Whether you’re teaching, running client proposals, presenting reports or pitching a startup idea, the chances you’ll be asked to make a presentation are high.
This guide is set up to walk you through the technical steps of delivering presentations, including concise messaging, slide design and tool choice.
By Readymag, a design tool for creating outstanding websites, presentations, portfolios and all kinds of digital publications—without coding.
Strong opening
Gather data
Simple and easy-to-grasp text
Examples, facts and numbers
Edit
Whatever the design, your message comes first. So, figure out what you want to say from the beginning. To set out your intentions efficiently, use the points below.
Stick to a plan
When presenting your ideas, story is everything. What’s the difference between a story and a phrase? Framing. Every story has a plot, a beginning, and an end. A consistent and structured narrative is crucial for information delivery, regardless of the purpose behind your pitch deck.
Make a single point
Stick to a plan
To hold viewers’ attention is a tricky thing. One of the most effective tools you have is to make only a single significant statement at a time. There is an easy way to make sure your presentation isn’t trying to cover too much ground: the essence of everything you have to say can fit into one sentence without inconsistencies or contradictions.
Don’t bother your audience with things they already know. Keep content short and focused, entertaining but to the point.—Andreas Haase, Founder of Hello&Goodbye design studio
Even a weekly report can sound as fascinating as a Marvel movie when planned and structured well. Frame your information wisely, and make sure even your dog could understand why it starts and ends where it starts or ends. Deliver your message in the middle.
You might start by writing down all your key ideas in a text file. Group them by topic, begin with the most simple statement and build up to more complex ideas. Highlight important facts and get rid of what seems secondary. Your main points can eventually serve as subheadings, as they do here.
A clear and simple outline of a pitch deck from Argyle, a technology company that provides consumer-permissioned access to income data
Depositphotos' report on yearly trends
A major to minor generalization trajectory helps form a good plot structure for this portfolio presentation
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Your presentation or pitch deck is not just about key numbers and critical text, it’s also about proper design and following a hierarchy of information. The design tricks you’ll find below will help you get your main message across, navigate viewers' attention and keep them interested.