Like what you're reading?

Need a good presentation topic? Here are hundreds of them.

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

' src=

Anete Ezera November 04, 2022

If you’re looking for good topics for presentations, you’ve landed on the right page. In this article, you’ll find plenty of good presentation topics, tips on choosing the most suitable topic for you, and essential design elements to make your presentation a success. 

Many factors go into an excellent presentation. You need to have confident body language and engage your audience to hold their attention. You also need eye-catching visual aids like images, data visualizations, GIFs, and others (all of which you can find in Prezi ), not to mention a great opening to grab attention and a strong closing line to stay memorable. However, the most essential aspect of your presentation is the topic. It’s the core of your presentation, so it has to be strong, insightful, attention-grabbing, and appealing to yourself and your audience in order to evolve into a successful presentation everyone will love. 

good presentation topics: a woman giving a presentation in a business meeting

How to choose a good presentation topic

There are millions of topics you could create a presentation on, but what defines a good topic? If you’re struggling to either come up with a good topic for a presentation or you can’t decide between multiple ones, here are a few questions you should ask yourself before choosing a topic. 

What’s the goal of your presentation? 

When you’re choosing a topic, consider the meaning behind it. Ask yourself what the purpose of talking about this topic is, and what you want to say about it. Whatever topic you choose to present, the conclusion needs to provide a takeaway or lesson you want to communicate to your audience. A meaningful goal will make your presentation more memorable.  

Are you interested in the topic?

If you’re not interested in the topic, others won’t be curious either. Interest, enthusiasm, and passion enrich your presentation and are noticeable when presenting. Interest shines through and inspires others to find the topic as fascinating as you do. Think about the last time you saw someone sharing something they were passionate about – their excitement drew people in to pay closer attention to what they were saying. 

When choosing a topic, you need to find it or a particular angle of it interesting for yourself. For example, perhaps you’re not a pop music enthusiast, but you’re passionate about studying cultural phenomena. In this case, you can talk about pop music’s influence on early 2000s youth culture. 

Will your audience find this topic relatable? 

While you have to find the topic you’re presenting interesting, you also have to think about your audience. When choosing a subject, consider your audience’s background in terms of demographics, interests, culture, and knowledge level about the topic. Think about what others will find fascinating and relevant, so they’re not bored or confused during your presentation.

Do you have prior experience or knowledge about this topic?

Personal experiences are always great to share in a presentation, providing your unique perspective for anyone listening. While you can easily prepare your presentation based on a quick Google search, it won’t make the same lasting impact on your audience. Choose a topic you have some prior knowledge about, or have an interesting opinion you can share with others. It’ll make your presentation more engaging and memorable.

good presentation topics: a presenter on stage

Ideas for good presentation topics

It’s not easy to come up with a good presentation topic from scratch. It’s much easier to get inspired from other good presentation topics to build your topic on. Whether you’re looking for presentation ideas for work, about me presentation ideas, unique or easy presentation topics, you’ll find them all here.

Without further ado, here are some good presentation topics to choose from or get inspired by.

Presentation topics about social media

  • The role of social media in portraying gender stereotypes
  • How social media impacts our body image
  • How social media shaped Gen Z 
  • The most significant differences between the Facebook and TikTok generations
  • The negative effects of social media
  • The positive impacts of social media 
  • The effects of social media on behavior 
  • How social media impacts our physical (or mental) health
  • How social media has shaped our understanding of mass media
  • Should we teach about social media in schools?
  • The rise of social media influencers
  • How AR Instagram filters impact our self-image
  • How to go viral on social media?
  • The origins of social media echo chambers
  • Social media as a news outlet

Author: Ish Verduzco

Presentation topics about movies

  • How movies influence our understanding of good and evil
  • Beauty standards represented in movies
  • How female characters are depicted in Hollywood movies
  • How horror movies and global fears have developed through time
  • The adverse effects of romance movies
  • How movies have changed our understanding of the Western culture
  • Charlie Chaplin and the silent movie era
  • The globalization of culture: Hollywood vs. Bollywood
  • The psychology behind the music in films
  • The ethics of using animals in movies
  • Social media’s influence on the film industry
  • The history of filmmaking
  • The role of color in movies
  • The cultural impact of romance movies
  • How are gender stereotypes depicted in Hollywood movies?

Author: Cinto Marti

Presentation topics about music

  • The impact of pop music on beauty standards
  • Should digital music be free for everyone?
  • The psychology behind the music in advertisements 
  • The effectiveness of sound therapy
  • Can music inspire criminal behavior?
  • The psychological effects of metal music
  • The origins of K-pop
  • How does music influence our understanding of the world?
  • Can music help in the learning process?
  • The positive effects of classical music
  • The history of hip hop
  • Why is music education essential in schools?
  • The psychological benefits of playing piano
  • Can anyone become a famous musician?
  • The role of music in fashion

Author: Prezi Editorial

Presentation topics about health

  • The link between food and mental health
  • Inequality in the healthcare system
  • Myths about healthy practices
  • Simple practices that help you stay healthy
  • Health education in schools: Should it change?  
  • Toxic positivity and mental health
  • The impact of superfoods on our health
  • The psychology behind unhealthy eating habits
  • Sex education in schools: Why should we have it?
  • How to trick yourself into getting better: The placebo effect
  • How to strengthen your immune system
  • How to tell if someone is depressed
  • The health benefits of regular exercise
  • The impact of junk food on mental health
  • Stress-caused diseases

Author: Prezi Education Team

Presentation topics about human psychology

  • What is social depression?
  • What triggers panic attacks?
  • The impact of testosterone on aggressive behavior
  • How to overcome social anxiety
  • Differences in the functioning of the brain of a child and adult
  • The impact of violent video games on children’s brain development
  • How does the use of social media influence our attention span?
  • How to overcome childhood trauma
  • The influence of marijuana on the human brain
  • How does behavioral therapy work
  • The psychology behind fame
  • The causes of personality disorders
  • The differences in brain functioning between men and women
  • What happens in therapy sessions?
  • The psychology of substance abuse 

Presentation topics about self-development

  • The impact of exercise on productivity
  • How to deal with stress
  • How to deal with procrastination
  • The positive effects of meditation
  • Why new–year’s resolutions don’t work
  • How to overcome bad habits
  • The impact of negative thoughts
  • The negative effects of self-criticism
  • The role of creativity in self-development
  • Benefits of journaling
  • How to learn something fast
  • How to be mindful
  • The importance of curiosity 
  • How to become more self-aware
  • Why it’s essential to spend time with yourself

Author: Nir Eyal

Presentation topics about education

  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of online education?
  • The positive effects of a gap year
  • Should university education be free?
  • Inequality in education access
  • How language learning benefits brain development
  • Emerging gender issues in education
  • The importance of socialization in school
  • School bullying and student development
  • The benefits of reading 
  • Is the education system broken?
  • What you don’t learn in college
  • The link between education and brain development
  • The history of schools
  • The gender gap in STEM
  • The connection between equality in education and economic growth

Presentation topics about culture

  • Is graffiti a form of art or street vandalism? 
  • Cultural diversity in the workplace
  • The impact of culture on gender roles
  • The issue with orientalism
  • Are humans the only species that has culture?
  • How do different cultures view death? 
  • The ethical issues of pop culture
  • The impact of culture on personal development
  • Sexism in different cultures
  • The impact of globalization on local cultures
  • The viral spread of the #metoo movement
  • The history of subcultures
  • The problem with romanticizing toxic relationships in movies
  • 90s pop-culture influence on fashion trends
  • The evolution of cultural psychology 

Author: Devin Banerjee

Presentation ideas for work

  • What it’s like to be a digital nomad?
  • How to deal with workplace conflicts
  • The secret to a productive day
  • How to set achievable goals
  • The importance of diversity in a workplace
  • The positive effects of creative thinking at work
  • How to give constructive feedback
  • The characteristics of a valuable team member
  • Inequality and the glass ceiling
  • Racial discrimination in the workplace
  • Work habits of different cultures
  • How is work perceived in various countries?
  • Technological development and the future of work
  • The importance of a healthy work/life balance
  • The rise of health problems in office work

Author: Charles Huang

Presentation topics about hybrid work

  • The positive effects of hybrid work on work/life balance
  • Is hybrid work the future work model? 
  • How to stay connected in a hybrid work model
  • The challenges of hybrid work nobody talks about
  • How to stay productive when working from home
  • The social effects of hybrid work
  • The economic impacts of hybrid work
  • Case study: Hybrid work model in [company]
  • What causes Zoom fatigue?
  • The problem with online meetings
  • Is hybrid work better than remote work?
  • How to develop a close relationship with colleagues in a hybrid work model
  • What kind of company culture is best for a hybrid work model?
  • Is hybrid work sustainable?
  • Cybersecurity consideration for hybrid working

Author: Barbie Brewer

Presentation topics about public speaking

  • The importance of body language in public speeches
  • How to appear confident when you’re not
  • How to become a better orator
  • The use of eye contact in public speaking
  • Breathing exercises that will calm you down before public speaking
  • The benefits of public speaking
  • Ways to improve public speaking skills
  • How to leave a great first impression on stage
  • How to engage your audience during a public speech
  • How to best structure your public speech
  • How to end your presentation speech
  • Can anyone learn to be good at public speaking?
  • How to prepare for a public speech
  • What not to do right before a public speech
  • How to address a controversial topic in a public speech  

Author: Prezi Team

Presentation topics about entrepreneurship and leadership

  • The main principles of a good leader
  • The impact of leadership skills on professional performance
  • The mistake every entrepreneur makes
  • How to successfully lead a cross-cultural team
  • How to celebrate inclusivity in a diverse team
  • What are the common personality traits of a successful entrepreneur?
  • The impact of entrepreneurship on the global economy
  • The characteristics of a leader
  • The most common challenges of entrepreneurship
  • Can anyone learn to become a successful leader? 
  • What affects new venture growth?
  • The psychology of leadership
  • What is crowdsourcing? 
  • The benefits of being an entrepreneur
  • Common mistakes leaders make

Author: Jill Sinclair

Presentation topics about technology

  • The rise of technological development
  • Is technology addictive?
  • Should we use drones for military and non-military purposes?
  • The sustainability of electric cars
  • What are deepfakes?
  • Limitations of AI machines
  • The future of programming
  • Ethical issues of AI
  • The future of AR in business
  • How VR can be used in the medical field

Author: David Vandegrift

Sales presentation topics

  • How to make a cold email intro
  • What is sales enablement?
  • How to build better relationships with customers
  • The best way to improve pipeline management
  • Coaching via verbal and written role-play
  • How to plan cold calls
  • What’s a deal-breaker for most customers? 
  • All about personalized coaching
  • How to manage objections
  • How to close more deals
  • How to keep your prospects engaged
  • Effective sales communication strategies
  • How to conduct a competitor analysis
  • The most valuable sales skills
  • What soft skills do you need to become a successful sales rep?

Author: Cindy McGovern

Easy presentation topics

  • Benefits of daily exercise and how to incorporate it into your routine
  • Simple and nutritious meal recipes
  • Tips for improving time management and productivity
  • The importance of recycling
  • The history of a local landmark or festival
  • Ways to reduce stress
  • Exploring different types of renewable energy sources and their impact on the environment
  • The basics of budgeting and saving money for future goals
  • The benefits of social media for professional use
  • Tips for overcoming stage fright
  • How to start a meditation practice
  • The impact of technology on modern society
  • The basics of personal finance
  • The health benefits of a plant-based diet
  • The history of Earth Day

Good how to presentation topics

  • How to create a successful social media marketing strategy
  • How to give a persuasive presentation
  • How to create effective and engaging content for your blog
  • How to discover your strengths and weaknesses
  • How to use project management tools to increase productivity
  • How to make the most out of boring meetings
  • How to build a personal brand
  • How to conduct effective market research
  • How to use data analytics to improve decision-making
  • How to improve your decision-making process
  • How to write a winning proposal
  • How to create a visually stunning presentation
  • How to manage stressful situations at work
  • How to make friends as an adult
  • How to network at work events

About me presentation ideas

  • My journey to becoming who I am today
  • My passion for [insert topic or activity]
  • My career aspirations and goals
  • My travels and adventures around the world
  • My hobbies and interests outside of work/school
  • My role models and influences
  • My strengths and weaknesses
  • My favorite books, movies, and TV shows
  • My proudest achievements and accomplishments
  • My favorite childhood memories
  • My family and friends
  • My education and academic background
  • My volunteer and community service experience
  • My personality traits and values
  • My vision for the future and how I plan to achieve it

Author: Adam Grant

Student presentation ideas

  • The history and evolution of video games
  • The history and cultural impact of tattoos
  • The impact of social media on body image and self-esteem
  • The effects of globalization on local cultures and economies
  • The role of education in promoting social justice and equity
  • The ethical implications of autonomous weapons in warfare
  • The impact of mass media on society and culture
  • The causes and effects of deforestation on biodiversity and climate change
  • The history and cultural significance of dance in different parts of the world
  • The psychology of addiction and recovery
  • The impact of the gig economy on labor rights and job security
  • The history and impact of feminism on gender equality
  • The benefits and drawbacks of renewable energy sources
  • The impact of colonialism on indigenous cultures and identities
  • The role of technology in promoting global connectivity and intercultural understanding

Author: Edward Quinn

How to create a good presentation 

If you know what you want to present on, it’s time to create an impactful presentation that grabs everyone’s attention. Presentation design plays a crucial role in how your presentation is received and remembered. To stand out and leave a memorable impact on your audience, create a Prezi presentation. Instead of a linear, slide-based presentation, offer an engaging and dynamic storytelling experience to your audience. Breathe life into your presentation with motion, zoom, and spatial relationships. When creating your presentation, consider the following three essential elements: 

Visuals play a significant part in presentation design. They evoke emotions, make a memorable impact, and give more context to the story. Not to mention, 65% of people are visual learners , so visual aids are helpful when explaining a complex topic. 

In your presentation, include different types of visuals, such as images, videos, GIFs, and stickers, all of which you can find in Prezi’s content library. When selecting your visuals, consider what’s relevant and brings additional value to the story. Only add what’s meaningful and necessary. A video or image at the right place and time will enrich the viewing experience and make your presentation more memorable. 

The layout of your presentation is the structure of your story. It’ll help you introduce the topic, intrigue your audience, and unfold the layers of your topic one by one until you disclose your main arguments and summarize the presentation. A good presentation layout has a hierarchical, chronological, or logical flow that leads the viewer from start to finish. 

If you’re creating a Prezi presentation, you can create a dynamic storytelling experience by experimenting with your layout. Instead of going from slide to slide, you can zoom in and out of topics and experiment with different shapes, animations, and effects that draw the viewer into your story world. Here’s an example of a Prezi presentation with a great storytelling layout:

Author: Lydia Antonatos

Data visualizations can elevate your presentation from being a good one to a great one. By providing data behind your arguments, you’ll appear more trustworthy and confident in your audience’s eyes. 

Add charts, graphs, interactive maps, and more to your presentations with Prezi Design. You can choose from a wide selection of charts and maps to illustrate your data. With interactive elements, you’ll be able to engage your audience and make a memorable impact. 

Engaging visuals, a well-structured layout, and relevant data visualizations will provide a great starting base to create a memorable presentation. Discover other tips and tricks that make your presentation effective and capture people’s attention. 

Choosing a topic for a presentation isn’t easy. When selecting a topic, think about the goal of your presentation, your interest and knowledge about the topic, and whether or not your audience will find it relevant and interesting for them. Also, get inspired by other topics that’ll help you figure out what you want to talk about. Lastly, when creating your presentation, consider the impact of visuals, layout, and data visualizations. To simplify the creation process, follow the step-by-step process of making a presentation with helpful tips and resources.

are already created presentations on different topics

Give your team the tools they need to engage

Like what you’re reading join the mailing list..

  • Prezi for Teams
  • Top Presentations
  • Best in Class

19 Ideas for More Compelling and Effective Presentations

are already created presentations on different topics

Presentations play an important role in marketing and business development. Whether speaking at a conference, making a new business pitch, meeting with a client, or hosting a webinar, presentations can be a true differentiator — for better or worse.

But as important as presentations are, they can often be treated as an afterthought. And many marketers and business leaders settle for mediocre presentations at best and dreadful presentations at worst. The fact is, even though we’re not all capable of making inspiring presentations like Steve Jobs, most presentations could be  better ! So here are some simple ideas to help you create more compelling and effective presentations.

1 Consider the setting upfront

A critical factor to consider before developing a presentation is to take into account the setting of the presentation. Is it in-person or virtual? A keynote address or a breakout session? Small room or large room? Casual environment or formal? Whatever the setting, your approach to developing and giving the presentation should factor in the unique setting and respond with an appropriate approach.

2 Spend time developing great content

This should go without saying, but content is the core of your presentation. While all the other ideas below will help to make your content more impactful, a great presentation starts and ends with great content. So don’t shortchange your audience by shortchanging the effort you spend on developing compelling content. You’ll need to invest many hours researching, writing and brainstorming if you aim to create a presentation that your audience will appreciate.

3 Start with an outline

Don’t start with PowerPoint or Keynote! Many people start their presentations by getting right to creating slides.  But you need to remember that your presentation is not your slides; your slides only support your presentation. So it’s best to start by creating a simple outline of the main points you want to make in each act and go from there.

The key is to get your main ideas on paper and organize your thoughts before you start creating slides. You’ll gain a better understanding of the flow of your presentation and what content needs to be added, omitted or reordered.

4 Follow the 3-act structure

While not every presentation can easily fit into the 3-act structure, it’s generally a good method to follow.

Act 1  – The first act is the introduction, the setup of your presentation. This is where you grab the audience’s attention early on, giving them an expectation of what they are going to get out of it and a reason to keep listening. A compelling story or illustration can serve as a powerful opener.

Additional thoughts on the opening: You’ve got mere seconds to hook your audience, so open with a bang! Absolutely, positively, DO NOT be salesy or self-deprecating in your opening (or at any point in your presentation for that matter). And unless you want to lose the audience’s attention and respect out of the gate, don’t open with those token and boring slides that talk about you, your firm and all those accolades. Jump right into the real content!

Act 2  – The middle act is where you sustain their interest. Typically you are detailing a problem and offering a solution, while educating and informing along the way. It’s here where you really build your case and sell the benefits. This is where you’ll want to provide compelling examples, data, statistics, etc. to support your points.

Act 3  – The final act is where you resolve the problem, recap and remind the audience of the high points of your presentation. Then leave the audience with a call-to-action. What is the audience supposed to take away from your presentation? That should be clearly defined in your closing act. Also, a final story or illustration and questions from the audience are a great way to draw the presentation to a close.

5 Have one main point for each slide

It’s best to make only one main point for each slide. Be concise and coherent and don’t try to cover too much ground on a single slide. Instead, keep your slide (and your words) focused on hammering home the main point. But always use brevity; once you have made your point, move on. You don’t want to lose the audience by belaboring a point once it has been made.

6 Avoid using bullets

Nothing gets abused in presentations more than bullets. A slide full of bullets will undoubtedly ensure that your audience will stop listening to you and instead read what’s on the slide. The fact is, they can read faster than you can make your points. So remember, they are there to listen to you, not to read your slides. Bullets might be helpful as notes, but there’s little reason to include them on your slides.

7 Less is more

Keep in mind, your slides are there to support your presentation, not BE your presentation. So it’s best to always keep things as simple as they can be, because your slides are slides, not Word documents! Many presenters have entirely too much text on a slide and include way too many visuals, leaving audience members dizzy wondering what they’re looking at. And don’t design your PowerPoint presentation to be a leave behind. If you want to give your audience a substantive leave-behind, that should be treated as an entirely different document altogether.

8 Use large text

Since you are simplifying your slides, avoiding the use of bullets and only making one major point for each slide, amplify your points by using large text. Using a larger font size will not only make it easier for your audience to read the slide, it will also help them retain the information. And depending on the screen and room, your audience is probably going to have a hard time reading the text if you use a font size any smaller than 24pt. Ideally, each slide will only contain a few words that underscore your point.

9 Include captivating visuals

It’s been documented that messages accompanied by pictures are retained at a much more significant rate than words alone. This is called the “picture superiority effect” and studies indicate that including powerful visuals can increase information retention by 55% – 65% or more. Avoid using cheesy clip art or overly generic stock art. And absolutely, positively don’t use watermarked or copyrighted images that you found online! Similar to including one main point on each slide, one large and powerful photo is preferred over several smaller photos. The key is to choose images or graphics that convey the message you’re trying to make, in the most compelling way possible.

10 Utilize data wisely

Data can be a good thing or a bad thing in a presentation, depending on how wisely it’s used. Try to avoid the use of excel charts and graphs, as these are nearly impossible to make sense of on a screen and will surely distract your audience from listening to you. If you’re going to use complex data, try to find a way to simplify the numbers, using more of an infographic style than a typical Excel chart style.

Also, while statistics can certainly add to your presentation, be sure you always source your stats and find the most recent information possible. Using a 10-year-old statistic or quoting statistics without a source will detract from your credibility.

11 Have a solid, professionally designed slide deck

Regardless of how great the quality of your content may be, a poor slide deck design can be distracting and erode credibility — even if your firm is not in a “creative” industry. Design still matters and can help or hurt your presentation, so your slide deck design should be professional.

The template you use should be custom (don’t use the templates included with PowerPoint or Keynote), branded (but not over branded), and have a clean and organized layout. Avoid the temptation to overuse animation for transitions.

If your firm doesn’t have design capabilities, consider hiring someone to design a custom presentation and establish a design system for the various components of your presentation.

12 Don’t read it

If you don’t use bullets and have only one major point on each slide, you aren’t going to be able to turn around and read the slides like many often do during a typical presentation. But if you use notes, be sure you know the presentation well enough to avoid being glued to them. Not only is listening to someone read their way through a presentation boring, it gives the impression that you aren’t as knowledgeable on the subject as you should be.  Instead, use your notes for cues, not as the narrative for your presentation.

13 Engage with the audience

If you want to make a connection with your audience and have them pay attention to what you are telling them, you need to be engaging.  Here are some tips:

  • Do you best to be and stay relaxed
  • Show your personality, passion and enthusiasm about the topic
  • Make eye contact with specific members of the audience, even in virtual meetings
  • Project your voice; a notch more than you think you should
  • Move around the stage and interact with the audience
  • Don’t talk too fast, but don’t talk too slow either
  • Take a brief pause after making a substantial statement

Following these tips will help you appear confident and comfortable to the audience, making you seem more knowledgeable.

14 Treat it like a conversation

Nothing is more annoying (and boring) than a presenter that simply recites facts and information in a pontificating way. You don’t want to talk down to your audience, but you don’t want to treat the presentation like a 9th grade oral book report either. Instead,  act like you are having a conversation with your audience .

The best presentations I’ve ever sat through are the ones that made me feel like the presenter was talking with me and to me, not at  me. So try to speak as though you are speaking to only one person at a time. A good way to set the right conversational tone is by starting with open-ended questions to engage the audience at the beginning.

15 Tell compelling stories

The best presenters in the world are also incredible storytellers.  One of the best ways to engage an audience and make a lasting impression is to use stories and illustrations as a way to bring context and clarity to your points. Stories are usually much more engaging than raw information.  So look for stories, examples, illustrations, case studies, etc. to help bring your points to life.

16 Make them laugh (a little)

Not surprisingly, the best presenters, in addition to being great storytellers, are also generally funny people.  So look for ways to inject some (clean and safe) humor into your presentation. Making your audience occasionally laugh will keep them alert, entertained and more likely to keep listening to your message.

Now I’m not in any way insinuating that you should be a part-time stand-up comedian.  But at the same time, in addition to educating your audience, it’s always good to make them laugh every once in a while.

17 Don’t under OR over prepare

Don’t go into a presentation under-prepared! You should know your topic backwards and forwards and be able to present without an over dependence on notes.  Similarly, don’t over-prepare either. Remember, you are having a conversation with the audience, not reciting a speech.

So while you should spend a lot of time in preparation, don’t rehearse too much or memorize what you are going to say. You want your presentation to sound natural and organic, not like a canned political speech.

18 Get the technology right

All the hard work that goes into a creating a great presentation can be derailed by technological glitches. Don’t let yourself be a victim! Here are some things to consider:

  • Bring your own laptop to run the presentation
  • Come with every possible adapter/cable you may need for A/V
  • Invest in a quality remote and frequently change batteries
  • Have a spare power cord and/or extension cord handy
  • Avoid overusing animations, audio and video
  • Don’t depend on web-based content; embed directly from your laptop
  • Get there early, click through your deck and test the microphone

19 Adapt to the virtual environment (when required)

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has ushered in a new era of virtual meetings , conferences, workshops and interviews. Virtual presentations are a completely different dynamic and require a different strategy, approach, pace and delivery. Here are some of the things you need to think about:

  • Slide deck – Keep in mind that your slides will be seen on much smaller screens than what you typically find at in-person presentations.
  • Equipment and technology – Be sure you have a high-quality camera and microphone, as well as sufficient internet bandwidth to stream the presentation.
  • On-camera appearance – Being on camera means your audience is going to get a much more “up close and personal” view of you. Be sure to look directly into the camera and position yourself so that only your upper chest and face are visible. Make sure the room is well lit and eliminate any background distractions.
  • Energy and Enthusiasm – Just like on-screen personalities exude energy and enthusiasm, it’s important for you to as well. Amp it up a bit more than normal and remember to keep up the enthusiasm until you’ve logged off.
  • Engagement – The virtual audience is much more difficult to read and keep attentive. While the specifics will depend on your particular situation, building in engagement activities such as live polling, interactive Q&A, and audience input can be helpful for engagement.

Don’t wing it!

There are many other ways to create more compelling presentations and we’ve only scratched the surface with these 19. But the takeaway is, don’t treat presentations like an afterthought. Instead, adequately prepare and follow these simple tips to make your presentations more impactful.

Related Insights & Content

12 Tips for Hosting a Successful B2B Webinar

9 Tips for Running a Great Virtual Business Meeting

For Successful Presentations, Treat Them More Like Conversations

Facebook Icon

  • First Name *
  • Last Name *

By signing up you are agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Storydoc

7 Steps to Create a Presentation in PowerPoint (+ Templates)

Learn essential steps and tips to move beyond data slides. Discover why PowerPoint falls flat and unveil next-gen tools for impactful presentations.

are already created presentations on different topics

Hadar Peretz

6 minute read

How to create a powerpoint presentation

Short answer

7 steps to create a presentation in PowerPoint

Begin with a surprise or bold statement.

Provide necessary background information.

Frame your presentation as a story.

Keep the text concise and meaningful.

Use visuals to complement the text.

Incorporate interactive design.

Conclude with actionable insights.

Effective data and visual presentation requires specific knowledge

Displaying complex data and project visuals via multimedia elements demands substantial knowledge.

It's not merely about presenting data but doing so in a manner that's intuitive and engaging for the audience.

Utilizing graphs, charts, videos, and interactive animations effectively necessitates a good grasp of design principles, storytelling, and data visualization.

Moreover, familiarity with the technology and platforms for creating and sharing these multimedia presentations is crucial.

This blend of design acumen, technological expertise, and succinct communication is key to ensuring the data and project visuals are comprehended well by the audience.

5 benefits of mastering PowerPoint presentations

PowerPoint presentations come with a variety of benefits that make them a popular choice for both professional and educational settings. Here are some of the advantages:

Visual Engagement: Utilize visuals to keep audiences engaged and convey ideas effectively.

Organization: Structured slides ensure a clear, linear flow of content.

Customization: Modify designs to suit different topics or branding needs.

Compatibility and Reusability: Easily share across platforms, and update or reuse presentations.

Supports Multimedia: PowerPoint supports the integration of videos, hyperlinks, and other multimedia elements.

How to make a presentation in PowerPoint? (7 steps)

Creating a compelling presentation in PowerPoint is a blend of artistry and storytelling, combined with a clear understanding of the material at hand.

Let’s break down this process into seven detailed steps to craft a presentation that not only captivates your audience but leaves a lasting impact.

1. Start with a surprising statement, a bold promise, or a mystery

Kicking off with something unexpected grabs your audience's attention right from the outset.

It might be a shocking fact related to your topic, a bold promise of what they'll learn, or a mystery that piques their curiosity.

For instance, if your presentation is about time management , you might start with a surprising statistic about the average amount of time people waste on trivial tasks.

learn how to avoid these presentation starters : overloading facts, over-explaining initially, generic content, relying solely on PowerPoint norms, revealing key benefits early, and focusing on self over audience engagement.

Aim for curiosity-sparking, audience-tailored narratives.

2. Provide context with a bit of background information

Before diving deep, give your audience a clear understanding of the topic at hand. Offer a brief background to set the stage.

Going with the time management example, you could provide some insights into how modern distractions have made managing time more challenging.

3. Structure your presentation within a story framework

Stories are a powerful medium to convey messages. Structuring your presentation as a story keeps your audience engaged.

Introduce a protagonist, which could be an individual, a group, or even your audience, facing a problem that your presentation will help solve.

For instance, narrate a day in the life of a person struggling to manage time and how the techniques you’re about to share turn things around.

4 steps to structuring your presentation within a story framework:

Introduce Setting and Characters: Kickstart by presenting the backdrop and the entities involved, making them relevant to your audience.

Highlight a Conflict or Challenge: Unveil a significant problem or hurdle that the audience can relate to, setting the stage for your solutions.

Propose the Resolution: Unfold your solutions to the earlier stated problem, walking your audience through each resolving step.

Recap and Look Ahead: Conclude by recapping the narrative and offering actionable steps or insights for the audience to ponder upon or implement.

4. Make every word count, and use as few as possible

Conciseness is key. Make sure each word on your slide adds value to your presentation. This approach keeps your slides uncluttered and easy to follow.

For instance, instead of writing a long sentence about the importance of prioritizing tasks, use a brief statement like “Prioritize to Monetize.”

5. Use visuals only to support your presentation text

Utilizing visuals judiciously within your presentation is crucial. Visuals should complement your narrative, not overshadow it.

Explore the steps to make a presentation creative , apply these methods, and see your skills enhance, leading to captivating presentations.

The essence is to employ images, graphs, and charts to enhance understanding or convey a message more efficiently.

For instance, a simple pie chart can swiftly illustrate how much time is saved by effective prioritization.

By adhering to this guideline, you ensure that your audience remains focused on the key messages being delivered, with visuals serving as a supportive tool rather than a distraction.

6. Use interactive design to make your audience active participants

Engage your audience with interactive elements. Incorporating clickable links, embedded videos, or live polls can make your presentation more interactive and engaging.

For instance, a live poll could be used to understand the audience’s prior knowledge about time management.

are already created presentations on different topics

7. End by telling your audience what they can do with what they’ve learned

Your conclusion should empower your audience to apply the learnings in their lives. Recap the key points and provide actionable steps they can take post-presentation.

For instance, share a list of time-management tools or a 30-day challenge to improve productivity.

By following these seven steps, you’re on the path to mastering the art of creating impactful PowerPoint presentations.

Each step is geared towards making your content more engaging, understandable, and memorable, ensuring that your message not only resonates with your audience but prompts action long after your presentation concludes.

Browse basic examples about how to end a presentation and discover what should be on the last slide of the presentation.

8 pro tips for crafting effective PowerPoint presentations

Crafting an effective PowerPoint presentation demands a blend of clear objectives, engaging narrative, visual creativity, and audience-centric communication.

Here are key tips to guide you in this endeavor:

Know Your Audience: Tailor your message to match audience expectations.

Clear Objective: Define the primary goal of your presentation.

Engaging Storyline: Employ a compelling narrative to convey your message.

Simplicity is Key: Keep content concise and language simple.

Visual Aids: Use visuals like images and charts to support text.

Practice and Prepare: Familiarize yourself with your content and anticipate questions.

Interactive Elements: Incorporate polls or Q&A to engage the audience.

C all to Action: End with a clear call to action guiding the audience on the next steps.

Why it's time to move to the next-gen presentation tools

Making a memorable presentation requires more than just PowerPoint slides. In fact, making a PowerPoint presentation interesting is impossible .

In today's digital era, engaging your audience demands innovative tools and a narrative approach.

Let’s explore a game-changing tool for impactful presentations.

Embrace interactivity

Interactive presentations foster real-time engagement, turning monologues into dialogues.

Tools like Storydoc offer a fresh, engaging approach to sharing your message.

With the right tools, creating lasting impressions is a breeze. It’s time to change the narrative and make your presentations both informative and inspiring.

Here’s our CEO, Itai Amoza, discussing the key elements that make a presentation engaging:

How to make a presentation engaging

Best tool for making an effective presentation

Traditionally, PowerPoint or Google Slides were the go-to platforms for crafting presentations, offering simplicity.

However, to truly engage modern audiences, stepping up your game is essential. This is where next-gen AI-driven tools like Storydoc come into play.

Unlike static slides, Storydoc enables the creation of interactive, immersive content experiences. It’s not merely about showcasing data, but weaving a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.

Creative presentation templates

Ever faced the daunting blank slide with a blinking cursor urging creativity? It's like having a stage awaiting your script.

Overcoming this initial challenge can be hefty, but there's a savior - creative presentation templates.

These templates act like a structured canvas, guiding your narrative while leaving room for your unique flair.

Grab a template and witness the simplicity it brings to narrating your distinct tale.

I am a Marketing Specialist at Storydoc, I research, analyze and write on our core topics of business presentations, sales, and fundraising. I love talking to clients about their successes and failures so I can get a rounded understanding of their world.

are already created presentations on different topics

Found this post useful?

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Get notified as more awesome content goes live.

(No spam, no ads, opt-out whenever)

You've just joined an elite group of people that make the top performing 1% of sales and marketing collateral.

Create your best presentation to date

Try Storydoc interactive presentation maker for 14 days free (keep any presentation you make forever!)

Cart

  • SUGGESTED TOPICS
  • The Magazine
  • Newsletters
  • Managing Yourself
  • Managing Teams
  • Work-life Balance
  • The Big Idea
  • Data & Visuals
  • Reading Lists
  • Case Selections
  • HBR Learning
  • Topic Feeds
  • Account Settings
  • Email Preferences

The Best Presentations Are Tailored to the Audience

  • HBR Editors

are already created presentations on different topics

Nine questions to ask before you open your mouth.

When preparing a presentation, we all remember to think about the basics: what you want to say, the data you need to back it up, any visuals that might help. But what about the people you’re presenting to? The following excerpt from the book Presentations   will help you better understand your audience and cater your message to their needs.

are already created presentations on different topics

  • HE This story is by the staff at Harvard Business Review.

Partner Center

, .

, .

, .

, .

, .

, , , , , , .

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

  • Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

  • Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

  • Google Tag Manager
  • Infographics
  • Daily Infographics
  • Graphic Design
  • Graphs and Charts
  • Data Visualization
  • Human Resources
  • Training and Development
  • Beginner Guides

Blog Beginner Guides

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

By Krystle Wong , Jul 20, 2023

How to make a good presentation

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

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

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

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

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

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

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

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

1. Clear structure

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

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

are already created presentations on different topics

2. Engaging opening

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

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

3. Relevant content

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

4. Effective visual aids

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

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

are already created presentations on different topics

5. Clear and concise communication

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

6. Engaging delivery

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

7. Interaction and audience engagement

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

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

are already created presentations on different topics

8. Effective storytelling

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

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

9. Well-timed pacing

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

10. Strong conclusion

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

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

Peloton Pitch Deck - Conclusion

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

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

1. Understand the audience and their needs

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

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

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

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

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

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

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

are already created presentations on different topics

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

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

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

5. Practice, practice and practice

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

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

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

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

Venngage Real Time Collaboration

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

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

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

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

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

are already created presentations on different topics

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

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

1. Confidence and positive body language

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

2. Eye contact with the audience

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

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

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

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

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

are already created presentations on different topics

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

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

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

6. Utilize humor strategically

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

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

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

are already created presentations on different topics

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

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

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

are already created presentations on different topics

1. How to start a presentation?

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

2. How to end a presentation?

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

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Banner

Giving Presentations

Understanding your assignment, planning your presentation, organizing your presentation, signal words and transition phrases.

  • Group Presentations
  • Using Presentation Software
  • Engaging your Audience
  • Finding and Using Images
  • Citing Sources
  • Overcoming Anxiety

Suggested Books

are already created presentations on different topics

Learn how to deal with nerves, prepare concise and effective notes, anticipate questions or problems and keep your audience interested.

are already created presentations on different topics

A Student's Guide to Presentations

Provides tips on presenting individually, in groups, and for job interviews.

are already created presentations on different topics

Develop Your Presentation Skills

Improve your confidence and nail your presentations with this pocket guide to preparing and delivering them well.

As with any assignment, it's important to first check the assignment requirements before you start planning your presentation. Read over the assignment requirements and make sure you understand the following:

  • Is it a group or individual presentation?
  • Is there a time limit or requirement? 
  • Are you allowed to use videos? If so, how long can videos be? Instructors generally do not want videos to take up a big portion of your presentation, but short videos can help to illustrate a point
  • What's the topic you will be presenting on? Do you get to choose? 
  • Are you required to prepare a visual component such as a PowerPoint or a poster?
  • What is the purpose of the presentation? Are you summarizing an issue to inform your classmates? Are you presenting a paper you wrote? Are you trying to convince them of a particular argument related to an issue? Are you leading discussion on a reading?

A good presentation requires careful planning. In general, you will need to follow these steps to plan a successful presentation:

  • Brainstorm and outline: What's your topic? What do you know about the topic? What do you want your audience to know? 
  • Research: Use research to support your argument, find examples and statistics, or to learn more about your topic.
  • Write an outline . 
  • Write a draft.
  • Plan any visual aids such as PowerPoint or any activities you want your audience to participate in
  • Practice, practice, practice!  Make sure your presentation is not too long, and edit it down as needed.

A good presentation should be well organized, with a beginning, middle and end. 

Beginning :

The beginning of a presentation is very important! This is when you have an opportunity to grab the audience's attention, and set the tone for your presentation.

  • Use an attention grabber. Some attention grabbing techniques include: asking a thought-provoking question, showing the audience am intriguing picture, telling a story or use a real life example related to your topic, sharing a shocking statistic related to your topic, sharing a powerful quote, playing a short video
  • Introduce yourself and the topic you will be discussing
  • Outline what you will be talking about. 
  • Discuss your main points in a logical order
  • It should be clear to your audience when you are moving from one point to another
  • Use examples to support your points

Conclusion:

  • Summarize the main points
  • Avoid providing new information at this point, but you can state any additional questions that you think your research has led you too
  • Use language that lets your audience know that your presentation is coming to an end
  • Avoid ending with "that's it!" or apologizing for your presentation
  • Thank the audience for listening and invite questions

Using transition and signal phrases throughout your presentation will help keep it organized and ensure your thoughts are communicated clearly. Try using some of the phrases below to introduce ideas and structure your presentation.

Introducing your presentation:

  • The topic/question I will be discussing today is...
  • This presentation will investigate/examine... 

Providing an outline:

  • I want to start by..., then I will... 
  • This presentation is divided into [x number] of parts. First I will... then I will..., finally I will conclude by...
  • There are [x number] of points I will discuss: A, B, C and D
  • Let's begin by looking at... before examining... 

Introducing your main point: 

  • A significant issue is...
  • A major concern is...
  • The central problem is...

Rephrasing your main point:

  • In other words...
  • Another way to think about the problem is...

Moving to another point:

  • Now let's consider...
  • I'd like to move on to examine...
  • Now, turning to the issue of...

Introducing an example:

  • A case in point is...
  • Take the case of...
  • This is illustrated/demonstrated by...
  • An example of this is...

​Introducing images or explaining visuals: 

  • This image/diagram illustrates...
  • As you can see here...

Introducing and integrating videos:

  • We will now watch a short video that illustrates...
  • In the video we've just watched, it is important to note that...
  • As the video demonstrates...

Conclusions:

  • ​ To sum up...
  • In conclusion...
  • In summary...
  • To summarize...
  • To conclude...
  • Therefore... 

Inviting and Answering Questions:

  • I am happy to take questions now.
  • That's a very interesting question. In my opinion,...
  • Thanks for your question. What my research shows is that...
  • That's a relevant question, but it is out of the scope of my research.
  • I'm afraid I cannot answer that question, but that's an interesting topic.

The above tips have been adapted from RMIT University Study and Learning Centre's  " Oral Presentations: Signalling and Transition Phrases."

  • << Previous: Home
  • Next: Group Presentations >>
  • Last Updated: Aug 25, 2023 11:04 AM
  • URL: https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/presentations

20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]

Carly Williams

Published: January 17, 2024

When it comes to PowerPoint presentation design, there's no shortage of avenues you can take.

PowerPoint presentation examples graphic with computer monitor, person holding a megaphone, and a plant to signify growth.

While all that choice — colors, formats, visuals, fonts — can feel liberating, it‘s important that you’re careful in your selection as not all design combinations add up to success.

→ Free Download: 10 PowerPoint Presentation Templates [Access Now]

In this blog post, I’m sharing some of my favorite PowerPoint tips and templates to help you nail your next presentation.

Table of Contents

What makes a good PowerPoint presentation?

Powerpoint design ideas, best powerpoint presentation slides, good examples of powerpoint presentation design.

In my opinion, a great PowerPoint presentation gets the point across succinctly while using a design that doesn't detract from it.

Here are some of the elements I like to keep in mind when I’m building my own.

1. Minimal Animations and Transitions

Believe it or not, animations and transitions can take away from your PowerPoint presentation. Why? Well, they distract from the content you worked so hard on.

A good PowerPoint presentation keeps the focus on your argument by keeping animations and transitions to a minimum. I suggest using them tastefully and sparingly to emphasize a point or bring attention to a certain part of an image.

2. Cohesive Color Palette

I like to refresh my memory on color theory when creating a new PowerPoint presentation.

A cohesive color palette uses complementary and analogous colors to draw the audience’s attention and help emphasize certain aspects at the right time.

are already created presentations on different topics

10 Free PowerPoint Templates

Download ten free PowerPoint templates for a better presentation.

  • Creative templates.
  • Data-driven templates.
  • Professional templates.

You're all set!

Click this link to access this resource at any time.

Tell us a little about yourself below to gain access today:

It‘s impossible for me to tell you the specific design ideas you should go after in your next PowerPoint, because, well, I don’t know what the goal of your presentation is.

Luckily, new versions of PowerPoint actually suggest ideas for you based on the content you're presenting. This can help you keep up with the latest trends in presentation design .

PowerPoint is filled with interesting boilerplate designs you can start with. To find these suggestions, open PowerPoint and click the “Design” tab in your top navigation bar. Then, on the far right side, you'll see the following choices:

are already created presentations on different topics

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.

Blog - Beautiful PowerPoint Presentation Template [List-Based]

Don't forget to share this post!

Related articles.

How to Create an Infographic in Under an Hour — the 2024 Guide [+ Free Templates]

How to Create an Infographic in Under an Hour — the 2024 Guide [+ Free Templates]

How to Write an Ecommerce Business Plan [Examples & Template]

How to Write an Ecommerce Business Plan [Examples & Template]

Get Buyers to Do What You Want: The Power of Temptation Bundling in Sales

Get Buyers to Do What You Want: The Power of Temptation Bundling in Sales

How to Create an Engaging 5-Minute Presentation

How to Create an Engaging 5-Minute Presentation

How to Start a Presentation [+ Examples]

How to Start a Presentation [+ Examples]

17 PowerPoint Presentation Tips to Make More Creative Slideshows [+ Templates]

17 PowerPoint Presentation Tips to Make More Creative Slideshows [+ Templates]

120 Presentation Topic Ideas Help You Hook Your Audience

120 Presentation Topic Ideas Help You Hook Your Audience

How to Create the Best PowerPoint Presentations [Examples & Templates]

How to Create the Best PowerPoint Presentations [Examples & Templates]

The Presenter's Guide to Nailing Your Next PowerPoint

The Presenter's Guide to Nailing Your Next PowerPoint

How to Create a Stunning Presentation Cover Page [+ Examples]

How to Create a Stunning Presentation Cover Page [+ Examples]

Marketing software that helps you drive revenue, save time and resources, and measure and optimize your investments — all on one easy-to-use platform

Logo for BCcampus Open Publishing

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

Unit 1 Use a Theme Template and Slide Layouts to Create a Presentation

3 Create a Slide Presentation

Create a slide presentation, topics include:.

  • Choose a Theme Template

Create Slide Content

Create a new slide, multi level bulleted lists.

A PowerPoint has two methods for creating a slide presentation:

  • Choose a theme template
  • Create a blank presentation (this method is covered in Unit 3)

PowerPoint software has built in and free online pre-designed templates that contain various color schemes and pre-arranged elements in a slide, eg. text and graphics. Select a template and PowerPoint will format the entire presentation according to that template.

Steps to choosing a theme template:

  • Open PowerPoint.
  • At the PowerPoint window, click the File tab, then click New.
  • Once you have selected the desired template, it will be displayed in normal view. New slides can be added as needed.

Tips & Tricks

A theme template can be added to a presentation before, during or after you have added the presentation content.

To apply various templates to a presentation, click the Design tab, then click on the desired template in the themes group.

Whether you are using a pre-made theme template or working from your own design, it is very easy to insert a new slide.

  • In the slide pane click on the slide where you would like the new slide to appear below.
  • The new slide should appear below the selected slide. If you want to add a new slide between two, select the first of the two slides and click New Slide .

Entering text and images into your presentation slide is easy and fun. When using the theme template the first slide to appear in Normal view is called the Title Slide .

The title slide is the slide that is used to introduce the presentation to the audience. It has two text placeholders for text: title text placeholder and sub-title text placeholder. Placeholders are the building blocks for a PowerPoint slide.

To insert text in a placeholder, left click inside of the textbox and begin typing. Once you have entered text, click outside the text box to see how your text looks. The placeholder then becomes an object. An object is any item on a slide that can be manipulated. Objects are the building blocks that make up a slide. A text object can moved around and repositioned on a slide.

A object is selected when there is a gray, bold outline around the object, and when the cursor turns into a cross. Around the selected object are small white circles that are called sizing handles. You can drag the handles to position the object.

To apply formatting to text inside an object, select the text with your cursor, then click on the Home tab and in the Font group add text attributes such as bold, underline, and italics. The Paragraph group, located next to the Font group, contains commands that allow you to change the alignment of text, insert numbers or bullets to lists, and indent text.

You can also edit your text by accessing the Font dialogue box by clicking the Font group dialogue box launcher. (The dialogue box launcher is the small button containing a diagonal arrow that displays in the lower right corner of the group.) The Font dialogue box includes special effects such as: double strikethrough, superscript and subscript.

Another quick and easy way to format slides is by using a slide master. A Slide Master will reduce the steps needed to format all the slides in a presentation. Any changes made in the slide master will affect all slides in the presentation. This allows for consistency in any presentation.

When you choose a theme template PowerPoint automatically adds a Slide master. To format the slide master click the View tab and then choose Slide Master located in the Presentation View group.

A slide master appears in the slide pane and in the Outline/Slide pane. The largest thumbnail in the pane is the slide master and the other thumbnails represent associated layouts.Click on the master slide or a specific layout to apply formatting or themes. Once formatting changes have been made click on Close Master View to return to the normal view.

For more information on Slide Masters take this link to Microsoft Tips for using Slide Masters .

PowerPoint allows information to be displayed as multilevel bulleted lists. Bulleted lists are used in PowerPoint to display levels of importance within the presentation. Various slide layouts in the Slide Layout task pane contain bullets. To add multi levels to a bulleted list you need to choose the appropriate layout.

The first-level bullet will be displayed under the title placeholder. Once you have typed your text next to the first-level bullet press Enter on your keyboard. The new first-level bullet automatically appears. Press Tab on your keyboard and the first-level bullet becomes a second level bullet. Press Shift + Tab this will decrease the indent and bring the bullet back to first level.

Another method to add levels to your presentation is by clicking the decrease list level or increase list level buttons on the Paragraph group in the Home tab.

You can customize the bullets in your presentation by selecting the Bullets and Numbering dialogue box from Paragraph group located in the Home tab. Select the bullet text, click on the drop down arrow next to Bullets or Numbering, click on Bullets and Numbering , then choose the from the pre-designed bullets.

Now that you are able to create a presentation let us move on to view and save presentations.

Presentation Software by bpayne is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book

are already created presentations on different topics

Top searches

Trending searches

are already created presentations on different topics

7 templates

are already created presentations on different topics

st patricks day

12 templates

are already created presentations on different topics

22 templates

are already created presentations on different topics

29 templates

are already created presentations on different topics

solar eclipse

25 templates

are already created presentations on different topics

21 templates

Create your presentation

Writing tone, number of slides.

are already created presentations on different topics

AI presentation maker

When lack of inspiration or time constraints are something you’re worried about, it’s a good idea to seek help. Slidesgo comes to the rescue with its latest functionality—the AI presentation maker! With a few clicks, you’ll have wonderful slideshows that suit your own needs . And it’s totally free!

are already created presentations on different topics

Generate presentations in minutes

We humans make the world move, but we need to sleep, rest and so on. What if there were someone available 24/7 for you? It’s time to get out of your comfort zone and ask the AI presentation maker to give you a hand. The possibilities are endless : you choose the topic, the tone and the style, and the AI will do the rest. Now we’re talking!

Customize your AI-generated presentation online

Alright, your robotic pal has generated a presentation for you. But, for the time being, AIs can’t read minds, so it’s likely that you’ll want to modify the slides. Please do! We didn’t forget about those time constraints you’re facing, so thanks to the editing tools provided by one of our sister projects —shoutouts to Wepik — you can make changes on the fly without resorting to other programs or software. Add text, choose your own colors, rearrange elements, it’s up to you! Oh, and since we are a big family, you’ll be able to access many resources from big names, that is, Freepik and Flaticon . That means having a lot of images and icons at your disposal!

are already created presentations on different topics

How does it work?

Think of your topic.

First things first, you’ll be talking about something in particular, right? A business meeting, a new medical breakthrough, the weather, your favorite songs, a basketball game, a pink elephant you saw last Sunday—you name it. Just type it out and let the AI know what the topic is.

Choose your preferred style and tone

They say that variety is the spice of life. That’s why we let you choose between different design styles, including doodle, simple, abstract, geometric, and elegant . What about the tone? Several of them: fun, creative, casual, professional, and formal. Each one will give you something unique, so which way of impressing your audience will it be this time? Mix and match!

Make any desired changes

You’ve got freshly generated slides. Oh, you wish they were in a different color? That text box would look better if it were placed on the right side? Run the online editor and use the tools to have the slides exactly your way.

Download the final result for free

Yes, just as envisioned those slides deserve to be on your storage device at once! You can export the presentation in .pdf format and download it for free . Can’t wait to show it to your best friend because you think they will love it? Generate a shareable link!

What is an AI-generated presentation?

It’s exactly “what it says on the cover”. AIs, or artificial intelligences, are in constant evolution, and they are now able to generate presentations in a short time, based on inputs from the user. This technology allows you to get a satisfactory presentation much faster by doing a big chunk of the work.

Can I customize the presentation generated by the AI?

Of course! That’s the point! Slidesgo is all for customization since day one, so you’ll be able to make any changes to presentations generated by the AI. We humans are irreplaceable, after all! Thanks to the online editor, you can do whatever modifications you may need, without having to install any software. Colors, text, images, icons, placement, the final decision concerning all of the elements is up to you.

Can I add my own images?

Absolutely. That’s a basic function, and we made sure to have it available. Would it make sense to have a portfolio template generated by an AI without a single picture of your own work? In any case, we also offer the possibility of asking the AI to generate images for you via prompts. Additionally, you can also check out the integrated gallery of images from Freepik and use them. If making an impression is your goal, you’ll have an easy time!

Is this new functionality free? As in “free of charge”? Do you mean it?

Yes, it is, and we mean it. We even asked our buddies at Wepik, who are the ones hosting this AI presentation maker, and they told us “yup, it’s on the house”.

Are there more presentation designs available?

From time to time, we’ll be adding more designs. The cool thing is that you’ll have at your disposal a lot of content from Freepik and Flaticon when using the AI presentation maker. Oh, and just as a reminder, if you feel like you want to do things yourself and don’t want to rely on an AI, you’re on Slidesgo, the leading website when it comes to presentation templates. We have thousands of them, and counting!.

How can I download my presentation?

The easiest way is to click on “Download” to get your presentation in .pdf format. But there are other options! You can click on “Present” to enter the presenter view and start presenting right away! There’s also the “Share” option, which gives you a shareable link. This way, any friend, relative, colleague—anyone, really—will be able to access your presentation in a moment.

Discover more content

This is just the beginning! Slidesgo has thousands of customizable templates for Google Slides and PowerPoint. Our designers have created them with much care and love, and the variety of topics, themes and styles is, how to put it, immense! We also have a blog, in which we post articles for those who want to find inspiration or need to learn a bit more about Google Slides or PowerPoint. Do you have kids? We’ve got a section dedicated to printable coloring pages! Have a look around and make the most of our site!

What is Conversational Presenting and Why You Should Give It a Try

Profile picture Juraj Holub

Presentations are far from being dead.

With 30 million PowerPoint presentations delivered every single day, they’re doing better than ever.

But the fact is that many of these presentations are broken. They just don’t work.

Many blame it on “Death by PowerPoint”, but it’s not about the tool.

It’s about the way we deliver information.

We are stuck in a century-old, passive style of one-way information broadcast. And that format simply doesn’t comply with the 21st century.

The numbers speak for themselves: According to Prezi’s recent research, only 4% of people said that they find linear, one-way presentations engaging and memorable.

Alarming number. Yet, presenters around the world still follow the status quo because there seem to be no immediate consequences for not changing it.

But what about the $37 billion wasted yearly on ineffective meetings, largely due to ineffective presentations? Or, the 58% of content forgotten, in just 20 minutes into the presentation?

The stats have it that poor presentations do translate into real consequences.

Now let’s take a look at how to fix them.

What is Conversational Presenting?

Here comes the only definition in this article.

Conversational presenting is about delivering a presentation that gives your audience multiple opportunities for structured interaction.

This is what it means in reality.

Let’s think about a traditional presentation for a moment. What words come to your mind?

We asked this question to people during dozens of our presentations.

And this is what we got. Each time.

Slido word cloud poll at WEC

Then we asked our audience what word comes to their minds when they think of an impactful presentation?

The responses flowed in and this was the result:

Slido WEC interactive opening poll

Conversational presenting is ultimately about making your presentations everything that’s on the second word cloud .

Interactive, engaging, fun. But above all, impactful.

How is Conversational Presenting different?

At its core, Conversational Presenting does not differ much from a presentation format that you know – you still deliver your content.

But unlike traditional presentations, Conversational Presenting brings another element into the equation: Interaction .

Slido conversational presenting diagram

Adding interactive activities and facilitation techniques into your flow will help you break the one-way content stream into bite-size pieces.

In practice, it’s about creating a short break for structured interaction after each chunk of content and allowing your participants to think about and respond to your talk.

There are various tech-based and non-tech-based interactive activities and facilitation techniques you can leverage, but more on that later.

Let’s take a closer look at how conversational presentation differs from a traditional presentation format.

Traditional presentation

  • Speaker talks one-way with minimal breaks
  • Participants are locked in to listen passively
  • Speaker questions are rhetorical and don’t invite participation
  • When participants’ attention shifts, it is rarely regained
  • Participant-to-participant discussions are not created

Conversational presentation

  • Speaker talks with frequent breaks to receive feedback from the audience
  • Participants are encouraged to participate and share their views
  • Speaker questions are responded to by show of hands or voting on live polls
  • As attention drops, the speaker uses an interactive activity to regain it
  • Speaker creates a space for people to have a discussion

Who is Conversational Presenting for?

You can make use of Conversational Presenting in various different situations.

You may be an educator, looking to maintain your students’ attention. Or, you may be a professional speaker, whose goal is to connect with your audience and make your speech more powerful.

Let’s break down the four main use cases and see to what end you can leverage Conversational Presenting strategies.

1. Company meetings & Team meetings

If you’re a manager or a leader who runs meetings on a regular basis, you’ve surely contemplated ways to make sure your gatherings don’t make the infamous stats of ineffective meetings. See what Conversational Presenting can do for you:

  • Increase meeting efficiency
  • Make sure the team get the message
  • Communicate more transparently with the team
  • Give a safe space for your team to give feedback
  • Re-engage the team during a lengthy meeting

Conversational Presenting in real life: During Slido’s monthly all-hands meetings, our CEO, Peter Komornik, likes to re-engage our teammates by sparking discussions in the room. For example, he asks our colleagues to turn to their partner and discuss the biggest highlights of the last month. He then encourages us to submit our highlights into Slido to see what others have picked. He often asks several people in the audience to share the reason why this particular thing means a lot to them.

2. Conferences

You may only have a few speaking gigs spaced out during the year, but why not make the most of the opportunity and give a speech that your audience will remember. Employ Conversational Presenting methods to:

  • Make your presentations stand out
  • Engage your audience
  • Open conversations with your attendees
  • Bring an entertaining element to your talks

Conversational Presenting in real life: Mark Cooper, CEO of IACC, used a series of five live polls to make the delivery of the report on ‘Meeting Room of the Future’ more engaging. He spaced out polls every 10 minutes to hear audience feedback on the findings and to look at where the industry is going. Midway through, he also created a roundtable discussion on the topic ‘What do you think a venue focused on meetings will look like in 5 years?’, to get people to connect and share ideas.

3. Lectures & classes

If you’re in the EDU sector, you probably know best how hard it is to make every presentation interesting and inspiring. Conversational Presenting can arm you with a toolkit to:

  • Maintain your students’ attention
  • Maximize the learning during your class
  • Check for student understanding
  • Create a safe space for discussions
  • Receive your students’ instant feedback
  • Add some fun into your classes

Conversational Presenting in real life: Brian McFee, Assistant Professor at NYU, uses Slido to run a problem-solving exercise every 10-15 minutes of his lecture. First, he lets each student work on it individually and submit the answers into Slido. Then, he poses the same question, but this time, he asks students to work on the problem in pairs. Seeing the real-time answers from students allows him to see if students understand the content he’s presenting, and uncover any weak spots.

Related read: Free Ebook: How to Improve Conversation in Your Classroom

4. Training sessions & workshops

Being a trainer, you’ve probably never stopped looking for ideas to make your training as valuable as possible for your participants. Conversational Presenting can offer you a helping hand there to:

  • Make your training more participatory
  • Maximize the value of the time spent together
  • Encourage people to take learning into their own hands
  • Create space for people to put theory into practice

Conversational Presenting in real life: During the 2-day leadership workshop, Lukas Bakos, managing director at Maxman Consultants, split the group into pairs and ask everyone to write their TOP 10 on a certain topic for each round (topics ranged from the 10 most visited sites according to Lonely Planet, to the 10 best-selling cars in history). He spaced out the rounds after breaks throughout the day, so the group had an incentive to get back to the room on time.

How do you give a Conversational Presentation?

Now, to the fun part. How do you actually make your next presentation engaging and conversational? 

Don’t worry, it’s not rocket science. With the right toolkit and some skill in facilitation, you can start giving presentations that your audience will love as quick as lightning.

Learn the basics of Conversational Presenting in the article below.

Start with Conversational Presenting

Get just a single email per month with our best articles.

all hands meeting different nationalities people

What Is an All-Hands Meeting and How to Host a Great One

Organizations that want to make sure their teams align know that regular all-hands meetings are important for creating a positive company...

are already created presentations on different topics

Presentations

5 ways to use slido in google slides.

In this article, you’ll find examples of poll questions and quizzes that you can create with Slido and use in...

are already created presentations on different topics

7 Interactive Poll Ideas for Your Next PowerPoint Presentation

Looking for new ways to make your PowerPoint presentation more interactive? Try live polls. With polls, you can collect non-verbal...

UGA Extension Forsyth County

Local Students Take the State for Public Speaking Contest

  • Share on Facebook, opens in new window
  • Share on X, opens in new window
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share with email, opens in email application

Two women, one adult, one older teen, posing for a picture after the teen won an award

Heather Haines, 4-H Agent, UGA Extension Forsyth County

Each year, local students in 7 th through 12 th grade submit a Portfolio to the local Extension Office to signify their intent to participate in Junior/Senior Project Achievement in March. Portfolios are a celebration of youth’s work and accomplishments over the last calendar year. The document is two pages long and highlights the student’s work in a specific project, their leadership activities, community service, and other events that they would like the judges to consider. Creating a portfolio provides young people with valuable life experience for when they need to create resumes for their careers. Additionally, in many professions, strong public speaking skills are highly valued. Whether giving presentations, pitching ideas, or leading meetings, the ability to speak confidently and persuasively is crucial for success in numerous careers.

Next, youth create an oral presentation on their chosen project area. Topics are offered in more than 50 different program areas with nearly every topic of interest or educational area available for exploration and presentation. Practicing public speaking is the best way for youth to build this valuable skill that will serve them well throughout their lives. Whether it’s through participating in activities like debating clubs, drama classes, or simply practicing speaking in front of family and friends, regular practice can greatly enhance a child’s public speaking abilities and boost their confidence in various aspects of life.

An adult woman and a high school student posing as the youth receives a public speaking award.

Presentations are scored by area content experts. Project achievement ends at the district competition for the 7 th and 8 th graders, however, if a Senior, or 9 th -12 th grade, 4-Her place 1 st in their project, they advance to State Congress.

This year’s Junior and Senior Project Achievement Participants included:

Tallulah Bates, Health, 4 th place

Addie Davis, Performing Arts-Vocal, 1 st place

Aakarsha Gangaraju, Sports-Team

Avanni Joshi, Public Speaking, 2 nd place

Mackenzie Kimbarl, Sports 3 rd place with a sweepstakes

Navin Majji, Computer Information Technology, 3 rd place

Navya Majji, Human Development, 3 rd place

Neeva Patel, Arts, 1 st place

Alessandra Reneau, Performing Arts—Piano, 1 st place

Lucas Rymer, Sports

Bethany Taylor, Computer Information Technology

Pal Vaghani, Environmental Science, 3 rd place

Lily Wright, Human Development

Alessandra Reneau and Mackenzie Kimbarl will be representing Forsyth County at State Congress this summer. Reneau qualified with a first place win in her project area and Kimbarl qualified with a sweepstakes win. This year, Sports was the largest project area with 16 Seniors competing.

State Congress is a four-day event held in July of every year in Atlanta. This event brings together 4-Hers who excelled in their project work from all four state districts. At State Congress, 4-Hers compete for Master Status in their project area by placing 1st in the state. Kimbarl was also recognized at the Graduating Senior Banquet where she received her graduation cords.

Students have already started working on their projects for 2025! If your child is interested in practicing their public speaking skills, reach out to Heather Haines at [email protected] so they can start working on their portfolios today!

COMMENTS

  1. 180+ Presentation Topic Ideas for Students [Plus Templates]

    Below are Powerpoint presentation topics on current events. ... By now, you must have already chosen a presentation topic idea. But you might still be wondering why your teacher assigned you this task in the first place. ... Here at Visme, we love helping students create better presentations. We've covered presentations on different topics ...

  2. 120 Presentation Topic Ideas Help You Hook Your Audience

    Step 3: Be novel. Make sure you either select a new topic or bring an entirely new and unique perspective to an already covered issue. For instance, don't make a presentation on the "best lead generation strategies.". Your audience has probably heard those dozens of times already.

  3. Need a good presentation topic? Here are hundreds of them

    Ideas for good presentation topics. It's not easy to come up with a good presentation topic from scratch. It's much easier to get inspired from other good presentation topics to build your topic on. Whether you're looking for presentation ideas for work, about me presentation ideas, unique or easy presentation topics, you'll find them ...

  4. 120+ Presentation Ideas, Topics & Example

    The swapping of orientations will show people that the presentation is progressing nicely. It can help you make a strong, almost physical, distinction between ideas, sections or topics. 10. Make your audience laugh, or at least chuckle. Source. Sometimes you need to not take your business presentations too seriously.

  5. What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

    Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired ...

  6. How to Make an Effective Presentation (Guide, Tips & Examples)

    2. Research your topic and know it inside and out. When the time comes to present your presentation, you need to feel confident in yourself and your abilities in order to win your crowd's trust. One way you can achieve this is by knowing all the ins and outs of your topic.

  7. Do You Have What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation?

    Great presentations are all about how well you engage your audience. Here are three ways to do that: Be balanced: Strike the right balance between structure and improvisation during your presentation.

  8. What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

    Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images. You'll make presentations at various ...

  9. Prepare a Good Presentation in 12 Practical Steps ( Expert Tips

    1. Choose the Right Topic. One of the first presentation steps is picking the right presentation topic. One of the most important presentation preparation tips is to pick the right topic for your presentation. You've got a few choices that'll give you a head start on wowing your audience.

  10. 19 Ideas for More Compelling and Effective Presentations

    5Have one main point for each slide. It's best to make only one main point for each slide. Be concise and coherent and don't try to cover too much ground on a single slide. Instead, keep your slide (and your words) focused on hammering home the main point. But always use brevity; once you have made your point, move on.

  11. 7 Steps to Create a Presentation in PowerPoint (+ Templates)

    Begin with a surprise or bold statement. Provide necessary background information. Frame your presentation as a story. Keep the text concise and meaningful. Use visuals to complement the text. Incorporate interactive design. Conclude with actionable insights. Browse creative presentation templates. Try our AI presentation maker.

  12. The Best Presentations Are Tailored to the Audience

    The following excerpt from the book Presentations will help you better understand your audience and cater your message to their needs. This story is by the staff at Harvard Business Review. Nine ...

  13. 7 Different Types of Presentations You Might Need To Create

    Be honest: The aim is to maximize the chances of a well-targeted lead converting, not to deceive someone into making a purchase. While you'll want to be persuasive, make sure you're honest and maintain a good company persona. Be confident: Confidence is king when it comes to pitching a product or service.

  14. 6 dos and don'ts for next-level slides, from a slide expert

    AFTER: Easy to absorb. 2. Do choose colors and fonts with care. Colors and fonts are like the herbs and spices of your presentation. When used wisely and with intention, they'll enhance your slides; but when tossed in haphazardly, they'll make it an unappealing mess. Let's start with color.

  15. How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

    Apply the 10-20-30 rule. Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it! 9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule. Simplicity is key.

  16. Know Your Audience: A Guide to Preparing for Technical Presentations

    This article is the first in a series on preparing material for presentations, in which I want to run through the strategies and techniques I use when creating presentations to transform high-level topics into simple summaries. ... Each of these objectives leads to a slightly different approach to your topic: Informing — Stay objective in the ...

  17. LibGuides: Giving Presentations: Planning Your Presentation

    Organizing your Presentation. A good presentation should be well organized, with a beginning, middle and end. Beginning: The beginning of a presentation is very important! This is when you have an opportunity to grab the audience's attention, and set the tone for your presentation. Use an attention grabber. Some attention grabbing techniques ...

  18. 20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]

    6. "Blitzscaling: Book Trailer," Reid Hoffman. If you're going to go the minimalistic route, I'd take note of this PowerPoint presentation example from Reid Hoffman. This clean design adheres to a simple, consistent color scheme with clean graphics peppered throughout to make the slides more visually interesting.

  19. How to Choose a Topic and Format for Conference Presentations

    Pick a suitable format. Depending on the topic, the audience, and the conference, you can choose from different formats for your presentation. Some common formats are keynote, workshop, panel, or ...

  20. 10 Top PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Beginners (2022 List)

    Tip #9: Add Visuals to Your Presentation. You can't have a good presentation without adding high-quality images, videos, stickers and clipart to your presentation. Without engaging visuals, you'll quickly lose your viewer's attention, and risk having a boring PowerPoint presentation.

  21. 3 Create a Slide Presentation

    In the slide pane click on the slide where you would like the new slide to appear below. Click on the New Slide button located on the Home tab in the Slides group. The new slide should appear below the selected slide. If you want to add a new slide between two, select the first of the two slides and click New Slide.

  22. Free AI presentation maker

    AI presentation maker. When lack of inspiration or time constraints are something you're worried about, it's a good idea to seek help. Slidesgo comes to the rescue with its latest functionality—the AI presentation maker! With a few clicks, you'll have wonderful slideshows that suit your own needs. And it's totally free!

  23. What is Conversational Presenting and Why You Should Give It a Try

    See what Conversational Presenting can do for you: Increase meeting efficiency. Make sure the team get the message. Communicate more transparently with the team. Give a safe space for your team to give feedback. Re-engage the team during a lengthy meeting. Conversational Presenting in real life:

  24. Local Students Take the State for Public Speaking Contest

    Topics are offered in more than 50 different program areas with nearly every topic of interest or educational area available for exploration and presentation. Practicing public speaking is the best way for youth to build this valuable skill that will serve them well throughout their lives. ... youth create an oral presentation on their chosen ...