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10+ Types of Effective Presentation Styles (Top Methods for 2024)

Do you need to make a presentation but aren't sure where to start? A good place to start is to choose your presentation style. 

After you've chosen your presentation style, choosing the template that you want to use will be easier.

In this article, you'll learn all about different kinds of presentations. You'll also discover when to use each type of presentation as well as some of the pros and cons of each.

Plus, we'll examine some professionally designed templates that work well with some types of presentations . And we'll sure some extra resources to help you learn more about presentation methods.

Let's get started!

What Is Presentation Style?

Are you asking what is presentation style? If you're planning a presentation, don't forget to consider presentation techniques and methods as part of your preparation.

Presentation style is how you give your presentation orally. When delivering public speeches or public presentations there are many different styles or ways in which you can give your presentation. 

In this article I'll cover over ten different presentation formats. I'll also give you the pros and cons of each style to help you choose which one's best for you.

But first, let's look at some great professionally designed template options that'll complement any presentation style.

Find Great PowerPoint Presentation Templates on Envato Elements

You may wonder why use a template? Making a PowerPoint presentation can take a lot of time. And it doesn’t always turn out looking how you want it to. Using a template in your presentation saves you time and ensures that your presentation turns out looking professional.

 Professionally designed templates already have presentation layout choices included. All you've got to do is add your information into the presentation layout and you're done. Templates can be easily edited to customize for your needs.

With a professionally designed template, you save time because the details are already taken care of. Designs that might take you hours to create (and wouldn't look half as good) are already there.

To find good templates, go to Envato Elements. You'll pay a low monthly fee to get unlimited access to download PowerPoint templates, graphics, images, fonts and much more.

5 Great PowerPoint Presentation Templates from Envato Elements

Here's a hand-picked list of great PowerPoint presentation templates from Envato Elements. They'll help you with many different types of business presentations:

1.  Minimalism Clean PowerPoint

Minimalism Clean PowerPoint has over 50 unique slides. Easily edit this template to suit your needs. This template is a multipurpose template. Use it for many different presentation purposes.

2.  PRESTIGE - Multipurpose PowerPoint V126

Prestige comes with 150 total slides and 30 unique slides. This template also comes with five color schemes to choose from. Easily add an image to the template by dragging and dropping the image into the image placeholder.

3.  NEXTZONE - POWERPOINT TEMPLATE

NextZone is a versatile PowerPoint template. This template comes with five premade color schemes. NextZone has a nice modern design that's professional looking.

4.  Strom PowerPoint Template

The Strom PowerPoint Template comes 30 modern slides. This template includes infographics and a picture placeholder. Strom PowerPoint Template comes with five color schemes to choose from.

5.  Koba PowerPoint Presentation

Koba PowerPoint Presentation template comes with over 100 unique slides. Icons, infographics and mockup devices are included with this template package. The Koba PowerPoint Presentation is a flexible template. Use it for many different presentation purposes.

Now, let's dive into our look at effective presentation styles.

10+ Different Types of Effective Presentation Styles

Here are more than ten common different effective presentation styles:

1. Visual Presentation Style

The visual style is great for anyone who wants to use your presentation to complement the main points of your speech. This visual presentation technique is perfect for people who have many important talking points. 

To use this technique, include a visual of what you are talking about in your presentation. You can also put graphs and charts in your presentation. 

Steve Jobs often used the visual presentation style. You can see an example of this in the YouTube video below:

Notice the visuals on the giant screen behind Jobs.

Here are some pros and cons of the visual presentation method:

Pros : The visual presentation technique is helpful if you've got a large audience. The visuals will let the audience see what you're discussing in your presentation. This style is great if you're discussing a product or something similar.

Cons : The visual presentation technique isn't for someone who doesn’t need visuals to explain what they're talking about. 

2. Coach Presentation Style

The coach presentation style is for energetic and charismatic speakers. This presentation style is a great style to use with an audience who needs to be sold on an idea. This presentation style works best if the presenter doesn't need to get into details.

Pros : The coach style allows you to connect with your audience using role-play and listener interaction. Use this style to sell an idea or sell a product. The coach-style is a great style to use in a conference type setting.

Cons : The coach-style of presentation isn't suitable if you're a naturally quiet person. In this style you don't go into details, instead, you're communicating the big picture. If you need to get into the details of what you're presenting, you might want to explore other styles.

3. Instructor Presentation Style

The instructor presentation method is great to use when you've got a complex subject to discuss. With this form of presentation high impact visuals help you get your point across to the audience. 

This presentation style is appropriate for anyone who is great at presenting and is comfortable with their subject. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore often used this presentation method. If you want to use this presentation method, be sure to consider:

Pros : The instructor type of presentation is great if you like to use metaphors and figures of speech to help you make a point. This style is also appropriate for people who want to use impactful visuals to further your points.

Cons : The instructor type of presentation isn't meant for short presentations. A lot of preparation time will go into making or finding high impact visuals.

4. Freeform Presentation Style

The freeform presentation method doesn't use slides. This style of speaking is very impromptu. This presentation style is great for a presenter who has a short speech and knows their presentation points well. 

Here are some pros and cons of this technique:

Pros : The freeform presentation style is great for an impromptu meeting where you don’t have much time to prepare. This presentation style can also be used at networking events.

Cons : With this presentation technique if you don't know your subject matter very well it can make you seem unorganized. Freeform presentation style is better if you've got a short presentation time.

5. Storytelling Presentation Style

The storytelling type of presentation relies on stories and examples to make points in their presentation. This style is suitable if you've got a lot of time to present your topic. 

This type of presentation style is also appropriate for networking events and conferences. This presentation technique often has a question and answer session at the end of the presentation. A speaker who uses this presentation technique is neuroanatomist and author, Jill Bolte Taylor.

As you listen to the presentation, take note of the various stories that the speaker uses. By telling stories from her own life, Taylor captures the audience's attention. Here are the pros and cons of the storytelling presentation style:

Pros: The storytelling style allows you to connect with your audience through stories. With this style of presenting, it's okay to get emotional. The emotion helps you connect with your audience better.

Cons: The storytelling style is not for you if you don’t have anecdotes to tell. You also need to leave time for a question and answer session. If you don’t have time for a question and answer session, then explore other styles.

6. Connector Presentation Style

In this type of presentation, audience feedback is highly encouraged. The speaker will try to connect to the audience through their similarities. This presentation technique applies to sales presentations.

Some of the pros and cons of the connector presentation style include:

Pros : This style is great if you want immediate feedback on your presentation. The connector form of presentation typically includes a question and answer session with the audience.

Cons : In the connector form of presentation, the speaker must have similarities with their audience. If they don’t have similarities with the audience, then they're not connecting with them. This style also isn't for you if you don’t want immediate feedback on your presentation.

7. Persuasive Presentation Style

The persuasive form of presentation is where the presenter is trying to persuade the audience to their point of view. A sales pitch presentation is an example of a persuasive form of presentation. 

In a persuasive speech connecting with the audience through a similar experience or through emotion helps the audience relate to the speaker. If you're planning to use a persuasive presentation style, consider:

Pros : The persuasive presentation style is great if you use your hands a lot while speaking. This style is also great if you're selling a product.

Cons : If you don't need to persuade the audience of something, then you'll want to look into other styles. This presentation style is for people who are more experienced in presenting sales pitches or presentations.

8. Interactive Presentation Style

The interactive presentation method requires the speaker to interact with the audience in some way. The presenter can connect with the audience by passing out speaker notes or an outline before the presentation. 

The speaker could also interact with the audience by using a whiteboard or host a webinar. This style helps keep the audience engaged with what the speaker is saying. 

Here are the pros and cons and this presentation technique:

Pros : The interactive style of presentation lets the speaker pass out copies of their slides beforehand. This allows the audience to follow along with the presentation and fully absorb the information. It also gives the audience a place to jot down a few notes or questions.

Cons : The interactive presentation style is better with complicated subjects. If your subject matter is too simple the audience may not have anything to discuss.

9. Lessig Presentation Style

The Lessig presentation style was created by Lawrence Lessig, a professor of law and leadership at Harvard Law School. This presentation method requires that the presenter only spends fifteen seconds on each slide. If there's text on the slide it's the speaker’s exact words. 

This style of presentation is great if you've got to present to a large audience. The rapid pace of this presentation style can keep the audience focused and engaged.

As Lessig speaks, you'll see how quickly he moves through the various slides. Also, notice the slides that contain what he says, word-for-word.

Pros : The Lessig style of presentation is great for a presentation where you've got a lot of talking points to get through in a short period of time. 

Cons : The Lessig style is for experienced presenters. If you don't have a lot of experience presenting you may want to try a different style. This style is also not for you if your presentation requires charts and graphics.

10. Educational Presentation Style

The educational type of presentation is for a speaker who is teaching the audience. Use this style if you're demonstrating a new product. You can teach the audience about the new product you're selling or offering.

Pros : The educational presentation style is fitting if you've got videos and other visuals to show your audience. You also can put extra information on the slides that you may not verbally discuss.

Cons : It may take a while for the audience to listen to you. If you've got more than one subject to discuss it can be too confusing for the audience.

11. Data Scientist Presentation Style

The data scientist presentation style relies on facts, data, analysis, and statistical information to backup and explain their main talking points. This type of presentation is perfect when you need to pitch the idea and back it up with factual claims. It works really well in a business setting when your audience is more interested in hard data rather than storytelling.

Pros: The data scientist's presentation style helps prove a point and persuade your audience. It also helps break down complex data into a more visually appealing presentation formats.  

Cons: Be sure to include other types of slides in your presentation too. Otherwise, your presentation can come off as dry if it has nothing but data.

5 Quick Tips To Help You Choose Your Presentation Style

So now that you know different presentation formats, it’s time to settle on one. But which presentation style should you choose? Here are five quick tips that'll help you decide which presentation style would be best for your presentation: 

1. Consider the Topic of Your Presentation

First, consider the topic of your presentation. Are you presenting a body of work or are you trying to educate your audience?

This can be the single most important factor in helping you decide which presentation style to use. 

Be PowerPoint Presentation Template works well with different topics.

2. Consider Your Audience

You also need to consider your audience. Are you presenting a brand new group of people or does your audience consist of people who already know you?

If you’re presenting to a brand new audience, it’s a good idea to opt for the interactive or connector presentation styles. This ensures your audience remains engaged throughout the entire presentation. 

3. Decide On Your Call To Action

Your call to action or the purpose of your presentation is another important element to keep in mind. If you’re trying to raise brand awareness a coach or storytelling presentation would work well. But if you’re trying to secure funding or get your audience to buy your product, educational, persuasive or data scientist presentation styles might work better. 

The B2B Marketing And Sales PowerPoint Template has several effective slides that can be used for call to action slides.

4. Combine Different Styles for a More Effective Presentation

All the presentation styles above are highly effective when you’re giving a very targeted presentation. But you can also make your presentation more effective by combining different presentation styles. 

5. Save Time With a Template

No matter which presentation style you choose, start with a professional template. Not only will most of the work be done for you when it comes to design and content type, but your presentation will also look polished and unique.

Ciri PowerPoint template has a professional and clean look suitable for all kinds of presentations.

Learn More About Different Types of Presentations

Are you still wondering about presentation methods and effective presentations styles? We've got a wealth of resources on presentations and presentation methods. Here are a few tutorials you may want to review:

You may also want to download a copy of our free eBook that explains how to make a business presentation:

Download a Premium PowerPoint Presentation Template Today!

In this article, you read about different presentation techniques . So, you should be ready to start your presentation. Choose one of the presentation techniques that's best for you. Then, download a PowerPoint presentation template today to save time and ensure a professional presentation .

Editorial Note: This post has been updated with contributions from Brenda Barron . Brenda is a freelance instructor for Envato Tuts+.

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Blog Beginner Guides How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

Written by: Krystle Wong Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. 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. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

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• 10 Ways to Represent Information and How to Make the Most of Them

You’ll usually be told whether you should be answering a question in the form of an essay, a presentation, or more rarely something more creative like a poster. But that means on the rare occasions when you do have to choose the format for an answer yourself, you may not know where to start, and might end up falling back on the same boring staples as the rest of your class. Yet there are lots of different ways to represent information, and they each have their advantages and disadvantages for different purposes. Let’s say you’ve been asked to discuss female superheroes in the 21st century through whatever format you choose. Here are the options, and what each one is best suited for.

You’ve probably written so many essays that you’ve never really thought of them as just one possible way of conveying information. An essay is an extended piece of writing that follows an established structure: an introduction that outlines the argument that will be made, a series of paragraphs that expand on that argument, and a conclusion that sums it all up. And that definition contains the essence of an essay: they are structured around a central argument, so if you don’t have a point to make then they’re the wrong choice. If your title is “To what extent is Wonder Woman a feminist film?” then an essay is a good option. But an essay won’t work for a purely descriptive title like “Notable female superheroes of the 21st century”. Essays should address a complex argument, where good points could be made on either side. The title can be a yes or no question (“did 2004’s Catwoman doom female superheroes at the box office?”) and you can come down on one side or the other, but you should acknowledge and discuss different perspectives while putting forward your own point of view.

2. Presentations

We’ve all sat through boring presentations – like the ones where there are paragraphs of text on each slide, and the speaker stands there reading them out as if you couldn’t read them for yourself. Bad presentations are normally a result of people choosing to give a presentation when they should have given a speech, written an essay, or created a poster. A presentation offers you the chance to combine images with short amount of text and your own spoken explanations; if you don’t need images, or you don’t need a spoken explanation, then a presentation is probably the wrong choice and your attempts to illustrate or explain will come across as forced. But if you do have images that benefit from being explained at greater length than you can manage on paper, or if your speech really needs illustration to make sense, then a presentation could be the right choice. For instance, if you’re talking about Harley Quinn’s costume design, being able to play short clips from Suicide Squad or include costume design images could be very helpful to your audience. The other bonus of presentations is that they are interactive as your audience can ask questions as you go along, or at the end, which can be handy for particularly complex subjects.

3. Articles

Essays aren’t the only way of presenting information in a long-form, written way, even though they’re usually the only option open to you at school. You can allow yourself a lot more flexibility by instead writing an article – that’s in the newspaper or magazine sense, rather than the academic sense. An article can be any length from a couple of hundred words to the exhausting 10,000 pieces that you might read in the New York Times . You can promote a definite point of view, write something purely descriptive, or describe the various ideas in a space without coming to any definite point of view. That’s not to say that articles have no rules at all. You can’t use academic conventions such as footnotes. In general, articles are more focused on you as the writer than an impersonal essay in which you can’t use the word “I”. They are less formal than essays, but you should still stick to a single theme, be concise and avoid waffle. If you’re writing an article as a cheat’s way out of writing an essay, it’s probably not going to be very good.

4. Infographics

Is the information you have to convey primarily visual? And does it really need that much explanation? If not, consider using an infographic – one of the quickest ways to convey a small amount of information in an easily comprehensible way (assuming you have the necessarily design skills, of course). An infographic would be a great way to convey a list of the different ways superhero films have changed in the 21st century – for instance, in colour scheme, soundtrack and length. But the information you’re conveying does need to be relatively limited, without the need for too many words – more than a hundred and you probably shouldn’t be using an infographic. It should also be comprehensible at a glance. An infographic is a means of conveying facts rather than making complex arguments, so don’t create one hoping that your readers will infer anything below the surface of the facts you’ve included.

Comics such as XKCD on password strength or the difficulties of ordering comments on a website , or the Pencilsword on equality of opportunity all explain relatively complicated concepts – that you could easily write an essay on – in a way that you can read in less than five minutes. The two XKCD examples are almost more like infographics than conventional comics that use the progression of panels to tell a story, demonstrating the flexibility of the medium. That said, many explanatory comics try to force the explanation into the medium. You might have encountered comics that are just a character in each panel giving a speech with different gestures to imply tone of voice. Take this comic on self-care – the amount of text significantly outweighs the images, which add very little to the reader’s understanding. One tip is that if you can write the text for the comic and it’ll still make as much sense without the images, a comic is probably not the best choice for the information you want to convey. But for anything that involves both images and telling a story – for instance, showing the parallels between different plots of superhero films – a comic could be spot on.

Making a good video is surprisingly straightforward. You can film yourself, or something relating to your subject, at a reasonable quality with the camera on your phone and a selfie stick; there are also some selfie sticks specifically designed to help you get a wobble-free video. If you want to create something even simpler, such as a video that consists of images with captions and music, there are plenty of suitable free video editors available. Video is a particularly good medium if you’d like to include other video footage – for instance, if you’re showing a clip from a film, possibly with yourself talking over the footage to provide commentary. There’s no point in making a video that’s just you talking to camera, especially if you’re going to be presenting it standing next to it, watching yourself talk. Videos allow you to combine lots of different types of still and moving images along with explanations; the average person speaks at between 110 and 150 words per minute, so you can get through a lot of explanation quickly in video form, using tone of voice and emphasis to make your meaning clearer.

7. Speeches

All ways of representing information depend on your own abilities. But while you can edit an essay until it flows well and use the content of your slides to fall back on when giving a presentation, giving a speech can involve a lot more pressure as it really does depend on your own abilities at the point when you’re called upon to speak. But if you can speak well, this can be a very effective way of conveying information. It’s not just out of tradition that politicians give speeches rather than sending out infographics or making PowerPoint presentations when they want to persuade people to vote for them. People respond best to other people; while they might not be swayed by the words of your speech written down on the page, the act of engaging with you as an audience while you speak them can make all the difference. Speeches are best reserved for simple points (e.g. stories of female superheroes are inspiring to women) rather than complex explanations. They’re a medium for persuasion more than information, so any facts you present should be easily memorable. Anecdotes can also be very effective.

If you don’t want to present an argument in essay form, but an article seems too informal for your topic or style, then you might want to consider writing a report. For instance, if you want to provide information on the commercial success of Captain Marvel comics, then a report might be the ideal form to present it. Reports combine explanatory text with images and graphics such as charts, tables and graphs where appropriate. You should aim to be concise – reports should not use extraneous text – but you have the freedom to write paragraphs of explanation in a report, either supported by or to elucidate the graphics you’re using, in a way that you would, for instance, in an infographic. It’s arguable that the medium to which a report is closest is in fact a presentation in the way that it combines text with other supporting material. The key advantage of reports over presentations is that they allow you to go into much more detail as the reader can scrutinise them at their own pace, rather than the pace being dictated by your presenting speed.

Posters can convey a variety of different types of information. There’s the kind of poster that provides simple information in a clear and obvious way – “put your litter in the bin” with a big photo of a bin, or “walkway may be slippy when wet” with a drawing of someone falling over. Then there are posters that work on the same principle but convey more information, such as a map with images of places and a short blurb about each of them (there’s some crossover with infographics here). At the other extreme from the simple posters, there are posters for scientific conference (usually looking something like this ) that tell you very little at a glance, but nonetheless serve to convey complex information quickly. A poster is a good choice if you’re not sure how long your audience will be prepared to engage with you for, and you want them to learn something from you even if they don’t choose to stick around. A scientific poster is not too different from a report, just on a larger piece of paper, but the crucial part is that someone can look at a poster and pick up your topic in the middle, then walk away, which is less likely with a report.

10. Leaflets

Leaflets are another medium that combine explanatory text with supporting graphics, but for less complex information and a lesser amount of detail than a report or even a poster in the scientific style. There are different styles of leaflet for different purposes – for instance, a book-shaped leaflet encourages the reader to read in a particular direction, namely the order in which books are read (so in English, from left to right), while a gate-fold leaflet can provide basic information on the outside and then unfold to provide additional detail. In this way, you can use your choice of leaflet to structure the way in which your reader engages with the information provided in a more elaborate way than an article or report. A leaflet should be short, simple and attractive, making them a good choice if your graphic design skills are stronger than your writing skills. Images: hands writing an essay ; man speaking in front of projector ; tablet and newspaper ; boy designing an infographic ; comics ; video camera ; two microphones ; paper reports and tablet ; posters on a wall ; leaflets ; guy with laptop in a blue room ; classroom with map

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12 Effective Presentation Techniques To Help You Succeed

• By Judhajit Sen
• May 19, 2024

Delivering a good presentation requires more than just good content; it demands careful planning and strategic execution. From mastering your topic to engaging your audience, each element factors in captivating your listeners and making a lasting impact.

Start by thoroughly understanding your topic. Deep research will not only bolster your confidence but also prepare you for any questions that might arise. Organize your points logically with a clear outline, using presentation aids like slides and videos to enhance clarity.

Audience alignment is vital. Customize your content to their needs and interests, using simple language and relatable examples. A well-structured presentation, beginning with a strong, attention-grabbing opening and ending with a memorable conclusion, will keep your audience engaged throughout.

Effective verbal communication further enhances your delivery. Practice speaking clearly and confidently to relate to your audience. Incorporating multimedia and interactive elements such as polls and Q&A sessions are excellent audience engagement strategies .

F ocusing on these presenting techniques can help you give a good presentation.

The following are 12 effective presentation skills to help you succeed.

Key Takeaways

• Thorough Planning: Understanding your topic deeply and organizing your points logically with clear presentation aids sets the stage for a compelling presentation.
• Audience Alignment: Tailor your content to match your audience’s needs, interests, and comprehension level, ensuring maximum engagement and effectiveness.
• Confident Delivery: Master verbal communication, body language, and simplicity to enhance delivery and foster connection with your audience.
• Engagement Techniques: Incorporate storytelling, multimedia, and interactive elements to boost engagement and ensure your message resonates effectively.

Planning: Crafting a Winning Presentation

Behind every successful presentation lies meticulous planning. From understanding your topic to structuring your speech, each step is crucial for a compelling delivery that captivates your audience.

1. Topic Mastery

Begin by diving deep into your presentation topic. Conduct thorough research to bolster your knowledge and confidence. Identify areas where you may need additional preparation, ensuring you’re ready to tackle any questions that come your way.

2. Organized Framework

Map out your slides with an effective presentation outline , arranging the main points in a logical sequence. This blueprint will serve as your roadmap, keeping you focused and ensuring you cover all essential aspects. Consider integrating presentation materials like slides or videos to enhance clarity and engagement.

3. Structural Excellence

Craft a presentation with lasting impact by adhering to a well-defined structure. Start with a captivating introduction, followed by a robust body of content, and conclude with actionable insights. Embrace the 10-20-30 rule as a guide, limiting slides to 10, delivery time to 20 minutes, and font size to a minimum of 30 points.

Effective planning sets the stage to give a killer presentation, empowering you to deliver a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience long after the applause fades.

Audience Alignment: Key to Presentation Success

Understanding your audience is indispensable to delivering the presentation. Tailoring your content to match their needs, interests, and comprehension levels ensures maximum engagement and effectiveness.

1. Know Your Audience

Take the time to learn about your audience’s backgrounds, interests, and concerns. Simplify technical jargon and complex concepts to ensure clarity and comprehension across diverse audiences. By speaking their language, you can foster understanding and avoid confusion.

2. Speak Their Language

Craft your presentation with your target audience in mind. Use strong, concise language and relevant examples to maintain their interest. Avoid using foreign words or clichés that may alienate or confuse your audience. If necessary, provide explanations to ensure clarity.

3. Relevant Data Presentation

Align your data presentation methods with your audience’s preferences. Conduct research to craft a relatable narrative and understand the most effective presentation approach. By addressing their expectations, you can ensure a satisfied and engaged audience.

4. Tailored Content

Identify your audience’s interests and needs to tailor your presentation accordingly. Adjust your language and focus based on whether you’re addressing professionals or a general audience. This personalized approach enhances relevance and engagement.

5. Design for Maximum Impact

Design your presentation around your audience’s needs and interests to deliver maximum value. By aligning your message with their expectations, you enhance comprehension and ensure your message resonates effectively.

By prioritizing audience alignment, you can craft presentations that captivate, inform, and inspire, driving your message home with clarity and impact.

Nailing the Beginning and End of Your Presentation

Starting and ending your presentation with impact is crucial for keeping your audience engaged and leaving a lasting impression. Here’s how to master both:

1. Captivating Start

Start your presentation with a powerful statement, unusual fact, or an interesting question to grab attention instantly. This approach hooks your audience and piques their interest from the get-go. Another method is to share a personal story or use a quote that resonates with your topic. Humor can also be effective, but be cautious with jokes—ensure they are neutral and unlikely to offend.

2. Clear Structure

After your attention-grabbing opening, provide an overview of your presentation’s time and structure. This roadmap helps your audience follow along and understand the flow of your content. Displaying a simplified outline throughout the presentation can keep your audience oriented and focused.

3. Memorable Ending

A strong ending is as important as a strong start. Conclude with a call to action , a memorable quote, or a personal story reinforcing your message. This ensures your audience leaves with a clear understanding of your key points and what you want them to do next. When you end a presentation , don’t forget to thank your audience for their time and attention.

By crafting a compelling beginning and end, you can enhance your presentation’s effectiveness and ensure your message resonates long after you’ve finished speaking.

Streamlined Success: Mastering Simplicity

Simplicity isn’t just a preference; it’s a powerful presentation technique that enhances focus and comprehension. By stripping away excess information and focusing on core messages, you ensure clarity and engagement.

1. Cleanliness

Avoid overwhelming your audience with information overload. Keep slides clean and concise, limiting each to 6-8 lines of text. This not only aids focus but also enhances the appeal of your presentation.

2. Core Focus

Simplicity means distilling your presentation to its essence, stripping away unnecessary details. This minimizes the risk of mistakes or confusion and saves valuable time for you and your audience. Whether a few words or bullet points for presentations suffice, choose a format that suits your topic.

3. Clear Communication

To maximize understanding, keep your presentation simple and straightforward. Use simple language, avoid technical jargon, and emphasize key points. For clarity, incorporate charts or graphs to simplify complex data and break up text with bullet points or subheadings.

By embracing simplicity, you empower your audience to grasp and retain your message effectively, fostering engagement and leaving a lasting impression.

Mastering Verbal Communication in Presentations

How you speak and deliver your message can make or break your presentation. Here’s how to ace it:

1. Speak Clearly and Confidently: Project your voice so everyone can hear. Pause when needed and adapt your language to your audience.

2. Pace Yourself: Don’t rush. Speak slowly and clearly, avoiding both lightning speed and snail pace. Don’t read everything verbatim unless necessary.

3. Mind Your Audience: Remember, they’re hearing this for the first time. Give them time to digest your slides. Master the art of the pause for emphasis and to collect your thoughts.

4. Cut the Fillers: Avoid “um” and “so” – they signal unpreparedness. Keep your speech smooth and confident.

5. Speak, Don’t Read: Engage with your audience. Speak freely, slowly, and clearly. Use note cards if needed, but keep them brief. Memorize the start and end for crucial eye contact.

Mastering verbal communication can turn an okay presentation into a memorable one. Practice, pause, and speak with confidence!

Mastering Presentation Dynamics: The Power of Body Language

Body language is a secret weapon for captivating your audience during presentations. It encompasses posture, expressions, and overall stance in front of the crowd. By harnessing this potential, you can elevate a lackluster presentation into a riveting experience.

1. Establishing Comfort and Connection

Start with a smile! Being pleasant and approachable sets the stage for an engaging presentation. Avoid pacing or making wild gestures that distract from your message. Maintain steady eye contact across the room, from front row to back, and sidestep the trap of fixating on screens or notes.

2. Projection and Poise

Your physical demeanor speaks volumes about your confidence. Stand tall, relax your shoulders, and exude ease. Embrace gestures that underscore your points while avoiding distracting habits like gum chewing or fidgeting. Dressing appropriately adds to your professional image.

3. Engaging Your Audience

Your body stature should mirror your enthusiasm for the topic. Stand confidently, using hand gestures to amplify critical points. Let your facial expressions reflect your passion and commitment to the subject matter.

4. The Power of Eye Contact

Maintaining eye contact fosters a personal connection with each listener, alleviating nerves and enhancing confidence. Start with a friendly face in the crowd, then gradually expand your gaze. Resist the urge to divert attention to screens, floors, or notes.

5. Strategic Positioning

Avoid standing directly in front of your audience, whether on a podium or in an open space, which can subconsciously signal aggression. Instead, position yourself slightly to the side, maintaining fluid movement to keep your audience engaged.

Mastering body language in presentations amplifies your prowess, enabling you to convey confidence, build rapport, and deliver messages that resonate deeply with your audience.

Amplifying Your Message: The Art of Voice Inflection

Your voice is a powerful tool in presentations, shaping comprehension and engagement. Mastering voice inflection enhances clarity, confidence, and audience connection.

1. Projecting with Purpose

Effective projection ensures your audience hears every word clearly, boosting confidence and engagement. Stand tall, breathe deeply, and enunciate each syllable with precision.

2. Emphasizing Key Points

Clarity is key when conveying important ideas. Slow down, articulate, and raise your voice to underscore the significance of your message. Infuse authority, confidence, and enthusiasm into your delivery.

3. Crafting Convincing Speech

In presentations, it’s not just what you say but how you say it that matters. Practice creating a confident and engaging voice. Eliminate unnecessary pauses and filler words like “um” or “oh” to maintain momentum and keep your audience captivated.

By mastering voice inflection, you can elevate your presentations from ordinary to extraordinary, ensuring your message resonates deeply with your audience.

Captivating Narratives: The Power of Storytelling

Storytelling isn’t just for bedtime; it’s a dynamic tool for elevating presentations. By weaving compelling narratives into your speech, you can ignite curiosity, engage your audience, and leave a lasting impression.

1. Breathing Life into Ideas

Embrace storytelling as a potent strategy to animate your subject matter. Don’t shy away from personal anecdotes or moments of suspense; they add depth and intrigue. End on a positive note to drive your message home effectively.

2. Forging Connections

Stories forge connections with your audience, making your message memorable. Use real-life examples, anecdotes, or case studies to illustrate your points and make them relatable. This personal touch resonates with your listeners, fostering a deeper understanding.

3. Sustaining Interest

Break the monotony of facts and figures by infusing your presentation with compelling stories. Engage your audience with narratives that captivate their attention and establish you as an expert. Leverage techniques like creating suspense and bringing characters to life to keep your audience invested.

4. Amplifying Impact

Adopt storytelling to transform your presentation from informative to impactful. Presenting data within a narrative framework ensures better retention and understanding. Start with a problem, introduce statistics, and offer solutions, guiding your audience through a compelling storyline.

Storytelling may seem daunting at first, but its ability to captivate and inspire is worth the effort. With practice, you’ll master the art of storytelling , enriching your presentations and leaving a lasting impression on your audience.

Commanding the Stage: Confidence in Presentations

Confidence is a game-changer in presentations. It keeps your audience engaged and makes your message more compelling. Here’s how to harness confidence to enhance your delivery.

1. Project Presence and Enthusiasm

Infuse your natural demeanor with enthusiasm to project confidence. This will help you connect with your audience, making them more likely to stay engaged. Keep your information interesting, and watch your audience for signs of engagement.

2. Embrace Self-Awareness

Monitoring your emotions and reactions helps you stay personable and handle feedback gracefully. Self-awareness can calm nerves, allowing you to perform more effectively and maintain a confident front.

3. Overcome Nerves

Nervousness is common, but confidence in your knowledge and preparation can counteract it. Practice thoroughly, understand your audience, and have a backup plan. Remind yourself of your readiness to alleviate fear.

4. Exude Self-Confidence

Appear relaxed and avoid showing stress or nervousness. Advanced presenters can step out from behind the podium and move around the room, which exudes confidence and attracts the audience’s attention.

5. Manage Stage Fright

Acknowledge stage fright rather than fighting it. Transform nervous energy into positive enthusiasm. Deep breaths can help soothe your nerves and relax your body.

By projecting confidence, you enhance your stage presence and make your PowerPoint presentation more impactful and engaging.

Perfecting Your Presentation: The Power of Practice

Practicing is crucial for delivering a presentation effectively. Here are some key strategies to help you refine your public speaking and boost your confidence.

1. Rehearse Thoroughly

Practice your presentation multiple times, focusing on delivery and timing. Recording yourself can help you spot areas for improvement. Simulate actual presentation conditions as closely as possible, whether using a microphone or standing, to build comfort and confidence.

2. Mirror Rehearsal

Start by rehearsing in front of a mirror. This technique helps you identify and correct mistakes in your speech. It also enhances your confidence as you become more familiar with your material. Practice from random spots in your presentation to ensure thorough familiarity.

3. Utilize Feedback

Gather feedback from colleagues or mentors to refine your delivery. Practice in front of a small audience to simulate real conditions and get constructive criticism. This feedback loop helps you make necessary adjustments and improves your presentation skills.

4. Self-Monitoring Techniques

Use various self-monitoring techniques to prepare:

– Rehearse in front of an audience.

– Take notes for reference.

– Experiment with different delivery styles.

– Time yourself to stay within limits.

– Record yourself for self-review.

5. Timing and Structure

Adhere to the 10-20-30 rule to keep your presentation concise and engaging. Time your rehearsals to ensure you stay within the desired duration. Well-prepared presentations are more impactful and help you appear more confident and relaxed.

You can improve your presentation skills and ensure a smooth, confident, and impactful delivery by devoting time to practice.

Enhance Your Presentation with Multimedia and Visual Aids

Using presentation tools like multimedia and visual aids can significantly elevate your presentation, making it more engaging and effective. Here’s how to make the most of these tools:

1. Relevant and High-Quality Visuals

Use presentation aids  that are relevant to your content and serve as cues for your discussion points. High-quality images and icons can make your slides appealing and professional. Avoid over-reliance on cue cards, as this can create a disconnect with your audience.

2. Embrace Multimedia Trends

Integrate current multimedia trends, such as interactive infographics, short video clips, and animated elements. These tools capture attention and simplify complex concepts. Well-designed graphs and data charts help your audience quickly grasp information without extensive explanations.

3. Diverse Media Formats

Use various media formats to keep your presentation dynamic and engaging. Combine videos, flipcharts, whiteboards, and practical demonstrations. This variety keeps the audience’s attention and prevents monotony.

4. Support and Enhance Your Speech

Visuals should not only support your speech but also contribute to it. Carefully selected images, including pictures, graphs, and infographics, help convey your message more effectively. They also serve as memory aids if you need to recall parts of your speech during the presentation.

By strategically using multimedia in presentations , you can create a more captivating and informative presentation that resonates with your audience.

Boosting Interaction and Engagement in Your Presentations  

Engaging your audience is key to keeping them involved in your presentation. Here are some interactive presentation ideas to enhance engagement:

1. Ask Questions

Incorporate questions throughout your presentation to keep your audience attentive. Pose “easy” questions that can be answered readily, encouraging participation and making the audience feel involved. This simple technique helps maintain interest and fosters a connection between you and your listeners.

2. Encourage Participation

Use interactive methods like polls or quizzes to involve your audience actively. These techniques not only make the presentation more dynamic but also provide instant feedback on how well your message is being received. Interactive elements can break the monotony and re-engage attention if it starts to wane.

3. Personalize Interactions

Directly engaging with audience members can make your points clearer and more relatable. Use examples that involve participants by name, referring to their work or experiences. This personal touch can make your presentation more memorable and meaningful.

4. Allocate Time for Q&A

Set aside a significant portion of your presentation time for a Q&A session, allowing your audience to ask questions and express concerns. A good rule of thumb is to spend half your allotted time on the presentation and the other half addressing audience queries. This approach not only clarifies any doubts but also shows that you value their input and are open to dialogue.

By integrating these interaction communication and engagement techniques, you can create a more compelling presentation that resonates  with your audience and keeps them involved  from start to finish.

Effective Presentation Techniques: Keys to Success

Crafting and delivering an impactful presentation requires a blend of preparation, audience alignment, engaging storytelling, and confident delivery. By mastering these essential elements, you can captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression.

Starting with meticulous planning, understanding your topic inside out lays the foundation for a compelling narrative. Organize your points logically, incorporating aids to enhance clarity. Tailoring your content to your audience’s interests ensures maximum engagement, while a strong opening and memorable conclusion bookend your presentation effectively.

Verbal communication elevates your delivery, fostering connection and rapport with your audience. Simplifying complex ideas and incorporating multimedia elements enhance comprehension and retention.

Storytelling injects life into your presentation, forging a deeper connection with your audience. Confidence, cultivated through thorough practice and self-awareness, is the linchpin of an impactful presentation. Finally, interaction and engagement techniques ensure active participation and maintain interest throughout.

By integrating these types of presentation tips, you can master the art of presentations, delivering messages that resonate deeply and inspire action.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Why is topic mastery essential for presentations?

Mastering your presentation topic through deep research boosts your confidence and enables you to handle any questions from the audience effectively. Thorough understanding ensures you can deliver your points clearly and convincingly.

2. How can I keep my audience engaged throughout my presentation?

Customize your content to your audience’s needs and interests by using simple language and relatable examples. A well-structured presentation with a strong opening and memorable conclusion, coupled with engaging multimedia and interactive elements, ensures maximum engagement.

3. What are some tips for delivering a captivating presentation?

Practice public speaking clearly and confidently, and use gestures to relate to your audience. Incorporating multimedia and interactive elements such as polls and Q&A sessions can boost engagement and make your presentation more memorable.

4. How can I enhance my presentation with multimedia and visual aids?

Choose relevant and high-quality images that support and enhance your speech. Embrace diverse media formats, such as videos, flipcharts, and practical demonstrations, to keep your presentation dynamic and engaging.

Unlock Your Presentation Potential with Prezentium

Mastering presentations isn’t just about what you say but how you say it. From captivating your audience with a solid start to leaving a memorable impression with a powerful conclusion, every step counts. That’s where Prezentium comes in.

With our AI-powered overnight presentations , you can leave the hassle of crafting stellar presentations to us. Just email your requirements by 5:30 pm PST and wake up to a masterpiece in your inbox by 9:30 am PST the next business day.

Need expert guidance to transform ideas into exquisite presentations? Our team of Prezentation Specialists is here to help. We’ll work with you every step of the way to ensure your message shines.

Looking to hone your skills? Dive into our Zenith Learning workshops, where structured problem-solving meets storytelling. Master the 12 presentation skills, from planning to multimedia integration, and watch your presentations soar.

Don’t just deliver presentations; make an impact. Partner with Prezentium today and unlock your presentation potential.

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

Shark Tank Presentation Tips: Winning Shark Tank Pitch Elements

Visual communication: benefits, importance, and examples, 7 public speaking tips for enhancing your public speaking abilities.

15 Essential Presentation Techniques for Winning Over Any Audience

• The Speaker Lab
• April 13, 2024

Table of Contents

Ever found yourself standing before an audience, your heart racing? That’s the moment when knowing effective presentation techniques can prove to be your unwavering ally. But what are presentation techniques? And what makes them so powerful? In this article, we’re going to answer those questions.

Before we can talk about presentation techniques, though, we first have to talk about good communication. The power of effective communication isn’t just in what you say. It’s how you say it; it’s in those deep breaths that steady nerves, and in maintaining eye contact. It’s about turning a room full of strangers into an engaged audience hanging onto your every word. When it comes to public speaking , real success comes from mastering non-verbal cues to punctuate our words and using visual aids not as crutches but as tools for engagement.

As you hone your communication skills, you will begin to form effective presentation techniques. Expect rough patches as you get the hang of things, but view them as mere footholds propelling you towards your ultimate triumph. Keep pushing forward.

Mastering Presentation Techniques for Impactful Delivery

Presentation techniques are more than just standing in front of a crowd and talking. They’re about making connections, telling stories that resonate, and leaving your audience with something to remember you by.

Elements of an Effective Presentation

For your presentation to resonate, ensure the visuals are straightforward and supportive, rather than distracting. Your message should be concise yet powerful enough to stick. And let’s not forget engagement; keeping your audience on their toes is key.

• Visuals: Keep them simple but impactful.
• Message: Make every word count.
• Engagement: Interact with your audience, ask questions, make them think.

We’ve all seen those slides crammed with text or charts. When you make your slides, don’t cram information, because nobody wants to squint at tiny fonts or decipher complex graphs while trying to listen to you speak. This resource suggests focusing on clarity and simplicity when designing slides—advice worth taking.

Strategies for Delivering a Successful Presentation

To deliver a knockout presentation, start strong. Grab attention from the get-go with an intriguing fact or story related directly back into the topic at hand. Maintain eye contact across the room so everyone feels included in the conversation. Finally, end on a memorable note, either with a call to action or insight gained during the time together. Leave them wanting more information and eager to learn about the subject matter discussed today.

• The opener: Hook your audience with a relevant fact or anecdote.
• Maintain connection: Eyes up, engage everyone around.
• Closing remarks : Last chance for impact–what’s your mic drop?

As author Lilly Walters once said, “The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.” This quote reminds us that the true goal of any speech is the understanding achieved between the speaker and the listeners.

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Engaging Your Audience with Nonverbal Communication

As the name implies, nonverbal communication denotes all of the ways you communicate without using words. This includes eye contact, body language , and facial expressions. Although nonverbal communication might not be the first presentation technique that comes to mind, it’s nevertheless a very powerful tool to have in your arsenal. Let’s take a look.

The Power of Eye Contact, Body Language, and Facial Expressions

Making eye contact isn’t just about looking someone in the eye; it’s about forging a connection. Aim for brief moments of eye contact across different sections of your audience throughout your presentation. Establishing fleeting eye connections across diverse audience segments fosters a sense of trust and keeps them hooked, all while ensuring no one feels on edge.

Body language is similarly important. Stand tall with good posture; it exudes confidence even when you feel nervous. As you grow more confident, mix up standing still with moving around subtly. This dynamic shift holds attention better than being rooted to one spot or nervous pacing. Use your hands to gesture naturally as you speak—it adds emphasis and keeps things lively.

If there’s one thing people can spot from miles away, it’s insincerity. So let those facial expressions match your words. Smile when you share something amusing, and furrow your brow when diving into serious stuff. After all, it’s not just what you say but how visually engaged and passionate you appear while saying it that counts.

Tying these elements together helps you deliver impactful, memorable talks. When done right, folks will leave feeling more connected, understood, and fired up by your presentation, all thanks to your techniques.

Designing Compelling Presentation Materials

Knowing how to design engaging presentation materials is one technique you can’t do without. Far from mere embellishments, these implements are crafted to hammer your message home. Hence, it’s vital to select these aids with great care and discernment.

Tips for Creating Effective Slides

When it comes to crafting slides, think of each as a billboard advertisement for your idea. You want it clear, impactful, and memorable.

• Keep it simple : One idea per slide keeps confusion at bay and attention locked in.
• Use bullet points : Break down your points so your audience can track.
• Pick a font size : Generally speaking, bigger is better.
• Use color : Harness colors that pop without blinding anyone; contrast is key.
• Use images with purpose : A good picture or chart can help illustrate your point, but keep it relevant and don’t overdo it.

With a few helpful visuals, your presentation can go from good to great. For more on creating slides, check out this link here .

Handling Questions and Interactions Professionally

For some speakers, it’s not the presentation itself that makes them nervous—it’s the Q&A session that follows. This is the moment where you get to shine or stumble based on how well you handle those curveballs from your audience. If you want to round off your presentation well, you’re going to want to learn a few techniques for fielding these questions. Let’s look at a few ways of doing this.

Preparing for Audience Questions and How to Address Them Effectively

Below are six techniques that will help you address audience questions effectively.

• Listen Up : The first rule of thumb is to listen like it’s a superpower. When someone throws a question at you, don’t just hear them out—really listen. Demonstrating this level of attentiveness not only conveys your respect but also affords you a brief moment to collect your ideas.
• Stay Calm : You’ve got this. Even if a question catches you off guard, take a deep breath before diving into your answer. No one expects perfection, but showing confidence matters.
• Practice Beforehand : Before presentation day arrives, think about potential questions folks might ask and prep some responses in advance. Practice makes perfect, after all.
• Vary Your Techniques : Not every question needs an essay as an answer; sometimes short and sweet does the trick. Mix up how detailed or brief your answers are depending on what’s asked.
• Show You Care : If you ever get a question that leaves you stumped, say so honestly—but add that magical line: “Let me find out more and I’ll get back to you.” Then actually do it.
• Appreciate Audience Curiosity : Remember that the reason you audience is asking questions is because they’re interested. So no matter what questions you get, keep engaging with enthusiasm.

Go forth with confidence, knowing not only can these moments boost credibility—they make connections too. So next time when facing down those queries remember to listen hard, stay calm & always engage warmly. With these techniques under your belt, answering audience questions after your presentation will feel much less daunting.

Techniques for a Memorable and Effective Presentation

No matter what topic you cover in your presentation, you can easily add in a story, and more likely than not you can add a little humor too. Together, these two presentation techniques are perfect for making your speech memorable.

Incorporating Storytelling into Your Presentation

One great technique for making your presentation stick is telling stories. Stories have the power to touch people profoundly, especially when they depict relatable experiences. So, when you’re up there presenting, kick things off with a story that ties into your main message. It could be personal, something from history, or even an anecdote that gets your point across. Stories are not just fluff; they’re the glue of your presentation. They make complex ideas digestible and memorable.

Using Humor to Connect with the Audience

Another great way of engaging your audience is by using humor. But here’s the deal—use humor wisely. Keep it tasteful and tied closely to the content at hand so it enhances rather than detracts from your message.

• Pick universal themes everyone can relate to.
• Avoid anything potentially offensive.
• Tie jokes back to your key points to make them relevant.

If humor isn’t your thing, or you’re worried about your comedic timing, it’s perfectly okay to skip the jokes. Especially if you’re new to public speaking, humor can be hard to nail immediately. But as you grow and hone your presentation techniques, consider stretching yourself a bit. By starting small, you can practice using humor to connect with your audience. That is your goal, after all—to leave a positive, memorable impression on your audience.

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Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

For some speakers, stepping in front of a crowd to speak causes immediate anxiety. But fear not! Conquering public speaking anxiety is entirely within your grasp.

Techniques to Manage Stage Fright and Boost Confidence

First off, feeling nervous before taking the stage is completely normal. Even Mark Twain admitted, “There are two types of speakers. Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” So take that flutter in your stomach as a sign you care deeply about delivering value to your audience. In addition, consider the following tips as you prepare to hit the stage.

• Breathe Deep: Before stepping up, take some deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Feel every muscle relax with each exhale.
• Mind Over Matter: Visualization is key. Picture yourself nailing that presentation, because if you can see it, you can achieve it.
• Keep It Simple: Stick to what you know best; this isn’t the time for surprises or untested waters.
• Pace Yourself: Speak slowly but surely—there’s no rush here.

Believe it or not, acting relaxed often leads to actually being relaxed. Remember when we said mind over matter? Well, it applies here big time. The power pose backstage might just be what turns those nerves into excitement.

So next time you feel stage fright coming on, fight back with these techniques. With these tricks up your sleeve, you’re more than ready. So go ahead, breathe deep, and step onto that stage. You’ve got this.

Using Different Presentation Methods to Engage Your Audience

While learning styles is “ little more than urban myth ,” presenting your material in a variety of ways is a great technique for engaging your audience. By switching it up, you increase your chances of explaining something in a way that clicks with individual audience members. This is especially helpful for more complex topics that might be hard to grasp.

There are three main ways of presenting your material to your audience: through visuals, audio, and hands-on activities.

• Visuals: Use slides packed with images, graphs, and bullet points.
• Audio: Tell stories, play audio clips or engage in discussions.
• Hands-on Activities: Include activities or demonstrations that allow audience members to participate physically.

Making sure everyone gets something from your presentation means considering these techniques when planning content. Not only can incorporating various methods increase audience engagement, but it can also elevate your presentation from decent to memorable.

Essential Tips for First-Time Presenters

Stepping onto the stage or logging into that webinar platform as a first-time presenter can feel nerve-wracking. But fear not! With these tips on how to dress appropriately, arrive early, and make your presentation shine, you’ll be ready to confidently nail that presentation.

Dress Appropriately

Your outfit is your armor. Choose something professional yet comfortable. Whether it’s in-person or online, dressing one notch above what you expect your audience to wear usually hits the sweet spot. Aim for solid colors that won’t distract your audience.

Arriving Early

If possible, arrive at the venue before your audience does. This gives you time to settle in, test any tech gear like microphones or projectors, and take those deep breaths. This extra time also lets you chat with early birds. By connecting with people before taking center stage, you can ease nerves significantly.

Making Presentation Time Count

You only have the audience’s attention for so long. Keep an eye on the clock as you present, but avoid rushing through content. It especially helps to pause after key points, letting information sink in. Your end goal? Leave you’re audience wanting more. You’ll know if you succeeded based on the number of questions you get during the Q&A.

So there you have it—the techniques you need to deliver an engaging presentation. By honing nonverbal communication, like eye contact and posture, you can captivate your audience with your energy. And visual aids? They’re not just ornamental; they help bolster your point and drive it home.

We also learned that tackling audience questions is not an art reserved for the eloquent few but a skill sharpened by preparation and presence. While it takes a little work to nail good storytelling and well-timed humor, the ultimate outcome is worth it.

So while standing before an audience may set your heart racing, know that arming yourself with knowledge and technique can transform not just your presentation, but you yourself. So don’t be afraid to try your hand at these skills; in doing so, you build your own confidence and become a better speaker in the process.

• Last Updated: April 11, 2024

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Home Blog Design Understanding Data Presentations (Guide + Examples)

Understanding Data Presentations (Guide + Examples)

In this age of overwhelming information, the skill to effectively convey data has become extremely valuable. Initiating a discussion on data presentation types involves thoughtful consideration of the nature of your data and the message you aim to convey. Different types of visualizations serve distinct purposes. Whether you’re dealing with how to develop a report or simply trying to communicate complex information, how you present data influences how well your audience understands and engages with it. This extensive guide leads you through the different ways of data presentation.

Table of Contents

What is a Data Presentation?

What should a data presentation include, line graphs, treemap chart, scatter plot, how to choose a data presentation type, recommended data presentation templates, common mistakes done in data presentation.

A data presentation is a slide deck that aims to disclose quantitative information to an audience through the use of visual formats and narrative techniques derived from data analysis, making complex data understandable and actionable. This process requires a series of tools, such as charts, graphs, tables, infographics, dashboards, and so on, supported by concise textual explanations to improve understanding and boost retention rate.

Data presentations require us to cull data in a format that allows the presenter to highlight trends, patterns, and insights so that the audience can act upon the shared information. In a few words, the goal of data presentations is to enable viewers to grasp complicated concepts or trends quickly, facilitating informed decision-making or deeper analysis.

Data presentations go beyond the mere usage of graphical elements. Seasoned presenters encompass visuals with the art of data storytelling , so the speech skillfully connects the points through a narrative that resonates with the audience. Depending on the purpose – inspire, persuade, inform, support decision-making processes, etc. – is the data presentation format that is better suited to help us in this journey.

To nail your upcoming data presentation, ensure to count with the following elements:

• Clear Objectives: Understand the intent of your presentation before selecting the graphical layout and metaphors to make content easier to grasp.
• Engaging introduction: Use a powerful hook from the get-go. For instance, you can ask a big question or present a problem that your data will answer. Take a look at our guide on how to start a presentation for tips & insights.
• Structured Narrative: Your data presentation must tell a coherent story. This means a beginning where you present the context, a middle section in which you present the data, and an ending that uses a call-to-action. Check our guide on presentation structure for further information.
• Visual Elements: These are the charts, graphs, and other elements of visual communication we ought to use to present data. This article will cover one by one the different types of data representation methods we can use, and provide further guidance on choosing between them.
• Insights and Analysis: This is not just showcasing a graph and letting people get an idea about it. A proper data presentation includes the interpretation of that data, the reason why it’s included, and why it matters to your research.
• Conclusion & CTA: Ending your presentation with a call to action is necessary. Whether you intend to wow your audience into acquiring your services, inspire them to change the world, or whatever the purpose of your presentation, there must be a stage in which you convey all that you shared and show the path to staying in touch. Plan ahead whether you want to use a thank-you slide, a video presentation, or which method is apt and tailored to the kind of presentation you deliver.
• Q&A Session: After your speech is concluded, allocate 3-5 minutes for the audience to raise any questions about the information you disclosed. This is an extra chance to establish your authority on the topic. Check our guide on questions and answer sessions in presentations here.

Bar charts are a graphical representation of data using rectangular bars to show quantities or frequencies in an established category. They make it easy for readers to spot patterns or trends. Bar charts can be horizontal or vertical, although the vertical format is commonly known as a column chart. They display categorical, discrete, or continuous variables grouped in class intervals [1] . They include an axis and a set of labeled bars horizontally or vertically. These bars represent the frequencies of variable values or the values themselves. Numbers on the y-axis of a vertical bar chart or the x-axis of a horizontal bar chart are called the scale.

Real-Life Application of Bar Charts

Let’s say a sales manager is presenting sales to their audience. Using a bar chart, he follows these steps.

Step 1: Selecting Data

The first step is to identify the specific data you will present to your audience.

The sales manager has highlighted these products for the presentation.

• Product A: Men’s Shoes
• Product B: Women’s Apparel
• Product C: Electronics
• Product D: Home Decor

Step 2: Choosing Orientation

Opt for a vertical layout for simplicity. Vertical bar charts help compare different categories in case there are not too many categories [1] . They can also help show different trends. A vertical bar chart is used where each bar represents one of the four chosen products. After plotting the data, it is seen that the height of each bar directly represents the sales performance of the respective product.

It is visible that the tallest bar (Electronics – Product C) is showing the highest sales. However, the shorter bars (Women’s Apparel – Product B and Home Decor – Product D) need attention. It indicates areas that require further analysis or strategies for improvement.

Step 3: Colorful Insights

Different colors are used to differentiate each product. It is essential to show a color-coded chart where the audience can distinguish between products.

• Men’s Shoes (Product A): Yellow
• Women’s Apparel (Product B): Orange
• Electronics (Product C): Violet
• Home Decor (Product D): Blue

Bar charts are straightforward and easily understandable for presenting data. They are versatile when comparing products or any categorical data [2] . Bar charts adapt seamlessly to retail scenarios. Despite that, bar charts have a few shortcomings. They cannot illustrate data trends over time. Besides, overloading the chart with numerous products can lead to visual clutter, diminishing its effectiveness.

For more information, check our collection of bar chart templates for PowerPoint .

Line graphs help illustrate data trends, progressions, or fluctuations by connecting a series of data points called ‘markers’ with straight line segments. This provides a straightforward representation of how values change [5] . Their versatility makes them invaluable for scenarios requiring a visual understanding of continuous data. In addition, line graphs are also useful for comparing multiple datasets over the same timeline. Using multiple line graphs allows us to compare more than one data set. They simplify complex information so the audience can quickly grasp the ups and downs of values. From tracking stock prices to analyzing experimental results, you can use line graphs to show how data changes over a continuous timeline. They show trends with simplicity and clarity.

Real-life Application of Line Graphs

To understand line graphs thoroughly, we will use a real case. Imagine you’re a financial analyst presenting a tech company’s monthly sales for a licensed product over the past year. Investors want insights into sales behavior by month, how market trends may have influenced sales performance and reception to the new pricing strategy. To present data via a line graph, you will complete these steps.

First, you need to gather the data. In this case, your data will be the sales numbers. For example:

• January: $45,000
• February: $55,000
• March: $45,000
• April: $60,000
• May: $ 70,000
• June: $65,000
• July: $62,000
• August: $68,000
• September: $81,000
• October: $76,000
• November: $87,000
• December: $91,000

After choosing the data, the next step is to select the orientation. Like bar charts, you can use vertical or horizontal line graphs. However, we want to keep this simple, so we will keep the timeline (x-axis) horizontal while the sales numbers (y-axis) vertical.

Step 3: Connecting Trends

After adding the data to your preferred software, you will plot a line graph. In the graph, each month’s sales are represented by data points connected by a line.

Step 4: Adding Clarity with Color

If there are multiple lines, you can also add colors to highlight each one, making it easier to follow.

Line graphs excel at visually presenting trends over time. These presentation aids identify patterns, like upward or downward trends. However, too many data points can clutter the graph, making it harder to interpret. Line graphs work best with continuous data but are not suitable for categories.

For more information, check our collection of line chart templates for PowerPoint and our article about how to make a presentation graph .

A data dashboard is a visual tool for analyzing information. Different graphs, charts, and tables are consolidated in a layout to showcase the information required to achieve one or more objectives. Dashboards help quickly see Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). You don’t make new visuals in the dashboard; instead, you use it to display visuals you’ve already made in worksheets [3] .

Keeping the number of visuals on a dashboard to three or four is recommended. Adding too many can make it hard to see the main points [4]. Dashboards can be used for business analytics to analyze sales, revenue, and marketing metrics at a time. They are also used in the manufacturing industry, as they allow users to grasp the entire production scenario at the moment while tracking the core KPIs for each line.

Real-Life Application of a Dashboard

Consider a project manager presenting a software development project’s progress to a tech company’s leadership team. He follows the following steps.

Step 1: Defining Key Metrics

To effectively communicate the project’s status, identify key metrics such as completion status, budget, and bug resolution rates. Then, choose measurable metrics aligned with project objectives.

Step 2: Choosing Visualization Widgets

After finalizing the data, presentation aids that align with each metric are selected. For this project, the project manager chooses a progress bar for the completion status and uses bar charts for budget allocation. Likewise, he implements line charts for bug resolution rates.

Step 3: Dashboard Layout

Key metrics are prominently placed in the dashboard for easy visibility, and the manager ensures that it appears clean and organized.

Dashboards provide a comprehensive view of key project metrics. Users can interact with data, customize views, and drill down for detailed analysis. However, creating an effective dashboard requires careful planning to avoid clutter. Besides, dashboards rely on the availability and accuracy of underlying data sources.

For more information, check our article on how to design a dashboard presentation , and discover our collection of dashboard PowerPoint templates .

Treemap charts represent hierarchical data structured in a series of nested rectangles [6] . As each branch of the ‘tree’ is given a rectangle, smaller tiles can be seen representing sub-branches, meaning elements on a lower hierarchical level than the parent rectangle. Each one of those rectangular nodes is built by representing an area proportional to the specified data dimension.

Treemaps are useful for visualizing large datasets in compact space. It is easy to identify patterns, such as which categories are dominant. Common applications of the treemap chart are seen in the IT industry, such as resource allocation, disk space management, website analytics, etc. Also, they can be used in multiple industries like healthcare data analysis, market share across different product categories, or even in finance to visualize portfolios.

Real-Life Application of a Treemap Chart

Let’s consider a financial scenario where a financial team wants to represent the budget allocation of a company. There is a hierarchy in the process, so it is helpful to use a treemap chart. In the chart, the top-level rectangle could represent the total budget, and it would be subdivided into smaller rectangles, each denoting a specific department. Further subdivisions within these smaller rectangles might represent individual projects or cost categories.

Step 1: Define Your Data Hierarchy

While presenting data on the budget allocation, start by outlining the hierarchical structure. The sequence will be like the overall budget at the top, followed by departments, projects within each department, and finally, individual cost categories for each project.

• Top-level rectangle: Total Budget
• Second-level rectangles: Departments (Engineering, Marketing, Sales)
• Third-level rectangles: Projects within each department
• Fourth-level rectangles: Cost categories for each project (Personnel, Marketing Expenses, Equipment)

Step 2: Choose a Suitable Tool

It’s time to select a data visualization tool supporting Treemaps. Popular choices include Tableau, Microsoft Power BI, PowerPoint, or even coding with libraries like D3.js. It is vital to ensure that the chosen tool provides customization options for colors, labels, and hierarchical structures.

Here, the team uses PowerPoint for this guide because of its user-friendly interface and robust Treemap capabilities.

Step 3: Make a Treemap Chart with PowerPoint

After opening the PowerPoint presentation, they chose “SmartArt” to form the chart. The SmartArt Graphic window has a “Hierarchy” category on the left.  Here, you will see multiple options. You can choose any layout that resembles a Treemap. The “Table Hierarchy” or “Organization Chart” options can be adapted. The team selects the Table Hierarchy as it looks close to a Treemap.

Step 5: Input Your Data

After that, a new window will open with a basic structure. They add the data one by one by clicking on the text boxes. They start with the top-level rectangle, representing the total budget.  

Step 6: Customize the Treemap

By clicking on each shape, they customize its color, size, and label. At the same time, they can adjust the font size, style, and color of labels by using the options in the “Format” tab in PowerPoint. Using different colors for each level enhances the visual difference.

Treemaps excel at illustrating hierarchical structures. These charts make it easy to understand relationships and dependencies. They efficiently use space, compactly displaying a large amount of data, reducing the need for excessive scrolling or navigation. Additionally, using colors enhances the understanding of data by representing different variables or categories.

In some cases, treemaps might become complex, especially with deep hierarchies.  It becomes challenging for some users to interpret the chart. At the same time, displaying detailed information within each rectangle might be constrained by space. It potentially limits the amount of data that can be shown clearly. Without proper labeling and color coding, there’s a risk of misinterpretation.

A heatmap is a data visualization tool that uses color coding to represent values across a two-dimensional surface. In these, colors replace numbers to indicate the magnitude of each cell. This color-shaded matrix display is valuable for summarizing and understanding data sets with a glance [7] . The intensity of the color corresponds to the value it represents, making it easy to identify patterns, trends, and variations in the data.

As a tool, heatmaps help businesses analyze website interactions, revealing user behavior patterns and preferences to enhance overall user experience. In addition, companies use heatmaps to assess content engagement, identifying popular sections and areas of improvement for more effective communication. They excel at highlighting patterns and trends in large datasets, making it easy to identify areas of interest.

We can implement heatmaps to express multiple data types, such as numerical values, percentages, or even categorical data. Heatmaps help us easily spot areas with lots of activity, making them helpful in figuring out clusters [8] . When making these maps, it is important to pick colors carefully. The colors need to show the differences between groups or levels of something. And it is good to use colors that people with colorblindness can easily see.

Check our detailed guide on how to create a heatmap here. Also discover our collection of heatmap PowerPoint templates .

Pie charts are circular statistical graphics divided into slices to illustrate numerical proportions. Each slice represents a proportionate part of the whole, making it easy to visualize the contribution of each component to the total.

The size of the pie charts is influenced by the value of data points within each pie. The total of all data points in a pie determines its size. The pie with the highest data points appears as the largest, whereas the others are proportionally smaller. However, you can present all pies of the same size if proportional representation is not required [9] . Sometimes, pie charts are difficult to read, or additional information is required. A variation of this tool can be used instead, known as the donut chart , which has the same structure but a blank center, creating a ring shape. Presenters can add extra information, and the ring shape helps to declutter the graph.

Pie charts are used in business to show percentage distribution, compare relative sizes of categories, or present straightforward data sets where visualizing ratios is essential.

Real-Life Application of Pie Charts

Consider a scenario where you want to represent the distribution of the data. Each slice of the pie chart would represent a different category, and the size of each slice would indicate the percentage of the total portion allocated to that category.

Step 1: Define Your Data Structure

Imagine you are presenting the distribution of a project budget among different expense categories.

• Column A: Expense Categories (Personnel, Equipment, Marketing, Miscellaneous)
• Column B: Budget Amounts ($40,000, $30,000, $20,000, $10,000) Column B represents the values of your categories in Column A.

Step 2: Insert a Pie Chart

Using any of the accessible tools, you can create a pie chart. The most convenient tools for forming a pie chart in a presentation are presentation tools such as PowerPoint or Google Slides.  You will notice that the pie chart assigns each expense category a percentage of the total budget by dividing it by the total budget.

For instance:

• Personnel: $40,000 / ($40,000 + $30,000 + $20,000 + $10,000) = 40%
• Equipment: $30,000 / ($40,000 + $30,000 + $20,000 + $10,000) = 30%
• Marketing: $20,000 / ($40,000 + $30,000 + $20,000 + $10,000) = 20%
• Miscellaneous: $10,000 / ($40,000 + $30,000 + $20,000 + $10,000) = 10%

You can make a chart out of this or just pull out the pie chart from the data.

3D pie charts and 3D donut charts are quite popular among the audience. They stand out as visual elements in any presentation slide, so let’s take a look at how our pie chart example would look in 3D pie chart format.

Step 03: Results Interpretation

The pie chart visually illustrates the distribution of the project budget among different expense categories. Personnel constitutes the largest portion at 40%, followed by equipment at 30%, marketing at 20%, and miscellaneous at 10%. This breakdown provides a clear overview of where the project funds are allocated, which helps in informed decision-making and resource management. It is evident that personnel are a significant investment, emphasizing their importance in the overall project budget.

Pie charts provide a straightforward way to represent proportions and percentages. They are easy to understand, even for individuals with limited data analysis experience. These charts work well for small datasets with a limited number of categories.

However, a pie chart can become cluttered and less effective in situations with many categories. Accurate interpretation may be challenging, especially when dealing with slight differences in slice sizes. In addition, these charts are static and do not effectively convey trends over time.

For more information, check our collection of pie chart templates for PowerPoint .

Histograms present the distribution of numerical variables. Unlike a bar chart that records each unique response separately, histograms organize numeric responses into bins and show the frequency of reactions within each bin [10] . The x-axis of a histogram shows the range of values for a numeric variable. At the same time, the y-axis indicates the relative frequencies (percentage of the total counts) for that range of values.

Whenever you want to understand the distribution of your data, check which values are more common, or identify outliers, histograms are your go-to. Think of them as a spotlight on the story your data is telling. A histogram can provide a quick and insightful overview if you’re curious about exam scores, sales figures, or any numerical data distribution.

Real-Life Application of a Histogram

In the histogram data analysis presentation example, imagine an instructor analyzing a class’s grades to identify the most common score range. A histogram could effectively display the distribution. It will show whether most students scored in the average range or if there are significant outliers.

Step 1: Gather Data

He begins by gathering the data. The scores of each student in class are gathered to analyze exam scores.

After arranging the scores in ascending order, bin ranges are set.

Step 2: Define Bins

Bins are like categories that group similar values. Think of them as buckets that organize your data. The presenter decides how wide each bin should be based on the range of the values. For instance, the instructor sets the bin ranges based on score intervals: 60-69, 70-79, 80-89, and 90-100.

Step 3: Count Frequency

Now, he counts how many data points fall into each bin. This step is crucial because it tells you how often specific ranges of values occur. The result is the frequency distribution, showing the occurrences of each group.

Here, the instructor counts the number of students in each category.

• 60-69: 1 student (Kate)
• 70-79: 4 students (David, Emma, Grace, Jack)
• 80-89: 7 students (Alice, Bob, Frank, Isabel, Liam, Mia, Noah)
• 90-100: 3 students (Clara, Henry, Olivia)

Step 4: Create the Histogram

It’s time to turn the data into a visual representation. Draw a bar for each bin on a graph. The width of the bar should correspond to the range of the bin, and the height should correspond to the frequency.  To make your histogram understandable, label the X and Y axes.

In this case, the X-axis should represent the bins (e.g., test score ranges), and the Y-axis represents the frequency.

The histogram of the class grades reveals insightful patterns in the distribution. Most students, with seven students, fall within the 80-89 score range. The histogram provides a clear visualization of the class’s performance. It showcases a concentration of grades in the upper-middle range with few outliers at both ends. This analysis helps in understanding the overall academic standing of the class. It also identifies the areas for potential improvement or recognition.

Thus, histograms provide a clear visual representation of data distribution. They are easy to interpret, even for those without a statistical background. They apply to various types of data, including continuous and discrete variables. One weak point is that histograms do not capture detailed patterns in students’ data, with seven compared to other visualization methods.

A scatter plot is a graphical representation of the relationship between two variables. It consists of individual data points on a two-dimensional plane. This plane plots one variable on the x-axis and the other on the y-axis. Each point represents a unique observation. It visualizes patterns, trends, or correlations between the two variables.

Scatter plots are also effective in revealing the strength and direction of relationships. They identify outliers and assess the overall distribution of data points. The points’ dispersion and clustering reflect the relationship’s nature, whether it is positive, negative, or lacks a discernible pattern. In business, scatter plots assess relationships between variables such as marketing cost and sales revenue. They help present data correlations and decision-making.

Real-Life Application of Scatter Plot

A group of scientists is conducting a study on the relationship between daily hours of screen time and sleep quality. After reviewing the data, they managed to create this table to help them build a scatter plot graph:

In the provided example, the x-axis represents Daily Hours of Screen Time, and the y-axis represents the Sleep Quality Rating.

The scientists observe a negative correlation between the amount of screen time and the quality of sleep. This is consistent with their hypothesis that blue light, especially before bedtime, has a significant impact on sleep quality and metabolic processes.

There are a few things to remember when using a scatter plot. Even when a scatter diagram indicates a relationship, it doesn’t mean one variable affects the other. A third factor can influence both variables. The more the plot resembles a straight line, the stronger the relationship is perceived [11] . If it suggests no ties, the observed pattern might be due to random fluctuations in data. When the scatter diagram depicts no correlation, whether the data might be stratified is worth considering.

Choosing the appropriate data presentation type is crucial when making a presentation . Understanding the nature of your data and the message you intend to convey will guide this selection process. For instance, when showcasing quantitative relationships, scatter plots become instrumental in revealing correlations between variables. If the focus is on emphasizing parts of a whole, pie charts offer a concise display of proportions. Histograms, on the other hand, prove valuable for illustrating distributions and frequency patterns. 

Bar charts provide a clear visual comparison of different categories. Likewise, line charts excel in showcasing trends over time, while tables are ideal for detailed data examination. Starting a presentation on data presentation types involves evaluating the specific information you want to communicate and selecting the format that aligns with your message. This ensures clarity and resonance with your audience from the beginning of your presentation.

1. Fact Sheet Dashboard for Data Presentation

Convey all the data you need to present in this one-pager format, an ideal solution tailored for users looking for presentation aids. Global maps, donut chats, column graphs, and text neatly arranged in a clean layout presented in light and dark themes.

Use This Template

2. 3D Column Chart Infographic PPT Template

Represent column charts in a highly visual 3D format with this PPT template. A creative way to present data, this template is entirely editable, and we can craft either a one-page infographic or a series of slides explaining what we intend to disclose point by point.

3. Data Circles Infographic PowerPoint Template

An alternative to the pie chart and donut chart diagrams, this template features a series of curved shapes with bubble callouts as ways of presenting data. Expand the information for each arch in the text placeholder areas.

4. Colorful Metrics Dashboard for Data Presentation

This versatile dashboard template helps us in the presentation of the data by offering several graphs and methods to convert numbers into graphics. Implement it for e-commerce projects, financial projections, project development, and more.

5. Animated Data Presentation Tools for PowerPoint & Google Slides

A slide deck filled with most of the tools mentioned in this article, from bar charts, column charts, treemap graphs, pie charts, histogram, etc. Animated effects make each slide look dynamic when sharing data with stakeholders.

6. Statistics Waffle Charts PPT Template for Data Presentations

This PPT template helps us how to present data beyond the typical pie chart representation. It is widely used for demographics, so it’s a great fit for marketing teams, data science professionals, HR personnel, and more.

7. Data Presentation Dashboard Template for Google Slides

A compendium of tools in dashboard format featuring line graphs, bar charts, column charts, and neatly arranged placeholder text areas. 

8. Weather Dashboard for Data Presentation

Share weather data for agricultural presentation topics, environmental studies, or any kind of presentation that requires a highly visual layout for weather forecasting on a single day. Two color themes are available.

9. Social Media Marketing Dashboard Data Presentation Template

Intended for marketing professionals, this dashboard template for data presentation is a tool for presenting data analytics from social media channels. Two slide layouts featuring line graphs and column charts.

10. Project Management Summary Dashboard Template

A tool crafted for project managers to deliver highly visual reports on a project’s completion, the profits it delivered for the company, and expenses/time required to execute it. 4 different color layouts are available.

11. Profit & Loss Dashboard for PowerPoint and Google Slides

A must-have for finance professionals. This typical profit & loss dashboard includes progress bars, donut charts, column charts, line graphs, and everything that’s required to deliver a comprehensive report about a company’s financial situation.

Overwhelming visuals

One of the mistakes related to using data-presenting methods is including too much data or using overly complex visualizations. They can confuse the audience and dilute the key message.

Inappropriate chart types

Choosing the wrong type of chart for the data at hand can lead to misinterpretation. For example, using a pie chart for data that doesn’t represent parts of a whole is not right.

Lack of context

Failing to provide context or sufficient labeling can make it challenging for the audience to understand the significance of the presented data.

Inconsistency in design

Using inconsistent design elements and color schemes across different visualizations can create confusion and visual disarray.

Failure to provide details

Simply presenting raw data without offering clear insights or takeaways can leave the audience without a meaningful conclusion.

Lack of focus

Not having a clear focus on the key message or main takeaway can result in a presentation that lacks a central theme.

Visual accessibility issues

Overlooking the visual accessibility of charts and graphs can exclude certain audience members who may have difficulty interpreting visual information.

In order to avoid these mistakes in data presentation, presenters can benefit from using presentation templates . These templates provide a structured framework. They ensure consistency, clarity, and an aesthetically pleasing design, enhancing data communication’s overall impact.

Understanding and choosing data presentation types are pivotal in effective communication. Each method serves a unique purpose, so selecting the appropriate one depends on the nature of the data and the message to be conveyed. The diverse array of presentation types offers versatility in visually representing information, from bar charts showing values to pie charts illustrating proportions. 

Using the proper method enhances clarity, engages the audience, and ensures that data sets are not just presented but comprehensively understood. By appreciating the strengths and limitations of different presentation types, communicators can tailor their approach to convey information accurately, developing a deeper connection between data and audience understanding.

If you need a quick method to create a data presentation, check out our  AI presentation maker . A tool in which you add the topic, curate the outline, select a design, and let AI do the work for you.

[1] Government of Canada, S.C. (2021) 5 Data Visualization 5.2 Bar Chart , 5.2 Bar chart .  https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/edu/power-pouvoir/ch9/bargraph-diagrammeabarres/5214818-eng.htm

[2] Kosslyn, S.M., 1989. Understanding charts and graphs. Applied cognitive psychology, 3(3), pp.185-225. https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA183409.pdf

[3] Creating a Dashboard . https://it.tufts.edu/book/export/html/1870

[4] https://www.goldenwestcollege.edu/research/data-and-more/data-dashboards/index.html

[5] https://www.mit.edu/course/21/21.guide/grf-line.htm

[6] Jadeja, M. and Shah, K., 2015, January. Tree-Map: A Visualization Tool for Large Data. In GSB@ SIGIR (pp. 9-13). https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1393/gsb15proceedings.pdf#page=15

[7] Heat Maps and Quilt Plots. https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/research/population-health-methods/heat-maps-and-quilt-plots

[8] EIU QGIS WORKSHOP. https://www.eiu.edu/qgisworkshop/heatmaps.php

[9] About Pie Charts.  https://www.mit.edu/~mbarker/formula1/f1help/11-ch-c8.htm

[10] Histograms. https://sites.utexas.edu/sos/guided/descriptive/numericaldd/descriptiven2/histogram/ [11] https://asq.org/quality-resources/scatter-diagram

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• Interactive Presentation

10 Interactive Presentation Techniques | 2024 Reveals

Ellie Tran • 31 July, 2024 • 12 min read

All you need is the right tool and the right tact. Check out the ten best interactive presentation techniques below! These days, you might find your presentation audiences lost somewhere in your words, staring dead-eyed at you in the room or through Zoom. It's time for a change.

You might have heard that the secret to a good presentation comes from creating great interactive experiences with your audience, but the big question is how ?

Table of Contents

• Why interactive presentation techniques?
• #1: Icebreakers to warm up the room
• #2: Tell a story
• #3: Gamify the presentation
• #5: Present with props
• #6: Ask short questions
• #7: Brainstorming session
• #8: Host speed networking
• #9: Use a social media hashtag
• #10: Pre and post-event surveys
• 3 general tips for presenters

Frequently Asked Questions

Practice for better presentation.

• Complete Guide to Interactive Presentation
• Interactive Presentation Games
• Interactive Presentation Software for Mac

Start in seconds.

Get free templates for your next interactive presentation. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Why Try Interactive Presentation Techniques?

Ever stood before a crowd and spent every bit of your nerve presenting something, but all you could see was the audience yawning or looking at their phones? 

You’re not alone here…

• One in five people constantly looked at their phones or laptop screens during a presentation. ( Decktopus )

Audiences get bored and lost quickly during one-way presentations, so making it more interactive and engaging is best. Let us walk you through some stats:

• 64% of participants found two-way presentations more appealing than linear ones. ( Duarte )
• 70% of marketers believed that interacting with the audience was essential to making presentations more effective. ( Duarte )

10 Ways to Create a Fun Interactive Presentation

Interactivity is the key to your audience’s heart. Here are ten interactive presentation methods you can use to get it…

1. Icebreakers to warm up the room

It can be daunting and make you more anxious if you jump into your presentation without a short introduction or warm-up. Things are easier when you break the ice and allow the audience to know more about you and others.

If you’re hosting a small workshop, meeting or lesson, go around and ask your participants some simple, light-hearted questions to make them feel more comfortable.

That could be about their names, where they come from, what they expect from this event, etc. Or you can try some questions in this list:

• Would you rather be able to teleport or fly?
• What was your dream job when you were five?
• Coffee or tea?
• What’s your favourite holiday?
• 3 things on your bucket list?

🧊 Check out top 21+ Icebreaker Games for Better Team Meeting Engagement | Updated in 2024

When there are more people, get them to join the icebreaker to build a sense of connection through an interactive platform like AhaSlides.

Save time with ready-made icebreakers

Word Cloud Icebreakers

Monthly Team Meeting

Icebreakers for Class

2. Tell a story

People love hearing a good story and tend to immerse themselves more when it’s relatable. Great stories can help boost their focus and understanding of the points you’re trying to get across.

Finding compelling stories that engage the audience and relate to the content can be challenging. As many people have different backgrounds, it’s not easy to find common ground and come up with something mesmerising to tell.

To find things in common between you, your content and your audience and craft a story from that, try asking these questions:

• What are they like?
• Why are they here?
• How can you solve their problems?

💡 More interactive presentation tips with AhaSlides:

3. Gamify the presentation

Nothing rocks the room (or Zoom) and keeps the audience bouncing better than some games. Fun games, especially those that get participants moving or laughing, can do wonders for your presentation.

With the help of many online tools to host live quizzes , icebreaker games , word cloud tool , and spinning wheel , you can make interactive presentation games directly and effortlessly.

Need some inspiration? Try out these interactive games in your next face-to-face or virtual event:

🎉 Pop quiz - Liven up your presentation with fun polling or multiple-choice questions. Let the whole crowd join and answer by using an audience engagement platform ; there are many for you to choose from (AhaSlides, Quizziz, Kahoot, etc.).

🎉 Charades - Get participants up and use their body language to describe a provided word or phrase. You can divide the audience into teams to make it more competitive and heat up the atmosphere.

🎉 Would you rather? - Many participants prefer sitting on their chairs while enjoying games, so juice up your presentation with an easy-peasy one like Would you rather? . Give them two options, like would you rather live in a forest or a cave? Then, ask them to vote for their favourite option and explain why they did.

💡 We’ve got heaps more games for an interactive presentation , along with games for virtual team meetings , games for adults and games for students !

Presenters usually host an ‘ask me anything’ session at the end of their presentations to collect questions and then address them. Q&A time ensures everyone is on the same page after getting a bucketload of information to digest while also giving you a chance to talk and interact directly with your audience.

To not miss a beat, we recommend using an online Q&A tool to collect and display questions so you can answer one-by-one. This kind of tool helps you manage all questions flocking in and allows people to ask anonymously (which is a relief for many people, I’m sure). 

5. Present with props

This old trick brings more power to your presentation than you might think. Props can grab the audience’s attention faster than when you only speak or show 2D images, and they’re great visual aids that help people understand what you’re talking about. That’s a presenter’s dream.

Bring some props that link to your message and help you communicate visually with the audience. Don’t pick something random irrelevant to your topic, no matter how ‘cool’ it is.

Here’s an example of how to use props the right way…

6. Ask short questions

Asking questions is one of the best interactive presentation methods for checking in on your audience and making sure they’re paying attention. Still, asking in the wrong way can result in an awkward silence instead of a sea of hands in the air. 

Live polling and word clouds are safer choices in this case: they let people answer anonymously using just their phones, which guarantees that you’ll get more answers from your audience. 

Prepare some intriguing questions that can spark creativity or debate then choose to show everyone’s answers however you want - in a live poll , word cloud or open-ended format .

7. Brainstorming session

You’ve done enough work for this presentation, so why not turn the table a little bit and see your participants put in some effort?

A brainstorming session digs deeper into the topic and reveals the audience’s different perspectives. You can gain more insights into how they perceive your content and even be surprised by their brilliant ideas.

If you want everyone to discuss directly, instruct them to brainstorm in groups and share their combined ideas with everyone.

Try a live brainstorming tool to let everyone have their say and vote on their favourites amongst the crowd 👇

📌 Tips: Divide your team randomly to generate more fun and engagement within your brainstorming session !

8. Host speed networking

One of the main drivers that bring your participants to come and hear you present is networking. Joining social events like yours means that they have more chances to meet new people, socialise, and maybe add new meaningful connections on LinkedIn.

Host a short networking session, ideally during a break or after you finish your presentation. All participants can freely mingle, talk to each other and dig deeper into any topic they’re keen on. This is one of the best interactive presentation ideas for large groups of participants.

If you do it online or hybrid, breakout rooms in Zoom and other meeting apps make it very easy. You can automatically divide your audience into different groups, or you can add a topic to each room’s name and let them join based on their preferences. Having a moderator in each group is also a good idea to help people feel comfortable at first.

There are also some tips for hosting a networking session in real life :

• Prepare a tea break - Food heals the soul. Participants can talk while enjoying the food and hold something when not knowing what to do with their hands.
• Use colour-labelled cards - Let each person choose a card with a colour representing a popular hobby and tell them to wear it during the networking session. People sharing things in common can find and make friends with others. Note that you need to decide the colours and hobbies before the event.
• Give a suggestion - Many people want to but shy away from talking to a stranger at an event. Write suggestions on pieces of paper, such as ‘say a compliment to a person in pink’, ask the participants to choose randomly and encourage them to do so.

9. Use a social media hashtag

Make your event go viral and keep people interacting virtually before, during or after the event. When you have a hashtag to accompany your event, all participants can join related conversations and not miss any info.

This is a great way to promote your event. Not only can your audience engage with your message, but so can other people on the net by interacting with posts using hashtags. The more, the merrier, so get the hashtag trending and let more people know about the fascinating things you’re up to.

Here’s how to do it:

• Choose a (fabulous) hashtag containing your event’s name.
• Use that hashtag in each post to let people know you have one.
• Encourage audience members to use that hashtag when sharing photos, opinions, feedback, etc., on their social accounts.

10. Pre and post-event surveys

Surveys are smart strategies to connect with the audience when you’re not with them. These surveys help you understand them better and measure your success.

In this tech era, sending surveys via emails and social media is convenient. There are some common questions you can put in the surveys and customise them based on the purpose of your event.

• Common questions - Ask about their names, age, hobbies, preferences, areas of interest and more .
• Tech-specific questions - It’s helpful to know about their internet connection and tech devices to set up activities in an online event. Find out more here . 

Post-event:

• Feedback questions - Collecting audience feedback is vital. Ask about their opinions on the presentation, what they liked and didn’t, what they want to know more by relevant survey tools , to gain better engagement by asking the right questions.

3 General Tips for Presenters

Presenting is much more than what you say or write on the slides. Well-prepared content is great but not really enough. Practice these amazing hidden languages to show your charisma and nail the presentation. 

#1. Eye Contacts

A quick gaze in the eyes helps you engage with the audience and further impress them. It’s key for grabbing their attention; you’re talking to them after all, not to your presenting screen. Remember to cover every part of the room and not stare at only one or two; that’s pretty weird and awkward…, right?

#2. Body Languages

You can make this non-verbal communication to build a deeper connection with your audience. A good, open posture with appropriate hand gestures can give you a confident and persuasive vibe. The more they trust you, the more they focus on your presentation.

#3. Tone of Voice

Your tone of voice matters. Your voice, manner, and language affect the audience’s mood and how people perceive what you’re saying. For example, you shouldn’t make it too casual and playful during a conference or don’t speak too seriously and bombard the participants with technical terms when presenting in a workshop. 

Sometimes, in more informal speeches, add a bit of humour if you can ; it’s relaxing to you and your listeners (don’t try too hard, though 😅).

What are interactive presentation tools?

Interactive presentation tools are software or web-based applications that allow users to create and deliver presentations with interactive elements that engage the audience. These tools provide a range of features and functionalities that enable presenters to create dynamic and engaging presentations that can be customized to meet their specific needs. Key features of interactive presentation tools are to add quizzes, polls, and surveys, to make the presentation more interesting!

Can you make PPT interactive?

Some ways to make a PPT interactive including adding hyperlinks, action buttons, using animations and transitions, interactive quizzes or polls, and also adding videos or audio

Which type of presentation is the most interactive?

Various types of presentations can be made interactive. Still, some types lend themselves more easily to interactivity than others, with the following types, including workshop-style presentations, Q&A sessions, Polls and surveys, Gamified presentations and Interactive multimedia presentations.

A lifelong learner, a traveller and content creator eager to explore the best of both worlds: the real and virtual one full of interactive activities with AhaSlides.

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

The 8 Types of Presentation Styles: Which Category Do You Fall Into?

Updated: December 16, 2020

Published: September 24, 2018

Types of Presentations

• Visual Style
• Freeform Style
• Instructor Style
• Coach Style
• Storytelling Style
• Connector Style
• Lessig Style
• Takahashi Style

Everyone on the internet has an opinion on how to give the “perfect” presentation.

One group champions visual aids, another thinks visual aids are a threat to society as we know it. One expert preaches the benefits of speaking loudly, while another believes the softer you speak the more your audience pays attention. And don’t even try to find coordinating opinions on whether you should start your presentation with a story, quote, statistic, or question.

But what if there wasn’t just one “right” way to give a presentation? What if there were several? Below, I’ve outlined eight types of presentation styles. They’re used by famous speakers like Steve Jobs and Al Gore -- and none of them are wrong.

Check out each one and decide which will be most effective for you.

Free Presentation & Public Speaking Kit

Everything you need to become more comfortable and effective during your next presentation, including:

• Free Guide on Best Practices
• PowerPoint Presentation Templates
• Video Examples of Great Speakers

Types of Presentation Styles

1. visual style.

What it is: If you’re a firm believer slides simply exist to complement your talking points, this style is for you. With this speaking style, you might need to work a little harder to get your audience engaged, but the dividends can be huge for strong public speakers, visionaries, and storytellers.

When to use it: This style is helpful when speaking to a large audience with broad interests. It’s also great for when you need to throw together slides quickly.

Visual style presenter: Steve Jobs

2. Freeform Style

What it is: This impromptu style of presenting doesn’t require slides. Instead, the speaker relies on strong stories to illustrate each point. This style works best for those who have a short presentation time and are extremely familiar with their talking points.

When to use it: Elevator pitches, networking events, and impromptu meetings are all scenarios in which to use a freeform style of speaking. You’ll appear less rehearsed and more conversational than if you were to pause in the middle of a happy hour to pull up your presentation on a tablet.

Freeform style presenter: Sir Ken Robinson

3. Instructor Style

What it is: This presentation style allows you to deliver complex messages using figures of speech, metaphors, and lots of content -- just like your teachers and professors of old. Your decks should be built in logical order to aid your presentation, and you should use high-impact visuals to support your ideas and keep the audience engaged.

When to use it: If you’re not a comfortable presenter or are unfamiliar with your subject matter (i.e., your product was recently updated and you’re not familiar with the finer points), try instructor-style presenting.

Instructor style presenter: Al Gore

4. Coach Style

What it is: Energetic and charismatic speakers gravitate towards this style of presenting. It allows them to connect and engage with their audience using role play and listener interaction.

When to use it: Use this presentation style when you’re speaking at a conference or presenting to an audience who needs to be put at ease. For example, this style would work well if you were speaking to a group of executives who need to be sold on the idea of what your company does rather than the details of how you do it.

Coach style presenter: Linda Edgecombe

5. Storytelling Style

What it is: In this style, the speaker relies on anecdotes and examples to connect with their audience. Stories bring your learning points to life, and the TED’s Commandments never let you down: Let your emotions out and tell your story in an honest way.

When to use it: Avoid this style if you’re in the discovery phase of the sales process. You want to keep the conversation about your prospect instead of circling every point or question back to you or a similar client. This style is great for conference speaking, networking events, and sales presentations where you have adequate time to tell your stories without taking minutes away from questions.

Storytelling style presenter: Jill Bolte Taylor

6. Connector Style

What it is: In this style, presenters connect with their audience by showing how they’re similar to their listeners. Connectors usually enjoy freeform Q&A and use gestures when they speak. They also highly encourage audience reaction and feedback to what they’re saying.

When to use it: Use this style of presenting early in the sales process as you’re learning about your prospect’s pain points, challenges, and goals. This type of speaking sets your listener at ease, elicits feedback on how you’re doing in real time, and is more of a dialogue than a one-sided presentation

Connector style presenter: Connie Dieken

7. Lessig Style

What it is: The Lessig Style was created by Lawrence Lessig , a professor of law and leadership at Harvard Law School. This presentation style requires the presenter to pass through each slide within 15 seconds. When text is used in a slide, it’s typically synchronized with the presenter’s spoken words.

When to use it: This method of presentation is great for large crowds -- and it allows the speaker to use a balance of text and image to convey their message. The rapid pace and rhythm of the slide progression keeps audiences focused, engaged, and less likely to snooze.

Lessig style presenter: Lawrence Lessig

8. Takahashi Style

What it is: This method features large, bold text on minimal slides. It was devised by Masayoshi Takahashi , who found himself creating slides without access to a presentation design tool or PowerPoint. The main word is the focal point of the slide, and phrases, used sparingly, are short and concise.

When to use it: If you find yourself in Takahashi’s shoes -- without presentation design software -- this method is for you. This style works well for short presentations that pack a memorable punch.

Takahashi style presenter: Masayoshi Takahashi

Slides from one of Takahashi’s presentations:

Whether you’re speaking on a conference stage or giving a sales presentation , you can find a method that works best for you and your audience. With the right style, you’ll capture attention, engage listeners, and effectively share your message. You can even ask an AI presentation maker tool to create presentations for you in your preferred style

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A Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Presentation With Visme

Written by: Nayomi Chibana

Whether you’re looking to publish a stand-alone slide deck to share online or preparing for a live presentation, using powerful visuals to reinforce your message is a must.

Nowadays, the power to create stunning visuals is no longer an ability limited to professional graphic designers and visual artists.

Like many other things in this Internet age, the ability to communicate visually has been democratized so that you, too, can get your message heard, no matter your professional background.

This is where Visme comes into the picture—an  all-in-one tool for creating engaging visual content.

Visme can help you create professional-looking presentations in a few minutes. They'll look like they took several days to create.

In this short, step-by-step tutorial, we show you how to create a presentation using Visme, which can be published online or used as support for a live presentation.

Looking for a shortcut or running out of time? Try the Visme AI Presentation Maker . In the presentation template library, choose the Generate with AI option. Type in a prompt that describes what you’re looking for. The Visme chatbot will ask follow up questions and suggest a style; choose one and wait for AI to create the design. Open it in your Visme editor and give it the final touches.

• Define Your Story
• Create an Outline
• Create a Project in Visme
• Select the Right Template
• Choose a Color Scheme
• Develop a Theme
• Find the Right Images
• Choose Legible Fonts
• Insert Text
• Use Icons, Illustrations and 3D Graphics
• Add Data Visualizations
• Make Your Presentation Interactive
• Revise and Improve Narrative and Flow
• Download, Share, Publish and Present

Giving a Memorable Presentation

Presentation tips & best practices, presentation creation faqs.

• Brainstorming is the first crucial step in crafting a presentation that can make all the difference between a dismal and a dazzling presentation.
• Define your story and create an outline that creates a flow for your presentation; the rest of the design will depend on it.
• Choosing the right template from Visme's presentation library is another deciding factor. Select a template that matches your theme, content, purpose and target audience.
• Use legible fonts, complementary color schemes, appropriate design elements and data visualizations to make your presentation more engaging and visually appealing.
• Add interactivity to your presentation with Visme's interactive tools like hotspots, polls, animations and links.
• Take advantage of the AI Presentation Maker to craft professionally designed presentation slides that you can easily customize with your brand assets.
• Sign up for Visme's powerful online presentation software and design a presentation without the hassle of software installation or learning to use complicated tools.

1. Brainstorm

One of the most common mistakes beginners make in crafting a presentation is diving straight into slide creation before having a clear idea of the presentation’s main message. This is a big no-no, according to presentation pro Aaron Weyenberg , TED’s in-house slide master.

We know it’s second nature to open an application and start adding text, but the best way to brainstorm is to actually write down your ideas using pen and paper. This will not only get your creative juices flowing but will also ensure that you don’t simply go with the first idea that comes to your mind.

Brainstorming can significantly improve the quality and effectiveness of your presentation. By generating and organizing ideas, brainstorming can help you create a clear, concise and engaging presentation that resonates with your audience.

Using a whiteboard is the best way to make the most out of your brainstorming sessions. Visme has introduced a powerful online whiteboard tool to make your brainstorming sessions more effective.

Visme’s whiteboard allows you to add text, images, charts and more. It’s easy to use, with a drag-and-drop interface that lets you move elements around freely. The boards are also shareable, so anyone in your organization can access them.

Here are some ways you can use our Whiteboard tool to brainstorm on creating your presentation:

• Brainstorm ideas for each topic, and write down any new thoughts.
• Create an outline of all the points you want to cover.
• Plan the order to present your points and how much time you have for each section.
• Gather data from previous presentations or reports and any relevant research studies.
• Identify gaps or holes in your presentation and fill them with relevant content.
• Assemble all your written content in a single document, then use the Whiteboard tool to organize and rearrange it.

Here is an article about 100+ creative presentation ideas that you can read while brainstorming and include some of them in your own.

2. Define Your Story

The next step is to clearly define your main message and the storyline that will carry it through to the end. To do this, ask yourself the following questions:

• Who is the intended audience?
• What message do I want to communicate to them?
• What is the purpose of this presentation? What do I want the audience to do in the end?

Once you have a clear picture of who your audience is and the result you’re aiming for, you can weave a story that catches the audience’s attention, takes them by the hand and leads them to a specific end destination.

The most challenging part will be keeping their attention so that they don’t trail off into some other undesired location, like checking their inbox or thinking about what they have to do after your presentation.

To do this, you must add some elements of surprise and suspense along the way. For example, you could add a slide with just one word or a stunning image to catch viewers off guard and keep them on their toes.

Also, you must make sure that each element you add to your presentation—whether it’s text, an image, a color, an icon—reinforces your main message; if it adds nothing or, even worse, detracts from it, then it has to go.

3. Create an Outline

Next, you should create an outline of your message’s main points and supporting ideas. You can make it as detailed as you want—even including the main message of each slide and references to visuals and highlighted quotes—depending on what you already have in mind to create.

Use the Visme AI Writer to help you write a detailed outline separated into slides. Just write the prompt explaining what you need, the topics you plan to talk about and a note about how you plan to include visuals and charts.

The AI will craft an outline detailing every slide. Finalize it as you see fit and continue with the rest of the steps.

Once you have a bare-bones presentation outline , ensure it accomplishes all of the goals defined in the previous step.

4. Create a Project

If you don’t already have a Visme account, you can create one by simply going to www.visme.co and entering your name, email and password.

Once you are logged in, click on the “Create New” button and hover over the “Project” option and choose “Presentations” to browse through Visme’s presentation templates library. Alternatively, you can choose a blank template if you want to design your presentation from scratch.

5. Select the Right Template

Depending on the message you want to send, you can either choose a template from the available options or decide to create one from scratch—it's up to you.

Visme features 500+ presentation templates divided into 20+ content categories: creative, interactive, business, marketing, pitch deck and more.

So, even if you don’t have any prior experience in presentation design, you’ll likely find a suitable template to get started.

Visme’s presentation templates are professionally designed and save hours of work. We aren’t winging it. Hear it from one of our customers, Kendra Bradley, Graphic Content Developer at WOW!

“PowerPoint templates are plain and boring, and we want to create more fun and engaging content. Visme has multiple slide templates to choose from, which makes this so much easier.”

“I just made a deck recently and it took me about 15-20 minutes. I found a template I really liked and tweaked it and put it in our brand colors. In PowerPoint, it would take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half.”

Enroll in our free presentation design certification course , learn at your pace and become a certified presentation guru. Upon completion of the course, you’ll get a certificate to include in your resume or share on LinkedIn. Making a presentation and designing it will then become easier and faster than before.

If you want to move further with your favorite presentation template in Visme, watch the video below.

At this point in the Visme tutorial, you can also choose to use the Visme AI Presentation Maker to generate a set of slides based on your prompt. Then you can continue with the customization steps.

Continue reading to learn more about creating a presentation from scratch in Visme.

6 Choose a Color Scheme

Next, you can pick a background color using the integrated color dropper tool in Visme’s editor. The background color of your presentation slide is one of the critical elements. It will help convey your message, create a visual hierarchy and guide audience attention.

Though there are many color palette generators available online, Visme’s color dropper tool comes with everything you need, from extracting colors from a photo to typing color HEX codes.

And the best part is, you don’t need to go anywhere else to decide on the color palette.

As covered in our article on color psychology , the color combinations you choose for your presentation convey a message all on their own and trigger different emotions depending on the hue.

For example, the color scheme of the template below gives a creative tone to the presentation and is best if you are looking to focus on creativity.

On the other hand, this template below gives an entirely different feel and lets you start your presentation on a serious note.

So, choose your colors carefully to ensure they align with your main message and engage your audience. If you are creating a presentation on behalf of your company, you can use your brand colors strategically in your slides for consistent branding.

If you still want to know more about the importance of colors for your presentation, read our guide about how colors affect human perception of reality. And here are 50 presentation background templates that you can use or take inspiration from.

7. Develop a Theme

Now that you have an idea of the colors you want to use to reinforce your message, you can now choose a unifying theme for your presentation, which should provide unity and consistency.

Just take a look at how this presentation achieves a sense of cohesiveness by using similar elements throughout, such as high-quality images and two-toned color combinations.

The use of high-res images in combination with complementary colors such as yellow and black give this presentation a clean, professional look. The use of black and white allows the viewer to focus on the information without being distracted by color or other visual elements.

In Visme’s templates library, you’ll find a section called “Themes.” These templates are created based on a few themes so that you can find the template you are looking for.

8. Find the Right Images

The best presentations use visuals wisely as the images you choose will greatly influence the overall look and feel of your presentation.

They can mean the difference between a forgettable presentation and one that will stick in your viewers' minds for months to come.

With Visme, you get access to 1 million+ high-quality royalty-free images . Browse and search across any keyword to find the image of your choice. You can, furthermore, edit your images using the Visme photo editor to ensure they match the content of your presentation.

To help you find the perfect images for all your design needs, Visme has recently launched a free AI image generator tool . From 3D icons and illustrations to real-life images, just create a prompt, and the tool will give you exactly what you are looking for.

And the best part is that every graphic you generate will be automatically saved in your “My Files” folder in Visme.

Are you using images that need a bit more editing than what the integrated editing controls can do? Use the AI Editing Tools to remove backgrounds, erase or replace objects and upscale or unblur photos.

9. Choose Legible Fonts

Another design element that communicates all on its own is your choice of typefaces. Like with your choice of color combinations, make sure to keep it simple and stick to a maximum of three different fonts: one for your title, another for your subheaders and a third one for your body text.

Here are the 20 best fonts for presentations in 2023 that you can choose from. All of these fonts are present in Visme’s font library so you won’t have difficulty finding them.

A good rule of thumb is to use a title font that reflects the character of your brand while sticking to more simple and easy-to-read typefaces for your subheaders and body text.

If you are creating the presentation for business purposes, it’s better to use your brand fonts to add content to your slides and make the presentations reflect your brand voice .

Visme makes it easy for you to create and save your branding assets using the brand design tool . If you already have your brand's fonts, colors and logo, then you can copy and paste your website URL and Visme’s brand wizard will automatically extract them.

If you don’t have your branding elements ready, you can select fonts, colors, logos and company links in Visme’s branding kit and save them to use in the future.

Read this comprehensive guide to setting up your branding kit in Visme to learn more.

10 Insert Text

If you first wrote out a detailed, slide-by-slide script for your presentation in step number 3, then this part shouldn’t entail much effort.

If, on the other hand, you only have section and subsection titles, then this is where you should think about the actual wording of each slide’s content.

Visme’s drag-and-drop editor makes it super easy to add text to your slides. You can select a text block from the left panel and type your presentation content using your keyboard.

Or, you can choose from the professionally created font pairs in Visme. These font pairs complement each other and are perfect for conveying the type of message they are meant to convey.

In addition to adding text to your presentations, it’s also essential to take notes on what you’re going to say. This will help you stay organized and ensure that your presentation is concise and to the point.

Use the presenter notes feature in Visme to create bullet points or paragraphs of text that are visible to you only. It's like having your own teleprompter. So, the next time you forget your point while giving a presentation, you have the notes to get back on track.

11. Use Icons, Illustrations, 3D Graphics and More

Additional design elements such as icons, illustrations and other graphics help you communicate more effectively than just text. They can also help make your design more memorable, which is important when you’re trying to create a strong relationship with your audience.

For example, if you are designing a marketing presentation for a new product, you can use icons to communicate the benefits of your product.

As indicated in our previous tutorial on how to create infographics with Visme, it’s also important to choose one style of icon for your presentation.

For example, if you choose an outline style, then stick with the same type throughout your presentation to ensure consistency and professionalism.

And, to help you find the right graphics, Visme comes with 10,000+ vector icons , illustrations, 3D animated graphics , lines, shapes and more.

12. Add Data Visualizations

According to a study conducted by MIT, 90% of the information transmitted to our brain is visual. So, if you have some data points that you need to include in your presentation, make sure that your audience understands them quickly by using visual aids.

This is the part where you can resort to simple and effective data visualizations to support your main points. You don’t want your audience to get lost in the mire of numbers and graphs, so make sure that you use visual cues to help them follow along.

For example, if you want to illustrate how a certain metric has changed over time, then plot both values on a line graph with markers for each year.

For smaller data sets, you can choose from 30+ data widgets in Visme that help you create stunning data visualizations in just a few clicks.

If you have larger data sets to explain, choose from 20+ types of graphs and charts with various options like color filters, hover effects and more.

Here’s an example of a pie chart template from Visme’s library that you can use in your presentation.

Watch the video below to learn more about creating charts and graphs using Visme.

So, now you don’t have to worry about the data visualization part anymore. But what about capturing the data? If you use Visme to create all your marketing collaterals and other documents, you don’t have to worry about that as well.

Visme’s analytics feature allows you to track the traffic for any projects you have created in Visme. This will help you gauge the effectiveness of your design projects. You’ll be able to capture views, unique visits, activities, completion and more information such as date and time of view, visitor IP, location and more.

So, if you need any information from your past presentations or any other design you shared online, Visme Analytics has you covered.

Create a stunning presentation in less time

• Hundreds of premade slides available
• Add animation and interactivity to your slides
• Choose from various presentation options

Sign up. It’s free.

13. Make Your Presentation Interactive

Keeping your audience engaged while giving presentations is one of the most difficult tasks for a presenter. Studies show that if a presenter is unable to let the audience participate, then audience engagement drops by 14% .

This means you’ll have to come up with ways to make your presentation interactive . Visme gives you a wide range of interactivity options to engage your audience:

• Create a poll in Visme with a question and 2 or 3 possible answers. Then, share the link to your presentation with your audience and invite them to participate in the poll.
• Include hotspots in your presentation, which allow the viewers to click on a specific part of the slide and see more data or information.
• Animate your presentation with transitions, animations and video clips. You can add animation effects to almost any part of the presentation you want.
• Use clickable links in your presentation to direct the viewers to another webpage or video.
• Add a slideshow to your presentation by adding images, video clips and text slides in any order you want.

Here's a video that you can watch to learn more about crafting interactive presentations with Visme.

14. Revise and Improve the Narrative and Flow

Now that you’ve finished adding all the visual and textual elements to your presentation, you can go back over your slides to ensure that they flow smoothly from one section to the next.

Also, make sure that you have incorporated some visual cues between sections to let your audience know that you’re moving on to a new concept. As with any story, you should break the monotony with some type of variation, adding rhythm and texture to your presentation.

For example, you could use an inverted color scheme for every transitional slide or an eye-catching design element.

Creating a presentation often requires input from people across the organization. The finance team might add some revenue and expense figures, and the marketing team might want to show your increased customer base and more.

With Visme’s collaboration features , you and your team can work together on a project to improve it. You can invite them via email or a shareable link generated from the Visme app.

After accessing the document, every collaborator can pin, circle, annotate, highlight, add comments and more. The live editing feature enables collaborators to make changes to your presentations, which will appear live.

Furthermore, with workflows , you can assign projects and tasks to specific team members and keep track of what’s finished and what still needs work.

Visme’s collaborative capabilities are helping thousands of teams around the world work together with ease while having every design tool they need. Here is a video that proves why teams love using Visme.

15.  Download, Share, Publish and Present

With Visme, you get complete freedom of choice on how you want to use your presentation. Once you’re satisfied with your presentation, you can share a link to your slide deck, embed it into your site, upload it to SlideShare or download it as a PNG, JPG, PDF, MP4 and GIF file.

If you’re designing the presentation for learning management systems, you can download the presentation as SCORM or xAPI. This allows you to preserve all the interactivity and multimedia and track the completion of learning materials in your LMS.

And it doesn’t end here. With Visme’s Presentation Studio , you can record yourself presenting your presentations and send them to your viewers. This allows you to present asynchronously and take the pressure off.

This feature is extremely useful for creating webinars, holding prerecorded meetings, explaining learning materials and more.

If you are a beginner, giving a presentation might be more difficult than creating one. Studies have revealed that 90% of anxiety presenters feel before giving a presentation is due to a lack of preparation.

Below is a video with 11 simple tips for giving an excellent presentation to make sure that the delivery is as effective as the design of the presentation.

You can have the most amazing presentation in the world on paper, but without proper delivery, it can turn into a complete flop.

So, now that you have all the knowledge on how to make a presentation, it’s time to discuss how you can deliver that presentation in a powerful way. In this section, we’ll cover the best tips for better presentation delivery and impact.

1. Rehearse your presentation.

Practice, practice and practice again. That’s the way to presentation perfection.

That’s right. no matter how crazy you might sound to the downstairs neighbors practicing your speech out loud alone in your apartment, you need to do it.

Why? Because when you can actually hear yourself present your ideas out loud, you may realize that you’re missing key points of information.

While you’re at it, practice out loud. Go in front of a mirror and strike some power poses.

Body language is everything when it comes to presenting your presentation in a powerful way. It can make or break your entire speech. So, use open-handed gestures, smile often and loosen up a bit to come across as a confident presenter.

If you’ve been allotted a certain amount of time for your presentation, then you need to practice while using a timer.

By practicing out loud with a timer, you’ll be able to adjust and readjust the information on your slides to make sure you get all your important information across to your audience.

Another way you can boost your confidence and kick stage fright before the big day of your presentation is to do a practice run of your presentation in front of others.

This will not only help you get used to public speaking, but it also gives them a chance to give you honest feedback on your presentation and let you know if there was anything that could use improvement.

2. Memorize your presentation.

Memorizing your speech for your presentation is no easy task. But the more you can remember while you’re up on stage and the fewer “umm’s” and “uh’s” you say, the better.

We rounded up the best ways to memorize a presentation that will significantly help you with your presentation delivery, but we’ll share a few with you here as well.

• Build a memory palace: Just like the Greeks and Romans used to do, associating concepts and ideas with specific locations can help you remember them more easily.

• Write down the main points: Research shows that writing down information or creating an outline can help you learn and remember information more efficiently.
• Practice during the afternoon: According to a study, by studying in the afternoon, you will be much more efficient in retrieving memories .
• Record yourself: This study shows that recording and listening to yourself not only improves your practice sessions but also boosts overnight retention .

Apply the memorization techniques above while you’re rehearsing your presentation, but make sure you also understand each and every word.

3. Start strong to hook your audience.

When it comes to giving presentations, first impressions are extremely important.

The way you start can set the stage for the rest of your talk—you can either have the audience sit up in their seats and give you their full attention, or have them ready to doze off.

There are several proven techniques you can use to start your presentation in a powerful way, such as:

• Tell a personal story
• Make a provocative statement
• Share a shocking fact or statistic
• Ask a question
• Start with a prop
• Show a video or meaningful visual

If you want to learn more about these presentation hooks and more in detail, read our guide to starting a presentation with examples from famous TED talks.

If you prefer watching a video instead, we’ve got you covered.

4. Observe your audience’s behavior.

Remember, a presentation—or any talk for that matter—is not a one-way conversation. Effective communication involves constant feedback from the listener and requires the speaker to react to that feedback appropriately.

So, how does this apply to presentation delivery?

When you’re up on the stage giving your presentation, make sure you constantly observe your audience and their reactions—this includes their facial expressions, body language and even questions.

You might sense your audience is getting bored, for example, if you see a few people fidgeting in their seats, yawning or looking at their phones.

This is your cue to switch things up a bit. For example, you can:

• Change the subject
• Make them laugh with a joke or humorous statement
• Get people to stand up or do an activity
• Take a break if you have enough time
• Invite questions from the audience

Similarly, if you see your audience engaged with what you’re saying, continue with your enthusiasm and try to keep them hooked till the end.

5. Be authentic and vulnerable.

When giving a presentation, the worst thing you can do is try to be someone else and come across as pretentious and unoriginal.

In this TED talk, Brene Brown starts by revealing that she felt so vulnerable and embarrassed after one of her talks that she didn’t leave her house for three days.

Successful presenters are authentic, even if they are not perfect. They are relatable, grounded and vulnerable. Instead of hiding their failures, imperfections and insecurities, they share them with the audience and build an emotional connection.

When the audience finds you relatable, they are more inclined to listen to you and take you seriously.

6. Conclude your presentation on a high.

Just like it’s important to start your presentation with a powerful hook, likewise, you need to conclude your presentation in such a way that it impacts your audience and leaves them thinking about your take-home message for a long time after.

There are several ways to close your presentation with style:

• End with a memorable quote
• Drive your main points home
• Close with a story
• Use a strong call to action

Here’s an infographic summarizing the main points above and more.

Read our guide to learn more about how to close a presentation in a powerful way .

7. Leave time for questions at the end.

Our last piece of advice for preparing for and presenting an effective presentation is to get your audience involved and allocate time for their comments and questions at the end of your presentation.

Everyone wants to be heard, and if you did your job correctly, you should have sparked some conversation starters from your audience by the end of your presentation.

Give them your time and attention at the end of your presentation to show them you care about your presentation and most importantly, them.

8. Prepare backup content.

No matter how well prepared you are, it’s always better to have a backup because not everything may go the same as you planned.

Despite whatever your intention is, as a presenter, you should always have a plan B, C and sometimes D for your presentation. Put together statements that will cover you if you find yourself upsetting the audience.

Problems may occur due to location changes, technical difficulties and many other factors; you must always be prepared. Your backup content can be anything that can change the game as needed.

For example, you can prepare some backup questions that you can ask according to the situation, some additional relatable examples or even a few slides with different design elements that you might need to meet the requirements of your audience.

Last but not least, here are some of the best presentation tips and practices that you can use as a final checklist when preparing for your presentation. This includes, but is not limited to:

Limit the amount of text on your slides

You don’t want to overwhelm your audience with too much information, it’s a great idea to try to keep your text to about 6-8 lines per slide. To check if your text is concise enough try to use K.I.S.S (keep it stupid simple). This will ensure that you effortlessly know how to create a good presentation slide regardless of the topic at hand.

Include practical examples

To keep your audience on track and prevent boredom, utilize real-life or practical examples that they can relate to in their everyday lives. This approach leaves a much stronger impact than simply informing them that the information exists.

Use presenter’s notes for additional information

Avoid cluttering slides with text; instead, add important information into presenter's notes to ensure clarity without sacrificing slide design.All of Visme’s presentations with a section to add presenter’s notes visible to only you in the designated area at the bottom without sacrificing beautiful slide design.

Here's a video showing how to use presentation notes in Visme

Consider your presentation’s mode of delivery

The delivery of your presentation is just as important as the details it contains. This will affect your presentation's design as well. For example, for standalone presentations, it’s a great idea to add more text into your slides. On the other hand, if you’re holding an in-person presentation, it might be a good idea to have less text on your slides.

Keep your slides on-brand

While designing your slides, always keep your brand identity in mind, especially if creating a crucial business presentation. It will distinguish you from competitors, prompt people to refer your products and services to others and connect people with your brand emotionally.

So, consider your brand colors, brand fonts, logo and other elements of your company’s visual identity. If you have not defined any of these elements, try choosing the design elements that match your brand personality and the theme of your presentation.

Do you still have pressing questions regarding presentation creation and Visme? These FAQs will clear your doubts.

Q. Is Visme Good for Presentations?

Yes, Visme is a great tool for making presentations. Here are the most important reasons why:

• You can create presentations from scratch, with content blocks or with pre-designed templates.
• There are millions of design elements available in the editor to help you craft professional-looking slides.
• Develop complete presentations with the AI Presentation Maker.
• Generate branded presentation templates with the AI Brand Wizard.
• Use the whiteboard feature to brainstorm, plan and outline a presentation with your team.
• Collaborate with colleagues using workflows and assign specific tasks to different people.
• Share your presentation in several ways: as a live link in flipbook format, as a live link in slide format and as a PDF.

Q. Is Visme Really Free?

Yes, Visme really is free. The Basic Plan is the ideal choice to take Visme for a test drive. You don’t need a credit card to sign up. Upgrading is easy if you want access to premium features.

The best thing about Visme, apart from being free, is that it’s not just a presentation maker. Visme is an all-in-one content authoring tool where you can create infographics, documents, social media posts and much more. That’s not all. Visme has a whole suite of AI tools, like the AI Document Generator , to help you create content fast and easy. The document maker helps you craft many types of documents in less than two minutes. Once generated they only need minimal customization to be finalized.

Q. What Is the Difference Between PowerPoint and Visme?

There are several differences between PowerPoint and Visme. Here are the most important:

Visme has a drag-and-drop editor, while PowerPoint has a limited editor with simple functionality.

The Visme presentation library has hundreds of ready-to-use templates compared to the limited amount that PowerPoint offers.

Visme has robust interactive popup features, while PowerPoint does not. You can even present presentations as a flipbook, while PowerPoint cannot. There are over 10,000 icons and graphics, while PowerPoint has much fewer. The lead generation capabilities and performance analytics features are robust, while PowerPoint doesn’t have these features.

Visme offers an entire suite of AI tools, like the image generator and image editing tools , while PowerPoint does not. With Visme, you can design much more than just presentations, like infographics, social media posts, interactive documents, and much more.

Visme has over 30 types of data visualizations, while PowerPoint has only 15. There's also a cutting-edge collaboration feature that supports collaboration with teams of all sizes. The workflow feature lets team members assign each other tasks or projects and work together. PowerPoint doesn’t have these features.

We've created an in-depth article to compare Visme and PowerPoint.

Q. When Starting a Presentation, What Is the First Crucial Step to Take?

The crucial first step when starting a presentation is to know the audience you’ll be presenting to.

Having a clear grasp of the audience’s needs before even starting the presentation outline will help you craft slides and content that speak directly to the viewer.

Then, when presenting, start off with a comment that engages with them quickly, helping you keep their attention throughout the slides and speech.

Visme: The Ultimate Presentation Design Tool

A powerful and visually stunning presentation is crucial in today's business landscape. And Visme provides an excellent platform for achieving that goal. With its user-friendly interface and extensive design tools, even beginners can create professional-looking presentations in no time.

Here is what one of our customers has to say about Visme’s presentation software and Visme presentation templates:

“Visme is easy to use! I'm a beginner, and after only two hours, I'm already making professional-looking slides for our company's board meeting in three days.”

One of the most significant advantages of Visme is the ability to customize every aspect of your presentation. Visme allows you to create a unique and captivating visual experience from the background color to the font style.

Additionally, Visme offers a vast library of pre-made templates, graphics and icons to help you get started.

So, whether you want to create a research presentation or a pitch deck to secure funding , Visme has everything you need.

Sign-up for Visme’s free online presentation design tool and start your presentation design journey now!

Create effective and captivating presentations with Visme

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About the Author

Nayomi Chibana is a journalist and writer for Visme’s Visual Learning Center. Besides researching trends in visual communication and next-generation storytelling, she’s passionate about data-driven content.

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• Presenting techniques

Presenting is a craft that requires a thoughtful approach. There’s a lot of stuff to include in the good presentation. From quality visuals to a compelling speech, everything matters. Doing a presentation on your own may be quite a challenge especially if it’s your first time experience with the presentations. What can really help though, are the effective presentation techniques. In essence, they are the blueprint for your presentation, that helps you to hit all the right spots. Let’s look into some of those techniques.

Presentation Methods

Before you start thinking of a technique, let’s first understand the presentation methods and how they relate to the audience and the content of your presentation. Among the different presentation methods, the main ones are formal and formal. Their difference is mainly in the style of your delivery and the data presentation methods. The formal presentation is best suited for the business meetings or college level, scientific presentations. The informal methods of presentation can best be used during the smaller meetings with your team to discuss business subjects or, for example, at a Ted-like speech event.

Method 1: Keeping Everything Simple

This is a rather basic technique. Just strip your presentation of all the unnecessary information, leaving only the core statements that you want to address. Simplicity not only helps your audience to understand your points better but even more, this data presentation method lowers the risk of making a mistake, forgetting — and saves you and your audience quite a lot of time! There are different definitions of simplicity — sometimes just a few words are enough, while in other cases several bullet points on the slide may be sufficient. Choose what suits your topic best.

Method 2: Good Start 

This method of presentation is all about attention-grabbing. Starting your presentation with a powerful statement, unusual fact or an interesting question will make the audience engage in your presentation instantly. Another great way to start is a joke, though humor can be quite a landmine, especially when you’re presenting in front of strangers, and you are not sure whether your joke would be fun or actually offensive.  So, try to think of something neutral, yet funny.

Method 3: Use  Visuals in your Presentation

Visuals are a must for any presentation and are able not only to support your speech but also to tell and contribute to the stuff you’re telling about. The pictures, graphs, infographics, and even short videos especially when done by presentation design services are what truly make the presentation, and help you to connect with your audience. A carefully selected visual connects both with your speech and the slide content, making your presentation methods work in complete harmony. What is more, visuals can serve as a great way to help you recall your speech in case you suddenly forgot some of it during the presentation.

Method 4:   Rehearse

Don’t rush to tell your presentation just once you’ve made it. Instead, try to first rehearse your presentation in front of a mirror. This presentation technique allows you to spot the mistakes and downfalls in your speech and visual part and improve powerpoint presentation . What is more, it can also make you more confident, as with each time you rehearse you’ll memorize your stuff better and better. Bonus points for starting rehearsing from the random spots in your presentation — using this presentation technique will allow you to become completely familiar with your information.

Method 5:   10/20/30 Presentation Rule

While it may not be applied to all of the presentations, the ones that you are usually dealing with can really benefit from it. 10 20 30 rule is about the time and size of your presentation: 

• Your presentation should have no more than 10 slides
• The time needed for the presentation should be no more than 20 minutes
• The font you are using for presentation text (if there is any on slides) is no less than 30 point

Method 6:  Storytelling

Telling a story is a powerful presentation technique for keeping the audience interested. In general, people get bored from being fed just straight-up facts and numbers for a long time. However, an interesting story, connected to the subject of your presentation gives that personal touch to it, engaging the audience into what you are talking about. What is more, a good story in the context of the presentation will actually resonate with the audience, causing more approval to you as an expert.

• Tell a personal  story .
• Create suspense.
• Bring characters to life.
• Build up to S.T.A.R moment.

Method 7:   Presentate with your Voice

Speech is the most common method of presentation . When you are presenting, it’s important not only WHAT you say, but also HOW do you say it. Creating a proper voice for presentations is actually one of the things you need rehearsal for. Your goal is to sound confident and interested in the subject you are telling about. What is more, it is important to not make unnecessary pauses and avoid the “ummm”, “oh” and other similar stuff that slows down your presentation and may put off the audience.

Method 8:   Know your Audience

Make sure that the data presentation methods you are using make your data  relevant to your audience. The research of your audience is needed to craft a relatable story, as well as to understand what approach in presenting you may want to take. After you’ve done the research, you can just tell the audience what it wants and expects to hear. Such an approach would result in the satisfied and interested audience enjoying your presentation. And in this case your presentation would surely and up being a huge success!

Method 9:   Back up plan

Even though you may plan everything in advance, something can always go wrong. The strange ability of the hardware to malfunction right in the middle of your presentation is probably one of the most known presentation-related memes. So, plan at least some of the bad scenarios. For example, have a printed set of slides with you during your presentation. Check everything right before you’ll start presenting. A good idea also is to have your script written out so that in case you have completely forgotten some of its parts, you can easily and quickly look into it and goon with the presentation.

Method 10:   Relax

This one is not only a presentation technique , but a great life technique as well. Actually, the most common reason for the mistakes during presentations are the nerves and fear a lot of people feel while presenting. It’s absolutely normal to be a little worried about the presentation, but you have to instill confidence in your knowledge and expertise with the subject among the audience, and it’s hard to do if you feel fear. Try to reason with yourself — you have rehearsed, prepared great visuals, learned about the audience and even have a plan B in case the situation gets worse. There’s nothing to worry about — you have all the right presentation techniques !

#ezw_tco-2 .ez-toc-widget-container ul.ez-toc-list li.active::before { background-color: #ededed; } Table of contents

• 50 tips on how to improve PowerPoint presentations in 2022-2023 [Updated]
• Present financial information visually in PowerPoint to drive results
• How to present a research paper in PPT: best practices
• Keynote VS PowerPoint

How to make a presentation interactive

8 rules of effective presentation

How to select and use fonts in PPT

Different Methods of Presenting Information

by Steve Milano

Published on 13 Apr 2018

When it comes to effectively delivering business messages, there’s truth in the saying, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.” Using the right methods for presenting specific messages can improve recipients’ understanding and help you persuade and motivate. Review your options before delivering information to any audience to ensure you maximize the effectiveness of your message.

Because of its convenience and the fact that it seems to be everywhere, with people having 24/7 access, email has become a default delivery system for information. The problem with email is that because it’s so prevalent, you’re competing with countless other messages. Once your message gets read, it’s often quickly lost among dozens of others. Other ways to send messages electronically include social media, website banners and pay-per-click ads. Consider the importance of your message when using electronic media to determine if long messages should be delivered as downloadable documents. Think about how your message will look on a mobile device versus a computer.

If you’d like people to hold your message in their hands and have easy access to refer to it later, consider brochures, fliers, ads, catalogs, reports, memos or letters. With the increase in electronic communications, print pieces stand out more and don’t compete with as many paper documents on a work desk. Print media have an advantage over electronic communication in that you won’t have to worry about how the message looks on devices and computers with different display settings.

Face-to-Face

If the majority of your sales efforts are done via email or over the phone, review potential customers you haven’t been able to crack and evaluate whether the cost of an in-person meeting might be worth the potential sales. Face-to-face meetings let you get more personal, evaluate the body language of your peers, demonstrate products and use visual aids. Similarly, as you’re getting ready to circulate yet another employee memo or blast email, consider whether you’d make a bigger impact if you called everyone together in a meeting to make the announcement. The questions and feedback you receive instantly go the to whole group.

Teleconference

If you can’t afford to get everyone in the same room, consider teleconferencing. Telemeetings give you many of the same benefits of face-to-face communications without the travel costs and scheduling headaches. You can schedule these meetings on short notice, and even technophobes can learn how to use basic video technology that often comes free with a smartphone or personal computer.

Visual Aids

Standing in front of a group and speaking for long periods while holding notes in your hand can become monotonous. Using visual aids will better engage attendees and make your points. Charts and graphs give a visual pop to numbers you’re presenting, having an instant impact on your audience. Learn to use programs such as PowerPoint to create informational graphics that organize your thoughts, help you emphasize them and highlight key concepts. Even a humble chalkboard or dry erase board can help you make points more clearly.

What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

by Carmine Gallo

Summary .   

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

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

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Do Presentation Methods Matter? 5 Ways on How to Present Information

Presentation methods may vary, but the objective remains the same: achieve validation for an idea, proposal or action. However, a presentation’s impact depends on several factors. Chief among them is the choice of which methods to employ.

For instance, will a simple speech with no visual aids be enough to carry your message across? Or, will you need visuals like images, graphs, charts and tables to bolster your ideas?

Studies show lack of preparation is the reason 90% of people experience anxiety before a presentation. To overcome that problem, much thought and preparation should go into a presentation before you ever start on the first slide.

All in all, presentation methods matter when you’re conveying a message. But how that message affects your audience depends greatly on how you communicate your ideas.

Presentation Skills Basics

The art of the presentation covers more than just explaining an idea. Everything you do in front of an audience can influence the way it reacts to your presentation. This is why presenters must stay in control when speaking in front of a group of people.

Any small gesture or unscripted words can cause a distraction. How do you think the audience will react if a speaker keeps yawning while delivering a speech? At the same time, listeners would have trouble keeping up when confronted with slides that are crammed full of text.

Here are some ways to keep the audience engaged throughout your presentation:

Show Enthusiasm When Presenting an Idea

Nothing turns off listeners more than watching a presenter who’s bored with his own show. How do you expect to engage others when you can’t even engage yourself?

To sell an idea, a speaker must first sell themselves. Not only should you know what you’re talking about, but you must also give an air of confidence when sharing your ideas. Combining both attributes can boost a your enthusiasm levels, which can carry over to the audience during the talk.

Control Your Body Language and Mannerisms

Excessive on-stage body movement can distract the audience enough that they stop listening and start watching instead. Remember, communication also involves non-verbal language, so listeners might be tuning into your movements more than they should.

For example, fidgeting on stage can signal nervousness or uncertainty, which the audience might mistake for a lack of confidence. Conversely, acting overly confident and dismissive can come across as negative. The crowd may want to listen and learn, but they don’t want to be lectured.

Keep Things Simple

When discussing an idea or proposal, avoid veering off topic or including so much information that the audience begins to disengage. You should make it simple for listeners to easily grasp what you’re communicating.

Now, this doesn’t mean using friendly terms or talking slowly. What’s more important is the effort you made to understand your audience before your presentation. Are you speaking in front of engineers? Then you should be comfortable using terms and acronyms they’re already familiar with. Are you talking to buyers? Cut down on jargon, focus on solutions and have the numbers ready even before they ask. Knowing your audience and preparing your talk accordingly is a much better approach than simply dialing down your language.

When presenting, focus on the fact that you have a great idea that can benefit many people. Your immediate goal should be to use your limited time to share this exciting idea as enthusiastically and completely as possible without going overboard.

Importance of Presentation Skills

Communication and presentation skills are important assets to have across all industries. Unfortunately, presentation skills are not inherent traits a person is born with. The good news, however, is that they can be easily learned. Even better, with enough practice and continual refinement, anyone can master the various presentation methods.

Skill in Presentation Methods Can Lead to Corporate Success

Many professions rely on skilled presentation methods to get the job done, including teachers, HR trainers and management executives. These positions depend highly on the employee’s ability to communicate with their audiences. Their presentation skills help them master their jobs every day. Sales representatives are no exception.

A salesperson’s career relies on the ability to convert leads into customers. This includes the extraordinary ability to convince buyers that their proposed solution outshines the rest of the field. More importantly, the savvy sales rep should possess presentation skills that are better than their competitors.

The mastery of various presentation methods can lead an employee to earn a distinctive role in the company. Not everybody can keep an audience engaged, informed and entertained at the same time. If you can master this ability, rest assured that your company will create every opportunity to put those skills to the test. Here are specific instances where skilled presentation methods can ensure professional success:

Acing the Job Interview

For many employees, the earliest part of their successful career path started by acing that final job interview. Having sharp presentation skills can immediately set you apart from other candidates and mark you as a potential leader among recruiters.

By mastering various presentation methods, the ideal candidate has demonstrated they have the confidence and the skills to represent the company both within and outside the office walls. As a result, the company is more than happy to add the necessary training and knowledge to develop the candidate into a model employee.

Closing the Deal

Of course, the bulk of a sales representative’s work is convincing the client their solution is better than all others combined. While many companies offer products that check all the buyer’s boxes, how the sales rep positions their solution often plays the definitive part in getting the big yes.

It starts with the sales representative clearly demonstrating the company understands the client’s problem. Then, they offer a solution that dovetails with the specific problems. Finally, mastery of presentation methods allows the sales rep to skillfully handle objections and close the deal.

At some point in their careers, all other non-sales employees will also find the need to act as salespersons to advance the interests of their department. During annual budget meetings, for instance, many employees will be asked to present their department proposals. They’ll need to convince finance bosses and upper management of the importance of their projects to get the budget approvals they need.

Winning Public Opinion

Many people form their opinions of companies based on what they hear or read about them. Skillful presentation methods can also help a company get out of a potential public relations disaster. Even in the midst of a serious problem, a veteran PR person can convey the company’s utmost sincerity in righting a perceived misstep or inaction. In other cases, an enthusiastic presenter armed with an equally great presentation can highlight a company’s social responsibility programs and show that it gives as much as it takes from the community.

Specific Presentation Skills That Are Valuable in the Workplace

Mastering the art of presenting requires a number of talents. Savvy presenters know they can’t rely on content alone. After all, a successful storyteller might have a very interesting tale to tell, but they’ll also need to apply various other skills to make a story stand out and resonate with its listeners. Outside of confidence, here are additional attributes that can enhance a person’s presentation skills:

Public Speaking

All presentation methods involve speaking in front of an audience. Therefore, a basic requirement is public speaking. Those without a love for storytelling or the confidence to talk to strangers will soon find presenting a heavy burden that gets harder to perform every time.

Organization

Another necessary skill to master is the ability to organize thoughts into a coherent and orderly presentation. Like any story, a presentation must have a logical beginning, middle and end. An organized person should have no problems arranging and composing a story that moves in a logical sequence the audience can easily follow. Otherwise, the presentation could become an incoherent mess that’s hard to follow and harder to agree with.

Time Management

Not all audiences have time to endure a 30-minute presentation. The skilled presenter should know the set limit for a presentation and be able to condense their slideshow into a version that fits the allotted time. In some cases, a busy client won’t even have time to sit in a meeting with a seller, so they’ll settle for an elevator pitch . Given that last-second reprieve, the intrepid salesperson should be ready and take that shot.

Empathy With Audiences

By itself, empathy is already a key skill to learn. Applied to the workplace and to presentation methods, this ability becomes even more valuable. It takes a certain kind of talent to master public speaking, and even more so public listening. Being attuned to what the audience feels in certain situations is a great way to steer your presentation in the right direction. For sales presenters, acknowledging your audience’s pain points reinforces the idea that the proposed solution can solve its specific problems.

Sense of Humor

The masterful presenter knows how to laugh with their audience. Adding some light moments to heavy presentations can ease the building tension. It also puts the audience in a better mood to accept new ideas or listen to offered solutions. Of course, jokes and witty humor should always remain within the confines of good taste to remain effective.

Presentation Software Skills

As great presentations require great visual support, skilled presenters know how valuable the right presentation software is. Learning how to operate presentation software to produce awesome content is a valuable skill everybody should strive for.

The Bottom Line: Improved Presentation Methods

Mastering these abilities will sharpen a person’s presentation skills and improve their presentation methods. By applying these attributes to certain situations, they’re more likely to engage the crowd. Ultimately, this can make your audience more receptive to proposed ideas and less resistant to closing a sale.

More importantly, great presentation skills can lead to better relationships with clients. When the client confirms you have their best interests at heart, they can rightly conclude that your solutions can address their specific concerns. Thanks to a mastery of presentation methods, what started as an opportunity to tell a story can turn into a successful long-term partnership.

The Importance of Presentation Skills in Sales

For sales in particular, possessing refined presentation skills means being ready to talk to clients at all times. Admittedly, not all client encounters end on a happy note. But enhancing your sales team’s presentation methods can help them anticipate and deal with every possible uncertainty.

Presentation skills also encourage sales teams to learn more about their prospects. Crafting a unique presentation that caters to their specific requirements means taking the time to listen to and understand clients. Otherwise, they risk creating and sharing a presentation that’s far from what buyers expected.

Finally, presentation skills allow sales teams to collaborate with each other and with other departments like marketing and customer service. Using the right cloud-based presentation software, members can remotely share their expertise in every presentation before it goes to the client.

The Importance of Presentation Skills in Marketing

For marketing, building up presentation skills is equally crucial in achieving the company’s objectives. Digital marketing guru Neil Patel noted that most of the important personality traits found in successful marketers are also found in people with exceptional presentation skills. He added that for marketing personnel, having the right presentation skills can directly help brand efforts.

When presenting before an audience, a savvy marketer can increase brand trust, raise awareness and even drive sales. All it takes is a well-designed, well-crafted and superbly delivered presentation.

Besides, it’s marketing’s job to deliver the finer points to the rest of the organization, including brand reports, market analysis and even customer profiles. Marketing needs to share this information with the sales team so it can focus efforts in the right places.

Additionally, marketing produces the content that’s responsible for promoting the brand and driving demand. With marketing having a great story to tell, they’ll need an equally great presentation to get sales to buy in. Without the requisite presentation skills and methods, sales may not get the entire picture or understand the whole story.

Presentation Methods and Techniques

Like stories, presentations come in different forms and travel in various ways to arrive at an ending. What works for one presentation might not necessarily produce the same effect in another. Some start with an action-packed opening, while others take their sweet time getting to the conclusion. Meanwhile, other presenters prefer delivering a story that’s short, sweet and to the point.

The variety of methods is one of the great things about making a presentation. You can mix and match various techniques to come up with your own unique stories the audience will love.

These are some of the more popular presentation methods and techniques used by many successful presenters over the years:

Start With a Hook

Almost all successful artists will say the first few seconds of a show determine its success. Similarly, a presenter needs to jump-start the conversation immediately or risk losing the audience. Forbes is a bit more merciful on attention spans. The media company reported the average audience member will give a presenter a full 10 minutes before starting to tune them out .

Whether 10 seconds or 10 minutes, a presenter must realize that once onstage, they’re living on borrowed time. They need to engage the audience to keep it in the room until the exciting conclusion.

Starting your presentation by muttering “Thank you for coming” and showing an outline isn’t exactly a crowd-pleaser. Instead, jump-start the session by opening with a story (preferably one related to the topic), a humorous anecdote (similarly related) or a question directed at the audience. Whatever opening you decide on, make sure it can capture a drifting audience’s attention and make it stick around.

If you plan on using a hook to catch your listeners off-guard, make sure the intro remains pertinent to the discussion. Note that an off-topic hook can fall flat without additional relevance. Whatever the hook attempt, just make sure that once you have their attention, you make their time worthwhile.

10/20/30 Presentation

How long should a presentation last? We know 10 minutes is the threshold before audiences begin to peel themselves away from the discussion. But a typically compelling presentation will likely take more than 10 minutes unless it’s a TED Talk . A typical TED Talk runs less than 10 minutes, and organizers have said the 18-minute limit is an absolute cut-off and not an approximation.

Considering a person’s average attention span, former Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki thought of the 10/20/30 rule when making a presentation. The 10/20/30 rule simply states that an effective presentation should:

• Have 10 slides
• Take less than 20 minutes
• Use a font size smaller than 30 pts

Kawasaki said he originally came up with the rule to prevent an attack of Ménière’s disease, which makes listening to any presentation uncomfortable after a few minutes.  As a venture capitalist, he had to listen to an inordinate amount of pitches that often run down the allotted 60 minutes with excessive slides or unnecessary details. For the 10/20/30 rule, a presenter has 10 slides to make his point within 20 minutes. That gives them the remaining 40 minutes to answer any questions or close the deal.

Storytelling

Who doesn’t love hearing stories, especially new ones? Stories have a logical sequence that starts at the origin and ends after a successful resolution of the conflict. In between, the protagonist witnesses the development of conflict and will often arrive at a climactic scene to attempt a resolution.

In telling a story, a presenter usually bridges the narrative with the actual topic to establish relevance. A good, happy ending in the story can also mean happy endings for the audience if it buys the product or uses the offered solution.

Storytelling presentation methods take many forms aside from a heroic journey. They also include nested loops, where a storyteller refers to a story as told to another person. Meanwhile, sparklines describe a real-world situation contrasted with an alternate but more positive scenario. Another story type is the false start, where the hero attempts multiple wrong solutions before ending up with the right one.

Whatever storytelling method a presenter chooses, the presentation story should only take around one and a half minutes to complete. Anything longer or more complicated to narrate might take its toll on a restless audience. Instead of delivering a powerful analogy, listeners might turn against the presenter and the product out of disappointment.

Presentation Styles

Apart from various presentation methods, there are also a number of presentation styles to choose from. Styles are the manners in which a presentation is made. Here are five of the more common and popular presentation styles used by people to effectively convey their desired message. Often, the complexity of a presentation determines the type of presentation style used.

1. Freeform Style

As the name implies, the freeform presentation style relies on the presenter knowing their script well enough to present on the spot. This presentation method is great for speakers who don’t require slideshow backgrounds and aren’t afraid to deliver impromptu speeches.

The freeform style is a great presentation method to use when pressed for time or asked on the spot. However, anybody attempting to deliver a freeform presentation without actually knowing the content details will likely get into trouble as questions start flowing.

2. Visual Style

The visual presentation style is the use of graphic elements to support an oral presentation being delivered. This entails the use of slideshow presentation software to display supporting images in the background while the speaker tells the story. Graphs, charts, tables and stock images can enhance the presentation and add more detail to an already informative slideshow.

Visuals are great when explaining complicated topics or ideas that have data points. However, visuals are useless if the presenter’s topic is abstract and short. In these cases, a freeform style is likely what’s needed.

3. Instructor Style

Similar to the visual style, the instructor style takes on complicated presentation topics requiring lots of analogies, figures of speeches and data points. As the presenter aims to educate the audience, the instructor’s style requires a lot of support images as well as a long, instructional oral presentation. Teachers, trainers and coaches often use this presentation style to explain complicated topics or visually show how products, services or processes work.

The instructor presentation style is great to use when you need to go over a complex set of instructions with your audience. However, be careful when applying metaphors and other figures of speech. Using too many analogies might backfire and confuse your audience more. Unless you have thorough knowledge of what’s being presented, you shouldn’t attempt instructor presentations.

4. Lessig Style

Named after Harvard professor and founder of the Center for Internet and Society Lawrence Lessig , the Lessig style is a rapid-paced presentation style geared toward larger audiences. In this style, each slide can stay onscreen for a maximum of 15 seconds. In addition, text will only appear on a slide if it matches the speaker’s exact words.

The Lessig style is an ideal approach to use when making a fast presentation within a specific time limit. The quick pace is great for engaging and educating large audiences. Conversely, the Lessig style won’t work as well with novice presenters who might find the pace too frantic for their experience level.

5. Takahashi Style

The Takahashi style of presentation, named after its proponent Masayoshi Takahashi, is the opposite of graphics-heavy Lessig and visual styles. In fact, there are no visuals found in the Takahashi style of presentations. Instead, text in super large fonts dominates each slide. Users select a keyword to display for every slide.

While innovative, the Takahashi style is more suitable for non-Latin alphabet languages such as Japanese and Korean. Also, most of those who attend a Takahashi-style presentation will need to listen more carefully during the presentation due to the lack of supporting visuals.

Why Choosing the Right Presentation Methods Is Important

Matching the presentation with the presentation style is important. It takes time to develop an actual, effective slideshow. And if you happen to choose the wrong format when developing a presentation, you could find yourself either lacking content to display or severely in need of additional slides.

For example, applying the Takahashi style to an instructor-style presentation can backfire badly . Instructor presentations require a steady stream of visuals such as graphs, tables, charts and images. However, the Takahashi style doesn’t use images in the presentation. Another example would be insisting on applying a Lessig style of presentation to freeform presentations, which don’t require visual backgrounds.

How to Choose the Right Presentation Style

To avoid making costly mistakes, always check the presentation requirements first. Determine if your presentation requires visuals, images or simply supportive background. Then, consider the length and complexity of your presentation. When speaking, will you need more than 15 seconds per slide? If yes, you can eliminate rapid-pace styles like Lessig and freeform and instead focus on visual-rich styles.

You’ll also need to consider your audience before finalizing the style to use. Do listeners need detailed information to appreciate your presentation better? Or, have they heard you present before and somewhat know what you’re talking about? The answer to both questions can help determine whether you need a rapid-fire presentation method or an explainer style that’s heavy on visuals.

Finally, think about how you plan to end the presentation. The call to action can also influence the style required. For instance, pitching for funding or asking the crowd to buy your product will require lots of charts and data proof for your thesis. But for raising brand awareness or increasing your brand visibility, a session of compelling storytelling can do the trick.

Best Practices for Creating a Powerful Presentation

Creating a presentation shouldn’t be a heavy burden, especially when dealing with topics you and your team are very familiar with. Use these popular practices to bring together the best elements for your next presentation:

Present Problems, Then Show Solutions

As a solutions provider, the audience will expect you to be familiar with its problems.  Otherwise, it wouldn’t bother showing up to your presentation. By acknowledging a customer’s pain points and tying them to your offered solutions, you can increase the perceived value of your product or service.

Getting to the root of the audience’s pain points will require heavy research prior to your talk. An exploratory interview can help determine the right people to talk to about their challenges. Once you identify them, have a quick meeting to learn more about their concerns.

However, start in-depth discussions about potential solutions with your team only after you’re sure you understand the client’s predicament. Then, before adopting a solution, have your team attack each proposal to see if they’ll stand to scrutiny. As a result, you’ll come to the next meeting ready and confident the solutions you propose tailor-fit the specific problems the client is facing.

Did you notice that, throughout the process, the word “selling” was never mentioned? That’s because buying will occur naturally once the audience realizes what you have is exactly what it needs.

Be a Showman in Your Presentation

Being a showman doesn’t necessarily mean including a song-and-dance routine in your scheduled pitch. However, making an impact and getting engagement means creating a lasting impression that should linger well after the presentation.

The secret to making a killer presentation is plain old prep work. If you know the information like the back of your hand, you’ll have no problem presenting your case, even among objections and skeptics. Knowing your stuff can also give you a massive boost of confidence, as you can repeatedly get back on track despite a myriad of distractions. In a room full of expectant audience members, stay confident and project a calm and collected but passionate attitude. You’ll know you’ve made it when the crowd sees you as someone genuinely interested in helping others solve a problem.

Additionally, stay aware of your presentation limits. If you have a strict time allotment, make sure you use an applicable presentation method like a 10/20/30 or a controlled but engaging storytelling session.

Being a showman means having the audience buy into your ideas. By keeping listeners interested in the presentation contents, they’re more likely to recognize your proposal’s value and accept your solution.

Believe in Your Product

Being a pitchman who’s not confident about your product is a losing proposition. You should be the biggest, most excited kid in the room when it comes to showing off what you have to offer. The moment you reveal your product, the audience should stop seeing you as a salesperson and instead see you as a solutions provider.

However, be careful when acting as a product evangelist. Your belief in your product should be authentic and not something motivated by a desire to close a deal. Audiences can spot a shill easily, and pretending can seriously hamper your efforts to come across as genuinely interested in solving their problems.

Engage Your Audience

Engaging your audience doesn’t mean telling it what it wants to hear. Your choice of presentation methods and styles will greatly affect how your audience reacts to everything you say. So if you took the time to learn what can engage your clients, then you’ll find it even easier to connect with them while you’re onstage.

Audience engagement also means keeping clients in the conversation instead of staying locked in a monologue. Ask audience members questions and let them share experiences. Keep the conversation flowing in the direction that ends with you providing a solution.

Finally, engaging means getting the audience to see things your way before arriving at the conclusion. The trick in doing so lies in two things: how prepared your story is, and how prepared the audience is to listen to that story. Your knowledge of the client’s problems, your confidence in the solution and your genuine interest in helping combine to make your presentation engaging, memorable and productive.

How Tools Help Improve Your Presentation Methods

The tools you use to build your story can help the audience buy into your ideas. For instance, in some cases, a client’s busy schedule means they can only view your presentation on their own time rather than hearing you deliver it in person. If you use the right tools when creating your presentation , then you shouldn’t be afraid of losing your advantage.

Choosing cloud-based interactive presentation software lets you develop a presentation that tells the story in the manner you want it to. Interactive elements allow you to add details that show up when the viewer performs an action. It also helps if you make your presentation dynamic and enable viewers to move back and forth between different sections when reading. That way, they can revisit certain areas and ideas to validate your points. More importantly, it allows for better-looking and more engaging content .

During the development, collaboration features allow you to get input from your team members remotely. Working jointly on a presentation now means logging into a cloud app instead of having an all-nighter at the office. With easier collaboration comes more efficient ways to share ideas and make improvements .

More Tips and Tricks to Help Develop Your Presentation Methods

A presenter is only as good as their last presentation. So, there’s definitely work needed to be done to keep your presentation skills fresh, relevant and engaging.

Practice and Polish

Perfecting your presentation methods requires you to sharpen your skills every chance you get. It also means you’ll have to put in additional work to improve the output of every presentation.

Continuous improvements also mean taking the time to polish your work before sending presentations off to clients. Having your peers review and make comments or suggestions can help you see things you previously didn’t notice. That’s why additional pairs of eyes should always be appreciated when they’re available.

Watch Other Presenters

To become a master in any craft, you must start as a student. Even if you’re already a seasoned presenter, you can’t go wrong looking up other notable presenters and learning how they captivate an audience or save a doomed presentation at the last minute. For the presentation scholar, listening to great speeches from the past can give you ideas on how master orators can keep an audience hanging onto every word.

Take Advantage of Technology

Making use of existing tech tools can give you an edge when competing for attention with your rivals. For example, use cloud-based interactive presentation software to breathe more life into the stories you tell. In addition, take advantage of collaboration and productivity software to share your work with your team and get their input.

Upgrade Your Presentation Methods With Ingage

Presenting is a skill many people desire to have but few want to work on. Selling an idea is easier if you know your audience and are aware of its problems. More importantly, you should believe in your solutions and confidently stand by them. To show the world all this knowledge requires awesome presentation skills and mastery of various presentation methods. While research and practice make perfect, using modern tools can also help improve your presentation skills.

Ingage is cloud-based interactive presentation software that helps you and your team create engaging content for your clients. Collaboration features allow you to remotely share your work with your team so you can jointly develop the presentation. Once finished, simply send the presentation link to your clients so they can view the pitch at their leisure.

Ingage’s analytics features also allow you to track viewer responses to your presentation. In addition, it can tell you which sections resonated with your audience and which areas need improvement.

Let Ingage turn your presentations into engaging, compelling stories clients can relate to. Contact us today, and we’ll be happy to arrange a free demonstration .

Princeton Correspondents on Undergraduate Research

How to Make a Successful Research Presentation

Turning a research paper into a visual presentation is difficult; there are pitfalls, and navigating the path to a brief, informative presentation takes time and practice. As a TA for  GEO/WRI 201: Methods in Data Analysis & Scientific Writing this past fall, I saw how this process works from an instructor’s standpoint. I’ve presented my own research before, but helping others present theirs taught me a bit more about the process. Here are some tips I learned that may help you with your next research presentation:

More is more

In general, your presentation will always benefit from more practice, more feedback, and more revision. By practicing in front of friends, you can get comfortable with presenting your work while receiving feedback. It is hard to know how to revise your presentation if you never practice. If you are presenting to a general audience, getting feedback from someone outside of your discipline is crucial. Terms and ideas that seem intuitive to you may be completely foreign to someone else, and your well-crafted presentation could fall flat.

Less is more

Limit the scope of your presentation, the number of slides, and the text on each slide. In my experience, text works well for organizing slides, orienting the audience to key terms, and annotating important figures–not for explaining complex ideas. Having fewer slides is usually better as well. In general, about one slide per minute of presentation is an appropriate budget. Too many slides is usually a sign that your topic is too broad.

Limit the scope of your presentation

Don’t present your paper. Presentations are usually around 10 min long. You will not have time to explain all of the research you did in a semester (or a year!) in such a short span of time. Instead, focus on the highlight(s). Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

You will not have time to explain all of the research you did. Instead, focus on the highlights. Identify a single compelling research question which your work addressed, and craft a succinct but complete narrative around it.

Craft a compelling research narrative

After identifying the focused research question, walk your audience through your research as if it were a story. Presentations with strong narrative arcs are clear, captivating, and compelling.

• Introduction (exposition — rising action)

Orient the audience and draw them in by demonstrating the relevance and importance of your research story with strong global motive. Provide them with the necessary vocabulary and background knowledge to understand the plot of your story. Introduce the key studies (characters) relevant in your story and build tension and conflict with scholarly and data motive. By the end of your introduction, your audience should clearly understand your research question and be dying to know how you resolve the tension built through motive.

• Methods (rising action)

The methods section should transition smoothly and logically from the introduction. Beware of presenting your methods in a boring, arc-killing, ‘this is what I did.’ Focus on the details that set your story apart from the stories other people have already told. Keep the audience interested by clearly motivating your decisions based on your original research question or the tension built in your introduction.

• Results (climax)

Less is usually more here. Only present results which are clearly related to the focused research question you are presenting. Make sure you explain the results clearly so that your audience understands what your research found. This is the peak of tension in your narrative arc, so don’t undercut it by quickly clicking through to your discussion.

• Discussion (falling action)

By now your audience should be dying for a satisfying resolution. Here is where you contextualize your results and begin resolving the tension between past research. Be thorough. If you have too many conflicts left unresolved, or you don’t have enough time to present all of the resolutions, you probably need to further narrow the scope of your presentation.

• Conclusion (denouement)

Return back to your initial research question and motive, resolving any final conflicts and tying up loose ends. Leave the audience with a clear resolution of your focus research question, and use unresolved tension to set up potential sequels (i.e. further research).

Use your medium to enhance the narrative

Visual presentations should be dominated by clear, intentional graphics. Subtle animation in key moments (usually during the results or discussion) can add drama to the narrative arc and make conflict resolutions more satisfying. You are narrating a story written in images, videos, cartoons, and graphs. While your paper is mostly text, with graphics to highlight crucial points, your slides should be the opposite. Adapting to the new medium may require you to create or acquire far more graphics than you included in your paper, but it is necessary to create an engaging presentation.

The most important thing you can do for your presentation is to practice and revise. Bother your friends, your roommates, TAs–anybody who will sit down and listen to your work. Beyond that, think about presentations you have found compelling and try to incorporate some of those elements into your own. Remember you want your work to be comprehensible; you aren’t creating experts in 10 minutes. Above all, try to stay passionate about what you did and why. You put the time in, so show your audience that it’s worth it.

For more insight into research presentations, check out these past PCUR posts written by Emma and Ellie .

— Alec Getraer, Natural Sciences Correspondent

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The formal presentation of information is divided into two broad categories: Presentation Skills and Personal Presentation .

These two aspects are interwoven and can be described as the preparation, presentation and practice of verbal and non-verbal communication. 

This article describes what a presentation is and defines some of the key terms associated with presentation skills.

Many people feel terrified when asked to make their first public talk.  Some of these initial fears can be reduced by good preparation that also lays the groundwork for making an effective presentation.

A Presentation Is...

A presentation is a means of communication that can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team.

A presentation can also be used as a broad term that encompasses other ‘speaking engagements’ such as making a speech at a wedding, or getting a point across in a video conference.

To be effective, step-by-step preparation and the method and means of presenting the information should be carefully considered. 

A presentation requires you to get a message across to the listeners and will often contain a ' persuasive ' element. It may, for example, be a talk about the positive work of your organisation, what you could offer an employer, or why you should receive additional funding for a project.

The Key Elements of a Presentation

Making a presentation is a way of communicating your thoughts and ideas to an audience and many of our articles on communication are also relevant here, see: What is Communication? for more.

Consider the following key components of a presentation:

Ask yourself the following questions to develop a full understanding of the context of the presentation.

When and where will you deliver your presentation?

There is a world of difference between a small room with natural light and an informal setting, and a huge lecture room, lit with stage lights. The two require quite different presentations, and different techniques.

Will it be in a setting you are familiar with, or somewhere new?

If somewhere new, it would be worth trying to visit it in advance, or at least arriving early, to familiarise yourself with the room.

Will the presentation be within a formal or less formal setting?

A work setting will, more or less by definition, be more formal, but there are also various degrees of formality within that.

Will the presentation be to a small group or a large crowd?

Are you already familiar with the audience?

With a new audience, you will have to build rapport quickly and effectively, to get them on your side.

What equipment and technology will be available to you, and what will you be expected to use?

In particular, you will need to ask about microphones and whether you will be expected to stand in one place, or move around.

What is the audience expecting to learn from you and your presentation?

Check how you will be ‘billed’ to give you clues as to what information needs to be included in your presentation.

All these aspects will change the presentation. For more on this, see our page on Deciding the Presentation Method .

The role of the presenter is to communicate with the audience and control the presentation.

Remember, though, that this may also include handing over the control to your audience, especially if you want some kind of interaction.

You may wish to have a look at our page on Facilitation Skills for more.

The audience receives the presenter’s message(s).

However, this reception will be filtered through and affected by such things as the listener’s own experience, knowledge and personal sense of values.

See our page: Barriers to Effective Communication to learn why communication can fail.

The message or messages are delivered by the presenter to the audience.

The message is delivered not just by the spoken word ( verbal communication ) but can be augmented by techniques such as voice projection, body language, gestures, eye contact ( non-verbal communication ), and visual aids.

The message will also be affected by the audience’s expectations. For example, if you have been billed as speaking on one particular topic, and you choose to speak on another, the audience is unlikely to take your message on board even if you present very well . They will judge your presentation a failure, because you have not met their expectations.

The audience’s reaction and therefore the success of the presentation will largely depend upon whether you, as presenter, effectively communicated your message, and whether it met their expectations.

As a presenter, you don’t control the audience’s expectations. What you can do is find out what they have been told about you by the conference organisers, and what they are expecting to hear. Only if you know that can you be confident of delivering something that will meet expectations.

See our page: Effective Speaking for more information.

How will the presentation be delivered?

Presentations are usually delivered direct to an audience.  However, there may be occasions where they are delivered from a distance over the Internet using video conferencing systems, such as Skype.

It is also important to remember that if your talk is recorded and posted on the internet, then people may be able to access it for several years. This will mean that your contemporaneous references should be kept to a minimum.

Impediments

Many factors can influence the effectiveness of how your message is communicated to the audience.

For example background noise or other distractions, an overly warm or cool room, or the time of day and state of audience alertness can all influence your audience’s level of concentration.

As presenter, you have to be prepared to cope with any such problems and try to keep your audience focussed on your message.   

Our page: Barriers to Communication explains these factors in more depth.

Continue to read through our Presentation Skills articles for an overview of how to prepare and structure a presentation, and how to manage notes and/or illustrations at any speaking event.

Continue to: Preparing for a Presentation Deciding the Presentation Method

See also: Writing Your Presentation | Working with Visual Aids Coping with Presentation Nerves | Dealing with Questions Learn Better Presentation Skills with TED Talks

.css-1qrtm5m{display:block;margin-bottom:8px;text-transform:uppercase;font-size:14px;line-height:1.5714285714285714;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.35px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.35px;letter-spacing:-0.35px;font-weight:300;color:#606F7B;}@media (min-width:600px){.css-1qrtm5m{font-size:16px;line-height:1.625;-webkit-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-moz-letter-spacing:-0.5px;-ms-letter-spacing:-0.5px;letter-spacing:-0.5px;}} Best Practices 5 essential preparation steps for a successful presentation

by Tom Rielly • June 15, 2020

Keeping your presentation visuals minimalistic, simple, and clear is just one important step to remember when designing a hit presentation. Leaving nothing to chance, great presenters prove quite methodical as they prepare. Here’s a checklist for everything you need to keep in mind before your next presentation:

1. Choose the right software for your needs

The easiest way to select the right presentation software for you is to simply find the one that is native to your device. For example, if you have a Mac, use Apple Keynote, if you work on Windows, use PowerPoint. Google Slides is recommended if you’re working with someone, as it makes collaboration very easy. Another software option is Prezi: a specialty tool called Prezi that creates a presentation using motion, zoom, and panning across one giant visual space.

2. Organize your files

As you develop your script and visuals, you will need to start assembling all the assets for your slides. Create a unique folder on your computer to hold these items. Keep the folder organized by media type (presentation drafts, photos, videos, scripts) and back them up frequently to the Cloud or external disk. Label each file with a specific descriptive name, e.g. “Susan Johnson singing magpie 2020”, as opposed to “IMG_4043.jpg”, which can make it confusing to find your assets. The more organized you are up front, the easier preparing for your presentation will be.

3. Prepare your presentation materials

Make sure your presentation materials (script, graphics, actual slides) are saved in at least two safe spots (for example, your computer and an external USB drive) and are backed-up frequently. If you are using an online presentation software, such as Google Slides, be sure to also download a copy of your presentation in case the internet connection is unreliable. Having all the individual assets on hand in addition to your presentation slides can be helpful if you experience tech issues before presenting, or if you need to make any last minute changes. Make sure to label your final presentation with the title and your name so it’s easy to find.

4. Practice, practice, practice!

Remember, practice makes perfect. People often run out of time making their presentations and have no time to practice. Most TED speakers practice at least ten times. Neuroscientist Jill-Bolte Taylor gave one of the most successful Talks in TED history with nearly 27 million views. How did she do it? She practiced her Talk over 40 times! By rehearsing multiple times you will naturally memorize your Talk, which means you won’t need note cards when you give your final presentation.

5. Do a final test run

Before presenting, make sure the equipment you need is working properly. It’s generally good practice to rehearse standing on the exact stage with the exact lighting using the exact computer that you will be using in your final presentation.

Here’s a quick checklist of what to look for when testing your equipment:

• If you're not using your own computer, the one provided might be slower and have trouble playing media. If you have videos or other media, make sure they play correctly
• Test the projector to make sure it’s HD
• Make sure images are clear
• Test the sound of any clips you use, as this is what goes wrong most frequently
• If you’re using a mic, test the volume

Don’t let technical issues or other blunders overshadow your presentation. By following these guidelines, and with a little preparation, you can engineer out the problems BEFORE they happen.

Ready to learn more about how to make your presentation even better? Get TED Masterclass and develop your ideas into TED-style talks

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