how many slides make a 5 minute presentation

How to Create an Engaging 5-Minute Presentation

Published: September 15, 2023

A 5-minute speech can feel both incredibly short and infinitely long.

While this short format encourages audiences to pay more attention, presenters often struggle to fit everything into five minutes even as they navigate nervousness that seems to stretch out each second.

As a result, preparation is key for 5-minute speech success.

But how can you ensure your presentation accomplishes everything it needs to within just five short minutes? We’ve put together an (appropriately condensed) guide on five-minute presentations to help you get started.

How many words are in a 5-minute presentation?

A five-minute presentation is approximately 700 words long. The average person speaks 120 to 160 words a minute, which means the average five-minute presentation is 600 to 800 words.

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To calculate your own personal speaking speed (words per minute, or WPM):

• Make an audio recording of yourself speaking for one minute.
• Use a free transcription service to generate a text version of your speech.
• The number of words you spoke in that minute is your personal WPM.

When constructing a longer presentation, you might be more concerned about transitions and keeping the audience engaged with more extensive narrative elements.

In a short presentation, everything you say should directly tie back to your central premise and further advance your main point.

Keeping a tight scope and using your words carefully ensures your time isn't wasted and the audience leaves with a clear, singular takeaway.

How many slides are in a 5-minute presentation?

Five or six slides, or about one per minute, is a good baseline for a 5-minute presentation. Depending on your subject matter, however, you might use up to 20 slides and spend about 10 or 15 seconds on each.

More important than your slide count is what each slide contains. It‘s a good rule of thumb to keep your slides simple and focused on visuals instead of text for a presentation of any length.

This becomes especially important when you’re dealing with a condensed presentation window.

Trying to cram in as much information as possible within a short time frame can be tempting. Resist the urge. Instead, focus on simple, clean visuals that all tie back to your central premise.

You can also use these free presentation templates to arrange your slides in a way that makes the most sense for your delivery and the content of your presentation.

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Create a 5 Minutes Presentation

How to Create a 5 Minutes Presentation

Giving a 40-60-minute speech isn’t a synonym for success. Sticking to shorter presentation formats can increase the impact of large-format events. Among its many advantages, allowing multiple speakers to give their insights rises above everything. Still, presenters often struggle to be concise, as they aim to disclose as much content as possible, ending up overdoing the allotted time or delivering rushed-up presentations.

In this article, we’ll share our experience on how to master the art of 3-5 minute presentations, keeping your speech concise while using powerful graphics to connect with the audience.

Table of Contents

What is a 5 Minutes Presentation?

What are the requirements of 5 minutes presentations, how many slides for a 5 minute presentation, 5 minute presentation ideas, how to make a 5 minute presentation, common mistakes to avoid in 5-minute presentations, recommended templates for 5 minute presentations, final words.

A 5-minute presentation is a short talk designed to convey a specific message, idea, information, or argument within a limited timeframe, between three to five minutes – the latter being the average duration. Due to the brevity, these presentations require careful planning and preparation to ensure the content is concise, focused, and impactful. 

We can define a five-minute presentation’s must-have(s) in seven different categories.

Objective Definition

The purpose of your talk has to be clear from the presentation planning phase. This implies acknowledging whether you intend to inform, persuade, inspire, or instruct your audience on a given topic.

On this behalf, we made a list of frameworks to help you pinpoint the core objective of your presentation:

• SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff): Intended for sales strategy or customer-driven presentations. The focus is set on understanding the audience’s situation, presenting the problems, implications, and potential benefits of a proposed solution.
• AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action): The AIDA framework is extremely popular in marketing campaigns and sales presentations. You can learn more about this approach for engaging presentations by checking our guide on the AIDA model .
• SCQA (Situation, Complication, Question, Answer): Intended for problem-solving meetings and business presentations. The SCQA framework establishes a context and its challenges, raises a question, and provides solutions for it.
• Minto Pyramid Principle: This unconventional approach is used for business presentations and reports, and was developed by Barbara Minto at McKinsey & Company in the 1970s . We start by stating the conclusion or core recommendation, then organize the information that supports your statement in a logical flow. By implementing this approach, you inspire the audience to think critically about the presented scenario, while discussing complex ideas in an easier-to-digest format due to its hierarchical organization of ideas.
• Monroe’s Motivated Sequence: A framework with a focus on persuasive presentations. It is structured by five pillars recognized by its author, Alan H. Monroe : Attention, Need, Satisfaction, Visualization, and Action. 

Concise Content

“How many words in a 5-minute speech” is a commonly asked question by beginner presenters. The average range for seasoned speakers is 130-150 words per minute in a fluent speech, and depending on the topic, that can go slower (technical-based presentations) or faster (motivational presentations, like the ones delivered by Tony Robbins ). 

Therefore, for a 5-minute speech, you might aim for:

• At 130 words per minute: 130×5=650 words
• At 150 words per minute: 150×5=750 words

That calculation can help you curate the script for your speech. In general lines, our expertise tells us that selecting a topic that can be covered within 5 minutes is roughly 60% of the job. After effectively selecting a topic, you must restrict the content to 2-3 main points to remain within the time limit and end your presentation in style. 

Presentation Structure

In more laid-back scenarios, presentations can lean toward a conversational mode rather than a strict agenda. Still, we ought to ensure the presentation structure contains an Introduction, a Body, and a Conclusion. 

The Introduction helps us familiarize the audience with what’s expected out of your presentation. Additionally, it is our chance to make a good first impression . Knowing how to start your presentation guarantees audience engagement from the initial moments of your delivery.

Moving to the Body, this is where facts are laid out and backed up using evidence or examples to support your view. Visual aids can contribute to minimizing the need for lengthy text walls. 

Finally, the Conclusion summarizes the key takeaways and, when applicable, brings a call to action in the format of thought-provoking statements, data shared, an irresistible offer, and plenty of other scenarios.

Audience Engagement

Connecting with the audience is vital, especially in short formats like Pecha Kucha presentations . Your speech pace and body language are significant factors that contribute to how the audience perceives your interest in their time. 

Aim for a relaxed but confident attitude, as if you were passionately talking about a topic with a group of acquaintances. This reinforces your authority in the topic you deliver, as being anxious or rushing through the presentation only speaks of a lack of interest.

Apply professional presentation techniques like storytelling for presentations or harnessing the power of visual communication strategies to make your message memorable. 

Audience Acknowledgement

Tailoring your presentation for the audience’s interest is the first step every presenter must take to guarantee success, especially if we’re another speaker in large-scale events. In some niches, like academic presentations, it is vital as some of the audience may not feel connected with your research topic. 

Based on information gathered from our customer’s feedback, a good recipe to connect with your audience is to work with a sales approach in mind and create your “ideal audience persona.” This would be your attendee who’s 100% connected with what you intend to share. Compare and contrast demographics with the public you know will attend, and find the common points and where you need to adjust your expectations to meet the audience’s interest.

If the event format allows for it, be ready to present questions at the end of your presentation that may drive the interest of a Q&A session.

Visual Aids

Slides featuring infographics , dashboards , or storytelling-based illustrations help to attract the spectator’s interest and increase the retention rate, as research proves it’s easier to recall pictures than words . As previously mentioned, leveraging graphics helps us reduce our slides’ word count.

Other presentation aids , like videos, audio, and even sensory elements such as smells, can drive a broad range of emotional responses within the audience. It’s worth exploiting this route if your presentation aims to persuade or motivate the spectators. 

Time Management

Last but not least, time management is an etiquette rule of respect for fellow presenters. Your content has to fit within the 5-minute limit, including transition times and variations in your delivery speed.

A good presenter is an adaptable one. Be ready to adjust your speech on the fly if you find yourself running short or long on time or if the audience’s interest drives the conversation briefly away from your intended destination.

Defining how many slides is a 5 minute presentation isn’t an automatic task. Some topics can be quickly resolved following the premises of the 1-2-3 rule for presentations, applying:

• One main message: Your presentation should center around a single, clear main message or idea. This ensures focus and helps your audience grasp the core of your presentation without getting lost in details. 
• Two supporting points: Support your main message with two strong, relevant points or arguments. This structure helps provide depth to your presentation without overwhelming your audience with too much information. 
• Three examples or pieces of evidence: For each supporting point, provide three examples, pieces of evidence, or data points to substantiate your arguments. This reinforces your message and helps in making your case more convincing.

In short, implementing this practice can result in a range between 5 and 10 slides in your 5-minute presentation. More complex topics, like medical presentations or scientific conferences, cannot be summarized easily, as graphs require one full slide for accurate data visualization. In this case, weigh the critical points your presentation must cover, assign a maximum of 3 slides per crucial point, and avoid filler content.

Googling around you can come across lists with 200, 60, 40, and plenty other title combinations referring to 5 minute presentation ideas. Despite it being a good starter to brainstorm potential topics or angles for your presentation, we shall introduce our method to implement AI tools to come up with 5 minute presentation topics. The following instructions apply to ChatGPT , Gemini (Bard) or Bing.

• Consider the niche in which you want to deliver a 5 minute presentation. 
• Gather the main keywords around the topic you intend to present. For example, if you want to deliver a presentation about artificial intelligence, the following keywords may suit your needs as well: AI, artificial intelligence chatbot, types of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence solutions, what is artificial intelligence.
• Open your AI tool of preference and write the following prompt: “Give me a list of 20 5-minute presentation ideas in the IT niche that fit these keywords: AI, artificial intelligence chatbot, types of artificial intelligence, artificial intelligence solutions, what is artificial intelligence.”

And this is the list generated by ChatGPT-4

• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence: Basics of AI, its history, and evolution.
• Exploring AI Technologies: A dive into machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning.
• Types of Artificial Intelligence: From narrow (or weak) AI to general (or strong) AI, and superintelligence.
• AI Chatbots: Revolutionizing Customer Service: How chatbots are changing the customer service landscape across industries.
• Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Discussing AI solutions for diagnostics, treatment recommendations, and patient care.
• The Role of AI in Autonomous Vehicles: Examining how AI technologies power self-driving cars.
• Ethical Considerations in AI: The moral implications of AI in decision-making and privacy concerns.
• AI in Cybersecurity: Using artificial intelligence to predict, detect, and respond to cyber threats.
• The Impact of AI on Job Markets: How AI is reshaping employment opportunities and the workforce.
• Machine Learning Algorithms Explained: An overview of popular algorithms and their applications in AI.
• AI and Big Data: How AI algorithms process and analyze large datasets to extract meaningful insights.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) in AI: Understanding how AI interprets, understands, and generates human language.
• AI in Finance: The use of artificial intelligence in fraud detection, algorithmic trading, and personalized banking.
• Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Sustainability: Exploring AI solutions for climate change, conservation, and sustainable energy.
• AI and Robotics: How AI is applied in robotics for automation, exploration, and manufacturing.
• Deep Learning and Neural Networks: An introduction to the architecture of neural networks and their significance in AI.
• Implementing AI Solutions in Small Businesses: Practical AI applications for improving efficiency and productivity in SMEs.
• The Future of AI: Predictions and emerging trends in artificial intelligence technologies.
• AI in Education: Personalized learning, automated grading, and AI’s role in educational institutions.
• Ethics and Bias in AI: Addressing the challenges of bias in AI algorithms and ensuring ethical AI development.

In this section, we will apply the explained suggestions earlier, approaching a real use case of a motivational speaker addressing an audience of marketing professionals. The speaker has to deliver a 5 minute presentation for a large onsite event.

Defining the Objective & Core Message

Our presenter is faced with the challenge of highlighting the importance of data analysis in marketing these days, and why marketing professionals should be adaptable to the latest trends. Therefore, using Minto’s Pyramid Principle, the presenter who already knows the answer – that hunch-based decisions need to be turned into data-driven decisions – plans how to convey the importance of that statement into the presentation’s flow.

Then, a powerful hook comes to mind on how to start this presentation: “Today, I want to share why embracing change isn’t just necessary; it’s our most powerful tool for growth in the marketing world.” Since that statement can sound somewhat vague, the presenter opts for a quote to impact the audience. A definition of what Social Listening is, indicating the connection between data and consumer behavior analysis.

Concise Content Tailored for the Audience

Research or inquire about the audience’s background in marketing. Are they novices or seasoned professionals? What challenges are they facing? Use this information to shape your presentation content.

In our presenter’s case, the event’s organizer gave some basic information about the demographics and audience’s background. Returning to the “ideal audience persona” concept, this presenter’s audience consists of mid-level marketing professionals facing rapid industry changes. Some already have experience working with data analytics but couldn’t extract the full potential. Therefore, rather than losing time with basics, the presenter prepares a compelling dashboard slide showing metrics of how working with data helped a client grow its revenue rate by 19% in three months.

The time limit for this presentation is 6 minutes in total, as a 1-minute Q&A session is contemplated. Therefore, using our word-per-minute calculation, the presenter opts for a 5 minute speech word count of 600 words, as it’s best to impact with powerful visuals and data storytelling rather than to rush the speech. As the recommended slide deck length for this presentation format is between 5 and 10 slides, the presenter opts for 3 extra slides, totaling 13 slides, since the two main points require 2-3 slides each.

The Introduction for this presentation is a powerful statement, as we mentioned above, taking one full minute to deliver the phrase and share the information that backs up such a statement.

The Body will take 3 minutes to be presented, and it shall cover a three-tier structure with the following premises:

• Challenge: “The digital marketing landscape is evolving faster than ever before, leaving many behind.”
• Strategy: “Yet, some marketers are thriving by adopting agile methodologies and data-driven strategies.”
• Success Story: “Take, for example, a small business that doubled its online engagement and grew its revenue rate by 19% in three months just by simply listening to its audience through social media analytics.”

The Conclusion takes another minute, using a powerful slide to leave a lasting thought that the audience can dwell on.

As the format is brief, the presenter will use powerful graphics to boost audience engagement. Additionally, there’s a short exercise at the beginning of the presentation where the speaker promptly says: “Turn to the person next to you and share one change you’ve embraced in your marketing strategy this year that made a difference.” This is a fine example of how to implement interactive presentation techniques to boost audience engagement.

Leveraging this kind of strategy helps the audience to connect with the importance of making changes in the marketing strategy of their work environments, but not just any change, something that’s measurable and has a significant impact. The presenter expects that not many members can successfully relate to change with results due to their inexperience in marketing data analytics – a piece of information disclosed by the event’s organizer – so the remaining of the presentation consists of ‘wowing’ the audience on the importance of data and how to measure that impact to stay tuned with the latest trends.

Although it seems an easy-to-adapt format, presenters working under 5-minute presentation can face some challenges that affect the overall outcome of their presentation delivery. Most of these presentation mistakes apply to any kind of presentation. In particular, we consider the following list as beginner mistakes we can easily prevent.

• Using Jargon or Complex Language: This can alienate your audience. Use clear, accessible language.
• Reading from Slides: This is literally “death by PowerPoint.” Use slides as a visual aid, not a script.
• Overuse of Animations or Transitions: While they can be engaging, too many can be distracting and appear unprofessional.

Check the following slide decks and PPT templates to maximize your performance in 3-5 minute presentations.

1. 5 Minute Business Marketing Presentation Template

Create eye-catching marketing presentations by using this best PPT template with a clean layout and wavy backgrounds. The information can be structured around the included icons, maximizing the retention rate by giving an area to focus on just the core information to be disclosed.

Use This Template

2. Business Executive 5-Minute Presentation Template

Geared toward business presentations, this slide deck layout contains cutting-edge graphics that grab your audience’s interest. It can be easily customized to speak about your company’s growth process, reach out to potential investors, or even for non-business topics.

3. Modern Hexagon 5-Minute Pitch Deck PowerPoint Template

Another clean layout template with vivid colors to highlight the information shared. This professional PPT slide deck helps us discuss data or compare features between competitor products in the blink of an eye. The color palette uses gradients to transition between sections smoothly.

4. Kaleidoscope 5-Minute Company Profile PowerPoint Template

Although it is intended for company profiles or company overview presentations, this highly visual PPT template can be repurposed for many niches. Due to its limited-space placeholder text areas, the 5 minute speech word count can be significantly reduced, aiming for concise content.

5. Academic 5-Minute Presentation Template

An ideal template for presenting thesis dissertations, this slide deck features designs to introduce the scope of our research, problem statement, methodology used, outcomes, and their significance while preserving a cohesive aesthetic.

As we can see, concise presentation formats like the 5 minute presentation have their own challenges when we strive for quality. Consider rehearsing your presentation multiple times, opting for the slideshow mode , to spot any areas where you can trim the speech or change text for graphics. 

Speak reasonably, and remember it’s best to fall short some seconds and allow for a Q&A session rather than rushing and not giving a proper closure to your speech.

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Mastering 5-Minute Presentations: Slides for Maximum Impact

How many slides for a 5-minute presentation? It’s the million-dollar question in the context of giving a concise and impactful speech.

Let’s put it this way: you only have 300 seconds to not only convey your message but also to captivate your audience. It’s a tightrope walk between informative and overwhelming, and the number of slides you choose can make or break your presentation.

In this article, we’re not just counting slides; we’re unlocking the secrets to making every second and every slide in your 5-minute talk count.

Whether you’re pitching an idea to your team, presenting a project to clients, or speaking at a conference, the insights here will transform your approach to quick presentations. Let’s dive right in!

Understanding the 5-Minute Presentation

A 5-minute presentation is a tight, focused discourse where every word counts. It’s not just a brief talk; it’s a concentrated blend of your key points , delivered with precision and clarity .

This is where the question of how many slides for a 5-minute talk becomes crucial. The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all ; it hinges on your content’s complexity and your delivery style. Typically, a range of 5 to 10 slides is recommended, ensuring each slide gets enough time to be absorbed without rushing through.

The unique challenges of a 5-minute presentation lie in its brevity , along with other aspects like the best PowerPoint presentation design template to use. After all, you have a limited window to make an impression, which means every second and slide must be purposeful. 

Here are a few slides from a pitch deck by Copper Cow Coffee, which shows brevity and simplicity:

Remember, a well-executed 5-minute presentation can be more impactful than a 30-minute monologue.

Determining the Ideal Number of Slides

When addressing the pivotal query, “how many slides for a 5-minute presentation,” it’s essential to understand that the ideal number is influenced by several key factors:

Content Complexity

For complex topics with intricate data or concepts, fewer slides with clear, concise information are preferable. Simpler topics can be complemented with more slides to maintain a dynamic flow.

Speaking Pace

Fast speakers might cover more slides effectively. Slower speakers, on the other hand, should opt for fewer slides to match their natural rhythm .

Time Management in Presentations

Aim for each slide to represent approximately 30 to 60 seconds of speaking time . Include brief pauses after each slide for the information to be absorbed or for quick clarifications.

The general guideline for how many slides for a 5-minute presentation falls between 5 to 10 slides. This range is strategic, allowing for information to be presented clearly without overwhelming the audience.

Here’s how to optimize your slides:

• First 30 Seconds: Introduction Slide . Start with a compelling opening that outlines what the presentation will cover.
• Middle Segment (3-4 minutes): Main Content Slides . Divide the core content into digestible segments, each represented by a slide. In addition, choose a presentation design that would allow you to use visuals and bullet points to convey key ideas succinctly.
• Final 30 Seconds: Conclusion Slide . Here, you summarize the main points. End with a strong closing statement or a call to action.

Here’s an example of Buzzfeed’s conclusion slide on their pitch deck uploaded in 2016. The slide emphasized the strengths of the platform and how big it could get in the next years:

Remember, slides are a visual aid, not the main script. They should enhance your verbal communication, not overshadow it.

Content Strategy for 5-Minute Presentations

Crafting the perfect 5-minute presentation hinges on your ability to develop concise content for presentations that captivates and informs. Here’s how to strike that crucial balance:

Focus on Key Messages

Identify the core points you want to convey. Limit them to three or four to avoid overloading your audience. Each slide should represent one key idea, ensuring clarity and focus.

Engaging Storytelling

Use storytelling techniques to make your content more relatable and memorable . Incorporate real-life examples, anecdotes, or relevant statistics to illustrate your points vividly.

Here are a few slides from the pitch deck of Match Box now more popularly known as Tinder:

The story presented may be simple and short, possibly taking only 30 seconds, but it was relatable and was a good material to hook the audience. 

Simplicity is Key

Avoid jargon and complex language. Opt for clear, straightforward wording that’s accessible to all audience members. Use bullet points or numbered lists to break down information into digestible chunks.

If you’re looking for pegs in slide simplicity, check out these first four slides in Purple Go’s pitch deck:

Visual Harmony

Leverage the power of visuals to complement your spoken words. Images, graphs, and charts can convey complex information quickly and effectively. Ensure your slides are not cluttered. Adequate white space enhances readability and focus.

Professional Design Touch

Consider enlisting design experts to elevate your slide aesthetics . After all, a well-designed presentation can significantly enhance message delivery. Professional designers (like those we have here at Penji ) can help create a cohesive visual theme that aligns with your message and brand identity.

Here’s an example of a professional presentation we’ve done for one of our clients:

The Informative-Engaging Balance

Mix facts with narrative elements. While data lends credibility, stories evoke emotional responses. Use rhetorical questions or quick polls to engage the audience and make the content interactive.

The Bottom Line

After going through the essentials of crafting a compelling 5-minute presentation, you now know the tricks to determine the ideal number of slides to create content that strikes the perfect balance between informative and engaging . 

But there’s one more crucial element that can elevate your presentation from good to unforgettable: professional design. This is where Penji’s expertise comes into play. Our team of professional designers understands the power of visual storytelling and can transform your presentation into a visual masterpiece. 

Sign up today and let our team bring your vision to life.

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How Many Slides to Use in a Presentation? 5 Tips

There’s nothing worse than a presentation that goes over time or poorly-designed slides that cram too much information onto the screen at once.

While there are a lot of things that can dictate how many slides to use in a presentation, key factors include how long you have to speak, what content you are presenting, and the visual nature of the content. (Some speakers don’t need slides at all to keep audiences engaged!)

Here, we’re breaking down common presentation times with a guide for how not to overload slides, and use them well—no matter what type of talk you are giving.

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How Many Slides for a 5 Minute Presentation?

When it comes to short presentations, you probably want to keep the number of slides to a minimum. Think about the venue here in particular. How many people are you presenting for?

Often short presentations might be for a small group or on a small screen. That’s a major consideration when it comes to how many slides you need for a 5-minute presentation.

For most speakers that comes down to 5 to 10 slides, up to 2 per minute of speaking time .

• Design for screen size. If you’ll be presenting on a desktop or laptop screen, ensure that text is large enough to read for people standing or sitting a few feet away.
• Practice your timing. Five minutes might seem like a long time until you start talking.
• Put one point on each slide. (That’s probably all you’ll have time for.)
• Include a call to action at the end for the audience. This might include anything from an email address to answer a question or provide feedback to taking a survey or visiting a website.
• Don’t include a questions slide unless you will actually have time to take questions at the end of a short presentation.

How Many Slides for a 10 Minute Presentation?

With a 10-minute you have a little more flexibility in terms of slide count.

With more time, you can vary pacing and might have time to take questions at the end of the talk. (Your slide count will be less if you cut time from your presentation to answer questions.)

For a 10-minute presentation, you’ll probably end up creating 10 to 20 slides, but don’t feel like you have to move through two slides per minute. It really depends on the complexity of the information you are talking about.

Record your presentation as you run through it. Did you finish on time? And were you able to see each slide long enough to understand it during the natural flow of the presentation before moving on to the next one?

• Include plenty of white space for an organized, easy to read design.
• Use a mix of images and text to keep the visual flow moving.
• Use legible fonts that are consistent from slide to slide.
• If a slide looks cluttered, break the content into multiple slides.
• Don’t go crazy with bullets. The goal of each slide is to present an idea, not serve as notes for you.

How Many Slides for a 15 Minute Presentation?

There’s a fairly logical relationship between the time you have to present information and how complicated the content is. The number of slides you need for a 15-minute presentation might not be that much different than at 10 minutes.

That’s because what’s on each slide might need to sit with the audience a little longer. You need to leave a chart on the screen long enough for the audience to understand it. A photo, on the other hand, can flash up and go away quickly and still be understood.

Carefully consider your presentation topic and then use this recommendation as needed: Allow for 20-30 slides for a 15-minute presentation .

• Pick a theme for each slide: Image or text? Don’t expect the audience to “read” both on every slide.
• Use image based slides to connect a short text point (or no text at all) to an idea the audience can see.
• Use text-based slides without images for more complex information or to show bullet points, charts or numbers.
• You don’t have to have a new photo and image for each slide. Use the same image and change the text if you need to. Or don’t use an image at all. Nice typography is pretty awesome.
• Include more detailed information in the notes area for you as you are giving the presentation or to the audience to download and print later.

How Many Slides for a 30 Minute Presentation?

Once you get into the territory of longer presentations, you might want to use slides of varying types – some that are super quick and others that stay visible longer – to get different points across and fit the conversational flow.

This varying approach can be interesting for the audience but might require a little math and planning on your part to determine the exact right number of slides.

Start with this formula for a 30-minute presentation :

• 4 minutes: Amount of time for opening and closing (1 slide each)
• 2 minutes: Time for each point in your presentation (1 slide per point)
• 1 minute: Time for each sub-point in your presentation (1 slide per sub-point)
• 3 minutes: Deep dive for one or two key takeways (1-2 slides)
• Flash slide (quick on and off the screen): For transitions between large topic areas or polling the audience to keep them engaged

Now you can look at your content and do a few quick calculations to get a rough idea of how many slides you might need. For a 30-minute presentation with 5 points with two subpoints each and a takeaway, that’s in the neighborhood of 20 slides.

How Many Slides for a 45 Minute Presentation?

For longer presentations, pace and energy are key. Some presenters can go through an exceptional number of slides because of the way they speak.

Seasoned speakers, often giving a presentation that they’ve done a lot of times, can average 5 slides per minute. These are fast-paced quick hit images that really keep the audience thinking and engaged. It’s a fun style but can be difficult to pull off.

A more moderate estimate is 1 to 2 slides per minute at a varying pace. That’s what you commonly see in corporate presentations and talks. (The content is often complex as well.)

• Consider location with longer presentations. Will the slides be projected on a large screen? Design for that environment.
• Include mixed media clips if appropriate in longer presentations. Varying formats can keep the audience interested.
• Use a design theme for a consistent look and feel for the entire presentation.
• Don’t let slides sit on the screen for too long. Mix it up with a new photo even if the content theme hasn’t changed much. Once you set an expectation for the audience with visuals, you don’t want them to check out.
• Make the most of the top half of the slides. If you are in a big room, sometimes the lower portion is obscured for some audience members. Even if you need to use more slides to keep content toward the top, do it.

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How to Choose the Right Number of Slides for a Powerpoint Presentation

Last Updated: July 12, 2023 References

Choosing the Right Number of Slides Based on Design Choices

Using time to determine the right number of slides, moving beyond formulaic answers to finding the right number of slides.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 220,597 times. Learn more...

• Keep the presentation about you, not the slideshow. [2] X Research source The slides are there to support what you have to say. They should be just one part of your presentation, not the whole thing.

• Go through your entire presentation and ask yourself if you really need a given slide. If the answer is no, or if you find you can deliver the info verbally instead, eliminate it.

• If your presentation ended well before the time limit you’ve been given, try to extend the amount of time you spend on each slide, or add extra slides to expand on the info introduced in the presentation.
• Solicit advice from family and friends during your practice presentation. If they feel there are too many or too few slides, or if they feel certain sections of the presentation felt rushed or slow, adjust your presentation to correct these deficiencies.

• One well-known formulation for PowerPoint presentations is the 10/20/30 rule. This rule dictates that you should use about ten slides for a twenty minute presentation, and each slide should utilize thirty point font. In other words, each slide should be about two minutes in length. [8] X Research source Perhaps the 10/20/30 rule works for you. If it does not, don’t feel as if you’re using the wrong number of slides.
• Others argue that an average slide should be onscreen for no more than two minutes, and can be onscreen for as little as 15 seconds. [9] X Research source

• If, on the other hand, you’re in a more intimate environment and can control the lighting, you might be inclined to utilize a greater number of slides. As always, however, don’t feel obligated to use many slides just because you can.

Community Q&A

• If your slide has embedded video, or you aren’t using one slide for each point of your presentation, you can spend longer on each slide. [11] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Treat each slide on its own merits. If one slide needs to be onscreen for two minutes, so be it. If it needs to be onscreen for ten seconds, that’s fine too. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you have a slide with no pictures but several bullet points, each of which you intend to talk about for fifteen to twenty seconds, you might spend well over a minute on that slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• When you take all of these factors (detail, technicality, audience size and awareness, etc.) into consideration, you can see that the only short answer to "how many slides should I use" is: "it depends." Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
• ↑ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-06-01/how-to-powerpoint-like-a-pro
• ↑ http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/7-design-tips-for-effective-beautiful-powerpoint-presentations
• ↑ http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2011/03/10/the-five-most-common-powerpoint-mistakes/
• ↑ http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/articles/how-many-slides-for-a-30-minute-presentation/
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/ppt/20071016041310_686.ppt

About This Article

1. Break complex slides into several simple slides. 2. Include audio and video support only as needed. 3. Time your presentation. 4. Match the number of slides to the subject matter. 5. Tailor to your audience. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How many slides do I need for my presentation?

How many slides for a 10 minute presentation and the 3-2-1 rule for presentations

The 3-2-1 rule for presentations

Co-founder, CEO

Preparing for a presentation can be a daunting task for anyone. If you are presenting to an important client, a large audience, or a group of classmates, it can feel like it's impossible to figure out where to start.

However, with some planning and preparation (and help from wonderful blog posts like this one!), you can go into your presentation with confidence and deliver your message effectively. So don't worry, we've got you covered!

Here are some tips to help you determine how many slides you need for your presentation, based on the length of time you have to speak.

How many minutes per slide for a presentation?

A general guideline is to allocate approximately 2 minutes per slide. This means that for a 10-minute presentation, you should aim for around 5 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Try the calculator below or read the 3-2-1 Rule for presentations for a more in-depth guide on how to budget the number of slides for your next presentation.

How many slides for a presentation? (Calculator)

Here is a calculator that can help you budget how many slides you will need for your presentation depending on the time you need to present for. Just type in how long your presentation needs to be in minutes, and it will give you a suggestion for the number of slides.

While this is a simple calculation, the number of slides in your presentation can vary widely depending on the complexity of the content, the type of presentation, and the goal of the presentation.

For example, a slide deck for an 18 minute TED talk might only have a few slides with very little text, while the slide deck for a ~18 minute research presentation might have 30 slides (although many of them could be backup slides in an appendix).

Here are some additional rules for thinking about the number of slides in a presentation: 

• When using this calculator, enter the amount of "presentation" that you will be actively presenting. Don't worry about time that will be spent in discussion or Q&A
• If you are presenting data, try to reduce the complexity of the presentation itself and put most of the charts and data in an appendix.
• If you are creating a presentation as a 'leave-behind' that can stand by itself, you should aim for the higher end of these recommended ranges. If you are creating a presentation that is a visual aid for you to tell a story, you should aim for the lower end of these ranges.

Follow the "3-2-1 Rule" for presentations

While every presentation is different, and everyone's presentation style is different, the 3-2-1 rule is a good rule of thumb to plan the overall structure of a presentation. This applies whether you are a management consultant advising Fortune 500 CEOs or if you're a student making a high school presentation.

Here are the three components of the 3-2-1 Rule:

• THREE takeaways for your audience
• TWO minutes to present a slide
• ONE idea per slide

As you create the outline for a new presentation or revise an existing presentation, you should ask yourself:

• What are the 3 things that I want my audience to remember from my presentation when I am done talking (or they are done reading)?
• How many slides will I have to make these points? Divide the time of your presentation by 2 to get a general idea for how many slides you will need in your presentation
• What is the main idea for each slide? A common refrain among professional consultants is that you should be able to understand the story of a slide deck just by reading the slide titles

Regardless of the length of the presentation, you should always start the planning or revision process by thinking about the key points that you want your audience to take away (that's the whole point of a presentation, really!).

Then, if you are making a 10 minute presentation, you probably need 5 slides plus or minus 1 to 2 slides depending on the style of presentation or depth of content. If these are slides to start a conversation, you probably need fewer. If these are slides to present your takeaways from a research project, you may need more (and maybe some backup slides in an appendix, too).

From there, write out the key idea for each slide. One great way to do this is to make the key idea of the slide the slide title itself. Then, you should be able to read all of the slide titles one after another and make sure that they deliver a cohesive story.

If you need a quick way to get started, try using an AI presentation maker to generate the first draft of your presentation.

How many slides do I need for a 5 minute presentation?

If you are making a 5 minute presentation, your goal should be for your audience to only remember one or two key ideas, so you should have 2 or 3 slides max.

• For work: Try to create 1 slide with your main idea, along with 1 or 2 backup slides that can present supporting data like a data visualization, customer quotes, or an execution plan.
• For sales: Try to create 1 slide to focus your discussion, along with 1 or 2 backup slides that can help answer customer questions.
• For school: Try to create 1 slide for each key point in a story or research idea and make sure the key points can tie themselves together in a conclusion.
• For storytelling: Try to create one slide with a poignant story, quote, or data point to help your audience remember the key message from your presentation. Then, you may also want to have 1 or 2 slides to build up to the idea or present conclusions from that idea.

How many slides do I need for a 10 minute presentation?

In a 10 minute presentation, you should aim for 5 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Here are some suggestions based on the type of presentation:

• For work: Create 2 or 3 primary slides to present your key points (e.g., a framework slide, a key data visualization, or a plan of action), and 2 to 3 additional slides with supporting data or examples.
• For sales: Create 3 main slides that highlight the benefits of your product or service (e.g., problem statement, customer story, value proposition), and 2 additional slides for testimonials or data to help support the conversation if your customer wants to dive deeper on a specific topic.
• For school: Create 2 or 3 main slides for your key arguments or findings, and 2 to 4 additional slides for evidence or further explanation. A book report, for example, could have a slide with a plot summary and another slide with the key themes in the story.
• For storytelling: Create 3 main slides that build a narrative arc (introduction, rising action, conclusion), and 2 additional slides for impactful quotes or visuals. The key slides for a TED talk might be an image to tell a captivating story, a slide to present a shocking statistic, and end with a story about a hopeful new project to solve a key problem.

How many slides do I need for a 15 minute presentation?

For a 15 minute presentation, aim for 7 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Here are some suggestions based on the type of presentation:

• For work: Create 3 primary slides to present your key points (e.g., a framework slide, a key data visualization, or a plan of action), and 4 to 5 additional slides with supporting data or examples.
• For sales: Create 3 main slides that highlight the benefits of your product or service (e.g., problem statement, customer story, value proposition), and 3 to 4 additional slides for testimonials or data to help support the conversation if your customer wants to dive deeper on a specific topic.
• For school: Create 3 main slides for your key arguments or findings, and 3 to 4 additional slides for evidence or further explanation. A book report, for example, could have a slide with a plot summary, a slide with the key themes in the story, and a final slide with how those themes apply to your life.
• For storytelling: Create 4 main slides that build a narrative arc (introduction, rising action, climax, conclusion), and 3 to 4 additional slides for impactful quotes or visuals. The key slides for a TED talk might be an image to introduce a captivating story, a slide to present a memorable statistic, a slide to with a story about a hopeful new project, and a slide with the results to-date.

How many slides do I need for a 20 minute presentation?

For a 20 minute presentation, aim for 10 slides, plus or minus 1 to 2 slides. Here are some suggestions based on the type of presentation:

• For work: Create 3 primary slides to present your key points (e.g., a framework slide, a key data visualization, or a plan of action), and 6 to 7 additional slides with supporting data or examples.
• For sales: Create 4 main slides that highlight the benefits of your product or service (e.g., problem statement, customer story, value proposition, evidence), and 5 to 6 additional slides for testimonials or data to help support the conversation if your customer wants to dive deeper on a specific topic.
• For school: Create 4 main slides for your key arguments or findings, and 5 to 6 additional slides for evidence or further explanation. A book report, for example, could have a slide with a plot summary, a slide about a key moment/decision in the story, a slide with the key themes in the story, and a final slide with how those themes apply to your life.
• For storytelling: Create 4 main slides that build a narrative arc (introduction, rising action, climax, conclusion), and 4 to 5 additional slides for impactful quotes or visuals. The key slides for a TED talk might be an image to introduce a captivating story, a slide to present a memorable statistic, a slide to with a story about a hopeful new project, and a slide with the results to-date. One thing to note here is that the length of a storytelling slide deck does not need to get much longer for 15, 20, or 30 minute presentations.

How many slides do I need for a 30 minute presentation?

At 30 minutes and above, it becomes increasingly likely that you won't be expected to present for 30 minutes straight, and the "presentation" itself becomes more of a conversation aid that can support a back-and-forth discussion about a topic.

For these types of presentations, you should calculate how much time is going to be used in a "single-sided" presentation and how much time will be used in discussion. If you expect 10 minutes of your 30 minute presentation (or more) to be a discussion, you should refer to the section on "How many slides do I need for a 20 minute presentation?"

If you think you will need to present for a full 30 minutes, here is our recommendation for the number of slides you need, based on the type of presentation.

For a general 30-minute presentation, aim for 15 slides, plus or minus 2 to 3 slides.

How many slides do I need for a 45 minute presentation?

45 minutes is a long time for a one-sided presentation, so it's more likely your presentation will be used to facilitate a back and forth conversation (which may use slides as support to make a strategic decision), or present an in-depth look at research data and conclusion (which may use slides with in-depth data analysis).

For these types of presentations, you should calculate how much time is going to be used in a "single-sided" presentation and how much time will be used in discussion. If you expect half of the time to be a discussion, you should refer to the section on "How many slides do I need for a 20 minute presentation?"

If you think you will need to present for 45 minutes, here is our recommendation for the number of slides you need, based on the type of presentation.

For a general 45-minute presentation, aim for 20 slides, plus or minus 3 to 5 slides.

How many slides do I need for a 60 minute presentation?

60 minutes - one hour - is a very long time for a one-sided presentation. For these types of presentations, you should calculate how much time you expect to give a "single-sided" presentation and how much time will be used in discussion or Q&A. 

If you expect half of the time to be a discussion, you should refer to the section on "How many slides do I need for a 30 minute presentation?"

If you think you will need to present for 60 minutes, here is our recommendation for the number of slides you need, based on the type of presentation.

For a 60-minute presentation, aim for 25 slides, plus or minus 3 to 8 slides.

How should I create slides for my presentation?

Staring at a blank page when you need to create a dozen slides for your presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience. One of the best ways to get a quick start on your next slide deck is to use AI to speed up your workflow.

To get started, install the Plus AI add-on. Enter a prompt or an existing text block (e.g., an article, a blog post, a document), and then ask Plus AI to generate a first draft of your presentation.

From there, you can use Plus AI's editing, rewriting, remixing, and design features to apply the perfect finishing touches on your deck to make it yours!

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Short Presentation in PowerPoint: How to Win Your Audience over with a 5 Minute / 5 Slide Presentation! -Includes Examples

There are occasions when you only have limited time to give a PowerPoint presentation. This is where knowing how to create and deliver a short PowerPoint presentation is essential. Done right, you really only need a few minutes to deliver your presentation, get your ideas across and achieve your goals.

You may well be thinking, “No!  How can I squash my ideas into that time? Only five minutes?” Actually, it’s easier than you think with the right structure . Here’s how!

Why give a short presentation?

So when might you only have a few minutes to give a presentation? When making the first steps in applying for a job, for example, or when presenting a product or business idea to potential prospects and investors.

The length does NOT have to be a disadvantage! A well-put-together short presentation, delivered smartly, can actually engage your audience more than a presentation lasting much longer.

Sure, you can go into more detail in a longer presentation, but it’s often more difficult for your audience to stay focused for the full duration. Scientific studies show that most listeners have trouble maintaining their concentration after just 20 minutes.

Haven’t you been there yourself? So why ask your audience to do something you find difficult, unless they’re already on board with your ideas?

Short presentations are actually a great way to present facts, ideas or concepts clearly in only a few minutes. However, take care not to overload them with too much information. It’s important to distill the content of your presentation down to the essentials and key messages.

The purpose of a short presentation is usually to draw your audience’s attention to either you or your product. You don’t get much time to do this, so you need to know how to focus on what’s important. The following tips may help.

Short PowerPoint presentation: set-up and structure

A short presentation should have a clear structure so that the audience can easily grasp and digest the information. So:

Introduction :

A brief explanation of what the presentation will be about.

Main body :

This is the actual content of the presentation. This is where to present the most important information.

Conclusion :

A brief summary of what you covered in the presentation.

Also, keep in mind the order of your slides. The first and last slides are the most important as studies have shown these are what people remember . So make sure that these two slides are particularly engaging and give the audience a good overview of your topic.

The order of the other slides is important too, but not as crucial as the first and last slides. Just play around with the order a bit and find what works best for you.

Make the presentation count

How you design your slides is important here. Create slides that are as clear and professional-looking as possible. Be careful not to put too much text on a slide, and make sure you use a font size that is large enough to be clearly seen by everyone.

If you try to put so much text on a slide that you need to make the font too small, you’ll lose your audience’s attention. For tips on choosing the right font, see our “ Fonts in PowerPoint ” post.

Try using pictures and graphics to make your slides more vivd . A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words. Use images to illustrate and support your statements.

As well as adding visual interest to your slides, they arouse emotions in the audience, whether they know it or not, which makes you and your presentation topic seem more approachable. Be careful not to place too many images on one slide, though, as this can make it look messy.

Surefire ways to make your short presentation compelling:

• Present no more than three main points . More than this and you’ll lose your audience.
• Have a clear structure , so your audience always knows where you are and what’s coming next. Getting the structure of the presentation clear in advance really helps. Our article „Preparing a PowerPoint Presentation: 11 Tips”   shows you how to make the best use of your presentation preparation time.
• Make it easy for the audience to follow you. Use clear and simple language and avoid jargon. Smart use of images and graphics will make your content more vivid.
• Stay positive and confident . Your audience should be reassured that you really know your stuff; how else are they going to take your ideas seriously? Try to avoid coming across as arrogant, though – that automatically puts people off.
• Maintain eye contact with the audience. This demonstrates interest and appreciation – both important factors in convincing people and thus gaining potential customers.
• Be ready for questions . At the end of your presentation, allow a few minutes for questions and discussion. This gives your audience the opportunity to go into further detail or address other aspects as well. We’ve set out a few tips for including Q&A sessions in our article „ Prepare for your Q&A in Presentations” .

Short PowerPoint Presentation Example #1: The Five-Minute / Five-Slide Presentation

A classic example here is the five-minute presentation . This is similar to a Pitch-Presentation  , but structured slightly differently. Read on to see how.

What does a 5-minute / 5-slide presentation entail?

Imagine you have to present yourself, your company or your product in just a few minutes. You only ever need five slides for this . One way of structuring this, and creating a coherent storyline, would be:

• Overall idea (1st slide) A brief introduction. One slide showing your name might well suffice; you can then briefly describe your field of work or what you do within the company.
• Introduction (2nd slide) Start with a funny story, an anecdote or a quote to attract your audience’s attention. Then briefly address what you will be talking about. This slide can serve as a short introduction to the topic (company, product or service range).
• Main message (3rd slide) Try to illustrate the main point of your presentation with one or two simple graphics or diagrams. Photos related to your content or theme are also very useful here. PowerPoint is brilliant for this.  Aim for as little text as possible, with the visuals doing the work for you.
• Main concepts (4th slide) Underline your main message with three to five essential arguments and present them on a single slide (animated one after the other, if needs be). Remember that people’s attention span drops off sharply after absorbing five ideas.
• Conclusion (5th slide) Keep your conclusion short and end your presentation with a summary of the content and key messages of your presentation. These are, of course, what you want your audience to remember.

TIP: When preparing your presentation, remember the main question in your audience’s mind: “ What’s in it for me? ” We’ve covered this in our post about customer benefits . The overriding principle is KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Design and present everything as simply as possible!

Questions and discussion after the presentation:

If you have time, give your audience the opportunity to ask questions after the presentation, or actively try to spark a discussion and then moderate it. Allow about 5-10 minutes for this. If necessary, you can create back-up slides beforehand, to deepen certain sub-areas in case of specific questions.

Tips for your Q&A session can be found in our Q&A post .

Less is more

It’s sadly not uncommon to see slides stuffed with far too much information, whether text or images. The presenter certainly meant well, but failed to realise that their audience wouldn’t be able to process and absorb all that information at once. So try to stick to the following when putting your presentation together:

• Maximum one image per slide
• Only one topic per slide
• Minimal text
• Font size at least 18 point
• Maximum two fonts; sans serif fonts are more legible
• Display figures as graphs and diagrams
• No more than four colors per slide

In a five-minute presentation, you need to get to the point as quickly as possible . So skip the lengthy introductions and aim to grab your audience’s attention right at the start. Try to summarize your presentation as pithily as possible, too, to leave them wanting more.

While presenting, don’t forget to establish eye contact with the audience . Just standing there reading the text of a presentation from the slides is a common mistake, and one which quickly loses an audience’s attention.

Try to speak as fluently and freely as possible , so that you don’t look as though you’re just reading off your content (which can come across as a lack of competence or preparation). Invest enough time in preparing your presentation and practice it in front of an audience of acquaintances or, if needs be, in front of a mirror, until you’ve internalized the content and flow of your presentation.

Coming across as confident is just as important for the success of your presentation as its actual content. Don’t underestimate the influence that body language, speaking speed, gestures and facial expressions have on how the audience perceives your presentation. We go into this in detail in our “body language” post.

Keep your presentation lively by using figures of speech or catchy metaphors at appropriate points. We’ve gone into how (and why) to integrate rhetoric into your presentation in our „Public speeking skills” post. 

Short Presentation PowerPoint Example #2: The Three-Minute Presentation 

Imagine you only have three minutes. Three minutes in which to tell your audience everything they need to know about your idea, your product and your company. Well, it’s possible with a three-minute presentation! This is exactly what it sounds like: a coherent narrative, or story, in three minutes.

How to get your presentation to the point

The essence of this concept is to answer these three questions “ What’s it about?”, “How does it work?” and “What’s in it for me? ” in a few short paragraphs, a handful of slides and finally a short, pithy statement. A strong and compelling three-minute presentation will consist of roughly 25 sentences.

Write these down in advance so you have a clear outline in your head , making the presentation lively. Short and snappy is what you’re aiming for. You can get to the meat of your presentation in three minutes; try it!  Even if you have longer to present, it’s a tremendously useful exercise.

“If I’d had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” Blaise Pascal, mathematician and philosopher 

The above quote is really on point.  It takes time and effort to organize your thoughts into short, coherent sentences, but it’s so worth it. There’s a lot of excess verbiage about, the result of people just writing down whatever comes to mind, however disorganized it is. This has the effect of boring or confusing people, or both.  It really pays to condense your thoughts smartly.

So you need to work out which are your most important points, weigh them against each other, and discard any excess. This is the only way to communicate clearly and concisely.

It’s really useful to have the essentials of what you want to communicate distilled into their bare bones when time is short. If you know exactly what you need to say, you can fit it into whatever time slot you’re given, even if the half hour you’d expected ends up being only five minutes.

This is also invaluable if your boss unexpectedly asks you what you’re working on, or if you’re talking to a client and they want a brief overview of your presentation.

Getting your presentation distilled down to three minutes is very advantageous , even if you plan on presenting for longer. Concentrating on the essentials not only shows creativity, but also organizational and communication skills. You’ll have a strong core to your message and won’t need to depend on your presentation slides and charts. 

Storytelling or Elevator Pitch?

An elevator pitch gets to the heart of your ideas in just a few minutes, and is great for getting someone new to what you’re presenting to want to learn more.

The focus in an elevator pitch is on the positive aspects of your ideas , for example their uniqueness and utility. Of course, the pitch must be delivered persuasively enough for the conversation to continue in a follow-up meeting afterwards!

Storytelling focuses on the story , which pulls the power of emotions into your content, selling them better. So storytelling can also work for a three-minute presentation. Do keep it short and resist going off on tangents, though. We’ve covered all this in our “Storytelling” post.

When you don’t have enough time to present (all) your slides

Even if the time you’re allowed for a presentation is really short (say your customer or client arrives late, then has to leave for another appointment soon), you can still make a strong impression with a three-minute story. It means you always have a plan B up your sleeve.

If you know exactly what you want to communicate, it will be easy to spontaneously adapt it to whatever time limits you are given. This way, many of your slides, diagrams and graphics are an added extra, rather than being something you are lost without.

Short PowerPoint presentations: More examples

Short presentations are an effective way to engage your audience with your idea, offer or brand. They can also be used to draw attention to a specific aspect or trigger an action. Short presentations are often used as presentation teasers to capture the audience’s interest and make them want to learn more.  Examples include:

• Presenting a new brand or product
• Presenting a current topic or trend
• Presenting your company’s successes or growth
• Presenting your company’s vision or mission statement
• An informational or educational presentation
• A scientific topic within your own discipline
• A research paper, a concept, an innovative project
• A hot social or political topic
• A presentation on climate change, migration, globalization, inflation, conflicts
• A topic from your private life such as a vacation, a special experience or a passion
• A historical event
• The history and development of a company you admire
• An artist whose work you find interesting
• Your favorite book/movie/musical/etc.

As you can see, the short presentation is ideal for a huge range of topics and occasions. Two examples are introducing a new product or a new service to potential customers.  How to get those into the short presentation format?

Presenting a new product

When introducing a new product, first highlight its key features and benefits. Then explain the different applications of the product and provide examples of them. Finally, you can ask the audience to test the product and give feedback.

Introducing a new service  

present this successfully, start by highlighting the added value and customer benefits. Then explain the different areas of application in more detail and show with concrete examples of where your service can be used meaningfully, and the advantages and results it has led to with your existing clientele.

To sum up: Short PowerPoint presentations – how to effectively use limited time to deliver your presentations in a target-oriented way

Short presentations are a great way to present and communicate topics to an audience. Why? Because they help the audience grasp the key message of the presentation in the shortest amount of time.

This is especially important when the audience is in the middle of a conference or workshop and has a limited attention span. Presentations are an important means of conveying information to an audience. So follow our tips to make your short presentation the best it can be and achieve your goals.

Got further questions about short PowerPoint presentations, or indeed general questions about PowerPoint? Please don’t hesitate to contact us! Feel free to email us your question at [email protected] . We’re always happy to help!

Looking for professionally designed slide templates to strengthen your short presentation? Have a look around our store! We have a huge range of slides on business topics. Get the best basis for your short presentation today! ► To the Store

 You might also be interested in these articles:

• Pitch Presentations
• Speech techniques for Presentations
• Storytelling in Presentations
• Elevator Pitch
• Preparing Presentations: 11 Tips
• Body language in Presentations
• Customer Benefits for Your Presentations
• Q&A that’s how you manage it

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Ultimate 5 Minute Speeches & Presentations (A-Z Guide)

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation , Speech Topics

“If you want me to give you a two-hour presentation, I am ready today. If you want only a five-minute speech, it will take me two weeks to prepare.”  ― Mark Twain

Delivering presentations and speeches can be challenging, especially if you have a short time. Covering the essential information you wish to convey and making an impact in these 5 minutes requires much backend work. The good news is that individuals are more likely to retain succinct but significant content than a long but tedious speech.

It’s important to remember some things when delivering a 5-minute speech, such as developing a thorough overview, allocating time for each slide, refraining from memorizing or monotonously reciting your information, using actions rather than words, including compelling visuals, sharing supplementary information for use after the speech, and practicing a lot more—at least three times more—than usual.

How Many Words are there in a 5-Minute Presentation?

Considering that an average person talks 120 to 160 words per minute, a five-minute presentation will typically be between 600 and 800 words long. When you deliver such a brief presentation, a few pointers need to be kept in mind –

• Every statement you make during a brief presentation should be related to your main idea and the message you want to get through.
• It is beneficial to avoid wasting time and make sure that the audience has only one clear takeaway by keeping your scope narrow and utilizing your words sparingly.

While this is just an average, it can vary depending on the speed at which you speak, the topic that you choose, and your thoroughness with the content. To know how many words you will be needing in a 5-minute presentation, you can –

• Find out how many words are read in 5 minutes by timing yourself as you read a speech or an article.
• Use useful internet resources like the Speech Calculator to determine how many words you will require based on your speech rate.

Tips to keep in mind for your 5-minute Presentation:-

1. give a comprehensive overview.

When you have just 5 minutes to give an interview, diving deep into the topic won’t help. Instead, providing an overview of the subject and subtopics can help introduce each point and not take up all the precious minutes. 

How to give an overview?

When giving an overview, there are some questions to tick that can help you know if you have covered the basics; such as:

• What does this topic mean in 1-2 sentences? 
• When can this information be useful to someone?
• What impacts does this topic have in 1-2 sentences?
• Where can you see its practical/theoretical application? 
• How is this going to benefit my audience?

These are some basic questions, and if you notice, cover the basic WH questions . Thus, following the WH Pattern is helpful when you want to give a brief overview.

2. Structuring The Presentation with Time Allocation 

Structuring your presentation is extremely important, irrespective of the style and pattern of presentation you opt for or the time you are allowed, since it provides a framework for your subsequent preparation. And when you have just 5 minutes, structuring it according to the time becomes more critical. 

Steps to Structure your Presentation

A general outline that progresses from the fundamentals to the particular should be used when preparing a presentation or speech. This will give those less familiar with the subject a quick overview of the topic before delving further. Here are some steps you may take if you’re wondering how to budget time and logically format your content –

• General introduction of the content (1 minute) 
• Aim/Objectives or the motives (1 minute) 
• Body wherein you discuss the main content such as pros and cons, how it helps etc. (2 minutes)
• Conclusion and feedback (1 minute) 

You can follow this general template; however, it is important to tailor it to your specific topic and style. To prevent running out of time, don’t forget to multiply your estimated time by the number of minutes.

If you’re seeking ideas on how to organize your speech, visit our blog 3 Ways To Structure A Speech The Professional Way where we help you plan out your next speech more professionally.

3. Avoid memorizing or monotonously speaking your content

Memorizing or reading from the content could seem like a good approach when you are short on time, but it is the opposite. Reading or learning the material is not advised because the audience may lose interest and zone out within the first 30 seconds. An improved strategy is understanding and presenting the material as a narrative or story. 

What can you do instead of memorizing? 

If you’re someone who needs chits or keywords to refer to, just speaking might be a difficult task for you. In such cases, you can complement your speech by –

• Showing a slideshow of visuals that compliment your speech.
• Make slips with keywords for each subtopic, so you know what to elaborate upon.
• Storytell – Share personal life anecdotes and relate your content to them.

When you speak in a narrative style rather than reading, you grab the audience’s attention more and are better able to connect with them, determine whether they can understand the topic from their non-verbal cues, and adjust your delivery accordingly. As a result, genuinely comprehending your topic is considerably more beneficial for you and the audience than simply reading it from a piece of writing.

4. Use actions more than words

It is much said that actions speak louder than words, which is one trick to stick to when you have much less time and comments to express. Actions here include non-verbal gestures, body language, and facial expressions that convey the intensity of the message that you want to deliver. 

What are the different types of actions that you can use

A} non-verbal gestures.

Non-verbal gestures refer to the complimentary use of your hand expressions and body language to support a verbal point. As they are frequently accurate predictors of what you are saying, these behaviours are accorded a great deal of weight. Thus, if you want to draw the audience’s attention to any particular or central point, it is helpful to use hand gestures to imply them effectively.

There are various gestures that imply certain meaning, such as –

• Pointing a finger to stress a particular word. 
• Circling your hands to show a sign of moving to the next topic. 

Here is a video that tells you 10 hand gestures, their meaning, and how to use them effectively!

B} Facial expressions

Facial expressions refer to using your facial appearance to amplify your spoken words. Compared to a neutral expression, having a smile, making eye contact, or even having a shocking expression to a point has a lot greater impact. The audience is least likely to pay attention to what you’re saying and lose interest if you maintain a static expression.

Imagine if you had to look at a face that had a neutral look for 5 minutes and one with a jolly expressionist face.

Who would you most like look forward to and be interested to listen?

Your answer right there tells you the importance of facial expression.

Actions speak louder than words; you must use them effectively in these 5 minutes!

5. Include Visuals 

Five minutes is too short a time to speak about every detail, and that’s when visuals and graphics take the stage. Much like the famous quote, a picture is worth 1000 words, correctly chosen illustrations can complement your verbal speech and enhance the intensity by large.

Guidelines to follow when adding visuals 

It’s not difficult to add images and videos, but it’s crucial to pick the one that best conveys your message while also standing out. Thus, the following are some things to keep in mind when adding a photo or any other visuals:

• Is this photo self-explanatory, or do I have to allocate time to explain it?
• Are the videos easy to comprehend and cover the basics of my topic? 
• Have I added at least one picture to each subtopic I will cover? 
• Lastly, does the picture in any way hurt any sentiments? 

Visual communication can engage and attract the readers because they have something to look at when you are speaking. Thus, when both the modes of delivery are combined, it leads to a much better understanding and retention of the audience. 

6. Share additional post-speech resources

As much as you try, you cannot cover all the information you would if you had a 20-minute presentation against a 5-minute one. But now that you do have this task, it is a good idea to share some helpful post-speech resources that can help the audience delve deep into the topic if they wish to. 

Ways in which you can share additional information 

A} Videos: Recommending videos is one of the quickest and most effective ways to give some extra information. When researching your content, if you come across any videos that are too long to use in your presentation but are a valuable source of knowledge, linking them in the last to share it with the audience is a helpful thing, which in some ways can also convey the message that you are invested in the topic and want the audience to know more about it.  

B} Brochure : Although this might seem like a bit of work or a step forward, this is another excellent takeaway you can give. Brochures filled with a summary and more information on the topic can be a helpful guide for the audience to return to if they wish to explore the matter further.

7. Rehearse 3x times more  

It goes without saying that you should practice your speech or presentation, but given the time limit, it is advisable to practice for longer. This is because multiple rounds of practice will give you the following benefits –

A} Let you see if you finish the content structured in 5 minutes – The first time you practice the speech, you might be unable to complete it in the allotted time. Still, subsequent practice sessions will allow you to determine whether you are running on time or not, without rushing and efficiently covering all the points. Thus, if you finish late, you will have a lot to work on, such as speeding up or reducing the content, and if you finish early, you have precisely the opposite.

B} Allows you to become thorough with the content – The more you practice, the more you will become adept at knowing your material inside and out. This is advantageous because you will be able to describe it in terms that are much simpler to understand, create a narrative around it, provide instances to support it, and reiterate it if necessary.

C} You can see if your speech is understandable – When we prepare a speech, we may at times believe that it is logical and runs smoothly. However, by regularly practicing, especially in front of friends and coworkers, you can determine whether the material and flow are coherent and simple to follow, giving you time to correct and alter if there are any gaps or missing pieces as per the feedback.

Structure of a 5-minute Presentation

Your presentation should also be organized similarly to how a speech is – with a beginning, middle, and an end.

When you have just a few minutes to present, it’s important to have a captivating and attention-drawing statement that can keep the audience hooked to the latter part of the presentation. In such cases, you can –

• open up with strong statements that might take the audience by awe – when you start a speech with some powerful and provocative statements on the topic, it can lure the audience into it because they might hold similar or different views and thus pay attention to support or argue their point.
• start with a reflective question that puts the audience into thinking – if your topic was an investment and its returns, questions like “what would you do if you had 1 cr when you were 70” or “do you dream of a trip after your retirement?” such personal and reflective questions make the audience think that the speaker is going to answer a way to make them true, which can, in turn, tune them into the talk.

Thus, having an impactful beginning is vital to get the audience to stick around and focus for the rest of the talk.

With regards to the speech’s body, due to time constraints, it is crucial to keep the substance brief. When you have just a few minutes to cover the content, it is important to – refer to and follow the WH Question Rule that can help you cover all the basics of a topic in a short period of time.

What should be kept in mind though should be that – you should not try to delve deep into any sub-topic and stick to the basics only. Here the WH Questions help as they checklist all the basic questions that need to be answered in a 5-minute presentation.

In about the last 60 seconds, you should conclude your speech. Whilst delivering this, you must very effectively use the quality of Repetition – that is reiterate the main or central theme that you wish to stick with the audience. It is helpful to say one impactful line rather than summarizing more than the need and not letting the main point stand out.

Samples and Examples of a 5-minute speech

Despite the fact that there are plenty of 5-minute speeches and presentations online, some of them are incredibly well-written and presented. Here are a few videos you can watch to get an idea of what a five-minute presentation should be like.

The danger of silence by Clint Smith

What If I Had Three Minutes To Change The World? by Asia Greene

5-Minute Presentation Topics

Presentation topics on science.

• Greatest Scientists and their discoveries
• Human Evolution and progress of Man
• Is there a parallel dimension?
• Physics in everyday life
• Emerging fields of Biology

Presentation topics on Technology

• Android vs. Apple
• Technology and its Evolution
• Trends in Technology
• Technology and its link to science, media, and other fields of education
• Careers in the field of Technology

Presentation topics on Finance

• What is Stock Market?
• Financial Freedom and how to achieve it?
• Investments in your life – from your 20’s to your 80’s
• Basics of demand and supply
• History and Future patterns of the economy

Presentation topics on Humanities and Arts

• Positive Psychology
• Gender Studies and its importance
• Branches of Social Science and its advent
• Careers in the field of Social Science
• Literature – why humans crave reading and writing

Presentation topics on Media

• History of Media and its Founders
• Employment in the field of Media
• Print Media vs Digital Media
• Use vs. Abuse of Media
• Is media the future?

Is Public Speaking Hard?

Speeches and Presentations are an integral part of our professional lives no matter what career we choose. Compelling presentations can be extremely helpful and effective provided all the necessary steps are taken beforehand.

Overall, public speaking can initially be a difficult task but it is not an impossible one; if all the stages and steps are followed, giving a speech can be a fairly simple undertaking.

If you are almost set to prepare your presentation but want to know more about the 5-minute presentation, ways to present, key tips, and much more, watch this video where we give you a visual guide to your next speech!

We hope that after this article, you’re all set to start your 5-minute presentation preparation!

If you are looking for a guide to your 30-minute or 10-minute presentation, then head onto our blog where we tell you everything you need to know from writing, topics, and delivery for your next speech!

Happy Presenting!

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How Many PowerPoint Slides Should You Use in a Presentation?

Instead, you want to figure out what you want to say first . Then, after you have designed a great presentation, go back and figure out what visual aids you will need to better make your key points. The main rule of thumb is to provide only the number of slides that you absolutely need and absolutely no more than that.

So in this session, I’m going to cover a few examples for the right number of slides needed in short presentations, the long presentation, the best way to give corporate presentations.

The Max Number of Slides for a 15-Minute Presentation (or Less.)

Instead, especially for short talks, the first thing you want to do is make a list of the most important items that need to be covered in your presentation. Then, rank these items based on their list of importance. As you go down the list, you should notice that the level of importance for each item drops exponentially as you go down the list. So, instead of covering all of the items, just cover the three (or five) most important items in your presentation.

On your first slide, give an overview of all of the points. Just list them out for the audience so they can see what you will be covering. Then, create a separate slide for each of the three (or five) main points. Finally, on your last slide, just copy the content from your first slide and your introduction now becomes a nice conclusion as well.

By the way, for most business presentations, if you can deliver the important things in a 10-minute speech, you will be loved. If you require a 30-minute presentation time, the audience will like you about three times less.

For more details about how to design presentations or to use our helpful online presentation generator click here.

What If You Have an Hour-Long Talk? How Many Slides Do You Need?

Start with an introduction slide with an overview of all five bullet points. On your internal slides, just cover the single main idea for each bullet. You will have five internal slides. Then, end with your summary slide with the main concepts one more time. This repetition of the main concepts will increase the audience’s retention of the material. For the more seasoned presenter, you can use just three main bullet points but add an extra relevant story to each point. The more that you use this technique the easier you will find it to fit your content into the correct presentation length.

For instance, if you find yourself rushing at the end without enough time to finish, you can give fewer details in your stories. If you finish early, you can add more details into your examples and stories.

For a 60-minute presentation, use five bullet points and seven slides . This time insert a couple of different stories as evidence of each bullet point. I like to use the “bad example/good example” technique. On each of the internal slides, give your audience an example of yourself or someone else who did the opposite of the point. Then, follow up with a good example.

The “Bad Example/Good Example” Technique.

If I were to use the technique to prove the point that you need seven slides for an hour presentation, I could use the following…

Bad Example : A few years ago, I went to a three-day seminar where the presenter taught about how to market to universities. On the first morning, his team gave each of us a three-ring binder with hundreds of pages. I was actually pretty excited as I scanned the binder. It was full of a ton of great information. During the first hour, the speaker gave us over 50 great tips and techniques. In the next hour, he covered another 50. He did this over and over for two and a half days. Because I am a public speaking

However, a better example is…

Good Example : A few weeks ago, a long-time client asked me to design a custom workshop for his team. He had a team who were working on a project that had been discontinued. So, he wanted to help the team members have an easier time getting rehired elsewhere in the company. We created a short class for them on how to do well in a job interview. I started by making a list of the most important items they would likely want to know. Art the top of the list was how to reduce nervousness. I spent the first few minutes covering details on how to do this. Second, I gave them a simple process to help them answer questions with credibility. Finally, I gave them a list of questions they would likely be asked. I could have covered hundreds of other tips. However, these were the things that would give them the most bang-for-their-buck.

How Many Slides for a Longer Presentation

Basically, if you design a 120-minute PowerPoint presentation, start by creating two 60-minute presentations. Then, just insert a short break in between each session. When I created the two-day Fearless Presentations ® class, I didn’t start with two days of content. On the contrary, I started with an outline of the “most important” items just like what I suggested you do in your 15-minute presentation.

Here is the list that I started with:

• How to Reduce Public Speaking Fear.
• Designing Short Impromptu Speeches.
• How to Create a Presentation that Is Easier to Deliver.
• Adding Energy and Enthusiasm to Boring Topics.
• Ways to Add Impact and Interactivity to a Presentation.

If I wanted to, I could deliver the entire content of this speech in an hour-long keynote. I’d just need to insert a few examples for each point. That is pretty easy. However, if I want to turn the list into a 2-day seminar, that is pretty easy as well. I’d start with the first point, “How to Reduce Public Speaking Fear.” This becomes the topic of a new one-hour presentation. I use the same technique. “What is the most important thing I can teach the audience about reducing nervousness? What is the second most important thing? And the third thing?”

Basically, the entire two-day class is just a collection of five shorter presentations. In my entire slide deck, I use about 30 different slides in two full days.

The Guy Kawasaki 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

Guy Kawasaki created an interesting PowerPoint rule for entrepreneurs coming to him for venture capital. He calls it his 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule . This general rule is what he requires presenters to use when they come to him for help. Basically, he noticed that presenters spend too much time blathering about unimportant things. So, he gave them a guide and set time limits for each presenter.

• 10 PowerPoint Slides
• 20-Minute Presentation
• 30 Point Font

Obviously, he created these criteria for a certain type of presentation. However, his logic is sound. In fact, the only thing I might argue with him about is the 10 slides rule. Kawasaki says, “Ten is the optimal number of slides in a PowerPoint presentation because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting.”

Let me reiterate that. A normal human being cannot comprehend. He doesn’t say retain. The average person can comprehend more information than he or she can retain. For instance, if I read an entire book on accounting, I might comprehend all of the content. However, because the book covers so many concepts, I’m likely to retain only a few. Knowing this, reduce your number of slides and you will increase retention of your important points.

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How to Make a 5 Minute Presentation with 30 Topic Ideas in 2024

Leah Nguyen • 05 Apr 2024 • 9 min read

Are you looking for 5 minute presentation ideas? How to make a 5 minute presentation properly? What should I cram into my presentation? Is it okay if I cut this out? What information is valuable to the audience? 

The struggle is real, guys. The five-minute presentation, though intriguing to your audience (no one likes to sit through a one-hour-feels-like-a-decade kind of talk), is a nuisance when you have to decide what to cut and what to put in. It may seem like everything happens in a blink of an eye.  

The clock is ticking, but you can keep your panic attack at bay with our step-by-step guide with free topics and examples. Get the full lowdown on how make 5 minute presentation for a team meeting, college class, sales pitch, or wherever else you need it! So, let’s check out 5-minute presentation samples!

Table of Contents

• Present better with AhaSlides
• 5-Minute Presentation Topic List
• How to Make a 5-Minute Presentation
• 5 Common Mistakes

5-Minute Presentation Examples

Present better with ahaslides.

• Types of Presentation
• 10 20 30 Rule Presentations
• Top 10 Office games
• 95++ Fun questions to ask students
• 21+ Ice breaker games
• Better Engagement by Fun Brainstorm Tools like AhaSlides  Word Cloud
• Use Randomness to Decide your Fate by AhaSlides  Spinner Wheel

5 Minute Presentation Ideas

How to make a 5-Minute Presentation? What are the best topics for a 5-minute oral presentation? Ignite the sparkle in the eyes of the audience with this 5-minute presentation topics list.

• The danger of cyberbullying
• Freelancing under the gig economy
• Fast fashion and its environmental impacts
• How podcast has evolved
• Dystopian society in George Orwell’s literature
• Common health disorders you might have
• What is aphasia?
• Caffeine myths – are they real?
• The perks of having a personality test
• The rise and fall of Genghis Khan 
• What happens to the brain when you’re in long-distance relationships?
• Is it too late to care about the environment?
• The consequences of relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• The ways anxiety disorders disrupt our life
• 6 economic terms you need to know 
• Gods in Greek mythology versus Roman mythology
• Origins of Kungfu
• Ethics of genetic modification
• The supernatural strength of cockroaches
• Is social media detox necessary?
• The history of the Silk Road
• What is the world’s most dangerous disease in the 21st century?
• Reasons to do self-journaling everyday
• New trends in careers
• Five reasons to get some quality time for yourself
• The best food to cook when you’re in a hurry
• How to order the best Starbucks drink ever
• Ideas and practices that you follow and would like others to know about
• 5 ways to make a pancake
• Introduction to blockchain 

Start in seconds.

Get any of the above examples as templates. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Hope you’ve had abundant ideas for your 5-minute presentation topics. Before going way to deep of how to make a 5-minute presentation, together, let’s walk through tips for 10-minutes presentation one! With the clock starts running down, every single second counts, and you begin to sweat then how can you pull out a great 10 minutes presentation under that pressure?

In this video, we want to share with you how we overcome the challenge to create 10 minutes presentation structure. Hope you enjoy this video and find it helpful in preparing for your quick presentation! Let us know what you feel.

Bonus Video ▶ Going for 10 Minutes ?

If you feel like a 5-minute presentation would be too stifling, stretch it to 10! Here’s how to do that…

How to Make a 5-Minute Presentation?

Remember, less is more, except when it comes to ice cream. 

That’s why amid hundreds of methods to use, we’ve boiled it down into these four simple steps to make a killer 5-minute presentation.

Let’s jump right in!

#1 – Choose your topic  

How do you know if that topic is “the one” for you? For us, the right topic ticks everything on this checklist:

✅ Stick to one key point. It’s unlikely you’ll have time to address more than one topic, so limit yourself to one and don’t go over it! 

✅ Know your audience. You don’t want to waste time covering information they already know. Everyone knows 2 plus 2 is 4, so move on and never look back.

✅ Go with a simple topic. Again, explaining something that requires time should be off the checklist since you can’t cover it all.

✅ Don’t dwell on unfamiliar topics to minimise the time and effort you spend preparing the presentation. It should be something you already have on your mind.

Need some help finding the right topic for your short presentation? We’ve got 30 topics with different themes to captivate your audience.

#2 – Create your slides 

How many slides for a 5-minute presentation? Unlike the long presentation format in which you can have as many slides as you want, a five-minute presentation typically has significantly fewer slides. Because imagine each slide would take you roughly 40 seconds to 1 minute to go through, that’s already five slides in total. Not much to think about, eh? 

However, your slide count doesn’t matter more than the essence each slide contains. We know that it’s tempting to pack it full of text, but keep in mind that you should be the subject your audience focuses on, not a wall of text. 

Check these examples below.

Make the text bold to highlight important parts and use italics primarily to denote titles and the names of particular works or objects to allow that title or name to stand out from the surrounding sentence. The underlining text also helps draw attention to it, but it is most commonly used to represent a hyperlink on a webpage.

You obviously saw the second example and thought there’s no way you’re going to read through this on the big screen.

The point is this: keep slides straight, concise, and short, as you’ve got 5 minutes only. 99% of the info should come from your mouth.

When you’re keeping text minimal, don’t forget to befriend visuals , as they can be your best sidekicks. Startling statistics, infographics, short animations, pictures of whales, etc., all are great attention grabbers and help you sprinkle your unique trademark and personality on each slide. 

And how many words should be there in a 5-minute speech script? It mainly depends on the visuals or data you show in your slides and also your speech speed. However, a 5-minute speech is roughly 700 words long. 

Secret tip: Go the extra length by making your presentation interactive. You can add a live poll , Q&A section , or quiz that illustrates your points and leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

Get Interactive, Fast 🏃‍♀️

Make the most of your 5 minutes with a free interactive presentation tool!

#3 – Get the timing right

When you’re looking at this, we only have one thing to say: STOP PROCRASTINATING! For such a short presentation, there’s virtually no time for “ah”, “uh” or short pauses, because every moment counts. So, plan the timing of each section with military precision. 

How should it look? Check out the example below: 

• 30 seconds on the introduction . And no more. If you spend too much time on the intro, your main part will have to be sacrificed, which is a no-no.
• 1 minute on stating the problem . Tell the audience the problem you are trying to solve for them, i.e, what they are here for. 
• 3 minutes on the solution . This is where you deliver the most essential info to the audience. Tell them what they need to know, not what is “nice to have”. For example, if you’re presenting how to make a cake, list each item’s ingredients or measurement, as that’s all essential information. However, additional information like icing and presentation is not essential and can be cut.
• 30 seconds on the conclusion . This is where you reinforce your main points, wrap up and have a call to action.
• You can end with a small Q&A .  Since it isn’t technically a part of the 5-minute presentation, you can take as much time as you want to answer the questions. 

How many times should you practice a 5-minute speech? To nail these timings down, make sure you practice religiously. A 5-minute presentation requires more practice than a regular one, as you won’t have as much wiggle room or chance for improvisation.

Also, don’t forget to check your equipment to ensure everything runs smoothly. When you’ve only got 5 minutes, you don’t want to waste any time fixing the mic,  presentation, or other equipment.

#4 – Deliver your presentation 

Imagine you’re watching an exciting video but it keeps.lagging.every.10.seconds. You’d be super annoyed, right? Well, so would your audience if you keep confusing them with abrupt, unnatural speech. 

It’s normal to feel pressured to talk because you feel every minute is precious. But crafting the convo in a way that makes the crowd understand the assignment is so much more important. 

Our first tip for delivering a great presentation is to practice flowing . From the introduction to the conclusion, every part needs to connect and link with each other like glue.

Go between the sections repeatedly (remember to set the timer). If there’s any part in which you feel the urge to speed up, then consider trimming it down or articulating it differently.

Our second tip is for reeling in the audience from the first sentence .

There are countless ways to start a presentation . You can get factual with a shocking, on-topic fact or mention a humorous quote that gets your audience laughing and melting away their (and your) tension.

Secret tip: Don’t know if your 5-minute presentation makes an impact? Use a feedback tool to collect the audience’s sentiment right away. It takes minimal effort, and you avoid losing valuable feedback along the way.

5 Common Mistakes When Giving a 5-Minute Presentation

We overcome and adapt through trial and error, but it’s easier to avoid rookie mistakes if you know what they are👇

• Going way past your allotted time slot. Since the 15 or 30-minute presentation format has long dominated the scene, keeping it brief is difficult. But unlike the long format, which gives you a bit of flexibility on time, the audience knows exactly what 5 minutes feels like and, therefore will expect you to condense the information within the time limit.
• Having a decade-long introduction. Rookie mistake. Spending your precious time telling people who you are or what you’re going to do isn’t the best plan. As we said, we’ve got a bunch of beginning tips for you here . 
• Don’t dedicate enough time to prepare. Most people skip the practice part since they think it’s 5 minutes, and they can quickly fill that up, which is an issue. If in a 30-minute presentation, you can get away with “filler” content, the 5-minute presentation doesn’t even allow you to pause for more than 10 seconds.    
• Devote too much time explaining complicated concepts. A 5-minute presentation doesn’t have room for that. If one point you’re explaining needs to link to other points for further elaboration, it’s always a good idea to revise it and dig deeper into only one aspect of the topic.
• Putting too many complex elements. When making a 30-minute presentation, you might add different elements, such as storytelling and animation, to keep the audience engaged. In a much shorter form, everything needs to be straight to the point, so choose your words or the transition carefully.

To help you grasp how to make a 5-minute presentation, check these short presentation examples, to nail any message!

William Kamkwamba: ‘How I Harnessed the Wind’ 

This TED Talk video presents the story of William Kamkwamba, an inventor from Malawi who, as a kid experiencing poverty, built a windmill to pump water and generate electricity for his village. Kamkwamba’s natural and straightforward storytelling was able to captivate the audience, and his usage of short pauses for people to laugh is also another great technique.

Susan V. Fisk: ‘The Importance of Being Concise’

This training video offers helpful tips for scientists to structure their talk to fit the “5 Minute Rapid” presentation format, which is also explained in 5 minutes. If you plan to create a “How-to” quick presentation, look at this example.

Jonathan Bell: ‘How to Create a Great Brand Name’

As the title refers to itself, the speaker Jonathan Bell will give you a step-by-step guide on how to create a lasting brand name. He gets straight to the point with his topic and then breaks it down into smaller components. A good example to learn from.

PACE Invoice: ‘5 Min Pitch at Startupbootcamp’

This video shows how PACE Invoice , a start-up specialising in multi-currency payment processing, was able to pitch its ideas to the investors clearly and concisely.

Will Stephen: ‘How to Sound Smart in Your TEDx Talk’

Using a humorous and creative approach, Will Stephen’s TEDx Talk guides people through the general skills of public speaking. A must-watch to craft your presentation into a masterpiece.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why 5-minute presentation is important.

A 5-minute presentation shows ability to manage time, grab audience attention, clarification as it requires lots of practice to make it perfect! Besides, there are various suitable speech topics for 5 minutes that you can refer to and adapt to your own.

Who gave the best 5-Minute Presentation?

There are lots of impactful presenters overtimes, with the most famous man named Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk titled “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”, which has been viewed millions of times and has become one of the most-watched TED talks of all time. In the talk, Robinson delivers a humorous and engaging presentation on the importance of nurturing creativity in education and society.

Why is Ted Talks famous for presentation?

TED Talks is successful as it’s present in a short format, engaging speakers, diverse topics, high production value and it’s accessible everywhere!

Leah Nguyen

Words that convert, stories that stick. I turn complex ideas into engaging narratives - helping audiences learn, remember, and take action.

More from AhaSlides

How Many Slides for 5 Minutes Presentation

Last updated on January 25th, 2023

5 minutes, does it sound significantly less for a presentation it is sufficient time. In other words, your audience starts getting bored listening to you after this period. Only if you are a good storyteller and an even better orator will you not need to make extra efforts to make your listeners stay with you. Confusion still prevails over how many slides for 5 minutes presentation. Let’s cast a glance at the solutions.

Read related articles on the Role of Planning in making an effective PowerPoint presentation.

How Many Slides to Include in a 5-minute Presentation?

The final answer may be different from one presenter to another. In our 10-minute presentation article, we discussed a presentation with 5 slides to be covered within 10 minutes. For a 5-minute presentation, a total of 5 slides will be desirable, including the cover slide and the last slide for Q&A. This, at a speech rate faster than the presentation of 10 minutes. This makes room to include 3 inner slides (after the cover or introduction, and before the Q&A slide). In these 3 slides, you can include the core of your message and keep the audience engaged.

What are examples of 5-minute presentation topics?

Whether you are preparing a topic for a class, or a business presentation, if 5 minutes is a requirement of your presentation, then here are some ideas of topics for your 5-minute presentation.

A 5-minute product demo

Perfecting your demo is not a synonym of taking more time to present it. You can wrap your product demos in less than 5 minutes, which will help keep your audience fully engaged. Plan your product demo accordingly, and keep it covered in a 5-minute presentation.

Regardless of how long your introduction is, the audience won’t be engaged for more than 5 minutes, and they will only pay attention to the five minutes of it. So, prepare your product demo and speech to wrap it within 5 minutes and rock it.

Demo Day Pitch Presentation

Accelerators and conferences are holding pitch competitions and demo days with more frequency these days. At the same time, many new entrepreneurs are interested in pitching on theseatvents, so it is crucial for the organizers and the presenters to keep the Demo Day pitches short. 

As mentioned above, five minutes might not sound like a long time, especially when presenting on stage. Furthermore, when you are part of a demo day presentation, the audience must watch many of these presentations one after the other. You need to wow them, and one way to wow them, aside of using great visual slides, is to keep your presentation short. 

For other ideas, you can check our article about PowerPoint topic ideas .

How to Prepare yourself for a 5-Minute Presentation

1. choose your subject intelligently.

The topic of the presentation plays a crucial role in deciding how long it will stay attractive to the listeners. Although you might not always get the chance to pick a topic, you can present it from an angle with a captivating approach.

For instance, if it is a boardroom presentation, you certainly cannot divert it much. Therefore, statistical demonstrations and references to the latest market scenarios prove helpful and attention-seeking factors. There might be instances when you will be given dry topics; insert some videos and other amusing stuff. It saves you the unnecessary effort of trying to please the audience, which often backfires.

2. Divide the period

Since it is five minutes, you cannot speak for one minute on every slide. Furthermore, time will also be consumed in the introduction, closing speech, and interacting with the participants/audience. Therefore planning and time management are vital in these types of presentations.

Moreover, some technical stuffs need to be kept in mind too. Since the time allotment per slide will be uneven, your content on the slide, as well as your speech need to complement this requirement.

3. Do Not Stay on a Slide for Long

Avoid staying for longer period on a slide. The more expedient step will be if you have least content on the slide and you do the talking. Let images speak; this way you can change the slides to your requirement and even increase their numbers.

Although experts say that time frame has little role to play while deciding the number of slides, yet one cannot ignore the importance of every passing minute. For it is time that will make or break your presentation results.

Final words

How many slides for a 5 minute presentation? This is a common question from someone who is preparing a short presentation and needs to understand how many slides to include in the PowerPoint. The main thing to keep in mind when crafting a 5-minute presentation is not to ramble on too much and keep your audience engaged. And, of course, it’s always important to end on a high note.

As you can see, there is not a fixed number of slides that you should use for a 5-minute presentation. It all depends on the content and your storytelling style. The total number of slides might vary. For example, if you want to share an interesting story about your work or a new product launch, then there’s no need to go overboard with visual aids. Next time when preparing a presentation, keep these tips in mind and be sure to leave some breathing space as well.

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How Many Slides Do You Need For A Whatever-Minute Presentation?

Yousef "yoyo" abu ghaidah.

• May 9, 2018
• One Comment

“How many slides do I need for a 10 minutes presentation?”

“I have 30 minutes. Do I need 30 slides?”

“I have a 60-minute presentation coming up and I don’t want to bore my audience to death with slide-overload. What do I do?”

If I had a dollar for every time I get a question like these, I’d be a millionaire.

It’s time to put the age-old PowerPoint question to rest. How many slides do you  really need for your next presentation, regardless of the time set?

Here’s your answer: As many as you need, but within reason .

I know, I know. You’re looking for a quick and simple solution that you can use right now. But trust me, you’ll get what I mean after reading this post.

Rules Don’t Apply … Sort Of

There are so many rules out there that you’ve probably heard of.

“Only use five slides.”

“Keep it to one slide for every three minutes.”

Even presentation pros like Guy Kawasaki will advocate for the 10/20/30 rule (10 slides, 20 minutes, 30 point font).

These rules aren’t necessarily wrong, but I do feel they overlook one of the most important factors in your presentation: Your message.

When you apply a general rule-of-thumb to the content you want to present, you’re going to end up limiting yourself. That sort of practice can be bad for you, and even worse for your audience.

Look at it this way: Do you think J. K. Rowling was thinking about how many pages she would need to get Harry Potter out to the world?

Of course not. Her priorities were centered down to the plot, how the characters express themselves, the intricacies between the hero and the villain, and so on.

Rowling’s only true goal was to write a fictional novel so epic that it would appeal to the masses.

Do I need to tell you how hugely successful she was a result of that approach?

Take the same principle and develop as many slides as you need to capture every meaningful component of your message.

Remember, slides are empty canvases for your information. You can put a single word and a picture to demonstrate your point or 500 words and a chart to do the exact same thing.

But practice this approach with caution. Don’t just cram in slides for the sake of doing so.

Only bring the slides that express the value of your content. Nothing more, nothing less.

Time Allocation is Crucial

Time is the most precious thing we have in this world , and it is certainly the one thing you  NEED  to respect when it comes to your audience.

That said, there is a misconception about time limits in presentations that you need to be aware of.

Avoid going for the minute(s)-per-slide approach. Many presenters feel that sustaining this number is crucial for delivery. For example, if someone was preparing 10 slides for a 10-minute presentation, then that same person may feel dedicating 1 minute per slide is the way to go.

Don’t do this, because  how you allocate your time should be completely up to you.

I’ve witnessed presenters spend 10 seconds on one slide only to spend five minutes on another, and they were extremely effective in their delivery.

The slide that took five minutes to present was also the slide that needed five minutes of my time to understand. This highlighted that the slide in question was meaningful, insightful, and followed a pace that I was comfortable with.

That’s the key take away. Dedicate more of the time given to you to the content that matters most.  This approach should allow you to gauge just how many slides you need to bring in.

So, How Many Slides Do You Really Need?

All you have to do is answer two simple questions:

• “How many slides do I need to get my message across?”
• “What pace would my audience feel comfortable with?”

With the ‘right’ answers, you’re almost certain to get the perfect number of slides for your presentation, every single time.

You’re The Special Ingredient

Whatever number you go for, remember that your slides should only be seen as the tools you need to get your message across.

Sure, designing beautiful slides will help, but they won’t do the work for you.

Rely on yourself to get your message out there. Your tone, body-language, and passion are what truly can make or break your presentation.

Dang…I needed this LOL. Thank you for decreasing my stress.

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How many slides for a 15 minute presentation?

When the time allotted for a business presentation varies, so must the slide’s content to fit the minute quota. Yet, it can be hard to know how to achieve the right amount of slides for the time frame that you’ve got. Therefore, we’ve considered how many slides for a 10-minute presentation an entrepreneur would ideally need, as well as how many slides for a 15-minute presentation, and how many slides for a 5-minute presentation. And, we’ve also included a note to the number of slides for a 3-minute pitch. 

Without more introduction, we’ll get right to the heart of it. 

How many slides for a 15-minute presentation 

With as many as a slide per minute, you could still range at a 15 slide average. However, some will say you could even do three slides per minute, depending on your content, so these could go up to even 45 slides according to that rule. 

In general, the answer to how many slides for a 15-minute presentation lies in about 25 slides. Yet, think anywhere between 20-30 as the broadest use of those. 

And if you genuinely wish to stick to the standard, remember any pitch deck should be able to withstand a 10-20 slide average. Therefore, you might be better off sticking to your 15 slide quota on this one. If you can afford it with 15 with all your must-haves, we say you do so. 

How many slides for a 10-minute presentation 

Twenty slides are the usual for a 10 min business pitch. Yet, you usually create anywhere from 10 to 20. 

If the number 20 on a 10-minute slot is making you think of 2 slides per minute, please take the load off your shoulders on that obligation before you start. It’s the best you could do. If you make yourself present two slides per minute, you might find you’ll be rushing through what you have to say, looking to cover a lot and find time to be a killer for the way you conceive your pitch.

On the contrary, think of what you need to include in your pitch. What’s better yet is to look up a business presentation template to give you an idea of the required content and its order so you can take it from there. We’ve even created a list full of pitch deck examples from successful startups (such as Airbnb, Uber, Facebook , and many others.) You’ll probably find much use relying on those, so take a look and start from there if it helps. 

On this one, it’s also helpful if you rely on images to keep a visual flow. Also, in considering how many slides for a 10-minute presentation, make sure your font is at the perfect size to be visible and not disturbing. As long as we’re at it, don’t overdo it with the bullet points and declutter your slides to make them look perfect!

How many slides for a 5-minute presentation 

Now let’s get to how many slides for a 5-minute presentation. A 5-minute presentation could already count as a prolonged elevator pitch . If those are new to you, we recommend you read up on How to Create an Elevator Pitch with Tips and Examples . 

In theory, a 5-minute presentation could be done with 5-6 slides at most, cutting your presentation time to about 45 seconds per slide. For this (and with any business presentation, really, but here especially), cut your text down to very basics. If people are lost reading your pitch deck, the chances of them listening to you for those 5 minutes decrease. 

Instead, create a presentation that keeps your audience engaged with what you’re saying. And remember, we still use story-telling even if the time is short, which will demand of your pitch planning a more concise and cohesive content. 

To get there, work on your script. As every word counts, you’ll find drafting a text and then polishing it will make for a precious exercise as you cut down on unnecessary wording to get to your point in the most succinct manner. 

You get this time to make an impression and leave something by which the audience can remember you. So be memorable. 

If you’re looking for less: the 3-minute pitch

Just in case, if you’re going for 3 minutes, we also have a 3 Minute Pitch Deck Template that can help you out. It works perfectly for Demo Day and going on-stage.

The deck includes a nice-looking cover followed by a critical question slide, your problem, and solution, along with chart slides for your financial slides, video inserts for your product demo, even room for a full quote, and much more! Feel free to check it out!

Regardless of the allotted time: Rehearse!

Whether you’ve got 5, 10, or 15 minutes on your business presentation clock, always prepare with much rehearsal. You need to practice your pitch, especially if time variations will be a demand from you. 

There needs to be a clear understanding of your absolute essentials if 3-5 minutes is all you’ve got to draw an investor. While this scenario might sound very wild, trust us that they exist for a very valid reason based on actual need and use in the startup industry. 

Also, by tailoring these pitch variations in regards to time differences, you’ll find a much more polished rendition of your business pitch. And that will significantly help give shape to the best version of your business presentation you could find. 

Please don’t take this for granted. Rehearse all you can as practice does make perfect. Record yourself on video or tape, listen and watch yourself so you can improve and get advice from others. Peer feedback helps, but even your family and friends can give you tips on presenting that can make your pitch go a long way. If not, we’ve drafted the Best 5 Tips on Presenting and Public Speaking to help out, as well.

And remember: whatever you do, don’t rush! A rushed presenter is a business pitch’s fall. Make the best use of your time without rushing, so people can listen to you and pay attention other than to your hurried stance. 

Are you out of ideas?

Before we let you move on to your pitch creation, are you fresh out of ideas on how to build a pitch deck? Just in case that’s you, our CDO and co-founder, Vini, has created a guide to an outstanding presentation deck with presentation deck ideas .

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A pitch deck is the standard document used by startups to present their case to investors; it’s a brief deck of about 10 to 20 slides. See examples here.

Learn how to create a compelling slide deck for your startup. Explore how to use slide decks as aids for your presentation, and the most common uses for them.

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Give a 5-Minute Presentation

How to give a five-minute technical presentation.

Presented by: Carey Rappaport, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering & Associate Director Gordon-CenSSIS, Northeastern University

When creating a five minute presentation, plan to present a slide per minute. The five slides, in order, include a Title/Author/Affiliation slide, an Outline slide, a Problem Description/Motivation slide, a Proposed Approach/Alternative slide, and a Summary/Conclusion slide.

The title slide names your presentation. Post the title at the top of the slide, followed by your name and the affiliation of the presentation. Next, compose your outline slide.

The outline slide should include, in a numbered list, the titles of each five slides respective to your specific presentation.

The problem or description slide is where the core content of the presentation starts. Your goal is the effective transfer of information in a limited amount of time, five minutes.

Make sure the audience is guided. Each slide should contain a title and clearly define text by using bullets. The audience must be entertained. Utilize dark backgrounds to make text easier to read (be mindful that if printing a presentation, this will use larger quantities of ink). The font should be as big as possible, utilizing the entire space allowed by each slide, given the content. Make sure to avoid using too many colors, poor contrasts, and bad fonts. Abbreviate when possible to allow space for more content, but be sure to define abbreviations when presenting. Animation is effective when slides are long to keep audience engaged or present additional content. Try using pictures instead of words to get your point across.

The proposed approach/alternatives slide is intended for technical talk. Explain why the problem is important, difficult, interesting and worth doing. In doing so, mention your previous approaches with the advantages and difficulties you encountered. Then, present your best solution plan and provide a testing metric to evaluate. Be sure to include alternatives in case the main plan fails. Also discuss the supplemental materials such as the schedule, budget, personnel, and contractual issues. To convey your problem effectively, defer specific details for a longer presentation and minimize your use of equations.

The summary slide identifies the solution and ends your presentation. Repeat and reinforce your main points clearly and succinctly. Stress your contributions using the slide orientation and pictorial display if possible. Suggest action items, making these slides available and easily accessible for students to give talks.

And finally, keep it within the five minute time limit.

Further reading: Mastering the Art of the Five Minute Presentation From Darrell Zahorsky, former About.com Guide

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The 20-minute presentation checklist.

If you’ve been given only 20 minutes, 10 minutes, or even 5 minutes to make your point, you don’t need to jam everything you ever learned into that precious time.  It won’t make you look smarter. Let’s take a look at what’s possible.  Below are three TED Talks that I find to be amazing examples of short presentations.

How many slides should be in a 20 minute presentation?

There is a lot of advice about slides and it usually starts with a rule about what you should or shouldn’t do. My experience tells me that people often rely too heavily on slides. Don’t think of your slides as your content.

20-minute Presentation Example

Take a look at this example from a compelling presentation by Jane McGonigal titled The Game That Can Give You 10 Extra Years Of Life .

Did Jane make her point? Just like in her presentation, you should think about your slides as your co-facilitator.

In 2018 ATD published my thoughts on this in a booklet called PowerPoint: Your Co-Facilitator . When you design your slides, ask yourself how many times you want your audience looking at the slides and not listening to you? Years ago, my company, Endurance Learning , worked with a manufacturing company and reduced their slide deck from hundreds to 13 for a day and a half training session. This training program continued to be successfully implemented for years with 13 slides. The number isn’t as important as what work the slides do for you.

How many slides should you have in a 10 minute presentation?

Shorter presentations come with new challenges. In a 10 minute presentation, you should be very careful. Conventional wisdom would say that you can have roughly 5 slides at 2 minutes each. Just like when you had to edit your essay down from 3 pages to 1, a shorter presentation will challenge you to only show the slides that matter. Even the slightest change of pace or adjustment to your talking points could have you leaving slides on the proverbial cutting room floor.

10-minute Presentation Example

Take a look at this compelling presentation by Marla Spivak: Why Bees Are Disappearing.

How many slides should you have in a 5 minute presentation?

Now we’re talking! You may have gotten the sense above that the rules aren’t as important as why you’re using the slides. When you get to a 5 minute presentation (and maybe even on the 20 and 10 minute presentations), you should ask yourself why you are using slides.

5-minute Presentation Example

How important are slides in this 5-minute presentation by William Kamkwamba titled How I Harnessed The Wind ?

There are, of course, examples where you can take a short presentation with rapid-fire slides. I talked about Pecha Kucha before and showed how you can make it incredibly fun and engaging. That said, Pecha Kucha is a very specific format that is often used at events where a group of people are presenting in this format. For your 5 minute presentation, think about what you want to achieve and ask yourself if slides will be a critical part of supporting that message.

Designing Slides for Short Presentations

How can you emulate great short presentations the next time you’re asked to make a short presentation – in a staff meeting or in a public symposium?  Try incorporating the following elements:

• Give Your Presentation a Compelling Title : Who doesn’t want to know more just by reading the title?
• Find a Hook : Within the first minute, there’s a reason for me to pay attention – whether it’s looking at photos of an empty grocery store or how I can increase my lifespan. There’s something in these presentations for me .
• Remove Physical Barrier and Crutches : There’s no podium between the speaker and the audience. The speaker just feels more accessible.
• Focus on Making Attractive Visual Aids : Though PowerPoint is used, there’s not a single template. There are no bullet points. The slides have vivid, dramatic images and few words. Even statistics and scientific evidence is easy to digest. If you want to learn more consider checking out the podcast with Connie Malamed about visual design . In it she says, “When the visual design is poor, when there’s a lot of extraneous information, when things aren’t aligned, when it’s sloppy, it detracts from the learning. It makes it harder for people to visually process the screen or the slide in terms of e-learning and in terms of job aids or manuals, books, it’s the same story.”
• Encourage Active Listening : The Jane McGonigal presentation especially uses this strategy by giving the audience an assignment at the beginning (“I want you to think about how you’ll spend your extra minutes and hours of life”). She also intersperses questions throughout, inviting the audience to think for a moment before she proceeds. You should also check out the discussion with Melissa Marshall about creating engaging technical presentations . In it, she says that “… the concept of being a tour guide for the slide is even more important than it’s ever been, which is to very methodically walk people through what they should be noticing, what’s important about it.”
• Provide Concrete, Real-life Examples : We could have been exposed to the numbers of people without power in Malawi or mind-numbing charts on the science behind gaming, but the presenters instead chose to share stories and make an emotional connection. Since we live in the real world (and not in theory or in books), presentations are more gripping when they’re about what we do and how the numbers or the theories actually impact us.
• Share Your Passion : Each presenter shared their passion through their obvious preparation, their voice intonations and they allowed their personalities to show. They’re not just smart, but they care about both their topic and their audience.
• Tie It All Together : The speakers didn’t simply end by saying “thank you.” Their thank-you to the audience came in the form of a brief summary, wrap-up and call to action.

The next time you have a chance to present, don’t just do what’s easy. Use some of these tips and deliver a meaningful presentation!

What inspiration have you gotten from TED talks? Have you used this formula to sharpen your 20-minute, 10-minute or 5-minute presentation?

Brian Washburn

Brian has over 25 years of experience in Learning & Development including the last 7 as CEO of Endurance Learning.

Brian is always available to chat about learning & development and to talk about whether Endurance Learning can be your training team’s “extra set of hands”.

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How to Create Slides That Suit Your Superiors: 11 Tips

When you’re pitching ideas or budgets to execs in your organization, you need to deliver slides that fit those particular people just right. This checklist identifies the key considerations.

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I recently interviewed 20 of my customers, all in senior roles at Fortune 100 companies, and asked them their biggest pain point in presenting to higher-ups and even colleagues. What I heard consistently was that it can feel like Goldilocks bouncing from one option to the next, testing to figure out what’s “just right.” Does the audience want deep reports? Sparse slides? Something in between? Like … what?

Teams often come to presentation meetings with vast amounts of backup content just in case an exec wants to take a deep dive on any given point. There’s often a struggle to anticipate every direction attendees might want to go. It’s frustrating, and it’s not efficient.

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There are many ways to build slides. I’m not just talking about crafting them well versus poorly. I’m talking about all of the important decisions regarding how to organize them, how much text to use, when to lean into a chart, the best ways to use bullets and color, and whether to include an appendix with additional information. Before you make your next proposal or request of the executive team, use this list of 11 tips for your next set of slides as a guide.

Four Things You Must Have in Every Exec’s Slides

Before we drill down into the harder aspects, the ones where your executives’ tastes may vary widely, let’s quickly cover four aspects that you can consider the building blocks — the basics you should never proceed without.

Start with an executive summary. Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure. First, start with stating the current realities. Second, clearly state the problem or opportunity your idea addresses and its potential impact. Third, explain how your recommendation solves the problem or exploits the opportunity and the next steps you’re proposing.

Have a logical organization. The arc of the deck — the package from beginning to end — should make sense. If your audience reads only the headline of every slide, the order should be coherent and make most of the case for you. The content below each slide’s headline must support the statement made in the title. Remove everything that doesn’t support your point; as writers will tell you, you sometimes need to “kill your darlings” when you’re editing.

Begin the slide deck with a tight executive summary that follows a three-act structure.

Make it skimmable. Help your audience to quickly grasp the point without getting bogged down in details. Create a clear visual hierarchy. Guide the reader’s eye through the content: Use bold headings, bullet points, and numbered lists to break down information into digestible pieces. Highlight key takeaways or conclusions in a different color or font size to draw attention to these critical points.

Focus on concise insights. Succinct statements with clear insights are everyone’s jam. Every slide should serve a purpose and contribute directly to the decision-making process. Distill complex information. Don’t use 100 words when 20 words will nail it. If you’re having difficulty trimming, consider using company-approved AI tools to help you take out the fluff.

Five Preferences to Confirm With the Person You Want to Reach

Now we’ll delve into what your particular audience does and does not want. If you haven’t yet, start by asking the person you’re presenting to what they generally prefer. They probably know themselves well but have not been asked to articulate how they like to receive information.

Ask how dense is too dense. Some executives prefer detailed slides with comprehensive data. Others favor a more high-level approach. You’re weighing how to balance informative content with readability, ensuring that slides are not overloaded yet are sufficiently detailed to support decision-making.

Confirm the delivery format and timing. Some execs like information presented to them. Others prefer a pre-read of the material followed by a discussion. I always recommend our tool Slidedocs (I’ve written a free e-book on them), which are visual documents using both words and images. The templates help presenters organize their thoughts into a document for a pre-read or a read-along. They are designed to be skimmable and able to travel through your organization without the help of a presenter.

I’m a huge fan of pre-reads and prefer to use my time in meetings to ask questions and build alignment. If your audience didn’t review your material in advance, ask at the top of the meeting whether they would like you to present it or would prefer to read through it and then discuss it.

Find out how much data visualization they prefer. Charts, graphs, photos, and illustrations often communicate complex data more clearly than words alone. When execs can see what you’re saying, they often can better understand the impact of your idea. Does the exec want to understand exact numbers? Bar charts allow them to move their eyes across a series of specifics. Does the exec want to know the shape of a trend over time? Line charts can show the pattern. (See “Classic Charts Communicate Data Quickly.”) Some prefer charts with annotations that draw attention to what you think is the most important point. Others want to make their own conclusions from the data.

One of my clients, the CEO of a massive commercial real estate company, doesn’t want anything visualized. He prefers numbers, only in a table, and only in two colors — black and red. You might think this is archaic. But the fact that he’s clear to his teams about what he wants takes all the mystery out of how to communicate with him.

When the stakes are high, have a conceptual thinker help with diagrams and concepts. If you don’t have one on your team, and when it’s high stakes, find an internal designer to help you or hire one. You can’t afford to have the baby (your idea) thrown out with the bathwater (terrible slides).

Identify which details need spelling out. How well do the people you’re presenting to know the landscape and function of the company and products you’re talking about? For example, if your engineering team threw a slide into a deck about an issue that requires executive approval, do the execs all speak geek? Or do you need to explain the technology so that they will really understand the ask? Either eliminate internal jargon and acronyms or unpack those bits, especially if your proposal deeply involves expertise outside of the executives’ domain.

Ask whether appendices will be useful. When you’re organizing a presentation, you often troll data, read through complicated reports, and even hire external experts to figure out what’s best for the company. Do your execs want access to that supporting data? You can add a document to the end of the presentation as an appendix to show all of the data and source material. This allows the main content of the slides to remain focused and accessible while still providing comprehensive background information for those who want more.

Two Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Getting materials in place is the biggest step. They will be your best tools for selling your ideas. But there are two extra areas to pay attention to as a presenter: how you handle questions and how you use every experience to improve.

Anticipate questions, and practice your answers. Before you have your meeting, gather a small team to challenge every point you make. Invite colleagues you trust to role-play as “a rapidly inquisitive exec” or “the doubting naysayer exec” so you are prepared to present your idea well. They’re gonna grill you, and practicing will help you remain unruffled when it happens.

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Ask for feedback after the presentation. Establish a feedback loop with those you presented to. Ask what worked well and how you can improve. If attendees don’t have the time, find people who have had their ideas funded and talk to them about what they did that worked. Advice and some perspective will help you nail your performance even better next time.

Empathetically understanding your audience members and how they process information, whether it’s executives or peers, sets up your ideas for success. Clarity creates efficiency. When a presentation fits just right, you’ve given your great thinking the best chance of moving through your organization and having maximum impact.

About the Author

Nancy Duarte is CEO of Duarte Inc. , a communication company in the Silicon Valley. She’s the author of six books, including DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story (Ideapress Publishing, 2019).

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