If you work in a corporate environment, you’ve likely had to make a business presentation (or several). Given the importance of presentation skills (and the fact that most people dread making them), we explore how to make a good presentation, including how to create and deliver them, so you can turbo-charge your career.
What Makes A Good Presentation?
A strong presentation consists of several key elements, including clear messaging, effective visuals and confident delivery. It’s best to keep your core message simple and focused—too much information at once can be hard for your audience to track. Well-designed visuals like slides, charts or infographics can really help reinforce your points, as long as they’re clean, consistent and not overly complicated.
Delivery also plays a big role. Even the best content can fall flat if the presenter seems uncomfortable or unsure. Practicing ahead of time—whether with a friend or by recording yourself—can help you find a natural rhythm and smooth out any rough patches. Just taking a moment to breathe and pace yourself can go a long way toward helping your message land.
Tips for Creating a Great Presentation
Here are some general tips to consider while creating your presentation to ensure it’s straightforward, cohesive and easy to follow for your audience.
Be Clear and Concise
To keep your presentation on message, focus on three to five main ideas. If you use slides or a PowerPoint presentation, limit your ideas so your audience can easily follow them.
Lorraine K. Lee, professional presence expert and author of Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career, suggests using only one idea per slide. “In work environments, [we often] get so excited by a project… that everything is important to us, but oftentimes your audience only cares about a small percentage of what you want to share.” She adds, “So many presenters craft their content based on their goals… The most impactful presentations will be those created based on what they know about their audience…. Make sure you understand [them].”
Create Visually Appealing Slides
Studies have shown that people remember visuals more than spoken information. “If you can replace text with a visual, do it,” advises Lee. Here are some additional tips and “things not to do” in a business presentation:
- Slides shouldn’t be used as a script—true mastery of your content is when you know what you’ll talk about next and don’t need what’s on the screen to guide you. An unprepared presenter is someone who is simply reading the text that’s on the screen.
- Highlight key points on slides rather than sharing a wall of text. If you do, your audience will focus on reading the text, not listening to you.
- Keep slides simple and uncluttered, and make sure your design theme is consistent and professional-looking (an easy task with tools such as Canva).
- Use charts and infographics to explain complex ideas and break up text.
Use the “Three P’s”
Presentation expert Kate Bishop emphasizes practicing what she calls “The Three P’s” before creating a presentation:
Plan
“Understand the logistics,” Bishop recommends. Is the presentation to be held online or in person? What kind of tech will be used, and what kind of room will it be held in? Checking your tech beforehand is important to deal with any unexpected issues. Bishop also recommends removing barriers such as lecterns that might separate the speaker from their audience.
Lee concurs with Bishop on the importance of seeing the room where the presentation will be made beforehand. “Getting the feel of the room… [can] help minimize nerves by allowing you to familiarize yourself with the space.”
Prepare
Bishop says it’s important to know not only the nuts and bolts of what you will say, but also to have a few stock answers ready for unexpected questions. She discusses being prepared for someone to talk over you or perhaps ask an out-of-the-blue question. For example, if someone asks you an odd question, she suggests saying, “‘Gosh… I don’t have the answer, but I’ll find out,’ or ‘My initial thoughts are….’” If someone asks irrelevant questions, you can say, “That’s not relevant now, [but I’m] happy to talk to you outside of this forum.”
Practice
Filming yourself with your phone beforehand can make you aware of your body language, fidgeting or nervous tics and mannerisms. “It’s really helpful to see how you are doing things [subconsciously],” says Bishop.
Tips for Delivering a Perfect Presentation
If your goal is to learn how to give a perfect presentation, experts generally agree that the following advice is crucial.
Start Strong
The best presentations have a strong opening. Lee suggests starting with a question to engage your audience right away. Some other compelling things to say in presentations at the start include the following:
- Asking your audience to think about a future situation or scenario, which primes them to think about the future change/state you want them to be in by the end of your presentation
- Stating a problem, then explaining how you will solve that problem to get their buy-in early on
- Telling a personal story or a surprising fact to capture their attention
Bishop believes that one of the biggest mistakes people make when giving a presentation is considering it a monologue rather than a dialogue. Try to foster a two-way exchange with your audience. A presentation should be an engaging, even entertaining, experience.
Establish Rapport
To gain rapport with your audience as quickly as possible, be “fallible,” advises Bishop. “The best presenters I’ve seen are very human…. They lean into their mistakes. And I think humor is a great way to relax people…. As soon as you have the audience laughing along with you, they’re listening a lot more.”
Similarly, making eye contact with your audience is another one of the most important things you can do to establish rapport and gain trust early on.
Share Your Passion
Enthusiasm is contagious. If you are genuinely excited about the topic you are presenting on, your presentation will be more engaging. “Find the fun, find your why, your reason for being there,” advises Bishop. When you tap into your passion for your topic, says Bishop, your audience will become energized, too.
Manage Your Nerves
If you get anxious at the thought of public speaking, know that you’re not alone. “When we get up in front of a group of people, for most people… the flight or fight reaction will come in,” says Bishop. “[People] forget everything they were about to say, [or] they’re not thinking logically or clearly.”
Bishop recommends breathwork to help control nerves, specifically what she calls rectangular breathing, which involves looking at a screen. Rectangular breathing involves inhaling deeply up the short side of your screen through your nose, then a long exhale through your mouth and then repeating that for the remaining short and long sides of the screen.
Another tip to help build confidence is to take pauses so the audience can catch up with you. “We often rattle through things,” Bishop explains, “But taking a pause can help land your key messages.” She also recommends exercising before delivering a presentation—even if it’s just a short walk down the hallway. “[This helps] get rid of that cortisol,” she says.
Pay Attention to Your Gestures and Body Language
Your body language and gestures are key to your communication with your audience when making a presentation.
Use open body language (for example, don’t fold your arms across your chest, which could suggest defensiveness). Pay attention to your voice—vary your tone and pace to keep the audience interested. Try not to rush through your presentation.
Finish Strong
Just as important as a strong opening is having a strong finish. Summarize your key points succinctly and clearly, and don’t forget to provide a call to action. Do you want audience members to contact you for your services? Consider creating a handout summarizing your key points and giving them a way to contact you.
Present With Purpose
Remember that presentation skills are something you will be using for the rest of your life, so it’s worth investing in learning how to create effective, engaging ones. Key tips to remember include the following:
- Feeling nervous is normal. Remember to take deep breaths and practice relaxation techniques before you begin.
- The best weapon against nervousness is knowing you have created a great presentation with visually appealing slides to accompany your content. Plan and prepare extensively, and be confident that your audience will benefit from the knowledge and ideas you share.
- Remember that a good presentation is a dialogue, not a monologue. Be as engaging as possible, ask questions and, if possible, get feedback afterward so you can continue to improve.
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