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.
Of course, you can still add side messages—but try to show them using engaging, interactive elements. With Readymag you can accomplish this with style using hotspots or by having text appear on click, hover and scroll.
On how to use humor as a therapy Hannah Gadsby: Nanette | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix
Who was a better public speaker than Plato? PHILOSOPHY—Plato
In Readymag, you can drag videos to the Background widget to add some visual flair and boost user engagement—no need for third-party online video platforms.
Strong opening
Gather data
Simple and easy-to-grasp text
Examples, facts and numbers
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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
Take a closer look at templates for a pitch deck, annual report, design agency presentation and educational slide deck.
The first 5 minutes of a presentation is your chance to win an audience's attention by setting the mood or highlighting the most important aspects of the project. That is why your introduction should be explanatory, clear, catchy and even slightly entertaining. Here are some ready-made solutions for quick decisions:
State a fact
Make a joke
Ask a question
Or make a clear statement / provide statistics. Making a solid point gives a super universal opening for any narrative, but works best for presenting project results in business-related presentations.
Both topic-related and hilarious jokes are brutal to find or come up with. But if you do, consider your presentation a success; you nailed it. Two small tips though. 1. You don’t have to be self-destructive to be funny. 2. Memes and GIFs can also go a long way.
It goes back to the ancient Greek principles of rhetoric. If you ask the right question about the information you are planning to share, everything that follows is just an answer to the question on the first slide.
A good pitch should include a strong opening, powerful storytelling through design and images that support your content. The best presentations keep the viewer engaged throughout, so it's critical there are storytelling devices that can maintain momentum.—Tarik Fontenelle, Director, ON ROAD
An opening with a question used in IDEO.org 10-year impact report
The most important text in your presentation is typically the spoken portion. Keywords, phrases, and headings in the actual presentation only support, highlight or emphasize the point you’ve already made. For text that is required in the presentation, here is what you need to do:
Less is more
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Stick to your chosen tone of voice
Aa
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.