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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

  • Carmine Gallo

high presentation impact

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.

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  • 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 Make Effective Impactful Presentations (Tips & Tools)

Learn how to make a good presentation great - step-by-step with examples. Learn the principles, guidelines & qualities needed to prepare captivating slides.

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Dominika Krukowska

12 minute read

How to make good presentations

Short answer

Short answer: how to make a good presentation.

Start with a surprising statement, a bold promise, or a mystery

Provide context with a bit of background information

Structure your presentation within a story framework

Make every word count, and use as few as possible

Use visuals only to support your presentation text

Use interactive design to make your audience active participants

End by telling your audience what they can do with what they’ve learned

Boring presentations are instantly forgotten. How’s yours?

Lifeless presentations can spell doom for your message, leaving your audience disengaged and your goals unreached.

The price of a mediocre presentation is steep; missed opportunities, unimpressed prospects, and a bad rep.

In a world where everyone has grown to expect a good story, a boring presentation will be instantly forgotten. Like a drop in the ocean.

But not all is lost.

This post will teach you how presentation pros create compelling narratives and leverage the latest tech tools to command attention, drive a powerful message, and get shared like gossip.

Let’s get started!

How to prepare a presentation?

The successful presenter understands the value of small details and thorough preparation like the seasoned chef knows the importance of quality ingredients and careful technique for serving a 5 star dish

But where do you start?

Step-by-step guide for preparing a presentation:

1. Define your objective

Every presentation needs a clear goal. Are you looking to persuade, educate, or motivate? Perhaps you aim to showcase a product, or share insights about a recent project.

Defining your objective early on will guide your content creation process, helping you to focus your message and structure your presentation effectively. Think of your objective as the North Star guiding your presentation journey.

2. Analyze your audience

Next up, who are you talking to? Your audience should shape your presentation as much as your objective does. Understanding their needs, interests, and background will enable you to tailor your message to resonate with them.

Are they experts in your field, or are they novices looking for an introduction? What questions might they have? The more you know about your audience, the more compelling your presentation will be.

3. Research your topic

Once you've defined your objective and analyzed your audience, it's time to delve deep into your topic. Comprehensive research lays the groundwork for a robust, credible presentation.

Don't just scratch the surface – explore different perspectives, recent developments, and key statistics. This will not only enhance your understanding but also equip you with a wealth of information to answer any questions your audience might have.

4. Choose the right delivery format

Finally, consider the best format to deliver your message.

The right format can make all the difference in how your message is received, so choose wisely!

PowerPoint presentations are classic and easy to work with. But PowerPoint and Google slides are not so versatile in terms of their content experience. They're static, packed with information, and all look alike.

Our own presentation maker offers interactive, personalized, and multimedia content experience.

Data from our research of over 100K presentation sessions shows that audiences engage with Storydoc presentations 103% better than PowerPoint.

high presentation impact

How to create an effective presentation?

There’s part art and part science in creating high-engagement high-impact presentations.

An effective presentation is the painstaking result of well-organized content, visuals that support and elevate your message, simplifying complex information, and personalizing wherever possible.

I wrote this post to teach you how to do all these, and a few things more.

Ready to learn? Let's dive in!

How to organize your presentation content?

Crafting a compelling presentation is like writing a page-turner.

You need to captivate your audience, maintain their interest, and guide them effortlessly through your narrative.

But how do you transform a heap of information into a well-structured presentation you can’t stop reading? There’s a structure you can follow.

3-step process for organizing a magnetic presentation:

1. Prioritize content

Your presentation should immediately capture interest and demonstrate relevance before moving on to establish understanding .

A) Build interest:

Begin with a strong hook that grabs your audience's attention. This could be an intriguing statistic, a powerful image , or an engaging question. It should stir curiosity and make your audience eager to hear more.

B) Establish relevance:

Once you have their attention it's time to establish why your presentation matters to your audience.

Address your audience's main concerns. Make sure your content directly speaks to these pain points, and address them in order of importance.

2. Build anticipation

A great presentation is like getting a new car – it builds anticipation, takes you on a thrilling ride, and ends with you wanting to share the experience with all your friends.

Start with a compelling problem your audience relates to and follow up with a promise of an amazing way they can solve it. This problem-solution dynamic creates a suspense that keeps your audience glued to your presentation.

3. Use a story framework

Finally, use a story framework to give your presentation structure and flow.

Begin with a big idea that underpins your presentation. Then delve into the problem, showcasing why it needs attention. Present your solution, painting a vision of a better future for your audience.

Weave in concrete examples of how your solution changes lives.

Tell the story of WHO you helped, WHAT the situation was before and after your solution, WHERE and WHEN it happened, WHY it worked and HOW it made them feel.

If you’re writing a business presentation you should follow this with an execution plan that outlines how the solution will be implemented.

Finally, close with clear next steps, guiding your audience on what they should do after the presentation to bring meaningful change into their lives.

Our recommended story framework:

How to write a presentation storyline that creates interest

How to design your presentation?

A good presentation is more than just making it look pretty ; it's about communicating your message effectively and creating a lasting impression.

Good presentation design grabs attention, and leads it to where it’s needed most. It takes your hand and leads you through the easiest and most pleasant path to understanding.

Good presentation design supports your message rather than steals the spotlight. Good design is narrated design.

What is narrated design (Scrollytelling)?

Scrollytelling, where "scroll" meets "storytelling", is an interactive content experience that guides readers through a narrative journey with a simple scroll. It connects text, images, videos, and animations into integrated “scenes” where content is both shown and narrated.

Scrollytelling breaks complex content into digestible chunks and gives the reader control over pace. It has been scientifically shown to enhance engagement, understandability and memorability.

Scrollytelling came up as a central thing when Itai Amoza, our Founder and CEO was building the foundations for Storydoc.

He partnered with one of the world’s leading visualization scientists , prof. Steven Franconeri , to help him bring to Storydoc the means to reduce the complexity, friction, and information overload so characteristic of business presentations.

Scrollytelling is part of the solutions that came up, which led to specialized storytelling slides like our narrator slide (in the example below).

An example of Storydoc scrollytelling:

Narrator slide example

How to design presentation visuals to support your story

Presentation visuals can be unsung heroes or sloppy distractions.

Visuals can bring your message to life, make complex concepts easy to understand, and engage your audience in ways that words alone cannot. Or… they can sit there looking all pretty and distract you from what’s really going on.

4 elements of great presentation visuals:

Support your message: Your visuals should support your text, highlight your main message, and align with your objective. They should reinforce your points and help your audience understand your message.

Represent your audience: The best visuals are relatable. They should resonate with your target audience and reflect their world of associations. Use images and graphics that your audience can identify with – this can enhance their engagement and make your presentation more memorable. Equally important is using clean images - an effective way to do this is by using tools that allow you to remove your image backgrounds . By eliminating distractions and focusing on your subject, you create images that are more impactful and, therefore, can potentially increase audience engagement.

Introduce your product, outcomes, and clients: Wherever possible, use visuals to demonstrate your product, illustrate outcomes, and represent your clients. This can remove doubt and misunderstanding by letting your audience see (and make obvious) what words sometimes struggle to describe.

Follow your branding guidelines: Your presentation is an extension of your brand, so your visuals should conform to your branding guidelines. Consistent use of colors, fonts, and styles not only enhances brand recognition but also creates a cohesive, professional look.

Here’s an example of a well-designed presentation:

How to communicate complex information?

Did you ever have to read a presentation where you felt like you're lost in a maze of jargon, data, and complex concepts?

Are you giving others this same experience?

Communicating complex information is a common challenge in presentations. But there are ways you can simplify your presentation and reengage your audience.

Here’s how you can get complex information across:

1. Use interactive content

Interactive content is your best friend when it comes to simplifying complex information and getting deeply engaged with your content.

It gets the readers more involved in your presentation by letting them play an active part; like choosing the content route they wish to take and controlling the pace.

It keeps your presentation textually lean - giving readers the choice to expand more details on demand (in tabs, live graphs, sliders, accordions, and calculators).

Beyond that, live graphs can illustrate trends, animations can demonstrate processes, and videos can bring concepts to life.

Calculators, questionnaires, and chatbots provide personalized and specific answers to readers as part of your presentation, without them having to get in touch with you or your team.

Elavating your presentations from static to interactive has been tied to increasing the number of people who read your presentation in full by 41% !

Making interactive used to be hard, but now you can just use Storydoc. Go make your first interactive presentation. It’s easy as pie.

2. Show don’t tell

A picture is worth a thousand words. Because no one will read a presentation with a thousand words, do everyone a favor and use images.

Images can be super effective at communicating complex information and save you a lot of needless text.

In fact, visual representation of data and concepts can often convey what words cannot. Use diagrams, infographics, and images to illustrate your points and simplify the complex.

The goal is to create a visual narrative that complements your verbal one.

3. Narrate your content

Storytelling is another powerful tool for communicating complex concepts.

Whether it's through text to speech AI, video bubbles, or a scrollytelling narrator slide, narrating your content can help guide your audience through the complexity.

By giving your information a narrative structure, you can make it more digestible, engaging, and memorable.

According to Sales Hacker’s data, people remember up to 10% of numbers and 25% of images they see. When you center your presentation around a story, this rises to 60-70% .

4. Use examples and allegories

Examples and allegories help unravel the complexity of ideas.

They scaffold your message with concepts we already know and understand, and can easily imagine in our mind. This makes them less new and intimidating and more familiar.

Critically, the real secret lies in selecting examples that are not just familiar but also deeply relevant—those are the ones that will truly ring with your listeners.

If you tailor the allegory to your audience's world, it is guaranteed to lead to an “aha” moment.

5. Open a line of communication

Finally, invite dialogue. This could be through a chatbot or an option to book a meeting for further discussion. This not only helps clarify any confusion but also encourages engagement and deepens understanding.

For example, finishing your presentation with an interactive calendar to book a meeting instead of a generic “Thank you” slide has proven to boost conversion rate by 27% !

Thank you slide

How to personalize your presentation?

Imagine attending a party where the host doesn't remember your name or anything about you. Not a great experience, right? The same holds true for presentations.

In a sea of generic content, personalization can be a lifeline that connects you to your audience on a deeper level. It’s also the single most important predictor of success, getting 68% more people to read your presentation in full .

But how do you add that personal touch?

1. Address reader by name

Just as you wouldn't start a conversation without a greeting, don't start your presentation without acknowledging your audience.

Using your audience's name can make your presentation feel like a personal conversation rather than a generic monologue. It's a simple yet powerful way to engage your audience from the get-go.

2. Use their company logo

Including your audience's company logo in your presentation can make them feel seen and valued. It shows that you've taken the time to tailor your presentation to them, enhancing its relevance and appeal.

Plus, it's a subtle way to reinforce that your message is specifically designed to address their needs and challenges.

3. Add a personal message (video or text)

A personal message can go a long way in building a connection with your audience.

It could be a video message from you, expressing your enthusiasm for the opportunity to present to them, or a text message highlighting why the presentation matters to them.

This personal touch can make your audience feel special and more invested in your presentation.

4. Personalize your Call-to-Action

Finally, cap off your presentation with a call to action that speaks directly to your audience.

Swap out the generic 'Contact us' with something that gets to the heart of their needs, something like, 'Let's roll up our sleeves and tackle your [specific issue] at [their company].'

By tailoring your call to action, you show your audience you've truly got their back, that you're not just here to talk, but to make a real, positive impact on their world.

Here’s an example of a personalized slide:

how to make a good personalized presentation slide

How to measure the effectiveness of your presentation

Imagine if you could peek into your audience's mind, understand what resonated, what fell flat, and what drove them to action?

Presentation analytics is essential in order to guide you on how to fine-tune it for maximum impact.

But how do you get your hands on presentation analytics?

Any presentation you create with Storydoc comes with an out-of-the-box analytics suite , ready to track and provide insights.

We give you 100% visibility into how people engage with your presentations and send you real-time engagement alerts.

Here’s a video explaining how you can track performance with our analytics panel:

Storydoc analytics pa

4 critical presentation engagement metrics to keep track of

1. Reading time

Storydoc gives you the precise time prospects spend reading your presentation so you can quickly figure out what's hitting the target and what's not.

Are they soaking up every word or just quickly skimming through? This can help you shape your content to hit the bullseye.

NOTE: Keep in mind that reading time alone might not show you a full picture. A better way is to use a smart engagement score that brings together different metrics like time spent and depth of reading. You can get this kind of total score in Storydoc.

2. Reading completion

Another basic metric we track is how many people read your content from start to finish.

This metric is a strong sign of the prospect’s interest and your content quality. It shows you if they're finding the information relevant, but also worth sticking with till the end.

3. Next step conversion rate

This one tracks how many people take the next step after they check out your presentation. This could be filling out a form, setting up a meeting, or downloading more files.

For business presentations, measuring this can show how well your presentation is pushing people further down the sales funnel.

At the top of your analytics dashboard, you can find a tab that shows you how many people clicked on your CTA divided by presentation, date, and location. If you scroll down to the list of readers, next to each person you can also see whether they clicked on the CTA or not.

Here's what it looks like:

Analytics panel - CTA

4. Number of shares

This metric is particularly important for B2B sales teams . As more people are getting involved in buying decisions, this measure helps you see if and when your content is being passed around inside your prospect’s company.

On the analytics dashboard, under each presentation version, you can find detailed information on how many people read it. So, the higher the number, the more your presentation has been shared internally.

We'll notify you when your presentation has been shared, and who opened it, so you can time your follow-up perfectly to your buyer’s readiness to advance further.

Here's where you can find this information:

Analytics panel - internal shares

Best tool for making an effective presentation

In the realm of presentation tools, classics like Google Slides and PowerPoint offer simplicity and ease, while Canva and Pitch add a dash of design flair and collaboration.

If you're seeking to elevate your presentations to new heights you’ll need to do better than simple PowerPoints or flashy Canvas. Next-gen AI presentation tools like Storydoc are your game-changer.

They break free from the static concept of slides and offer the creation of interactive, immersive content experiences that sweep us along like a good story.

Storydoc - AI presentatio

Grab a template - create your best presentation to date

Ever wished for a secret recipe to whip up a killer presentation? We've got something even better! Our interactive presentation templates are your shortcut to success.

Say goodbye to hours of formatting and hello to captivating, interactive presentations, all with a few clicks.

Grab a template and turn presentation woes into wows!

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Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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How To Create Impactful Presentation Slides

Impactful Presentation Slides that Make an Impact

Proven tips and strategies for slide success. Tailor your presentation for any audience.

Impactful Presentations Depend on Slides that Make Impact

Creating high-impact presentation slides requires an understanding of core design principles and communication techniques. This comprehensive guide will provide you with the framework for developing memorable slides that captivate viewers and convert them to your message.

You’ll learn proven tips and strategies to blueprint slide success, leverage aesthetics for maximum effect, craft concise and powerful narratives, and tailor your presentation for any audience . Whether you’re an experienced presenter or just starting out, follow this guide to gain the knowledge and tools to design presentation slides that motivate and influence .

Let’s begin the journey towards developing the skills and resources to create presentation slides that leave a lasting impact on your audience. 

The Anatomy of Impactful Presentation Slides

Crafting presentation slides that captivate audiences starts with understanding a few key elements that set impactful slides apart.

Blueprinting Slide Success

The foundation is setting clear objectives for each slide. Define specific purposes upfront – is the goal to educate, inspire, persuade or prompt action? With defined objectives, you can shape content and visuals precisely tailored to achieve maximum impact.

Be brief but brilliant. Impactful slides artfully distil the core message using succinct titles, captions and bullet points. Avoid overloading slides with walls of text or complex charts.

Sequencing your slides to progressively build on each other boosts engagement and impact . Numbering creates intuitive wayfinding. And grab attention from the start with an opening slide that encapsulates your central message .

Advanced Presentation Skills Training Course

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Captivating from the First Click

Make your opening slide shine by summarising the key message in a bold, succinct title with ample white space.

Then, introduce your topic with a high-quality visual – perhaps an infographic, photo or illustration – selected to resonate with your specific audience.

For virtual presentations, include identifying details like your name, presentation title, organisation and date. This provides context if slides are viewed later.

An impactful opening slide paves the way, mapping out key information ahead.

The Art and Science of Slide Aesthetics

Colour and contrast – the dynamic duo.

Thoughtful colour choices directly impact the look, feel and effectiveness of your slides. Vibrant accent colours like orange, green and blue attract the viewer’s eye, highlighting key text or graphical elements. Yet it’s wise to limit your palette to just 2-3 colours total to maintain overall visual clarity and focus.

Ensure high contrast between text colours and background colours for maximum readability and impact. Dark-coloured text on light backgrounds provides the clearest contrast and is easiest to read. Maintain a single muted background colour like beige, grey or white throughout all slides to provide visual cohesion. Avoid loud, distracting backgrounds.

Typography That Talks

Font style and size have a big influence on the tone and clarity of your message. For slide titles, use large, bold sans-serif fonts like Arial or Verdana set in 44 points or higher to grab attention.

For body text, standard sans-serif fonts like Arial, Calibri or Helvetica remain crisp and readable even on screens. Use a minimum font size of 30 points for easy viewing by audience members. Allow ample white space around text blocks to reduce crowding and increase emphasis.

Visuals with a Vision

Relevant images, infographics, and illustrations make your presentation slides much more visually impactful while also conveying or emphasising key information. High-quality stock photos should look authentic , not staged or generic. Infographics neatly synthesise data, statistics, relationships, processes or concepts into an easy-to-digest graphical format. Only use custom illustrations if they meaningfully contribute to your narrative – avoid bland clipart.

Presentation Skills In-House Tailor Made Training

If you are looking for In-House Presentation Skills Training for a group or teams, please see our

Crafting Your Slide’s Story

Brevity with brilliance.

Being concise is vital when crafting your slide content. Carefully curate information to only the 3-5 most essential facts, statistics and concise statements that advance your central theme. Avoid lengthy paragraphs or blocks of text that will quickly overwhelm your audience.

The wise 10/20/30 rule provides helpful constraints to distil your story down to its very essence – no more than 10 slides total, 20 minutes maximum length, and minimum 30-point font size used consistently throughout. Remove any non-critical information.

Narrating with Numbers

Leverage the power of visuals to efficiently communicate vital supporting data and statistics. Well-designed charts, graphs and tables allow audiences to absorb key information and relationships at a glance.

Keep visuals as simple and clean as possible for maximum clarity – use no more than 3-5 readable data sets. Include clear, descriptive labels and legends. Only use elaborate chart designs if you know your target viewers can easily decipher them.

Crafting Action-Driving Closures

Conclude by succinctly crystallising your core message takeaway in 1-2 sentences. Then, issue a clear call-to-action, directing your audience to relevant contact details, further resources or explicit next-step instructions. This energises and equips them to act based on your presentation. A strong close ties together key elements into a cohesive, memorable package. Send them away educated and motivated.

Tailored Design for Targeted Delivery

Designing for the digital divide.

Your audience’s location will determine the optimal design for your impactful presentation slides. For in-person events, use sufficiently large text and visual elements that the entire room can see clearly. Attendees in the back need legibility too. Sans-serif fonts at 30pt and higher work well.

But for virtual presentations, even larger components are essential. On screens, go for bold sans-serif fonts sized 45pt or greater with generous whitespace. This ensures clarity even on small laptop screens. High-contrast colours also help digitally.

Shorter virtual talks, about 15-20 minutes max, tend to hold attention best. Break detailed info into bitesize chunks over more slides. Actively engage remote viewers through discussions, polls and chat interactions. Keep them focused.

Global Appeal in Slide Design

When presenting to international audiences , research any cultural references or idioms that may be inappropriate or confusing across geographic borders. Avoid locale-specific metaphors and terminology.

Instead, rely more heavily on visuals, statistics and data to transcend language barriers. Icons and images can convey universal concepts. But even colours can have different cultural meanings.

Careful customisation results in presentation slides that resonate with audiences worldwide. Do your homework to get it right.

Mastering the Slide Lifecycle

Implementing standardised templates and curating an extensive library of reusable assets can greatly amplify efficiency and consistency in the slide design process. Let’s do a deeper dive into systemising your slide creation.

Tools of the Trade: Slide Creation Simplified

Leverage time-saving capabilities built into leading presentation tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides , and Prezi . Take the time to learn keyboard shortcuts for efficiently duplicating, rearranging, and formatting slide content, images, and text boxes. This keeps you focused on content rather than mechanics.

Take full advantage of the suite of professionally designed themes and layout templates included in the software to effortlessly apply polished, branded colour schemes, font packages, and master slide frameworks. Consistent templated formatting reinforces brand identity and amplifies your core message.

The Reusable Slide Arsenal

Maintaining an extensive, well-organized library of impactful presentation slides, section templates, icons, logos, imagery, and graphs allows seamless reuse of compliant, high-quality assets across presentations.

Tag each asset with multiple descriptive keywords based on usage scenarios like “Title Slides,” “Agenda,” “Infographics,” “Company History,” or “Statistics” for easy search and retrieval later. Routinely review and add fresh material to your slide bank to keep content engaging for repeat audiences over time.

Elevate Your Presentation Skills With Impact Factory

Now that you’re armed with strategies for delivering high-impact presentations , it’s time to put these into practice. 

Impact Factory offers personalised coaching, interactive workshops and corporate training programs tailored to the specific needs of each presenter and organisation. Our experienced coaches help unlock your full potential as an impactful, engaging speaker .

Start by exploring their website for free presentation resources. Articles and tips from industry veterans provide insights on captivating storytelling techniques , enhancing your stage presence, building confidence in front of audiences and more.

When you’re ready for in-depth skill building, reach out to Impact Factory’s team via email or phone. Our experts will listen closely and devise a custom training plan suited to your individual goals as a presenter . Private coaching provides the personalised attention required to hone advanced techniques. Or gather your whole team for an immersive workshop or tailored corporate training program.

Invest in developing your presentation abilities for maximum impact. With the right training and dedication, you can inspire audiences and achieve presentation greatness .

What makes an impactful presentation?

An impactful presentation is all about telling a compelling story that educates, inspires, and persuades your audience . It requires clearly defined objectives, strategic use of visuals, concise and vivid messaging, customisation for the specific audience, and smooth delivery . When all these core elements come together, you get a presentation that motivates and sticks with viewers long after it ends.

How do you start an impactful slide presentation?

Grab their attention immediately by opening with a slide that captures interest right away. Minimise text, use high-impact visuals, and have a bold but succinct title that summarises your core message. Establish the relevance to this particular audience. Set the stage for an engaging narrative to unfold. Those critical opening moments set the tone for your entire impactful presentation.

How do you give praise for a good presentation?

If someone has delivered an especially polished, engaging presentation, there are a few ways to express praise:

  • “Your presentation was so well organised and professional.”
  • “You made the information easy to absorb – nice work!”
  • “Your slides perfectly supported your talk without being distracting.”
  • “You kept me engaged from start to finish. Great job!”

A bit of authentic praise goes a long way.

What is the 5/5/5 rule for presentations?

The 5/5/5 rule provides guidance for slide text:

  • No more than 5 words per line of text
  • No more than 5 lines of text per slide
  • No more than 5 text-heavy slides in a row without visuals

This improves readability and audience engagement.

What is the 10/20/30 rule for presentations?

The handy 10/20/30 rule recommends 10 slides maximum, 20-minute duration, and 30 points minimum font size. This keeps presentations focused, impactful, and easy to digest. The large 30-point text ensures readability.

Related Articles:

Would you like to learn more about growing your presentation skills? Here are resources that could help you along your journey:

  • PowerPoint Presentation Course – This course is perfect for those who are ready to perfect their slides and learn how to craft a compelling story. Find out what you can expect from the course and how we can help you.
  • Writing PowerPoint Presentations – Preparing your slides isn’t only about making them look pretty. You also need to think about your message and how to deliver it in the most impactful way possible.
  • PowerPoint Presentation Tips And Tricks – Are you looking for immediate advice? Here are tips and tricks you can include in your next PowerPoint presentation.

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Give High Impact Presentations and Talks – 6 Expert Tips

January 13, 2023

Do you want to give high impact presentations and talks?

Do you want to engage your audience and do you want to present with impact when speaking if your answer to any of these is ‘yes’, then these techniques are for you..

We’ve been coaching business leaders to become impressive public speakers for more than ten years. We can transform a nervous presenter into a high impact public speaker in just a few hours. We use these tools from our public speaking toolbox to transform dull performances into impressive, high impact talks and presentations:

How To Give High Impact Presentations Use short phrases in your talk Include many more personal pronouns Introduce more and longer pauses Use rhetorical tools Connect with the audience within 10 seconds Avoid metatalk in your presentation

Presenting with Impact Tip #1. Use short phrases

Spoken language works best when delivered in snackable bites, using short, simple words and phrases .

  • Speak a few words at a time.
  • One idea per phrase.
  • Cut long sentences into chunks.
  • Take out sub clauses and complex constructions.

High Impact Presentation Tip #2. Include many more personal pronouns

You will find that personal pronouns are more compelling when you use them in your presentations. When you use I, We , Us and You, it means that you are speaking directly to your audience. You’ll find this technique works well. And you’ll find your words easier to say.

Contact us for a free consultation on your coaching needs

High Impact Talks Tip #3. Introduce more and longer pauses

Say this phrase out loud,{pause] with long pauses. {pause] You would be amazed how long you can pause. {pause] Pauses are so important. {pause] Learn how to use pauses when presenting.

  • Pauses give your audience time to think.
  • They give you time to compose your next line.
  • Pauses also make you look more impressive.

High Impact Presentation Tip #4. Use rhetorical tools

Rhetorical tools are often forgotten, but critical in high impact talks. For example:

  • repetition ,
  • alliteration ,
  • sets of three ,
  • and personal stories.

These are some of the most useful and important tools you can adopt. Used well, they will transform your performance.

High Impact Talks Tip #5. Connect with your audience within 10 seconds

Never start your talk with “Hello, my name is… I am here today to talk to you about….”

Instead, give a high impact start to your presentation and grab their attention immediately. Use one of the many tried and tested ways to hook your audience and lead them straight into your subject.

High Impact Presentations Tip #6. Avoid metatalk

The biggest presentation secret to presenting with impact is not a secret at all., in a conversation you would never say: “in this sentence you will hear that i am saying…..” or “in my next paragraph i will outline my argument.” this would be “meta-talk”: talk about talking, and it sounds very odd, that’s the presentation secret. so why do we see so many presenters start their presentation with: “in this presentation i will show you….” or “i will take you through this presentation….” that sort of meta-talk is annoying because it distances you from your audience. you distance yourself at exactly the time when you need to connect., to avoid this presentation mistake , our presentation skills coaching shows you how to speak directly to your audience rather than narrate the mechanics of your presentation., presentation secret: great presenters avoid metatalk..

What does this mean in practice? Avoid referring to your presentation as a separate entity. Instead, talk to your audience as if to a person – one to one. And only refer to your visual aids as needed.

For example:

You SHOULD NOT say: “Now turn to page 3. Here are the quarterly sales figures. As shown on the presentation, sales this quarter are up 3% and the graph shows the positive trend.” You SHOULD say: “ Sales this quarter are up 3%. That is a good result. This means we have now been increasing sales for the last 6 quarters. It’s a trend we would love to see continue.”

Can you see the difference?

In the second example you don’t mention the slide or the graph. You aren’t narrating a slide, you are talking to the audience and the slide/graph visually supports your argument. It’s a subtle change, but completely changes how effectively you communicate.

If you want to learn more about this and many other techniques for better presentations, please get in touch and find out how we can support you to become a world-class presenter .

You may also be interested in Five techniques to make a boring presentation more interesting .

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  • Greater engagement

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Communication Strategies: Presenting with Impact

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Communication Strategies Program Overview

Communication strategies: presenting with impact, a public speaking course.

Public speaking—whether delivering a presentation, making a pitch, or leading a group discussion—can cause even the most confident leader to break a sweat. Yet communicating your message with poise, confidence, and conviction is an essential leadership skill. Mastering your public speaking and presentation skills will enable you to inspire your audience as well as build trust and credibility.

Through oral presentations and small group activities, you will put proven public speaking techniques and tools into practice, test out new approaches, and learn to communicate clearly and confidently. Discover the powerful impact of storytelling and practical persuasion skills to authentically illustrate your message. Learn how to effectively organize materials to blend analytical and emotional content into a compelling story, and incorporate dynamic introductions and memorable endings into your presentations.

Who Should Register for this Public Speaking Course

This communication program is appropriate for business professionals at all levels of experience who would like to enhance their communication skills to succeed in delivering impactful presentations. It is ideal for anyone in a role that requires ceremonial speaking, persuasive speaking, or any other type of public speaking, regardless of industry or years of experience.

All participants will earn a Certificate of Participation from the Harvard Division of Continuing Education

Participants must be fluent in English to participate fully in fast-moving discussions and exercises.

Benefits of Communication Strategies: Presenting With Impact

This communication strategies program is designed to offer new techniques to improve your public speaking skills. Key takeaways from the program will help you improve your ability to persuade and influence your audience in large- and small-group settings.

During this public speaking training course, you will:

  • Learn guiding principles of making effective presentations
  • Build confidence in your presentation abilities
  • Cultivate your personal leadership and communication style
  • Learn strategies on handling hostile audiences

“Jill [Slye] shared invaluable tips that have helped me to reduce my anxiety and negative self-talk around my presentations while conveying a message that encourages others to affect change through empowering presentations.” — Lizbeth Sanches-Acre

The curriculum for this communication strategies program is designed to be interactive and hands-on. You will practice the skills and techniques you are learning in real-time through small group activities and oral presentations during the program.

The curriculum will cover topics such as:

  • Effective delivery skills involving presence, vocal variety, body language, narratives and humor, and handling nerves
  • Crafting clear and concise messages
  • Understanding and connecting with your audience
  • Techniques for effective handling of Q&A sessions
  • Ways to gain buy-in and influence your audience
  • Strategies for online communications, webinars, podcasts, Zoom platforms, etc.

This public speaking course is offered as a two-day on-campus program in our state-of-the-art classroom space in the heart of historic Harvard University. Program tuition is $2,990 plus the cost of travel.

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How will improving public speaking help me advance my career?

Public speaking is an important skill for any business professional, regardless of industry or role. To advance your career, you must possess the ability to convey your message with clarity and lead group discussions with confidence, regardless of the specific situation. Developing the techniques and strategies to communicate effectively will help build trust in your leadership skills more broadly.

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How to Start a Presentation with Impact + 12 Examples!

December 1, 2023

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In the world of snooze-worthy presentations, your opening is your moment of truth. Knowing how to start a presentation—be it a sales presentation, an investor pitch, a conference keynote, or an internal team update—sets the tone for everything that follows. The best way to open your presentation? Forget about overly complicated introductions, because you’ll want to use your initial seconds to pique genuine curiosity and capture attention. 

Whether it's through a thought-provoking quote, a stunning visual, a brief yet impactful video, an engaging question, or an interactive poll, the goal is to make your audience sit up and take notice, avoiding the common pitfall of starting with an 'about me' narrative. Remember, in these moments, your story is less about you and more about resonating with your audience. Wondering how you can craft an opening that not only grabs attention but also holds it? Here’s how to make sure your message sticks the landing.

How to Start Your Sales Presentation with Impact

The opening of a sales presentation is crucial in setting the stage for what you're offering. It’s your chance to grab the audience's attention and make them eager to hear more about your product or service. We might specialize in PowerPoint design services, but we’re also suckers for punchy openings and clever wordsmithing. Here are five dynamic ways to start your sales presentation to engage your audience effectively. After all, who’s going to buy from you if your presentation isn’t engaging?

Interesting Statistics

Begin your presentation with a statistic that highlights a problem or opportunity relevant to your audience. For instance, if you’re selling a cybersecurity solution, you might start with, "Did you know that cyber attacks are increasing at an alarming rate of 30% per year?" This kind of opening not only grabs attention but also establishes the importance of your product or service. The more attention-grabbing, the better!

Compelling Questions

Asking a thought-provoking question can immediately engage your audience. It encourages them to think and become active participants. For example, "Have you ever considered how much time we waste on inefficient processes?" This approach works well in highlighting the pain points that your product or service can address.

Presentation Storytelling

Stories are powerful tools for connection, no doubt. Start with a short, relatable story that illustrates the need for your product or service. A narrative about a common challenge and how your product provided a solution can be very effective. For instance, "Let me tell you about a client who was struggling with..."

Visual Impact

Using a striking visual can be a great way to start a sales presentation. A compelling image or a brief video that gets your message across can make a strong impression. This could be as simple as a before-and-after scenario, showcasing the effectiveness of your product.

Bold Statements

Kick off with a bold, intriguing statement that makes the audience sit up and take notice. It should be directly related to the benefits of your product or service. For example, "We're not just changing the game–we're redefining it." This kind of opening sets a confident tone for the rest of your presentation.

a presentation slide with image of coffee and a bold statement

How to Start Your Investor Pitch Presentation

Presenting to investors is a unique challenge. You need to quickly establish credibility and capture their interest. Here are five effective strategies for opening your investor presentation to ensure you make a lasting impression.

Visionary Opening

Begin with a powerful vision statement that encapsulates the essence and ambition of your business. This could be a glimpse into the future that your company is striving to create. For example, "At the heart of our company lies a vision to revolutionize sustainable energy for generations to come." This approach instantly sets a high-level tone and shows investors the potential impact of your business.

Compelling Problem Statement

Start with a clear and compelling description of the problem your business aims to solve. This not only highlights the need for your solution but also demonstrates your understanding of the market. For instance, "In a world where over 30% of produced food is wasted, our solution offers an innovative way to reduce this drastically."

Success Story

Share a brief story of a significant milestone or success that your company has achieved. This could be about landing a major client, a breakthrough in your technology, or a notable growth milestone. This kind of opening underlines your company's potential and track record.

Surprising Fact or Stat

Kick off with a surprising fact related to your industry that sets the stage for your presentation. This should be something that highlights the market opportunity or the need for your solution. For instance, "In the $2.2 trillion food industry, a shocking 30% of produce goes to waste. Our solution tackles this inefficiency head-on."

Personal Journey

Starting with a brief narrative about why you founded the company can be a powerful way to connect with investors on a more personal level. It adds a human element to your presentation, allowing investors to understand your passion and commitment. For example, "My journey to founding this company began five years ago when I encountered..."

image of old woman with cell phone

How to Start a Keynote Presentation

Keynote talks are an opportunity to inspire, influence, and leave a lasting impression on your audience. The opening of your talk is critical in setting the stage for your message. These are our favorite ways to hook your audience from the get-go.

Inspirational Quote

Open with a quote that resonates with the theme of your talk. Choose a saying from a well known person that gets the basic idea of your message across. For instance, "As Nelson Mandela once said, 'It always seems impossible until it’s done.' Today, we explore the 'impossible'." This approach connects your audience to something that feels familiar and sets a reflective tone for the rest of the presentation.

Intriguing Question

Pose an intriguing question to your audience that provokes thought and relates directly to your topic. This could be a rhetorical question or one that challenges common perceptions. For example, "Have you ever wondered what truly drives innovation in our fast-paced world?" This strategy engages your audience’s curiosity right from the start.

Personal Anecdote

Sharing a personal story that relates to your keynote theme can create an immediate emotional connection with your audience. It adds a personal touch and makes your message more relatable. Begin with, "Let me share a personal experience that profoundly changed my perspective on..." Remember to avoid going on about yourself, and instead focus on how the experience relates to the rest of your presentation.

These are all effective ways to make presentation storytelling lots more engaging. You can also use the previous suggestions of beginning the presentation with a visual hook or surprising fact to hook your audience from the start.

presentation slide with text "with ai, the only limit is your imagination"

How to Start Your Internal Team Meeting Presentation

Nobody wants their internal updates to prompt “couldn’t this be an email?” comments from their colleagues. For internal updates, the approach should be distinctively different, focusing on team engagement, shared goals, and collective progress. Here’s what we suggest for your presentation to ensure your team is attentive and motivated.

Celebratory Kick-Off

Begin with a celebration of a recent achievement or milestone. This could be team-centric, like reaching a project goal, or company-wide, such as a notable business success. For example, "I am thrilled to start today by celebrating our team's achievement in surpassing our quarterly targets."

Progress Highlight

Start by highlighting progress on key projects or initiatives. This could be a brief overview of where things stand or a specific success story. It’s a great way to show the team that their efforts are leading to tangible results. For instance, "Let's kick off by looking at the incredible progress we've made on the X project in the last month."

Team Member Spotlight

Open by spotlighting a team member's contribution or achievement. This not only recognizes individual efforts but also fosters a culture of appreciation and motivation. For example, "I want to begin today's meeting by highlighting James' outstanding contribution to our client project last week."

Industry News or Trends

Start with a brief discussion on relevant industry news or trends that might impact your team or company. This keeps the team informed and can start discussions on how these developments might affect your work. For example, "Let's start with some interesting developments in our industry that could present new opportunities for us."

Each of these approaches is designed to create an engaging and inclusive atmosphere for internal updates. The focus is on building team morale, encouraging participation, and keeping everyone aligned with the company’s goals and achievements.

high presentation impact

Recap: 12 Examples for Starting Your Presentation with Impact

To wrap up, let's compile three actionable examples for each type of presentation we've discussed. These examples are designed to be directly applicable, giving you a practical blueprint for engaging your audience right from the beginning of your presentation.

Sales Presentations

Statistic-based .

"Every year, businesses lose approximately $1.7 trillion due to inefficiencies in communication. Today, we introduce a solution that turns this challenge into an opportunity."

Question-Based

 "How many of you have experienced frustration due to delayed flights? Our app is here to change your travel experience forever."

"Last year, a small business owner faced a daunting challenge with their supply chain. Our software transformed their process, resulting in a 40% increase in efficiency."

Investor Presentations

Vision statement.

"We envision a future where renewable energy is not a luxury, but a norm for every household. Our technology is the key to this future."

Problem Statement

"In a world where online privacy is constantly under threat, our platform provides an unbreachable shield, safeguarding digital identities."

"Just six months ago, our prototype caught the attention of industry giants, leading to a groundbreaking partnership that sets us on a path to revolutionize our field."

Keynote Talks

"Margaret Mead famously said, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.' This idea is at the core of our discussion today."

"What if I told you that the biggest barrier to innovation is not a lack of ideas, but a lack of action? Let’s explore this further."

Visual Display

"This image [showing a powerful photograph] represents the drastic change our industry has undergone in the last decade. Let's dive into what this means for us."

Internal Updates

"I'm excited to announce that thanks to our team's efforts, customer satisfaction has hit an all-time high this quarter!"

Interactive Element

"To get us started, I'd like everyone to share one word that describes their current project experience."

Industry News

"Recent developments in AI technology have opened new avenues for our projects. Let's discuss how we can integrate these into our workflow."

man giving presentation

These examples offer a versatile range of strategies to effectively start your presentations, tailored to the specific context and audience of your talk. Whether it’s a sales presentation, an investor pitch, a conference keynote, or an internal team update, using these examples as a guide can help you grab your audience's attention and keep them engaged throughout. Presenting is not easy, but a good opening will give you the confidence boost that can help you throughout your talk. Here’s to less-boring presentations!

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12 tips to help you to communicate effectively when presenting

Jul 09, 2017 by maurice decastro in advice.

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This article shares 12 tips to help you to communicate effectively when presenting.

Mindful presenting offers the pathway to the art of persuasion, influencing and human connection. It is the strategic key to communicating effectively and the route to high impact public speaking and presenting.

The key to personal and professional contentment and success is to communicate effectively

We each have two voices; our inner dialogue and of course, the one others can hear.

Much of our advancement revolves around how we get others to see things from our point of view. To win people over to our way of thinking we have to communicate effectively.

The ability to communicate effectively will help you to:

– Gain support for an idea,

– Diffuse an emotional charge,

– Deal with opposition

– Change the world in some way

Many people think that presenting is something reserved for those who have to speak to clients and colleagues using PowerPoint

I learned as a small boy growing up in a large family, with 3 sisters and two brothers that the need to persuade, influence and connect is our greatest challenge. It starts long before we enter the workplace.

Let’s focus on how to communicate effectively at work

1. focus on your ‘m’ point.

Your ‘M’ Point is your personal moment of truth.

Before we even begin to craft our presentation we need to have absolute clarity on what we want from our audience after we have delivered our message. In other words, what exactly is it that we what them to think, feel and do the moment we finish speaking.

Focusing on your ‘M’ point requires a great deal of  conscious thought to your motivation for calling people together in the first place. 

What is their motivation for turning up to listen to you speak?

What do you want them to think, feel and do?

2. ‘ Perception is reality’

I believe that it was the great Albert Einstein who said, “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

To communicate effectively we need to very carefully consider our audience’s reality. In other words, how do they see things,?

Do we share common ground on our perspectives?

– How much do they know already?

– Why should they care?

– How will your message help them and what difference will it make to their personal or professional lives?

– What’s so different and special about your way of thinking?

3. Spot the weakness

Never make the assumption that just because you think that your idea or message is a good one, or indeed the right one for your audience, that they will too.

Discerning professionals have no time or patience for presenters who expect them to believe every word they say simply because they said it.

To communicate effectively we  have to mindfully consider in great detail the potential flaws in our message. It’s our job as presenters to spot the weaknesses before our audience does and present them transparently with thoughtful answers and solutions.

Your audience won’t forgive you for making them do the work that you should have done for them.

4. Leave your ego at your desk

Are you ready for an uncomfortable truth about public speaking and presenting?

No one really cares about you

It sounds harsh doesnt it? Let me put that awful statement into context?

Your audience don’t want to hear:

– How many offices you have

– The number of widgets you make and sell each year

– A full acount of your organisations history and values?

What matters the most to them is whether what you have to say is of value to them and will make any difference to their lives.

Make sure that everything you say, show and do is personal, relevant and of value to your audience

In other words, make your presentation entirely about them and not about yourself.

5. Make the first 5 minutes count

Don’t save your key message for the end of your presentation.

Let your audience know as quickly as you can exactly why:

– You’ve called them together

– How you can help them.

Please don’t start by telling them how many offices you have and how many widgets you make each year.

Don’t try to impress them, try this instead:

Make them feel at ease

Capture their interest and curiosity immediately; you already have their attention .

6. Stop the noise

One obstacle to communicating effectively is our own inner voice.

The one in your mind that quietly whispers, what if:

They don’t like me?

My audience know more than I do?

I forget what to say?

They ask me a question I can’t answer?

These may be valid questions to ask, but the wrong place to ask them is when you are standing right in front of your audience, just about to speak.

We each have our own personal inner voice

It’s the ‘noise’ that challenges us before we utter a word.

Spend a few minutes just before you present taking a few slow deep breaths or meditating to slow down the noise.

The moment you stand to speak take a deep breath, pause and  smile.

Feel your feet grounded to the floor and let those troublesome thoughts float away like clouds.

Your audience want you in the room; all of you.

7. Be quiet

To communuicate effectively we need to pause occasionally.

Unfortunately many speakers find that a moment of silence feels like an eternity to them in their mind. The reality is that most of us speak much faster than our audiences can listen. They want little more from us than to slow down and to pause briefly every now and then.

Silence is not only a powerful force, it is a presenter’s ally.

Find the courage to use it wisely.

8. Know it in 90

When it comes to presenting, the theory that ‘less is more’ is an extremely valuable and recommended one.

The Mindful Presenter invests a great deal of time, energy and effort getting to know their message inside and out to the point that they could, if asked to, deliver it in 90 seconds.

Make a point of knowing your message by being able to share it with clarity, impact and power in 90 seconds or less.

 I’m not talking about delivering any of your presentations to a real audience in 90 seconds. My suggestion is that if you practice focusing on your message with laser like clarity and purpose in under 90 seconds, when you have the gift of time to do so in 20 minutes everything comes together more easily.

9. Assume nothing

In the process of crafting your presentation don’t assume that:

– Just because you know what you are talking about that your audience will too.

– Because you believe in what you are saying that your audience will too.

– They are familiar with your choice and use of language, keep it simple.

Please avoid these assumptions too

– Someone yawns or looks at their watch that they are bored. If they are all constantly looking at their watch and yawning then you know they are bored.

– That your audience have understood you, check in with them.

– If no one asks a question that they don’t have any; have a few ready yourself to share and encourage them to open up .

10. Show them, don’t just tell them

Anyone can present with varying levels of confidence and clarity. Some professionals make the mistake of thinking that all they have to do is tell their audience what’s on the slides or on their script and they have given a good presentation.

To communicate effectively we have to bring our presentation to life

Make sure that your words are completely congruent with the way you express them both verbally and non-verbally. That means:

– Making effective eye contact

– Using your voice by adjusting your tone, volume, pitch and pace,

– Using hand gestures

– Smiling

– Moving meaningfully to own the platform

– Telling stories

– Being animated

– Being facially expressive

– Speaking with passion and conviction

11. Scan your body

For many people the very thought of having to stand and present their ideas to others can create a great deal of anxiety which can turn into tension in the body.

We owe it to ourselves and our audience to bring awareness and acknowledgement to where we feel it in our body.

In their brilliant book, ‘ Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world ’, Danny Penman and Mark Williams offer an extremely powerful audio which teaches us how to scan our own bodies.

I’ve include the meditation in the YouTube video below.

12. Choose a word and a number

Remember your ‘M’ point?

Once you’ve decided how you want your audience to feel, the most important way to help them to feel it is to feel it yourself.

You can’t expect people to feel passion or excitement if you don’t feel it yourself

You have to live the feeling first so that they can see, hear and experience it in you.

Saying that you are excited or passionate isn’t enough. Sometimes we have to make ourselves feel it.

Practicing the following exercise will help you learn to tune in to the emotion you want your audience to feel.

Choose the emotion very carefully

– Imagine that emotion on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 represents every part of you being filled with that emotion at its highest level.

– Decide how much you want to feel of that emotion yourself, in other words choose a number. 8 is often a helpful place to be.

– Use your imagination to hold in mind what that emotion looks, sounds and feels like in your experience and be that number.

– Step into that feeling.

– Repeat until you feel it.

If you’d like to learn to communicate effectively:

– Book yourself onto a powerful  public speaking course .

– Invest in some really good one to one  public speaking coaching .

– Get yourself some excellent  presentation training

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  • Convey complex presentation content directly and simply
  • Explore techniques to overcome any fear you may have of presenting

Learn to deliver effective presentations

High-stakes presentations require more than just basic presentation skills. They require professional-level delivery techniques and the confidence to deliver at the highest level in any business setting.

In this practical course, you'll learn key topics including how to build confidence when presenting, open and close presentations convincingly, interact with a natural and composed demeanor, and how to leave your audience with a message that really resonates.

Who should take this course?

If you're preparing for high-stakes presentations, such as presenting to senior executives, updating important clients on a project, pitching for a large contract, or speaking at high-profile engagements, then this is the course for you.

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Level up your presentation skills

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Learn online, anytime

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Practice with exercises

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Improve with feedback

Course content.

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Practice exercises

Practice your public speaking with interactive and engaging exercises. At key points during the course, you'll be prompted to practice what you've learned in one of the following exercises.

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Boardroom Meeting

Practice giving a speech in our small meeting room, where you can load in your own slides to practice with.

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TEDx Styled Talk

This TEDx-styled large conference room allows you to practice for any upcoming presentations at large venues.

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Impromptu Presentation Skills

Practice your skills in this quick-thinking impromptu scenario. Speak about the contents of a random slide for 30 seconds, before being shown the next one.

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Lecture Hall Presentation

Deliver a short presentation in a lecture hall-styled environment. You can also practice this presentation in the live training part of the course.

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Delivering a Press Statement

Deliver a press statement and answer questions from journalists in a small conference room.

Features in the practice exercises

Presentation slides, speech analysis, ai-powered questions, what's included in this course:.

  • All exercise features
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CEU - Continuing Education Units

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CPD Credits / Hours: 5

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You can access the classes through the VirtualSpeech website, on any standard web browser such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.

The practice exercises can be completed online or in virtual reality (if you have a VR headset).

When you enroll in the course, you'll get 24/7 access to the course (including tutorial videos, case studies, practice exercises, VR, and more) through the VirtualSpeech website and in VR.

Both the online classes and exercises run in your browser, no additional software or download is required.

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If the course does not meet your expectations, you can get a full refund within 7 days of purchasing the course.

PowerPoint: Create and Deliver High-Impact Presentations

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Learn how to quickly and efficiently create beautiful PowerPoint presentations for engaging delivery of high-impact communication without wasting time -- even if you are not a professional designer.

Microsoft PowerPoint is an essential tool of choice for a wide spectrum of professional communicators -- from university professors and consultants to salespeople and office administrators.

This class will help you learn the ins and outs of Microsoft PowerPoint so you can efficiently use its power to communicate with your audience. Discover how you can design, create, maintain and deliver beautiful presentations that tell a story and help you get your point across.

Here's a small fraction of what you will be learning in this class:

  • Step-by-step presentation-creation process.
  • How to choose the presentation design theme.
  • Two ways to fill your presentation with verbal content.
  • Anatomy of a PowerPoint presentation.
  • Effective techniques to work with slide screen objects to quickly control the formatting, size, position, alignment and other characteristics.
  • How to work with slide layouts and object placeholders.
  • Working with Text Boxes, WordArt, Shapes, Images, Videos, Tables, SmartArt, Charts and Screenshots.
  • How to control your presentation design using Slide Masters and the background.
  • How to create your own presentation template or where to get one if you don't have time to do it.
  • Smooth the flow of your presentation with slide transitions.
  • Use animations for a higher impact and more engaging presentation flow.
  • How to create multiple presentations for different audiences and maintain your slide deck from a single file -- without making multiple copies.
  • Create navigation buttons for your audience for self-paced presentations.
  • How to create timings for automatically run slideshows and when it's not a good idea to use them.
  • Tips to avoid the "death by PowerPoint" syndrome and deliver a high-impact presentation.

This class will not only give you the best overview of PowerPoint but also help you get great ideas on how you can enhance your presentation skills and become a better communicator.

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The definitive guide to creating a high impact business presentation (with examples)

Presentation Shapes Image

How to give a business presentation

Have you ever watched a presentation and been blown away by the presence or charisma of the speaker?

The truth is that the best speakers included,use a set of specific skills which they have learned and developed over time. It’s not a fluke that they have taken you on a journey, made you feel like the only person in the room, and inspired you to take action on what they say. They are following a process and using a set of tactics that elicit this reaction. And our goal here is helping you achieve that.

Each component of their presentations is still deliberate and learned. Even the very best comedians, who appear to display the epitome of “off-the-cuff” commentary, meticulously plan and practice every aspect of their shows so that they come across as natural and witty.

Jerry Seinfeld, for instance, is renowned for being one of the most well-prepared speakers in the world.

Jerry Seinfield presentataions

‍ Seinfeld says , “Every comedian, like every athlete, has a little routine… I never vary it. It just feels comfortable.” ‍ From pitching a potential client to persuading your CEO to ramp up the marketing budget, each presentation has subtle differences which determine whether or not they are effective in achieving the desired outcome.

With that said, there are a few universal guidelines when it comes to delivering an effective business presentation. This guide will provide an overview of the different types and delve deeper into the elements that work together to deliver impact. 

Here are some of the most important business presentation skills you should learn and improve over time:

Practice and prepare

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “I know this stuff” and “winging it” when it’s time to present. Some may even think that an delivering an excellent business presentation is as easy as speaking. However, the best presenters prepare meticulously.

For important presentations, plan on a minimum of 10 run-throughs . By doing so, you increase your chances of the presentation going off without a hitch and your ability to ability to engage with the audience in the moment.

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When presenting, it’s easy to get lost in your slides, caught reading notes or worried about what you will say next. But if you prepare appropriately, you can truly be present during the presentation–the most effective way to engage an audience and maintain their attention. 

However, we know that is easier said than done. Here’s a quick but effective guide to help you give killer presentations without notes:

Tell a great story

Studies suggest that stories are up to 22 times more memorable than facts. Stories connect with us on a personal level, tapping into emotion–just one reason they have been a crucial foundation of human society, passing on knowledge for generations.

Storytelling, however, isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s a skill and a formula that the best presenters use to capture an audience.

This TED Talk by Nancy Duarte showcases not only an impactful presentation, but highlights the power of storytelling in conveying a message.

The 10-20-30 rule

Helping others understand a complex topic in simple language is perhaps the greatest skill of an effective presenter. If you overload a presentation with information, the people watching are more likely to leave being confused or simply disengage during the presentation. Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 rule is a good structure to follow: ‍

Inexperienced presenters have a tendency to overload their slide deck with information and run out of time right before they get to the juicy part of their message. Using the 10-20-30 rule is a good way to condense a presentation and reduce the chance of running out of time.

Physical awareness, eye contact, and voice projection

Did you know that 55% of the way someone interprets your communication is attributed to body language, and 38% attributed to your tone of voice? That leaves only 7% of interpretation based on the actual words said.

Given these statistics, the way we prepare for presentations should be weighted towards understanding how what our body language and tone of voice says, rather than obsessing over simply the words we say. 

As with any new skills, these presentation skills won’t develop overnight. To truly become an excellent presenter and communicator in the workplace, you need to practice and refine your skillset habitually.

Now let’s talk about how to create the presentation deck itself.

How to make a business presentation slide deck

What is the audience looking at when you are presenting? Your slides.

There will be moments when you engage one-to-one in eye contact with people, but for the most part, they are using their visual senses and looking at your slides to better understand what you are talking about.

Given this behavior, the look and feel of your slides can either help or hinder the consumption and retention of your message. As a result, the way you design your slide deck is critical. If you’re short on time or resources, SketchDeck just might be the perfect solution to get high-quality, on brand presentation design.

Here are some best practices to follow when it comes to presentation design:

Types of business presentations

There is a fairly broad spectrum of pitches, speeches, and meetings that business professionals both encounter and carry out in their day-to-day work. As a result, it is important that before we talk about how to create one, we define what it is.

A business presentation is the delivery of a message to a group or individual with the purpose of influencing their perception of a topic so that it aligns with a desired set of outcomes. While these presentations take several forms, we can group them into three primary categories: ‍

  • Sales presentation : A sales presentation or sales pitch refers to a structured message which attempts to persuade someone to buy a product or service. ‍
  • Marketing presentation : Unlike a sales pitch, a marketing presentation is typically delivered to other representatives within a business. The purpose of this business meeting presentation is to educate and influence internal decision-makers or budget holders to buy into a plan for promoting a product or service. ‍
  • Other business presentations : ‍ On top of marketing and sales presentations, there are any number of professional presentations that could be categorized as business presentations. These include information sessions, training initiatives, reporting on results, innovation brainstorms, problem-solving collectives, and much more.

Use brand guidelines

Your business should have a set of design guidelines in place which all collateral, including presentations, abide by. Things such as primary colors, secondary colors, layout, fonts, style, and flow should all be itemized and described in this document.

For an example, check out the SketchDeck Brandbook.

Business presentation templates are your friends

In addition to using your brand’s set of design guidelines, it’s helpful to create a series of themed templates for each type of business presentation. This way, whenever someone in your organization is conducting a presentation they have an on-brand framework to work from.

Have a design library

To ensure consistency across your brand, develop a design library for employees that is hosted in the cloud. This library will provide quick and easy access to your guidelines, templates, and a set of pre-approved images and graphics. 

PowerPoint best practices

For our next step, let’s check a few PowerPoint best practices (works for Google Slides and pretty much any other presentation software, too):

Adopt the KISS approach

Say it with us–keep it short and simple and you’ll keep your viewers happy. Limit yourself to one key idea per slide:

Not only will this allow you to inform your audience without overwhelming them, but it will also keep you from diluting the importance of each piece of information with tangents.

This doesn’t apply to only text, though–crowding every corner with graphs, animations and even logos prevent the key points from being communicated. As posited by Edward Tufte, “ PowerPointPhluff ” is a trap many presenters fall prey to, replacing serious analysis with chart junk, over-produced layouts, cheerleader logotypes, and branding, not to mention corny clip art.

As a general rule, you should aim to include no more than three pieces of information on one slide–all of which contribute to one idea.

Draw attention to key points

Use contrasting colors, font variations, and moving graphics to draw people’s attention to the most important points in your presentation.

In the example below, you can see how a simple variation in fonts can have a powerful visual impact on the way someone interprets a slide:

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Additional business presentation tips

Once you’ve practiced your presentation skills and refined your design, you may ask: what else can you do to deliver a powerful presentation? Here are some additional tips, ideas and best practices:

Seek feedback

As with anything, if you want to get better at presenting, the best way to do so is to seek constructive feedback and use that feedback to improve.

For best results, go beyond asking a friend or colleague “how it went” or “how you did.” Instead, enlist a coach, mentor, or accountability partner who can provide structured and meaningful feedback.

‍ Even though you are conducting a business presentation, don’t neglect the entertainment factor.

People like to feel –whether it be laughing, crying, being held in suspense, and/or drawn to the edge of their seat. Entertainment and emotion are components that grab attention and will inevitably help you convey your message. 

Make it visual

Research suggests that a staggering 65% of people are visual learners. Not only that, but studies show that the retention of knowledge is significantly increased when visuals are used rather than text, so keep this in mind when creating your slide deck.

This presentation from Andreas von der Heydt shows off the power of visuals in presentations with only minimal text on each slide. 

Andreas von der Heydt – The Magic to Think Big

Now let’s get visual and check a few great business presentation decks available online!

Here is a collection of 15 of the best business presentations, including key insights and takeaways for your next deck.

Sample business presentations

1. how google works.

Putting together a presentation like this one is no easy task. It is lighthearted but extremely professional and relevant at the same time. Each slide makes you curious to see what’s next, and they keep it fun without fluff. Bravo!

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2. Zuora Sales Deck

Some say this is the best sales deck ever . For us, it’s hard to say this is the best business presentation we’ve seen, seeing as we’ve designed over 4,000 presentations for amazing clients–but it is surely one of the more powerful presentations out there. 

We like how Zuora’s deck tells a compelling story through great visuals and a perfectly structured narrative. They press the right buttons throughout to make their target audience uncomfortable enough to pay attention, yet hopeful enough to crave for their solution.

And while finding good business pictures for presentations can be challenging, Zuora takes it to the next level by using on-brand visual aids to support their message on each slide. 

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PowerPoint is not boring–dull slides and corny animations are. 

With creativity and skill, you can make wonderful presentations in PowerPoint. This presentation we made for Dialpad was a big hit thanks to the engaging animations that both embodied the brand’s exceptional quality and displayed in-depth service details in a clean, dynamic way. (Again, all in PowerPoint!) 

In order to resonate with your audience, you must know your audience–something Reddit excels at.

Not only is this deck 100% on-brand, it’s also funny and interesting in a relevant way for their audience. They did a great job with their company presentation, showing how Reddit works and their strong policies against spammers and attempts to “game” the platform.

The deck also excelled at showing success cases, using both creative and down-to-earth ads to show that their platform brings a good ROI if you follow their guidelines, whether you have a brilliant marketing campaign or a set of simple, on-point ads.

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5. Hiperdist ‍

This deck is living proof you don’t need to toot your own horn in a professional business presentation.

In this 9 slide deck about key reasons to move your clients to Microsoft Office 365, Hiperdist remained laser focused on the solution that was relevant to their audience. They only mentioned their own brand in the final slides, with contact information and a one-sentence description.

Perhaps the only area that they could’ve done better in is following the golden rule–one key point per slide! To ensure you are concise and not wordy in your own presentation, create a business presentation outline before designing your deck. 

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6. Snapchat

This deck does a magnificent job by cutting to the chase quickly and presenting relevant data without clutter. Simple, on-brand, to the point and well-designed–a great example of how business presentation slides should look and feel.

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7. Adgibbon

After providing top-notch business presentation services for years, we’ve developed a sixth sense when it comes to great presentations. We can usually tell if a deck is good or bad from the first slides.

Adgibbon was a hit from head to tail, dynamically showcasing their product, one feature per slide and keeping things light, fun, and 100% on-brand. 

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8. Launchrock ‍

With a clean, on-brand look and feel, Launchrock showcases everything they need in 16 crisp slides. 

And the best thing about their clean design? If they need new business presentations, all they need to do is use this one as a template and they’re ready to go!

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That’s one of the major benefits of a professional business presentation PPT template: you can easily streamline outstanding decks, keeping guesswork out of the equation.

9. Schmidt Ocean Institute

Giving a presentation about something as complex as marine science and conservation could be considered overwhelming. That didn’t stop Schmidt Ocean Institute, however, from killing it with their 2018 Visions to Reality deck.

This deck is a masterclass on how to make a business PowerPoint presentation look great by harmonizing beautiful photography, illustrations, data points, blockquotes, technical knowledge and company achievements without clutter, fluff or dullness.

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10. Greylock Partners

With major companies like Dropbox and Okta on their portfolio, Greylock Partners has in-depth knowledge and experience in their field. They also know how to show their expertise in a digestible and compelling manner. 

If you’re stuck and need some tips on how to give a powerful presentation, take a deep dive into this deck. They use subtle background authoritative images to build trust with their audience…  

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And not only do they ask the billion dollar question…

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But they also answer it with uncanny precision and great visual aids.

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Finally, they use data-driven graphs to back up their answer and simultaneously show the audience their expertise.

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Pitching investors demands your A-game. And since 91% of professionals feel more confident when they have a beautifully designed presentation, design plays a major role in prepping for success.

When Air was preparing for an important presentation for a group of investors, they decided they needed a new look. Within two weeks, we had worked together to create a beautiful final presentation. The presentation was a hit, and they wowed their investors!

Remember: beautiful design is not only an aesthetic need, but also a profitable decision that can make or break huge opportunities.

12. Office Vibe

With vibrant colors and fun illustrations, each slide from Office Vibe’s deck is delightful and informative. It’s captivating enough to make you want to flip through the entire deck more than once–a good marker of a winning PowerPoint business presentation deck.

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13. Degreed

Degreed’s takeaway slides are just what every audience needs–a breakdown of data-heavy slides into digestible tidbits. 

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Their capacity to illustrate data is also worth mentioning, as it increases information retention.

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14. Hubspot

Hubspot presentations are on-brand, fun, and engaging, and their Zero to IPO deck is no different.

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And of course, full of memes.

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Disclaimer: we’re not saying you should use memes, but they can help engage the audience if on-brand (assuming your audience is as fond of memes as many marketers are!)

15. Thrive Savings

Have a tight timeline for an important business presentation, but not confident your current deck is good enough to make a stand for your brand?

That’s why we exist! Thrive Savings was a young startup without firm brand guidelines, but that didn’t stop us from creating a pitch deck that personified their brand. Taking inspiration from their social media marketing, we worked together to create a fresh and dynamic deck design in under a week, from start to finish. 

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Aislinn Barry

  • Originally published on September 11, 2019

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  1. What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

    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 ...

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    How To Give High Impact Presentations. Use short phrases in your talk. Include many more personal pronouns. Introduce more and longer pauses. Use rhetorical tools. Connect with the audience within 10 seconds. Avoid metatalk in your presentation. Presenting with Impact Tip #1. Use short phrases.

  6. Communication Strategies: Presenting with Impact

    Communication Strategies: Presenting With Impact, a Public Speaking Course. Public speaking—whether delivering a presentation, making a pitch, or leading a group discussion—can cause even the most confident leader to break a sweat. Yet communicating your message with poise, confidence, and conviction is an essential leadership skill.

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    Stand in front of a mirror and give your presentation. Watch your body language and facial expressions. Practice your presentation with a friend - over the phone. even - to get their feedback. Practice with a Mirror. Phone a Friend! Record Yourself. Record yourself and play it back. Watch and listen for your. cadence, tone, and physical presence.

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