a good presentation idea

120 Presentation Topic Ideas Help You Hook Your Audience

Updated: August 15, 2024

Published: August 09, 2023

Cooking is easy. The puzzle is figuring out what to eat. As soon as you know that, you can get started. The same holds for presentations. The sooner you can whip up a good, informative, and catchy topic, the easier the rest of the process becomes.

man presents presentation topics to a group

Pick a good topic that resonates with you and your audience to set a strong foundation. But select the wrong topic, and it becomes difficult to connect with your audience, find mutual interests, or hold their attention.

So, let’s learn how to develop thought-provoking and relevant topics for your presentations. You’ll also find some best practices to make your presentation memorable.

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Table of Contents

How to Choose a Great Presentation Topic in 5 Steps

120 presentation topic ideas, 5 presentation tips.

How to Choose a Great Presentation Topic. Be novel. Begin with the end in mind.

4. Choose an appropriate presentation style.

There are many ways to present a topic. Your personality, the topic at hand, and your audience’s personas will help you determine which style would best fit you and your audience.

Select a presentation style that will communicate the main idea clearly and have a lasting impact on your audience.

For instance, explore a freeform style presenter by Sir Ken Robinson.

5. Engage with your audience.

Work on your presentation skills to make a strong connection with your audience, get through to them and leave a mark.

Think of the presenter as the link between the topic and the audience. A strong or a weak presenter can make a difference between a presentation being a thriving success or a boring failure.

Hone your skills by engaging and interacting with your audience. Make them feel like a part of the presentation and not just spectators. 70% of marketers have found presentations with interactive content to be more effective than those without.

Here are a few ways you can make your presentation interactive:

Start your speech with uncommon questions to your audience. Involve them from the get-go, like ask to raise their hands if X.
Make eye contact to build credibility and show confidence. Don’t stare at your slides or notes. Smile occasionally and talk to the audience directly.
Have an active and confident body language. Don’t stand in the same place the entire time. Move around the stage.
Don’t be monotonous. Speak as you would to a colleague — with enthusiasm.
Ask close-ended questions in between to keep the audience engaged without losing time. Address them using their names to keep things interesting.
Share personal experiences and stories that your audience will find fascinating and relatable.
Practice thoroughly before you present so you’re fluent with the material and delivery.
Energy and excitement can be quite contagious. Make sure you exude enough to spread some to your audience.

Feeling Inspired Yet?

Now you have all the right ingredients for choosing amazing topics and a hundred ideas to drive inspiration from. So, go ahead and start cooking presentations that will blow your audience away.

Don’t forget to choose a super-relevant topic and add meaty information. Do it with excitement to make it enjoyable for you and your audience. Best of luck!

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100+ Creative Presentation Ideas You Can Steal Today

Renderforest Staff

20 Aug 2023

11 min read

100+ Creative Presentation Ideas You Can Steal Today

Have you ever struggled with forcing yourself to stay awake during a presentation? Don’t worry, you are not alone.

In essence, a presentation is nothing but sharing ideas with others. Whether you intrigue and interest your audience or not depends on how interesting the topic is and how well you present it.

Whether you plan on making a PowerPoint presentation with neatly designed slides or a video presentation with dynamic transitions, you first need creative presentation ideas.

That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive list of the most captivating and creative presentation ideas you can put to use. We have separated them into three main categories to make things easier for you.

Let’s dive right in!

Business and Management Presentation Ideas

Education presentation ideas, general presentation ideas.

In business, presenting information and complex ideas in an easy-to-digest manner is crucial. If you already have a presentation idea, you only need to find a presentation template to bring it to life. But if you’re still looking for creative presentation ideas, read the list we’ve prepared below.

Corporate Presentation : Have you ever wondered what the best way is to build and communicate your company’s identity? Corporate presentations are great for promoting your brand, services, and products by simply talking about them.
Company Profiling : Introduce your team. Who are you? What are you passionate about? Your audience is interested to know more about your team members.
Company Story : What can strengthen the ties between you and your audience better than a compelling success story told through creative presentations?

Use Template

Product Promos : Create a buzz around your new product with an engaging promo presentation.
Sales Pitch : Close that sale you’ve worked so hard for with a well-built sales presentation.
Office Tour : Present the cool interior design of your office. Show your favorite spots where you like to wind down with a cup of coffee or, hey, maybe a beer.
Product Features : Does your product have interesting features that not everyone knows about? Make a detailed presentation on all the hidden features of your product. Use images and videos to explain how everything functions.
Fundamental Principles : Choose a general topic in Business and Management and discuss it through your creative presentation. Here’s an idea: “Fundamental Principles of Strategic Planning.” Could be a great prompt to start with, right?
Best Strategies: Be it marketing, financial, or any other type of strategy, an overview of the best strategies can make for informative and useful presentation content.
Industry Introduction : Make a presentation about the industry your business operates. Use strong visuals to complement your content and introduce your industry in the best light possible.
Comparing Tactics : Make a presentation reflecting on and comparing various tactics.
Calculated Risks : We are all worried about possible risks when taking action. Risks are unavoidable. It’s a great idea to prepare your audience for the risks before they come across them. There is a multitude of ways to do it through creative presentations. Cover “Risks in Investing,” “Risks Associated With Trading Derivatives,” and so forth.
Advantages and Disadvantages : One never comes without the other. Introduce your team to the pros and cons of your plans, actions, and anything else you consider important.

Advantages and disadvantages presentation slide

USE TEMPLATE

Debates : Make your presentation even more interactive by involving the audience in debates. Plus, debates and discussions are always helpful in establishing a better understanding of a topic.
SWOT Analysis : You can never go wrong with a proper analysis of business strategies, marketing plans, and more. So consider making an analysis presentation to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a specific business strategy.
Portfolio Presentation : Showcase your best projects and works. Why should anyone be interested in you if they haven’t seen your work? Presenting your best projects in a compelling and attractive format will increase your reputation quickly.
Current Trends : What are the current trends in business and management. Always keep an eye on them to stay one step ahead of your competitors.
Challenges : Who doesn’t agree that challenges are tough? Making a creative presentation on challenges and the ways that you have overcome them will help you keep track of your development and also prepare for the future.
Reporting Progress : Why don’t you make weekly or monthly presentations on your performance, such as financial statements? Measuring and reporting your performance will smooth your path toward your goals.
Customer Testimonials : Present your customers’ responses and feedback on your product/service to see what steps you need to take to improve your offerings.
Profiles of Successful People : Encourage your team by introducing them to the experiences and achievements of successful people.
Tips and Tricks : If you want to cheer your audience up, provide them with hacks and tricks to deal with certain issues. This can include technical tricks and some tips on teamwork, for example.

Rules and Regulations : What are some of the rules that your company never breaks? Discuss the rules and regulations that apply to your team.
Top Criteria : Selecting a new quality management system is not easy, is it? Introducing the top criteria for a specific task can be a great presentation topic. How about making a presentation on “Top Criteria for Selecting a New Quality Management System?”
Product Development Process : Sometimes, we are interested to see how a product was created. Showcase the development process of your product through a presentation.
Most Effective Ways : It’s always good to be introduced not only to what to do but also to how to do it. So make a presentation on the best ways of conducting surveys, research, or anything else.

Product development guidelines slide example

Success Factors : This is something all of us are interested in. Introduce the success factors in different areas such as managing successful teams or product design tips.
Cause and Effect : This simple and informative presentation structure will be ideal to dive deeper into the intricate world of cause and effect.
Past vs. Present vs. Future : Growth will become more visible and obvious once you start comparing what you had before to what you have now. This can turn into a great summary of the major changes within a certain time period.
Comparisons : Compare different products/services. It’s a good strategy that will help you emphasize the good and the bad sides of a particular thing.
Positive and Negative Effects : It’s always important to show the two sides of a coin. Consider presenting the positive and negative effects of a certain thing. For example, the positive and negative effects of social media is a debated topic nowadays. Pick your topic and reveal it from both perspectives.
Problem-Solution Presentation : Identify a relevant problem. A great presentation format would be to introduce not only the complicated problem but its solution as well.
Training : Your presentation can become a training session. You can organize a theoretical part and add a practical portion too, like quizzes and discussions.
Graphs and Charts : One of the best ways to introduce your info is through statistical graphs and charts, combining survey and observational data. You can use visual animated scenes and infographics.

Popular Misconceptions : People are often mistakenly drawn from one end to another due to inaccurate data. Help your audience avoid misunderstandings about entrepreneurs, investors, and business management in general. Your presentation will guide them in the right direction, drawing the line between truth and lie.
Introduction to Business Topics : No matter the topic, it’s always useful to present basic ideas. Keep it short and clear. This can include an introduction to income statements, or any other important business concept.
Stages of a Process : Don’t leave your audience confused with theory but let them see the practical stages of how things are accomplished. (e.g., “The Stages of User Journey”)

Management : How do you efficiently manage a business? You can prepare dozens of presentations on management: be it resources, public relations, time, money, or anything else.
Competitor Analysis : Know your enemy! You’ve probably heard the famous saying, haven’t you? Track down your competitors and share the info with your team.
Appreciation : This presentation should be devoted to the team members who have done an exceptional job.
Unknown Facts : Pick a topic and reveal facts that are unknown to most people. What are some of the interesting and truthful facts that they don’t know about branding?

Restrictions : No matter what business you have, restrictions are guaranteed. Make a presentation on the restrictions and limitations you face. (e.g. “Restrictions in Integrated Web Design”)
Big Breakthroughs : Want to feel proud of yourself and your team? Here is how you can do it: Reveal some cases when you have successfully overcome the toughest of obstacles and learned lessons as a result. Talk about the long path you have been on with your company.
Partners and Investors : Tell about your partners. Give info about investors. Cooperation is way more successful when team members are acquainted with the investors. Your presentation can have a strong influence on the performance of your team.
Business Ethics : As a significant part of business, it’s important to understand ethics. How about “Ethics in Marketing Research?” There are countless ethical issues.
Theories : Gather some of the most important theories that you find useful and prepare a good presentation with examples and visuals.
Product/Service Improvement : A briefing like this might include a recap of your product or service or a discussion of any possible improvement before the product is ready for the market.
The Rise and Fall of Brands : Don’t avoid talking about the failures and successes of other brands. Doing so can help you with your own journey.
Upcoming or Recent Events : Talk about exciting events that you are planning to organize or already have. For upcoming events, you can make a welcoming presentation, announcing the date and venue. Check out an example below:

Inspiration : Get ready to give a professional and motivational talk to inspire your audience to take action towards targeted goals.
Explain Business Concepts : How does a certain idea or concept work? Give a specific and clear presentation on the concepts that not everyone is familiar with. How does a franchise work? How do partnerships work?
QA Presentation : Assure that your audience knows that your product/service is of the best quality.
Announcements : Is there a cool and intriguing event that’s coming? Give an announcement through your presentation. It can be short and clear, covering all the key points.
Discovery, Invention, Innovation : Share the most interesting discoveries and recent innovations in the business world.
How-to Presentations : If you are skilled at something, then you can make a presentation to guide others. Present a step-by-step guide for a specific task, such as conducting surveys or managing conflicts.

Whether it’s a school project or an online class presentation, you need to make it attractive and engaging. So, choose the topic wisely. Below are some education presentation ideas you can use for your next project.

Academic Presentation : If you want to educate and share info, then academic presentations with supporting visuals, presentation slides, and videos are what you need.
Explainer : Explainers are a powerful way of sharing essential information. You can make short and engaging explainer videos to include in your presentations.

Pros and Cons : Make a presentation explaining both pros and cons of a certain issue at stake.
Best Methods : Talk about various effective methods, be it methods of teaching, learning, or preparing for an exam.
Dos and Don’ts of Making Presentations : You can make a whole presentation just talking about presentation best practices . Separate what’s recommended and what’s not and then present those to your audience in a simple way.
Guidelines : Present the most effective guidelines for teaching, studying, and co-working.
Personal Experience : What can be more helpful for an audience than to learn from someone’s real-life experience? Make a presentation on your personal experience and share your most valuable insights.
Quiz-Presentation : Test your students. Make a presentation quizzing their knowledge and competence in a certain field. Why presentation? Because it’s both visually and technically effective.
Research : An attractive slideshow is one of the best ways to present your research. Try working on a visual and multimedia presentation to showcase the whole potential of your research in a visually appealing format.
Problem-Solving : Decide on an issue and prepare a set of solutions to offer. Don’t leave any questions uncovered. If a problem exists, so does its solution.
Project Proposal : How are you planning to get approval for your projects if you don’t propose the main idea and expected outcomes in a professional way? Give your project a classy presentation with this Minimal Titles Pack .

Listing Presentation : Lists always work when you have big sorted data to introduce to your audience.
Controversial Topics : Attract your audience’s attention and keep them engaged with a controversial slide deck. Bring forward debatable issues such as euthanasia, AI, and more. Let your audience join you or argue against you.
Textbook Presentation : Introduce a textbook in a creative way through interesting visuals and supporting multimedia.
Curriculum : What if presentations are the best way of getting your audience acquainted with a curriculum. Alternatively, you can make your next presentation about how to develop a well-organized curriculum.
Dissertation : Prepare a presentation for your dissertation. But keep in mind that it has to be accompanied by proper supportive media.
Predictions Presentation : What will happen next? It’s fun to predict, isn’t it?
Instructions : Do you like giving instructions? Sometimes that’s what you need to do. Structure your presentation in a how-to format, giving instructions for certain actions, like “How to Work Out the Best Schedule?”
Precautions : Prepare your audience for the worst and hope for the best. Make a presentation on a set of warnings.
Case Studies : What’s the best way of demonstrating your case study? A multimedia presentation can be the answer.
Tricks and Hacks : Tips and tricks are always appreciated by your audience. Create an informative presentation on studying tips, time management tips, or anything else you might find interesting.
Success Stories : We are always eager to hear success stories. Why? Because they motivate us to move forward with hope for what’s to come. So, make a presentation, telling success stories to motivate teachers, learners, and everyone else.
Fact or Fiction : Draw a line between truth and lie, fact and fiction. Bust some myths about a topic of your choice to educate your listeners.
Data Analysis : Is a presentation the right place to start with data analysis? Not really. But once you have analyzed your data, showcase it in your presentation, demonstrating your analysis through charts and graphs.
Techniques : What kind of techniques can you cover? How about “Techniques for Memory Improvement,” or “ Teaching Techniques ?” You can make up a number of similar topics to share.
Recent Advancements : Share the recent advancement in the field of education. What are some of the newest teaching methods? What advanced methods do we need to implement to make the learning process more effective?
Steps in the Process : What are the best steps to take towards certain goals? Each path is different and thus requires different steps.
Interesting Facts : Gather a set of creative ideas and facts to cover in your presentations.

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Blog Marketing 15 Interactive Presentation Ideas to Elevate Engagement

15 Interactive Presentation Ideas to Elevate Engagement

Written by: Krystle Wong Aug 04, 2023

As attention spans continue to shrink, the challenge of engaging audiences in a short timeframe has never been more significant. Let’s face it — grabbing and keeping your audience’s attention can be quite the challenge, especially when time is ticking away. But fear not, I’ve got the perfect solution: interactive presentations!

Believe it or not, creating an interactive presentation is easier than you might think. In this guide, I’ll show you how to effortlessly turn ordinary slides into captivating experiences with 15 interactive presentation ideas that will leave your audience begging for more. From quirky polls and fun games to storytelling adventures and multimedia magic, these ideas will take your presentation game to the next level.

Venngage is a game-changer when it comes to empowering interactive presentations. With just a few clicks, users can customize their favorite presentation templates , add multimedia content and create immersive experiences that leave a lasting impact. Whether you’re a seasoned presenter or a newcomer, get started with Venngage to elevate your presentation game to new heights of engagement and creativity.

Click to jump ahead:

What is an interactive presentation?

15 ways to make a presentation interactive, 7 best interactive presentation software, what are some common mistakes to avoid when creating interactive presentations, interactive presentation faqs, how to create an interactive presentation with venngage.

An interactive presentation is a dynamic and engaging communication format that involves active participation and collaboration between the presenter and the audience. Unlike traditional presentations where information is delivered in a one-way manner, interactive presentations invite the audience to interact, respond and contribute throughout the session.

Think of it as a two-way street where you and your audience have a friendly chat. It’s like playing a fun game where you ask questions, get live feedback and encourage people to share their thoughts.

To make a good presentation , you can utilize various tools and techniques such as clickable buttons, polls, quizzes, discussions and multimedia elements to transform your slides into an interactive presentation. Whether you’re presenting in-person or giving a virtual presentation — when people are actively participating, they’re more likely to remember the stuff you’re talking about.

Interactive presentations leave a lasting impression on the audience. By encouraging active participation and feedback, interactive presentations facilitate better understanding and knowledge retention. Here are 15 innovative 5-minute interactive presentation ideas to captivate your audience from start to finish:

1. Ice-breaker questions

Start your presentation with intriguing and thought-provoking questions or a fun icebreaker game. These questions should be designed to pique the audience’s curiosity and encourage them to think about the topic you’ll be covering. By doing so, you create an immediate connection with your audience and set the stage for a more engaged and attentive audience.

For example, if you’re giving a business presentation about management and leadership training, you could ask audience questions such as “What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received, and how has it impacted your career?”

2. Live polling

Incorporate live polls during your presentation using audience response systems or polling apps . This allows you to collect real-time feedback, opinions and insights from active participants. Live polling encourages active participation and involvement, making your presentation feel like a collaborative and interactive experience.

3. Q&A sessions

Encourage the audience to ask questions throughout your presentation, especially for pitch deck presentations . Address these questions in real-time, which fosters a more interactive and dynamic atmosphere. This approach shows that you value the audience’s input and promotes a two-way communication flow.

4. Clickable buttons

Add clickable buttons to your slides, allowing the audience to navigate to specific sections or external resources at their own pace. For example, you could include links to your social media accounts or extra reading materials in your education presentation to give further information about the topic and get your students engaged.

By providing this autonomy, you empower the audience to explore areas of particular interest, creating a more personalized and engaging experience through your interactive slideshow.

5. Storytelling

Incorporate anecdotes or personal stories related to your topic. Storytelling is a powerful way to emotionally connect with your audience, making your presentation more relatable and memorable. A little storytelling along with a set of creative slides draws the audience in and keeps them engaged as they follow the narrative.

6. Interactive charts and graphs

Use interactive charts and graphs that respond to user input to make your presentation interactive. For instance, allow the audience to click on data points to view more detailed information or to change the displayed data series. Creating charts with interactive visuals help the audience interact with the data, fostering better understanding and engagement.

7. Animated infographics

Add animations to your infographics, making them visually dynamic and progressive. Animated infographics reveal information gradually, keeping the audience curious and attentive. This transforms complex data into an easily digestible and engaging format.

Venngage’s extensive library of infographic templates is a powerful tool to visualize data and elevate the interactivity of your presentations. Personalizing the visuals ensures a cohesive and professional look throughout your interactive presentation. The templates are highly customizable, allowing you to adjust colors, fonts, and styles to match your presentation’s theme and branding.

8. Gamification

Introduce an interactive quiz, puzzles, or challenges related to your presentation content. Gamification adds an element of fun and competition, motivating the audience to participate actively and boosting their learning experience. Here are some gaming presentation templates you could use.

9. Virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR)

If applicable, leverage VR or AR technologies to provide immersive experiences. These interactive presentation tools transport the audience into a virtual or augmented environment, making your presentation more captivating and memorable.

10. Collaborative whiteboarding

Get your audience involved in your presentation by utilizing digital whiteboards or collaborative tools to brainstorm ideas collectively. This fosters teamwork and creativity, enabling the audience to actively contribute and feel a sense of involvement in the presentation.

11. Hyperlinked text

Keep the information in your slides minimal with a simple presentation and incorporate hyperlinks to direct viewers to relevant websites or blogs , resources, or additional information. This encourages self-exploration and gives the audience the opportunity to delve deeper into topics of interest.

12. Role-playing

Engage the audience in role-playing scenarios to explore different perspectives. Role-playing promotes active learning and helps the audience relate the content to real-life situations, enhancing their understanding and retention.

13. Embedded videos

Include video clips in your slides to provide visual explanations, demonstrations, or interviews. Videos add a dynamic element to your presentation, enriching the content and keeping the audience engaged.

14. Audience-generated content

Encourage the audience to contribute ideas, stories or examples related to your professional presentation . Audience-generated content fosters a sense of ownership and involvement, making the presentation more interactive and personalized.

15. Slide transitions

Use slide transitions to create smooth animations between slides. Well-planned transitions maintain the audience’s interest and keep the presentation slides flowing seamlessly.

Interactive elements aside, enhance your presentation with these guides on how to summarize information for a captivating presentation and how to make a persuasive presentation to captivate your audience.

If you’re looking to create engaging and interactive presentation slides that captivate your audience, these presentation software options are sure to elevate your game:

Prezi is renowned for its dynamic and non-linear presentation style, enabling users to craft visually stunning and interactive presentations. With an array of templates and animation effects, Prezi enhances audience engagement, making your presentations more captivating and memorable.

2. Mentimeter

Mentimeter serves as an audience response system, empowering real-time interaction during presentations. Users can create interactive polls, quizzes, word clouds and more, allowing the audience to respond using their smartphones or other devices. This fosters active participation and provides valuable feedback instantly.

3. Google Slides

Google Slides is a free cloud-based presentation software that not only offers collaboration features but also enables real-time interactions. It includes add-ons and third-party integrations to further enhance interactivity, making it an excellent choice for collaborative and engaging presentations.

4. Microsoft PowerPoint

PowerPoint, a classic presentation software, has evolved to incorporate more interactive features like live captions, real-time collaboration and interactive elements such as quizzes and forms. With its familiar interface and versatile functionalities, PowerPoint remains a reliable choice for interactive presentations.

5. Prezentor

Prezentor caters to sales-oriented presentations focusing on interactive storytelling and data-driven content. It offers analytics to track audience engagement and behavior during presentations, allowing you to fine-tune your approach and keep your audience hooked.

6. Opinion Stage

Opinion Stage is a visual and interactive data collection tool designed to engage and excite audiences whether sitting in a lecture hall, participating in a live Zoom, or watching an on-demand webinar. The Opinion Stage tools are simple and intuitive, making it easy to create attention-grabbing quizzes, surveys, and polls in minutes. A great way to spice up any presentation, encourage audience participation, and collect authentic feedback.

7 . Venngage

Venngage stands out as a versatile design tool that facilitates the creation of interactive infographics, data visualizations and presentations with ease. Offering various interactive elements and animations, Venngage empowers you to craft visually appealing and engaging presentations effortlessly.

With these interactive presentation software options at your disposal, you can unleash your creativity and deliver presentations that leave a lasting impact on your audience. So, go ahead and make your presentations interactive, captivating and memorable!

For more presentation software options, check out this blog on the 12 best presentation software for 2023.

Creating interactive presentations can be a game-changer for engaging your audience and enhancing your presentation skills, but steering clear of common pitfalls is essential. Here are some key mistakes to avoid when crafting your interactive presentations:

1. Overloading with interactivity

While interactivity is fantastic, bombarding your audience with too many interactive elements can backfire. Strive for a balanced approach that enhances engagement without overwhelming your listeners.

2. Ignoring audience relevance

Failing to tailor interactive elements to your audience’s interests and preferences can lead to disconnection. Make sure your interactions resonate with your specific audience for a more meaningful experience.

3. Not testing interactive elements

Skipping thorough testing of interactive features before showtime can spell disaster. Avoid technical glitches by diligently testing all interactive components in advance.

4. Poor timing and pace

Timing is everything, especially with interactive activities. Ensure seamless integration by planning your key points and the timing of your interactive elements carefully.

5. Lack of clear purpose

Every interactive element should serve a purpose and contribute to your presentation’s objectives. Don’t add interactions just for the sake of it — ensure they add value and align with your message.

6. Failing to engage beyond interactivity

While interactive elements are powerful tools, remember that content is king. Combine your interactive features with compelling storytelling and valuable insights to create an immersive and impactful presentation.

Incorporating animated slides into your interactive presentations enhances the overall appeal and interaction, turning an ordinary presentation into an engaging experience. Try it out with one of our animated presentation templates to get started.

How do you start an interactive presentation?

Begin by grabbing the audience’s attention with an intriguing question or a surprising fact, setting the tone for a dynamic and engaging session.

Which type of presentation is the most interactive?

Workshops and seminars are often the most interactive types of presentations as they encourage active participation, discussions and hands-on activities.

How can interactive presentations enhance audience engagement?

Interactive presentations foster a two-way communication flow, involving the audience through polls, quizzes, discussions and multimedia elements, leading to increased interest, attentiveness and better retention of information.

What are some common interactive elements to include in a presentation?

Common interactive elements include clickable buttons, hyperlinked text, polls, quizzes, interactive charts, multimedia content and audience participation activities.

Can interactive presentations be used for educational purposes?

Absolutely! Interactive presentations are highly effective for educational purposes as they promote active learning, encourage critical thinking, and provide real-time feedback and knowledge exchange opportunities.

Need inspiration on how to give an engaging presentation ? Here are 120+ presentation ideas you could use.

Venngage makes it easy for anyone to infuse interactivity into their presentations. From clickable buttons and hyperlinked text to interactive infographics and dynamic charts, Venngage offers a diverse range of interactive elements to captivate and engage the audience. Here’s how you can make your presentation more fun and interesting with Venngage:

Sign up or log in to Venngage to access the platform.
Choose a presentation template or start with a blank canvas to begin designing your interactive presentation.
Add and edit slides in the Venngage editor to structure your presentation content effectively.
Customize the design by selecting themes, fonts, colors and backgrounds to match your style and branding.
Use interactive elements like buttons, links, pop-ups and hover effects to engage the audience during the presentation.
Enhance engagement by incorporating interactive media such as videos and audio clips.
Preview and test your entire presentation to ensure everything works smoothly before presenting it to your audience.
Save your interactive presentation on Venngage and share it online or download it in various formats for presenting purposes.

Well, I hope these 15 5-minute interactive presentation examples can help unlock a new level of audience engagement for your next presentation. From fun quizzes and interactive storytelling to multimedia magic and gamified challenges, the possibilities are endless. So, don’t be afraid to experiment, tailor the ideas to suit your audience members and let your creativity shine.

That said, remember to strike a balance and keep the interactivity purposeful and relevant. Some common mistakes to avoid when creating interactive slides include overloading the presentation with too many interactive elements and failing to align the interactive elements with the overall presentation goals and content.

Got it? Great. Now let’s turn that boring presentation around!

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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1) structure your presentation like a story, 2) make it minimalist, never design a presentation again, 3) color theory is your friend, 4) black and white with pops of color, 5) add music to your presentation, 6) ask your audience questions, 7) visualize your data with engaging graphics, 8) pop culture can be your friend, 9) pair fonts to keep your presentation dynamic, 10) make the right impression with visual metaphors, 11) place your images into unique frames, 12) juice up your presentation transitions, 13) turn your presentation into one moving slide, 14) make room for quotes, 15) get your presentation ideas from history, 16) engage your audience with activities, 17) give your presentation a seasonal theme, 18) be forward thinking with a futuristic design, 19) keep it fresh with a modern presentation, 20) enter a new dimension with 3d graphics, 21) come up with a motif inspired by your content, 22) include your logo in every slide, 23) color code your themes, 24) make it fun with gifs, 25) shoot for the moon with an outer space theme, 26) keep it lighthearted with humor and memes, 27) format each slide like a social media post, 28) bring your presentation to life with motion graphics, 29) get everyone involved with interactive elements, 30) make it cohesive with photo overlays, 31) alternate your slide formats, bonus: give your presentation a pro polish with penji, 31 creative presentation ideas to captivate your audience.

Presentations are about sharing important info with the right folks – bosses, coworkers, or future clients. Making a good impression matters, and a creative presentation can push you ahead.

Stuck on how to begin? Check out these 31 awesome presentation ideas to spark your next successful pitch.

Chart outlining the "hero's journey" story structure

A fantastic presentation carries its audience through a journey. Consider your key message as the driving force that propels the audience through the storyline of your presentation. You can deconstruct it as follows:

The current situation : Where are we now?
The transition : What’s changing?
The future : What’s on the horizon?
The conclusion : Where will we ultimately land?

Especially in a business setting, you want your PowerPoint design to be simple, stylish, and inviting. Minimalism can be a great way to give your presentation slides a professional look without sacrificing style. A simple backdrop also helps important facts and figures stand out.

Get unlimited presentations + any designs you need with Penji

As you’re designing your presentation, remember to use colors that complement each other. Is your company’s color pale green? Combine it with an equally pale pink. To get more in-depth, there are plenty of tools online like Coolors that help you make full color palettes.

Black and white real estate presentation design with splashes of red

On the other end of the spectrum (no pun intended), sometimes one color is all you need. For a more minimal presentation, a black and white aesthetic with a single accent color can really stand out. You can use that color to emphasize key facts and figures, because the audience is already drawn to it.

Want to take your presentation up a notch from mere static slides? Harness the power of musical cues – a swift and engaging strategy. While incorporating music into slideshows can sometimes lead to technical hitches, mastering the technique can yield remarkable audience engagement.

“How do I engage my audience?” Have you tried talking to them? Question and answer sections can be a great tool for team-building presentations, and they can turn potential buyers into engaged participants.

Try creating questions that will feed into your point. Rather than saying “You need ___,” ask your audience what they need and bring it back around to your product or service.

Infographic design for presentation ideas

Data visualization is a key part of any presentation (okay, most presentations). Looking for presentation ideas to make your data pop? Don’t settle for basic charts.

Highlight key figures with bold fonts and colors. Use imagery that conveys what your data means. It’s easy to zone out in a meeting—it’s up to you to visualize data in a way people can’t ignore.

Whether you’re guiding a team meeting or captivating customers, pop culture references can pique interest and bridge gaps. Even in formal presentations, a quick pop culture nod can foster connection. But always consider your audience—avoid references that might leave them puzzled.

Canva Google Slides template pairing different fonts

A common error among novices in presentation design is sticking to a single font. To maintain visual interest, embrace diversity. Experiment with eye-catching fonts for titles, complemented by polished sans-serif fonts for body text. Further enhance variety with distinct weights, styles, and colors for various text elements.

Presentation template with a money tree visual metaphor

Ideally, everyone would pay attention to you. But since you can’t account for that, you want your audience to understand the ideas behind your presentation no matter how much attention they’re paying. On top of emphasizing key data and words, visual metaphors are a great way to ensure that even the least attentive listeners are getting the gist of it.

Presentation idea with hexagonal image frames

Is your presentation appearing outdated, confined, and lacking in dynamism? The reason might be your fixation on squares and rectangles.

Incorporating distinctive image frames isn’t just visually appealing; they also expand your slide’s spatial dimension. By steering clear of rigid squares and borders and opting for circles, hexagons, and other shapes, you create a sensation of suspended freedom.

Presentation animation options menu in PowerPoint

One of the classic marks of a middle schooler’s first PowerPoint: every transition under the sun. Using different transitions for each slide will make your presentation feel amateur. Instead, stick to one style of transition, or make your use of transitions thematically consistent (e.g. moving in the same direction).

Free PowerPoint template with one moving slide concept

This is an advanced transition technique for all you presentation design pros out there. Elevate your slideshow by giving it the sense of a literal living document. You can create a flipbook or folder motif (as in the example above) or create a scrolling graphic format. If nothing else, you can mesh transitions and design to make each slide seamlessly morph into the next.

Colorful quote slide concept for presentations

Whether you’re getting a point across or just trying to inspire your audience, a quote is a great addition to any presentation. Quotes by experts can help lend your point some authority. Meaningful quotes can open up the floor to discussions. Funny or inspirational quotes can provide some levity without sacrificing professionalism.

20th century history themed PowerPoint design

Much like references to pop culture, integrating historical elements into your presentation provides a shared language with your audience. Like the alien species from the Star Trek episode “Darmok,” incorporating historical moments can resonate deeply with your audience. For instance, if you’re aiming to evoke a sense of romance, a backdrop inspired by Shakespearean times could be remarkably effective.

First of all, yes, a presentation is a great idea for facilitating a group game in a classroom or office setting. But believe it or not, any presentation can benefit from capturing the audience’s attention through activities.

For team-building presentations, build trust and relationships through simple games. For pitches, create space to “test out” your product or service. The possibilities are endless.

Pop culture references can ensure your presentation is current, but depending on your audience, you may have to avoid being too current. Seasonal themes, on the other hand, keep you timely no matter who you’re presenting to. You can go all in on a theme, like the Halloween example above, or incorporate subtle elements for a more corporate presentation.

Futuristic purple esports presentation ideas

In the business world, particularly in the tech sector, projecting a cutting-edge image is paramount. When presenting a novel product, service, or strategy, it’s crucial that your audience perceives you as a forward-thinking entity.

That’s where a futuristic design can help. Implement sleek shapes, dark colors, and interactive elements to make your presentation futuristic. Sometimes, it’s as simple as adding images of modern tech products.

Futurism has its place, but if you want to convey a cutting-edge feel in a more subtle way, a modern, artistic presentation design is the way to go. Unique shapes and color combinations—as well as bold, sans serif fonts—can help your slides look effortful and fresh. You can work with an expert designer or design service to really make your presentation unique.

3D illustrations are relatively novel, and even freely available models are underused in presentations. Even in 2022, they still convey a sense of novelty, whether they’re playful, artistic, or scientific. On top of lending flair to your slides, they can also be great for visualizing data in informative presentations.

Lighthouse themed slideshow design by 24Slides

Elevate your presentation to a masterpiece with a well-chosen motif. Delve into your key presentation points and the emotions you aim to stir.

For instance, a lighthouse motif can symbolize navigating challenges or pioneering innovative solutions. Meanwhile, a whimsical animal theme can evoke a sense of coziness and tranquility. Embrace creativity, while ensuring meaningful content takes the lead.

A presentation can be a great way to propose a new logo design , but your logo is a great fit for any type of presentation. For pitches, they make your brand look professional. For internal meetings, they help make it feel official, boosting engagement from your audience. Design your slides to make room for your logo and try to balance colors and fonts to fit your brand.

While we’ve emphasized the importance of a central theme in your presentation, it’s also true that many presentations encompass various topics or subcategories within the overarching theme. Employing diverse colors to mirror distinct subjects or slide types can infuse your presentation with nuanced depth.

GIF of Michael Scott from The Office saying "PowerPoint" while pointing his finger.

GIFs have become a crucial part of the online ecosystem. However you pronounce it (team “jif,” for the record), a GIF is a casual, effective way to evoke emotion, humor, or otherwise build a relationship with your audience. There’s a reason Twitter is overrun with these things; there’s a GIF for every occasion.

Title slide for an outer space presentation idea

Space is one of the most versatile themes to use in a presentation design . Where a futuristic slideshow places you on the cutting edge, space creates the impression that your ambitions go even bigger. Whether you’re trying to pump up your coworkers or attract new clients, placing your presentation in the final frontier is bound to inspire them.

While certain presentations are all business, remember that public speaking often centers around forging a connection with your audience. A surefire approach to achieve this is by strategically incorporating a meme or a clever punchline.

Yes, it’s true that meme culture travels fast, and it can be hard to tell what will still be fresh when you’re presenting. But if there’s one place where you can get away with an old-school, impact-font -over-JPEG meme in 2022, it’s in a business presentation.

Presentation design based on Twitter layout

Here’s an out-of-the-box idea: what design layout are people most familiar with today? Chances are, a format inspired by social media is one of the best ways to make your audience feel at home. This is best for a presentation where social media is relevant, but it can also serve a similar function to memes, creating a fun dynamic with your audience. Your slide text shouldn’t be longer than a tweet, anyway.

PowerPoint template with moving GIF elements

We’ve already gone over transitions, the animations taking you from one slide to the next. But that doesn’t have to be the only animated thing about your presentation. Motion graphics can help each slide come alive, as well as emphasizing key facts and helping visualize data. Just try not to make the graphics too distracting.

File cabinet themed interactive presentation design from SlidesGo

Ever sat through dull vacation photos? Well, a lackluster presentation can feel the same. To truly involve your audience, interactive elements are a must.

Think animations and clickable transitions or even a lighthearted quiz. It’s all about sparking engagement.

Stylish slideshow design with black and white photo overlays

Maybe you’re showcasing your photography work. Maybe you’re presenting a product with a series of photos. You might just be using stock photos to illustrate your point.

Either way, most presentations will involve at least a few photos. If you want a slick, artistic look, you can use color overlays and filters to make these photos part of your slides’ aesthetic. Use complementary colors and keep them consistent for each photo you put in, or go black and white for a luxury look.

Inspirational PowerPoint design with alternating slides

Here’s a common rookie blunder, and it’s easy to overlook. Even with a striking design and captivating content, if you sense something’s amiss, your presentation could be too monotonous.

To infuse dynamism, mix up slide formats, particularly for text-heavy ones. Just shifting text from left to right can work wonders. It’s a vital trick to keep your audience engrossed.

Penji presentation idea with red and white cycling theme

These presentation ideas are all about shaping a presentation that delivers real results. But if you’re aiming to craft a truly impactful PowerPoint, you might not want to go the DIY route. Opting for a presentation crafted by a certified pro is the ultimate method to impress your audience. And if you want consistently professional designs every time, then you want Penji.

Our unlimited design service works with the world’s top design talent to provide you with stunning presentations, logos, websites, packaging, and everything else you need.

Still have questions? You can request a design today from our marketplace with no strings attached, or sign up for a demo to see how Penji can work for you.

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14 effective presentation tips to impress your audience

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Anete Ezera July 15, 2022

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

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

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

Most common presentation mistakes

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

#1 A poor start

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

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

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

#2 Lack of preparation

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

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

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

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

#3 Losing track of time

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

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

Effective presentation tips

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

#1 Tell a story

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

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

#2 Work on your body language

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

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

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

#3 Understand your audience

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

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

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

#4 Use high-quality visuals

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

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

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

#5 Use data visualizations

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

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

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

#6 Make it engaging with interactive elements

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

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

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

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

#7 Stay consistent with fonts and color styles

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

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

#8 Structure your presentation properly

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

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

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

#9 Practice your public speaking skills

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

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

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

#10 Show your slides next to you on-screen

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

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

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

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

#11 Calm down before presenting

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

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

#12 Use transitions and animations

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

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

#13 Be enthusiastic

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

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

#14 End your presentation in a memorable way

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

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

Young woman sharing her views with team in office meeting.

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

Elevating presentations with Prezi AI

Embrace the innovation of Prezi to bring your presentations to life. With its unique platform, Prezi AI offers more than just visually appealing templates; it provides an immersive narrative experience, engaging your audience with a story-driven approach. By integrating Prezi AI , our platform’s capabilities are further enhanced, offering intelligent design suggestions and optimizing content layouts to ensure your presentations are not only beautiful but impactful. This integration is a perfect example of effective presentation techniques in action, using technology to create a more engaging presentation.

Interactive elements: transforming passive listening into active engagement

Prezi revolutionizes the way information is presented by incorporating interactive elements that invite audience participation. With Prezi AI, these features become even more accessible, suggesting ways to make your presentation more engaging through clickable areas, zoomable images, and dynamic visualizations. This level of interaction encourages exploration, making your message more memorable and transforming a standard presentation into an effective presentation.

Adding a personal touch in digital presentation with video

Prezi Video stands out by seamlessly integrating your content alongside your video feed, bridging the gap between traditional presentations and personal engagement. This feature is crucial for those looking to follow presentation tips that emphasize the importance of connecting with your audience on a more personal level. Prezi AI enhances this experience, ensuring your content is displayed in the most effective way possible, making your virtual presentations feel as though you’re directly conversing with your audience.

Mastering presentation artistry with Prezi

The journey to becoming a skilled presenter involves continuously refining your approach and embracing tools that elevate your ability to communicate effectively. Prezi, enriched with Prezi AI, is one such tool that transforms ordinary presentations into captivating experiences. By leveraging these advanced features, you can deliver presentations that are successful, memorable, and truly unforgettable, embodying the essence of tips for presentation mastery.

Whether you’re an experienced speaker or preparing for your first presentation, Prezi equips you with the tools to succeed. Engage your audience, tell compelling stories, and deliver your message with confidence and creativity. Following effective presentation tips and exploring how Prezi AI can transform your next presentation is a step towards mastering the art of impactful communication. Delve into the features and begin your journey to presentation mastery today.

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Inspiration

17 fun presentation ideas (with video!) to wow your audience

Three professionals in a meeting, discussing over a digital tablet with positive expressions, using Biteable video maker.

30 Mar 2023

So you want to be the next Steve Jobs. Or Martin Luther King. Or any other dazzling orator you look up to. But you need a little something to add to your presentation ideas – you don’t want to bore people to death with Powerpoint.

Whether you’re creating a sales presentation, an event presentation, or just showing your travel video to Uncle Ron, we’ve compiled some of the best ways to get your audience seriously hyped up about your message.

Biteable offers online video presentation software, so we know a thing or two about making engaging presentation videos. In this guide, we share some of our favorite video presentation inspiration and show you some of the different types of presentations you might consider.

When you’re ready to make your own video presentation, head over to Biteable for hundreds of brandable templates, video scenes, and workplace-ready animations. With Biteable, making a video presentation is as easy as making a PowerPoint – only a whole lot more fun.

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Types of video presentations

If you’re looking to win over your audience with a presentation, videos are the best way to do it. According to Insivia, viewers retain 95% of a message when they see it in a video, but only 10% if they have to read on-screen text.

When you’re making your presentation, you could either make your video the whole presentation, or just a part of the whole. Did you know, for example, that you can embed a video in a Powerpoint document? Either is possible with our video templates and it can be interesting to mix things up once in a while.

There are four main types of presentations:

Informative
Demonstrative
Inspirational

Picking the right one will ensure you’re onto a winner with your video presentation. For example, if you’re onboarding some new employees, you might choose a video template that’s an informative presentation like this one:

Or, if you want to show off how something works, a demonstration presentation might be what you want to create:

A persuasive presentation would involve creating a video more like this charity infographic example:

And if you want something a little more inspirational, try something like this positive quote video template.

But that’s not all, folks! If you’d like to check out more awesome Biteable video templates, visit our templates page here .

Creative (and fun!) video presentation ideas

You’ve now picked the type of presentation you need. But how do you get creative with your video?

First of all, it’s important your video is top-notch. Without high-quality graphics and production value, your message may fall by the wayside. Choose online video presentation software that’s easy to use and makes great-looking videos. That’s where Biteable comes in.

Whatever the topic of your presentation, your video format and design need to match the overall tone and message.

Delivering a corporate presentation on climate change? A fast-paced, wildly colorful template with upbeat music is going to feel a little off-message.

To identify how to design your presentation, think about the feelings you want to evoke in your audience. Want them to be crying with laughter? Moved to tears? Motivated into taking action? Pinpointing the emotions behind your presentation will help you choose the right template and make the best video possible.

17 great video presentation ideas

Now you’ve nailed down the type of video presentation you want to make, it’s time to master the finer details. Here’s just some of the ways you can make your message sing.

1. Start with a bold statement

A bold statement can capture your audience’s attention right from the get-go. Your statement should offer something slightly unusual and maybe even a little controversial. Something to make people sit up and take notice.

2. Tell a story

One of the best ways to get your audience’s attention is to tell a story – it’ll hit them right in the feels.

A personal, human story works because it the audience can relate to it on a personal level. Think about some stand-out examples of human stories that relate to your business or idea, and tell that story so people will connect with the central character. The bigger the emotion the better: love, longing, overcoming obstacles, things we’ve all had to deal with at some point in our lives.

Think about the ‘story arc’ – how will you frame your message so the audience immediately empathizes?

If you’re selling trainers, perhaps you’ll talk about someone who’s training for a marathon. If you’re lobbying for women’s rights, perhaps you’ll tell a story of when a passing comment affected you deeply. Maybe you should think back to the decision that started your business, and start your presentation with that.

Here’s a great example of storytelling from one of the world’s top brands:

3. Use music

Music has great power to support and enhance the emotion in a video presentation, and has been proven to sustain an audience’s attention and aid in information retention. Music is used in movies to suggest an emotional state to the viewer, so why not in a video presentation?

Modern, up-tempo music will snap people to attention at the right moment, while slow, minor-key sounds relax the brain, which is useful for reviewing content so it can slip more easily into long-term memory.

It can be a struggle to find good quality royalty free music , but here at Biteable we have a selection of great royalty free tracks (or you can upload your own if you’re that way inclined).

Music is one of the most critical (and often overlooked) aspects of any presentation. Here’s a good example of a Biteable template where the music does a great job of supporting the message.

4. Visual metaphor

Research has shown that combining pictures and text is one of the best ways to help people engage with and retain information. There’s something about how our brain works that makes text by itself far less memorable, so if you can combine something visual with your message, you’ll keep people’s attention longer and they’ll remember more of your presentation.

Talking to a group of people about taking action on something that scares them? A picture of someone diving or bungee jumping could work. Telling your boss how important that company retreat is next year? Show them an image of happy, relaxed people with their toes in the sand.

It doesn’t have to be obvious and clichéd, either. Closed doors, wide open roads, and lighting a candle all have subconscious messages that you don’t really need to explain. (Whatever you do, just don’t use the ultimate cliche: the overused ‘water ripple’ .)

5. Use questions

Questions can be a great way to open a presentation, because they encourage the audience to think for themselves. It opens them up to a realm of critical thinking, which is perfect when you’re gonna sock it to them with your impactful message.

‘Did you know 15 billion trees are cut down each year?’

‘Have you ever considered what life would be like if you didn’t have to save money?’

The art of asking questions in a presentation means you can incorporate them into your video as a great lead-in. Combined with some appropriate music, it can really get your audience thinking about the issue, and then you’ll go on to explain exactly what your solution is.

Having a laugh can really do a lot to win over an audience. There’s no need to be too serious, and even if you’re dealing with a heavy topic, lightening the mood can work wonders.

Whether you’re looking to create a funny sales video, an event presentation, or a presentation for an interview — one thing’s for sure, you can’t go wrong by including humor.

7. Repetition

Simple. Effective. Powerful.

Repetition can be used in several ways: by offering several one-word sentences in a row (the repetition is in the rhythm), or by repeating a word or a key phrase several time throughout your presentation.

In his famous Stanford speech in 2005, for example, Steve Jobs concluded by saying “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

Repetition is powerful. It drives home your key message and strengthens your position.

8. Motion Graphics

Motion graphics are basically animation with text as a major component, and is a staple of what we do at Biteable.

When you use moving graphics in a presentation, it instantly captures attention. If your audience is just taking their seats, or are halfway through hearing your story, there’s no doubt they’ll sit up and take notice if you introduce some cool motion graphics, like this Meeting Tips example.

Although they can sometimes feel clichéd, quotes are a great way to impart a message in a presentation. Want your audience to understand something complex? A quote from Einstein should do it. Or would you like to say something meaningful and poetic? A couple of lines of Shakespeare should convey some wisdom.

10. Audio narration

Narration can give a different mood to your presentation, especially if the voice is powerful and the words are heartfelt. Use it to change the tone or pace of your presentation and it will certainly keep your audience hooked if there’s a danger of them losing interest.

11. Go bright with color

Color can have a huge effect on how your video comes across. Don’t be afraid to experiment. The contrasts of black and white can be extremely effective, but you can also grab people’s attention with some carefully-chosen primary and secondary colors, like in our Motion Graphics template.

12. Use illustrations

Illustrations are a great way to communicate information, especially if you’ve got lots to say. Whether you want to create a crowd of people or a cool depiction of some new fancy gadget, illustrations can draw the eye and make your presentation more interesting.

13. Infographics

When you utilize infographics, you can pack in a huge amount of data and information without confusing your audience. Think pie charts, digital numbers, and ascending animated graphs. These can show your audience boring data in an exciting way.

14. Create interesting transitions

The one advantage of video over a standard presentation is that you can do all types of funky things with transitions, like a whip pan transition, when the camera quickly pans between scenes. It’s a bit like a wipe, but much faster. Check out our full article on transitions here .

15. Make it look cinematic

Adding a cinematic touch can help your audience feel receptive to your message because subconsciously, they will associate these elements with being at the cinema, eating popcorn, and generally having a good time.

16. Go retro

A cool, retro look for your presentation will make it hard to ignore. By going retro, you add a little bit of cheeky style to your message. You don’t need to go quite as retro as the template below, but taking a step back in time is a sure way to add a little bit of zing to things.

17. End on a meaningful note

Your presentation will only give your audience a lasting impression if you end it right.

It’s important to let the audience know what you want them to do next: to visit a website for more information, to ponder an idea or new direction, or to take action toward a particular goal.

An attention-grabbing visual will work really well here, along with a meaningful end to the music – a change of pace, volume, or pitch.

What’s the takeaway message? A strong CTA (call to action) will ensure your presentation is memorable and much more likely to be talked about.

Video brings your presentation alive

Of course, we’re a little biased here at Biteable, but we’ve also sat through enough mind-numbingly dull presentations to know that video offers a delightful treat for your audience. It brings your message to life in a way no other medium can.

Ready to start crafting your presentation? Check out our range of templates here .

Make stunning videos with ease.

Take the struggle out of team communication.

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23 Best Presentation Ideas, Tips & Examples

Amanda Green was born in a small town in the west of Scotland, where everyone knows everyone. I joined the Toastmasters 15 years ago, and I served in nearly every office in the club since then. I love helping others gain confidence and skills they can apply in every day life.

Are you getting ready to give a presentation? Whether you’re a first-time presenter or an experienced pro, getting some ideas and tips can be helpful. As an author, I’ve prepared and given dozens of presentations over the years, and I learned a few things.

This list will share some of my favorite presentation ideas, plus examples from real-world presentations. I hope you find these tips helpful as you prepare for your next presentation!

Presentations in a Nutshell

Make sure your slide presentation is well-organized and visually appealing. Avoid using too much text or overcrowding your slides. Instead, use graphics, images, and other creative elements to break up the text and add interest.

Practice your public speaking . This will help you to become more comfortable with the material and reduce the risk of nervousness or mistakes. Make eye contact, vary your vocal delivery, and use gestures to keep people interested.

Pro Tips for Making a Winning Presentation

These 23 tips are sure to help you make a winning presentation.

Use a Minimalist Presentation Theme

When preparing an engaging presentation, choosing a theme that will appeal to your audience and help you communicate your key points effectively is important.

Minimalist themes can be great for nice presentations as they help create a clean and professional look. Here are some of my tips for creating a winning minimalist presentation:

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Use a limited color palette: Stick to two or three colors throughout your presentation to create a cohesive look.
Use simple fonts: Choose fonts that are easy to read and avoid using too many different font styles.
Use plenty of white space: Use negative space to break up text and make the slides easy on the eye.
Keep it concise: Edit your slides down to the essential information and avoid adding unnecessary text or images.
Use bold fonts to underline key ideas: Highlight important information your audience should remember.
Use a white background: It doesn’t distract people from the text.

Use an Eye-Catching Presentation Background Image

A presentation is only as good as its content and delivery. However, the background image is often overlooked as an important presentation element. The right image can help to set the tone, convey information, and grab the audience’s attention. Here are a few tips for selecting an eye-catching background image:

First, consider the overall theme and message of your presentation. The background image should support the central ideas of your talk. For example, if you’re giving a presentation on environmental sustainability, an image of a pristine forest would be more appropriate than an urban skyline.

Second, pay attention to color and contrast. The background image should be high-contrast so it’s easy to see on a projector screen. Use complementary colors.

Finally, choose an image with interesting details. A busy or complex image can be distracting, but an image with interesting textures or patterns can help to add visual interest to your presentation.

Alternate the Slide Layouts and Keep Your Presentation Engaging

The slide layout is a key component of an engaging presentation. When deciding on a slide layout, it is important to consider the overall tone and message of the presentation. For example, a more serious presentation may benefit from a traditional layout with bullet points and concise text.

On the other hand, a more creative presentation may benefit from an unconventional layout that includes images and meaningful quotes.

Regardless of the chosen layout, it is important to use white space effectively and to limit the number of bullet points on each slide.

Supplement Your Presentation With Printed Materials

No matter how well you know your material, there’s always a risk that you’ll freeze up or blank out during a presentation. That’s why it’s good to have a backup plan. One way to do this is to supplement your presentation with printed materials.

This way, even if you get tongue-tied, you’ll still be able to provide your audience with the information they need. Plus, having printed materials on hand can help to add an element of professionalism to your presentation.

Use Just One Chart or Graphic Per Slide

When giving a presentation, remember that less is more. One way is by using only one chart or graphic per slide. Too often, presentations are cluttered with too much information, making it difficult for the audience to process everything.

Focusing on one key point per slide can help ensure your audience understands your message. In addition, using a limited number of visuals can also make your presentation more visually appealing and easier to follow.

Use Contrasting Colors When Comparing Two Perspectives or Sides of an Argument

It is essential to use colors effectively when designing a presentation. The wrong colors can make text difficult to read or cause slides to appear cluttered and busy. However, the right colors can help improve a presentation’s clarity and overall impact.

One effective way to use color is to contrast two different perspectives or sides of an argument. For example, suppose you presented a new policy’s benefits and drawbacks. In that case, you could use blue to represent the benefits and red to represent the drawbacks.

This color contrast would help to visually highlight the key points of each side of the argument. In addition, it would also create a more engaging and visually-appealing presentation.

Use Simple Shapes to Integrate Your Photos Into the Slides

An image is worth a million words, and this is definitely true when it comes to presentations. To really capture your audience’s attention, it is important to integrate photos into your slides effectively.

One pro tip is to use shapes to do this. By placing a photo inside of a shape, you can create a more visually appealing slide that will also help to focus the viewer’s attention on the key elements of the image. In addition, using shapes can also help to add interest and variety to your presentation.

So next time you need a way to make your photos pop, consider using shapes to integrate them into your slides.

Make Visuals the Main Point of Your Presentation Slides

No matter how well-written or well-rehearsed your presentation is, if your slides are cluttered, confusing, or just plain boring, you will not get the reaction from your audience that you want.

So, what makes a great visual presentation? First and foremost, your slides should be visually appealing.

Use high-quality images, visual elements, and graphics, and limit how much text is on each slide. Secondly, your visuals should be clear and easy to understand. Avoid using jargon or acronyms that your audience might not be familiar with.

Finally, make sure your visuals are properly aligned with your presentation content. Each slide should have a specific purpose and shouldn’t veer too far off-topic. By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your next presentation will wow your audience.

Summarize Your Points at the End

After hours of brainstorming, you’ve finally got your presentation nailed down. You know exactly what points you want to make, and you’re confident you can deliver a killer presentation. But before you get up in front of your audience, one more pro tip to keep in mind: always summarize your points at the end.

This will help to drive home the key takeaways from your presentation and ensure that your audience leaves with a clear understanding of your message.

To summarize effectively:

Start by briefly restating your main points.
Provide a brief overview of the evidence you presented supporting those points.
Finish with a call to action or a statement of what your audience will remember.

Present Any Connected Information in a Visually Similar Way

A successful presentation is engaging, informative, and visually appealing. To achieve this, it is important to connect related information in a visually similar way. Use colors to create associations between ideas. For example, you could use the same color for all the points in a particular section of your presentation.

This will help the audience to see the relationship between the points and remember the information more easily. Another way to connect related information is to use consistent font styles and imagery throughout your presentation. This will create a cohesive visual design that will help the audience to follow your argument more easily.

Condense Your Presentation Into a Memorable Line

While many factors contribute to a successful presentation, one of the most important is condensing your key points into a single, memorable line. A memorable line should be easy to understand and recall and capture the essence of your presentation in just a few words.

To create a memorable line for your next presentation, start by identifying the main point you want to communicate. Then, distill that point down to its essentials and express it in the clearest, simplest terms possible.

By crafting a well-designed and concise statement, you can ensure that your audience will remember your key points long after your presentation.

Use Simple or Minimalist Borders

Good design is about creating an impact with the least effort. The same principle applies to presentations. When it comes to borders, less is more (even with image frames).

Using simple or minimalist borders, you can create a clean and professional look that will effectively frame your content without overshadowing it. In addition, using fewer borders will give your presentation a more streamlined look, which can help to keep your audience focused on the most important elements.

Illustrate Complex or Confusing Concepts With Icons

In a fast-paced, constantly-connected world, getting your message across quickly and effectively can be difficult. That’s where icons come in. An icon is a simple image that conveys complex ideas or starts a difficult conversation.

Icons can be used in email marketing, website design, infographics, and pretty much anywhere else you need to communicate with your audience. And because they’re so easy to understand, they’re an ideal way to illustrate complex or confusing concepts.

Plan Your Presentation Idea Ahead of Time

Any good presentation starts with a solid plan. Knowing your audience, understanding your goal, and having a clear structure are all essential elements of a successful presentation. But before you can start planning, you need to come up with a great idea.

You might be tempted to wing it, but trust me – it’s worth taking the time to brainstorm ahead of time. By sitting down and coming up with a few different ideas, you’re more likely to find an approach that’s both creative and effective. And if you’re stuck, plenty of resources are out there to help you get started.

Use Memes (for Real, Though)

To make a winning presentation, you must engage your audience and speak to their interests. One of the best ways to do that is by using memes. Memes are a highly effective tool for emotional response and provide fun ways to present information; they’re like visual metaphors.

Just ensure that the memes you use are relevant to your topic and audience and that they don’t come across as too forced or unnatural. Done right, memes can help you connect with your audience and deliver a winning presentation.

Do the Math for Your Audience

When you’re crafting a presentation, it’s important to remember that not everyone in your audience will be an expert on your topic. Many people will likely be interested only in what you have to say. As a result, it’s important to ensure that your presentation is accessible to everyone.

One way is to use numbers and statistics sparingly. Instead of bombarding your audience with data, focus on providing key information that can be easily understood. You should also avoid using industry jargon or technical terms unless you’re certain everyone in the room will know what you’re talking about.

Give Your Presentation a Catchy Title That Anyone Can Remember

Beautiful presentations are only as good as their title. The title of your presentation is the very first thing that your audience will see, so it’s important to make sure that it’s catchy and memorable. Here are some of my tips to help you choose a winning title:

Keep it short and sweet

A title that’s too long or complicated will only confuse your audience and make them less likely to remember it. Stick to something simple and easy to remember.

Make it relevant

Your title should be directly related to the topic of your presentation. This will help people understand your presentation and make it more likely that they’ll recall it later.

Use keywords

Choose keywords that accurately describe your presentation and that people are likely to search for online. This will help make your presentation more visible and easier to find.

Be creative

Don’t hesitate to get creative with your title! A catchy, unique title is more likely to stick in people’s minds than a boring presentation title.

Split the Header Text From the Body Text

Keep in mind to split the header text from the body text. This will help to keep your audience focused on the most important information and make it easier for them to follow along.

Another helpful tip is to use high-contrast colors for your text and background. That’ll make it easier for people to read your slides, even if they are sitting in the back of the room. Finally, be sure to use simple, clear fonts that are easy to read.

Talk Directly to Your Audience

Rather than looking at the slides or reading from a script, make eye contact with individual members of the audience. This will help to engage them and hold their attention. Another important tip is to keep your presentation concise. No one wants to sit through a long, drawn-out speech, so focus on efficiently delivering the most important information.

Track the Steps in a Process

Making a winning presentation requires careful planning and execution. To start, you need to identify the goal of your presentation clearly. Are you selling a product, trying to raise awareness for a cause, or educating your audience about a certain topic?

Once you know the goal, you can start tracking the process steps. Creating an outline of your presentation will help you to organize your thoughts and ensure that your presentation flows smoothly.

Ask Your Audience Questions

Have you ever given a presentation that left your audience bored and unengaged? If so, you’re not alone. Many people need help to give effective presentations. However, there are some simple ways to make your presentations more engaging and memorable.

One pro tip is to ask your audience questions. This helps get them involved in the presentation and ensures that they pay attention. Asking questions also gives you a chance to gauge the audience’s level of understanding and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

Show Off Your Credentials

Don’t just show off your presentation skills; brag about everything else, too! Whether you’re giving a presentation to potential clients or delivering a keynote speech, it’s important to establish your credibility upfront. One way to do this is by highlighting your relevant experience and expertise.

If you’re an experienced speaker, make sure to mention any previous talks or workshops you’ve given. If you have any relevant publications, list them as well. Any awards or recognition you’ve received can also help to boost your credibility.

Include Your Branding Throughout Your Presentation Ideas

Whether you’re giving a presentation to potential clients or your boss, you want to ensure that your presentation is on point. That means having great content and making sure that your branding is front and center.

Make sure your branding is included from the start. Your title slide should feature your company logo and colors. This helps to set the tone for the rest of the presentation and helps people to remember who you are.

Use branded templates. If you’re using PowerPoint or another presentation software, there’s no reason not to use templates that feature your company’s branding. This will help to keep your presentation looking professional and consistent throughout.

Incorporate your branding into the visuals you use. Whether you’re using photos, diagrams, or charts, try incorporating your company’s colors or logo in each visual. This will help people to associate your brand with the information they see.

Use branded giveaways. Consider giving away branded items like pens, notepads, or water bottles at the end of your presentation. This ensures people leave with something that will remind them of your company long after the presentation.

What Makes a Great Presentation?

It doesn’t matter what type of presentation you’re working with; captivating presentations all have the same formula. Whether you’re delivering a business presentation or teaching a class, certain elements can make your presentation more effective. A good presentation should be well-organized, clear, and concise.

It’s important to have a strong opening that grabs the audience’s attention and a clear structure they can follow.

You should also use appropriate language for your audience and avoid jargon or acronyms they might need help understanding.

Visuals are another key element of a great presentation, whether using PowerPoint slides or physical props. They can help to break up the text, highlight important points, and make the presentation more engaging.

What Are the Best Fonts Used by Most Graphic Designers?

Some of the fonts that are found in the arsenal of every graphic designer are:

Proxima Nova
Bickham Script Pro
Garamond Pro

Benefits of Having Interactive Components in Your Presentation

Making sure the entire presentation is engaging and interactive is sure to keep them hanging around until the end. Whether it’s a corporate presentation, an educational presentation, or just something simple for a small event, always keep these tips in mind.

More Engaging

One of the primary benefits of having interactive elements in your presentation is that it will be more engaging for your audience. Suppose your audience can participate in your presentation actively. In that case, they will be more likely to pay attention and retain the information you are presenting.

Additionally, interactive components can help to break up a long or dry presentation, keeping your audience interested and engaged.

Encourages Participation

Another benefit of having interactive components in your presentation is that it encourages participation from your audience. When people are actively involved in a presentation, they’re likely to ask questions and contribute to the discussion. This can help create a more dynamic and informative presentation as people are more likely to share their ideas and experiences.

Builds Rapport

Interactive components can also help you to build rapport with your audience. When you involve people in your presentation, they will feel you value their input and opinion. This can help to create a more positive relationship between you and your audience, making them listen and be receptive to your message.

Increases understanding

If done correctly, interactive components can also help increase understanding of the material you are presenting. When people are actively involved in learning, they are more likely to pay attention and retain information. Additionally, if people can apply what they are learning, they will be more likely to remember it in the future.

Helps People Connect

Interactive components can also help people connect during your presentation. People who work together on an activity or task will be more likely to interact and form connections. This can be beneficial if you are trying to promote networking or collaboration among your audience members.

The Bottom Line

I hope my creative presentation ideas helped you out! You can do so tons of things to make the best presentation design out there. Choose an eye-catching background image that supports the central ideas of the presentation. Alternate slide layouts to keep the presentation engaging. Supplement the presentation with printed materials. Wow, your audience with cool facts, stats, memes, charts, and branded giveaways.

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7 Unique Presentation Examples That Will Inspire You

After a while, all PowerPoint presentations look exactly the same, don’t they? Wrong! The way a PowerPoint is designed can really change the feel of the whole presentation. The world is filled with bad PowerPoint presentations. But precisely because of that, a good PowerPoint will stand out even more. Check out these amazingly good presentation examples to get some design ideas for your next PowerPoint.

Why presentations are important

Before we go through the presentation examples, it’s important to talk a little about what makes a PowerPoint presentation really good. It’s a common mistake to think that the design of your PowerPoint is a secondary factor in a presentation. Content and information are definitely vital, but the design also affects the overall way people react to your presentation. Sometimes even more that you could imagine.

Think about it this way: you probably won’t go to an important presentation dressed as if you just got out of bed. If it’s a really important one, you’ll probably even worry about looking your best. You probably won’t think twice about spending a little more time grooming yourself and making sure you look good. And this is because appearances do matter. Whether we like it or not, people unconsciously read many things from the way we present ourselves visually. And these ideas can stick for a long, long time in people’s minds. And, even more, they are built incredibly fast. According to Forbes, first impressions are made in the first 7 seconds of a meeting .

Business presentations are exactly the same. There are many things your audience can read from your presentation design alone. For once, the way your presentation looks will probably give them an impression of how professional you and your business are. A plain, all-white presentation can give the impression that you’re lazy or that you did it last minute. The way a presentation looks can certainly influence how trustworthy you look, or how committed to a project, or how relatable you are.

Characteristics of a good presentation deck

People can read many things from a presentation, and it’s your duty to work on the image you want to project. A bad presentation can make you look unprofessional, yes. But a presentation is also a great opportunity to establish your brand visually and to make sure it stays on your audience’s minds. It’s up to you to take advantage of the possibilities presentations offer you.

It’s definitely easier said than done, though. Making a unique PowerPoint design demands creativity and imagination. So before you check out the presentation examples, look at this short list of design ideas. Hopefully, you could use these as inspiration for your next PowerPoint. They’ll surely take any plain presentation to the next level.

Title slides

You probably have experienced this: You get distracted from a presentation for 5 seconds, and suddenly you have no idea of what the speaker is talking about. You’ve gotten yourself lost, and it’s pretty difficult to get back on track when you don’t even know what new topic you’re talking about. Title slides are a great way to show your audience in what section of your presentation you’re on.

Even if you don’t have title slides for each section, you should certainly have a presentation starter Title slide. This slide is vital because it’ll set the feel for all the rest of the presentation. Just as with yourself, people tend to judge a presentation right from the start. It’s incredibly important that you showcase what you want to showcase (professionalism, relatability, etc.) on your title slide.

You want your audience looking forward for the rest of the presentation, not to feel dread and boredom. Make it eye-catching without going over the top, and make sure the topic is clear. You can check out some of our other presentation examples to see how a high impact first slide is done.

Cohesive color palette

There is no easier way to make your presentation look unprofessional than to go overboard with colors. Even if the speaker isn’t necessarily the one that has designed the PowerPoint presentation, he or she will be automatically connected to it. That is why a “Rainbow” presentation will give the feel that the speaker doesn’t really know what they are doing. Even if the speaker is doing a good job, the picture that will remain in the audience’s minds will be of the PowerPoint presentation. And if this one looks improvised or unprofessional, that will also reflect on their idea of the presenter.

Finding good colors for your presentation can be a tricky task. The overall general rule is to pick colors that complement each other, and that have good contrast. This way, the presentation will not be eye-straining while still being easy to read. The easiest way to apply this is to pick one of the premade color schemes from Microsoft Office.

However, you probably have some extra requirements, like for example to use your brand’s colors. Things like this can make it harder to find a good color palette. There is no easy way to handle colors in a presentation. But the easiest tip is: when in doubt, keep it simple.

If you want to know more about colors and how to use them, you can check out how to pick the right colors for your next presentation .

Data representation

PowerPoint presentations are, above all, a visual aid. That’s why you should take advantage of the visual potential they have. Many business presentations include some kind of data to illustrate a certain point or prove something. For example, growth or sales rates, or consumers per country, and so on. Many presentations’ main sin is that they try to showcase all this data in a written way like it’s a report. It’s one of the easiest ways to bore your audience and make them lose focus.

If you’re saying exactly the same that is written in the PowerPoint, why should they listen to you? You should aim to show something in a different way that will make them understand the things you’re saying easier. For example, if you want to share some percentages concerning some specific aspect of your business, the list of numbers will probably bore pretty quickly your audience. But if you show it visually, in a pie chart for example, your audience will be able to understand it easily.

Captivating visuals

“Captivating visuals” do not mean only photos and pictures. Sure, customized illustrations are great, as you will see in some of our presentation examples. But you don’t need them to create a great presentation. Many people think that it means adding at least one stock picture or something similar to every slide. Truth is, what presentations really need is visuals that complement smartly the information display.

This can be done by many different ways. Illustrations and pictures are a great option for this. They exemplify one or more points, but most important, they break the “all-text” image that is so frustrating for the audience. And to achieve this, illustrations and pictures are not the only way to do so. As has been said before, graphs and charts are a great way to represent data. And these elements also help to break the “all-text” effect. Other great options to do this are to use icons and geometrical. These can help to highlight your points, while still being sober and not very intrusive.

But the most vital thing to consider visually is the layout . The way you organize the information inside a slide can make all the difference between a plain slide and a professional looking one. The more your presentation looks like a textbook, the more difficult it’ll be for your audience to focus in it. Break down your information in smaller parts and see how they can fit into the slide. It’s a difficult thing to learn, but once you see the presentations examples, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

What not to do when designing a presentation

You can also check these bad PowerPoint examples , to know what to avoid. Some times, it can be just as useful to know what not to do! But right now, let’s go through some of the things that can really make a difference in turning your presentation from plain to spectacular.

Presentation Examples

Here you’ll find some amazing presentation examples done by our designers here at 24Slides. Hopefully, these will give you the inspiration you need to make a more unique, eye-catching presentation. Even the plainest, most boring presentation has a solution. It’s just a matter of knowing how to make it really stand out.

In 24Slides, our designers divide their styles into three categories: Corporate, Creative and Playful. This way, customers can pick the style that they feel they fit best with their brand and their presentation. To know more about these 3 styles and to see how they differentiate from each other, you can look out other of our professionally redesigned PowerPoint examples . You will find the original presentation and how it was remade in all 3 of these styles. This way, you can really see the difference between them, and pick the one that fits better your needs!

But for now, let’s go straight to the presentation examples! Here you’ll find some of the best Before-and-After transformations. This way you can really see how much of a difference a well-designed PowerPoint can really make.

This presentation was redesigned in a Creative style. This style is in some way the perfect middle between the other two. It’s more serious and business-like than the Playful style, but more flexible and casual than the Corporate one. This Adidas presentation is the perfect example of the Creative style. It showcases all the information in a professional way, but still keeping it visually attractive.

Adidas has a difficult color scheme to work with since it’s a brand that works mainly with blacks, greys, and white. It’s easy to make a boring presentation with that palette, as you can see with the all-grey background of the original presentation. Our designers change it for a more visually striking photo-background. But they kept the background photos at a high transparency percentage to make sure they didn’t hinder the text. They also added the brand logo with the back lines. This slide really shows how a slide layout can really change the feel of a presentation.

This slide is a perfect example of improving data visualization. Why put everything in written sentences, when you can show it in a much more effective way as a graph?

b) Linkedin

The Playful style is my personal favorite. Playful PowerPoint designs are proof that presentations don’t have to be boring or dull. This style is great for catching your audience’s attention. It includes a lot of personalized illustrations that will really make a presentation pop. This style is certainly less serious, but no less professional. You can see the effort that has been put into these slides, and how carefully crafted they are.

Linkedin PowerPoint presentation example

Check out the difference between these two slides. While the original one is certainly more serious, it’s the redesigned one that looks like a professional presentation. Dark backgrounds are great start to give a presentation a professional look, but it’s not enough. Anyone can change the background color. This PowerPoint example, despite not having a dark background, looks way more professional. It looks customized and detailed. Our designers took Linkedin colors to make a slide that really represented the brand. The effort put into it it’s what makes it a really unique-looking presentation.

This slide is also a good example of the importance of title slides. If you see the original one, you’ll probably brace yourself for a long and boring presentation. With the fixed one, you give the presentation a whole new feel. The customized illustration reflect perfectly the presentation topic and intrigues you enough to make want to hear more about it.

Finally, we have the Corporate Presentation style. This one is certainly the most serious of all three of them. This is the kind of presentation you want to show your boss to prove how reliable and rigorous you are with your job. It’s a great style for presenting data and cold hard facts.

The original presentation had a theme, with the blue lines in the upper and lower sides of the slide. But the use of different colors made it look a little improvised and overall just dated. The new design, on the other hand, looks clean and stylish. Something as simple as adding a visual element, like the central photo, can do a huge difference. Instead of highlighting text with different colors, the designers focused on separating the information in sections and using a monochromatic color scheme. This way, the audience can distinguish easily each part of the slide, while still keeping the design sharp.

Even something as simple as bullet points change completely when you use a more professional layout!

d) McDonald’s

This MacDonalds’ presentation is an amazing example of what a Playful presentation is all about. Vibrant colors, unique illustrations, and a distinctive layout. If you look at the original SWOT Analysis of this presentation example, it is completely plain and forgettable. But the fixed slide is truly unique. It conveys the information in a way that could not have been done for any other company in the world. It’s original and entertaining while still showcasing all the information needed.

McDonald's PowerPoint presentation example

This PowerPoint is also a good example of and amazing use of color. The original presentation was clearly trying to follow the brand’s official color scheme of red and yellow. But in practice, it made the presentation look pretty amateur. Our designers, on the other hand, made a customized color palette that made the presentation look not only professional but unique. They kept the red and yellow tones, but didn’t use them as the main colors. Instead, they created a whole scheme of colors that complimented them, and that allow them to add so much more detail into the presentation.

The customized icons are one of those things that really can make a difference. In the new presentation, you can be sure that the data being shown is from a fast food company. Making sure your presentation reflects your company is more than just pasting a logo in every slide. This presentation is a great example of how to do it right. Every single slide reflects its product in a playful, innovative way.

Oracle’s PowerPoint is another great presentation of example of the creative style. This presentation takes a plan, boring PowerPoint and transforms it into a unique one.

Check out how much a professional layout can change a slide. In the original one, all the element are crammed together. It’s even a little bit uncomfortable to read. There are too many things happening at once. The fixed slide conveys the exact same information, but in a way more organized, professional way. This is a great example of how to showcase data smartly. The designer used all their tools (shapes and colors to make divisions, icons, etc.) to convey the information in a visually attractive way.

Creative style is all about thinking out of the box, so this slide transformation is a perfect presentation example. While the original slide is not that bad, it’s a little dull. But if you change the layout and add a more interesting color scheme, the slide will look much better!

Here is another great presentation example of the creative style. Creative is actually the style more in demand by our customers, since it looks both sharp and fun. And this Amazon’s presentation really shows that.

Details do matter. While in the original slide there were graphs, the colors clashes, and it looks pretty cramped. Our designers changed the color palette to reflect the brand, the bar graphs for pie charts and adding a soft-edged caption box. Just with this, the slide looks more cohesive and with an intended design.

This slide is another example that visuals and layout matter. Having slide after slide filled with bullet points becomes boring very quickly. Think about in which other ways you could represent the information, and build your layout accordingly.

Finally, here’s another presentation example of a corporate style PowerPoint. This serious, straightforward style is ideal when you want a more sober, business-like presentation.

As much as a good minimalist style , less is not always more. The original slide with just a quote looks kind of empty, rather than minimalist. As has been said before, a basic gradient background will not fool anyone into thinking that there was time put into that presentation design. Adding “stunning visuals” don’t necessarily mean having custom icons or vector illustrations. Sometimes something as simple as a complementary picture and some geometrical detail, as in this slide, can really make the message stand out.

Make better presentations

Hopefully this presentation examples will inspire you when you have to do your next PowerPoint. Presentation design takes time and effort, but practice makes perfect. Do not expect a PowerPoint that looks from a professional designer’s portfolio at first try. Design is not something you can learn overnight.

However, if you don’t have the time to spend in learning how to design your own PowerPoints, or you want a really professional finish, you should definitely contact put team of designers here at 24 Slides. Your presentation will be as unique as anyone of these examples, and will reflect perfectly your brand and what you want to convey.

And depending how much time you invest a week in doing PowerPoints, it’ll probably even be more cost-efficient to hire presentation designers. This way you get better presentations that you could have done on your own, and at the same time, save time for your other tasks. So ask yourself: do you really need to learn how to design presentations? Or is it just another task taking time and energy from other more important things to do?

If it’s just taking time away from you, why not let the professionals so what they’ve been trained to do? Here at 24Slides we have incredible designers that will make sure that your presentations is everything you want it to be. You can focus on your tasks at hand, and receive your presentation ready within 24 hours, and more professional-looking than ever.

Create professional presentations online

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More From Forbes

15 presentation tips for captivating your audience and commanding the room.

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Person speaking in front of audience

Public speaking can be a daunting task, especially when addressing a large audience. Whether you're giving a presentation in the boardroom or delivering a keynote speech at a conference, holding your audience's attention and maintaining command of the room is paramount. The ability to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression not only enhances your message's impact but also builds your reputation as a confident and effective speaker.

Here, Forbes Coaches Council members share invaluable tips and strategies to help you conquer your fear of public speaking and ensure that your next presentation or speech is a resounding success.

1. Be Confident

Be grounded and confident to be yourself and then tell great stories. Use your voice and the stage to bring the stories alive. Your audience will connect to the emotion of the story but make sure that it is relevant for your audience and related to the topic. - Cath Daley , Cath Daley Ltd

2. Find A Way To Actively Engage The Audience

Be prepared with ways to get your audience engaged and keep their focus. Whether that's relating to your audience, telling a joke or asking questions, actively driving engagement will make for a more effective presentation or speech. - Luke Feldmeier , Online Leadership Training - Career and Leadership Accelerator for Engineers

3. Create An Emotional Connection

Creating an emotional connection with the audience and involving them in your session fosters active participation, and ensures your audience stays engaged throughout. This also serves to enhance your presence and to create memories that stay with them long after your presentation ends. - Kristin Andree , Andree Group

4. Put Your Unique Take Front And Center

Do you have something unexpected to say about your topic? Something that goes against the mainstream opinion in your industry or is maybe even slightly provocative? If so, putting your unique take front and center in the title and the beginning of your talk and explaining or resolving it later keeps your audience engaged and interested. - Micha Goebig , Go Big Coaching & Communications, LLC

5. Remember That The Audience Doesn't Know Your Planned Speech

No one wants to see you fail as a speaker. Remember that the focus shouldn't be on whether or not you can recall verbatim every word of your planned speech. The focus should be on how to connect to your audience with a few key points using a combination of storytelling and facts. - Sheri Nasim , Center for Executive Excellence

6. Adapt Your Language To The Audience

Talk about something they are interested in or include elements that will keep them interested. Start by asking why your topic matters to each and every one of them. Use language adapted to the audience. Keep the key messages to two or three maximum. Show them what you think and why you care about the topic. - Isabelle Claus Teixeira , Business and Human Development Consulting Pte Ltd

7. Try To Incorporate An Element Of Surprise

Engagement is the key to keeping the audience's attention. Invite participation, tell stories, walk around, have visuals, include humor, raise your voice and ask questions. Think of a comedian who points at someone in the audience: "Hey, you with the red shirt?" Everyone pays attention. What element of surprise can you present? - Susan Jordan, MBA, MSODL, PCC , Sphereshift Coaching and Consulting

8. Know Your Audience

Doing research ahead of time to ensure you're providing the subject matter in a personalized manner will keep their attention. The topic will dictate the necessary vibe. Based on that, providing opportunities for the group to engage, such as shouting out a word, raising a hand, etc., will also help maintain their interest. - Lindsay Miller , Reverie Organizational Development Specialists

9. Use The Problem-Agitation-Solution Approach

Don't just give a presentation — share a story. It must be a story-audience fit though. Use the P.A.S. — problem-agitation-solution — approach. Start with introducing a problem, follow by agitating the problem via telling a relevant anecdote and conclude by offering a solution by giving an audience a clear, direct way to avoid the pain and learn the lesson. - Alla Adam , Alla Adam Coaching

10. Tell The Audience What They Need To Hear

Instead of trying to figure out what to say, figure out what the audience wants and needs to hear. This shift in perspective allows you to tailor your speech in a way that keeps audiences actively engaged because it's good content that they want to hear. - Robin Pou , The Confident Leader

11. Go All In

To command your audience's attention you have to get into the spirit of what you're teaching and go all in without second-guessing yourself. People want to be led, but they'll be unwilling to follow someone who isn't confident in what they are communicating. - Arash Vossoughi , Voss Coaching Co.

12. Use A Compelling Opening

Start your speech/presentation with a compelling opening that grabs the audience's attention. This could be a surprising fact, a relevant story or a thought-provoking question. This initial engagement can help you establish a strong connection with the audience and set the stage for a captivating presentation. - Moza-Bella Tram , Moza-Bella LLC

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?

13. Be Authentic

Connect deeply with your essence and purpose. Radiate authenticity. When you're centered in genuine passion and truth others feel it, creating an unspoken bond. It's not about performing; it's about being present and real and offering value from the heart. That's magnetic. - Anna Yusim, MD , Yusim Psychiatry, Consulting & Executive Coaching

14. Let Your Audience Talk

There is nothing worse than stealing everyone's craving for autonomy and speaking the whole time. The person who does the talking does the learning. So, give some autonomy to the audience. Let them talk. Even if it's thinking time and talking to themselves, or to their neighbor or table group. This gains trust and they will lean into what you have to say even more. - Alex Draper , DX Learning Solutions

15. Leverage Non-Verbal Cues

My top tip is to engage your audience through storytelling. A compelling narrative captures attention, evokes emotion and makes complex ideas more relatable. Additionally, use body language and eye contact effectively. These non-verbal cues can significantly enhance your connection with the audience. - Peter Boolkah , The Transition Guy

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How to Improve Your Presentation Skills: 11 Practical Tips

The Speaker Lab
August 15, 2024

Have you ever felt your heart racing just before stepping onto a stage? That’s presentation anxiety knocking. But how do you beat it? One solution is to improve your presentation skills . By honing your abilities, you achieve greater confidence in yourself. You see, great public speakers are made through practice, and lots of it. Knowing your subject inside out matters, as does understanding who you’re talking to.

This journey doesn’t start at the podium or end at the applause. It begins much earlier, in how we prepare our minds and material for that spotlight moment. To keep an audience hanging on every word requires more than good content alone. Body language speaks volumes too. So, it’s crucial to master both your verbal and nonverbal cues. This approach guarantees your message resonates deeply with all present.

Understanding the Importance of Presentation Skills

Presentation skills go beyond merely standing and speaking before an audience. They embody the essence of engaging and connecting with others. As it turns out, being able to connect with people in this way is an invaluable skill worth having. From convincing a potential new client to sharing knowledge with peers, presenting helps you get key ideas across. But here’s the kicker: it’s not only about what you say but how you say it that counts. While such finesse comes naturally to some, others need a bit of practice before they can nail it. But that’s why we’re here—to help you out.

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Mastering the Basics of Effective Presentations

Grasping the fundamentals can elevate a decent presentation to one that’s memorable. Let’s break it down.

Knowing Your Subject and Audience

Before you give your presentation, you first have to know who you’re talking to and what you’re talking about. It sounds simple because it is. But don’t let that simplicity fool you—it’s also where the magic happens. Dive deep into your topic and become the expert they expect you to be. As for your audience? Find a way to connect your presentation to them as individuals. Consider why your topic might be important to them. If you can get your topic to hit home with your audience, it’s much more likely that they’ll be impacted by what you say.

Using Open, Friendly Body Language

Our body language allows us to speak volumes without ever saying a word. So when you’re on stage, use open gestures, keep those arms uncrossed, and maintain a pleasant demeanor. Move around if space allows; make yourself bigger than just the spot behind the podium. Frequently make eye contact with the crowd instead of just looking at your notes or slides. Lastly, use gestures to complement your words, emphasizing key points.

Practicing for Perfection

When preparing for your presentation, rehearse until those nerves start feeling like excitement instead of sheer terror. Out of all presentation skills, this is perhaps one of the most important to improve. Even rehearsing in the outfit you’ll wear on presentation day can help you practice the right mindset you need. Whether or not you rewrite your script as bullet points, make sure you’re not reading off your notes. After all, you want to maintain a natural, conversational tone with your audience, not a robotic one. Before you begin your talk, breathe deeply. Not only does grounding yourself help calm your nerves, it actually improves your voice quality .

Designing Engaging Presentations

Every speaker wants to engage their audience. As a result, the ability to design engaging presentations is one skill that’s worth constantly improving. It’s all about balance, blending engaging content with sleek design.

Keeping Your Presentation Engaging and Structured

Every speaker would agree that maintaining audience interest is crucial. But how exactly do you do that? It takes a lot to focus on your presentation and your audience at the same time. To get started, try some of these techniques.

Tell a story: Weave your facts into a narrative because everyone loves a good tale.
Vary the pace: Mix it up with videos, anecdotes, or jokes to keep things fresh.
Pose questions: Asking rhetorical questions keeps minds ticking and engaged.

Maintaining structure is key. You want to guide your audience through smoothly, making sure they’re following along every step of the way. Think of it as taking them on a journey where each point builds upon the last until you reach a compelling conclusion together.

Simplicity in Slide Design

If there’s one thing you don’t want to impose on your audience, it’s a cluttered slide. So what should you to improve this presentation skill? Take a look at these tips:

Keep it simple: A simple background with high contrast text can work wonders.
Leverage visuals wisely: If you’re talking numbers, opt for an infographic instead of listing out stats one after another. Visuals should enhance understanding, not confuse further. Make sure they’re relevant.
Use bullet points: Cover one idea per slide and use bullet points to break it down. This isn’t just easier for your audience to digest; it gives each point its moment in the spotlight.

The trick here is to avoid just throwing your entire presentation onto slides. That’s what leads to clutter. Instead, focus on the key points you want to communicate, and create visual summaries that complement what you’re saying. Good presentation design matters. And sometimes less really is more when helping people understand complex topics easily. For more on creating PowerPoint presentations, check out our article here .

Mastering Nonverbal Communication

As a speaker, it’s a given that your words are a vital part of your presentation. But what about your nonverbal cues? Believe it or not, those are just as important. And don’t forget tone—delivery is often where the real magic happens.

Improving Eye Contact

For instance, take eye contact. Making eye contact with your audience demonstrates confidence and professionalism. The trick is striking the balance: too little, and you seem disengaged; too much, and it’s just awkward for everyone involved. To improve this presentation skills, practice finding that balance. Aim to make brief but meaningful eye contact with different parts of your audience throughout your presentation. A general rule of thumb is the 50/70 rule , which says to spend about 50% of your time making eye contact when speaking, bumping it up to 70% when listening or answering questions.

Avoiding Filled Pauses When Speaking

The bane of any speaker’s presentation is a slew of filler words. These are words like “um,” “uh,” and “like.” These filler sounds typically sneak into our speech because we’re nervous or trying to think on our feet. To avoid them, practice pausing with purpose in between sentences or thoughts. Silence may feel scary, but using intentional pauses can give you time to think and keeps listeners hanging onto your next word. In addition, never forget to taking deep breaths. Doing so will help calm the nerves that are triggering those verbal fillers in the first place.

By improving these presentation skills, you’ll not only boost how others perceive you, but also how confidently you carry yourself through every slide.

Overcoming Presentation Anxiety

Feeling like a bundle of nerves before you hit the stage? If so, you’re not alone. But guess what? That jittery feeling doesn’t have to be your enemy.

Techniques to Calm Nerves During a Presentation

We’ve all been there—heart racing, palms sweaty, mind blanking out just when you need it most. It feels like your body is betraying you right at the crucial moment. Thankfully, it’s entirely possible to regain control by redirecting that nervous energy. To calm yourself, try some of these techniques.

Breathe deeply: It seems simple, but deep breaths are like a reset button for your nervous system.
Ground yourself: Feel your feet on the ground. Literally grounding yourself in reality helps shift focus back from fear to action.
The power pose: Standing in a posture of confidence can actually make you feel more confident thanks to some nifty brain-body communication.
Embrace silence: If you lose track during your presentation, use this time not as an awkward pause but as an intentional break for both you and your audience.

By practicing these techniques and improving them before your presentation, they will come more naturally. Plus, the more you prepare, the fewer surprises you’ll encounter, which means less fodder for anxiety.

Transforming Nervous Energy into Enthusiasm

Nervous energy isn’t bad—it shows you care. Mastering the art involves channeling that untamed vigor into a force of zeal.

Talk about what you love: You naturally become more animated and enthusiastic when discussing topics close to your heart.
Harness the adrenaline rush: This rush pushes us beyond our usual boundaries, so don’t be afraid to use it. Speak louder than normal if needed or move around more freely (if appropriate).
Redefine success: Focus on connecting with at least one person rather than impressing everyone—that takes off loads of pressure.

In essence, presentation skills aren’t just about speaking well. They’re about managing emotions effectively so they don’t manage us. So next time those butterflies start fluttering in your stomach before a big presentation, remember it’s all part of the process. Embrace the experience and use it to fuel your performance rather than let it derail you.

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Continually Improving Presentation Skills

The journey to becoming a presentation pro never really ends. Embarking on this path means consistently challenging oneself, exploring new depths, and setting sights on ever-higher achievements.

Seeking Feedback for Improvement

Let’s talk feedback. Although it might sting at first, feedback is a great way to improve your presentation skills. After every presentation, ask your audience what hit home and what missed the mark. But don’t stop there.

Talk to a mentor: Someone who’s been where you are can give insights you hadn’t even considered.
Solicit anonymous feedback: Sometimes people speak more freely when they’re not face-to-face.
Use online tools: There are platforms designed specifically for gathering and analyzing presentation feedback efficiently.

Volunteering for Presentations to Gain Experience

If practice makes perfect, then volunteering is your practice arena. Seizing each moment as a platform can really polish your expertise.

Pitch new ideas at work: Be the one who steps up during meetings with fresh insights or project proposals.
Dive into community events: Local clubs or groups often seek speakers on various topics—perfect for testing out different styles and formats.
Become a webinar host: This lets you play with technology while practicing how best to engage virtual attendees.

Remember, improving your public speaking skills takes time. But by consistently seeking out constructive criticism and grabbing every chance to get in front of an audience , you’re paving your way towards mastery. So take that deep breath, keep your head high, and take that stage. Your future self will thank you.

So there you have it. Together, we’ve learned how to improve presentation skills. This isn’t just about shaking off those stage jitters; it’s an expedition towards becoming a masterful storyteller who captivates every soul in the room.

Embarking on this journey, we dove headfirst into mastering basics like knowing your audience and subject. Plus, we covered tips on keeping slides simple yet engaging—a fine balance between clutter and clarity. And let’s not forget our silent but potent ally: nonverbal communication—where eye contact and body language can help engage your audience.

Anxiety had its moment under our microscope as well. Turns out, it’s less about fighting nerves and more about channeling them into electrifying enthusiasm.

Improving your presentation skills requires persistence—and lots of practice. The process isn’t just a path but an ongoing adventure that challenges us to grow and adapt in our quest for meaningful impact.

Last Updated: August 6, 2024

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IDEA Center

The Amy Hirsh Guarino Force For Good Award

We are now accepting nominations for the Amy Hirsh Guarino Force For Good Award.

Amy loved helping people and she loved connecting people. Whether it was a CEO or Founder looking for advice on building a channel sales team, or a newly graduated student looking to get their foot in the door with their first job. Amy helped them all, and did it for the satisfaction of seeing businesses and people grow. She helped hundreds, and made the most of the worldwide Notre Dame network to make good things happen.

We are here to do what the Notre Dame community does best, come together as a community to do good and accomplish great things.

The recipient of this annual award will receive a grant or investment from the Notre Dame endowment to further their efforts to help leverage technology to solve a grand challenge for one or more of the customers of Catholic Social Teaching: the Vulnerable Family, the Planet, and the Catholic Church.

The recipient will be the person who best represents the ideals of the University, and reflects Amy's values of hard work, helping people, innovating, and giving back to the community.

$5,000 (+$1000 for travel if applicable)
Coaching from top ND alum VCs and founders
Amplification of your startup to the sphere of influence of the 100+ donors to the fund
Will present their idea at the Innovation Rally on Friday, November 8, 2024 at the IDEA Center in South Bend, IN.

Selection Criteria

If you are a part of the ND family (student, alum, faculty, or staff) and working to be a Force for Good leveraging technology, and have a great business or new business idea, please apply here:

https://decksend.net/submit/the-amy-fund

All participants will use the same template for submitting their ideas. This template is located here .

Submission Deadline

The due date of the submission is 11:59 PM on September 29, 2024.

Award Presentation

Friday, November 8, 2024, 1:00 p.m.

Location: IDEA Center, 1400 E. Angela Blvd., South Bend, IN 46617

Donate to the Amy Hirsh Guarino Technology Endowment

If you’d like to contribute to the endowment fund from which this prize is funded, please do so here:

https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/AmyGuarino

For any questions relating to the Amy Hirsh Guarino Force For Good Award, please contact Ellen Dutton .

Services & Software

This AI Graphics Startup Is a Cheap, Easy Alternative to Adobe and Canva

Napkin AI is a text-to-visual graphics generator that's great for cleaning up your presentations or spicing up a report.

Napkin AI wants you to stop using so many words in your PowerPoints and Google Slides.

Napkin is a text-to-visual AI tool where you can upload text to a blank doc, or a "napkin," and it will generate a visual representation of your information. Napkin is one of a plethora of AI startups that sprung up as generative AI technology advanced with chatbots like ChatGPT and image generators like Midjourney . It's not a data visualization tool -- you can't upload an Excel database and get bar graphs and pie charts. But you can use Napkin to create graphics for presentations, blog posts, reports and school assignments, among other things.

Napkin officially launched in August, but my colleague and I snagged a preview demo with its founder, Pramod Sharma. Sharma spent a good bit of his career working at Google, specifically on the Docs team, and you can see that influence in the way Napkin looks and functions. Sharma described Napkin as a "visual Google Docs editor," with the goal of users experiencing the "art of making things fun and delightful." Napkin is currently available in English and announced today that it will begin rolling out support for German, French, Japanese and Chinese.

There are a lot of different graphic design and visual creation programs, but giants like Adobe and Canva make up a big part of the market. They're also both investing in AI-powered tools, including image generators like Firefly and Magic Media , with varying degrees of success. I've used and reviewed a lot of AI creative services, and after using Napkin, I do think there's a place for it among these competitors.

The best thing Napkin has going for it is that it's easy to use and can create graphics quickly. It's great for enhancing a presentation quickly or adding extra flair to a report. Students, small businesses and other creators who don't want to spend the time (or money) using advanced services will benefit from Napkin's bare-bones efficiency.

Here are three of the best ways I found to use Napkin. And if you create an account now while it's still in beta, you'll get more personalization options for free.

Adding pizazz to presentations

In my testing of Napkin, I had it create graphics to improve presentation slides, break down a complicated topic for an article and brainstorm different visual ideas. Napkin was good for all the above tasks, but it was by far the best for polishing off a presentation.

A general rule of thumb while creating decks is to have as few words as possible on your slides. This is where Napkin can be helpful. You can upload a chunk of text to Napkin, and it will trim it down and convert it to a visually appealing graphic you can copy and paste onto your slide.

Generation time is quick, between 10-30 seconds. Napkin does collect and anonymize users' data and interactions with its AI for training purposes, but Sharma confirmed via email that your personal information remains private and your uploaded text isn't used to generate content for other users. As with any AI service, I caution against uploading sensitive information to the site.

I pulled an old presentation from a film class I took in college to test it. My original slide was wordy, with seven long bullet points. Napkin came up with really unique graphics, including a pro-con list I really liked and a more artistic visual that summarized my main point of the slide, which was that Netflix's original movies suck. I recreated the slide with the new graphics to compare, and it's way easier to digest now, rather than having people's eyes glaze over with a big block of text.

two slides on top of each other, one with words the other with a chart

The new version (bottom) is much easier to read than the original (top).

I pulled some other slides from presentations, including drier ones explaining different theories of communication and summaries of various novels. Each time, Napkin came back with graphics that not only made my slides more fun but also easier to understand. I did do some editing to make my points clear, but for the limited amount of text I took out of the context of the whole presentation, Napkin held up well. One thing I would've loved is the ability to customize my graphics to match the exact colors of my deck theme, but it was all right for now.

Breaking down complicated topics

If you're not well-versed in graphic design strategy, you might want to take advantage of Napkin as a brainstorming tool. Throughout my testing, I found it to be very creative and versatile, so you can explore a lot of different options based on the same text. To put its creativity to the test, I had Napkin come up with four different graphics to explain the concept of the fediverse, a set of interconnected, decentralized social media platforms built on a set of rules called the ActivityPub protocols. I have a whole article explaining what it is, but I wanted to see what Napkin would come up with to break down a complicated topic. These are some of the top choices.

These are three of the graphics Napkin created. None are quite right.

The first three suggested graphics looked nice, but as someone with an understanding of the material, they're misleading. The first pinwheel graphic correctly identifies several fediverse platforms I list in my text, but incorrectly places the ActivityPub protocols with them; they're what underpin all the platforms. The second graphic pulled a bunch of relevant keywords, but it's not helpful without explaining why they're relevant. The last cycle graphic was interesting because it did pull more implicit information out of my text, but it didn't answer my core question of what is the fediverse.

a flow chart with four concepts related to the middle idea, the fediverse

This Napkin graphic correctly displays concepts related to the fediverse.

After scrolling a bit, I found a good match. With this graphic, Napkin correctly pulled relevant platforms, contextualized the ActivityPub protocols correctly and highlighted two key facets of the fediverse -- decentralization and open source. This is a great visualization because it gives the reader a good framework of understanding what's important at a glance and can spark interest to read further. While it took a bit of work to get the best graphic -- and I would've edited it before publishing -- I was pretty satisfied with Napkin's ability to read and synthesize the text I gave it. No AI tool is perfect, after all.

Brainstorming image ideas

If you're not quite sure what kind of graphic you want, Napkin is great for brainstorming ideas. I pulled some text -- the most I tested was about 157 words -- from a guide I wrote about how to write the best AI image prompt and fed it to Napkin. I wanted to highlight the three essentials each AI prompt should include, but I didn't care how exactly it did that. Napkin came back with a lot of different ideas, and it was nice to be able to browse through all the options since I wasn't married to a specific design or look. This is the one that immediately caught my eye.

three columns supporting a building, showcasing three essential elements of an AI prompt

Beyond just highlighting the elements I discussed in my text, Napkin's graphic reinforced my point about how essential these things were by displaying them as columns. Without one, the building falls, and the prompt fails. Any of the visuals Napkin created would've been fine, but this one communicates their importance implicitly. This is a great example of something I've found time and time again while testing AI image services -- humans have to be involved in the design strategy and process, otherwise your results won't resonate with your audience. Napkin, like every other AI service, is just a tool to help get you there. For all of these examples, our creators at CNET could've come up with these graphics and probably improved upon them. But for people without a large creative team or a lot of time to create, or for those just looking to spark some initial ideas, Napkin is a great place to start.

TL;DR: Napkin is promising

It's safe to say that AI art startups like Napkin are in a tough position of having to prove they have something different and useful to offer. In this case, I'm optimistic that Napkin is on track. It's user-friendly and creative enough to provide for amateur creators like me, but it's also a helpful, back-pocket tool for professional creators beginning the design process.

My two biggest wish-list items are more customization options, especially custom colors and fonts, and integrations with other text-process software. I would also love to see Napkin give users the ability to opt out of AI model training entirely, something that I imagine would be desirable for businesses as well as privacy-minded folks.

One of the things that I have found repeatedly with AI creative tools, including Napkin, is how present the human using the service has to be and how these tools can't be used successfully without human-design strategy and decision-making. It doesn't matter if you generate hundreds of different Napkin graphics if you don't know your audience and material well enough to decide which will be the best choice to deliver that information. With that in mind, Napkin is promising, and I'm excited to see it continue to build out new features and functionalities.

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How to Create a Successful Project Presentation

Written by: Unenabasi Ekeruke

An illustration showcasing a project presentation being built.

You’ve spent time working on a project that could be a potential game-changer for your company or client. Now you’re buzzing to present it to your team, investors and other key stakeholders.

Creating and delivering project presentations can be nerve-racking and you probably have one question running through your mind.

How do you get the decision-makers to understand your project or secure their buy-in?

Considering that some companies have had about 12% of failed projects in the past year, you want to create presentations that are not only convincing but memorable.

With the right project presentation deck, you can win and keep your audience’s attention long enough to explain project details and why it’s sure to succeed.

Not sure how to create successful project presentations? We’ve got you covered.

This article will show you how to set project goals and create winning presentations that take your project to the next level.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit project presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

Let's get to it.

1 Set Goals for Your Project

Before you dive into the main details of your project presentation, you want to answer these questions:

What is your project set out to achieve?
Why is it important for you and your team to achieve your set goals?
How do you plan to communicate your goals to your audience?

If you have to make long guesses before answering these questions, you’ve got a lot of work to do.

Here’s what you should know. Beautiful or well-articulated project presentations aren’t a substitute for project planning. Without clear goals, your project is already set up to fail. And your investors might think, “why bother listening?”

Many project managers tend to rush through the goal-setting phase, but we don't recommend this. That’s because you could be setting yourself up for failure.

Once you clearly define your project goals, you can get stakeholders to buy into them.

Now the question is, how do you set goals for your project and achieve them? One way to do that is by using the SMART goal setting method.

Setting SMART Project Goals

SMART is an acronym that stands for S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R elevant and T ime-Bound.

SMART goals are a staple for planning and executing successful projects. It takes a deeper look into the finer details your audience care about, such as:

Project plan and schedule,
Project timelines,
Milestones,
Potential roadblocks and more

For example, let's say your project aims to improve customer experience on web and mobile devices. Notice this example describes the end goal. But it doesn’t specify how you’ll work to enhance customer experience.

Here’s how using SMART goals provides direction for your planned project.

When setting your goals, be clear and specific about what you want to achieve in the end.

A specific goal could be: “We want to build a responsive website and mobile app for our company to improve customer experience. This project will require inputs from our product design, software and marketing department”.

Measurable

During your presentation, you'd have to answer questions like:

What metrics will you use to determine if you meet the goal?
How will you know you’re on the right track?

Having metrics in place will help you evaluate your project. Plus, you’d be able to monitor progress and optimize your project to achieve better results.

It doesn’t matter if you’re planning a short-term or long-term project. Ensure you set metrics and milestones that count towards your goal.

From our earlier example, a measurable goal could be to have:

Over 100,000 mobile app downloads on Google Playstore and Apple App Store.
A 20% bounce rate on your website and a 15% conversion rate on mobile and web.

Attainable

One of the most critical questions you want to ask during goal-setting is, “Can we achieve our set goal?” Do we have the resources to accomplish the goal within the available time frame?

If the answer is no, then you’d have to consider what it would take to achieve those goals. This may require adjusting your goals or the resources needed to achieve your goal.

Although it’s okay to be ambitious, you should also be realistic. For example, getting 200,000 app downloads in one week could be overly ambitious if you’ve just launched your app. However, if you set out to achieve that goal in three months, that could make your project practicable.

Transform technical, complex information into easy-to-understand reports

Create detailed diagrams of workflows , systems and processes to see how they interset
Easily create and share resources for your team , from login credentials to security best practices
Get more visual with your communication to ensure intricate information is resonating and sinking in

Your project goals need to align with your broader business goals. Are your goals relevant to the growth and success of the company? Are they worth allocating resources for?

For instance, if your company is B2B and doesn’t plan to expand to the B2C market, launching an e-commerce website would be an irrelevant goal.

Time-Bound

Regardless of your project type and size, you should set time frames. Setting target dates for deliverables creates a sense of urgency and motivates you to hit your goals.

From our example above, a time-bound goal could be “We aim to achieve 100,000 mobile app downloads and a 15% conversion rate by the end of the fiscal year. Our company will launch the mobile app by Q3 with a robust marketing campaign that will run through the end of next fiscal year.”

Setting SMART goals doesn’t have to be a challenging task. Use the template below to set project goals that position your business for success.

A SMART goals worksheet template available to customize with Visme.

Communicate Project Goals to Your Team Members

After you've set your goals, your team will play a key role in helping you achieve them. So you ensure they understand these things:

Why the project goals are in place
What it's supposed to deliver for your business and customers
How their role, team and department contributes to the success of the project

Unless you’re clear on this, the project can derail and move in all sorts of unwanted directions.

Rather than slam the goals you’ve set on your team, make it a collaborative effort. Spend time talking to your team and stakeholders about the project goals.

Don't limit your communication to people within your department. You can reach out to people in other departments like sales, operations, finance, etc., to see how well your goals align with theirs.

A timeline presentation slide available in Visme.

To give your team a better understanding, you can communicate your project goals in a variety of ways, including:

Visuals (videos, images, charts, infographics, etc.)
Verbal presentation
Documentations

By doing that, you’re sure to get their valuable feedback, buy-in and commitment to the project. Plus, getting your team on board with your project plan will up your chances of successful execution.

A project status presentation template available in Visme.

2 Lay Out Your Project Plan

Once you’ve set your goals, the next big step is to outline how you'll achieve them. An excellent place to start is by organizing your project into an actionable plan and steps for execution.

You might wonder why this step is important for creating a successful project presentation.

Whether you’re planning a small or big project, writing a detailed plan, structure and layout puts everything into perspective. It eliminates vagueness and helps your audience grasp the project roadmap without missing the points.

Your project plan should contain the technical and non-technical project details. Therefore, you want to give yourself an edge by using a project presentation template that clearly explains all the activities and steps.

Not only that, your presentation structure should be simple and easy to follow.

Depending on the project type, your plan could include key details such as:

The goals and objectives you've outlined earlier
Your project scope, methodology and framework
Project milestones, deliverable and acceptance criteria
Project schedule and timelines
Resources and budget estimates, etc.

A project management presentation template available to customize in Visme.

There's no hard and fast rule for laying out your project plan. However, if you want to create a memorable plan that will keep your audience engaged, you could break it down into three parts, including:

Introduction

Conclusion and key takeaways

Your introduction should provide a brief overview of what you’re going to talk about and why it’s relevant to your audience. You could start by writing down the project name and the executive summary.

Think of your executive summary as an abridged version of the project plan.

If your audience read only your executive summary, would they have all the information they need about your project? If the answer is yes, your executive summary has served its purpose.

The length of your executive summary will depend on what you intend to cover in your project plan. However, we recommend keeping your executive summary one or two pages long.

You can include key information such as:

Objectives of the project
Key points of the project plan
Results, conclusions and project recommendations

Keep in mind that not everyone will have the time to dive into the details of your project plan.

Having a snapshot of your project brings clarity to key stakeholders and collaborators. It also enables people who aren't actively involved in the project to understand it at a glance.

Ready to create your own presentation in minutes?

Add your own text, images and more
Customize colors, fonts and everything else
Choose from hundreds of slide designs and templates
Add interactive buttons and animations

The body of your project plan is where you have the full project details and everything relevant to its success.

Here you can break your project into deliverables, tasks, milestones and schedules (start and end dates).

Ensure you precisely define the resources you need to complete the project, including finances, team, time, technology, physical resources and more.

This is the part where you sum up your project plan with key takeaways. Your conclusion should include what you expect from your audience, including key action points and next steps.

Writing your intro, body and conclusion may sound like a lot of information. But instead of writing multiple pages of text, incorporating visuals can make your project presentations more effective.

By using images, videos, infographics and charts , you can capture all the vital information and help your audience understand your message better.

Visme presentation templates are effective for visualizing different sections of your project plan. They are professionally designed and easy for anyone to craft high-quality project plans that keep their team on track.

Use the project plan templates below to kickstart your project planning process.

A project plan template available in Visme.

3 Outline the Problem and Solution

You've just spent time crafting your project action plan. Now it’s time to communicate your project plan and goals with your audience.

Project presentations are a lot like sales pitches. Whether you’re presenting your project plan to clients or creating a pitch deck for investors, your job is to keep your audience hooked right from the start till the end.

One of the most potent ways of grabbing your audience's attention is by highlighting their pain points.

It’s not enough to have beautiful slides that showcase your amazing product features and project activities.

Make sure you set up your project presentation to:

Outline your audience pain points
Emphasize how your project, product or service works to address their pain points
Explain how they’ll benefit from using your product or investing in your project

In a nutshell, your audience should have a clear insight into how your project makes their life better. When they’re clear on this, they’ll most likely listen to the solutions you bring to the table and take the desired action.

Don’t make sweeping assumptions about your audience.

If you’re looking to get them on board, dedicate a slide to discuss their problems and solutions. Make them understand how your project benefits them.

A goals presentation slide available in Visme.

Not sure what your audience's pain points are? Go ahead and do these things:

Run a persona survey or interview existing customers. This will help you build a data-driven user persona that you can use for all types of business and marketing decisions.
Talk to your customer support and success team. They have close relationships with your customers, so they know their challenges and what they want. If they don’t know these things, do them a favor and create a customer success program .
Interact with your community, ask for feedback and involvement. The more you engage with your consumers, the more you understand their challenges, work toward solving and get them invested in your brand.
Keeping an eye on relevant social media trends, Twitter hashtags, Facebook trends
Join relevant online forums like Quora, Reddit, Stack Exchange, etc.

RELATED: How to Write an Effective Presentation Outline

4 Keep Your Presentation Slides Short

When creating project presentations, prioritize quality over quantity. Be sure to keep your slides short and simple. When you do this, your audience will be glad you value their time.

Remember, this isn’t the time to slam your audience with lengthy and irrelevant jargon. Instead, keep your slides on topics and hit the main points without the boring and unnecessary details.

Here’s why you need to keep your presentation brief:

Concise presentation slides are not only powerful, but they are also memorable.
Studies have shown that during project or business presentations, attention levels drop sharply after 30 minutes . By creating lengthy presentations, you risk losing your audience's attention halfway.
Nobody wants to sit and watch you flip tons of slides for hours. With shorter slides, you can capture your audience's attention and get them to focus on the message.
Most people might have limited time or have short attention spans. So they’d want to quickly digest information and move on to the next best thing.

How do you keep your project presentations short?

If your slide doesn’t add value to your presentation, it shouldn’t earn a spot on your deck.
Supercharge your slide deck with captivating visuals that capture more information
Adopt proven methods for preparing your slide

For example, the 10/20/30 rule by Guy Kawasaki is one of the most popular methods used by experts. The rule recommends using ten slides for 20 minutes presentations (about two minutes per slide). It also specifies using a font size of at least 30 for text.

This will enable your audience to digest the messages on your screen while you’re talking.

A business model presentation slide available in Visme.

Keep in mind that this isn’t an iron-clad rule for presentation. There are other rules such as Pecha Kucha method , Takahashi method, Lessig method, etc. You can adapt any of these rules to suit your project presentation needs.

5 Use Less Text and More Visuals

Another great way to keep your slides brief yet interesting is using less text and more visuals.

Remember, your slide should aid your verbal presentation and not replace it. So you want to avoid crowding too much information on one slide.

Cluttering your presentation with too much text could:

Overwhelm your audiences and bore them
Shift your audience's attention to the text, making your presentation less effective.

Instead, use one slide to present each idea. Marketing guru Seth Godin recommends no more than six words per slide .

People retain more information when it’s presented in bite-size chunks and visuals. This applies to B2B, B2C audiences, project managers and corporate executives.

About 59% of business executives say they’d rather watch a video about a topic than read about it. Hence the need to supercharge your project presentation with compelling visuals that capture and bring your audience’s attention right where you want it.

Steve Jobs’ MacWorld Keynote presentation in 2007 is an excellent example of how to enhance your presentation with compelling visuals.

During the presentation, Steve Jobs used live and interactive visuals to show how the iPhone 1 works.

Read on to learn more tips on creating engaging presentations that will wow your audience.

With Visme's presentation maker , you can make stunning project presentations with a rich blend of text and compelling visuals. Hook your audience and inspire action with stellar project presentation templates like the one below.

A budget presentation slide available in Visme.

6 Use Quality Visuals, Diagrams and Presentation Aids

Visuals are important for making successful project presentations. Beyond grabbing the audience’s attention and keeping them engaged, viewers recall 95% of a message when presented in visual form. But when shared via text, they retain only about 10%.

There are many types of visual aids you can use in your presentations, including:

Graphs and charts
Heat and choropleth maps
Scatter plots
Screenshots and more

Using images and videos will up your chances of getting audience engagements and positive responses to your call-to-action (CTA).

Gantt charts , whiteboard drawings and mind maps are ideal for visualizing early-stage project designs. You can use charts, diagrams, maps and trees to present the project architecture for technology-related projects.

A Gantt chart template available in Visme.

If you’re working on product development projects, consider adding sketches, flowcharts , models and prototypes to your slide.

Pie charts are excellent for showing percentages. Vertical bar charts indicate changes over time, while horizontal bar charts help you compare quantities.

Infographics are perfect for visualizing data and explaining complex information like market trends.

Here’s the interesting part. Visme has the tools you need for every job. The software allows you to add different visuals, infographics, charts and graphs to your deck and customize them to suit your needs.

You can change design, text and background colors, add or remove legends, animate charts, etc.

You can also use maps to represent geographic information. Or, use progress bars, thermometers, radials and widgets to visualize stats and figures as shown in the template below.

A pie chart template available to customize in Visme.

When adding visuals to your slide, don’t go overboard. Stick to a minimum of two images per slide. In addition, make sure your visuals are relevant to your project presentation.

While designing your presentation slides , always stick to high-quality visuals. Blurry or low-resolution images or videos can be a major turn-off for viewers.

With high-quality visuals, your presentations will be crisp and clear, even on large screens.

The slide below is an excellent example of how to power your presentations with compelling visuals.

A team presentation slide available in Visme.

7 Pay Attention to Design

Want to create impressive presentations that pop? If the answer is yes, you need to pay attention to your design details. Your design can make or break your project presentation.

Whether you are an experienced designer or a novice, design tools like Visme give you an edge. You can create compelling presentation designs for your business in a few minutes.

The beautiful thing is that you don’t have to break the bank to make stunning project presentations. You'll find beautiful ready-made templates and millions of stunning royalty-free images for your slides.

Here are tips you should consider while designing your slides.

Use the Right Color Combination

If you want to make your presentations appealing, use color moderately.

We get it; everyone loves color. But using too many colors can make your presentations look chaotic and unpleasant.

Your color choice can influence how your audience grasps and responds to your presentation. A general rule of thumb is to pick colors that evoke positive emotions in your audience.

For example, warm colors like yellow, orange and red convey feelings of excitement and positivity. On the other hand, cool colors (blue, green and violet) reflect an aura of calmness.

When combining colors, aim for a balanced color scheme. For example, if your slide or image background is dark, your text and design elements should have bright colors. This contrast will make your project presentation legible and visually appealing.

You can learn about color psychology and how to use it in your next presentation design by watching the video below.

Use Clear and Consistent Typography

Optimizing your typography can make a difference in how people perceive your message. So you want to make sure your slide looks organized, professional and sends the right message.

Here’s how you can make this happen:

Use fonts that embody the spirit of your brand
Keep your text styles consistent throughout your presentation. We recommend you stick to a maximum of three fonts.
Avoid fancy fonts and tiny text that strain the reader's eyes. Rather use fonts like Arial, Time News Roman, Calibri and other legible fonts suited for small and large screens.
Use a font size of at least 30 for the body text and 36 for titles.

In addition, remember to present your text using the color scheme we mentioned earlier. This will keep your text visible over your background.

Take a look at this slide from one of our presentation templates. Notice how the design, fonts and color combination blends in to make the visuals pop.

An app presentation template available to customize in Visme.

8 Start With a Presentation Template

Whether you’re a newbie or pro, creating project presentations that pack a punch can be time-consuming.

Let’s say you’ve got a deadline looming. You’d have to deal with writing your project outline, preparing your slide notes, designing your slides, sourcing and incorporating visuals and more.

Handling these things from scratch could slow you down or make your presentations untidy.

Using presentation templates could save you from all the stress. They help you make professional-looking project presentations fast and easy.

Since the slides are pre-designed, you’ll find a place to insert every possible piece of content you need. Be it a progress bar, chart, graph, table, video or image, the design is right there.

All you need to do is type your content, input data or insert the image. And boom, your presentation is ready to go.

In addition, using presentation templates offers brand consistency in terms of font, style, layout, colors and overall design. You can customize and share templates with your project team to keep your presentations uniform.

The title and main body slide, image and chart layout and fonts are set in the template. Therefore formatting your slide becomes a breeze—no more messy or cluttered project presentations.

Visme has a wide selection of templates designed to make your presentations shine. You’ll find millions of pixel-perfect graphics, icons, design elements and professionally designed templates for any purpose, industry and project type.

Regardless of your skill level, you can customize your templates like the one below. Just add your content and your project presentations will be ready in a few minutes.

A modern presentation theme available in Visme.

9 Present Your Project Like a Pro

If you follow all the tips we shared above, you’ve probably got the perfect project presentation on paper. Great stuff, but your job isn’t done yet.

Your delivery is the final piece of the puzzle, and you’ve got to make it count.

Here’s the thing. Your presentation could flop if the delivery isn’t convincing. Hence the need to plan your delivery and drive your message across with passion and enthusiasm.

Here's how to deliver project presentations that leave an impact.

Practice Makes Perfect

Did you know that Steve Jobs used to spend two days prepping for presentations? Yes, you read that right.

Practice is one of the key steps to nailing your delivery.

You can practice by reading out loud in your quiet space. While you’re at it, make audio and video recordings and watch them repeatedly.

Ask your friends and colleagues to serve as a test audience and give feedback on your presentation.

This run-through will help ensure your presentation captures the main points within the allotted time. It will also help you maintain the correct body posture during your project presentation.

Make time to check if the equipment is working and get familiar with the settings and operations. This is especially important if you plan to use video or audio in your slides.

Start With a Strong Opening

Your audiences could have short attention spans, so make those first moments count. With solid openings, you can hook your audience and set the mood for a successful presentation.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford commencement speech at Stanford is an excellent example of having a solid opening. With over 4 million views on YouTube, it’s one of the most memorable and watched speeches in history.

Notice how he hooks the audience with powerful anecdotes about his life, beginning from dropping out of college. And then, he goes on to share the lessons he learned in his early days at Apple, losing his job in 1985 and reflections on death.

Here’s how to make an excellent opening speech that grabs the audience’s attention and convinces them you’re worth listening to:

Ask a question
Tell a compelling story
Share mind-blowing facts and statistics
Show captivating video and visuals that spark curiosity
Open your presentation with humor

Be sure to tailor your opening hook to your audience. To make this effective, it’d help to know about your audiences, including their likes, dislikes, cultural and ethical dispositions, etc.

If you want to learn more about making captivating presentation openings and more, read our guide on starting a presentation .

While presenting your project, focus on your audience’s needs. By doing this, you’ll build an emotional connection and drive action.

However, don’t go overboard. Be genuine and focus on getting the points across to them. This way, you’ll gain their trust and build excitement about your project.

Keep in mind that everything may not go as planned. It’s best to have backup materials and be flexible enough to make necessary adjustments. Preparing for unexpected events will give you more control over them.

End Your Presentation on a High Note

After you've delivered a fantastic presentation, make sure you wrap it up in a memorable way. Doing this will leave a lasting impression and nudge your audiences to take action.

One way to end your project presentation is to use a powerful call to action.

You can also tell memorable stories, summarize the main points and highlight compelling figures about the project.

For example you can mention some really intriguing figures like:

Expected growth rate, return on investment and profit margin
Potential company valuation in the next five to ten years.
Projected earnings and market position etc.

The goal is to hype your audiences and stimulate them to take action.

You can check out our other article to learn more about ending your presentation on a great note.

Get To Work: Create Powerful Project Presentations With Visme

Creating a successful project presentation starts with setting your goals and having a clear plan to achieve them. It also requires crafting compelling content, paying attention to design and excellent delivery.

If you’re going to close those deals, you need a solid pitch deck to explain your project details and why it will succeed. We recommend using an intuitive project presentation software like Visme .

Visme is the perfect design tool for creating stunning and engaging project presentations . With Visme, you’ll have access to a wide range of features and tools to help bring your project ideas to life.

The tool has hundreds of presentation templates, design elements, font styles, built-in stock images and videos, data visualization tools and more to make your project presentation a hit. You can download your design in different formats and share it across multiple social media channels.

Now you have all the tips and tools for nailing your next project presentations. Go ahead and make it memorable with Visme's project presentation software.

Create beautiful presentations faster with Visme.

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About the Author

Unenabasi is a content expert with many years of experience in digital marketing, business development, and strategy. He loves to help brands tell stories that drive engagement, growth, and competitive advantage. He’s adept at creating compelling content on lifestyle, marketing, business, e-commerce, and technology. When he’s not taking the content world by storm, Unenabasi enjoys playing or watching soccer.

COMMENTS

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How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]
Apply the 10-20-30 rule. Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it! 9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule. Simplicity is key.
20 Creative Presentation Ideas
6. Bring your story to life with audio. Another presentation idea to minimize text and maximize audience engagement is to add sound to your presentation. Tell your story using pre-recorded audio. This creative presentation style turns the viewer experience into just that — an experience.
15 Interactive Presentation Ideas to Elevate Engagement
Interactive presentations leave a lasting impression on the audience. By encouraging active participation and feedback, interactive presentations facilitate better understanding and knowledge retention. Here are 15 innovative 5-minute interactive presentation ideas to captivate your audience from start to finish: 1. Ice-breaker questions.
How to Make a "Good" Presentation "Great"
A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you're pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something ...
500+ Best Presentation Topics for 2024
500+ ideas for good presentation topics. You're probably looking for a good presentation topic that will engage an audience. It's not easy to come up with a good presentation topic from scratch. It's much easier to get inspired from other good presentation topics to build your topic on.
23 presentation examples that really work (plus templates!)
These hand-picked ideas range from business PowerPoint presentations, to recruitment presentations, and everything in between. As a bonus, several of our examples include editable video presentation templates from Biteable. Biteable allows anyone to create great video presentations — no previous video-making skills required.
31 Creative Presentation Ideas to Captivate Your Audience
First of all, yes, a presentation is a great idea for facilitating a group game in a classroom or office setting. But believe it or not, any presentation can benefit from capturing the audience's attention through activities. For team-building presentations, build trust and relationships through simple games. For pitches, create space to ...
25 Great Presentation Examples Your Audience Will Love
Presentation Example #24: Pop of Color. Another design style that you might love is having a pop of color that really stands out from the rest of the design. It's a great way to emphasize certain parts of your slides and create a focal point for your audience.
14 effective presentation tips to impress your audience
An effective presentation can communicate key ideas and opinions, save time, and contribute to your overall success as a business, but good presentation skills don't come naturally to everyone. In this blog post, you'll find 14 effective presentation tips you can implement in your next presentation to make it a success.
17 video presentation ideas to wow your audience
Here's just some of the ways you can make your message sing. 1. Start with a bold statement. A bold statement can capture your audience's attention right from the get-go. Your statement should offer something slightly unusual and maybe even a little controversial. Something to make people sit up and take notice. 2.
50 PowerPoint Ideas to Inspire your Next Presentation
Nothing beats evaluating existing presentations - both good and bad - to understand what's appealing and what doesn't work. LinkedIn's SlideShare is the world's biggest repository of presentations; start there. Idea #21: Make It Colorful. Use vibrant colors when designing your presentation or choosing your presentation template.
23 Best Presentation Ideas, Tips & Examples • My Speech Class
Plan Your Presentation Idea Ahead of Time. Any good presentation starts with a solid plan. Knowing your audience, understanding your goal, and having a clear structure are all essential elements of a successful presentation. But before you can start planning, you need to come up with a great idea.
7 Unique Presentation Examples That Will Inspire You
Oracle's PowerPoint is another great presentation of example of the creative style. This presentation takes a plan, boring PowerPoint and transforms it into a unique one. Check out how much a professional layout can change a slide. In the original one, all the element are crammed together.
51 Best Presentation Slides for Engaging Presentations (2024)
Use clear and legible fonts, and maintain a consistent design throughout the presentation. 2. Visual appeal: Incorporate visually appealing elements such as relevant images, charts, graphs, or diagrams. Use high-quality visuals that enhance understanding and make the content more engaging.
15 Presentation Tips For Captivating Your Audience And ...
2. Find A Way To Actively Engage The Audience. Be prepared with ways to get your audience engaged and keep their focus. Whether that's relating to your audience, telling a joke or asking questions ...
How to Improve Your Presentation Skills: 11 Practical Tips
The journey to becoming a presentation pro never really ends. Embarking on this path means consistently challenging oneself, exploring new depths, and setting sights on ever-higher achievements. Seeking Feedback for Improvement. Let's talk feedback. Although it might sting at first, feedback is a great way to improve your presentation skills.
The Amy Hirsh Guarino Force For Good Award // About // IDEA Center
All participants will use the same template for submitting their ideas. This template is located here. Submission Deadline. The due date of the submission is 11:59 PM on September 29, 2024. Award Presentation. Friday, November 8, 2024, 1:00 p.m. Location: IDEA Center, 1400 E. Angela Blvd., South Bend, IN 46617
31 Presentation Ideas to Inspire Creativity
Visme.co is waiting for your presence right now, but we still have more ideas to get to before you begin. 15. Use a Space Theme. Even if your presentation isn't about space, using a space theme or background can be a great idea. Photos of our galaxy or world can signify endless possibilities or maybe a new beginning.
25 fruit platter ideas to try in 2024: Unforgettable presentation
Fruit platters are a work of art that promotes healthy eating. The vibrant colours of different items also make it ideal as an attractive centrepiece at social gatherings. Try any of the following ...
How to Give a Good Presentation: 11 Top Tips for Killer ...
How to Give a Good Presentation. Here's a quick look at the 11 tips on how to give a good presentation. Plus, you'll find a bonus resource you won't want to miss, The Visme Presentation Guru Course. Rehearse What You're Planning to Say. Prepare Mentally, Emotionally and Technically. Start Strong.
This AI Graphics Startup Is a Cheap, Easy Alternative to Adobe and
In my testing of Napkin, I had it create graphics to improve presentation slides, break down a complicated topic for an article and brainstorm different visual ideas. Napkin was good for all the ...
How to Create a Successful Project Presentation
If you follow all the tips we shared above, you've probably got the perfect project presentation on paper. Great stuff, but your job isn't done yet. Your delivery is the final piece of the puzzle, and you've got to make it count. Here's the thing. Your presentation could flop if the delivery isn't convincing.