different. Try to think of it as an invitation to a party. You want to create as much excitement and curiosity for your presentation as possible. Writing an abstract for a presentation requires the presented information to be more succinct. Unlike a typical abstract or executive summary, the presentation abstract should have less than 250 words and have a simplified and condensed breakdown. The abstract should come after your short bio.

Write A Presentation Outline

When preparing a presentation, there are various ways you can use it to share relevant ideas. One tool that helps presenters is a presentation outline – a synopsis of a talk or pitch. Presentation outlines help you organize your agenda and create a logical flow of thoughts in your script. They give you a clear path to transition your audience from your current status to where you want them to be. Follow these steps to create an outline for your presentation:

  • Consider the purpose of your presentation
  • Create a structure – introduction, main body, and conclusion
  • Use an attention grabber
  • Consider visual content
  • Include a call to action

Use a Paper Writing Service

Writing presentations can be a stressful process. Students often struggle to get it right and need a guiding hand to help them create engaging and captivating slides. Luckily, CustomWritings presentation writing services that can take care of your PowerPoint presentations. Their team of writers can break down any topic to create slides precisely according to your custom instructions. Besides, the company offers presentation examples and other academic writing services, such as research papers, term papers, assignments, admission essays, and dissertations, at affordable prices across the board for all sorts of projects. No matter your academic level. Whether a Ph.D. or Master’s, you will always get personalized, original, quality, and professional papers at accommodating rates.

Stick to One Idea Per Slide

Like keeping slides virtually uncluttered, focusing on one key idea per slide can help your audience quickly follow along. Too many ideas on one slide can detract the audience from the significance of each idea. By featuring only one point per slide, you also give the idea room for visual impact. For instance, you can experiment with fonts and image sizes to deliver the desired effect.

Include Powerful Visuals

Adding visual elements to your presentation makes your deck more engaging and dynamic. However, the caveat is that visuals used as an afterthought can counter your ideas rather than complement them. Such visuals as nostalgic photos can appeal to the audience’s emotions in a way that a generic stock picture might not. Likewise, using eye-catching charts and graphs to simplify complex information instead of writing out a slew of statistics as text can keep your audience from getting overwhelmed with data. Remember that visual aids should complement your oral presentations, not repeat them or deliver the presentation for you.

Be Savvy with Design Details

A good design can make or break a presentation. If you haven’t got a budget for a designer, presentation tools, such as Canva and Visme, can help you make great slides. Firstly, use color consistently. Bright colors can dazzle, but too many can be off-putting. Use the colors most relevant to your message. Secondly, be consistent with the font. Consistent designs make your presentation look professional. Don’t switch from caps and lower case, Cosmic Sans to Times New Roman, or 10-to-18-point text size. Keep your on-screen text uniform for a more cohesive message. Lastly, format to precision. A wonky line on a slide or a badly pixelated graphic can put some people off, as it looks like you haven’t tried very hard, or worse, you just aren’t good enough. In a snapshot;

  • Use color sparingly
  • Use font consistently
  • Format to perfection

Polish Several Times

Like your favorite shoes, a good presentation needs a few rounds of dusting before it’s all shiny and sparkly. Don’t be afraid to get messy. Arrange your ideas side-by-side and discover new connections that you didn’t see before. You should edit the slides ruthlessly. At first, you may have a considerable amount of information and struggle to get down six bullet points per slide. Edit thoroughly until you pair your message down to the bare essentials. You can also get a fresh pair of eyes to refine your presentation.

Final Thought about Presentation Writing

Written presentations are a powerful way to share ideas – if you create a deck that communicates your points clearly and effectively. Other communication dynamics, such as your oratory skills and body language, can influence your presentation’s success. Nonetheless, a well-written presentation is a resource that your audience can revisit long after you’ve shared it. By applying these PowerPoint presentation tips, you’ll be in a stronger position to inform, entertain, inspire, and activate your audience through a clear message.

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10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea, from TED’s in-house expert

presentation writing tips

When your slides rock, your whole presentation pops to life. At TED2014, David Epstein created a clean, informative slide deck to support his talk on the changing bodies of athletes . Photo: James Duncan Davidson/TED

Aaron Weyenberg is the master of slide decks. Our UX Lead creates Keynote presentations that are both slick and charming—the kind that pull you in and keep you captivated, but in an understated way that helps you focus on what’s actually being said. He does this for his own presentations and for lots of other folks in the office. Yes, his coworkers ask him to design their slides, because he’s just that good.

We asked Aaron to bottle his Keynote mojo so that others could benefit from it. Here, 10 tips for making an effective slide deck, split into two parts: the big, overarching goals, and the little tips and tricks that make your presentation sing.

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Aaron used this image of a New Zealand disaster to kick off a slide deck from TED’s tech team — all about how they prepares for worst-case scenarios. He asked for permission to use the image, and credited the photographer, Blair Harkness. View the whole slidedeck from this presentation.

The big picture…

  • Think about your slides last . Building your slides should be the tail end of developing your presentation. Think about your main message, structure its supporting points, practice it and time it—and then start thinking about your slides. The presentation needs to stand on its own; the slides are just something you layer over it to enhance the listener experience. Too often, I see slide decks that feel more like presenter notes, but I think it’s far more effective when the slides are for the audience to give them a visual experience that adds to the words. .
  • Create a consistent look and feel . In a good slide deck, each slide feels like part of the same story. That means using the same or related typography, colors and imagery across all your slides. Using pre-built master slides can be a good way to do that, but it can feel restrictive and lead to me-too decks. I like to create a few slides to hold sample graphic elements and type, then copy what I need from those slides as I go. .
  • Think about topic transitions . It can be easy to go too far in the direction of consistency, though. You don’t want each slide to look exactly the same. I like to create one style for the slides that are the meat of what I’m saying, and then another style for the transitions between topics. For example, if my general slides have a dark background with light text, I’ll try transition slides that have a light background with dark text. That way they feel like part of the same family, but the presentation has texture—and the audience gets a visual cue that we’re moving onto a new topic. .
  • With text, less is almost always more . One thing to avoid—slides with a lot of text, especially if it’s a repeat of what you’re saying out loud. It’s like if you give a paper handout in a meeting—everyone’s head goes down and they read, rather than staying heads-up and listening. If there are a lot of words on your slide, you’re asking your audience to split their attention between what they’re reading and what they’re hearing. That’s really hard for a brain to do, and it compromises the effectiveness of both your slide text and your spoken words. If you can’t avoid having text-y slides, try to progressively reveal text (like unveiling bullet points one by one) as you need it. .
  • Use photos that enhance meaning . I love using simple, punchy photos in presentations, because they help what you’re saying resonate in your audience’s mind without pulling their attention from your spoken words. Look for photos that (1) speak strongly to the concept you’re talking about and (2) aren’t compositionally complex. Your photo could be a metaphor or something more literal, but it should be clear why the audience is looking at it, and why it’s paired with what you’re saying. For example, I recently used the image above—a photo of a container ship about to tip over (it eventually sank)—to lead off a co-worker’s deck about failure preparation. And below is another example of a photo I used in a deck to talk about the launch of the new TED.com . The point I was making was that a launch isn’t the end of a project—it’s the beginning of something new. We’ll learn, adapt, change and grow.

Here, a lovely image from a slidedeck Aaron created about the redesign of TED.com . View the whole deck from this presentation .

And now some tactical tips…

  • Go easy on the effects and transitions . Keynote and Powerpoint come with a lot of effects and transitions. In my opinion, most of these don’t do much to enhance the audience experience. At worst, they subtly suggest that the content of your slides is so uninteresting that a page flip or droplet transition will snap the audience out of their lethargy. If you must use them, use the most subtle ones, and keep it consistent. .

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  • Try panning large images . Often, I want to show screen shot of an entire web page in my presentations. There’s a great Chrome extension to capture these—but these images are oftentimes much longer than the canvas size of the presentation. Rather than scaling the image to an illegible size, or cropping it, you can pan it vertically as you talk about it. In Keynote, this is done with a Move effect, which you can apply from an object’s action panel. .
  • For video, don’t use autoplay . It’s super easy to insert video in Keynote and Powerpoint—you just drag a Quicktime file onto the slide. And when you advance the deck to the slide with the video that autoplays, sometimes it can take a moment for the machine to actually start playing it. So often I’ve seen presenters click again in an attempt to start the video during this delay, causing the deck to go to the next slide. Instead, set the video to click to play. That way you have more predictable control over the video start time, and even select a poster frame to show before starting. .

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Lastly, I’d love to leave you with a couple book recommendations. The first is Resonate , by Nancy Duarte. It’s not so much about slides, but about public speaking in general – which is the foundation for any presentation, regardless of how great your slides are. In it, she breaks down the anatomy of what makes a great presentation, how to establish a central message and structure your talk, and more. (One of her case studies comes from Benjamin Zander’s charming TED Talk about classical music, a talk that captivated the audience from start to finish.) Think of this as prerequisite reading for my second recommendation, also by Duarte: Slide:ology . This is more focused on presentation visuals and slides.

Happy slide-making.

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How to Structure your Presentation, with Examples

August 3, 2018 - Dom Barnard

For many people the thought of delivering a presentation is a daunting task and brings about a  great deal of nerves . However, if you take some time to understand how effective presentations are structured and then apply this structure to your own presentation, you’ll appear much more confident and relaxed.

Here is our complete guide for structuring your presentation, with examples at the end of the article to demonstrate these points.

Why is structuring a presentation so important?

If you’ve ever sat through a great presentation, you’ll have left feeling either inspired or informed on a given topic. This isn’t because the speaker was the most knowledgeable or motivating person in the world. Instead, it’s because they know how to structure presentations – they have crafted their message in a logical and simple way that has allowed the audience can keep up with them and take away key messages.

Research has supported this, with studies showing that audiences retain structured information  40% more accurately  than unstructured information.

In fact, not only is structuring a presentation important for the benefit of the audience’s understanding, it’s also important for you as the speaker. A good structure helps you remain calm, stay on topic, and avoid any awkward silences.

What will affect your presentation structure?

Generally speaking, there is a natural flow that any decent presentation will follow which we will go into shortly. However, you should be aware that all presentation structures will be different in their own unique way and this will be due to a number of factors, including:

  • Whether you need to deliver any demonstrations
  • How  knowledgeable the audience  already is on the given subject
  • How much interaction you want from the audience
  • Any time constraints there are for your talk
  • What setting you are in
  • Your ability to use any kinds of visual assistance

Before choosing the presentation’s structure answer these questions first:

  • What is your presentation’s aim?
  • Who are the audience?
  • What are the main points your audience should remember afterwards?

When reading the points below, think critically about what things may cause your presentation structure to be slightly different. You can add in certain elements and add more focus to certain moments if that works better for your speech.

Good presentation structure is important for a presentation

What is the typical presentation structure?

This is the usual flow of a presentation, which covers all the vital sections and is a good starting point for yours. It allows your audience to easily follow along and sets out a solid structure you can add your content to.

1. Greet the audience and introduce yourself

Before you start delivering your talk, introduce yourself to the audience and clarify who you are and your relevant expertise. This does not need to be long or incredibly detailed, but will help build an immediate relationship between you and the audience. It gives you the chance to briefly clarify your expertise and why you are worth listening to. This will help establish your ethos so the audience will trust you more and think you’re credible.

Read our tips on  How to Start a Presentation Effectively

2. Introduction

In the introduction you need to explain the subject and purpose of your presentation whilst gaining the audience’s interest and confidence. It’s sometimes helpful to think of your introduction as funnel-shaped to help filter down your topic:

  • Introduce your general topic
  • Explain your topic area
  • State the issues/challenges in this area you will be exploring
  • State your presentation’s purpose – this is the basis of your presentation so ensure that you provide a statement explaining how the topic will be treated, for example, “I will argue that…” or maybe you will “compare”, “analyse”, “evaluate”, “describe” etc.
  • Provide a statement of what you’re hoping the outcome of the presentation will be, for example, “I’m hoping this will be provide you with…”
  • Show a preview of the organisation of your presentation

In this section also explain:

  • The length of the talk.
  • Signal whether you want audience interaction – some presenters prefer the audience to ask questions throughout whereas others allocate a specific section for this.
  • If it applies, inform the audience whether to take notes or whether you will be providing handouts.

The way you structure your introduction can depend on the amount of time you have been given to present: a  sales pitch  may consist of a quick presentation so you may begin with your conclusion and then provide the evidence. Conversely, a speaker presenting their idea for change in the world would be better suited to start with the evidence and then conclude what this means for the audience.

Keep in mind that the main aim of the introduction is to grab the audience’s attention and connect with them.

3. The main body of your talk

The main body of your talk needs to meet the promises you made in the introduction. Depending on the nature of your presentation, clearly segment the different topics you will be discussing, and then work your way through them one at a time – it’s important for everything to be organised logically for the audience to fully understand. There are many different ways to organise your main points, such as, by priority, theme, chronologically etc.

  • Main points should be addressed one by one with supporting evidence and examples.
  • Before moving on to the next point you should provide a mini-summary.
  • Links should be clearly stated between ideas and you must make it clear when you’re moving onto the next point.
  • Allow time for people to take relevant notes and stick to the topics you have prepared beforehand rather than straying too far off topic.

When planning your presentation write a list of main points you want to make and ask yourself “What I am telling the audience? What should they understand from this?” refining your answers this way will help you produce clear messages.

4. Conclusion

In presentations the conclusion is frequently underdeveloped and lacks purpose which is a shame as it’s the best place to reinforce your messages. Typically, your presentation has a specific goal – that could be to convert a number of the audience members into customers, lead to a certain number of enquiries to make people knowledgeable on specific key points, or to motivate them towards a shared goal.

Regardless of what that goal is, be sure to summarise your main points and their implications. This clarifies the overall purpose of your talk and reinforces your reason for being there.

Follow these steps:

  • Signal that it’s nearly the end of your presentation, for example, “As we wrap up/as we wind down the talk…”
  • Restate the topic and purpose of your presentation – “In this speech I wanted to compare…”
  • Summarise the main points, including their implications and conclusions
  • Indicate what is next/a call to action/a thought-provoking takeaway
  • Move on to the last section

5. Thank the audience and invite questions

Conclude your talk by thanking the audience for their time and invite them to  ask any questions  they may have. As mentioned earlier, personal circumstances will affect the structure of your presentation.

Many presenters prefer to make the Q&A session the key part of their talk and try to speed through the main body of the presentation. This is totally fine, but it is still best to focus on delivering some sort of initial presentation to set the tone and topics for discussion in the Q&A.

Questions being asked after a presentation

Other common presentation structures

The above was a description of a basic presentation, here are some more specific presentation layouts:

Demonstration

Use the demonstration structure when you have something useful to show. This is usually used when you want to show how a product works. Steve Jobs frequently used this technique in his presentations.

  • Explain why the product is valuable.
  • Describe why the product is necessary.
  • Explain what problems it can solve for the audience.
  • Demonstrate the product  to support what you’ve been saying.
  • Make suggestions of other things it can do to make the audience curious.

Problem-solution

This structure is particularly useful in persuading the audience.

  • Briefly frame the issue.
  • Go into the issue in detail showing why it ‘s such a problem. Use logos and pathos for this – the logical and emotional appeals.
  • Provide the solution and explain why this would also help the audience.
  • Call to action – something you want the audience to do which is straightforward and pertinent to the solution.

Storytelling

As well as incorporating  stories in your presentation , you can organise your whole presentation as a story. There are lots of different type of story structures you can use – a popular choice is the monomyth – the hero’s journey. In a monomyth, a hero goes on a difficult journey or takes on a challenge – they move from the familiar into the unknown. After facing obstacles and ultimately succeeding the hero returns home, transformed and with newfound wisdom.

Storytelling for Business Success  webinar , where well-know storyteller Javier Bernad shares strategies for crafting compelling narratives.

Another popular choice for using a story to structure your presentation is in media ras (in the middle of thing). In this type of story you launch right into the action by providing a snippet/teaser of what’s happening and then you start explaining the events that led to that event. This is engaging because you’re starting your story at the most exciting part which will make the audience curious – they’ll want to know how you got there.

  • Great storytelling: Examples from Alibaba Founder, Jack Ma

Remaining method

The remaining method structure is good for situations where you’re presenting your perspective on a controversial topic which has split people’s opinions.

  • Go into the issue in detail showing why it’s such a problem – use logos and pathos.
  • Rebut your opponents’ solutions  – explain why their solutions could be useful because the audience will see this as fair and will therefore think you’re trustworthy, and then explain why you think these solutions are not valid.
  • After you’ve presented all the alternatives provide your solution, the remaining solution. This is very persuasive because it looks like the winning idea, especially with the audience believing that you’re fair and trustworthy.

Transitions

When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant. This can be done  using speech transitions  which are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified.

Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence – there are many different forms, here are some examples:

Moving from the introduction to the first point

Signify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:

  • Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
  • First, let’s begin with…
  • I will first cover…
  • My first point covers…
  • To get started, let’s look at…

Shifting between similar points

Move from one point to a similar one:

  • In the same way…
  • Likewise…
  • Equally…
  • This is similar to…
  • Similarly…

Internal summaries

Internal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:

  • What part of the presentation you covered – “In the first part of this speech we’ve covered…”
  • What the key points were – “Precisely how…”
  • How this links in with the overall presentation – “So that’s the context…”
  • What you’re moving on to – “Now I’d like to move on to the second part of presentation which looks at…”

Physical movement

You can move your body and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

  • Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
  • For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
  • You discuss your second point from the centre again.
  • You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
  • The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Key slides for your presentation

Slides are a useful tool for most presentations: they can greatly assist in the delivery of your message and help the audience follow along with what you are saying. Key slides include:

  • An intro slide outlining your ideas
  • A  summary slide  with core points to remember
  • High quality image slides to supplement what you are saying

There are some presenters who choose not to use slides at all, though this is more of a rarity. Slides can be a powerful tool if used properly, but the problem is that many fail to do just that. Here are some golden rules to follow when using slides in a presentation:

  • Don’t over fill them  – your slides are there to assist your speech, rather than be the focal point. They should have as little information as possible, to avoid distracting people from your talk.
  • A picture says a thousand words  – instead of filling a slide with text, instead, focus on one or two images or diagrams to help support and explain the point you are discussing at that time.
  • Make them readable  – depending on the size of your audience, some may not be able to see small text or images, so make everything large enough to fill the space.
  • Don’t rush through slides  – give the audience enough time to digest each slide.

Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a  10-20-30 rule :

  • There should be a maximum of 10 slides – people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there’s no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
  • The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
  • The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

Here are some additional resources for slide design:

  • 7 design tips for effective, beautiful PowerPoint presentations
  • 11 design tips for beautiful presentations
  • 10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea

Group Presentations

Group presentations are structured in the same way as presentations with one speaker but usually require more rehearsal and practices.  Clean transitioning between speakers  is very important in producing a presentation that flows well. One way of doing this consists of:

  • Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what health anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
  • Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Elnaz will talk about the prevalence of health anxiety.”
  • Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Elnaz”.
  • The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Joe.”

From this example you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

Example of great presentation structure and delivery

Having examples of great presentations will help inspire your own structures, here are a few such examples, each unique and inspiring in their own way.

How Google Works – by Eric Schmidt

This presentation by ex-Google CEO  Eric Schmidt  demonstrates some of the most important lessons he and his team have learnt with regards to working with some of the most talented individuals they hired. The simplistic yet cohesive style of all of the slides is something to be appreciated. They are relatively straightforward, yet add power and clarity to the narrative of the presentation.

Start with why – by Simon Sinek

Since being released in 2009, this presentation has been viewed almost four million times all around the world. The message itself is very powerful, however, it’s not an idea that hasn’t been heard before. What makes this presentation so powerful is the simple message he is getting across, and the straightforward and understandable manner in which he delivers it. Also note that he doesn’t use any slides, just a whiteboard where he creates a simple diagram of his opinion.

The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout – by Rick Rigsby

Here’s an example of a presentation given by a relatively unknown individual looking to inspire the next generation of graduates. Rick’s presentation is unique in many ways compared to the two above. Notably, he uses no visual prompts and includes a great deal of humour.

However, what is similar is the structure he uses. He first introduces his message that the wisest man he knew was a third-grade dropout. He then proceeds to deliver his main body of argument, and in the end, concludes with his message. This powerful speech keeps the viewer engaged throughout, through a mixture of heart-warming sentiment, powerful life advice and engaging humour.

As you can see from the examples above, and as it has been expressed throughout, a great presentation structure means analysing the core message of your presentation. Decide on a key message you want to impart the audience with, and then craft an engaging way of delivering it.

By preparing a solid structure, and  practising your talk  beforehand, you can walk into the presentation with confidence and deliver a meaningful message to an interested audience.

It’s important for a presentation to be well-structured so it can have the most impact on your audience. An unstructured presentation can be difficult to follow and even frustrating to listen to. The heart of your speech are your main points supported by evidence and your transitions should assist the movement between points and clarify how everything is linked.

Research suggests that the audience remember the first and last things you say so your introduction and conclusion are vital for reinforcing your points. Essentially, ensure you spend the time structuring your presentation and addressing all of the sections.

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27 Presentation Tips: How to Create and Give an Engaging Presentation

Everyone has had the experience of sitting through a bad presentation. Those are the presentations where the lights go down, the audience is faced with slides filled with text, the speaker begins by reading each slide, and the room fills with the sounds of snoring. No one sets out to give a bad presentation, but you can set out to give a good one. If you follow these 27 presentation tips, the sounds that you hear at your next presentation are sure to be clapping, not snoring!

Here are 27 presentation tips that will help take your presentation from bad to good.

How to Structure Your Presentation

1. Create an appealing cover slide.

The opening cover slide is often overlooked, but it plays an important role in setting the tone and style for your whole presentation. Use a captivating graphic on your cover slide to catch your audience’s attention.

2. Keep it short and sweet.

If you keep your presentation short, it will be easier for the audience to remember the important information. Bombarding people with information just confuses them. Besides, no one has ever complained a presentation was too short!

3. Follow the “ Rule of Three.”

Steve Jobs was a master communicator and presenter. One of the things that made him so effective was that he followed the rule of three in his presentations. To follow the rule of three, make sure that your presentation touches on three major ideas. You can then use stories, graphics, examples, and analogies to elaborate on these three ideas.

4. Use a maximum of ten slides.

Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule is that a maximum of 10 slides should be given in 20 minutes, and the size of the text on each slide should be no less than 30 point. Following Kawasaki’s rule forces you to make sure that the information provided on each slide is necessary; it also forces you to explain your slides.

5. Use slides to clarify points .

Slides are there to reinforce your message. Do not let them carry the entire message. You should also avoid reading the slides directly or using them as a crutch.

6. Design your own template.

Consider designing your own template by following some of the steps given on various websites, or purchase a template. This will allow you to create the theme that is best suited to your presentation. Audiences have seen the common PowerPoint templates time and time again, so give them something different to look at. The extra effort that you take in creating something unique will pay off in helping to maintain audience attention.

7. Make sure that your content is correct.

Edit and proofread your slides to make sure that the spelling and grammar is perfect. No one wants to look at a slide that has a spelling mistake on it, and no one will trust the opinion of someone whose presentation is riddled with errors.

8. Make sure that your presentation flows from one slide to the next.

Smooth transitions can help your presentation to flow easily from one idea to the next and from one slide to the next. You do not necessarily have to use fancy style transitions, but you can use verbal clues to tell your audience what is coming up on the next slide—and why they need to know!

9. Summarize.

There is an old public speaking tip that says to tell the audience what you are going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them. Presentations should follow this same format. Prepare your audience for what is coming, and then use the body of your presentation to tell them your three major points (refer to tip #3). Use your last slide to summarize your presentation and remind the audience about key points they might have already forgotten.

10. Consider using other types of presentations.

Instead of PowerPoint, consider alternatives such as Prezi , Easel.ly , or SlideRocket , which are available on the Internet. Using a different type of presentation may not only inspire you to stretch your creativity, but it may also inspire your audience.

How to Make Your Slides Aesthetically Pleasing

11. Don’t put too much information on one slide .

Try to keep your slides clutter-free and full of blank space. Don’t include too much text. A good rule of thumb is 30–40 words per slide.

12. Be concise.

According to a 2015 study by Microsoft Canada, the average human attention span is eight seconds, which is less than the attention span of a goldfish (nine seconds)! You need to be clear and get your point across quickly before your audience zones out. Don’t use clichés —e ven though you should “think outside the box,” for instance, your audience has heard that tired cliché hundreds of times before. Make sure that the text on your slides is meaningful to your presentation.

13. Use appropriate fonts and sizes.

Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman and Garamond, are easy to read at smaller sizes, but the serifs are often lost on a large screen. Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial and Franklin Gothic, work well for presentations. Consider using unusual fonts (within reason) to keep the audience’s interest. You can download fonts from DaFont , 1001 Free Fonts , and other font downloading sites. Just be sure that the font does not make your text difficult to read. Remember tip #4: Use nothing smaller than a 30-point font size. Keep in mind that, if you use a smaller font and the audience can see your slide, you will quickly be out of sync with them because they can read faster than you can talk.

14. Use color.

Different colors evoke different emotions. For example, red is associated with passion and urgency, blue is calming and evokes tranquility, orange conveys energy and warmth, and green is associated with nature and the environment, while black is heavy and formal. Warm colors, such as red and orange, can be used to highlight, while cooler colors can be used in the background. You should also make sure that the colors complement each other.

For the audience to be able to see the text, it must contrast with the background color. For example, use a dark green background with white text or a light blue background with black text. Accent colors are used for emphasis and should be used sparingly. No matter what color combination you choose for your presentation, make sure that you use it consistently.

15. Use high-quality graphics.

Do not use blurry pictures, overly familiar clip art, or eye-roll-inducing stock photos. Try to use images the audience may not have seen before by searching for fresh new photos on such sites as Unsplash and Pixabay . Remember that using no photo or graphic is better than using a bad one.

How to Make Your Presentation Memorable

16. Be passionate about your topic.

Whether you are giving a presentation on the different types of sandpaper or the truth factor in urban myths, you should be able to speak passionately about your topic. If you speak about what you love and know well, your passion will encourage the audience to tune into your presentation.

17. Know your audience.

When you know the background of your audience—in other words, what they know and what they need to know—you can structure your presentation to meet these needs. In turn, the audience will be more interested in what you have to say.

18. Involve the audience .

The easiest way to involve your audience is to ask questions. However, no one wants to ask a question and have no one raise their hand to answer. Try asking general questions, such as “How many people watch videos on YouTube?” Involving the audience helps you connect with them.

19. Include stories .

Stories are easy for the audience to remember; listeners tend to experience the story as it is being told. A good story will also elicit an emotional response in listeners and motivate them to act. Make sure that the story fits the context of your presentation (i.e., has a purpose) and is relevant to the audience.

How to Present and Keep Your Nerves in Check

20. Practice, practice, practice.

If you know your material, you are less likely to read slides and more likely to look at the audience. You will also feel more confident.

21. Transform your nerves into enthusiasm.

Everyone enjoys listening to an enthusiastic speaker. If you speak animatedly, your audience will be inclined to pay attention to you.

22. Take some calming breaths.

Take a deep breath before you begin presenting. This may help calm your nerves.

23. Smile and maintain eye contact.

Never turn your back on your audience. Another good hint is to stand to the left of the screen. In this way, your audience can look at you and sweep their eyes over the screen.

24. Make sure to show your personality.

Steve Jobs was a great presenter because he let his personality shine through. Don’t feel that, just because you’re giving a formal presentation, you must stifle everything that makes you unique. Your personality is what makes you interesting, engaging, and relatable; infuse that into your presentation.

25. Put your game face on.

Athletes and performers know that the key to a great performance is to pump themselves up during the pre-game or pre-show warm-up. You need to pump yourself up too. You can run in place, do some stretches, or practice one more time—do what you have to do to get ready. And then, as Nike™ always says: Just do it!

26. Have fun!

It may be counterintuitive, but if you know that you have prepared well and have a great-looking presentation, you should realize that you have done your best. Use that knowledge to relax and enjoy the experience. You can also use humor to joke with the audience and make it fun for everyone.

27. Thank the audience for listening.

To conclude your presentation and to cue your audience that your presentation is finished, you can thank them for listening and participating. People appreciate being appreciated. Remember that you can also include a final slide that thanks the audience and provides your contact information.

There is no magic formula that you can apply to a presentation to make it great, but if you follow these 27 tips, you should be able to present a memorable, stress-free presentation.

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PowerPoint Presentation Tips Every Student Should Know

presentation writing tips

In college, being able to nail your PowerPoint presentations can make a big difference in your grades and your overall success. But let's face it, creating a killer presentation can be tricky. That's why in this article, we're going to break down some essential PowerPoint presentation tips for college students you should know. Whether you're presenting a project, sharing research findings, or pitching ideas, these tips will help you create slideshows that impress your professors and peers alike. So, get ready to learn how to design engaging slides, deliver your message effectively, and boost your confidence when presenting in front of others. Let's dive in!

What Is the 10 20 30 Rule of PowerPoint Presentations

The 10-20-30 rule of PowerPoint presentations is a guideline popularized by venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki. It suggests that a presentation should have no more than 10 slides, last no longer than 20 minutes, and use a font size of at least 30 points. If you’re struggling with this assignment, simply say, ‘ write my essay for me ,’ and our writers will tackle any task for you quickly.

The rule advises keeping presentations concise by limiting the number of slides. This helps to focus on key points and prevents overwhelming the audience with too much information.

Keeping the presentation under 20 minutes ensures it remains engaging and doesn't lose the audience's attention. This timeframe is considered optimal for conveying information effectively without dragging on.

  • 30-point font

Using a minimum font size of 30 points helps make the text on slides clear and readable, even from a distance. This is particularly important in large presentation venues or when the audience may have difficulty seeing smaller text.

Overall, the 10-20-30 rule encourages presenters to be concise, engaging, and considerate of the audience's needs for clarity and attention span. However, it's worth noting that while this guideline can be helpful, it's not a hard and fast rule and may need to be adjusted based on the specific context and content of the presentation. Now, let’s dive into some effective tips for a good PowerPoint presentation.

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Essential PowerPoint Presentation Tips

PowerPoint presentations are an integral part of college education for several reasons. Firstly, they serve as a practical tool for students to organize and present complex information in a structured and visually appealing format, helping to enhance their communication skills. 

Secondly, presentations provide students with valuable opportunities to showcase their understanding of course material, critical thinking abilities, and research findings to professors and peers, fostering active engagement with the subject matter. Additionally, by requiring students to deliver presentations, colleges aim to prepare them for future academic and professional endeavors, where effective communication and presentation skills are often essential for success in various fields.

Essential PowerPoint Presentation Tips

Chunk Information

Consider using a storytelling approach when breaking down complex ideas. Introduce each chunk with a compelling narrative or anecdote to capture your audience's attention and provide context for the information. Use visual aids such as diagrams, flowcharts, or timelines to clarify relationships between concepts further and enhance understanding. Having trouble at such an early stage? Instruct our writers, saying, ‘ do my PowerPoint presentation ,’ and they will handle the assignment for you. 

Use Slide Transitions Wisely

Align slide transitions with the flow of your narrative. The transition between slides occurs during natural breaks in your speech or when introducing a new topic or idea. Avoid excessive animation effects that may distract or overshadow your message. Instead, focus on transitions that subtly guide your audience's attention and maintain their engagement.

Practice Timing and Pacing

One of the best PowerPoint presentation tips for students is to rehearse your presentation multiple times to fine-tune your timing and pacing. Practice speaking slowly and clearly to ensure that every word is understood, especially if you tend to speak quickly when nervous. Use visual cues, such as a timer or slide notes, to help you stay on track and smoothly transition between topics.

Include Real-Life Examples

Choose real-life examples that resonate with your audience's interests, experiences, or industry. Among the top tips for PowerPoint presentations is personalizing your examples whenever possible to make them more relatable and memorable. Encourage audience participation by asking questions or prompting them to share their experiences related to the topic, fostering a sense of connection and engagement. Expert PowerPoint presentation writers always include real-life examples in their slides. 

Utilize White Space

Embrace the power of white space to create visual balance and emphasize key elements. Use a minimalist design approach to keep your slides clean and uncluttered. Experiment with different layouts and spacing techniques to find the optimal balance between content and white space, ensuring your message is clear and easy to digest.

Provide Clear Navigation

To give you more effective PowerPoint presentation tips, we recommend enhancing navigation by structuring your presentation with a clear storyline or roadmap. Preview the agenda at the beginning of your presentation to set expectations and guide your audience through the flow of topics. Use slide transitions, animations, or interactive elements strategically to signal transitions between sections and maintain momentum. Consult these essay topics to draw inspiration for your presentation.

Check for Accessibility

Prioritize accessibility by designing your slides with inclusivity in mind. Ensure that text is legible and colors are distinguishable for visually impaired audience members. Provide alternative formats for content, such as transcripts or accessible PDFs, to accommodate diverse learning needs. Test your presentation with accessibility tools and solicit feedback from individuals with disabilities to identify and address potential barriers. Consider capstone project ideas for your next assignment as you finish your slides.

Maintain Eye Contact

Here are some more tips for a good PowerPoint presentation. Develop strong eye contact skills by practicing in front of a mirror or recording yourself speaking. Make a conscious effort to engage with individual audience members throughout your presentation, scanning the room and making eye contact with different sections of the audience. Use body language cues, such as gestures and facial expressions, to convey enthusiasm and confidence, reinforcing your verbal message and enhancing audience connection. 

Solicit Feedback

Actively seek feedback from various sources, including peers, mentors, and audience members. Encourage honest and constructive feedback by asking specific questions about content, delivery, and overall impact. Consider conducting a post-presentation survey or feedback session to gather insights and identify areas for improvement. Use feedback as a learning opportunity to refine your presentation skills and enhance future performances.

Have a Backup Plan

Prepare for technical glitches or unforeseen interruptions by having backup equipment and materials readily available. Pack essential items such as a spare laptop, projector cables, and extension cords to address common technical issues. Create a contingency plan for power outages or internet connectivity issues, outlining alternative presentation formats or delivery methods. When making a PowerPoint presentation, think of your backup plan to build confidence and ensure a seamless presentation experience under any circumstances. Just in case, our academic essay writing service also supports PPT presentations.

PowerPoint assignments in college are super helpful for life after graduation. They teach you how to take complicated stuff and explain it in a simple, interesting way using slides. You learn to organize your thoughts, tell a good story, and make things look nice with pictures and graphs. These skills are not just for school - they're super useful in jobs, too! Making awesome presentations can help you impress your bosses, win over clients, and share your ideas effectively in meetings. So, the PowerPoint presentation tips for students you’ve just learned are like training for real life, helping you ace your future career presentations. If you need more time to finish your slides, opt for custom essays to meet all the deadlines.

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6 Online AI Presentation Maker Tools

6 Online AI Presentation Maker Tools

  • 2-minute read
  • 26th March 2024

Creating presentations can be time-consuming and frustrating. Trying to construct a visually appealing and informative presentation can cause even the most experienced creator a headache. But, with the rise of AI, it has become easier. In this blog, we look at six online AI presentation-maker tools. 

Beautiful.ai

Beautiful.ai is a presentation designer that is particularly helpful for teams. It offers customizable templates for a range of industries and topics. Prices start at USD$12 per month for individuals, with custom prices for large enterprises. 

Slidesgo offers free Google Slides and PowerPoint templates, and it also has an AI presentation maker. This AI tool can create professional presentations within minutes. Most features are free to use; however, there are premium plans that cost between USD$5.99 and USD$23.99 a month. 

Presentations.ai

Presentations.ai claims to be the ChatGPT for presentation making. It has hundreds of pre-built slides that you can customize to suit your business needs. You can try Presentations.ai for free to decide whether it’s right for you, with premium plans available to upgrade to.

Typeset 

Typeset analyzes your words as you type to create beautifully designed presentations. It focuses on the design so that you can focus on your message. Typeset plans start at USD$19 per month. 

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Decktopus 

Decktopus can create presentations from scratch within seconds using only the title and answers from a series of questions. There’s no free option with Decktopus, but prices start at USD$9.99 a month. 

Canva 

Finally, Canva allows you to create beautiful presentations using templates or saved brand designs. You can also make use of their Magic Write AI tool that can help you generate content to include. Canva has both free and paid options. 

Editing AI-Generated Presentations

As with any other type of content, it’s vital that you edit and proofread your writing to ensure it’s grammatically and factually correct, especially if you’re using AI generators . Our team of expert editors can help you edit your content to ensure it meets your brand’s standards. When you’re ready to see what we can do for you, schedule a call with our team. 

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