how to give a stellar presentation

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10 tips to create a stellar, engaging presentation deck

Presentations and public speaking are not everybody’s cup of tea. But, an engaging deck can help ensure your presentation goes smoothly. It not only helps attract and keep the viewers’ attention, but can also aid you in better getting your message across. While a poorly designed and executed presentation can distract, a stellar presentation deck will help you achieve your goals. Read on for 10 tips to ensure your presentations are visually pleasing and engaging:

1. First and foremost, focus on the content

As important as it is to have a visually dynamic presentation deck, the key component to your presentation is interesting and engaging content that is relevant to your audience. Create an outline for your presentation and ensure the points you make are interesting, concise and key to the topic at hand.

2. Develop a look for the presentation and continue that look throughout the deck

Having visual consistency helps to unify the slides and keep the reader focused on the content and not distracted by a lack of visual harmony. Use the same colors and typography throughout to give a visual flow.

3. Select fonts and colors that will be easy to read and won’t be a distraction

It is imperative that the presentation deck is designed to read well and serve as a background to the content. If it is a corporate piece, make sure you follow brand guidelines for fonts and colors to connect with your company’s branding. If it is a standalone presentation, select fonts that are clean and simple, and consider an accent font to add personality. Also remember to use colors that are pleasing to the eye. The information on the slides is key and shouldn’t be overwhelmed by garish colors and illegible fonts. Also make sure the fonts are at a size that is easy to read from a distance.

4. Don’t overwhelm the slides with too much text

A presentation deck is meant to be a guide for the speaker, not a script to follow verbatim. The audience will be listening to what you say– forcing them to try to listen and read at the same time makes it harder for them to comprehend your message. Keep it simple; highlight the main points you are covering on each slide, and then speak to the slide in more detail. You can use the slide notes area to write comments for yourself to cover, but don’t give it all away on the slide. If you’re presenting complex information, you can always create a secondary document that carries the content and give that as a handout after the presentation.

5. Consider your topic transitions

Often a presentation will be broken down into numerous sub-topics. In order to help your audience digest the information more effectively, visual breaks in your presentation are a necessity. If you have a presentation where content is presented on a predominantly white slide, use a title slide of a different color or with a full image background to help the viewer pause and understand that you are moving into another topic.

6. Use high quality graphics and photography

Your audience will judge your presentation based on the visuals you choose. Inserting low quality clip art into your presentation is distracting and looks unprofessional. There are many stock photography sites available that give access to beautiful, high-quality photography and illustrations. Utilize these sites to select photos and graphics that fit in with the deck’s overall visual theme. This will create consistency in your slides and help viewers relate to the presentation topic.

7. Use clean and easy-to-understand charts and graphs for data

Charts and graphs are meant to make data easier to understand. Choose clean fonts and bold colors that match the rest of your deck (but also create contrast) to make the data easier to digest.

8. Avoid using too many special effects and animations

PowerPoint offers many types of animations that are meant to add “pizazz” to your deck – however, when overused, these animations end up being a distraction. When making the choice to incorporate one of these effects, ask yourself, “is this adding to my presentation or distracting from it?” You want the audience to listen to your presentation and reflect on the content, not be thrown off by the way the headline or image zooms in.

9. Limit the number of slides you use

Using too many slides and flipping through them too quickly can be overwhelming to the audience. Having the ideal number of slides and speed requires a good marriage between the content per slide and how that content is presented. Each slide should carry one to two talking points where the presenter can stop on the slide and elaborate on those points for the audience. Presenting one slide per minute is a good rule of thumb.

10. Practice, practice, practice

A visually stunning deck is a great way to hold your audience’s attention, however it won’t do much good if the person giving the presentation is unprepared. A successful presentation requires a combination of displaying the content effectively and presenting the content in an engaging way. Practice your presentation to ensure the timing is right and all the necessary points are covered – this will allow you to see where there are gaps in the visuals and establish a confident tone that will hold the audience’s interest.

Whether you love or hate public speaking, use these tips in your next presentation to retain attention and better emphasize your message. And, if you’re not sure where to start, The Agency at Sikich can help with the visuals and messaging to create an effective, engaging presentation deck.

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About the Author

Daria Corbett

Daria is a senior art director with The Agency at Sikich. Her passion for design spreads across all platforms. From branding to digital, she approaches every project with the same level of enthusiasm and creativity. When not designing, she finds inspiration in road trip adventures and exploring nature’s beauty.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

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

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

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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Six Ways to Prepare for a Stellar Presentation

Have you vowed in that moment of stress, frustration and with the sense of lost opportunity that “I’ll be better prepared next time.”?

Then, as the next presentation came up like a speeding-out-of-control freight train, did you find yourself in the same dilemma?

Maybe you have had these experiences and thoughts, yet you didn’t really know a great way to get that preparation.

Never fear.  That is the goal of this article – to give you specific actionable ways that you can prepare for the delivery of your best presentation ever.  What follows are six suggestions for doing that.  But before we get to those six approaches, let’s start with a major key to your presentation, and how it relates to your preparation.

What do I want from my audience?

For any presentation, you should be able to describe on the back of an envelope the most desired response from your audience – what do you want people to do, think or decide?   With this clear goal in mind, all of your preparation will be placed into proper perspective.

As you prepare for the details and stories and examples you are going to use, remember that in the end, your presentation is all about this most desired response.  If you remind yourself of this, not only will you build a better presentation, but it will guide your preparation to be about the audience, and not yourself.

With that context, let’s look at the six strategies.

Get a real audience.  The best way to practice is in real time. Gather your kids, your spouse, your neighbors, your co-workers or your dog, and walk through the entire presentation.   Don’t talk about what you are going to say or how you want to say it; do it.  Certainly if your audience consists of adults, you may want feedback from them on what they saw (your dog might not be much help in this case).

Practice in the real space.   Professional presenters want to see the space they will be presenting in before they go live.  They want a sense of the room, the equipment and more.  Why wouldn’t you want to do the same?  If the presentation is going to be given in your office, the space itself might be familiar, however the exercise of delivering it in real time in that space is useful – with or without an actual audience.

Put it on tape. With the technology that exists today, it is easy to record your practice – either on audio or video.  This recording can be done in conjunction with either of the first two approaches, or in the case of audio as you sit at your computer.  The power of the recording is your ability to listen back to it to review and critique how you did. The value of the playback will be hard to estimate until you experience it.

Rehearse in your head. A less “real” approach is to go through the presentation in your mind, from start to finish, or by considering the flow and wording of a particular portion. The value of this approach is that you can do it anytime (in your car, as you exercise, while you sit at your desk, in the shower, etc.) and without any props or other people.

Go through your visuals.   Before you gave a presentation in high school or college you likely reviewed your note cards as a part of your preparation. That strategy, translated to today, likely means going through your PowerPoint slides as a form of preparation.  This will be more effective if you can actually advance the slides on your computer, but it can also work with a printed copy of the slides.  In either case the goal here is to work on flow, but also to know your slides so well that the transitions during your actual presentation are seamless.

Super Preparation.   Have you ever noticed a presenter who stumbled at the start of their presentation and never fully recovered? Would you like to avoid this and begin with confidence that you are ready to go?  One strategy for building that confidence and early momentum is to super prepare the start of your presentation. One of the most powerful things you can do is have your opening 1-3 minutes so polished and so ready that you know that portion will go well.   By having the critical opening so well prepared you build your confidence and truly get off to a great start.

Any of these strategies will help you be and feel more prepared for your next presentation.  They will take time, but it will be time well-invested, because you will avoid the sinking feeling at the end of your presentation that you didn’t reach your goal, or sent the wrong message.

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About Kevin Eikenberry

Kevin Eikenberry is a recognized world expert on leadership development and learning and is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He has spent over 30 years helping organizations across North America, and leaders from around the world, on leadership, learning, teams and teamwork, communication and more. Twice he has been named by Inc.com as one of the Top 100 Leadership and Management Experts in the World and 100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference. The American Management Association named him a “Leaders to Watch” and he has been twice named as one of the World's Top 30 Leadership Professionals by Global Gurus. Top Sales World has named him a Top Sales & Marketing Influencer several times, and his blog has been named on many “best of” lists. LeadersHum has named him one of the 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership in 2023.

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I thought that your point about super preparing the first few minutes of the presentation was very important. It is likely that the your audiance will form an opinion about the quality of your oveerall presentation during these intiial moments, so it is important to make a good first impression.

I can attest that these tips work. I give more informal presentations at work and formal presentations at conferences. I have had that feeling of regret and disappointment when my prep was lacking and I knew I could have done better. Another tip – if you are using another’s equipment – laptop, mike, clicker – try to do at least a partial dry run with it. The last thing you want after all your prep is to stumble because of technical unfamiliarity.

In fact, I have 2 conference presentations this week – off to prep!

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Strategic Speaker Tips & Tricks for Stellar Presentations

on July 25, 2018 - blog , Strategy & Messaging

Being a successful, compelling presenter is not something that comes naturally for most, but that doesn’t mean it has to hold you back from growing your presentation potential. Developing the skills to be seen as authentic and captivating by audiences is just like developing a muscle—you have to work on it and fuel your presentation with the right things.

From preparation to performance, we’ve got you covered on the best tips and tricks to help you create a presentation that stands above the rest.

Design that drives engagement

“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” — Blaise Pascal

Keeping your PowerPoint presentation concise and to the point will take more time and effort than piling every bit of information that you can on to each slide. Good editing is the foundation of good writing, and this practice applies to your presentations, too.

While you should keep your text simple, don’t shy away from getting creative with the design! Below are key design aspects to think about with every PowerPoint presentation.

Psychology studies say that in general, people absorb information quickly and for a longer period when they see something rather than simply hearing it. When it comes to PowerPoint presentations, we retain about 55% of the visuals we see, 38% of the words we hear and merely 7% of the text we see.

Your visuals should always complement what you say. If you’re talking about a specific diagram, you may want to add that in on a slide to show to your audience. But what about visuals that just help get the point across? Short videos, graphics or memes are mentally digested faster than words and increase meaning for your audience.

10/20/30 rule

Guy Kawasaki, marketing guru, coined the 10/20/30 rule . If you’ve never heard of Kawasaki , reading up on this past advisor for Google and Motorola and chief evangelist for Canva should be your next stop after this blog post. The 10/20/30 rule was originally for pitch decks, but it applies well to all presentations you’re giving.

Your PowerPoint presentation should have no more than 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes and should contain no font smaller than 30 points. Keep it simple!

Use color with purpose and don’t be default

While it might be easy to simply use default settings on graphs and visuals, you should always spend the extra few minutes it takes to change the colors and settings.

In addition, avoid picking colors arbitrarily. Every piece of your presentation is placed with purpose. Choose colors that align with the emotions or focal points you are trying to emphasize.

Just as visual choices matter in your branding , choose colors and fonts that agree with the overall goal of the presentation and personality.

Create an engaging environment

There’s more to engaging your audience than just the visuals and design of your presentation deck. In fact, there are many instances in which creating a deck might not be a good idea at all. These next couple of tips will help you think about how to put yourself in your audience’s shoes and keep their attention honed in on your message, start to finish.

Never give out copies of your presentation

Want to give people a reason to check out mentally during your entire presentation? Give them copies of each slide.

To keep your audience engaged and give them something beneficial to take away, create a pamphlet or brochure that complements your presentation.

Your presentation hand-out should include key talking points and a few details bulleted under each. This will help jumpstart your audience’s memory about what you talked about after the presentation and give them something valuable to reference in the coming days or weeks.

When NOT to use a PowerPoint

You don’t actually need a PowerPoint deck to accompany your speaking in order to give an engaging presentation.

Many thought leaders and experienced executives don’t use PowerPoints behind them when they are presenting. They keep the audience engaged with they’re saying, because everything that they are saying is valuable, eye-opening and profitable.

However, this obviously isn’t reasonable for every presentation, especially when you are referencing graphs, charts or other visual data. Be stingy with the amount of data you include, though—is the data itself important, or is the story behind the data more impactful?

Powerful presenting skills

The way your PowerPoint presentation is designed is less than half of what your presentation should be all about. To become a dynamic and engaging speaker, follow these best practices.

Body language

“Body language is a very powerful tool. We had body language before we had speech, and apparently, 80% of what you understand in a conversation is read through the body, not the words.” – Deborah Bull

Your body language as a presenter will make a difference in the way your audience perceives you and stays engaged. Standing in ways that closes off the front of your body to your audience dismantles the connection to your audience you want to keep them engaged.

If you’re specifically referencing graphs or visuals behind you on a screen, be sure you’re standing at an angle to the screen to keep at least one side of your body open to your audience as well. Never turn your entire back to your audience because this sends a signal that you are disengaging and indifferent.

Before stepping onto the stage or in front of your group, take a minute to stand in your power stance – chest open, hands on hips, feet spaced as wide as your hips or even wider, and your head held tall. Just standing in this stance for 20 seconds can give you more confidence, reassurance and help you shake off those pre-presenting nerves.

Practice, practice and then practice some more

Expert speakers and consultants to the best will all tell you the same thing – to perform your best, make every word you’re saying muscle memory.

Know where you’re going to stand during each slide, how you will move around the room or stage. Memorize each slide transition and where those transitions line up in your speaking.

Most importantly, know your speech word for word. This way you have the comfortability to add in those personalized remarks and still hit every talking point you already had planned.

Let your audience do a bit of the talking

Not only will inviting your audience to answer and ask questions give you a quick breather, it will also keep your audience more engaged throughout your presentation. Audience engagement levels are highest at 92% when the attendees do most of the talking, and lowest at 78% if the presenter does most of the talking.

Some great questions to throw in to your presentation to engage your audience:

• What do you expect to see when X + Y happens?
• How many of you have done/experienced/heard of Z?
• Someone tell me a time when…
• How does this surprise you?

Add in a joke, or three

Remember the last time you went to a presentation and the presenter was stagnant, unanimated and you were wishing you had brought coffee because you were falling asleep in your chair? What did you retain from that presentation?

The answer is probably not much. Studies have shown that audience attention levels peak after the presenter has used humor or began talking off script. Throw a few jokes into your line up and if you’re not a natural comedian, tell a personal story that ties in to the theme of your presentation.

Break the “fourth wall” between you and your audience by reminding them that you’re just as human as they are. You’ll get a more attentive audience and they’ll retain more from the experience.

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9 Tips to Giving a Stellar Presentation

My time slot was set for 20 minutes and I had been practicing vigilantly for the weeks leading up to that day. I remember precisely what I was wearing and exactly where I was sitting. I looked out the window just as we kicked-off our strategic session and recall thinking what a gloomy, cold day it was (perhaps it was a sign).

As we worked through the topics of discussion and other presentations, I sat in silence, with lots of internal self-talk, trying to calm my heart rate and my sweaty palms.

Finally, it was my turn. I stood up, cleared my throat, and went to attack my topic with vengeance; determined to nail my first presentation to an audience full of business and clinical leaders.

Just as my momentum and my energy started to pick up, and the shakes in my voice winding down, I was challenged by someone in the audience, and my entire presentation had been hacked in a nano-second. I didn’t even get the opportunity to finish and as I went to hunker back down in my seat, I thought my entire professional career was over.

Fast forward three years and I’m happy to report that my career did NOT end and I’ve since continued to progress UPward. But most importantly, I’ve been studying, observing and practicing hundreds of different presentation techniques and have honed on the key elements of giving successful, STELLAR, and action-oriented presentations.

1. Define your WHY

Whether you have been asked to give the presentation or you have specifically requested to present, it’s critical to know the intent behind your message. Whether your informing your audience or persuading them, you need NOT to lose sight of the purpose of your presentation.

2. Connect your WHY to your audience

The ONLY way you can get your audience to engage is to make them understand how YOUR message and information will impact them. Otherwise, you’ll have some daydreamers in the crowd.

3. Know your audience – literally.

Will someone in your audience challenge your message? Alternatively, do you have a cheerleader in the room that you may have to potentially leverage to back you up? Sometimes, it won’t matter how hard you knock it out of the ball park with your presentation, there will be haters hatin’ on you. Know ahead of time what challenges you may face specific to the personalities in your audience. This will allow you to come with ammo (or a bulletproof vest) to prepare.

4. Stories. Stories. Stories.

Traditionally, in my experience anyway, this is a large component that’s left out of presentations, which is a huge lost opportunity. As humans, we respond BEST to stories – it’s how we are built. If you want to keep the engagement level steady over the course of the presentation, add some flavor. But remember, be sure it connects to your WHY.

5. Prepare like it’s going out of style.

I’m not talking about reading and re-reading your lines or creating notecards for key words. I’m demanding you to get up in your living room in front of your family, and REHEARSE. Have others observe your body language, your tone, and everything in between.

6. Bye-bye PowerPoint.

If you plan on using PPT as the main vehicle for your presentation, hit the snooze button now – this is a presentation suicide! Change the norm and get rid of slides. If you must, use them periodically, keep them simple, and trade out your traditional bullet points and sentences for pictures and simplified phrases. You want your audience to pay attention to YOU and YOUR message, not your slides.

7. Sitting is the new smoking.

Don’t smoke during your presentation (I suppose both figuratively and literally). Get UP and utilize the space around you.

8. Close with a call to action and/or key takeaways.

This will be the most important element of your presentation because your summarizing what it is that you want from your audience and what you want them to walk away remembering. Essentially, when building the structure of your presentation, you want to start here and work your way backwards in order to ensure your looping everything back to the purpose behind your message.

9. Ask for feedback. 

As speakers, we can only continue to improve if we understand how we are being perceived by our audience. Circle back with folks in your presentation afterwards and ask for feedback. Atlernatively, draft up a quick survey monkey and distribute.

That’s it (in a nutshell), but wanted to remind you all that just with any success that comes in life, the foundational piece is BELIEF.  Weave in these critical elements and believe that you are more than capable of getting in front of your audience and delivering your message with intensity and passion. Once you give yourself the permission to go forth and conquer, there’s not a whole lot that can get in your way

With lots of stellar-ness,

For tips and updates follow me on Insta @kinseymachos

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Unleash Your Inner Speaker: Top Practice Tips for Stellar Presentations 

8 Effective Ways to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation

How to write a problem statement slide, how to write the perfect titles for your slides, pro tips to create an impactful employee induction presentation.

Speaking in front of a crowd, whether small or big, can be nerve-wracking for most. It is one of the common fears in the corporate world. According to the Statistic Brain, 74% of Americans fear public speaking. It is the number one phobia, with fear of death a close second at 68% .

Suppose you’re a business executive and have given several public speeches. Your company is planning for a product launch. And you’re the one who’s going to handle the demo. You had a great opening. Everything is going smoothly. However, some technical glitches occurred in the middle. Somehow you managed the pace and kept the audience engaged. During the Q&A session, some unexpected queries were raised from the audience, and you broke out in a cold sweat. 

The above instance points out that due to a lack of preparation and practice, even an experienced presenter may feel stuck in the middle of a presentation.

Presentations are an integral part of our everyday work life. Whether you want to sell a product/ service or give a demo of a new product that your company has recently launched, or you want to inspire a group of people to take specific actions, presentation plays a major role.

Giving a presentation is not just a skill but an art of influencing people with your words and making them listen to what you want to convey. Working on the basics can shape your presentation style and boost your confidence. With proper planning and practicing, anyone can master the art of presenting and unlock doors to opportunities.

Tips to Ace Your Presentation Practice 

1. preparation is key.

It has been rightly said that “By failing to prepare, you’re preparing to fail.” Whether you’re a beginner or giving a presentation one-hundredth time, preparation is the key to successful presentations. 

You must have enough time to prepare well for the presentation, as a last-minute rush will affect your confidence level. And a confused presenter would never be able to engage his audience. 

A number of aspects that need consideration are – the goal of the presentation, the topic, and the audience. You need to be very clear about what message you want to convey, who is your intended audience, what are their pain points, and how your presentation can leave a mark on them.  

2. Record Yourself

One of the best ways to hone and analyze your presentation skills is to record it during practice rounds. It allows you to carefully observe and evaluate various elements of your speech and judge your presentations on several grounds. This way, you can identify the gaps and undertake specific actions to improve the same.  Whether you’re using unnecessary filler words (like, umm, etc.), or the volume of your speech is too loud or too soft, the pitch, the pace, and the pauses – you can take note of every minute aspect by seeing your recorded practice session. You can also note your facial expressions, posture, and body movements to figure out the areas where more practice is required.

3. Practice in a Simulated Environment 

If you’re among those who fear public speaking and get anxious whenever it’s your turn to deliver a presentation, then you’re not alone. One of the highly effective ways to overcome/deal with public anxiety is to prepare yourself for real-world conditions.

Start practicing in front of a small group, your mentors, or colleagues a couple of times before you hit the actual presentation. It is an opportunity that allows you to face what fears you most. Dealing with stress, when received in manageable doses, prepares your mind to tackle high-stress situations. Many psychologists reveal that practicing under stress can bring out the best performance. 

In a nutshell, you learn to channel your nervousness into enthusiasm when you practice in a simulated environment.

4. Ask for Feedback 

Feedback from peers, mentors, and coaches can provide insights into the areas of improvement. Indeed, it is challenging to hear criticisms from other people. But this is one powerful way to enhance your presentation skills. Therefore, one should be open-minded while receiving feedback. Taking feedback on a positive note and working wholeheartedly on it can help you grow as a presenter. 

5. Don’t Cram the Content

Ever heard some legendary speakers who are so much at ease during their presentations? The reason behind it is they have put in a lot of effort to make their presentation look effortless.

As a presenter, you must be very sure of two things – what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. Yes, it requires hours and hours of practice to master this art, but you don’t need to learn word for word of the presentations. It should not look as if you’re speaking an essay. Practicing well helps you memorize the content and bring out the natural flow of words during the live show.

Pro Tips: 

• Visual cueing helps memorize the content.
• Using a conversational tone leads to easy engagement with the audience.

6. Set Up a Time Limit

Timing is crucial for a successful presentation. One reason why Ted Talks are so addictive worldwide is – they have a time limit of 18 minutes for every talk. Their short talk model keeps the audience engaged till the last minute. 

The lesson that we can learn from it is – keeping the presentation concise and to the point can grab the attention of your audience. Generally, a presentation is divided into three components – introduction, main body, and conclusion. You need to plan out the time that each segment will take. Apart from this, you need to allocate at least 25% of the total time to the Q&A session.

Pro Tip – Decide the time that you’re going to spend on each slide. It will help manage your talking time.

7. Bring Out the Innovation 

No one likes text-heavy presentations. They are too boring to attend. To make your presentation stand out, you need to experiment with it and think out-of-the-box ideas to make it gripping.

There are so many ways to captivate your audience – tell them a story, encourage audience participation by asking questions, include visually appealing and pre-designed templates, crack a funny joke, or share a less-known fact that can awe your audience. 

Practice different ways to find out which one will work the best.

8. Practice Gestures

Body language and facial expressions are a very important part of public speaking. 

There are 5 non-verbal cues that make a big difference in a presentation – hand gestures, eye contact, posture, movement, and facial expression. Watching your recorded session enables you to evaluate the gestures you use. 

By using your gestures, body language, and facial expressions effectively in sync with your words, you can build rapport with your audience and clearly express your message.

Pro Tip: Don’t repeat the same gesture too many times.

9. Rehearse Until You Deliver it Confidently

Hours of practice can make any presenter look effortless and polished. Even a fresher with proper preparation can deliver outstanding results.

Have you ever seen Steve Jobs’ presentations? He looks very much at ease during his presentation. The reason is- he prepares extensively for it. He rehearses on the stage for hours as if presenting in front of thousands of people.

So, there is no shortcut to success. A well-prepared person is super confident, which leads to effortless presentation.

Conclusion 

No matter whether you are giving a presentation in front of clients, co-workers, or at a corporate event, as a presenter, you must be able to articulate even the most complex concepts into the simplest version.

Remember, it’s not only the visually captivating slides that assure successful presentations. You also need to learn the art of presenting your message and information in a way that leaves a lasting influence on the audience. Practice is the only way to learn it.

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​5 Steps To Create A Stellar Presentation

Contributor.

Whether you run your own business, employed by one, an entrepreneur, or responsible to deliver a presentation on an area you are responsible for, it's important to have the skills to create and impress your audience with virtual presentations. The next time you need to present data and wow an audience, bookmark this page and utilize the following five steps.

They say you only have a few seconds to hook someone's attention. This is true for songs, movies, books, and of course, presentations. Start off with a powerful and intriguing point. Leave some room for thought on their part, like leading with a question and a promise to deliver the answer to that question by the end of your presentation. Tactics like this will keep them interested and engaged.

• Keep it Interesting

Did you know the average attention span is only 8-seconds according to a study conducted by Microsoft ? As you move through your presentation, have a few planned moments where your presentation style changes. For example, let's say you have a 20min PowerPoint slideshow ready to go. Switch it up every few slides with a short video clip, an intermission where you tell a brief story relating to your topic or engage the audience with some questions. This will help hold their attention.

• Visual Tools

In tandem with the aforementioned points, it's helpful to have some visual tools. This can be anything from an infographic to a digital whiteboard or a collaboration tool that allows the audience to participate in your presentation by voting in polls or asking questions digitally. Not sure where to begin with visual presentation tools? Try Visme to switch up everything from photos and charts to maps and templates.

• Keep it Concise

If you have a story to implement into your presentation or a wealth of data, it's best to keep things concise in order to drive your point home and hold the attention of your audience. Keep only relevant and important information in your speech and in your text. This will also help your presentation to be more readable and can help your audience to retain the information long after you're finished.

• Stand and Speak

If you are in a room giving your presentation, or your physical presence is being recorded and shown to your audience online, stand up and speak up. If you think there is no discernible difference between standing and sitting for giving your presentation, data says otherwise . If you are able to stand, do so. This will allow you to give a more thorough presentation and hold the focus of your audience. Standing also allows you to portray yourself as a professional through posture, voice projection, and eye contact.

If you happened to notice a theme with the above 5 points on creating a stellar virtual presentation, you're correct. It's all about holding the attention of your audience. Notice how this article was broken down into 5 concise and clear points? It was done so with the purpose of being a quick and informative read. The next time you have a presentation, implement these skills and you'll be sure to get your message across with flying colours.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

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6 minute read

Mastering the Art of Presentations: 5 Tips for a Stellar Performance

Fearful of making presentations you’re not alone. but fret not here are some steps to help you make a winning presentation and leave a lasting positive impression.  .

Watch This Video Now!

Whether it’s to pitch ideas to clients, showcase your portfolio to a prospective employer, or give updates on the progress of projects to management, giving presentations are often required at the workplace. But when it comes to speaking in public, the thought of it can be extremely nerve-wracking for many.  

If you’re one of them that are fearful of making speeches in public, you’re not alone. According to Psychology Today, there are as many as one in four adults that get anxious when they have to speak in front of an audience . But there are many techniques that can help you manage your anxiety to still make a great impression.  

We get into five steps to help you better prepare and master the art of making presentations.    

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1. Know your audience

The first step to a successful presentation is understanding your audience. Who are you presenting to? What do they already know about the topic? What are their expectations? Tailor your presentation to your audience by using relatable examples to help you better engage with them.  

2. Be well-prepared

Preparation is key to a confident and effective presentation. Do sufficient research on your topic to have the relevant data and facts, before organising your content in a logical and coherent manner. Anticipate potential questions and prepare answers with relevant information, so you can sufficiently address those queries if they do come up. Finally, set aside time to rehearse your presentation with trusted friends and colleagues, who can then provide constructive feedback to refine your delivery.  

3. Build slides for simplicity

Visual aids, such as slides, can enhance your presentation and make it easier for your audience to follow. Keep your slides simple with the 10-20-30 rule: Use 10 or fewer slides for a presentation under 20 minutes, and use a font size of at least 30 to prevent your slides from being too text-heavy or overloaded with information. Avoid including unnecessary graphics, as they can be very distracting. Use visuals strategically that support your main points and make things clearer and more effective. Also, keep your speech jargon-free so that your presentation will be easier to follow.  

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4. Be mindful of non-verbal cues

Communication is not just about what you say, but how you say it. Albert Mehrabian, a researcher of body language, found that in face-to-face conversations, non-verbal cues make up 55% of communication, while verbal cues make up 38%. Words, however, only make up 7%. So it is the non-verbal cues, such as body language, facial expressions and eye contact, that majorly affect your delivery, along with vocal delivery, including tone. When presenting, it is good to make eye contact with your audience and avoid reading from a script.  

5. Keep your audience engaged

A captivating presentation is one that keeps the audience engaged throughout. Think of your presentation as a conversation rather than a monologue. Encourage questions, provide opportunities for interaction, and get your audience involved in the story you’re telling. Consider using the 80-20 rule of engagement, where 20% of your slides should be thought-provoking, and the remaining 80% should be insightful or informative. This will help you create a dynamic and interactive presentation that holds your audience’s attention and leaves a lasting impact.

A great presentation is not simply about what is in your slides but about how you say it. You can deliver a confident and effective presentation with these points to help drive the right message home and leave a positive impression.  

Take a deep breath, embrace the opportunity, and go rock that presentation!

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Home / Mastering the Art of Presentations: 5 Tips for a Stellar Performance

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More From Forbes

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

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Person speaking in front of audience

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

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

1. Be Confident

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

2. Find A Way To Actively Engage The Audience

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

3. Create An Emotional Connection

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

4. Put Your Unique Take Front And Center

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

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

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

6. Adapt Your Language To The Audience

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

7. Try To Incorporate An Element Of Surprise

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

8. Know Your Audience

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

9. Use The Problem-Agitation-Solution Approach

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

10. Tell The Audience What They Need To Hear

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

11. Go All In

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

12. Use A Compelling Opening

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

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

13. Be Authentic

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

14. Let Your Audience Talk

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

15. Leverage Non-Verbal Cues

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

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8 Steps to Stellar Presentations: Main Body

Step 7: Structure the Main Body

In previous blog posts, we’ve looked at Step 1: Develop Your Objectives Step 2: Know Your Audience Step 3: State the Main Ideas Step 4: Decide on Supporting Information Step 5: Create An Opener Step 6: Develop Transitions

The main body of your presentation is a compilation of key points and supporting information (Steps 3 and 4). The body is the section where you either convince (or persuade) your listeners to your point of view, or lose them. Your ideas need to be logically sequenced, using simple transitions (Step 6) so your audience can easily follow, understand, and remember your message.

The body of your speech is comprised of 80% of your entire presentation. It organizes between 2-5 (preferably 3) main points which explain, clarify, or affirm your one main point. Each of these main points will have 1 or more subpoints and supporting material. Clarify the relationship between your ideas by using as much parallelism as possible.

Create the most logical main body sequence for that audience. There is no ONE best logical sequence for every speech or briefing. Consider your topic, audience, purpose and objective to determine which approach will be best for this presentation. Chronological Order Based on time, happening now, or going from past to present. The story, the series of events, from the beginning, then what happened next…

Hourglass Set out the most important information, and then evolve into a chronology. Establish the facts first, then tell the story and series of events.

Inverted Pyramid Following the journalistic style of a traditional news article, with the most critical information first – facts (who, what, where, when, why, how), then supporting details, in descending order of importance.

List Order things by listing and moving through them in the order you determine.

Priority Based on importance, with the most important information first.

Problem-Solution Identify the problem, discuss its causes, then offer a solution.

Question and Answer State the questions that you think your listeners may be asking themselves (or that you want them to ask), and answer them.

Spatial Arrangement Presents the key points related by area (International, Southern California).

Topical Approach Placing the least important information at the beginning and concluding with the most important. Benefit: Relating the point you want MOST remembered at the end of the presentation.

-Sheryl Roush, Speaker, Speaking Coach Sparkle Presentations, Inc.

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Mastering the Talk: Unveiling the Secrets of Stellar Presentations

From clarity to compelling messaging, professional design, effective data usage, and engaging delivery, discover how to elevate your presentation game and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

From Charts to Charisma: Crafting Compelling Financial Presentations

In the world of financial advisory, the ability to convey complex information clearly and compellingly is crucial. Whether you’re presenting to potential clients, existing investors, or colleagues, the effectiveness of your presentation can make a significant difference.

A well-crafted presentation not only showcases your expertise but also builds trust and confidence in your audience. However, creating such a presentation is an art that combines clarity, compelling messaging, professional design, and engaging delivery.

By following these best practices, you can transform your slides from ordinary to extraordinary, ensuring that your message isn’t only heard, but acted upon.

Let’s dive in and discover how you can elevate your presentation skills and make a lasting impact in securing clients and building relationships based on trust and education.

Keep it Clear and Concise: The Art of Brevity

Clarity is paramount. Your audience needs to grasp complex information quickly and without confusion. Here are some best practices to ensure your slides are clear and concise:

The 6×6 Rule

Less is more when it comes to slide text. Avoid overwhelming your audience with walls of text. A good rule of thumb is the 6×6 rule: no more than six bullet points per slide and no more than six words per bullet point. This keeps your slides clean and easy to read, ensuring that your key points stand out.

Use Bullet Points

Bullet points help break down information into digestible pieces. They make it easier for your audience to scan and understand the content quickly. Each bullet point should convey a single idea, making your message more impactful and memorable.

Avoid Jargon

While industry jargon might be second nature to you, it can confuse or alienate your audience. Use simple, straightforward language that everyone can understand. This will help ensure your message is accessible to all, regardless of their financial expertise.

Striving for clarity and brevity in your communication can help to maintain your audience’s interest and facilitate the retention of important information. Remember, the goal is to make your slides a visual aid to your spoken words, not to replace them.

Related: 7 Tips to Help You Master the Art of Securing Clients

Crafting compelling messaging: captivate and connect.

Creating a powerful presentation goes beyond just sharing information; it’s about connecting with your audience and leaving a lasting impression. Here’s how to craft compelling messaging that resonates:

Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is crucial. Tailor your content to their specific needs, concerns, and interests. Knowing what matters will help you shape your message effectively. Research your audience beforehand and customize your presentation to address their unique perspectives and goals.

Clear Takeaways

Every slide should have a clear, concise message or takeaway. What do you want your audience to remember? Frame each key point in a way that aligns with their objectives. For example, if you’re discussing a new investment strategy, highlight how it can help them achieve their financial goals.

Storytelling

Stories are powerful tools for engagement. They make complex information relatable and memorable. Use storytelling techniques to illustrate your points. Share real-life examples, client success stories, or hypothetical scenarios that highlight the benefits of your financial advice. A well-told story can make your message more impactful and easier to understand.

By focusing on compelling messaging, you can aim to effectively inform, engage, and potentially inspire your audience. Remember, it’s not just about what you say, but how you say it.

Mastering Professional Design: Elevate Your Visual Impact

Your presentation’s design plays a significant role in how your audience perceives and engages with your content. Follow these guidelines to create a visually stunning and professional presentation:

Consistent Branding

Maintaining consistency with your firm’s branding is key to projecting a polished image. Use the organization’s brand colors, fonts, and logos throughout your presentation. Consistent branding reinforces your identity and helps establish credibility with your audience.

Visual Hierarchy

Guide your audience’s attention by creating a clear visual hierarchy. Use headings, subheadings, and different font sizes to emphasize important points and organize information effectively. This helps viewers navigate through your slides and understand the structure of your presentation at a glance.

Quality Visuals

Incorporate high-quality images, charts, and graphs to enhance your presentation. Visuals not only make your slides more appealing but also help convey complex data and concepts more effectively. Choose visuals that are relevant, engaging, and support your message. Avoid using generic stock photos and opt for custom or unique visuals whenever possible.

By focusing on professional design principles, you can elevate the visual impact of your presentation and leave a lasting impression on your audience. Remember, a well-designed presentation not only looks good but also enhances the overall effectiveness of your message.

Related: Dinner Seminar Best Practices for Financial Advisors

Harnessing the power of data: transforming complexity into clarity.

Financial presentations often rely heavily on data to support arguments and strategies. Here’s how to effectively incorporate data into your presentation:

Simplify Complex Data

Financial data can be overwhelming, so it’s essential to simplify it for your audience. Use visual aids such as charts, graphs, and infographics to present complex data in a clear and digestible format. Choose visuals that highlight key trends and insights without overwhelming your audience with unnecessary detail.

Visual Aids

Different types of visual aids serve different purposes. Choose the right visualization for your data—whether it’s a bar chart to compare values, a pie chart to show proportions, or a line graph to illustrate trends over time. Ensure your visuals are easy to understand and accurately represent the data you’re presenting.

Accuracy is paramount when presenting financial data. Double-check your numbers and ensure they’re up-to-date and error-free. Misleading or incorrect data can damage your credibility and undermine your audience’s trust.

By effectively harnessing the power of data, you can simplify complex information and make your presentation more compelling and persuasive. Remember to focus on presenting data in a way that enhances understanding and supports your overall message.

Engaging Delivery: Captivate Your Audience with Confidence

A captivating delivery is just as important as the content itself. Here are some tips to ensure your presentation grabs and holds your audience’s attention:

Practice Makes Perfect

Rehearse your presentation multiple times to familiarize yourself with the content and flow. Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself or enlist the help of a colleague to provide feedback. The more you practice, the more confident and polished your delivery will be.

Body Language and Voice

Your body language and voice are crucial in how your message is received. Maintain a confident posture, make eye contact with your audience, and use gestures to emphasize key points. Vary your tone and pace to keep your audience engaged and attentive. Pay attention to your vocal delivery, ensuring clarity and modulation to convey enthusiasm and authority.

Audience Interaction

Engage your audience by encouraging interaction throughout your presentation. Ask questions, solicit feedback, or incorporate interactive elements such as polls or quizzes. Engaging with your audience creates a sense of participation and involvement, making your presentation more memorable and impactful.

By mastering the art of engaging delivery, you can captivate your audience from start to finish and leave a lasting impression. Remember to be authentic, enthusiastic, and confident in your delivery; your audience will be more likely to connect with your message.

Related: How to Attract High Net Worth Clients for Wealth Management

Elevating your financial presentations to new heights.

An effective presentation requires a delicate balance of clarity, compelling messaging, professional design, data accuracy, and engaging delivery.

By combining these elements, you can create presentations that not only inform but also inspire, leaving a lasting impression on your clients, investors, and colleagues.

Remember, the goal isn’t just to convey information but to engage, persuade, and ultimately drive action. With these best practices in your toolkit, you’re well-equipped to take your financial presentations to new heights of success.

Take the Next Step Towards Consistent Growth

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From crafting compelling email and social media campaigns to leveraging cutting-edge lead generation strategies, we provide the expertise and innovative ideas to take your marketing efforts to the next level. Let us support you in developing impactful sales assets and presentations that drive growth and success.

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How to Make a Speech More Interesting: 7 Presentation Ideas

These seven stellar presentation enhancers will help you make any speech more interesting. In this post, Doug Staneart breaks down his public speaking “Impact Ideas” that can be inserted into any speech to really make them come alive.

Below is a list of all seven items.

• Anecdotes : A funny story or a story that makes a point is often more memorable than just a bullet point.
• Demonstration : When you show your audience what you are trying to tell them, they will often have more clarity.
• Quote : A testimonial from an expert or client at the right time can add credibility.
• Sample : Something that your audience can see, touch, and feel has more impact than just a description of the item.
• Name Drop : If you don’t have a quote, you can name drop others who agree with you.
• Non-PowerPoint Visual Aid : A spontaneous flip-chart drawing, a poster, or board will often have a greater impact on the audience than an image on a slideshow that is more temporary.
• Showmanship : Never underestimate the entertainment value of your presentation.

Proceed with Caution. Presentation Enhancers Make GOOD Presentations More Interesting.

Bill Cosby (pre-conviction) once asked a friend of his why he did cocaine. The friend replied, “Because it intensifies your personality.” Cosby paused and said, “Yeah, but what if you’re an A-Hole?”

These impact ideas work exactly the same way. If you have a good presentation centered around just a few key points, adding a couple of enhancers for reinforcement will make the speech more interesting. However, if you already have 50 PowerPoint presentation slides and you add additional content, you’ll likely make the presentation worse. So, proceed with caution.

If you are just beginning to design your presentation, start with How to Design Presentations Quickly . As a review, the best way to design a good speech is to start with a great title. Great speech titles lead to great speeches because they explain to the audience the purpose of your speech. The next step in the writing process is to make a list of just the most important points. The body of your speech should contain fewer than five key points. Then, if you want to really capture the attention of your audience and design a memorable speech, use a good story to prove that each of your main points is true.

So before you start adding these public speaking tips into your speech, make sure you start with an engaging speech centered around a central idea, a few key points, and great examples. If you do, then these public speaking tips can help you make your speech more interesting!

7 Stellar Presentation Enhancers that Add Impact to Any Speech.

Below are seven effective ways to move a good speech into a better speech (or fantastic speech.) Since we have covered a number of presentation tips in other posts/podcasts, I wanted to use this episode to cover a powerful tool or two that some of the best speakers (even motivational speakers) use to make the audience feel like they are experiencing something unique. Each of these ideas can be a great way to use humor in your presentation, make a lasting impression, and influence different audiences in a positive way.

As I mentioned earlier, though, these ideas work well if inserted into a well-designed speech. So, there are three additional ways to make a presentation more interesting that aren’t covered here. The reason is that we have other post/podcast episodes about each of these three items. I suggest that you add each of them into your presentation before adding the seven ideas in this post. (The first three are essential to designing a good speech.)

• Stories and Examples Are the First Step to Make a Speech More Interesting .
• Audience Participation Will Make Your Presentation More Interactive .
• Analogies and Metaphors Are the Secret Sauce to Great Presentations .

So, if you haven’t seen these posts or heard those episodes, start with those ideas first. Also, remember that when you stand in front of an audience and give too much information, that is even worse than not giving enough information. Then add in these seven tips sparingly. A little impact goes a long way!

#1 – Funny Anecdotes Can Add Impact and Humor to Your Speech.

In other posts, we have covered stories and examples in great detail. (See How to Tell a Great Story in a Presentation .) A personal story or a real-life example from your own experience clarifies the content of your presentation. This technique is also a subtle way to build your credibility on the topic and capture the audience’s attention in a positive way. When you relay success stories from your own experience, your audience realizes that since you have that experience, you are an expert on the topic.

Anecdotes are a little different, though. Anecdotes can be funny incidents (true or fictitious) that help you make a point. Or they can also be 2nd person or 3rd person stories experienced by someone else.

Funny Stories Are Welcomed by Most Audiences.

I’m not a big fan of just telling random jokes in a speech. However, funny anecdotes that make a point are very useful. The great news, today, is that you can pretty much just type the words “funny story about _______” (insert a keyword from your bullet point) into Google, and you will find something. Once you find a funny anecdote, just make sure to tie it in with the point that you are making. (And give credit to the author.) For instance, I typed in “Funny Public Speaking Failures” and I found this gem…

While traveling to to Nagaoka, Japan, I was asked to speak after breakfast about marketing in the U.S. Seeing an opportunity to show off my linguist skills, I asked my interpreter how to pronounce the words on the distant signs for “Ladies” and “Gentlemen.” After practicing to myself, I began my speech with “Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen” in Japanese. This got quite a reaction from the audience. I delivered a killer 20 minutes of marketing wisdom, and sat down to generous applause. I was quite pleased with myself. Only later did I learn how strange my greeting was: One of our hosts gently inquired why I had started my talk with “Good Morning, toilets and urinals.” Lee Rogers, The Rogers Group Marketing and Advertising (Posted on https://www.genardmethod.com/resources/funny-public-speaking-stories

If somewhere in your speech, you can make the audience laugh, you have a big advantage. By the way, stories about humorous situations have another positive effect. Your natural facial expressions when you tell these stories create powerful nonverbal communication. So these funny stories take a little more practice to perfect. But they definitely make a speech more interesting.

2nd-Person Stories Allow You to Borrow Credibility from Other Experts.

Although our own personal stories help us build our credibility as an expert on the topic, another person’s story can be more practical in a lot of situations. For instance, if you are a sales representative, your personal experience using your product or service isn’t nearly as credible as a story from one of your customers.

This past week, I had a scientist in my class who studied melanoma. Although her stories of actually doing the research added a lot of credibility, she got more impact by telling stories of patients who had survived cancer based on these studies. Just be careful. When you re-tell a story from your own experience, it takes little practice. However, when you relay a story that you received from another person, you might want to practice your delivery a few additional times.

#2 – A Demonstration Can Make a Complicated Speech More Interesting — And Easier to Understand.

After a number of miscues, we started discussing a little strategy with the other speakers. We finally came up with the idea to go to the table ourselves and have one of us (they voted that I do it) say, “Just do what I do.” Then, I made a sandwich and explained what I were doing in each step. (We all got an A on the project. So did everyone else who went after us.)

I never forgot this lesson. It is a whole lot easier to show someone what to do than to just tell them what to do. This type of visual aid is critical when teaching someone how to use software or how to use a tool.

#3 – Insert a Memorized Quote into Your Presentation to Improve Credibility.

“My conclusions are much more credible when I back them up with Great Sources.”

I agree. When you quote an expert, you are basically giving your audience a second-opinion. It’s also easy to insert quotes into your presentations. Just like with the funny story above, Google “Quotes about ________” (insert your topic).

Make sure that the quotes that you add are short and easy to remember, though. A lot of speakers will put long quotes on a PowerPoint slide and call that a supporting point. This will most likely fall flat in front of a group, though. No one wants to read a long quote. In addition, if you read it to them, it will sound strange. You will get better results inserting a couple of easy-to-remember quotes that you can tell your audience verbally. Craig Hadden in his post How to Use Quotes in Your Presentations said it really well…

“Short Quotes Pack More Punch!”

#4 – A Sample Can Make Your Presentation More Interesting.

Throughout the day, we began to take the original presentations and add more ways to jazz each of them up a bit. So, at lunch, this marketing person went to a 7-11 and also to a competitor and bought a sandwich from each as a sample. The deli sandwich from her store was beautiful and fresh. The sandwich from the competitor was one of those where a sandwich was cut diagonally into two triangles and shoved into a triangle plastic box. She passed each around the room. Everyone agreed that the triangle sandwich was awful, and by contrast, she likely won a few audience members over to the fresh sandwich that her company made. A good sample can be very compelling.

#5 – You Can Also Make a Speech More Interesting with a Name Drop (or two or three.)

Another example is when I’m teaching classes about how important it is to narrow down your content to three to five main points. I often name drop other professional speakers who also agree with this idea. For instance Slide Genius, Presentation Magazine, and big training companies like the Dale Carnegie Organization and the AMA all believe in some form of the “Rule of Three” in a presentation.

Notice that in each of the examples above, I’m not quoting any of the sources, I’m just saying that each of the sources agrees with the statement that I’m making. Of course, if any of the listeners in your speech want to verify the claim, it is easy to do with a Google search. That is what makes this so powerful. It allows the inner Sherlock Holmes in your audience members to come out and do their own investigation. When they do, they find that you were right on the money.

#6 – Non-PowerPoint Visual Aids Will Help Make a Speech More Interesting.

One of my clients was competing to win a contract for a five-year project. Their competitors designed slideshows about how great they were. This group wanted to do something different. They created just a single visual aid. It was a 20-foot board with a timeline of the entire project. They broke the project into time periods and told stories about how the project would proceed through each period. It worked very well.

On a different project, the team was trying to build a high-tech science center on the campus of the University of Texas. My client had worked with hundreds of universities on building projects, but, at that time, they had only done a single project where the guidelines for indoor temperature, humidity, etc. were so exact. They had a photo of this building that looked like something out of Epcot. It had an aluminum, glass, and mirror exterior. It was a beautiful building. But the UT campus is right in the middle of downtown Austin. The campus is very Gothic in nature. (Think stone pillars and gargoyles.)

One of the architects took a sketchbook and a pencil down to the campus. He just started sketching things that he liked about the current campus architecture. He did this just to bring back some ideas to the team. But the sketches were so good, that they became a part of the final presentation. The sketches stole the show. They were much more interesting than the static PowerPoint slides.

#7 – Use Showmanship to Make a Speech More Interesting.

Never underestimate the entertainment value in any presentation.

Let me repeat that because it is so, so important…

Most speakers think that if they just give their audience the knowledge and content without sounding like an idiot, they have succeeded. However, think about Ferris Bueller’s teacher. “Anyone? Anyone?” If you aren’t interesting, your audience will often be distracted from your content. So, it is important to add some flair or showmanship to your speech to capture and hold the audience’s attention.

Obviously, if you add in a few of the other seven items, you will have a more interesting delivery. But the key is to think to yourself, “ How can I make this presentation content more interesting? ”

I had a class member who was a line supervisor for Amgen Pharmaceuticals. One of his main jobs was quality control of the cancer drugs that were being created on his line.

During his presentation, he asked us, “Have any of you ever seen a million dollars?” Of course, we all shook our heads no. He continued by sprinkling a few granules of sugar (from a packet from the coffee bar at the back of the room) onto the table in front of him.

He said, “If that much contaminant gets into our drug line, we lose a million dollars worth of product.” It was a really dramatic way to make his point, and we all remembered it.

Regardless of Which (or Any) of These Ideas that You Use, Do Something to Make Your Presentation More Interesting.

The ideas that I’ve covered in this list are nor exhaustive. In fact, some of these ideas may spark creativity in other areas where you can add more impact to your presentation. The most important thing to remember is that you don’t want to just do what everybody else is doing. Make your speeches a little different. Make them a little more interesting. If you do, your audience will love you.

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The Go-to Checklist for Prepping Your Online Presentations

As we head into the 12th month since scads of people around the world were sent home to work remotely in attempts to avoid a raging, deadly pandemic, professionals around the world have taken crash courses in better online communications. During that time, we’ve learned that there are important distinctions between delivering an in-person presentation and delivering a virtual one.

Presenting to an online audience certainly has its advantages. Many people are more comfortable speaking to a screen—even one filled with faces— than to a room full of people. Virtual presentations also can reach a much wider audience, but at the same time it becomes much harder to engage an audience through a screen. 

There’s no telling what kind of distractions audience members have in their remote locations, and obviously you’re trying to reach them with zero physical contact, including no face-to-face audio or visual. It’s almost impossible to know definitively if anyone is paying attention. Likewise, you don’t have any audience reactions to gauge whether your presentation is succeeding or if you should change course to recapture attention.

Ensuring a virtual presentation effectively conveys your message begins long before its delivery. It’s even more important that you make a brilliant first impression with your audience and plan for extra ways to keep people engaged with your online presentation and hold their attention. In fact, preparing to deliver a virtual presentation in many ways is more important than the online public speaking skills themselves.

Want to ensure your online presentation effectively communicates your message to a virtual audience? Be sure you prepare for plenty of professionalism and ample engagement.

The following checklist should help you prep to deliver a stellar virtual presentation:

Prep for Professionalism

First impressions really are everything. According to Quantified Communications, you only have 15 seconds to make a good first impression on your audience – although a University of Toronto study found it could be as few as 5 seconds . 

At the same time, 90 percent of listeners’ first impressions of a speaker remain unchanged even after hearing the entire content of the message. During this time, you must impress your audience with your professionalism, so preparation is key.

• Check for potential technical issues.

When your entire presentation relies on technology, you can’t afford to have any system or equipment glitches. There’s no such thing as winging it if your connection fails or if you lose audio. 

Before your presentation be sure you double and even triple check all internet connections – wired is more reliable than Wifi – as well as audio feeds, microphones, cameras, slideshows, monitors and any other technical aspect of your virtual presentation. 

Even after completing all those extra checks and rechecks, plan for the technical worst by preparing a backup plan should technology fail. 

• Eliminate all distractions

You might not be able to control your virtual audiences’ remote distractions, but you can make sure nothing interferes with your online presentation. Be sure you are recording in a well-lit area and pay attention to anything visually distracting behind you. 

Take every possible precaution to ensure you won’t experience any audio interruptions. You can’t help it if a stray dog starts barking outside the window, but you can try and make sure you don’t plan your presentation for the same time the garbage truck pulls up to your home. 

• Dress the part

What impression do you want to make on your audience? To make a professional presentation, you have to dress the part. Just because your audience has a more limited view of you, that doesn’t mean you don’t want a tidy appearance. 

If delivering the presentation in a casual environment, it’s OK to match the style, but always ensure you’re dressed at least as professionally as your audience and any fellow presenters or speakers. It’s always better to err on the side of being overdressed than the alternative. 

Choose colors that will not clash with your background, and don’t wear anything with loud patterns that will create a visual distraction. Dress for success, and please, for goodness’ sake— no matter how much of you is or isn’t in the camera’s view— make sure you’re wearing pants!

• Practice controlling your body language

Nonverbal communication can be pivotal in an online presentation, as long as it’s controlled and appropriate. Hand gestures can be an effective nonverbal cue to hold a virtual audience’s attention or to emphasize a point. At the same time, those same hand gestures can become a distraction if too large or erratic. 

Keep in mind that while you might be tempted to sit at a desk or table and look into your webcam, you don’t have to deliver your virtual presentation while seated. You often can present a more authoritative and confident demeanor while standing.

• Screen record yourself

One advantage of delivering a virtual presentation comes from the ability to record yourself practicing since the playback will be exactly what your audience will experience during the real deal. 

Be sure you practice in the same room, with the same equipment and lighting that you’ll use during your live online presentation. Then use the screen record feature on your computer to capture the same view that your audience will see. That way, you can watch it back and make tweaks as you go along.

Prep for Engagement

Because you can’t look out upon your audience, it’s even more important to engage people and hold on to their interest and attention. Effective engagement during an online presentation requires advance preparation. The best engagement tools start as you prepare your virtual presentation.

• Plan a virtual icebreaker

Grab hold of your audience’s attention and connect with it from the start of your online presentation with an effective virtual icebreaker . Have audience members participate in a fun or humorous survey, calling on members to answer with their favorite memory, dream job or fantasy vacation. You can also break the ice by telling a silly joke or telling a short story related to the presentation topic and your message.

• ‡Prepare visual storytelling

Visual storytelling is extremely effective at boosting remote audience engagement. By its very nature, visual content describes and explains more clearly than written or oral communication. Online articles that feature images attract 94 percent more views than those with only text. 

Plan to integrate visual storytelling elements like an animated slide deck , photos, video , pictographs and other infographics into your online presentation . Adding visual elements to your online presentation is simple thanks to Beautiful.ai’s smart slide templates . Just add your content and watch the animated infographics automatically adjust based on principles of good design used by the pros. 

Beautiful.ai users also can search for visual content in Beautiful.ai’s integrated library featuring millions of vivid, public-domain (yup, that means free!) images, fonts, logos and attention-grabbing animations.

• Plan audience interactions

Because engagement is more challenging in a virtual environment, a few extra tips and tricks might be necessary to hold the audience’s interest. Props can help to explain concepts in the online presentation, but involving viewers with short quizzes or polls very effectively involves a virtual audience with your presentation. The presenter can also answer audience questions, calling on various remote viewers to ask about a certain topic or anything of their choosing.

• ‡Decrease complex animations to avoid rendering

With so much amazing free presentation software available, it’s only obvious to want to add complex animations to your virtual presentation. You must, however, remain mindful of audience members’ potential technical challenges. You don’t want to include content in your online presentation that will cause rendering issues for viewers with more limited connections.

• Send preview materials

Sending preview materials to the audience prior to an online presentation can promote audience engagement before the virtual presentation even starts. Send participants an email with an attention-grabbing teaser, as well as the agenda for your online presentation. 

You can also use this opportunity to include any additional infographics, tables or charts you’ll be using so your audience can take a closer look and reference themselves. Don’t forget to include the credentials and contact information of any principles who were involved in or team members who helped to produce the virtual presentation. After the presentation is over, you may want to follow up with the deck for the audience to revisit down the road. Sharing is easy with Beautiful.ai, simply share the presentation link and your recipients can open the presentation right in their own browser. 

• Practice looking in their eyes

In public speaking, it’s important to connect with the audience by looking at people, not over them, behind them or through them— or worse, at your notes, failing to look at the audience at all. But how can you make that face-to-face connection with a virtual audience? 

You look virtual audience members in the eyes by looking directly into the camera. You will be tempted to look at your screen, but that’s a sure way to lose their attention since to the audience it will appear you’re looking at the table in front of them or even their feet. Practice looking into the camera as you screen record yourself. And don’t forget to smile!

Samantha Pratt Lile

Samantha is an independent journalist, editor, blogger and content manager. Examples of her published work can be found at sites including the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed.

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How to Give a Killer Presentation (Infographic) Presentations can be crucial to your success. Here's how to give a stellar performance.

By Rose Leadem Jan 21, 2017

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When someone says the words " public speaking ," there's no need to run for the hills. When you're able to impress clients, potential investors and even co-workers with a stellar presentation , you're positioning yourself for success.

And you don't have to think of it as scary either. In fact, presentations should be fun and exciting -- if you're doing them correctly. That means properly preparing, identifying your purpose, creating visuals and telling a story .

Related: 3 Secrets to Mastering the Art of Public Speaking

So what's the secret sauce to a smooth presentation? To start, identify the message you want to leave with your audience. Creating a strong structure, writing out notes, using metaphors, keeping eye contact -- there are a number of things you can do to knock it out of the park.

Check out Business Backer 's infographic below to learn how you can give the presentation of your dreams.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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How to Create and Deliver a Stellar Scientific Presentation

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September 20, 2019: Anne Cameron, MD, FRCSC, FPMRS

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5 Steps to a Stellar Presentation about Your Travel Experience

Greenheart Travel Alumni have great stories to tell of both exciting travel adventures and personal growth. It’s often your first experience traveling abroad without your family, the first time communicating in a foreign language, and the first time living with a new family!

By sharing your unique stories, alumni can be leaders, encouraging peers to travel abroad and get outside their comfort zone.

To help you hone your speaking skills while sharing your passion for travel, we’ve outlined how to give a stellar presentation in 5 easy steps:  

How will you showcase your storyteller and presenter skills? Add your ideas and questions to the comment section below and share this with your fellow global explorers. Remember, everyone has a story to tell!

To learn more about the Greenheart Travel Alumni Program, please contact [email protected]

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21 Steps to a Stellar Listing Presentation

It’s all here. Twenty one great ideas for building your listing business from the ground up, all neatly packaged in a step-by-step action plan. Let us know how it goes.

Set a Strong Foundation

1 build an online presence.

Use your website, blog, or social media channels to publish articles that demonstrate your core competencies. Do you specialize in upscale properties? Do your staged homes sell 30 percent faster and closer to list price than market averages? Your articles could also include seasonal tips for home maintenance, tips to prepare your home for sale, or market data for buyers. Share the content on your Facebook page.

2 Monitor your online appearance

What is showing up when someone searches your name? One of the easiest and most effective ways to monitor your reputation comes from Google Alerts, a free Google service that allows you to enter a search term (i.e. your name, company, etc.) and then receive email alerts as the system finds matches.

3 Practice your presentation

“Can you cut your commission rate?” and “I was going to try and sell it myself” are common objections heard by Realtors®. To prepare, ask a colleague to role play with you, maybe even serve your pitch at a sales meeting.

Supplement your standard listing presentation materials

A listing presentation isn’t complete without your bio, testimonials, marketing strategies and more. If these documents are in PDF format, quickly upload them to your RPR account and then easily include them in your RPR reports. Here are a few things you might want to include:

4 Bio “Your Story”

Tell your story in 75 words or less, just enough to cover the highlights of why someone would want to work with you. Are you a lifelong community member? Do you do volunteer work? How long have you been a Realtor and are you a Top Producer?

5 Social Proof

Do your clients love you? Get proof! Take the time to collect testimonials from your past clients in print or video format. Also, collect any news clips that back up your professionalism or credibility.

6 Personal Statistics

Your success record is worth sharing. Sellers want to know you’ve done this before and for similar homes. Consider creating a map that highlights your past sales activity. Do your staged homes sell 30 percent faster and closer to list price than market averages? Let your prospects know with a simple chart.

7 Service Levels

Differentiate yourself from other agents in the market by showing how your service levels will exceed seller expectations. Do you have an assistant or are you part of a team? What kind of communication can the seller expect, both in scheduling showings, and follow-up and feedback from the showing agent? How often will they receive market updates? (See the section below on Using Creative Delivery Systems.)

8 Marketing Plan

There’s a lot of competitive marketing in the real estate industry. How will you go above and beyond to capture the attention of home buyers? Your plan should include strengths offered through your MLS, website, advertising strategy, staging resources, special virtual tour/video marketing, photographers, local Broker tours, etc. Be creative.

9 Take a photo of the property

Make the extra effort to drive by and snap a photo of the property, then upload it to the cover of your RPR report . It will demonstrate your commitment to individual attention and give you an opportunity to check out the condition of the property. That insight will be helpful when you refine the value of the property using RPR.

The Phone Call

10 ask questions.

Every question you ask, big or small, demonstrates interest in the homeowner’s personal well being. And what’s more personal than selling the biggest investment of your lifetime? Find out what makes your client click.

• Why are they moving and when?
• Are they relying on the sale proceeds to fund a retirement?
• Does the house need too much work and they want something maintenance free?
• Are they downsizing in preparation for retirement?
• What did they love and “not love” about the house? The neighborhood?

No other CMA tool will do…

11 do your research.

Did you know that Realtors® have the power to analyze and manage a platform of unparalleled data to the extent that no other search mechanism offers? In fact, no other real estate data sharing website offers side-by-side, listing vs. public record comparisons like RPR. Here you’ll find current and historical property information, the home’s basic facts, photos, maps, mortgage records, tax info, the Refined Value Tool, comp analysis tool, and more.

12 Automated Values

No matter what, consumers are going online to look at the value of their homes. Yet, we know that not all of these sources are reliable. Use this as an opportunity to include the exclusive RPR Realtors Valuation Model® (RVM®) in your pricing discussions. Your clients will be impressed by its level of accuracy.

13 Create a CMA

Not all CMAs are cut from the same cloth. RPR’s CMA wizard walks you through five simple steps to generate a Comparative Market Analysis unlike any other offered in today’s real estate industry. You’ll confirm the home’s facts, search for and adjust the comps, land on your own list price by refining the property’s value, and then generate an RPR Seller’s Report. All in one place and with the highest level of accuracy afforded to today’s Realtor.

14  Refine Value

Every homeowner wants to know the return on investment for their home improvements. Here, savvy agents will tap into RPR’s Refine Value Tool . With up to 30 predefined home improvements to choose from, the tool accurately calculates the depreciated value of home improvements. The tool also enables users to refine a home’s value by confirming/adjusting basic facts about the property, as well as other factors such as an assessment of local market conditions, the interior and exterior of the home’s condition, lot size, view, privacy, and more.

15 Market Stats

Our mindsets move far beyond our own particular home. Both buyers and sellers want to know everything about the neighborhood, local economy, quality of life, and economy. All of that and more are a few quick clicks away at RPR.

No other CMA tool will do …

16 rpr reports.

Don’t let your lead get away without sending the seller something before your actual listing presentation. Use what you’ve garnered from RPR to create and send RPR’s Market Activity and/or Property Report. Be sure to let the sellers know that you have the power to refine the value of their home (using RPR) once you’ve had a chance to tour the property and see their upgrades first hand.

17 Use Creative Delivery Systems

Oftentimes, the opportunity to meet prospects or clients face to face is hampered by distance, personal schedules, or even preference. Yet, you know that nothing conveys professionalism and expertise more than personal interaction. There must be a way to virtually, if not literally, meet your clients “where they are. ”

BombBomb , a video marketing platform, helps REALTORS® prove their “client first” commitment by offering intuitive, low-cost digital communications solutions. With BombBomb, you can create a personalized video message and email it to clients within minutes. And because the app is integrated with RPR, REALTORS® can seamlessly include an RPR report. Then by way of real-time alerts, see when your client has interacted with the email. These live notifications are key in determining the best time to follow up.

18  Create Your RPR Seller’s Report

Pull your analysis all together into a customized RPR Seller’s Report , complete with an updated photo of the property, as well as your photo and contact information. Inside, the Seller’s Report highlights details of the subject property, your comp analysis with side-by-side property comparisons, local market trends, a pricing strategy, and a worksheet for estimated seller proceeds. RPR’s Seller’s Report can also be displayed and/or emailed from your laptop, phone, or tablet.

19  Identify the Seller’s Motivation

While with the homeowners, be sure to listen closely to what the sellers are saying. Selling a home is a deeply emotional experience for most and they want a Realtor who understands how personal it is. Revisit some of the questions you asked earlier. Why are they moving and what is their timeline? Are they using the proceeds to fund a retirement plan? Are children involved? What improvements are needed to sell the home?

20 The RPR App

Showing is always better than telling, so here’s where your impressive tech skills come into play. Respond instantly to your seller’s questions with RPR Mobile™ on your handheld device . Show the prospect how their home compares to those on the market. Click on the magnifying glass to display a map of the nearby area. Then, select any home’s icon to go to the property’s full details, including price, history, photos, and more.

21  Follow up With a Thank you Note

The five minutes it takes to write a personal thank you card to prospects is worth it’s weight in gold (or actual listings). Very few of our contemporaries take this route in our digital world. So set yourself apart. In fact, send flowers.

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Related posts, help your members prove their value with these rpr learning resources, unlock your real estate superpowers: why rpr is a game-changer, rpr commercial quick win: how to create a trade area report, realtors® can now use rpr’s market trends scriptwriter in the field, commercial mailing label hacks for prospecting success, cracking the code: the rpr search hacks your competitors don’t want you to know, 28 comments.

Great ideas here! I love that you can produce a report in seconds. Keep up the great work RPR!

Great info. Would love to see this all put together so I could customize for my market or listing appointment. A template.

Me as well. I love the RPR product.

Great information.Would love to see if we can customize these for listing appointments

I knew RPR will seal the deal for me. Kudo to RPR.

When I first became a REALTOR five years ago, a veteran agent showed me how she completed a CMA for an upcoming listing appointment. SIX HOURS later, and we still weren’t done! I thought to myself, “I’m just going to stick to BUYERS”! Fast forward, I now use RPR exclusively for creating in-depth reports for my potential Sellers AND for my Buyers preparing offers. I wouldn’t consider using any other program! Thank you for these great ideas, I’m going to start to implement them immediately.

I woukd like to sign up

I would love to see a template, also.

I would like to add just the type of home such as reverse 1 1/2 or ranch only as not to compare to 2 story homes

Do you have a tutorial showing each of these steps? I read it and understand in theory but I am a visula learner and once I SEE how it’s done I can modify it. I cannot visualize each of these steps. It seems logical but a bit overwhelming without any examples. A video tutorial step by step would be helpful. A template might work but it would not show the step by step of HOW it was done but it would be good also to see a finished product. It seems that RPR is a tool that a computer presentation w/ video capability is best. Is your CMA best on a phone on a computer screen? or is it printable. So many questions… I really need to see it in action.

[…] This post was published by Realtors Property Resource. It covers everything you need for a stellar listing presentation. It includes everything from what to include in the presentation to pro tips about how to give the presentation.21 Steps to a Stellar Listing Presentation […]

I appreciate the information given in this article about the marketing strategies a realtor should follow to improve his business. The internet is one of the most important sources of information and a realtor should follow different types of blogs related to real estate business to learn more effective marketing strategy. Besides, effective utilization of the internet could also give a realtor a competitive edge and helps to find more clients.

Sign me up please [email protected]

Hi Jorge, create your account here: https://www.narrpr.com

Great! If you don’t have your RPR account started, go here and click “Create Account” https://www.narrpr.com

Good information. can I customize these information

Very interested, is there live support?

Hi Alice, Yes, get help any time by calling (877) 977-7576.

Outstanding program. Great improvement.

I would like to take classes and learn more

[…] This incredible article by RPR has several suggestions for how to create a stellar listing […]

Great article!, I love all this, because I was able to gain information and also some tips. Thank you for posting this very informative article.

[…] Related reading: RPR – 21 Tips for a Stellar Listing Presentation  […]

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