5 steps on how to make a presentation that stands out

Giving a presentation could seem like a simple undertaking. The majority of us have access to Google Slides, Keynote, and PowerPoint, but these programs only let you create presentations  they don't create them. Yes, you do. It doesn't always follow that a five-course meal will pop out of your kitchen. The cook is you. The presentation was created by you. As you start "cooking," there are a few things you should consider.

5 steps to consider when making presentations

How to start a presentation
How to design and build a presentation
How to give a good presentation
How to end a presentation
How to get better at giving presentations

If you want to produce a decent or outstanding presentation, there are a few key points to keep in mind during the beginning, middle, and finish of the presentation. At Duarte, we think that a presentation should never be something you wouldn't want to watch yourself. To ensure that your audience walks away from your presentation with the thoughts, "I got a lot out of that," "I understand that topic or idea now," or "I believe in that idea and want to take action," take your time thinking through and implementing these suggestions.

How to start a presentation

Know your audience

Recognize your audience and put them, not yourself, front and center! They believe that you know them when you understand them, and your material will better meet their requirements and expectations.

Create a persona

Create a straightforward persona slide that you can refer to while you develop your content and include at the start of your deck. You can sketch or add a photo to represent them. Putting a face on your audience will assist you in maintaining your attention because they, not you, are the presentation's hero.

Plan the Audience Journey

To begin, you should consider who your target audience is. Before hearing your presentation, who are they, and thereafter, who will they become? To assist you getting started, use this map of audience needs. You cannot convince others with your talk if you do not define that.

Write your talk first

Drafting out your talk track in advance will make creating and constructing the presentation much simpler. You can see the general flow of your discussion and ensure that you include tense times between "what is and what could be" by outlining it beforehand.

Following that, you may simply divide your speech into discrete ideas, each of which will have its own slide. Recall that you should avoid creating cluttered slides! Use our Glance Test to see whether your slides are "busy." You'll find it easier to choose a design in the following phase.

How to design and build a presentation

Have a Big Idea

Just communicate one notion to ensure that your main point is understood. What actions are you trying to persuade them to take? What is at risk whether they comprehend your presentation or not? Put that in writing! Make sure that your main point is understood. Subsequently, every other significant finding in your discussion will bolster this central idea.

Create a logical structure

Construct a logical structure with distinct sections. Slides should be included in each section to bolster the points made there, but most importantly, they should all reinforce your main idea. To arrange your ideas in a presentation, use the slide sorter view in your preferred program.

Test your ideas

Before you start designing slides, get feedback from others on your basic concept and presentation structure. Make sure it makes sense and meets the demands of your audience. Consider their suggestions and make sure your discussion takes them into account.

Structure it like a story

Provide a distinct beginning, middle, and end to your article. A story's cathartic ascent and fall might also occur in the midst. Maintaining audience interest in your presentation can also be achieved by using contrast in your outline.

Anticipate audience’s level of appeal

Adapt your appeal to your target demographic. If you're building up a sales team, you'll need strong emotional appeal. However, if you want to convince technical professionals to support your proposal, you'll need to make it logically appealing. You risk losing credibility if you don't use the appropriate quantity for the audience.

How to give a good presentation

Don’t be boring

If you are enthusiastic and energized about your presentation, your audience will be too. They will emulate your energy. You must use a range of voices if you want your audience to pay attention. You can direct your voice forward and make yourself heard by others by projecting rather than yelling. To create contrast, alter your speed and volume make sure to pause both before and after crucial words or sentences. The most crucial words in your speech should be bolded, italicized, or otherwise highlighted so that you can easily locate them in your presentation.

Speak clear and crisp

Whether you like it or not, speakers are evaluated on the way they communicate. Your listeners will find you easier to understand if you speak clearly. Utilize your jaw, mouth, tongue, and teeth to manage your articulation. It's important to speak clearly, especially when using multi syllable terms in your presentation. Talk into a mirror to check if your lips and mouth are moving. Form the words with much effort. Drop your jaw and flash your teeth. Your message will be more powerful and your audience will comprehend you when you speak properly.

Be confident

Look for upward inflections in your speech (also known as upspeak or uptalk). Upspeak makes you appear like you're asking questions instead of making statements, which might make your audience lose faith in you and your views. It takes away your power and gives you a hesitant voice.

According to research, audiences who witness upspeak perceive it unfavorably. Talk in brief phrases and take breaks between them to avoid this. Apply the "Start in the attic and end in the basement" strategy. Raise your hand to begin a sentence, then lower your voice and lower your hand as you finish it.

Use gestures

When necessary, gestures are a great method to emphasize a point. It's likely that you'll sound dull if you chat with your arms by your sides. Make deliberate use of hand gestures, smiling, and nodding to project confidence during your speech. It is crucial to stay away from:

Twitching

Arms crossed

Other tense actions that could take away from the presentation

Whether you swing your arms like a karate chop to "get rid of something" or raise them over your head to convey "exciting things to come," purposefully use your arms to add variation to your speech. Additionally, maintain a straight posture at all times, with relaxed shoulders. This will help you communicate with greater confidence as your body language changes.

How to end a presentation

Summarize your key points

It's time to wrap up your talk. However, it involves more than just concluding a phrase with a "period." We advise summarizing the main ideas in a presentation as the ideal way to close it out. Your audience can retain the most crucial information you presented by having you summarize the main points you made throughout your presentation.

Have a clear call to action

Request that your audience do something particular. They may be required to start anything, provide you with ideas, fund your project, or simply provide you with the perseverance to see it through. Make sure they understand exactly what is expected of them.

State the New Bliss

Don't merely conclude your talk with a call to action; instead, introduce what Duarte refers to as the "New Bliss." Create a vivid and detailed depiction of the world once your proposal is implemented in the conclusion. Clearly state how your concept will help the people in your audience's sphere of influence or, in the end, improve the planet. Whatever serves the purpose, the tone can be melancholic, poetic, or fist-bumpy.

You want the last words you say in your presentation to stick in their minds long after you're done. Similar to the conclusion of a tale, a talk's conclusion must be concluded clearly to avoid leaving the audience dissatisfied.

How to get better at giving presentations

Take a presentation class

Producing slides alone is not enough to create an effective presentation. Making presentations that are effective requires preparation and time. However, if you're ready, your audience will find your presentation to be interesting and engaging. The skills that have made Duarte the most well-known storytelling company in the world may be taught to you. Slide:ology® can educate you how to transform your ideas into powerful slides, and Resonate® can assist you in crafting your compelling story.

Sharpen your presenting skills

Introducing is a mental exercise. Like running or golf, it's an individual sport. You have to put in the time and effort at every phase to become an expert at it. Duarte's best-selling training program, CaptivateTM, helps you develop your inner power and discover your perspective, purpose, and passion. It goes beyond external delivery cues and attributes. You can learn to speak empathetically, energetically, and comfortably by concentrating on your core.