what is the presentation experience group called

The Presentation Experience

• 1.1 Presenting
• 1.3 Homework
• 4 Gamepasses

Gameplay [ ]

Every player sits at their desk as a student. Every 3 or 5 seconds, depending on if they have Roblox Premium, they earn Points that can be used to distract the presentation, from something very minor to extremely powerful.

Presenting [ ]

When doing a presentation, a player or two may choose to do the presentation, or may be randomly called on by the Teacher, the main character of the game. Getting chosen depends on what the teacher requires.

The player will then have to discuss a topic that is shown on a whiteboard under a 40 or 80 second time limit. Once done, the other players will vote from 1 to 5 stars to say how the presentation is (by doing this the players get 5 Points). Depending on the rating, the teacher will reward the player with Points, for example, 5 will give you 10 Points. If nobody has rated the presentation, you will only get 1 Point.

The players that get the most stars in a single presentation will appear on a board at the back of the room and will get a star on their head after the teacher has congratulated to them.

The teacher also has a doll called Barney, that she uses to make him choose a student for a presentation occasionally. It is seen on the main thumbnail too. The character is inspired by the owner of the group that has created this experience, @BarneyCoder.

Homework [ ]

The teacher sometimes does a homework check where the players have to answer questions after a pop-up saying "You forgot to do your homework!" with two options. If you don't click anything, nothing happens but if you click the "Tell your teacher you forgot" or got any of the questions wrong, the teacher will scold the player. However if the player got all questions correct, the teacher will be happy and the player earns bonus Points.

Actions [ ]

There are currently 145 actions. Most of them make the teacher to angry and say phrases, especially with the most powerful ones. The Basic actions are about normal actions followed by slightly more powerful ones. The Powerful ones are a continuation of the Basic ones and are very distracting. The Memes actions are about memes and have different power. Each of these actions of these categories can be repeated constantly one, three or 30 times, so that you don't have to click constantly.

The Robux actions are actions that are extremely powerful, since they are mostly about disasters. Make everyone do (action) and being sent in different places, such as in the restroom, outside and Backrooms for different lengths of time are also included. Do all actions 1x, 3, and 10x are part of this category and can be repeated to yourself, all the players in the classroom and in all servers; the last one costs 12,500 Robux! You can also choose your own topic for the presentation and even become the teacher with these.

The Robux actions are also bought through Gems, which are obtained daily in a certain amount.

There are currently 11 Badges in the experience.

List of badges:

Gamepasses [ ]

List of gamepasses:

This section is a trivia section . Please relocate any relevant information into other sections of the article.

• If you read the book and click the last phrase (says to click it to close the book) you will be trolled by a Rickroll and given a code
• Playing on a private server will give the player twice as much points. It costs 99 Robux.
• Typing "Bad teacher" in chat makes the teacher angry and makes her say phrases like: "(player name), why are you so rude?". Typing "Good teacher" after this will mostly make her say things like: "I don't like lies, (player name)!"
• Typing "Sorry teacher" in chat makes the teacher forgive you after saying "Bad teacher" and say phrases like: "I forgive you, (player name)!"
• Typing "Good teacher" in chat either makes the teacher happy and makes her say the phrase, "Thank you, (player name)! :)" or make her think the student is joking.
• Typing "(number less than 21) IQ teacher" will make the teacher say things like: "Seems like (player name) doesn't know what IQ means". Typing "(number less than 60) iq teacher" will make the teacher say something like: "I'm a human, not a monkey, (player name)."
• Some actions can cause a few others actions to disappear until their end. For example, Do push-ups disables Use blender, Use laptop and a few others.
• 3 Community:1x1x1x1

The Presentation Experience Wiki

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The Presentation Experience

For the main page, see The Presentation Experience Wiki .

The Presentation Experience is a game created by Minimal Games on October 18th, 2021 . Since then, the game has gotten nearly 371 million visits, as well as 1.35 million favorites and usually around 1500 active players as of July 21, 2024.

• 1.1.1 Presentations, Stars , and Points
• 1.1.2 Actions, Gems , and Robux
• 2.2 Homework
• 2.3 Donations
• 3 Locations

About the game [ ]

The foundation [ ], presentations , stars , and points [ ].

Actions, Gems , and Robux [ ]

Extra features [ ]

Main article: Quests

Homework [ ]

Main article: Homework

Donations [ ]

Main article: Donations

A LIVE DONATION leaderboard was also added in the classroom for people to see every live donation in the game. Bigger donations get more time on the board, and smaller donations have less time as they are pushed back by newer donations.

Main article: Codes

Locations [ ]

There are also seven locations in the game, which are the Backrooms , toilet , the hallway , the School , the City , the classroom , and Antarctica . These locations is where actions , presentations , and everything else in the game takes place.

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Roblox The Presentation Experience Codes

Get your note cards ready, it's time to present! Hop into a virtual classroom inside of The Presentation Experience and be whatever kind of student you want! Are you the class clown? The attentive listener? The sleeper? The one who reminds the teacher that there's homework? The choice is yours! Interact with your peers by spending points to cheer them on while they present, or throw them off with various sounds and physical interruptions! So how do you get points quickly? With codes of course!

All of the codes below can be used to redeem a certain amount of points, or even a special point boost if you're lucky! If you're looking for even more freebies, be sure to check back with this article regularly—we update this list as soon as new codes come out! If you find a code in the  Working Codes  section that seems expired, please let us know so we can remove it as soon as possible. Keep in mind, also, that you'll need to enter each code exactly as it's written or the experience won't accept it!

If you're looking for more Roblox content to browse while you wait for new codes, check out some of our best of articles including 5 best Roblox games like Call of Duty , 5 best Roblox games like Pokémon , or Best Roblox games like The Sims !

All The Presentation Experience Codes List

The presentation experience codes (working).

• scaryhalloween2023 —Redeem for 60 Points and 15 Gems (New)
• spookpoints —Redeem for 100 Points (New)
• summerboost —Redeem for a 5x Point Boost for 10 min (New)
• OMG350KLIKES —Redeem for 50 Points
• unexpected —Redeem for 15 Gems
• UGC —Redeem for 30 Gems
• coffee —Redeem for 60 Points
• maxwellgood —Redeem for 20 Gems
• manfacepooper —Redeem for a 5x Point Boost for 10 min
• fartyreward —Redeem for 100 Points
• minimalgamespro —Redeem for 25 Points
• UwU —Redeem for 20 Gems
• Hallway —Redeem for 10 Gems
• pencil —Redeem for 100 Points
• 100MVISITS —Redeem for 15 Gems
• MILLIONMEMBERS! —Redeem for 10 Gems and 10 minutes of 5x XP
• therearenootherteachersintheschoolbecausenobodywantstoseethebadteacher —Redeem for 10 Gems
• nootnoot —Redeem for 75 Points
• Megaboost —Redeem for 5x Points for mone minute
• 5gems —Redeem for 5 Gems
• toilet —Redeem for 50 points
• itsaboutdriveitsaboutpower —Redeem for 150 Points
• poop - Redeem for 100 Points
• NikkoCoder - Redeem for 50 Points
• bookworm - Redeem for 80 Points
• code - Redeem for 15 Points
• RAT - Redeem for 25 Points
• Teachermadcuzbad - Redeem for 200 Points

The Presentation Experience Codes (Expired)

These The Presentation Experience codes no longer work.

• 200MVISITS! —Redeem for 100 Points
• CHRISTMASGIFT —Redeem for 39 Gems
• anfisanova —Redeem for 25 Points
• bababooeypoints —Redeem for 50 Points
• 180klikes —Redeem for 10 Gems
• Easter —Redeem for 8 Gems
• 700kmembers —Redeem for 10 Gems and a 1 minute 5x Points Boost
• 600kmembers —Redeem for 5 minutes of 2x Boost
• 175klikes —Redeem for 10 Gems and 5x Point Boost
• beatbox - Redeem for 30 Points
• sus - Redeem for 30 Points

How to Redeem The Presentation Experience Codes

It's easy to redeem codes for free rewards in The Presentation Experience ! To do so, simply follow the steps below.

• First, launch the experience
• Once inside, look for the Gear in the top left corner and click on it .
• Then, select the Twitter bird icon labeled Codes.
• Type or copy and paste a code into the new window that appears.
• Press confirm to receive your free reward!

How do I get more The Presentation Experience codes?

Codes for The Presentation Experience are typically released each time that the experience hits a new like milestone. To stay up to date on these codes, be sure to check back with this article often, join the Minimal Community Discord server, and join the Minimal Games Roblox group . Players who join the Roblox group will also receive a bonus 500 points and 10 Gems!

Why aren't my codes working?

Not all Roblox codes are active for the same amount of time, meaning some expire exceptionally quickly and may even become inactive after 24 hours or less! If you attempt to enter a code and it says  Code Expired , that code is no longer active and, unfortunately, can no longer be redeemed. There's nothing that you can do to fix this issue, the code is simply unobtainable. If you attempt to type in a code and it says  Invalid Code , however, this means that you've likely mistyped the code or neglected to use the correct capitalization. If this happens, try to retype and re-enter the code once more, being sure to copy it exactly as it's written!

What is The Presentation Experience?

The Presentation Experience is a school-based role play experience that allows players to take turns presenting randomly selected topics that are either created by the AI teacher or other players/students in the classroom. Once the teacher calls on you to present, you better be ready—you only have a few minutes to make a great impression! During presentations, other students can clap, scream, jump out of their seat, sleep, burp, and more to interrupt or cheer on their peers. The teacher will do her best to control the class, but it's only a matter of time before things get out of hand!

If you're looking for codes for other games, we have a ton of them in our Roblox Game Codes post! You can also get a bunch of free stuff via our Roblox Promo Codes page.

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3 Group Presentation Pitfalls — and How to Avoid Them

• Allison Shapira

Strategies for a polished, unified final product.

Putting together an effective group presentation takes teamwork and coordination so it doesn’t look like a patchwork quilt. And yet, many of us never budget the time to fully prepare. The author outlines some of the common mistakes people make in group presentations and offers best practices to keep you on track. 

Many of us have experienced poor group presentations. If you’re giving one, it’s the last-minute scramble the night before to decide who is presenting which part of the presentation. If you’re observing one, it’s the chaos of hearing multiple people talking over one another or, even worse, simply reading their slides word-for-word and ignoring their audience. 

• Allison Shapira teaches “The Arts of Communication” at the Harvard Kennedy School and is the Founder/CEO of Global Public Speaking, a training firm that helps emerging and established leaders to speak clearly, concisely, and confidently. She is the author of the new book, Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others (HarperCollins Leadership).

Partner Center

How to answer "What is your experience with public speaking and presenting?" (with sample answers)

Why Employers Ask This

Employers often ask about public speaking and presenting skills because these are important for a variety of roles. For instance, if you're interviewing for a sales or marketing job, you may be required to give presentations to clients or pitch ideas to a team. Public speaking skills are also important for leadership roles since leaders need to communicate effectively with their teams.

So, employers ask this to assess your communication skills, confidence level, and the ability to articulate your ideas effectively. They want to know if you can represent the company professionally in front of various audiences and handle challenging situations like giving presentations to large groups or addressing stakeholders.

How to Answer the Question

Start by talking about your experience. List any relevant public speaking or presenting experience, including any presentations, speeches, or workshops you've given. Discuss the number of people that were present during the event, who the audience was, and what the purpose of the presentation was.

You can also mention any initiatives you undertook to improve your public speaking and presenting skills, such as attending a public speaking course or analyzing videos of other experienced speakers. This shows that you're proactive and interested in personal development.

It's also important to talk about the outcomes of these experiences. If the presentation resulted in increased sales or enthusiastic feedback, mention it.

Remember to highlight the skills you gained from your public speaking and presenting experience. Employers want to hear about the skills that make you an exceptional candidate. For example, you could say, "I developed strong analytical skills while creating the content for my presentation, and my communication skills were put to the test when I had to present to the C-suite leadership team."

Finally, don't forget to exhibit confidence in your answer, speak clearly and concisely. Employers want to see a candidate who can represent the company professionally and capably in front of various audiences.

Sample answers

Good answer:.

I have a lot of experience with public speaking and presenting. In my last job, I regularly gave presentations to clients and at industry conferences. I was even asked to lead a workshop on presentation skills for new hires in my department. I always prepare thoroughly, practice beforehand, and use visual aids like slides to enhance my presentations. I've also received positive feedback from colleagues and clients on my clear communication skills and engaging delivery.

This answer is good because it gives specific examples of the candidate's experience and skills, and shows that they have a track record of success in public speaking. They also mention concrete strategies they use to prepare and deliver effective presentations.

Bad answer:

Um, I don't really have much experience with public speaking. I mean, I've had to give a few presentations in school, but I don't really like talking in front of people. It makes me pretty nervous.

This answer is bad because it doesn't inspire confidence in the candidate's ability to perform a key aspect of the job. They admit to being nervous and not having much experience, which suggests that they may struggle in this area.

I have experience with public speaking in a variety of contexts. In my previous job, I gave presentations to internal teams and external stakeholders on a regular basis. I also volunteered as a mentor for a local youth organization, where I led workshops on public speaking for teens. In addition, I've taken courses on presentation skills and public speaking to continuously improve my abilities. I'm always looking for chances to build my expertise and confidence in this area.

This answer is good because it demonstrates a diverse range of experience that the candidate has sought out, rather than simply relying on past job requirements. They also express a willingness to keep improving and learning, which is a positive trait in any candidate.

Public speaking? No, I've never really done that before. I prefer to work behind the scenes and let someone else handle that kind of stuff.

This answer is bad because the candidate outright rejects the idea of public speaking and presenting as something they're willing or able to do. It also suggests that they may not be as proactive or engaged in their work as an employer would like to see.

• PRESENTATION SKILLS

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Presentation Skills:

• A - Z List of Presentation Skills
• Top Tips for Effective Presentations
• General Presentation Skills
• What is a Presentation?
• Preparing for a Presentation
• Organising the Material
• Writing Your Presentation
• Deciding the Presentation Method
• Managing your Presentation Notes
• Working with Visual Aids
• Presenting Data
• Managing the Event
• Coping with Presentation Nerves
• Dealing with Questions
• How to Build Presentations Like a Consultant
• Self-Presentation in Presentations
• Specific Presentation Events
• Remote Meetings and Presentations
• Giving a Speech
• Presentations in Interviews
• Presenting to Large Groups and Conferences
• Giving Lectures and Seminars
• Managing a Press Conference
• Attending Public Consultation Meetings
• Managing a Public Consultation Meeting
• Crisis Communications
• Elsewhere on Skills You Need:
• Communication Skills
• Facilitation Skills
• Teams, Groups and Meetings
• Effective Speaking
• Question Types

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Presentation Skills

Presenting information clearly and effectively is a key skill in getting your message across. Today, presentation skills are required in almost every field, and most of us are required to give presentations on occasions. While some people take this in their stride, others find it much more challenging.

It is, however, possible to improve your presentation skills with a bit of work. This section of SkillsYouNeed is designed to help.

Many people feel terrified when asked to talk in public, especially to bigger groups. However, these fears can be reduced by good preparation, which will also lay the groundwork for making an effective presentation.

There are Different Types of Presentations, but They’re All Presentations

There are any number of occasions when you may be asked to speak in public or to a group of people. They include:

• Presenting or making a speech at a conference or event.
• Objecting to a planning proposal at a council meeting.
• Making a speech at a wedding.
• Proposing a vote of thanks to someone at a club or society.
• On behalf of a team, saying goodbye and presenting a gift to a colleague who is leaving.
• Seeking investment or a loan to help you set up a new business.

These can all be considered presentations.

They do not, however, all require the same approach. You would not, for example, use PowerPoint to thank a colleague who was leaving. It would be unusual (though it has been done) to use it in a speech at a wedding. However, a conference audience would be somewhat surprised NOT to see slides projected onto a screen.

It follows, therefore, that there is no single set of rules that apply to all presentations. There are, however, some things that every presentation opportunity has in common. These include:

You will present better if you have prepared effectively . This does NOT necessarily mean that you have written out your speech verbatim and rehearsed it until you know it off by heart—although that might work for some people. It does, however, mean that you have to be confident that you are saying the right thing, in the right way, to the right people.

You need to be clear about your audience and your message . Every presentation will be better if you have clearly considered the message that you want or need to convey, and how best to convey it to your audience. These two pieces of information drive your style, structure, content, and use of visual aids.

You must never overrun your allocated time .  In other words, don’t outstay your welcome. Almost every speech or presentation is better if it is shorter. Nobody minds going for coffee early or finishing before they expected to do so. Everybody minds being held up.

Generally speaking, your audience starts on your side. As a rule, your audience is there (more or less) voluntarily. They have chosen to listen to you, and they want to enjoy your presentation. The occasion is yours to lose.

An Important Point

There is one very important point to remember: if what you’re doing or saying is not working, do something else.

One of the worst feelings as a presenter is that you have lost your audience. You know that’s happened, but you continue to stumble through your remaining PowerPoint slides for the next 15 minutes, as your audience checks their phones and wishes it was coffee time. You think you have no choice, but that’s not actually true.

When you present, you are in charge of the room . The audience has effectively handed you control and is sitting back waiting for you to do something. You may have prepared a specific talk, but if you see that isn’t working, you can always change it. You are, after all, the expert.

You can, for example:

• Skip through some slides to a section that they may find more interesting;
• Ask your audience whether there is particular information that they were expecting that you are not providing;
• Suggest that everyone looks a bit sleepy, and maybe it would be better to start questions early, or have a discussion; or
• Ask the audience at the start of the presentation what they are expecting and what they want you to cover. That way, you can tailor the presentation to fit their expectations.

Just as when you are facilitating, you want to help your audience get the most out of your presentation. The best way to do that is to accept feedback—which may include smiles, nods of interest, or people getting their phones out.

Quick Guide to Effective Presentations

If you need to improve your presentation skills quickly, then a really good place to start is with our Top Tips for Effective Presentations .

This will give you some ‘quick wins’ that will help you improve your presentations. If you’re already an experienced presenter, this page should be a useful refresher, or even take your skills from good to great.

Our tips include general ideas about connecting with your audience, information about the importance of voice and body language, and detailed tips about preparing slide-shows.

The most important tip of all, however, is to remember that it's all about your audience.

Keep that in mind, and your presentation skills will almost instantly improve.

If you have more time to develop your presentation skills…

…then the Presentation Skills section of SkillsYouNeed is designed to help.

Our Presentation Skills section is split into two parts.

• The first gives you a step-by-step guide to putting together and delivering a professional and effective presentation .
• The second provides more detailed information about presenting and communicating in particular circumstances .

You can either use our step-by-step guide to walk you through the presentation preparation and delivery process, or you can focus on particular areas that are an issue for you.

Preparing for Your Presentation

The guide starts by explaining What is a Presentation?

We define a presentation as a means of communication that can be adapted to various speaking situations, such as talking to a group, addressing a meeting or briefing a team. Effective presentations usually require careful thought and preparation—although this preparation need not take very long.

Preparation is the most important part of making a successful presentation.  Our page on Preparing For A Presentation explains what information you need before you can really start to plan your presentation and decide what you are going to say. The most important aspects include the objective of the presentation, the subject, and the audience.

Irrespective of whether the occasion is formal or informal, you should always aim to give a clear, well-structured delivery. To do so, you need to organise your presentation material . You can either do this in your head, or use a technique like mind-mapping to help you identify links and good flow.

By the time you come to write your presentation , you should know exactly what you want to say and the order in which you want to say it. You may want to use one of the standard presentation structures, such as ‘What, Why, How?’. You will also find it helpful to consider how to tell your story most effectively, and to use stories in your presentation to illustrate points. There is more about this in our page on writing your presentation .

You also need to decide on your presentation method . Presentations range from the formal to the informal. Your choice of presentation method will depend on many factors, including the audience, the venue, the facilities, and your own preferences.

Visual aids can add another dimension to your presentation, helping to hold your audience’s attention, and also act as a reminder of what you wanted to say. However, they need handling with care. Only use visual aids if they are necessary to maintain interest and assist comprehension . If visual aids are not used well, they can ruin a presentation.

See Working with Visual Aids to avoid falling into the trap of the dreaded ‘ Death by PowerPoint’ .

A particular case of visual aids is the use of data in a presentation.

There are times when using data in a presentation can really help you to tell the story better. It is, however, important not to blind your audience with statistics. You also need to remember that many people find numbers difficult to understand. Our page on Presenting Data gives some hints and tips about using data effectively in a presentation situation.

On the Day of the Presentation

There are a number of aspects to delivering your presentation on the day.

The practicalities of how you manage your presentation can make a significant difference to its success, and to your nerves! For example, turning up early means that you have will have a chance to see the room, and ensure that you can operate all the necessary equipment. There is more about how to cope, including managing sound systems, audio-visual equipment and lecterns in our page on Managing the Presentation Event .

Many people also feel very nervous before and during a presentation. This is entirely normal, and can even be helpful if you can channel it in the right way. There are some tried and tested strategies and techniques to manage your nerves so that you can concentrate on delivering an effective and engaging presentation.

See Coping with Presentation Nerves for some ideas that will help.

How you present yourself can also affect how your audience responds to your presentation.

You need to fit with your audience's expectations if they are not going to spend quite a large chunk of your presentation dealing with the differences between expectations and reality.

For more about aspects of self-presentation, see our page on Self-Presentation in Presentations .

You also need to consider how to manage your presentation notes .

Few people are able to give a presentation without notes. You will need to know your own abilities and decide how best to make the presentation. You might manage your talk by using full text, notes on cue cards, keywords on cue cards, or mind maps. There is more about this in our page on Managing your Presentation Notes .

After the presentation, you may be faced with a question-and-answer session. For many people, this is the worst part of the event.

Decide in advance how and when you wish to handle questions. Some speakers prefer questions to be raised as they arise during the presentation whilst others prefer to deal with questions at the end. At the start of your presentation, you should make clear your preferences to the audience. See our page on Dealing with Questions for more ideas about how to make the question session pleasant and productive, rather than something to dread.

Presenting Under Particular Circumstances

You may find that you need to give a presentation under certain circumstances, where your previous experience is less helpful.

Circumstances that may be new to you include:

• Giving a Speech , for example, at a wedding.

One particular special case is attending public consultation meetings.

Our pages on Attending Public Consultation Meetings , and Managing Public Consultation Meetings provide information to help whether you are a concerned member of the public, or responsible for organising a public meeting.

You may also find yourself required to organise or manage a press conference.

Although this may not strictly be what you would describe as a ‘presentation’, it is nonetheless an event at which you are required to present your organisation in a particular light.

Our page on Managing a Press Conference gives some ideas about how best to do that.

Finally, should you be unlucky enough to be involved in a serious crisis or disaster that affects your organisation, our page on Crisis Communications gives some ideas about how to manage press and public relations on these occasions.

Start with: What is a Presentation? Top Tips for Effective Presentations

See also: Personal Appearance Interpersonal Communication Skills

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Guide for Presenting to Large Groups of People

November 14, 2017 - Dom Barnard

Presenting to a large group of people can be challenging even for experienced presenters. Specific difficulties may arise due to the size of the audience, such as:

• Reduced contact with the audience
• Increased fear of making mistakes
• Uncertainty regarding whether they have understood you

Large group presentations usually occur at conferences or lecture theatres, with the audience size ranging from 50-300+ people. Due to the nature of these events, it’s usually a rare opportunity to influence journalists, business partners, potential employees and customers.

This article presents practical suggestions for speaking to large audiences, encouraging you to develop strategies to overcome problems and develop an effective speaking style.

Preparation for speaking to large audiences

Techniques which are important for small groups, such as eye contact and body language, become less effective in large group settings. This is because the presenter is trying to share them amongst the whole group rather than focusing on a few individuals.

Therefore communicating complex information or data becomes more difficult and the delivery of your presentation will need to change to suit this environment. Understanding the venue, the audience, possible audience questions and the ranges of knowledge become even more important.

With careful preparation, you’ll be able to  communicate effectively  and deliver your message to influence the audience.

Understand your material

It’s vital that you have a full understanding of your material. This will help you identify clear main points and construct a strong linear argument. Use these points to select appropriate visual images, examples and analogies to help your audience understand key concepts.

Large group presentations benefit from carefully chosen visual images to make bold and instantly accessible statements. Think about using handouts to support your presentation. This will give your audience something concrete to ‘take away’ and is a powerful way of communicating complex detail which might be lost in the large group setting.

Plan your performance

Another important aspect of your preparation includes the need to have a clear understanding of your performance as a whole, including the  pace of delivery  and how you plan to use your visual aids.

This can best be achieved by mapping out your presentation in advance to identify what you will need to do at each stage. Some presenters make notes on their script to remind themselves to do certain things at certain times, such as, pausing, changing slides and even smiling.

Know your audience

You could be presenting to anyone, or you could be presenting to a very specific group of people. Either way, it’s important you know exactly  who your audience are  prior to even planning your presentation.

If you’re presenting to a group of students, think about their specific studies and what they have the most experience in. If you’re presenting to a room full of journalists, you need to understand that what you tell them is likely to appear in some form of media over the coming days.

Potential clients will need to be advertised to, while business partners want more in the way of business credentials and the potential of your product or service.

For your audience to be able to enjoy your presentation you need to tell them something they feel is relevant to themselves. Try and find out before the presentation by contacting the event organiser and asking:

• How many people will be in the audience?
• Who is speaking before / after me and on which topics?
• Is there a theme for the event?
• What level will the audience be in terms of knowledge / experience?
• What do you think they’d want to hear about?

If you are unable to contact the event organiser, you can always visit social media for previous events, check out any blog posts or press coverage.

Learn about the venue

Even a well-prepared presentation can fail if you are not in full control of your environment. If possible, visit the venue beforehand to explore the physical layout and the audio-visual equipment.

Visualise yourself presenting there, ask yourself these questions:

• What problems might arise in this space (e.g. where do people come in and go out)?
• Where’s the best place to stand so that everyone will be able to see and hear you?
• Is all the equipment you need there?
• Where is the volume control?
• Do the lights operate at different settings (i.e. will you be plunged into complete darkness and unable to read your notes when trying to show slides)?

If you can’t visit the venue, request some photos of the venue or ask for a list of technical specifications to help you prepare.

Practice aloud

After writing your presentation, you’ll need to practice it to be able to deliver it confidently and concisely. We’ve listed both traditional and new methods you can use to  practice your presentation skills .

• Virtual reality (VR)  – allows you to  practice different presentation techniques  in realistic environments from the comfort of your own home. It’s a valuable middle-ground between an online course and in-person coaching.
• Friends or colleagues  – this is a great way to get detailed feedback on how you are performing. Set yourself a task and ask your colleague or friend to observe you and then give you feedback. Giving and  receiving feedback  is a powerful process but needs to be handled sensitively.
• Solo with a video camera or voice recorder  – by using a video camera or voice recorder you can work on your communication style. Work with short sections, for example, you may start by working on just your opening. Perform and watch / listen back multiple times until you feel your performance is of a high standard so you can move on.

Video showing how you can  practice presentations in VR .

Pick the right speaking slot

This is the hardest thing because you often can’t control it but you’d be surprised that you can often ask the conference organiser for a preferred time.

Here are some guidelines:

• Try to avoid being the first speaker  – many people will be late to a conference.
• Don’t speak straight after lunch  – for the same reason as above.
• Best slots are in the morning  – it gives a chance for people who are interested to meet you and speak with you during the day. Also, in the afternoon people are generally more tired, particularly after a big lunch.
• Avoid the coffin slot  – if you speak Friday at 4pm at the end of a 5-day conference you’ll be speaking to no one. Everybody leaves early on a Friday to get home.

During the presentation

How to connect with a large audience.

A particular difficulty associated with presenting to large groups is that the presenter feels distanced from the audience and vice versa. It’s important to try to break down this barrier from the moment the audience comes in. Use the following strategies:

• Display a  title slide  which includes your name whilst the audience are drifting in. This will help set the scene and prepare the audience for your talk.
• Avoid hiding at the front whilst the audience are coming in and settling down. Instead, move amongst the audience, welcoming people that you know.
• Encourage the audience to start filling the venue up from the front. This puts you more in charge of the event and encourages casual dialogue.
• Introduce yourself  and your talk (don’t assume that everyone knows what’s going to happen next).
• Check that everyone can see your visual aids and hear your voice.

Large venues often prevent audience members asking questions and may limit any discussion that you try to generate. Clearly announce where you’ll be taking questions so that the audience knows what will be expected of them.

Be enthusiastic

If you’re not interested in your own talk, why should others be? People have come to see you speak so enthusiasm is essential if you’re hoping to get the right message across. Most of the audience will have a phone with them which they will be ready to switch their attention to if they lost interest.

Enthusiasm demonstrates a number of essential characteristics, including confidence and a clear understanding of what you’re talking about. If you’re naturally quiet, it’s vital that you practice being as clear and concise as you can be.

To appear enthusiastic, here are some pointers:

• Project your voice, particularly in a large conference room
• Use your hands to emphasise key points
• Speak clearly and don’t mumble
• Speak slowly to emphasise key points
• Use the  full range of your voice

Use visual aids

Visual aids  can be an important tool in  improving the effectiveness  of presentations to large groups. They can be particularly useful during key stages of your presentation, for example:

• During the introduction
• Display your name and the title of your presentation
• Define particular technical terms or abbreviations
• Indicate structure, either diagrammatically or in text
• Display an image which encapsulates your theme
• Highlight a question you intend to answer
• Support technical detail with clearly displayed data
• Indicate sequence by linking points together
• Summarise your main points at the end
• Display your email address or phone number so that people can contact you after for discussion or further questions

Keep it simple for large crowds

With a large audience, the knowledge on the topic you are presenting will be vary greatly between  different audience members . Therefore it’s essential to keep your presentation as simple as possible and easy to follow.

The goal of the presentation is just to give the audience a basic sense of what you do and why it matters. They simply need to know:

• Who has a problem?
• How are you solving this problem?
• Why does this matter?

The conventional wisdom is that the audience  can only remember  3 simple things about any presentation 10 minutes after they’ve seen it. Make sure you are clear what you want the audience to remember before even writing your presentation.

Stick to your allotted time

It can be difficult to stick to allotted times during a conference or organised talk. Often you will find yourself over-talking about certain points and eating into your remaining time. If you finish the presentation earlier than planned, there is more time for questions and the audience will appreciate it.

The best way to manage to a time is:

• Practice with a timer
• Have less slides than you think you’ll need

It’s very embarrassing to be cut off mid-presentation, or having to rush the final section to finish on time. This will dramatically diminish the user experience and any possibility of your message resonating with the audience.

Fake eye contact if you need to

Large presentations usually require dimming the lights and using spotlights. This makes it incredibly difficult to see your audience members. On top of this, you may be projected onto a large screen behind you so the people in the back of the room can see you.

You’re going to have to look around the room as you would in a smaller presentation.  Fake eye contact  if you need to and scan the audience as best you can. It will appear to your audience that you are  engaging with them  personally.

Take advantage of technology

A good presentation includes much more than your voice. Some tools which you might think about using to bring your presentation to life include:

• Visual diagrams and images to give context to what you are saying
• Live polling and quizzes during the presentation
• Laser pointer to highlight areas on a diagram
• Presentation controller to change slide remotely
• Non-linear presentation software

Live polling example using the  Slido  presentation software.

Managing your nerves

Some people find presenting to large audiences much more nerve-wracking. This is partly an issue about not knowing the members of the audience, and partly the potential for embarrassment if you make a mistake. And of course, when you’re  nervous and tense , you are by definition less relaxed. What all of this means is that it is much, much harder to build rapport with your audience.

Use a summary slide

Use a  summary slide  to show all the key points you have made along with your call to action. It can also show your name and contact details.

This slide is the only slide that can contain a lot of text – use bullet points to separate the text. Having all this information visible during the Q&A session will also help the audience think of questions to ask you. They may also choose to take photos of this slide with their phone to take home as a summary of your talk and to have your contact details.

Things NOT to do

Don’t begin with an apology.

Many people worry that they won’t be interesting to the audience so they start by apologising about taking up their time. A common scenario is when there is a great presenter before their slot so they’ll start by apologising about not being as good as the previous presenter.

Starting with an apology deflates the audience. It sets the scene for them to have a bad time. People are listening to you to enjoy themselves and to learn something.

To avoid this negativity, write a short starting paragraph and stick to it. Begin by explaining you’re excited to be there, that you cannot wait to share your talk with them – let the audience know there is something good in-store.

Don’t turn around and read the screen

This is a very common mistake, particularly with nervous speakers. It means that your voice is projecting in the wrong direction and results in poor  body language . If you use quality images or diagrams with minimal text, you’re a less likely to do this.

This is the biggest indicator that you haven’t bothered to remember any of the context of your presentation, so it’s vital that you don’t get caught looking at the screen as a means of finding something to say.

Avoid poor presentation slides

The visual appeal of your presentation slides is extremely important for the audience to be able to understand what you are saying.  Keep text to a minimum  and use high quality images where possible. This helps people at the back as they might not be able to see everything on the slide.

An example of a bad presentation slide, where there is far too much text and the text itself is hard to read. Read more about  bad presentation slides .

Don’t rush to the end

We’re all guilty of it – when we get nervous, we speed up our talking and try to get the end as quickly as possible. When we talk quickly, we take shallow breaths which don’t fully fill our lungs, meaning that we can’t reach the full range of our voice, often leading to monotone presentations.

To avoid this, perhaps have a friend of colleague in the crowd to signal to you to slow down if you’re talking too quickly. Knowing your presentation extremely well is another way to reduce rushing to the end and even marking in your presentation where you want to  pause and take a deep breath  can help.

Don’t just read a script

If you write a script for your presentation, avoid reading it word for word off a sheet. This is a bad idea for several reasons, the main one being it will completely bore your audience.

Spend time practicing your presentation so you can do it without reading anything and get colleagues or friends to interrupt at random points – this stops you learning your speech by verbatim and forgetting what to say next if you get interrupted.

Understanding the presentation stage

Positioning yourself on stage.

A large, formal event will almost always have a podium or stage where you will be expected to stand and present.

There may be a lectern, although that will often depend on the type of event as many events have moved away from this kind of system now. It sounds obvious, but you will also be in a very large room, holding a lot of people.

You will therefore be physically separated from your audience, both by distance and height.

Equipment at the event

You will almost always have professional sound and audio-visual equipment at a large event.

You will be expected to send your presentation in advance, and it will be loaded up for you, ready to present. You will probably, in a modern conference centre, have a  wireless control  for your slides, as well as a wireless microphone.

A more old-fashioned venue might have wired systems that will tether you to one spot.

Larger venues may even have cameras projecting you onto screens above the stage for those sitting at the back.

These systems allow you to reach out to your audience and engage with them better, because everyone will be able to see and hear you clearly.

Lighting while you’re on stage

The main hall in most conference venues have no natural light.

It may have stage-type lighting, and the lights in the room will be dimmed during the presentations, with a spotlight on the presenter.

This makes it nearly impossible to see your audience or make personal eye contact with any of them.

Read more about understanding the presentation stage in this  SkillsYouNeed article .

Tips for building rapport with a large crowd

Because you’re physically separated from the large audience, you need to work much harder to build rapport at a large event.

Some helpful tips include:

• Use more variation in your tone of voice. Similarly to when you are speaking on the telephone, and people have fewer visual cues, you can use your voice in a presentation to emphasise your feelings.
• Remember that even if you can’t see the audience, they can still see you, especially if you are being projected onto a big screen. Look around the room, just as you would in any other presentation, and smile. It will appear to your audience that you are engaging with them personally. This sounds cynical, but it is actually very effective.
• Make your content more engaging. Consider using  jokes and humour , especially early on, and also starting with one or more very bold or unusual statements, or perhaps a short piece of effective video to make people sit up and take notice.
• Ensure that you are very familiar with your presentation as this is likely to make you more relaxed. Wait until everyone is settled before you start to speak (remember that you are in control of the event, not the audience).
• Announce the start of your presentation and wait for quiet (don’t be afraid to calmly and politely assert your control by asking for quiet if this isn’t forthcoming).

Consider these points about the audience

It is important to think about the impact of the sheer physical size of the lecture theatre or seminar room that you’ll be presenting in.

1. Line of sight (can the audience see you?)

This is the ease with which you can make  eye contact  with the audience. Some venues are long and thin so it can be difficult to make contact with those in the furthest corners of the room. Other venues are shallow and broad so it can be difficult to make contact with those to either side of you.

The danger with the first is that the back rows only ever see the top of your head. The danger with the second is that those to the left and right only ever see your side or, at worst, your back.

A simple way of addressing this issue is to draw a mental plan of the venue (whatever its shape), dividing this into numbered sections. You can then alternate your eye contact with each section to make sure that each area of the audience feels involved.

2. Audibility (can the audience hear you?)

It’s vital to ensure that you can be heard by everyone in the audience. Check volume levels with your audience but always avoid shouting. This comes across as aggressive and can be very difficult for the audience to listen to.

If there is a microphone, consider using it but be aware that it can restrict your movement and produce variable sound levels (e.g. as your head turns away from the microphone). Practice with the microphone to learn its strengths and limitations. Remember that most microphones in lecture theatres are set to amplify your normal speaking voice without the need for additional volume.

3. Attention spans (is the audience paying attention?)

Try to vary your delivery to provide new and interesting stimuli for your audience’s attention. This can involve the use of visual aids as well as different speaking styles (e.g. factual, discursive, speculative). You can also grab attention by physically  moving around the stage  area. Try to do this purposefully (i.e. to make a particular point) rather than simply wandering around; this latter can be distracting. Come forward, make a point, then move again.

4. Audience behaviour (is the audience unresponsive)

It’s difficult for the audience to pay attention the whole time so you need to allow for this. Try not to react too sensitively to an audience’s behaviour. Unresponsive faces and heads propped up by hands are more likely to be indicative of audience fatigue than they are of deliberate rudeness.

Of course, if the behaviour of a few individuals begins to threaten other people’s ability to hear, you must act immediately, even stopping your presentation and addressing the situation directly.

Read more about these four points in this article on  Presenting to large groups  from the University of Leicester.

The key to speaking to audiences in large venues is to take control of the space and to carefully plan your presentation to stimulate and maintain their attention. It’s important to be well prepared and to have a clear understanding of what you will be doing.

Although working with large audiences can be challenging, attention to both detail and process can result in a powerful presentation that interests and informs.

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6 presentation skills and how to improve them

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What are presentation skills?

The importance of presentation skills, 6 presentation skills examples, how to improve presentation skills.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety

Learn how to captivate an audience with ease

Capturing an audience’s attention takes practice. 

Over time, great presenters learn how to organize their speeches and captivate an audience from start to finish. They spark curiosity, know how to read a room , and understand what their audience needs to walk away feeling like they learned something valuable.

Regardless of your profession, you most likely use presentation skills on a monthly or even weekly basis. Maybe you lead brainstorming sessions or host client calls. 

Developing effective presentation skills makes it easier to contribute ideas with confidence and show others you’re someone to trust. Although speaking in front of a crowd sometimes brings nerves and anxiety , it also sparks new opportunities.

Presentation skills are the qualities and abilities you need to communicate ideas effectively and deliver a compelling speech. They influence how you structure a presentation and how an audience receives it. Understanding body language , creating impactful visual aids, and projecting your voice all fall under this umbrella.

A great presentation depends on more than what you say. It’s about how you say it. Storytelling , stage presence, and voice projection all shape how well you express your ideas and connect with the audience. These skills do take practice, but they’re worth developing — especially if public speaking makes you nervous. 

Engaging a crowd isn’t easy. You may feel anxious to step in front of an audience and have all eyes and ears on you.

But feeling that anxiety doesn’t mean your ideas aren’t worth sharing. Whether you’re giving an inspiring speech or delivering a monthly recap at work, your audience is there to listen to you. Harness that nervous energy and turn it into progress.

Strong presentation skills make it easier to convey your thoughts to audiences of all sizes. They can help you tell a compelling story, convince people of a pitch , or teach a group something entirely new to them. And when it comes to the workplace, the strength of your presentation skills could play a part in getting a promotion or contributing to a new initiative.

To fully understand the impact these skills have on creating a successful presentation, it’s helpful to look at each one individually. Here are six valuable skills you can develop:

1. Active listening

Active listening is an excellent communication skill for any professional to hone. When you have strong active listening skills, you can listen to others effectively and observe their nonverbal cues . This helps you assess whether or not your audience members are engaged in and understand what you’re sharing. 

Great public speakers use active listening to assess the audience’s reactions and adjust their speech if they find it lacks impact. Signs like slouching, negative facial expressions, and roaming eye contact are all signs to watch out for when giving a presentation.

2. Body language

If you’re researching presentation skills, chances are you’ve already watched a few notable speeches like TED Talks or industry seminars. And one thing you probably noticed is that speakers can capture attention with their body language. 

A mixture of eye contact, hand gestures , and purposeful pacing makes a presentation more interesting and engaging. If you stand in one spot and don’t move your body, the audience might zone out.

3. Stage presence

A great stage presence looks different for everyone. A comedian might aim for more movement and excitement, and a conference speaker might focus their energy on the content of their speech. Although neither is better than the other, both understand their strengths and their audience’s needs. 

Developing a stage presence involves finding your own unique communication style . Lean into your strengths, whether that’s adding an injection of humor or asking questions to make it interactive . To give a great presentation, you might even incorporate relevant props or presentation slides.

4. Storytelling

According to Forbes, audiences typically pay attention for about 10 minutes before tuning out . But you can lengthen their attention span by offering a presentation that interests them for longer. Include a narrative they’ll want to listen to, and tell a story as you go along. 

Shaping your content to follow a clear narrative can spark your audience’s curiosity and entice them to pay careful attention. You can use anecdotes from your personal or professional life that take your audience along through relevant moments. If you’re pitching a product, you can start with a problem and lead your audience through the stages of how your product provides a solution.

5. Voice projection

Although this skill may be obvious, you need your audience to hear what you’re saying. This can be challenging if you’re naturally soft-spoken and struggle to project your voice.

Remember to straighten your posture and take deep breaths before speaking, which will help you speak louder and fill the room. If you’re talking into a microphone or participating in a virtual meeting, you can use your regular conversational voice, but you still want to sound confident and self-assured with a strong tone.

If you’re unsure whether everyone can hear you, you can always ask the audience at the beginning of your speech and wait for confirmation. That way, they won’t have to potentially interrupt you later.

Ensuring everyone can hear you also includes your speed and annunciation. It’s easy to speak quickly when nervous, but try to slow down and pronounce every word. Mumbling can make your presentation difficult to understand and pay attention to.

6. Verbal communication 

Although verbal communication involves your projection and tone, it also covers the language and pacing you use to get your point across. This includes where you choose to place pauses in your speech or the tone you use to emphasize important ideas.

If you’re giving a presentation on collaboration in the workplace , you might start your speech by saying, “There’s something every workplace needs to succeed: teamwork.” By placing emphasis on the word “ teamwork ,” you give your audience a hint on what ideas will follow.

To further connect with your audience through diction, pay careful attention to who you’re speaking to. The way you talk to your colleagues might be different from how you speak to a group of superiors, even if you’re discussing the same subject. You might use more humor and a conversational tone for the former and more serious, formal diction for the latter.

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses when it comes to presenting. Maybe you’re confident in your use of body language, but your voice projection needs work. Maybe you’re a great storyteller in small group settings, but need to work on your stage presence in front of larger crowds. 

The first step to improving presentation skills is pinpointing your gaps and determining which qualities to build upon first. Here are four tips for enhancing your presentation skills:

1. Build self-confidence

Confident people know how to speak with authority and share their ideas. Although feeling good about your presentation skills is easier said than done, building confidence is key to helping your audience believe in what you’re saying. Try practicing positive self-talk and continuously researching your topic's ins and outs.

If you don’t feel confident on the inside, fake it until you make it. Stand up straight, project your voice, and try your best to appear engaged and excited. Chances are, the audience doesn’t know you’re unsure of your skills — and they don’t need to.

Another tip is to lean into your slideshow, if you’re using one. Create something colorful and interesting so the audience’s eyes fall there instead of on you. And when you feel proud of your slideshow, you’ll be more eager to share it with others, bringing more energy to your presentation.

2. Watch other presentations

Developing the soft skills necessary for a good presentation can be challenging without seeing them in action. Watch as many as possible to become more familiar with public speaking skills and what makes a great presentation. You could attend events with keynote speakers or view past speeches on similar topics online.

Take a close look at how those presenters use verbal communication and body language to engage their audiences. Grab a notebook and jot down what you enjoyed and your main takeaways. Try to recall the techniques they used to emphasize their main points, whether they used pauses effectively, had interesting visual aids, or told a fascinating story.

3. Get in front of a crowd

You don’t need a large auditorium to practice public speaking. There are dozens of other ways to feel confident and develop good presentation skills.

If you’re a natural comedian, consider joining a small stand-up comedy club. If you’re an avid writer, participate in a public poetry reading. Even music and acting can help you feel more comfortable in front of a crowd.

If you’d rather keep it professional, you can still work on your presentation skills in the office. Challenge yourself to participate at least once in every team meeting, or plan and present a project to become more comfortable vocalizing your ideas. You could also speak to your manager about opportunities that flex your public speaking abilities.

4. Overcome fear

Many people experience feelings of fear before presenting in front of an audience, whether those feelings appear as a few butterflies or more severe anxiety. Try grounding yourself to shift your focus to the present moment. If you’re stuck dwelling on previous experiences that didn’t go well, use those mistakes as learning experiences and focus on what you can improve to do better in the future.

Tips for dealing with presentation anxiety 

It’s normal to feel nervous when sharing your ideas. In fact, according to a report from the Journal of Graduate Medical Education, public speaking anxiety is prevalent in 15–30% of the general population .

Even though having a fear of public speaking is common, it doesn’t make it easier. You might feel overwhelmed, become stiff, and forget what you were going to say. But although the moment might scare you, there are ways to overcome the fear and put mind over matter.

Use these tactics to reduce your stress when you have to make a presentation:

1. Practice breathing techniques

If you experience anxiety often, you’re probably familiar with breathing techniques for stress relief . Incorporating these exercises into your daily routine can help you stop worrying and regulate anxious feelings. 

Before a big presentation, take a moment alone to practice breathing techniques, ground yourself, and reduce tension. It’s also a good idea to take breaths throughout the presentation to speak slower and calm yourself down .

2. Get organized

The more organized you are, the more prepared you’ll feel. Carefully outline all of the critical information you want to use in your presentation, including your main talking points and visual aids, so you don’t forget anything. Use bullet points and visuals on each slide to remind you of what you want to talk about, and create handheld notes to help you stay on track.

3. Embrace moments of silence

It’s okay to lose your train of thought. It happens to even the most experienced public speakers once in a while. If your mind goes blank, don’t panic. Take a moment to breathe, gather your thoughts, and refer to your notes to see where you left off. You can drink some water or make a quick joke to ease the silence or regain your footing. And it’s okay to say, “Give me a moment while I find my notes.” Chances are, people understand the position you’re in.

4. Practice makes progress

Before presenting, rehearse in front of friends and family members you trust. This gives you the chance to work out any weak spots in your speech and become comfortable communicating out loud. If you want to go the extra mile, ask your makeshift audience to ask a surprise question. This tests your on-the-spot thinking and will prove that you can keep cool when things come up.

Whether you’re new to public speaking or are a seasoned presenter, you’re bound to make a few slip-ups. It happens to everyone. The most important thing is that you try your best, brush things off, and work on improving your skills to do better in your next presentation.

Although your job may require a different level of public speaking than your favorite TED Talk , developing presentation skills is handy in any profession. You can use presentation skills in a wide range of tasks in the workplace, whether you’re sharing your ideas with colleagues, expressing concerns to higher-ups, or pitching strategies to potential clients.

Remember to use active listening to read the room and engage your audience with an interesting narrative. Don’t forget to step outside your comfort zone once in a while and put your skills to practice in front of a crowd. After facing your fears, you’ll feel confident enough to put presentation skills on your resume.

If you’re trying to build your skills and become a better employee overall, try a communications coach with BetterUp. 

Understand Yourself Better:

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

8 tips to improve your public speaking skills

The significance of written communication in the workplace, the 11 tips that will improve your public speaking skills, what is an entrepreneur understanding the different types and examples of entrepreneurship, 9 signs that you’re being pushed out of your job, get smart about your goals at work and start seeing results, goal-setting theory: why it’s important, and how to use it at work, the importance of good speech: 5 tips to be more articulate, empathic listening: what it is and how to use it, how to write a speech that your audience remembers, impression management: developing your self-presentation skills, 30 presentation feedback examples, your guide to what storytelling is and how to be a good storyteller, how to give a good presentation that captivates any audience, 8 clever hooks for presentations (with tips), how to make a presentation interactive and exciting, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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Team Presentations: How to Present Better as a Group

Posted by Belinda Huckle  |  On January 29, 2022  |  In Presentation Training, Tips & Advice

In this Article...quick links

1. Choose a team captain

2. map out a cohesive narrative, 3. know your roles within the team, 4. have a strategy in place for question time, 5. all team presentations must have a full group rehearsal, 6. be supportive and put up a united front in your next team presentation, 7. making good, better, follow us on social media for more great presentation tips:.

We’re all getting used to being back in the office and re-learning our in person presentation skills after spending so much time working remotely. So it’s not surprising that the prospect of creating a seamless and cohesive group presentation is even more daunting right now.

It’s safe to say that team presentations involve a lot of moving parts, not least because it brings together different personalities with varying confidence levels and presentation styles.

One of the common pitfalls with group presentations is a diffusion of responsibility – ‘My bit’s OK, that’s all I should worry about, right?’ Wrong.

A group presentation is only as good as its weakest presenter. There are a lot of potential obstacles to overcome, but there are some key reasons why presenting as a team is both relevant and a good idea:

• Showcasing expertise – to showcase different people’s expertise as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs).
• Meeting the team – increasingly in new business/pitch situations, clients and customers want to see, and hear from, ‘the team’ – those who will actually be looking after their business i.e. those operating at the ‘coalface’. And so having multiple presenters becomes an imperative.
• Maintaining energy, engagement & attention – breaking up longer presentations with different presenters helps to inject energy (much like in a relay race), keep people’s attention and maintain listeners’ engagement. Remember, variety is the spice of life!

Your people may be seasoned presenters but team them up to present with others, and lots of practical questions arise:

How do you start a team presentation? Who ends a team presentation? How do you seamlessly hand over to the next presenter, or who fields questions from the audience?

In this blog post we discuss how teams can collaborate to plan, practise and present successfully as a group.

Why this is important: Having a strong Team Captain is crucial as they will usually start and finish the presentation. As part of starting and finishing the presentation the role of the Captain also often includes:

• Making sure there is a strong Attention Grab early in the presentation in order to hook the audience from the start.
• Assigning roles within the team.
• Introducing each presenter and their role at the start of the presentation.
• Managing the transitions/handovers between each presenter.
• Fielding questions from the audience on behalf of the team and directing questions to the most relevant speaker as required.
• Summarising next steps or action points after the conclusion to the presentation.

Top Tip: The Captain should typically be either the most senior person in the group, or the most confident speaker. They don’t have to be subject matter experts.

Why this is important: Team members may have differing opinions about the message they want to convey. Having a clear overall goal for the presentation before everyone starts working on their slides is crucial for ensuring the deck, and the message you’re delivering, is clear and cohesive.

The team should decide in advance roughly how long each speaker should be speaking for (and don’t forget to include time for questions), what the structure of the presentation will be and who will cover what.

SecondNature’s Presentation Mapper™ methodology is a great tool for achieving all of this. If you’re not using our Presentation Mapper™ then get together as a team with a stack of A4 paper and, on a large table, storyboard your presentation.

Don’t get bogged down in the details at this stage. Instead, decide collectively what the purpose and end goal of the presentation are, the sections of the presentation (chapters of your story), what the key takeaways for the audience should be, and then roughly the information you want to include. Once you have outlined the storyboard for the presentation you can then discuss how long each section/chapter should be and who will be delivering each element.

Spending a bit of time at the beginning mapping out the narrative and setting a single goal for the presentation will save lots of time at the end of the process because it will ensure there aren’t areas that are needlessly repetitive. And likewise it will mean there aren’t gaping holes in your logic. Missing this step could result in duplication of content, inconsistency in the flow (and impact) of different sections, and not enough clarity about who’s presenting what.

Don’t forget to ensure that every section contributes to your presentation’s main aim, and if data is critical to your presentation, ensure everyone knows the go-to data collection sources, or people to interview, so there are no conflicting numbers.

Top Tip: Everyone needs to know all of the information inside out, even if they’re not presenting it, in case someone can’t make it on the day.

Why this is important: Assigning roles based on peoples’ strengths will create accountability and ensure things don’t fall through the cracks.

Take the time to assess your team – of course you will select people to present certain sections within the presentation based on their expertise and experience. But you should also consider some additional factors. E.g. some people may be better at explaining and simplifying difficult-to-understand ideas while others are good at engaging the audience and providing supporting information through humour, videos and interesting case studies.

Now, let’s assume everyone has been assigned a speaking slot based on their strengths and expertise and you’ve got a strong team captain to open and close the presentation.

But who takes accountability for things like design, delivery, questions and setting the boardroom up?

Here are some ways to make your next team presentation smooth and effective:

• The Team Captain, along with input from the presenters, should assign responsibilities for the smaller moving parts like consistency in design, the order of presenters, organising rehearsals, AV checks, timekeeping and so on.
• Schedule brief, but regular update meetings to ensure everyone is on track to fulfil their roles.
• Put someone in charge of the dry run , which should be scheduled at least a week before the presentation. This is important so people have enough time to work on constructive feedback before the day of the presentation.

Top Tip: Remember that unequal participation can negatively impact the dynamics of your team, so sharing responsibility is important!

Why this is important: Question time can be nerve-wracking . In a group presentation, question time can also cause some confusion if too many people jump in to answer at once, or worse still, if no one seems to know who will answer the question.

It’s best to have the team captain direct questions to the speaker with the most relevant knowledge.

Remember to pause before answering and formulate your thoughts – keep your reply concise and ensure it answers the question. If you don’t understand the question, there’s no harm in asking for a clarification. To learn more about answering questions with confidence during a presentation, read this blog .

Top Tip: If you don’t know the answer, don’t be afraid to say so. You can look into the question and return with the best answer later.

Why this is important: While everyone practising their individual presentations is great, it doesn’t guarantee that once you’ve combined all the slides, it will feel coherent or go well.

As they say, practice makes perfect – and you definitely need to schedule at least one group rehearsal to present and engage a large audience. Here are some things that you should aim to cover in a dry run of your presentation:

• The order of speakers. The team captain should open and close the presentation assuming they are the strongest and most confident presenter. The remaining speakers should follow the order, or natural chapters of the story.
• It’s important that introductions establish the credibility of each speaker i.e. why are they there.
• The transition dialogue to recap the last section and briefly introduce the next section and speaker. For longer presentations, it’s a good idea to provide an agenda for the audience which details who is speaking against each section within the presentation.
• Fine-tuning and adjusting time for each section. This keeps the presentation from being too lengthy, so you don’t lose the audience’s interest. It will also ensure you stick to the time allocated for the presentation – making sure you also allow time for questions!
• At the end of the presentation, ensure you deliver a clear, concise summary that highlights all the key points, and then the overall message or final call-to-action.

During the rehearsals you should also work out where the presenting team will be seated and/or standing in the room (taking into account where the client/customer might/will be) – when they’re presenting, and also when they aren’t speaking. Think about how you use the room. For tips about ‘The Attention Traingle’ and how to use it check out this blog .

A great option is to have the Team Captain starting and finishing at the front and centre of the room; with those that are speaking early in the presentation standing front and left of the room; and those that are speaking later, front and right of the room.

This is because we read from left to right and this visual positioning will be intuitive for the audience ‘moving through the presentation from start to finish’. And remember, if the presentation is taking place at someone else’s offices, ask to have access to the meeting room at least 30 minutes before the start to allow for adequate set up time.

Top Tip: We always recommend that there is someone outside the presentation group to listen to the presentation, from the audience’s perspective, to make sure the narrative is as clear and as tight as possible. They can also get the team to practise some Q&A and make sure timings are adhered to.

Why this is important: Remember that you’re in this together and teamwork is non-negotiable if you want to inspire confidence in your audience.

There’s nothing that puts a presenter off more than seeing their own team members look disinterested. So regardless of how many times you’ve seen and heard your team-mates present, act as though it’s the very first time.

Put up a united front by being mindful of these small but important details:

• Arrive early so the entire team has enough time to set things up.
• Be an attentive listener as each person presents – laughing, nodding and reacting in a supportive manner throughout the presentation.
• If someone can’t answer a question, step in and answer it for them, but without making them lose face..
• Avoid the urge to go through your notes when others in your team are presenting. It’s disrespectful to whomever is speaking and it will make you come across as unprepared and nervous.
• Watch your timings. The team captain should be keeping an eye on this (or they make have delegated this important task to someone else) so look to him/her to make sure you’re on track.
• Do not overrun because doing so will rob time from others in the team.

Top Tip: Remember that if in the planning process you argue, you’re only human. Work out how you can move forward in a way that makes the most of each presenter’s strengths.

Most of us don’t make group presentations that often. So a PPR (Post Presentation Review) is a great way to sharpen everyone’s skills ever further. Within 24 hours of a group presentation sit down as a team and discuss what worked well and how could things been improved in terms of:

• The process leading up to the presentation
• Handling of the technology
• The clarity of the message and the flow of the narrative
• The level of detail covered
• Overall and individual timings
• Handovers between speakers
• Management and answering of questions
• Non-verbal support from team members
• People’s individual presenting style and confidence

Top Tip: Be honest in your feedback. Remember, feedback is, as the saying goes, the breakfast of champions!

We can help improve your presenting skills

If you want to take your presenting skills (or your people’s) to the next level, we can help. We take people further TM because our programs are 100% tailored for your business and fully personalised for you/your people.

For nearly 20 years we have been the Business Presentation Skills Experts , training & coaching thousands of people in an A-Z of global blue-chip organisations – check out what they say about our programs .

To find out more, click on one of the buttons below:

Written By Belinda Huckle

Co-Founder & Managing Director

Belinda is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of SecondNature International. With a determination to drive a paradigm shift in the delivery of presentation skills training both In-Person and Online, she is a strong advocate of a more personal and sustainable presentation skills training methodology.

Belinda believes that people don’t have to change who they are to be the presenter they want to be. So she developed a coaching approach that harnesses people’s unique personality to build their own authentic presentation style and personal brand.

She has helped to transform the presentation skills of people around the world in an A-Z of organisations including Amazon, BBC, Brother, BT, CocaCola, DHL, EE, ESRI, IpsosMORI, Heineken, MARS Inc., Moody’s, Moonpig, Nationwide, Pfizer, Publicis Groupe, Roche, Savills, Triumph and Walmart – to name just a few.

A total commitment to quality, service, your people and you.

Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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How to Start a Presentation: 5 Templates and 90 Example Phrases

Starting a presentation effectively means capturing your audience’s attention from the very beginning. It’s important because it sets the tone for the entire presentation and establishes your credibility as a speaker.

Effective Openers: 5 Templates

Your presentation’s beginning sets the stage for everything that follows. So, it’s important to capture your audience’s attention right from the start. Here are some tried-and-true techniques to do just that.

1. Storytelling Approach

When you start with a story, you tap into the natural human love for narratives. It can be a personal experience, a historical event, or a fictional tale that ties back to your main point.

Example Introduction Template 1:

“Let me tell you a story about…”

Example : “Let me tell you a story about how a small idea in a garage blossomed into the global brand we know today.”

2. Quotation Strategy

Using a relevant quote can lend authority and thematic flavor to your presentation. Choose a quote that is provocative, enlightening, or humorous to resonate with your audience.

Example Introduction Template 2:

“As [Famous Person] once said…”

Example : “As Steve Jobs once said, ‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.'”

3. Questioning Technique

Engage your audience directly by opening with a thoughtful question. This encourages them to think and become active participants.

Example Introduction Template 3:

“Have you ever wondered…”

Example : “Have you ever wondered what it would take to reduce your carbon footprint to zero?”

4. Statistical Hook

Kick off with a startling statistic that presents a fresh perspective or underscores the importance of your topic.

Example Introduction Template 4:

“Did you know that…”

Example : “Did you know that 90% of the world’s data was generated in the last two years alone?”

5. Anecdotal Method

Share a brief, relatable incident that highlights the human aspect of your topic. It paves the way for empathy and connection.

Example Introduction Template 5:

“I want to share a quick anecdote…”

Example : “I want to share a quick anecdote about a time I experienced the customer service that went above and beyond what anyone would expect.”

How to Start a Powerpoint Presentation: 45 Example Phrases

Starting a PowerPoint presentation effectively can captivate your audience and set the tone for your message. The opening phrases you choose are important in establishing rapport and commanding attention. Whether you’re presenting to colleagues, at a conference, or in an academic setting, these phrases will help you begin with confidence and poise:

• 1. “Good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone. Thank you for joining me today.”
• 2. “Welcome, and thank you for being here. Let’s dive into our topic.”
• 3. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to present to you all about…”
• 4. “Thank you all for coming. Today, we’re going to explore…”
• 5. “Let’s begin by looking at the most important question: Why are we here today?”
• 6. “I appreciate your time today, and I promise it will be well spent as we discuss…”
• 7. “Before we get started, I want to express my gratitude for your presence here today.”
• 8. “It’s a pleasure to see so many familiar faces as we gather to talk about…”
• 9. “I’m thrilled to kick off today’s presentation on a topic that I am passionate about—…”
• 10. “Welcome to our session. I’m confident you’ll find the next few minutes informative as we cover…”
• 11. “Let’s embark on a journey through our discussion on…”
• 12. “I’m delighted to have the chance to share my insights on…”
• 13. “Thank you for the opportunity to present to such an esteemed audience on…”
• 14. “Let’s set the stage for an engaging discussion about…”
• 15. “As we begin, I’d like you to consider this:…”
• 16. “Today marks an important discussion on a subject that affects us all:…”
• 17. “Good day, and welcome to what promises to be an enlightening presentation on…”
• 18. “Hello and welcome! We’re here to delve into something truly exciting today…”
• 19. “I’m honored to present to you this comprehensive look into…”
• 20. “Without further ado, let’s get started on a journey through…”
• 21. “Thank you for carving time out of your day to join me for this presentation on…”
• 22. “It’s wonderful to see such an engaged audience ready to tackle the topic of…”
• 23. “I invite you to join me as we unpack the complexities of…”
• 24. “Today’s presentation will take us through some groundbreaking ideas about…”
• 25. “Welcome aboard! Prepare to set sail into the vast sea of knowledge on…”
• 26. “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to everyone as we focus our attention on…”
• 27. “Let’s ignite our curiosity as we begin to explore…”
• 28. “Thank you for your interest and attention as we dive into the heart of…”
• 29. “As we look ahead to the next hour, we’ll uncover the secrets of…”
• 30. “I’m eager to share with you some fascinating insights on…”
• 31. “Welcome to what I believe will be a transformative discussion on…”
• 32. “This morning/afternoon, we’ll be venturing into the world of…”
• 33. “Thank you for joining me on this exploration of…”
• 34. “I’m delighted by the turnout today as we embark on this exploration of…”
• 35. “Together, let’s navigate the intricacies of…”
• 36. “I’m looking forward to engaging with you all on the subject of…”
• 37. “Let’s kick things off with a critical look at…”
• 38. “Thank you for your presence today as we shine a light on…”
• 39. “Welcome to a comprehensive overview of…”
• 40. “It’s a privilege to discuss with you the impact of…”
• 41. “I’m glad you could join us for what promises to be a thought-provoking presentation on…”
• 42. “Today, we’re going to break down the concept of…”
• 43. “As we get started, let’s consider the significance of our topic:…”
• 44. “I’m thrilled to lead you through today’s discussion, which centers around…”
• 45. “Let’s launch into our session with an eye-opening look at…”

Starting a Presentation: 45 Examples

Connecting with the audience.

When starting a presentation, making a genuine connection with your audience sets the stage for a successful exchange of ideas. Examples:

• “I promise, by the end of this presentation, you’ll be as enthusiastic about this as I am because…”
• “The moment I learned about this, I knew it would be a game-changer and I’m thrilled to present it to you…”
• “There’s something special about this topic that I find incredibly invigorating, and I hope you will too…”
• “I get a rush every time I work on this, and I hope to transmit that energy to you today…”
• “I’m thrilled to discuss this breakthrough that could revolutionize…”
• “This project has been a labor of love, and I’m eager to walk you through…”
• “When I first encountered this challenge, I was captivated by the possibilities it presented…”
• “I can’t wait to dive into the details of this innovative approach with you today…”
• “It’s genuinely exhilarating to be at the edge of what’s possible in…”
• “My fascination with [topic] drove me to explore it further, and I’m excited to share…”
• “Nothing excites me more than talking about the future of…”
• “Seeing your faces, I know we’re going to have a lively discussion about…”
• “The potential here is incredible, and I’m looking forward to discussing it with you…”
• “Let’s embark on this journey together and explore why this is such a pivotal moment for…”
• “Your engagement in this discussion is going to make this even more exciting because…”

Building Credibility

You present with credibility when you establish your expertise and experience on the subject matter. Here’s what you can say to accomplish that:

• “With a decade of experience in this field, I’ve come to understand the intricacies of…”
• “Having led multiple successful projects, I’m excited to share my insights on…”
• “Over the years, working closely with industry experts, I’ve gleaned…”
• “I hold a degree in [your field], which has equipped me with a foundation for…”
• “I’m a certified professional in [your certification], which means I bring a certain level of expertise…”
• “Having published research on this topic, my perspective is grounded in…”
• “I’ve been a keynote speaker at several conferences, discussing…”
• “Throughout my career, I’ve contributed to groundbreaking work in…”
• “My experience as a [your previous role] has given me a unique outlook on…”
• “Endorsed by [an authority in your field], I’m here to share what we’ve achieved…”
• “The program I developed was recognized by [award], highlighting its impact in…”
• “I’ve trained professionals nationwide on this subject and witnessed…”
• “Collaborating with renowned teams, we’ve tackled challenges like…”
• “I’ve been at the forefront of this industry, navigating through…”
• “As a panelist, I’ve debated this topic with some of the brightest minds in…”

Projecting Confidence

• “I stand before you today with a deep understanding of…”
• “You can rely on the information I’m about to share, backed by thorough research and analysis…”
• “Rest assured, the strategies we’ll discuss have been tested and proven effective in…”
• “I’m certain you’ll find the data I’ll present both compelling and relevant because…”
• “I’m fully confident in the recommendations I’m providing today due to…”
• “The results speak for themselves, and I’m here to outline them clearly for you…”
• “I invite you to consider the evidence I’ll present; it’s both robust and persuasive…”
• “You’re in good hands today; I’ve navigated these waters many times and have the insights to prove it…”
• “I assure you, the journey we’ll take during this presentation will be enlightening because…”
• “Your success is important to me, which is why I’ve prepared diligently for our time together…”
• “Let’s look at the facts; they’ll show you why this approach is solid and dependable…”
• “Today, I present to you a clear path forward, grounded in solid experience and knowledge…”
• “I’m confident that what we’ll uncover today will not only inform but also inspire you because…”
• “You’ll leave here equipped with practical, proven solutions that you can trust because…”
• “The solution I’m proposing has been embraced industry-wide, and for good reason…”

Organizational Preview

Starting your presentation with a clear organizational preview can effectively guide your audience through the content. This section helps you prepare to communicate the roadmap of your presentation.

Outlining the Main Points

You should begin by briefly listing the main points you’ll cover. This lets your audience know what to expect and helps them follow along. For example, if you’re presenting on healthy eating, you might say, “Today, I’ll cover the benefits of healthy eating, essential nutrients in your diet, and simple strategies for making healthier choices.”

Setting the Tone

Your introduction sets the tone for the entire presentation. A way to do this is through a relevant story or anecdote that engages the audience. Suppose you’re talking about innovation; you might start with, “When I was a child, I was fascinated by how simple Legos could build complex structures, which is much like the innovation process.”

Explaining the Structure

Explain the structure of your presentation so that your audience can anticipate how you’ll transition from one section to the next. For instance, if your presentation includes an interactive portion, you might say, “I’ll begin with a 15-minute overview, followed by a hands-on demonstration, and we’ll wrap up with a Q&A session, where you can ask any questions.”

Practice and Preparation

Before you step onto the stage, it’s important that your preparation includes not just content research, but also rigorous practice and strategy for dealing with nerves. This approach ensures you present with confidence and clarity.

Rehearsing the Opening

Practicing your introduction aloud gives you the opportunity to refine your opening remarks. You might start by greeting the audience and sharing an interesting quote or a surprising statistic related to your topic. For example, if your presentation is about the importance of renewable energy, you could begin with a recent statistic about the growth in solar energy adoption. Record yourself and listen to the playback, focusing on your tone, pace, and clarity.

Memorizing Key Points

While you don’t need to memorize your entire presentation word for word, you should know the key points by heart. This includes main arguments, data, and any conclusions you’ll be drawing. You can use techniques such as mnemonics or the method of loci, which means associating each key point with a specific location in your mind, to help remember these details. Having them at your fingertips will make you feel more prepared and confident.

Managing Presentation Jitters

Feeling nervous before a presentation is natural, but you can manage these jitters with a few techniques. Practice deep breathing exercises or mindful meditation to calm your mind before going on stage. You can also perform a mock presentation to a group of friends or colleagues to simulate the experience and receive feedback. This will not only help you get used to speaking in front of others but also in adjusting your material based on their reactions.

Engagement Strategies

Starting a presentation on the right foot often depends on how engaged your audience is. Using certain strategies, you can grab their attention early and maintain their interest throughout your talk:

1. Encouraging Audience Participation

Opening your presentation with a question to your audience is a great way to encourage participation. This invites them to think actively about the subject matter. For instance, you might ask, “By a show of hands, how many of you have experienced…?” Additionally, integrating interactive elements like quick polls or requesting volunteers for a demonstration can make the experience more dynamic and memorable.

Using direct questions throughout your presentation ensures the audience stays alert, as they might be called upon to share their views. For example, after covering a key point, you might engage your audience with, “Does anyone have an experience to share related to this?”

2. Utilizing Pacing and Pauses

Mastering the pace of your speech helps keep your presentation lively. Quickening the pace when discussing exciting developments or slowing down when explaining complex ideas can help maintain interest. For example, when introducing a new concept, slow your pace to allow the audience to absorb the information.

Pauses are equally powerful. A well-timed pause after a key point gives the audience a moment to ponder the significance of what you’ve just said. It might feel like this: “The results of this study were groundbreaking. (pause) They completely shifted our understanding of…”. Pauses also give you a moment to collect your thoughts, adding to your overall composure and control of the room.

How should one introduce their group during a presentation?

You might say something like, “Let me introduce my amazing team: Alex, our researcher, Jamie, our designer, and Sam, the developer. Together, we’ve spent the last few months creating something truly special for you.”

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Democrats launch PAC to counter Republican legal election challenges

WASHINGTON — A group of Democratic strategists is launching a super PAC focused on supporting the party’s legal efforts around election protection and battles that could come after Election Day.

The group anticipates that former President Donald Trump and his allies will repeat their large-scale attempt to undermine confidence in the election before Nov. 5 and then work to overturn election outcomes by challenging ballots and results in court in the days and weeks after voting.

The new group, which can raise and spend unlimited sums of money, is called Democracy Defenders. It will be chaired by Jim Messina, who was campaign manager for President Barack Obama’s successful 2012 re-election campaign.

Norm Eisen, a longtime Democratic attorney who was a co-counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Trump's first impeachment, will be outside counsel.

TJ Ducklo, who worked for Joe Biden in 2020 and 2024, is stepping down from what is now the Harris campaign to be the PAC’s chief strategist.  

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, a close ally of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, will be the PAC’s chief legal adviser.

The group says it will work in coordination with state parties and other allied groups to confront what it called “an unprecedented assault from Donald Trump and his allies who seek to undermine the American people’s fundamental right to vote.”

“We are not messing around with this — too much is on the line and we’ve seen what Trump is capable of when he loses an election fair and square,” Messina said in a statement. “We’re going to be stepping up and providing resources directly to state parties and allies on the ground to make sure every American can cast their vote with confidence and without interference.”

The PAC’s work will begin with an initial $10 million budget for both legal work and public messaging efforts, with plans to raise additional funding through the fall. The goal is to allow the Harris campaign and other Democratic Party leaders and campaigns, especially in down-ballot races, to prioritize their resources to turn out and persuade voters, especially when it comes to paid media. 

Democrats mounted an unprecedented voter protection effort in the 2020 campaign focused on ensuring that Americans could still have easy access to voting despite a public health crisis. That and other efforts taking shape now are motivated by fear that Republicans are far more prepared than they were four years ago to take legal action before, during and after voting to challenge results.

“The threat to American democracy has only grown more intense since Donald Trump encouraged a violent mob to stop the peaceful transfer of power nearly four years ago. Trump and his allies are already working to undermine the fundamental right we have as Americans to vote and to have our vote counted fairly,” Messina said.

PAC officials say they plan to help lead efforts after Election Day to counter “bad actors” who would try to cast doubt on the results and to continue after Inauguration Day with a mission of supporting small-D democratic initiatives.

Mike Memoli is an NBC News correspondent. 

What is a Panel Discussion? And How to Run One Like a Pro

Written by Molly Hocutt

Read this Ebook with 50 icebreakers for your next virtual conference.

You’re getting ready to host an unforgettable panel discussion. But what if your audience loses interest or the conversation stalls? Don't panic; we've got you covered!

All you need is the right mix of knowledgeable panelists, a skilled moderator to keep the conversation flowing, and an interactive video platform.

In this article, we'll cover all of these elements and a few tricks to help you prepare and deliver a panel discussion that will leave your audience entertained.

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What is a panel discussion?

A panel discussion is an event where a group of expert guest speakers (the panel) comes together to discuss a specific topic. It typically lasts up to an hour.

The aim of a panel discussion is to present different perspectives, bounce ideas off each other, and come up with some ah-ha moments. A moderator helps guide the discussion, and the audience is often invited to ask questions at the end.

Synonyms for panel discussion

You might have heard a few different terms used to describe a panel discussion. Let’s look at some of them here:

1. What’s the difference between a panel discussion and a roundtable?

A roundtable is an informal, free-flowing discussion where everyone at the table is encouraged to chime in and share their thoughts. It has a more relaxed, conversational vibe than a panel discussion, where each panelist is usually assigned a set list of questions.

2. What’s the difference between a panel discussion and a symposium?

A symposium is an in-depth academic conference that brings subject matter experts to share research, findings, and insights, and engage in interdisciplinary discussions. Symposiums usually last for several days and feature multiple panel discussions, keynote speeches, and other presentation formats.

3. What’s the difference between a panel discussion and an open forum?

An open forum is an informal gathering designed to incorporate as much audience participation as possible. There may not be a set agenda or structure, and the discussion is usually more free-flowing and less formal, encouraging lots of audience interaction.

4. What’s the difference between a panel discussion and a seminar?

A seminar is a way of presenting a topic for educational purposes. Traditionally held in an auditorium, it’s designed to impart knowledge and may be structured as a lecture, with the speaker presenting information and the audience taking notes. There may be fewer opportunities for audience engagement and discussion.

What are the different types of panel discussions?

Panel discussions can be structured in a few different ways depending on the topic and goal of the event. We’ll talk more about those formats later on. For now, here are three main types of panel discussions:

• In-person panel discussions
• Hybrid panel discussions
• Virtual panel discussions

1. In-person panel discussion

In-person panel discussions are typically held in a large venue, such as an auditorium or conference room. The panelists are seated at a table or on a stage and engage in a structured conversation led by a facilitator. The facilitator helps guide the discussion and allows audience members to ask questions, making it a dynamic and interactive form of learning.

2. Hybrid panel discussions

A hybrid panel discussion combines both an in-person and virtual audience. This is an increasingly popular format, as audiences prefer more flexible attendance options and the demand for video conferencing for entertainment increases. Audience questions, comments, and ideas can be shared in real-time through these platforms, making the event more interactive.

3. Virtual panel discussions

Virtual panel discussions are held online, typically through video conferencing platforms like Livestorm, Zoom, and Google Meet. Most video conferencing platforms have features like whiteboards, polling, and a Q&A tab to make your event highly interactive. And if you're using a browser-based platform like Livestorm, your audience can join from any device without downloading any software.

What are good examples of topics for a panel discussion?

If you’re stuck for ideas for suitable panel discussion topics, take a look at these suggestions for some inspiration:

Topical panel discussion topics

• Solutions for the environmental crisis
• The future of crypto
• Socio-economic challenges facing the West

Evergreen panel discussion topics

• On health and wellbeing
• Communication in the workplace
• What to know about cash flow forecasting

B2B panel discussion topics

• How to automate your business workflows
• B2B marketing strategies
• Using data analytics to empower your teams

5 Panel discussion formats

Here’s a round-up of some of the most popular formats for your panel discussion, all of which work well for real-life, virtual, and hybrid events:

• Mainstage panel
• Q&A forum
• Fireside chat

1. Mainstage panel

The Mainstage panel is a traditional structure where the guest panel is mic’d up and on stage, normally for a paying audience. The discussion can be thought-provoking, educational, humorous, hard-hitting, or any combination of those—but ultimately it has to be informative and entertaining.

For successful virtual mainstage panel discussions, you need a video conferencing platform like Livestorm that can take care of everything from event creation and promotion to engaging in-event communication and post-event analytics and marketing.

2. Q&A forum

With a Q&A format, there’s usually an introductory discussion between panelists, followed by a series of questions posed by the moderator, and then further questions from the audience, which may or may not be vetted pre-event. A Q&A session translates well to the virtual event format, particularly if you use Livestorm’s Q&A engagement features like the Q&A tab, which uses upvoting to help you prioritize audience questions.

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Debates allow for more opinionated discussions between the panelists. Traditionally, debates start with each guest sharing their point of view before asking questions designed to expose holes in the other’s argument, followed by further questions from the moderator and audience. Finally, each guest makes a round-up speech before the audience votes for the winner.

Pro tip: For virtual debates, use Livestorm’s live polls to engage your audience, understand their points of view, and get feedback on your event.

4. Talk show

A talk show panel is based on the typical TV talk show setup, with two or three guests chatting informally about the questions and topics the host gives them. The key to a successful talk show panel discussion is a charismatic host who has experience building rapport with guests and facilitating an entertaining experience for the audience.

5. Fireside chat

Somewhere between a talk show and Q&A sessions, the fireside chat brings together a small group of people for an informal interview. Guests are usually seated together on a couch. Or, in virtual fireside chats, participants are encouraged to be in their living room or a cafe.

The focus is on creating a sense of intimacy to help bring about a candid conversation. For that reason, it’s a great panel discussion format for less polemic topics - like personal stories of success in the face of adversity.

How to conduct a panel discussion?

There’s no single way to conduct a successful panel discussion but this checklist is a good place to start:

• Choose a topic that resonates
• Find an experienced moderator
• Assemble your team of panelists
• Create an event registration page
• Automate email workflows
• Introduce panel members
• Explain the format and introduce the first topic of discussion
• Keep the conversation moving
• Present visuals and slideshows
• Ask the right questions
• Keep the vibes in check
• Summarize the discussion
• Give panelists an opportunity to add closing statements
• Send thank-you notes and event recordings
• Review event analytics and feedback

How to prepare for a panel discussion?

Here's how to prepare for a panel discussion:

1. Choose a topic that resonates

The best way to choose your topic is to first think about your audience. Who would you like to watch your panel discussion? And why? If your target audience is within a specific industry — let’s say tech hardware — brainstorm topics that could interest that group. But don’t do it alone. Invite a small group of people within that target audience to give you unique insights into what catches their attention most.

2. Find an experienced moderator

A fantastic host can make or break your event, so choose someone with experience in moderating panel discussions (or similar types of events) who has some connections with your chosen topics and target audience. A skillful, knowledgeable moderator will bring out the best in your panelists, understand how to engage and include the audience in the discussion, and make original contributions.

3. Assemble your team of panelists

The best panelists are made up of diverse groups with expertise, authority, and charisma. Three to five guests is normally the perfect number, so everyone can make a meaningful contribution without the conversation ever drying up. Avoid dominant characters who might drown out other guests, and invite people with some experience speaking in front of audiences.

4. Create an event landing page

Your event landing page should communicate the topic, the panelists, and the time and date of the event. This is also where you can share a registration link and start capturing leads. With Livestorm, you can create customized event registration pages and add form fields to collect more information about each guest. You can also add social media buttons so visitors can start building hype directly from the event page.

5. Automate email workflows

Set up email nurturing campaigns that include invitations, reminders, and confirmation. Livestorm integrates with email automation tools like Mailchimp and Mailjet , so you create customized workflows easily. Plus, Livestorm's Google Calendar and Outlook integrations automatically add events to your guests’ calendars.

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How to start a panel discussion?

You can start a panel dicsussion by introducing the panel members and explaining the main topics.

6. Introduce the panel members

Your moderator should give a brief introduction of each of the panelists that draws attention to their qualifications and accomplishments. Now’s also a great time to include funny anecdotes or stories about each person to help establish a connection with the audience.

A video engagement platform like Livestorm, which is designed for virtual interaction, can help you bring together a group of individuals in a cohesive way. You’ll be able to use features like emoji reactions, live chat, and polls. Get this right, and you’ll create a great atmosphere for an engaging panel discussion. Check out our Webinar Guide .

7. Explain the format and introduce the first topic of discussion

Choosing the right format for your panel discussion is essential. Will it be more of a talk show style, with the moderator asking one question after another to each guest? Or do you want to give participants time to discuss and debate points among themselves?

Here are some key factors that should come into play when deciding which format to choose:

• Will you be able to bring your guests and audience together for a real-life event or will a virtual panel discussion be more practical to organize?
• How much audience participation is appropriate?
• Do your main topics lend themselves to formal discussion (like a mainstage or debate panel) or intimate, candid reflection (like a fireside chat or talk show)?

Once you have established the format, explain clearly how it will work and what topics will be discussed. Then, pick the first topic and let the discussion unfold naturally.

How to moderate a panel discussion?

Moderating a panel discussion involves keeping the conversation flowing and presenting slides or other visuals.

8. Keep the conversation moving

Your moderator should be a master at keeping the discussion moving and allowing enough room for panelists to express their ideas and opinions.

The moderator’s job is to act as a facilitator and intervene if necessary. That could mean summarizing ideas that have already been discussed, flagging any topics that need further attention, or guiding the conversation if it’s going off-topic.

9. Present visuals and slideshows

Your audience will engage with the discussions if they have something to look at. That could be visuals or slideshows that can help support panelists’ points and bring different topics to life creatively.

Design tools like Visme can help you create interactive infographics, videos, documents, and presentations with their ready-to-use templates. And if you're using Livestorm, you can directly share your presentations during the event with the Visme plugin .

10. Ask the right questions

The moderator should have prepared a list of thought-provoking and engaging questions tailored to the topic and audience. These can be open-ended questions or specific ones targeted at individual panelists, depending on your format.

Questions should be concise, clear, and relevant to both the panelists and the audience. Avoid any loaded questions that may be offensive or even make them feel uncomfortable.

11. Keep the vibes in check

How should your audience participate without interrupting the flow of conversation? Virtual event features like live polling, the chat tab, and emoji reactions can help you do just that. For example, with Livestorm, your audience members can react with emojis to show their agreement or disagreement with a particular point of view. This helps prevent disruptions and gives the speakers an idea of how the audience is feeling. Plus, it adds a bit of fun to the event.

How to end a panel discussion?

Ending a panel discussion revolves around wrapping up the dicsussion and having a solid follow-up in place.

11. Summarize the discussion

The moderator should wrap up the discussion by summarizing key points and ideas raised during the session. This will help to ensure that everyone has a good understanding of what was discussed, and it also allows for a sense of closure. You can also use Livestorm’s Handouts plugin to share any supporting materials the audience might want to download for later.

12. Give panelists an opportunity to add closing statements

If time permits, it’s also a good idea to give each panelist an opportunity to offer their own unique takeaways from the discussion. This will give your speakers more satisfaction, as they’ll have the opportunity to say everything they wanted to say, and end the event on a highlight.

13. Send thank-you notes and event recordings

Remember to thank your panelists for their time and participation. You can send them replay links or recordings of the event so they can use clips as post-event promotion on their social profiles or websites.

Pro tip: You can set Livestorm to automatically record your events. Then, repurpose them as on-demand videos or social media content or use them to build up a library of educational resources.

14. Review event analytics and feedback

After your panel discussion, review the event metrics and audience feedback. This will help you to identify what worked well and what didn’t. If you're using Livestorm to host your event, you can directly track figures like:

• Registrants
• Average retention time

Deliver the panel discussion your audience deserves

Hosting a successful panel discussion requires careful preparation and an experienced moderator. To get the most out of your marketing event , start by:

• Selecting the right format and topics
• Engaging with your audience
• Asking thought-provoking questions
• Giving panelists an opportunity to add closing remarks
• Reviewing post-event analytics

When hosting virtual events , anticipate technical issues and make a contingency plan for how to handle them. That means having a video conferencing platform that’s reliable and easy to use. For example, Livestorm is an easy-to-access, all-in-one tool that’s packed with engagement features to help you host an impressive virtual panel discussion. And if you're not ready to commit just yet, you can try the free plan first!

Drive engagement

Host better panel discussions with Livestorm and drive engagement

Frequently asked questions about panel discussions

Does a panel discussion need a moderator.

A panel discussion typically requires a moderator to keep the discussion on track, manage the flow of conversation, and ensure that all panelists have an opportunity to speak. In virtual events, the moderator should also encourage speakers and audience members to make the most of the platform’s engagement features, such as live polling or question upvoting.

Can you script a panel discussion?

You can script a panel discussion by creating an outline that covers the introduction, moderator, and panelist introductions, discussion topics, and any specific questions that need to be addressed. This outline is a guide to keeping the discussion focused and on track while allowing for a flexible and dynamic exchange of ideas among the panelists.

What is the main purpose of a panel discussion?

The main purpose of a panel discussion is to provide a platform for experts in a particular field or on a specific topic to express their opinions, challenge each other, and explore topics of discussion that provide value, insight, and entertainment for the watching audience.

How do you prepare for a panel discussion?

You should prepare for a panel discussion by following these steps:

• Identify your target audience and choose topics that will interest them
• Find an experienced moderator who can add value to your event
• Select a diverse panel of experts who will interact well with each other
• Allow everyone to meet and build a rapport before the discussion
• Choose a format that’s suitable for your kind of discussion and realistic to organize

Is a panel discussion a debate?

A panel discussion is not a debate. While a panel discussion can include some level of disagreement or differing viewpoints, its primary focus is not on winning or losing an argument but rather on exploring the topic in-depth and hearing different perspectives.

What are the rules of a panel discussion?

The rules of a panel discussion can vary depending on the event, but some common ones include:

• Each panelist is given a set amount of time to speak
• The discussion is moderated by a facilitator responsible for keeping the conversation on track
• Panelists are encouraged to engage in respectful and constructive dialogue, avoiding personal attacks or inflammatory language.
• Audience participation is encouraged through Q&A sessions, live polls or chat.
• The moderator is responsible for managing audience engagement and ensuring that questions are relevant and respectful.

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About the author

Molly Hocutt - Content Manager

Molly joined Livestorm in 2019 as a Content Manager and manages written content production. Her work focuses on lead generation and organic website traffic.

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7 Ways to Structure Your Presentation to Keep Your Audience Wanting More

Written by: Orana Velarde

The most successful and memorable presentations have one thing in common.

They all tell a story.

No matter how many facts or charts need to be presented, incorporating stories into a presentation will keep your audience focused and intrigued.

Using stories to support data is a well-known technique in all aspects of public speaking, from motivational talks to in-company sales pitches.

Here’s a short selection of 8 easy-to-edit modern presentation templates you can edit, share and download with Visme. View more templates below:

In this guide, we will look at 7 ways to structure your presentations using storytelling techniques to keep your audience engaged until the very end.

Look closely at each one to see which fits your presentation’s purpose best!

Planning Your Presentation Structure: Like Building a Lego Model

Is it easier to separate the correct pieces before you start building?  Or is it better to search in a big bucket with mixed parts for every new piece you need?

We’re pretty sure you will pick the first option.  In the beginning, it might seem like this option would take longer, but the opposite is true.

The first step to a successful presentation structure is to brainstorm your ideas and combine them into a rough draft. But first, consider the message you want to relay to your audience.

RELATED: A Non-Designer's Guide to Creating Memorable Visual Presentations

The Message

What is the message you want to convey with your presentation?

A good starting point is to decide if it will be informative, entertaining, inspiring or persuasive.

In a business setting, you might want your presentation to do two of these things: inform and persuade. If you are a mindset coach for companies, then you might want to entertain and inspire.

The main message should be easy to grasp from the title on your first slide. Think of an appropriate way to word what you want to give your audience in one or two sentences. This can of course be changed later, but having a preliminary title will help get your ideas in order for what comes next.

RELATED: 150+ Presentation Topic Ideas for Students [Plus Templates]

Once you know which direction your presentation will take, it’s time to jot all your ideas down on paper to create a presentation outline and rough draft of all the points you will cover.

7 Ways to Structure Your Presentation

Now that the brainstorming and rough draft are out of the way, it’s time to start structuring your presentation. This is when we introduce the storytelling aspect into the equation.

All the information you have gathered and organized in your rough draft now needs some attitude to really get your message across.

We are going to look at 7 different styles of storytelling structures that work great for presentations. They all have a different style of delivery and cadence. Choosing one for your presentation will depend on your message and who your audience is.

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Fact and Story

The first structure we will look at is Fact and Story . The premise is that the presentation moves back and forth between facts and stories.

Presentation guru Nancy Duarte wrote about this presentation structure in her book " Resonate ." She suggests that mixing storytelling with the relay of facts can help your audience stay interested until the end of your presentation.

According to Duarte, this type of structure should start off with an initial setting of the present reality: the “what is.” From there, an invitation to adventure is presented and the first instance of “what could be” is told as a story to illustrate how the initials facts can be improved.

This comparison of presenting the facts as what they are at the present moment with stories that show how things could be improved is what keeps your audience interested and waiting for more.

The conclusion should end at a high point, considerably higher than where it began. The audience should feel like they learned something and, at the same time, inspired to change.

This structure maintains a level of suspense and excitement, perfect for presentations that need to inspire AND inform.

This TED talk by David McCandless about the The Beauty of Data Visualization is a perfect example of the Fact and Story structure. He presents a collection of data visualizations which he created himself, along with a story of why he chose each particular set of data.

The topics he chose were extremely relevant to our present day and the audience related to all of them. The personal stories added to the intrigue and the audience left feeling like data visualizations are not only beautiful but also quite important.

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The Explanation

According to Gavin McMahon, co-founder of fassforward Consulting Group , the presentation structured labeled as The Explanation is meant to teach new insights and abilities.

Its main purpose is to inform about a process or plan to either fix a problem or learn something new. A good way to incorporate storytelling into the structure is to show the progression of the facts along with the progression of a story.

The presentation progresses in an upward motion following these steps:

• The Lay of the Land shows how things stand right now, what the destination is and how you plan to get there. The point is to get the audience excited and on board as quickly as possible by showing them the entire process straight up. Tell a story that relates directly to the introduction. Better yet, start with a story.
• The Roadmap is a visual map of how you will get to the final destination and reach the resolution. Set the audience on the right track.
• The First Step begins the adventure to get where you want to go.
• T he Next Steps is the middle section of the presentation, where all the steps are laid out one by one.
• Almost there is the catharsis where you look back at how much has changed and progressed since the first step.
• The Arrival is the celebration of the end of the journey. The audience should feel like they have learned something new and gained new knowledge.

The Explanation structure can be used for presentations by consultants that want to teach new ways of doing things inside a company or department. It could also perfectly fit in a sales meeting where a presenter can explain their process of a masterful sales plan.

This TED talk by Amy Cuddy about how your body language shapes who you are is a great example of an Explanation structure. She tells us about her experiment on power poses and how they can affect the outcome of a difficult situation.

The presentation starts off with a discussion on the natural animal and human condition of power and ends with a personal invitation to change your life with a 2-minute practice of power posing.

If you are a lover of the show "Grey’s Anatomy," this is the idea behind the power pose that the neurosurgeons do before a big procedure.

As you know, a pitch in the business sense is when a presenter uses the power of a presentation or speech to convince the audience of something he/she believes will improve a system or solve a problem, according to Gavin McMahon, co-founder of fassforward Consulting Group .

The Pitch presentation structure is like a climb uphill that takes you over a hurdle and on to a positive resolution.

It shows how the presenter’s idea can really improve a situation. By using a real and relatable story, the pitch makes more sense and feels more important.

• The Wind Up is a quick summary of what’s going on right now to presents the facts in a way that is easy to grasp and relatable to the audience.
• The Hurdle presents the problem that needs to be solved . Relay the problem with a story so that the emphasis is doubled.
• The Vision presents a glimpse into the main idea on how the problem can be solved.
• The Options is the moment when two different options are laid out as possibilities to solve the initial problem. The idea is to give an average option first, followed by a great option second. If there have already been tests and experiments to prove these facts, then these are the story.
• The Close is the point where the ideal option is presented as the best and only option.
• The Fine Print tells the audience exactly how the problem will be solved, the steps that need to be taken and the tasks to be resolved.
• The Hook is the uplifting conclusion to the presentation which relays an added bonus to the solution of the problem.

Use The Pitch presentation structure when you want to convince someone that your idea is the best for their problem. This structure also works when a new startup is looking for new funding or sponsorship opportunities.

This TED talk by Enric Sala about how to turn the high seas into the world’s largest natural reserve is a great example of a Pitch structure. He starts off with a story of how a group of fishermen revived an area of the ocean by stopping all the fishing there and turning it into a natural reserve.

Ten years later, that piece of ocean makes more money from scuba diving tourism than it ever did from fishing. He continues to talk about the same problem at a larger scale, the diminishing supply of fish and the destruction of the oceans.

His pitch to solve the impending problem is to turn the high seas into a natural reserve. He finishes by telling the audience that the plan is being pitched to the UN and that every individual can help their country abide by the new agreement if it goes through.

There is a well-known structure in literature called “The Hero’s Journey” which follows the plight of a main character from the beginning of a story to the end and leaves the reader feeling like they've learned a lesson they will never forget.

This type of presentation structure, The Drama , has a strong storytelling aspect. This is often used to tell the story of an influential company from founding days, through trials and tribulations, and then finishes with an inspiring show of success.

Another perfect presentation for The Drama structure is an inspiring personal story.

These are the steps of a Drama style presentation structure:

• One Fine Day . The introduction sets the stage with a situation where things are not perfect but just average. Imagine as if it were the first page of a book, where the setting is laid out and the audience gets an idea of a time and place.
• The Challenge. Suddenly a problem appears that can’t be ignored. The things that need to be solved are presented as a challenge.
• Descending Crisis . At this point, the problem is attacked head on but things gets worse until it hits rock bottom.
• Rock Bottom. When all seems lost and everything is at its worst, the story arrives at a standstill. As an added bonus, the presenter can pause for effect.
• The Discovery . This is the moment when a glimmer of light shows up and there is a discovery, a new way of resolving the problem.
• The Rise . By discovering new abilities, the problem can be tackled in a positive way.
• The Return . Not only are the problem and challenge resolved, the character and the audience break through and reach an unexpected happiness threshold, opening the world to a whole new range of possibilities.
• The Lesson . The conclusion is reached with an unforgettable lesson and resolution. The audience will feel inspired, informed and entertained.

This TED talk by Adam Driver about his journey from Marine to actor is the perfect example of The Drama structure.

He begins the story by telling the audience about what his life was like before he joined the Marines and what drove him to do it.

He tells how the Marines became his family, and closest friends. Then, right before deploying to Iraq or Afghanistan, he had an accident that separated him from the Marines for good.

He continues to explain how he went on to become an actor, followed by the creation of his project to unify theater with military service.

His talk ends with an example of the theater pieces he coordinates to be presented at military camps. Listeners are left with their hearts full of a newfound hope for humanity.

RELATED: This Classic Storytelling Model Will Help You Give a Mesmerizing Presentation

Situation - Complication - Resolution

According to Gavin McMahon , co-founder of fassforward Consulting Group, most presentations in the realm of B2B sales and business consultancy follow the Situation - Complication - Resolution structure. It is a three-element storyline linked by the words  but  and  therefore .

The starting point is The Situation , where current conditions are shown in an unbiased and transparent way. The situation connects to the next step through the word but .

A simple example: Our home decor company is selling pretty well this month, but…

This is when The Complication is presented.

In the above example, it could look something like this:

Our home decor company is selling pretty well this month, but  … we have been spending too much on international shipping.

When presenting The Complication , use facts to prove it. Present it as the challenge that needs to be overcome. The Complication is a low point, but from a low point we can only go up.

The final destination is The Resolution , which is connected to The Complication with the word, therefore .

Our home decor company is selling pretty well this month, but we have been spending too much on international shipping. Therefore,  we need to start using a new company that has a better price range and great service.

Back up all of your information with real facts and proof.

Situation - Opportunity - Resolution

A similar structure to the one above, the Situation - Opportunity - Resolution  replaces  Complication with   Opportunity . This three-part structure is also joined by the words  but  and  therefore .

The difference is that instead of the movement going down and then up, it goes slightly up and then levels out.

This structure is perfect when you need to show that something is not that hard to fix; that the problem might not be so big after all and that the solution is easy to grasp.

A presentation that follows this structure could turn out to be quite short, if only the facts are presented, but that would leave the audience feeling like “is that it?” Adding an interesting story to help the audience relate makes the overall presentation more effective.

This TED talk by Adam Galinsky about how to speak up for yourself is a perfect example of the Situation - Opportunity - Resolution presentation structure. He starts off by saying: “Speaking up is hard,” and instantly everyone in the audience can relate.

He gives a few personal stories about times when he should have spoken up and others when he shouldn’t. He gives contextual proof and explanations about how sometimes we feel powerless, other times powerful, and how this affects if we speak up or not.

His solution to the problem is not a huge effort but rather a personal mindset change. The presentation ends with an inspiring quote by the speaker’s father which leaves the audience feeling like they will know exactly when it’s the perfect time to speak up, or not.

Hook, Meat and Payoff

This presentation structure, like The Drama, is deeply founded in the art of storytelling. While the Hero’s Journey is more of a literary technique,  Hook, Meat and Payoff is more like a spoken-word progression.

The idea is that with the Hook , the presenter gives the audience a sense of place and time, plus a situation that will put them at the edge of their seats, wanting more.

The Meat is the middle section and usually the longest part of the presentation where the story progresses and all the information is relayed in an interesting and inviting way.

The Payoff is the inspiring conclusion that circles back to the beginning and leaves the audience feeling inspired.

It's like when you come out of the movie theater: You feel better about yourself and the world around you, as if you've learned something important that will make your life a little better.

This TED talk by Jill Bolte Taylor about her stroke of insight is a perfect example of a Hook, Meat and Payoff presentation structure.

One of the most famous TED talks of all time, this presentation starts with her personal story of the time she suffered a brain hemorrhage and stroke.

She is a neuroanatomist; she studies brains for a living. Her experience of having a stroke is one of the deepest stories you'll ever hear about the union between science and spirituality.

Her presentation hook, a real human brain which she shows to the audience, very much grabs your attention. The meat of the talk is also entertaining and interesting; she has the audience laughing and crying right along with her.

In the end, she recounts the moment when she felt her body die and then woke up feeling like she was a different person. She had lost all capacities with the stroke, and it took her eight years to learn to talk and walk again.

The Payoff is her invitation to everyone to feel like they have Nirvana at their fingertips, that being conscious of the world around us is not an impossible task.

RELATED: 7 Storytelling Techniques Used by the Most Inspiring TED Presenters

Make a Storyboard

Now that we've looked at the seven different ways that you can structure your presentation with storytelling techniques, it’s time to make a storyboard.

A storyboard is what film makers use to set up the structure of their movie before filming it. It is created with the help of the screenplay, following the flow of the story. Each rectangle in the storyboard is a scene in the film.

Presenters use this process of storyboarding to set up their presentations because it really helps with productivity. A storyboard is essentially a visual draft of your presentation.

(A note for the “un-artistic”: Don’t worry about things looking amazing right now! Uneven squiggles and weird shapes work the same way as perfect squares. The designed and finished look will come later when you set it all up in the Visme editor.)

As you add the story aspect to your presentation, make sure you don’t get too wordy and try using visuals instead of too much text. Use one or two sentences at most for each slide.

The best way to make a storyboard is with index cards, using each card as a slide. You can add things or easily take them away before you even start to design the final draft.

If it makes things easier, you can take a look at some presentation templates in Visme to see how we've created different slides. This might visually inspire the cards in your storyboard.

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Build it with Visme

You are now ready to move on to the final step: building your presentation with Visme. Okay, you can create it with whichever presentation software you like, but we think you'll conclude Visme is one of the best choices out there.

Promotions aside, it’s time to bring it all to life.

First, open a new presentation canvas, then choose a template or start from scratch. When you start from a blank canvas in Visme, you can add pre-built slides one by one from the slide library.

Create your slides by following the storyboard. For an added bonus, you can use animations, videos and audio to make your presentation unique.

Record your own audio and voiceovers within Visme

If your presentation is meant to be seen on its own, online or sent as a scrollable PDF, there might need to be more text than on a visual presentation which accompanies a speech. You can try animating the text so it's not just a big block of words.

Using audio also helps, but if the viewer has their computer on mute, they might miss it. Make sure your first slide gives the instruction to turn up the volume.

If your visual presentation is going to be used as a backdrop for a speech, you can forgo some of the text and make it more visual.

Remember to rehearse your speech along with the slides so it all flows seamlessly. TED speakers suggest you rehearse a spoken presentation at least 10 times until it flows naturally.

If you need more help with your presentation design, don't forget to grab our free e-book below.

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About the Author

Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com