elements of a good powerpoint presentation

This simplistic presentation example employs several different colors and font weights, but instead of coming off as disconnected, the varied colors work with one another to create contrast and call out specific concepts.

What I like: The big, bold numbers help set the reader's expectations, as they clearly signify how far along the viewer is in the list of tips.

10. “Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling,” Gavin McMahon

This presentation by Gavin McMahon features color in all the right places. While each of the background images boasts a bright, spotlight-like design, all the characters are intentionally blacked out.

What I like: This helps keep the focus on the tips, while still incorporating visuals. Not to mention, it's still easy for me to identify each character without the details. (I found you on slide eight, Nemo.)

11. “Facebook Engagement and Activity Report,” We Are Social

Here's another great example of data visualization in the wild.

What I like: Rather than displaying numbers and statistics straight up, this presentation calls upon interesting, colorful graphs, and charts to present the information in a way that just makes sense.

12. “The GaryVee Content Model,” Gary Vaynerchuk

This wouldn‘t be a true Gary Vaynerchuk presentation if it wasn’t a little loud, am I right?

What I like: Aside from the fact that I love the eye-catching, bright yellow background, Vaynerchuk does a great job of incorporating screenshots on each slide to create a visual tutorial that coincides with the tips. He also does a great job including a visual table of contents that shows your progress as you go .

13. “20 Tweetable Quotes to Inspire Marketing & Design Creative Genius,” IMPACT Branding & Design

We‘ve all seen our fair share of quote-chronicling presentations but that isn’t to say they were all done well. Often the background images are poor quality, the text is too small, or there isn't enough contrast.

Well, this professional presentation from IMPACT Branding & Design suffers from none of said challenges.

What I like: The colorful filters over each background image create just enough contrast for the quotes to stand out.

14. “The Great State of Design,” Stacy Kvernmo

This presentation offers up a lot of information in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming.

What I like: The contrasting colors create visual interest and “pop,” and the comic images (slides 6 through 12) are used to make the information seem less buttoned-up and overwhelming.

15. “Clickbait: A Guide To Writing Un-Ignorable Headlines,” Ethos3

Not going to lie, it was the title that convinced me to click through to this presentation but the awesome design kept me there once I arrived.

What I like: This simple design adheres to a consistent color pattern and leverages bullet points and varied fonts to break up the text nicely.

16. “Digital Transformation in 50 Soundbites,” Julie Dodd

This design highlights a great alternative to the “text-over-image” display we've grown used to seeing.

What I like: By leveraging a split-screen approach to each presentation slide, Julie Dodd was able to serve up a clean, legible quote without sacrificing the power of a strong visual.

17. “Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint,” Slide Comet

When you‘re creating a PowerPoint about how everyone’s PowerPoints stink, yours had better be terrific. The one above, based on the ebook by Seth Godin, keeps it simple without boring its audience.

What I like: Its clever combinations of fonts, together with consistent color across each slide, ensure you're neither overwhelmed nor unengaged.

18. “How Google Works,” Eric Schmidt

Simple, clever doodles tell the story of Google in a fun and creative way. This presentation reads almost like a storybook, making it easy to move from one slide to the next.

What I like: This uncluttered approach provides viewers with an easy-to-understand explanation of a complicated topic.

19. “What Really Differentiates the Best Content Marketers From The Rest,” Ross Simmonds

Let‘s be honest: These graphics are hard not to love. I especially appreciate the author’s cartoonified self-portrait that closes out the presentation. Well played, Ross Simmonds.

What I like: Rather than employing the same old stock photos, this unique design serves as a refreshing way to present information that's both valuable and fun.

20. “Be A Great Product Leader,” Adam Nash

This presentation by Adam Nash immediately draws attention by putting the company's logo first — a great move if your company is well known.

What I like: He uses popular images, such as ones of Megatron and Pinocchio, to drive his points home. In the same way, you can take advantage of popular images and media to keep your audience engaged.

PowerPoint Presentation Examples for the Best Slide Presentation

Mastering a PowerPoint presentation begins with the design itself.

Get inspired by my ideas above to create a presentation that engages your audience, builds upon your point, and helps you generate leads for your brand.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

Don't forget to share this post!

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How to Structure a PowerPoint Presentation

Table of Contents

This is the main part of your presentation, which should keep the promises you made in the introduction. This is where you explain your topic and present all your information. 

Depending on the nature of your presentation, divide it into segments/points. Arrange your points in a logical order and then provide information to support each of them. There are many different ways to organize your key points, for example:

• Number your points according to their priority (1, 2, 3, …)
• Place the points in a time frame (past, present, future)
• Use narration (tell a story from beginning to end)
• Present the points with a problem-solution dynamic (state a problem, describe its impact, offer ways to solve the issue)

A good conclusion summarizes the key points you made or highlights what the audience should have learned. It clarifies the general purpose of your presentation and reinforces the reason for viewing it. Here are the slides you may want to include:

• Summary. List what goals your audience have achieved, what knowledge they got, and how this information can help them in the future.
• Conclusion. Here you can thank your audience for viewing the presentation.

Tips for Structuring a Presentation in PowerPoint

Now that you know which parts a typical presentation should consist of, let’s see how to structure it in PowerPoint. 

1. Combine slides into sections

When working with a large PowerPoint presentation (PPT), you can create sections that can be collapsed and expanded. This will help you keep presentation slides organized and facilitate navigation in editing mode. To do that, follow these steps:

• To shift a section, right-click on its name and use the Move Section Up and Move Section Down options.
• To collapse or expand a certain section, click on the collapse icon to the left of the section name. You can also minimize and maximize all sections at once by right-clicking on the section name and choosing Collapse All or Expand All .

As well, you can access these settings by choosing Slide Sorter under the VIEW tab.

This kind of segmentation is a great way to overview the logical flow of your slides all at once and see if there are any changes required. For example, you may decide to break one slide into two or three, or the other way around.

2. Use the Outline View

One other way to structure a PowerPoint presentation in the editing mode is to use Outline View . You can choose it from the VIEW tab.

This view doesn’t display sections, but it shows the title and main text of each slide, which can give you a quick overview of the presentation contents. Here you can go through the entire text and edit it instantly. You can also work with text (on the left) and slides (on the right) simultaneously, as the latter is shown on the right side of your screen.

Note that, to be displayed in an outline, text needs to be typed in a text placeholder, not a text box . A text placeholder is a box with the words “Click to add text” or “Click to add title”, and it appears when you choose a standard layout.

You can also use Outline View to promote bullet text to titles and the other way around. To do that, right-click on a relevant title or text and select the Promote or Demote options.

Be attentive about demoting a title, as this will delete the original slide and move its title and text to the adjacent slide.

PowerPoint only allows users to promote and demote text, not entire slides. Therefore, there’s no possibility to change the hierarchical order of slides.

3. Create a table of contents

All the aforementioned tips help you organize a presentation when formatting it. However, it’s crucial that your viewers can easily navigate through entire presentation too. One sure way to provide them with this opportunity is to create an interactive and structured table of contents.

Though there’s no native automatic outline in PowerPoint, it can be created manually:

• Press Ctrl+A to select all the names, and Ctrl+C to copy them. 
• Then Press Ctrl+V to paste the copied titles on the desired slide. In case there are too many titles and they don’t fit onto a single page, you can divide the table of contents into two columns or place it on two slides.

You’ll need to repeat this procedure to link all the chapters to corresponding slides. For more information, read this step-by-step guide on how to add a hyperlink in PowerPoint .

Now all the chapters can be accessed from a single table of contents, which is very convenient. However, you will also need to link them back to that unifying page. You can do this by inserting an Action Button on every slide of your presentation in Slide Master mode:

Now there is a single page from which all the other pages can be easily accessed. As well, it’s possible to go back to the table of contents at any time with the intuitive Home button.

Depending on the size of your presentation, the time it takes to create an interactive outline may vary, as you will need to add hyperlinks to every chapter manually. Be aware that if you rename a slide or simply delete it, these changes will not be automatically registered in the table of contents. For example, if you delete a slide, its title will still be displayed in the table of contents, but clicking on it won’t lead the viewer to another point in the presentation.

This is what our sample presentation looks like:

A Better Way to Structure a PowerPoint Presentation

Creating a table of contents manually might be fine for a small presentation, but if you have 122 slides, it would require too much time and energy to do so. That’s why, instead of manually creating a table of contents, we took advantage of iSpring Suite and simply enabled the automatic outline.  

iSpring Suite

Fully-stocked eLearning authoring toolkit for PowerPoint. No training required to start!

Note: iSpring Suite turns slides into HTML5 format, so your audience can view them online, right in their browsers. 

As you can see, the new presentation has a pop-up outline and a navigation panel, which make it possible to move to any slide at any time without leaving the slide show mode. 

How to set up navigation

To create navigation in your presentation, follow these simple steps:

• Get a free trial of iSpring Suite.

• When you’ve configured the Slide Properties settings, click on Save & Close in the upper-left corner.

How to configure an outline

Whereas PowerPoint requires the outline to be designed manually, iSpring Suite has already prepared it for you. At the same time, you don’t have to stick with the standard outline template, as you can easily customize the player’s final look and feel:

We recommend leaving Enable Search marked, as this will allow viewers to search for any content at any time, including the texts on the slides. This is especially useful for large presentations with a lot of text.

If you have previously arranged slides into multiple levels in the Slide Properties, then leave Multilevel outline marked. That way, the outline will display the nesting structure of the presentation, facilitating navigation. You can learn more about the other outline options here .

• When you have finished configuring the player, click on Apply & Close in the upper-left corner.
• Now you can publish your enhanced presentation either to HTML5, to make it easily accessible via browser on any device, or MP4 video format. If you’re going to upload your presentation to an LMS, you can publish it to any eLearning format: SCORM, AICC, Tin Can, or cmi5. 

While a standard PowerPoint slideshow is straightforward and limited, iSpring Suite saves viewers from having to follow a strict slide order. An interactive and searchable outline allows non-linear navigation, where any information can be accessed at any time at a glance.

Also read : → How to Convert PowerPoint to MP4 Video

Also read : →  How To Record Presentations With Audio

Another perk

iSpring Suite comes with Content Library , which provides a great collection of presentation templates and allows you to create professional-looking presentations in a matter of minutes. Each template includes basic course elements: a title slide, a table of contents, chapters, a timeline, and info slides. Organize them in the order you prefer, populate them with your texts and images, and your presentation is ready to go.

We hope this article will help you develop an ideal structure for your PowerPoint presentation and do this quickly and easily. Captivate your audience with a powerful and persuasive presentation!

Do you have any other insights on how to simplify PowerPoint slides design? Please share them in the comment section. We’d like to hear from you. 

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Content creator:

Helen Colman

She enjoys combining in-depth research with expert knowledge of the industry. If you have eLearning insights that you’d like to share, please get in touch .

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What Makes a Good PowerPoint Presentation? (The Essential Checklist)

We’ve all been there.

Sitting in a meeting or lecture, watching a PowerPoint presentation that seems to go on and on without a clear direction or purpose.

It is essential to know how to create an effective PowerPoint presentation, one that is engaging and informative to your audience.

In this article, we will discuss the essential checklist for creating a good PowerPoint presentation, including structuring your presentation, designing an attractive presentation, providing clear and concise information, and more.

With this checklist, you can create an effective presentation that will leave your audience wanting more.

Table of Contents

Short Answer

A good PowerPoint presentation should have a clear structure, a well-defined purpose, informative and relevant content, and visuals that support the content.

It should also use elements like fonts, colors, and images to create a visually appealing presentation.

Additionally, the presenter should use a variety of presentation techniques and delivery styles to engage the audience and keep them interested in the material.

Structuring your Presentation

Creating a well-structured PowerPoint presentation is key to engaging your audience and delivering the information in an effective manner. A good structure will ensure that the presentation is easy to follow and that the main points are clear. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when structuring your presentation:

Start with a strong introduction.

Make sure to capture the attention of your audience and clearly explain the purpose of the presentation.

Break down the presentation into logical sections.

Use headings and subheadings to clearly communicate the main topics of the presentation.

Use visuals and multimedia to support your points.

Visuals can help the audience better understand the key points of the presentation.

Use transitions between slides to keep the presentation flowing.

Transitions can help maintain the audiences attention and keep them engaged.

End with a strong conclusion.

Make sure to summarize the main points of the presentation and provide a call to action.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your presentation has a strong structure and that the audience is able to easily follow along.

With a well-structured presentation, you can make sure that your message is delivered in an effective and engaging manner.

Attractive Design

When it comes to creating an effective PowerPoint presentation, having an attractive design is key.

The design of a PowerPoint presentation can make or break it, so it is important to ensure that the visuals are aesthetically pleasing and engaging.

The design should be consistent throughout the presentation, with a unified color palette, fonts, and graphics.

It is also important to avoid using too many visuals, as this can be overwhelming for the audience.

Additionally, it is important to use visuals that complement the text and add to the overall message of the presentation.

This can be done by using vibrant colors, relevant images, and illustrations that make the content more accessible.

Finally, including interactive elements, such as polls, quizzes, or videos, can help to keep the audience engaged and create a more interactive experience.

Clear and Concise Information

When it comes to creating a good PowerPoint presentation, it is important to provide clear and concise information.

Presentations should be easy to follow and understand, without being overly wordy or filled with unnecessary jargon.

Proper structure and formatting are also key to making sure that the presentation flows smoothly and is easy to follow.

To ensure that the information is clear and concise, it is important to use simple language and keep sentences short.

Avoid using overly-complicated words or phrases, and focus on providing only the most relevant and important information.

It is also important to use visuals that complement the text, such as charts, graphs, and diagrams.

These visuals can help to better illustrate the point being made and make it easier for the audience to understand the information.

It is also important to make sure that the presentation is organized in a logical manner.

Presentations should have an introduction, body, and conclusion, and the information should be presented in a way that is easy to follow and understand.

By following these tips, you can make sure that your presentation is clear and concise, and that the audience will be able to easily follow and understand the information you are presenting.

Relevant Examples

When it comes to creating a successful PowerPoint presentation, one of the key elements is to ensure that the presentation includes relevant examples that are tailored to the audience.

This means that the examples should be related to the topics discussed in the presentation and should help to illustrate the points being made.

Examples can be used to demonstrate how certain concepts work, provide evidence to back up claims, or even to provide a real-world context to the presentation.

When selecting relevant examples for a PowerPoint presentation, it is important to consider the audience and the topics being discussed.

For example, when giving a presentation on marketing, it would be wise to provide examples of successful marketing campaigns that were successful in a similar demographic.

Additionally, it is important to make sure that the examples are well-suited to the audience for example, an example of a successful marketing campaign that was used by a company in a different industry may not be the best example for a presentation on a different industry.

The use of multimedia can also be a great way to add relevance to a presentation.

For example, videos or animations can be used to illustrate the points being made in the presentation, and can make the presentation more engaging and memorable.

Additionally, interactive elements such as quizzes or polls can be a great way to get the audience involved in the presentation and ensure that the information is being retained.

By including relevant examples, multimedia, and interactive elements in a PowerPoint presentation, it will be more interesting, engaging, and effective for the audience.

This will help to ensure that the presentation is successful and that the audience is making the most of the information being presented.

Effective Use of Multimedia

Using multimedia effectively in a PowerPoint presentation can be a great way to engage your audience and add an extra layer of interest to your presentation.

Multimedia elements such as videos, animations, audio clips, and images can be used to add visual interest and create a more immersive experience for the audience.

When selecting multimedia elements to use in a presentation, it is important to ensure that the content is relevant, appropriate, and engaging.

It is also important to consider how the multimedia elements will be used in the presentation.

For example, if you are using audio clips, make sure that the volume is set to a comfortable level, and that the audio does not distract from the presentation.

If you are using videos, make sure that the video quality is good and that the video plays smoothly.

Additionally, consider how the multimedia elements will be used to support or enhance the message of the presentation.

Finally, when it comes to using multimedia in your PowerPoint presentation, be sure to use visuals that complement the text.

For example, if you are discussing a particular topic, consider using visuals that illustrate the topic, rather than visuals that distract from the main message of the presentation.

This will help ensure that the audience is focusing on the content of the presentation, rather than the multimedia elements.

Complementary Visuals

When it comes to creating an engaging and effective PowerPoint presentation, visuals are key.

While text can provide the audience with the necessary information, visuals can help to bring the presentation to life and provide an engaging and interactive experience.

It is important to select visuals that accurately represent the message you are trying to convey and complement the text without overshadowing it.

This can be done through the use of diagrams, charts, graphs, photographs, and other visuals.

Additionally, the visuals should be designed in a way that is easy to understand and engaging for the audience.

For example, using bright colors, interesting shapes, and creative fonts can help to draw the audience’s attention and keep them interested in your presentation.

Additionally, incorporating interactive elements such as animation, videos, and quizzes can help to keep the audience engaged and give them a more immersive experience.

By taking the time to create visuals that accurately represent the message of your presentation and incorporating interactive elements, you can ensure that your PowerPoint presentation is effective and successful.

Interactive Elements

When creating a good PowerPoint presentation, it is important to include interactive elements.

This can include interactive prompts, slideshows, and other visuals that engage the audience.

Interactive elements can help to keep the audience engaged throughout the presentation as they are invited to participate.

This can be done by including questions during the presentation, having interactive visuals such as polls or surveys, or even providing a live demonstration.

By doing this, the audience is more likely to pay attention as they have the chance to respond and interact with the material.

Interactive elements can also be used to help the presenter emphasize key points or deliver a more dynamic presentation.

When used correctly, interactive elements can help to keep the audience engaged and the presentation lively and interesting.

Give an Engaging and Interactive Experience

Giving an engaging and interactive experience to your audience is essential for a good PowerPoint presentation.

An effective presentation should captivate the audience with visuals, animations, and multimedia that complement the text.

Additionally, interactive elements should be utilized to keep the audience engaged and actively involved in the presentation.

For instance, incorporating interactive elements such as polls, surveys, and quizzes can help make the presentation more interesting and engaging.

Furthermore, you can also include multimedia elements such as videos, images, and audio clips to make the presentation more engaging.

Additionally, you can use animations to draw attention to important points and make the presentation more dynamic.

In addition, it is important to use visuals that are relevant to the content of the presentation.

Making sure that the visuals are relevant will help keep the audiences attention on the content and make the presentation more impactful.

Additionally, using visuals that are visually appealing and easy to understand will also help make the presentation more engaging.

Finally, making sure that the presentation is well-structured and organized will help the audience to understand the content better.

You should also make sure that the presentation is concise and to the point so that the audience can easily follow along.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your PowerPoint presentation is effective and successful.

Final Thoughts

By following the essential checklist outlined in this article, you can create an effective and successful PowerPoint presentation that engages your audience.

Start by structuring your presentation and creating an attractive design.

Make sure that the information is clear and concise, and includes relevant examples.

Add multimedia for an effective presentation, and use visuals that complement the text.

Include interactive elements to provide an engaging and interactive experience.

By taking these steps, you can create a presentation that is sure to impress your audience and make your message memorable.

James Wilson

James Wilson has extensive knowledge in the information technology industry.His second love, besides dealing with computers, is smart home technology. He is continually updating information to better comprehend this problem and has a deep understanding of the apartment’s support system.

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas 23 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Creating Engaging and Interactive Presentations

23 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Creating Engaging and Interactive Presentations

PowerPoint presentations are not usually known for being engaging or interactive. That’s often because most people treat their slides as if they are notes to read off  and not a tool to help empower their message.

Your presentation slides are there to help bring to life the story you are telling. They are there to provide visuals and empower your speech.

So how do you go about avoiding a presentation “snoozefest” and instead ensure you have an engaging and interactive presentation?  By making sure that you use your slides to help YOU tell your story, instead of using them as note cards to read off of.

The key thing to remember is that your presentation is there to compliment your speech, not be its focus.

In this article, we will review several presentation tips and tricks on how to become a storytelling powerhouse by building a powerful and engaging PowerPoint presentation.

Start with writing your speech outline, not with putting together slides

Use more images and less text, use high-quality images, keep the focus on you and your presentation, not the powerpoint, your presentation should be legible from anywhere in the room, use a consistent presentation design, one topic per slide, avoid information overwhelm by using the “rule of three”.

• Display one bullet at a time

Avoid unnecessary animations

• Only add content that supports your main points

Do not use PowerPoint as a teleprompter

• Never Give Out Copies of the Presentation

Re-focus the attention on you by fading into blackness

Change the tone of your voice when presenting, host an expert discussion panel, ask questions, embed videos, use live polling to get instant feedback and engage the audience.

• He kept his slides uncluttered and always strived for simplicity
• He was known to use large font size, the bigger, the better.
• He found made the complex sound simple.

He was known to practice, practice, and keep on practicing.

Summary – how to make your presentation engaging & interactive, fundamental rules to build powerful & engaging presentation slides.

Before we go into tips and tricks on how to add flair to your presentations and create effective presentations, it’s essential to get the fundamentals of your presentation right.

Your PowerPoint presentation is there to compliment your message, and the story you are telling. Before you can even put together slides, you need to identify the goal of your speech, and the key takeaways you want your audience to remember.

YOU and your speech are the focus of this presentation, not the slides – use your PowerPoint to complement your story.

Keep in mind that your slides are there to add to your speech, not distract from it.  Using too much text in your slides can be distracting and confusing to your audience. Instead, use a relevant picture with minimal text, “A picture is worth a thousand words.”

This slide is not unusual, but is not a visual aid, it is more like an “eye chart”.

Aim for something simpler, easy to remember and concise, like the slides below.

Keep in mind your audience when designing your presentation, their background and aesthetics sense. You will want to avoid the default clip art and cheesy graphics on your slides.

While presenting make sure to control the presentation and the room by walking around, drawing attention to you and what you are saying.  You should occasionally stand still when referencing a slide, but never turn your back to your audience to read your slide.

You and your speech are the presentations; the slides are just there to aid you.

Most season presenters don’t use anything less than twenty-eight point font size, and even Steve Jobs was known to use nothing smaller than forty-point text fonts.

If you can’t comfortably fit all the text on your slide using 28 font size than you’re trying to say and cram too much into the slide, remember tip #1.4 – Use relevant images instead and accompany it with bullets.

Best Practice PowerPoint Presentation Tips

The job of your presentation is to help convey information as efficiently and clearly as possible. By keeping the theme and design consistent, you’re allowing the information and pictures to stand out.

However, by varying the design from slide to slide, you will be causing confusion and distraction from the focus, which is you and the information to be conveyed on the slide.

Technology can also help us in creating a consistent presentation design just by picking a topic and selecting a sample template style. This is possible thanks to the SlideModel’s AI slideshow maker .

Each slide should try to represent one topic or talking point. The goal is to keep the attention focused on your speech, and by using one slide per talking point, you make it easy for you to prepare, as well as easy for your audience to follow along with your speech.

Sometimes when creating our presentation, we can often get in our heads and try to over-explain. A simple way to avoid this is to follow the “ Rule of Three ,” a concept coined by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle.

The idea is to stick to only 3 main ideas that will help deliver your point.  Each of the ideas can be further broken into 3 parts to explain further. The best modern example of this “Rule of Three” can be derived from the great Apple presentations given by Steve Jobs – they were always structured around the “Rule of Three.”

Display one sentence at a time

If you are planning to include text in your slides, try to avoid bullet lists, and use one slide per sentence. Be short and concise. This best practice focuses on the idea that simple messages are easy to retain in memory. Also, each slide can follow your storytelling path, introducing the audience to each concept while you speak, instead of listing everything beforehand.

Presentation Blunders To Avoid

In reality, there is no need for animations or transitions in your slides.

It’s great to know how to turn your text into fires or how to create a transition with sparkle effects, but the reality is the focus should be on the message. Using basic or no transitions lets the content of your presentation stand out, rather than the graphics.

If you plan to use animations, make sure to use modern and professional animations that helps the audience follow the story you are telling, for example when explaining time series or changing events over time.

Only add engaging content that supports your main points

You might have a great chart, picture or even phrase you want to add, but when creating every slide, it’s crucial to ask yourself the following question.

“Does this slide help support my main point?”

If the answer is no, then remove it.  Remember, less is more.

A common crutch for rookie presenters is to use slides as their teleprompter.

First of all, you shouldn’t have that much text on your slides. If you have to read off something, prepare some index cards that fit in your hand but at all costs do not turn your back on your audience and read off of your PowerPoint.  The moment you do that, you make the presentation the focus, and lose the audience as the presenter.

Avoid Giving Out Copies of the Presentation

At least not before you deliver a killer presentation; providing copies of your presentation gives your audience a possible distraction where they can flip through the copy and ignore what you are saying.

It’s also easy for them to take your slides out of context without understanding the meaning behind each slide.  It’s OK to give a copy of the presentation, but generally it is better to give the copies AFTER you have delivered your speech. If you decide to share a copy of your presentation, the best way to do it is by  generating a QR code  for it and placing it at the end of your presentation. Those who want a copy can simply scan and download it onto their phones.

Tips To Making Your Presentation More Engaging

The point of your presentation is to help deliver a message.

When expanding on a particularly important topic that requires a lengthy explanation it’s best to fade the slide into black.  This removes any distraction from the screen and re-focuses it on you, the present speaker. Some presentation devices have a built-in black screen button, but if they don’t, you can always prepare for this by adding a black side to your presentation at the right moment.

“It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.”

Part of making your presentation engaging is to use all the tools at your disposal to get your point across. Changing the inflection and tone of your voice as you present helps make the content and the points more memorable and engaging.

One easy and powerful way to make your presentation interactive is experts to discuss a particular topic during your presentation. This helps create a more engaging presentation and gives you the ability to facilitate and lead a discussion around your topic.

It’s best to prepare some questions for your panel but to also field questions from the audience in a question and answer format.

How To Make Your Presentation More Interactive

What happens if I ask you to think about a pink elephant?  You probably briefly think about a pink elephant, right?

Asking questions when presenting helps engage the audience, and arouse interest and curiosity.  It also has the added benefit of making people pay closer attention, in case they get called on.

So don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if rhetorical; asking a question engages a different part of our brain. It causes us to reflect rather than merely take in the information one way. So ask many of them.

Asking questions can also be an excellent way to build suspense for the next slide.

(Steve Jobs was known to ask questions during his presentations, in this slide he built suspense by asking the audience “Is there space for a device between a cell phone and a laptop?” before revealing the iPad) Source: MacWorld SF 2018

Remember the point of your presentation is to get a message across and although you are the presenter, it is completely fine to use video in your PowerPoint to enhance your presentation.  A relevant video can give you some breathing time to prepare the next slides while equally informing the audience on a particular point.

CAUTION: Be sure to test the video beforehand, and that your audience can hear it in the room.

A trending engagement tool among presenters is to use a live polling tool to allow the audience to participate and collect immediate feedback.

Using a live polling tool is a fun and interactive way to engage your audience in real-time and allow them to participate in part of your presentation.

Google Slides has a built-in Q&A feature that allows presenters to make the slide deck more interactive by providing answers to the audience’s questions. By using the Q&A feature in Google Slides, presenters can start a live Q&A session and people can ask questions directly from their devices including mobile and smartphones.

Key Takeaways from one of the best presenters, Steve Jobs

He kept his slides uncluttered and always strove for simplicity.

In this slide, you can easily see he is talking about the battery life, and it uses a simple image and a few words. Learning from Jobs, you can also make a great presentation too. Focus on the core benefit of your product and incorporate great visuals.

Source: Macworld 2008

SlideModel.com can help to reproduce high-impact slides like these, keeping your audience engagement.

He was known to use large font sizes, the bigger, the better

A big font makes it hard to miss the message on the slide, and allows the audience to focus on the presenter while clearing the understanding what the point of the slide is.

He found made the complex sound simple

When explaining a list of features, he used a simple image and lines or simple tables to provide visual cues to his talking points.

(This particular slide is referencing the iMac features)

What made Steve Jobs the master of presentation, was the ritual of practicing with his team, and this is simple yet often overlooked by many presenters.  It’s easy to get caught in the trap of thinking you don’t need to practice because you know the material so well.

While all these tips will help you create a truly powerful presentation , it can only achieve if applied correctly.

It’s important to remember when trying to deliver an amazing experience, you should be thoroughly prepared. This way, you can elevate your content presentation, convey your message effectively and captivate your audience.

This includes having your research cited, your presentation rehearsed.  Don’t just rehearse your slides, also take time to practice your delivery, and your tone.  The more you rehearse, the more relaxed you will be when delivering. The more confident you will feel.

While we can’t help you with the practice of your next presentation, we can help you by making sure you look good, and that you have a great design and cohesiveness.

You focus on the message and content; we’ll focus on making you look good.

Have a tip you would like to include?  Be sure to mention it in the comments!

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Audience, Engaging, Feedback, Interactive, Poll, Rule of Three, Steve Jobs Filed under Presentation Ideas

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How to give a good presentation

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Anete Ezera April 27, 2023

Presenting in front of an audience, whether a small group of colleagues at work, a classroom full of students, or an audience of potential investors for your personal project, can be a nerve-wracking experience. The pressure to convey your ideas clearly, engage your audience, and make a lasting impression can feel overwhelming. However, with the right preparation and approach, you can confidently deliver a good presentation that captivates your audience and achieves your desired outcomes.

In this article, we will delve into seven key elements that are essential for giving a good presentation. These elements encompass both the preparation and delivery aspects of presenting, ensuring that you are thoroughly prepared and equipped to deliver a compelling presentation. From understanding your audience and creating a strong structure to incorporating effective design practices and storytelling techniques, we’ll provide you with practical tips and strategies to develop good presentation skills. With these key elements in your arsenal, you will be well on your way to giving a presentation that makes a lasting impact.

If you’d like to watch a video on how to give a good presentation featuring a Prezi Video presentation template , check it out here:

What makes a good presentation

Before we dive into the seven key elements of a good presentation, let’s first explore what initially makes a good presentation.

As a matter of fact, what makes a good presentation is a combination of several components. First, it should be well-prepared, with thorough research on the audience and tailored content that is relevant and engaging. A survey by the National Speakers Association revealed that 74% of audiences pay closer attention to presentations that are tailored to their needs and interests. This emphasizes the importance of researching the audience to understand their preferences, expectations, and knowledge level and creating content that aligns with these factors.

Another key element to a good presentation is a strong structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end helps to keep the presentation organized and easy to follow. The Serial Position Effect , a concept from memory research, proves this point. It indicates that people tend to remember information presented at the beginning and end of a sequence better than information presented in the middle. By structuring a presentation with a clear beginning and end, the presenter can take advantage of this effect and ensure that key points or main messages are more likely to be remembered by the audience. To learn more about how to structure your presentation effectively, watch our video on this topic:

Also, effective design practices, such as visually appealing slides and appropriate use of images and visuals, enhance the overall visual appeal of the presentation. In fact, research has shown that incorporating visual aids into presentations increases their persuasive power by 43% compared to those without visual aids. By utilizing visual aids and spatial relationships to simplify complex ideas and make them accessible, presenters can effectively capture their audience’s attention and keep them engaged throughout the entire presentation. And that’s exactly what a Prezi presentation can offer to you. This also ties in with storytelling, which is another key technique presenters use to deliver good presentations. 

Storytelling techniques, including personal anecdotes and real-life examples, can captivate the audience and make the presentation more memorable. A study by Harvard University found that presenters who use storytelling techniques in their presentations are able to capture and maintain the audience’s attention for longer periods of time, resulting in better overall comprehension and retention of information.

Lastly, practice and rehearsal are crucial for delivering a polished and confident presentation. The more a presenter practices and rehearses, the more confident they become in their presentation skills. Confidence is a key factor in delivering an effective presentation, as it helps the presenter establish credibility and engage the audience. Confidence also allows the presenter to handle unexpected situations, such as technical glitches or difficult questions, with poise and professionalism.

When all these elements come together, it results in a good presentation that leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

How to give a good presentation 

Now that we’ve established what makes a good presentation, explore how you can ensure that your next presentation is set up for success and makes a memorable impact on your audience.

Prepare for Success

Thorough preparation is essential for giving a successful presentation. Start by researching and gathering information on your topic. Dig deep into your subject matter to ensure that you have a solid understanding of the content you’ll be presenting. What you can also do is organize your thoughts and create an outline to guide you through your presentation, using a mind map that you can create on Prezi. This will help you stay focused and ensure that your presentation flows logically from one point to the next. Practice your delivery multiple times to build confidence and identify areas that may need improvement. Rehearsing will also help you manage your time effectively during the actual presentation, allowing you to stay on track and deliver your message with clarity and confidence.

Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is a critical component of delivering a good presentation that truly resonates with them. Taking the time to thoroughly consider who your audience is and what they are interested in can greatly enhance the impact of your presentation. Start by researching and analyzing your audience demographics, such as their age, education level, professional background, and interests. Also, consider their prior knowledge and familiarity with your topic, as well as their expectations and goals for attending your presentation.

Once you have a clear understanding of your audience, tailor your content to meet their specific needs and expectations. Use language that is appropriate and understandable to your audience, avoiding jargon or technical terms that may be unfamiliar to them. Craft your message in a way that is relevant and relatable to their interests, concerns, and experiences. This will help you establish a connection with your audience and make your presentation more engaging.

In addition, incorporating relevant examples or anecdotes that your audience can relate to can be highly effective. Real-life examples, case studies, or anecdotes that are relevant to your audience can help illustrate your points and make your content more relatable and memorable. This creates a sense of connection and relevance, as your audience can see how your topic directly applies to their own lives or work.

By connecting with your audience on a personal level, you can captivate their attention and keep them engaged throughout your presentation. When your audience feels that you understand their needs, interests, and expectations, they are more likely to actively participate and remain attentive. Tailoring your content and language to your audience’s preferences and using relatable examples can create a sense of rapport and trust, which enhances the overall impact of your presentation.

Create a Strong Structure

A well-structured presentation is key to keeping your audience engaged from start to finish. Your structure should include an attention-grabbing introduction, a clear and organized body, and a strong and memorable conclusion.

Introduction

Your introduction sets the stage for your entire presentation and presents an opportunity to make a lasting impression on your audience. It’s your chance to captivate their attention right from the start and create a sense of anticipation for what’s to come. To achieve this, start with a hook that grabs their attention and piques their interest.

One effective way to hook your audience is by using a compelling statistic that is relevant to your topic. It can be a surprising fact, a startling figure, or a thought-provoking data point that immediately captures your audience’s attention. This can create a sense of intrigue and curiosity, motivating your audience to lean in and listen attentively to what you have to say. And you don’t need to outsource a data visualization tool to create a visually appealing chart or map – you can use Prezi Design and incorporate charts, graphs, and maps into your presentations like in the example below.

Another effective approach is to start with a thought-provoking question that encourages your audience to reflect and engage with your topic. It can be a rhetorical question that stimulates their curiosity or a direct question that prompts them to think about their own experiences or opinions related to your presentation. This can help establish a connection with your audience and encourage them to actively participate in your presentation.

Alternatively, you can begin your introduction with a powerful quote that is relevant to your topic. A well-chosen quote from a reputable source can instantly grab your audience’s attention and lend credibility to your presentation. It can also evoke emotions or convey a sense of urgency, compelling your audience to sit up and take notice.

In addition to using verbal hooks, visual aids or multimedia can also be effective in creating an attention-grabbing introduction. Incorporate relevant images, videos, or slides that are visually appealing and enhance your message. This can add an element of visual interest and help reinforce your key points.

However, it’s crucial to ensure that your introduction is not only attention-grabbing but also relevant to your topic and sets the tone for the rest of your presentation. It should provide a clear transition into the main content of your presentation and establish the context for what is to follow. This helps your audience understand the purpose of your presentation and sets their expectations for the remainder of your talk.

Discover more ways to start a presentation by watching this video:

Once you have successfully captured your audience’s attention with a compelling introduction, it’s crucial to deliver your main points in a clear and organized manner. This ensures that your audience can easily follow along and grasp the key messages you are conveying. 

Organizing the body of your presentation can be done in different ways, depending on your topic and audience. One common approach is to use a chronological order, where you present your ideas in a sequence that follows a timeline or a sequence of events like in the Prezi presentation below. This can be effective when you are presenting historical information, explaining a process, or discussing the progress of a project or an initiative.

Another approach is to organize your content by priority. This involves presenting your ideas in an order of importance, starting with the most critical or impactful point first and then moving on to the lesser ones. This can be useful when you are discussing a series of ideas or recommendations, and you want to emphasize the most important ones to your audience.

Alternatively, you can organize your content by theme. This involves grouping related ideas together and discussing them in a cohesive manner. This approach is useful when you are presenting different aspects or perspectives of a broader topic, and you want to highlight the connections between them.

Whichever organizational approach you choose, it’s important to use transitions between your ideas to create a smooth flow. Transitions can be in the form of verbal cues or visual aids, such as signposts, that indicate a shift from one idea to another. This helps your audience to follow along easily and understand the logical progression of your presentation.

Visual aids, such as graphs, charts, images, or videos, can be valuable tools to enhance your message and make your content more engaging. They can provide visual representations of complex information, support your key points, and make your content more memorable. However, it’s crucial to be mindful of the pacing of your presentation and avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information. Use visual aids judiciously and ensure they are relevant and supportive of your main message.

Ending your presentation with a memorable conclusion is a crucial opportunity to reinforce your main points and leave a lasting impression on your audience. By summarizing your key messages and tying them together in a cohesive manner, you can create a powerful ending that resonates with your audience.

One effective way to reinforce your main points is to concisely summarize your key messages. This can help reinforce the key takeaways from your presentation and ensure that your audience remembers the most important information. You can also use this opportunity to highlight the significance of your key messages and emphasize their relevance to your audience.

In addition to summarizing your main points, you can also include a call to action in your conclusion. This can be a specific next step that you want your audience to take after your presentation, such as signing up for a newsletter, visiting a website, or taking action on a particular issue. 

Furthermore, you can offer a final thought or reflection in your conclusion. This can be a powerful way to leave a lasting impression on your audience and encourage them to reflect on the content of your presentation. 

To make your conclusion even more impactful, consider using visual aids or multimedia. Visuals such as images, icons, stickers, GIFs, and more can add an extra layer of engagement and creativity to your conclusion, all of which you can find in Prezi’s media library. 

Use the best design practices

The visual aspect of your presentation is crucial in creating a memorable and engaging experience for your audience. Follow these best design practices to ensure that your presentation is visually appealing and effective:

Easy to read and understand

When creating your presentation, it’s essential to ensure that you use a legible font size and style. Choosing a font that is easy to read, even from a distance, can greatly enhance the clarity of your content. Additionally, leaving ample space between elements and text is crucial to avoid a cramped and cluttered appearance. This allows your audience to easily process the information without feeling overwhelmed. Opting for a clean and simple layout that logically organizes your content can further aid in comprehension. Avoid unnecessary elements or distracting visuals that may divert your audience’s attention from the main message. Clutter can hinder the audience’s ability to understand your content, so it’s best to keep the design minimalistic and focused. By following these guidelines, you can create a visually appealing and effective presentation that effectively conveys your message to your audience.

In the realm of design, the principle of “less is more” holds true. Embracing simplicity and minimalism can result in a more impactful and effective presentation. One effective strategy is to remove unnecessary design elements that don’t contribute to the main points of your content. By doing so, you can streamline your visuals and direct your audience’s attention to the key information you want to convey.

Consistency is also key in design. Choosing a harmonious color scheme that complements your content and aligns with your brand or message can enhance the visual coherence of your presentation. Avoid using too many colors or conflicting color combinations that can be distracting or overwhelming. Keeping your visual aids clean and uncluttered, with ample whitespace, can help create a sense of balance and ease of comprehension.

A simple and visually appealing design can greatly assist in conveying your message. It allows your audience to focus on the content without unnecessary distractions. A clutter-free design can also help in improving information retention, as it makes it easier for your audience to absorb and retain the key points of your presentation.

Storytelling

One effective way to elevate your presentation to the next level is by incorporating a motion-based presentation tool like Prezi. Prezi offers a unique and dynamic way to illustrate the connections between different ideas, creating a visually captivating and engaging storytelling experience. By utilizing motion, zooming, and panning effects, you can create a seamless flow of content that guides your audience through your presentation with fluidity and purpose.

A motion-based presentation can be particularly valuable when explaining complex concepts or showcasing intricate relationships between ideas. It provides a visually appealing way to showcase the relationships, patterns, and interactions between different elements, making it easier for your audience to grasp the content and retain the information. 

In addition to the visual benefits, a motion-based presentation also allows you to inject your own personal style and creativity into your presentation. You can customize the motion paths, zoom levels, and transitions to create a unique and memorable visual experience that aligns with your content and delivery style. This can help you stand out from traditional slide-based presentations and create a lasting impression on your audience.

Visual Aids

Visual aids are an invaluable tool in presentations as they can greatly enhance the impact and effectiveness of your content. Whether it’s charts, graphs, images, or videos, strategic use of visual aids can add depth and clarity to your presentation, making it more engaging and memorable for your audience.

When using visual aids, it’s essential to ensure they are relevant to your content and directly support your main message. Choose visual aids that complement your presentation goals and help clarify complex information or concepts. For example, using charts and graphs to present data can provide a visual representation that is easier to understand and interpret than raw numbers.

However, it’s important to strike a balance and avoid using too many visual aids that may overwhelm or distract your audience. Too many visuals can cause sensory overload and detract from your main message. Instead, use visual aids selectively and purposefully, focusing on those that directly support your key points and enhance audience understanding.

Engage Your Audience

Engaging your audience is critical to keeping their attention and making your presentation memorable. Use the following techniques to actively involve your audience during your presentation:

Questions and polls

By actively involving your audience in the presentation process, you can encourage their participation and keep them engaged throughout.

Asking questions can be a powerful tool to gauge your audience’s understanding of the content you are presenting. You can ask open-ended questions that require thoughtful responses or closed-ended questions that prompt quick answers. This not only allows you to assess their comprehension of the material but also encourages them to actively think about the topic and participate in the discussion.

It’s also important to create a supportive and inclusive environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. Encourage them to ask questions, provide feedback, and actively participate in the discussion. Acknowledge and appreciate their contributions, and use their feedback to further enhance your presentation.

Interactivity

Incorporating interactive elements into your presentation can elevate your content to a whole new level by actively involving your audience in the learning process. By going beyond traditional lecture-style delivery, you can create a dynamic and engaging experience that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impression.

One effective interactive element is demonstrations. Showcasing practical examples or demonstrations of concepts, products, or processes can help your audience visualize how things work in real life. This hands-on approach allows them to see your content in action, making it more tangible and relatable. You can use props, visual aids, or multimedia tools to enhance your demonstrations and create a memorable experience for your audience.

Group activities are another powerful interactive element that promotes active participation and collaboration. Break your audience into smaller groups and assign them tasks or activities related to your content. This could include brainstorming sessions, role-plays, simulations, or problem-solving exercises.

Case studies are yet another valuable interactive element that can bring real-world relevance to your content. Presenting relevant case studies or scenarios that reflect the challenges and opportunities your audience may face can help them apply your content to practical situations. 

Incorporating interactive elements into your presentation not only makes it more engaging and relevant but also fosters active learning, enhances retention, and encourages audience participation. 

Eye contact and body language

Maintaining eye contact with your audience is a powerful communication technique that helps establish a connection and build rapport. When you make direct eye contact with individuals in your audience, you convey confidence, sincerity, and respect. It shows that you are present and attentive and that you value their attention and participation.

In addition to eye contact, your body language plays a crucial role in projecting confidence and engagement during your presentation. Stand tall and maintain a good posture, as it conveys confidence and authority. Avoid slouching or fidgeting, as it can detract from your message. Use purposeful hand gestures to emphasize key points or to illustrate concepts, as they can add dynamism and expressiveness to your presentation. If applicable, move around the stage or the room to engage with different parts of the audience and create a connection with everyone in the room.

Confident body language also includes facial expressions, tone of voice, and overall energy. Smile genuinely and use a warm and friendly tone of voice to create a positive and approachable presence. Show enthusiasm and passion for your topic through your gestures, facial expressions, and vocal intonation. Your energy and enthusiasm can be contagious and can help keep your audience engaged and attentive.

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can make your presentation more relatable and compelling to your audience. By incorporating storytelling techniques, such as sharing anecdotes, case studies, or personal experiences, you can create a narrative that resonates with your audience on an emotional level and helps them connect with your content.

When using storytelling techniques, it’s important to keep in mind the purpose and relevance of the stories you share. Ensure that your stories directly support your main message and contribute to the overall flow and coherence of your presentation. 

Manage nerves and handle questions

Managing nerves and handling questions effectively are crucial skills for a successful presentation. Here are some tips on how to not be nervous for a presentation .

Practice, practice, practice

As you devote more time to practicing, honing your skills, and refining your presentation, you will notice a tangible increase in your self-assurance. The process of rehearsing your content, timing, and delivery multiple times is essential for building a robust sense of confidence and reducing any lingering nervousness that may arise. The more effort you put into practice, the more comfortable and prepared you will feel when it comes time to deliver your presentation. So, don’t hesitate to invest ample time and energy into rehearsing, as it will undoubtedly pay off in terms of boosting your confidence and ensuring a successful presentation.

Prepare for questions

Anticipating potential questions and crafting thoughtful and concise answers is a crucial step in preparing for your presentation. By considering the possible inquiries that your audience may have, you can proactively address them, demonstrating your expertise and preparedness. 

Take the time to thoroughly research and gather information to ensure that your responses are accurate and relevant. When the time comes for questions during or after your presentation, remain open and approachable, encouraging audience participation. 

Responding with confidence and professionalism will not only showcase your knowledge but also establish your credibility as a speaker. Plus, your ability to handle questions with confidence and professionalism will leave a lasting impression on your audience and enhance the overall effectiveness of your presentation.

Stay calm and composed

Feeling nervous during a presentation is entirely normal, but there are strategies you can employ to manage those nerves and deliver a confident performance. One effective technique is to take deep breaths, allowing yourself to inhale deeply and exhale slowly to calm your nerves and regulate your breathing. Remember to breathe from your diaphragm, as this can help you relax and maintain a steady voice.

In addition to deep breathing, remind yourself that you are the expert on your topic. You have put in the time and effort to research and prepare for this presentation, and you are well-equipped to share your knowledge with your audience. Embrace the confidence that comes with being knowledgeable about your subject matter, and let that knowledge guide your delivery.

During the presentation, if you are faced with questions that catch you off guard or make you feel anxious, take a moment to pause and gather your thoughts. Don’t rush to respond, as this can result in hasty and incomplete answers. Instead, take a deep breath, maintain eye contact with the questioner, and thoughtfully compose your response. If needed, ask for clarification or repeat the question to ensure you fully understand it before responding.

If you want to learn more about how to give a good presentation without being nervous, watch the following video: 

In the event that you encounter a question during your presentation for which you do not know the answer, it’s important to prioritize honesty and transparency. Resist the urge to guess or provide inaccurate information, as this can undermine your credibility as a presenter. Instead, be upfront and candid with your audience, acknowledging that you don’t have the answer at the moment.

A professional approach in such situations is to offer to follow up later with the correct information. You can assure the questioner that you will make the effort to research and verify the accurate response after the presentation, and then provide it to them in a timely manner. This demonstrates your commitment to accuracy and your dedication to providing reliable information to your audience.

By being honest and transparent about not knowing the answer, you uphold your integrity as a presenter and maintain the trust of your audience. It’s far better to admit when you don’t have the information rather than provide incorrect or misleading answers that can lead to confusion or misinformation.

Stay Positive and Confident

Lastly, stay positive and confident throughout your presentation. Believe in your content and your ability to deliver it effectively. Keep a positive attitude, smile, and connect with your audience. Remember, confidence is contagious, and a confident and positive presenter is more likely to captivate their audience and deliver a successful presentation.

In conclusion, giving a good presentation goes beyond just having great content. It requires careful planning, understanding your audience, creating a clear structure, implementing effective design practices, engaging your audience, managing nerves, handling questions with grace, seeking feedback for improvement, and maintaining a positive and confident demeanor throughout. By incorporating these key elements into your presentation strategy, you can elevate your presentation skills and deliver memorable and impactful presentations that leave a lasting impression on your audience. Remember, preparation and practice are essential, and it’s normal to feel nervous, but with the right techniques and mindset, you can overcome those nerves and deliver a presentation that truly shines. 

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PowerPoint Slide Elements: Best Practices and Tips

• December 27, 2022
• 12 Comments

The Learning Hour* – Week 11 : PowerPoint Slide Elements

Posted by  Ashish Agarwal

A PowerPoint slide is the fundamental building block of a Presentation. A PowerPoint presentation is simply a collection of different slides arranged in a logical manner to effectively communicate a story.

So then, what are the main components of building a slide?  We look at the 5 most important elements which needs to be there on any slide.

1.  Slide Title

Always start creating a powerpoint slide with the Slide Title. Think of it as the key message or insight that you would like to present on the slide. Ideally , there should be only 1 main message on each slide. The slide title should be crisp and concise to effectively communicate the key message. It should be written in a powerful way such that the audience understands the message without having to read the main content of the slide. The slide title should present the slide synthesis of the main so what from the content on the slide. Remember, not a summary regurgitating the same facts which are on the slide but helping the audience move from facts to the most important so what from that single slide.

2. Charts/Graphs

There are a number of data related PowerPoint charts that is in-built to represent numerical information. Use them extensively to illustrate numbers and quantitative information. You can choose from a number of chart options like Line Chart, Pie Chart, Waterfall chart, Bubble Chart, etc. Be careful to use the right chart for the right data. Using the right charts for financial data helps to enhance the visual communication of the powerpoint slide. 

3. TEXT 

Gone are the days where you would use a PowerPoint slide to put lots of text on it. No one reads those slides anymore. Instead, use TEXT comments sparingly to only indicate the main point. Choose a big font size of at least 24 to ensure your audience can easily read the slides. If you must use bullets, not more than 3-5 bullets on a slide. You can also use Smart-Arts to represent text based information on the slide. Ensure you follow basic presentation tips that will make the reader engaged with reading the information on your slide.

4. Images/Icons

Use Images and Icons to reinforce a point and not just to jazz up the powerpoint slide. Images are a great way to capture the attention and effectively communicate with the audience. There are a number of websites that allow you to download high quality images and icons. So, make the most of them. Sometimes you many need a paid subscription to access these images but there are lots of free websites as well that will allow you stock images for free. 

5. Footnotes/Source:

Be sure to add any important footnotes or source on the slide. Footnotes and source complete a slide with any extra information that the audience should be aware of. If there is a source of information that you would want to call out on a slide, footnotes are the best place to put it. They serve to improve the authenticity of the presentation with the right attribution provided.

So as you can see, the above 5 elements are extremely crucial to make a slide in PowerPoint. These 5 elements are part of any slide and if we do each of them well, the overall slide looks compelling and helps us to convey the right piece of information to the audience.

What else do you use? Put your thoughts in the comments below.

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10 Good PowerPoint Presentation Examples

A PowerPoint presentation stands out when it grabs the audience’s attention. With the help of these good PowerPoint presentation examples, you can create PPTs like never before. These examples showcase innovative designs, engaging visuals, and effective storytelling techniques that captivate viewers.

Engaging presentations are the secret sauce of effective communication. They bring life to ideas and transform information into inspiration. They are the heartbeat of any memorable message, connecting with your audience. With the power to captivate, educate, and motivate your audience, the best PowerPoint presentations can turn complex ideas into easy-to-understand visuals. Hence, we will discuss good PowerPoint presentation examples.  

An engaging PowerPoint presentation perfectly blends content, design, and to-the-point information. A presentation’s visual appeal can significantly shape perceptions of credibility, commitment to a project, and relatability. Therefore, we have curated a list of good PowerPoint presentation examples for you to take inspiration from and make your next presentation stand out. 

What Makes A Good PowerPoint Presentation?

To create the best PowerPoint presentations, we can go overboard with numerous designs and template options in PowerPoint. Having a variety of choices, like colors, formats, visuals, and fonts, is a creative opportunity. However, being selective is vital because not all design choices lead to success and make for PowerPoint presentation examples. 

There’s no one correct way to design your next PowerPoint presentation. Still, some good and bad presentation example designs are more effective than others. While a bad presentation can give off an unprofessional look, a good one can visually establish your brand and leave a lasting impression on your audience. 

Let’s look at some of the excellent PowerPoint presentation examples that will help you up your presentation game:

• Limited text
• Less or minimal transitions and animations
• Cohesive color pallet
• Keeping contextual graphics
• Customized illustrations
• Use no font size smaller than 18 point
• Logical flow of content
• Effective use of bullet points
• Proper symmetry between different paragraphs and pointers
• Having an engaging summary with a clear Call to Action

Limited Text

Limited text in a PowerPoint presentation works wonders, transforming it into an engaging and crystal-clear presentation. Less is more when it comes to text on slides. Keeping your content concise allows your audience to focus on your message instead of squinting at paragraphs of information.

A slide with a striking image or impactful phrase instantly grabs attention and conveys your point. Using this approach makes your presentation look great. It also helps your audience remember key takeaways, making it one of the best PowerPoint presentation examples

PRO TIP: The golden rule of holding the audience’s attention is using 30 words per slide or a minimum of 6-8 lines on each slide to help create a seamless flow where graphics complement your spoken words.

Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples With Limited Text:

Less or Minimal Transitions And Animations

Too many animations and transitions may not be your presentation’s best buddies. They can steal the spotlight from the core of your message. Best PowerPoint presentations shine by keeping animations and transitions in check. Use it in moderation to emphasize a point or draw attention to specific elements in your visuals.

One of the best PowerPoint presentation examples in terms of transitions and animations is using a “fade-in” animation for bullet points or critical pieces of information. Instead of displaying all the text at once, you can set it to appear one at a time as you discuss each one. This gradual reveal creates curiosity and keeps your audience engaged and focused on the current topic. 

READ MORE: How to add animation in PowerPoint?  

Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples with Minimal Transitions:

Cohesive color pallet.

Another PowerPoint presentation examples includes a cohesive color palette throughout the presentation. We are not saying you must brush up on the color theory game before making your presentation, but knowing what colors to use can make a real difference. A well-thought-out color palette combination that complements and harmonizes can effectively direct your audience’s focus. It highlights what matters and downplays less critical information when needed.

Now, picking the right colors might seem like a puzzle. The golden rule is to use colors that work well together and provide a clear contrast without straining the eyes. If you’re short on time or inspiration, Microsoft Office’s ready-made color schemes can be a lifesaver.

PowerPoint Presentation Examples with cohesive color pallet:

Keeping Contextual Graphics 

A picture really can say a thousand words. Good PowerPoint presentation examples incorporate graphs, photos, and illustrations that enhance your points and keep your audience engaged. But remember, it’s crucial to put these visuals in context. Having contextual graphics or illustrations and explaining why they’re there verbally will help the audience connect the dots and understand the material. It looks great and ensures your message is crystal clear and memorable.

Best PowerPoint Presentations with Contextual Graphics:

Customized Illustrations 

Adding customized illustrations to your PowerPoint slides is one of the best PowerPoint slide examples. It’s like giving your presentation a unique personality and a touch of authenticity. It’s a game-changer that can take your slides from ordinary to outstanding. Generic stock images or clip art can feel impersonal and overused. On the other hand, customized illustrations are tailored to your message and brand, making your content exclusive. They allow you to convey your ideas in a way that is distinctively “you,” establishing a stronger connection with your audience.

PowerPoint Presentation Examples with Illustrations:

Use no Font Size Smaller Than 18 point

Maintaining a minimum font size of 18 points in your best PowerPoint presentations is like giving your audience the gift of clarity and readability. It’s a simple yet impactful way to ensure your message shines through and your presentation looks professional. No one wants to squint or strain their eyes to read a tiny text on a slide. 

When you use an 18-point font or larger, your content becomes instantly more accessible. Your audience can comfortably read what’s on the screen, allowing them to stay focused on your message rather than struggling to make out the words. An easily readable font is not only a good PowerPoint example, but it also helps your audience digest your content and perceive your presentation as professional and user-friendly.

PowerPoint Presentation Examples with Font Sized 18:

READ MORE: Best Presentation Fonts

Logical Flow of Content 

Good PowerPoint presentation examples had a logical flow of content. You should maintain a logical flow of the content in your PowerPoint presentation. It is like crafting a smooth, well-executed experience for your audience. The roadmap keeps them engaged, helps them follow your story, and ensures your message hits the mark. 

A presentation with a chaotic sequence of ideas or topics can leave your audience puzzled and disconnected. A logical flow, on the other hand, guides your audience seamlessly from one point to the next, making it easy for them to grasp the bigger picture. When your content unfolds in a logical order, it forms a narrative that’s easier for the human brain to digest and remember. You can also create great slideshow presentation examples with good logical flow.

Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples with FlowChart:

EXPLORE: Flowchart PowerPoint Templates

Effective Use of Bullet Points

To create the best PowerPoint presentations you need to Effectively use bullet points in your PowerPoint presentation is like serving bite-sized portions of information to your audience. It is an excellent way of keeping them engaged and ensuring your message is digestible and memorable. Bullet points break down complex ideas into concise, easy-to-follow chunks. They act as signposts, guiding your audience through your content with a clear roadmap.

Limiting the number of bullet points to 8-10 per slide prevents information overload and gives each point the attention it deserves. People have a limited attention span, so bullet points are your allies in delivering information efficiently. They allow your audience to absorb key takeaways without feeling overwhelmed. Plus, bullet points serve as excellent prompts for your verbal delivery, keeping you on track and ensuring you don’t forget essential details. 

Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples with Bullet Points:

Proper Symmetry Between Different Paragraphs and Pointers

Ensuring proper symmetry between different paragraphs and pointers in your presentation is similar to creating a smooth flow that captivates your audience. It’s all about balance, and when done right, it can significantly enhance the appeal and effectiveness of your slides. Just as a well-balanced meal is more appetizing, slides with balanced content are more visually appealing. 

When you maintain a consistent and symmetrical structure, it creates a sense of order and professionalism. Symmetrical layouts help your audience anticipate what’s coming next. When they see a pattern, like consistent bullet point structure or paragraph formatting, it becomes easier for them to follow your narrative. This predictability allows your audience to focus, not jumble. 

Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples with Symmetry:

Having an Engaging Summary With a Clear Call to Action

Last on this list of best PowerPoint presentations is an engaging summary with a clear call to action. Think of the summary as the highlight of your presentation. It recaps the essential takeaways, ensuring your audience fully grasps the key messages you want to convey. This reinforcement is critical because it’s what your audience will most likely remember long after your presentation. 

A clear CTA is like extending a helping hand to your audience, guiding them on what steps to take next. Whether it’s encouraging them to explore further resources, make a decision, or get in touch with you. Adding an engaging summary with a clear CTA to your slides is the grand finale that ties your presentation together.

Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples with Clear Call to Action:

EXPLORE: Call to Action PowerPoint Templates  

Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples

Now you know the essential things to include to make better presentations. As a busy professional, it might be time-consuming and hectic for you to create presentations from scratch. Therefore, we have created templates for multiple purposes for you to use. You can directly download them and customize them as per your requirements. We have mentioned the examples of PowerPoint presentations below:

Project Kick-Off PowerPoint Presentation Examples

Use this template to share your project initiation plans with your teams and stakeholders. It helps you start a project and aligns your audience with your vision. These slides examples give your audience a complete overview of your project, including your project goals and objectives, timeline, team members, plans, etc. Use this to ensure that your team members and stakeholders know all the initial project details.

This template has multiple slides dedicated to different purposes, such as meeting agendas, project charters, approaches and methodologies, timelines, team mapping, roles and responsibilities, etc. Its consistent theme makes it professional and attractive. Download and customize it according to your needs.

Business Review Presentation PowerPoint Template

Business professionals can use this template to assess and review various stages of their business. The purpose is to help your team members, investors, and stakeholders understand the business’s overall performance. You can also use this to outline strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities for effective business planning.

It includes multiple MS PowerPoint slide examples on topics such as market analysis, sales review, people’s review, strategies, etc. You can also include market trends, customer feedback, and updates on new product launches. Just download the template and edit it to suit your company guidelines.

Project Status Review Deck PowerPoint Presentation Examples

Use this template to review your business’s current state. It helps you outline your project progress, challenges, risks, and milestones. It is an excellent tool for project managers to help them inform and align their team members, customers, and stakeholders about the project. It transparently conveys key information and builds trust with the audience.

It includes multiple slides dedicated to different purposes, such as a Project progress summary, milestones, project work plan, Budget Summary, Risk analysis, and metrics to track performance. It allows better collaboration among team members and facilitates an efficient process. Different types of graph elements, like charts and graphs, enhance the visual appeal of this presentation.

SWOT Analysis 

You can use this template to assess internal and external factors affecting your business. It stands for Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It helps you in strategic planning by outlining the strong areas, limitations, upcoming opportunities, and external threats that may stop you from achieving your goals.

This template uses multiple graphic elements and an attractive theme, making it appealing to the audience. It is fully editable, and you can also add elements to it. Add your company theme or colors to match your brand identity.

Business Roadmap PowerPoint Presentation Examples

This template acts as a visual communication tool to convey the steps you need to achieve a business objective. It outlines the goals, timelines, and milestones of your business projects. It’s easier for teams to work together on a common objective when all the tasks and steps are clear, along with deadlines. Roadmap templates exactly do that for you.

It has a highway road visual with destinations, which visualizes the objectives to reach in chronological order. The audience will immediately understand the topic and tasks. Download this template and use it to enhance your team’s performance.

Marketing Plan Deck

This marketing plan deck helps you outline all your marketing plans. It lets you visually communicate your strategy, goals, target persona, and work action plans to your team members and stakeholders. It includes multiple slides for Brand Planning, Brand implementation, and Brand tracking, which give your audience a detailed overview of all your marketing efforts.  

The consistent blue theme for all the slides makes it easy for the audience to follow. It also includes multiple graphical elements. You can add background images along with colors to personalize the presentation according to your brand identity. Just download it and start using it to create outstanding presentations.

Business Pitch Deck PowerPoint Presentation Examples

Do you have a new product or idea and want to create it in reality? However, a lack of funds limits your ability to pursue this. Then, you need to present your ideas to investors or stakeholders to get their funding and support. It would be best if you made them trust you by inspiring them with the potential of your idea or product. This business pitch template will help you with that.

It consists of multiple slides showcasing your purpose, problem statement, and solution. It also includes the current market size, competitor analysis, and business model. It’s better to add teams to this presentation, as it boosts investors’ confidence if there is a solid team to achieve the desired results. Download this template and create excellent presentations to get your investors on board.

SMART Goals PowerPoint Presentation Examples

This template assists you in making structured goals. Smart goals stand for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. It means your goals should be specific and easy to measure. The goal should be achievable and relevant and have a deadline. 

Let’s consider an example:

A typical goal will be: Increase traffic on our website.

Its Smart Goals version will be: Increase monthly website traffic by 20% compared to the previous month by implementing SEO optimization, content marketing, and social media promotion strategies within the next six months.

There are 5 sections in which you can fill in your goals. It’s fully editable, and you can customize it as per your needs. Add colors, images, icons, etc. This Smart goals presentation will help you achieve your goals effectively.

Important PowerPoint Presentation Tips

While building a PowerPoint presentation’s design, content, and flow shall be tailored to hit its target audience. Making your presentation eye-catching is essential to steer clear of Call to Action goals. However, taking your PowerPoint presentations to the next level can be time-consuming. So, getting yourself help from professional PowerPoint examples as provided like SlideUpLift can be a game-changer you’ll want to know about.

PRO TIP: It’s important that you follow the Who, What, and Where tips to up your presentation game.

SlideUpLift provides expert guidance on presentation best practices and helps you customize your slides as per your requirements. Our extensive library covers a wide range of industries and topics. But that’s not all. SlideUpLift also offers a collection of beautifully designed templates, graphics, and icons and provides professional PowerPoint Templates for your needs. 

What makes a PowerPoint presentation "good"?

A good PowerPoint presentation effectively communicates its message, engages the audience, and utilizes clear, visually appealing slides with well-structured content.

Where Can I Find Examples Well-Designed PowerPoint Presentation examples For Inspiration?

You can find good PowerPoint presentation examples of well-designed presentations on websites and platforms that offer presentation templates like SlideUpLift.

What are some key examples of good presentation?

Successful PowerPoint presentations often include: 

• concise content
• engaging visuals
• a logical flow
• limited use of text, and 
• a clear call to action

How can I ensure my PowerPoint presentation aligns with the best practices?

To ensure your presentation follows best practices, focus on storytelling, maintain visual consistency, limit bullet points, use high-quality visuals, and practice your delivery.

Are there any tools or resources to help me improve my PowerPoint presentations?

Yes, SlideUpLift provides various tools and resources, including PowerPoint add-ins, design templates, and online tutorials that help you enhance your presentation skills and create compelling slides.

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PowerPoints are all the rager.

Gen Z’s idea of “work-life balance” was stifled during the COVID-19 lockdown — and now their parties even feature PowerPoint presentations.

A PowerPoint party is pretty self-explanatory: People get together and show each other PP presentations on a topic of their choosing for “fun.”

The, um, point is for friends to get to know each other’s silly, niche interests and funny thoughts.

The get-togethers rose in popularity during the pandemic, but they’re still a big hit among Gen Z today — despite utilizing something seen regularly in corporate environments.

Searching for PowerPoint parties on TikTok will bring up an endless stream of examples, with topics including A-list actor Pedro Pascal , “ Things that give me the ick ” and a meta presentation of “guessing what PowerPoint everyone prepared.”

It’s such a common occurrence that Cosmopolitan even put out a list of “55 PowerPoint Night Ideas to Spice Up Your Next at-Home Hang.” Some examples include Disney Channel movie supremacy, the most iconic set of twins in history, and the best chain restaurant and why.

People tend to be quite split on whether they find PowerPoint parties fun.

McCall Mirabella told CNN that she asked all her friends to prepare a PowerPoint for her recent 21st birthday celebration — and she loved it.

“They’re so unserious,” she told the outlet of PP nights she’s attended and hosted. “Most of the time, people are left crying from laughing so hard, or bent over wheezing.”

Others disagree, thinking we should leave the PowerPoints in the office — and not bring them into the home.

“I love my friends, and also I absolutely do not want to do this with any of them,” Emily Stewart of Business Insider wrote about the “weird” craze. “Must we turn something we do at work into something we do in our personal lives? Just hanging out without a plan is fine and pleasant.”

Why Gen Z is so infatuated with PowerPoints as a fun pastime isn’t exactly clear.

Perhaps their work and personal lives are blurred due to remote work, or maybe they’re just used to interacting via technology rather than in person.

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