speaker presentation

15 Essential Presentation Techniques for Winning Over Any Audience

The Speaker Lab
April 13, 2024

Ever found yourself standing before an audience, your heart racing? That’s the moment when knowing effective presentation techniques can prove to be your unwavering ally. But what are presentation techniques? And what makes them so powerful? In this article, we’re going to answer those questions.

Before we can talk about presentation techniques, though, we first have to talk about good communication. The power of effective communication isn’t just in what you say. It’s how you say it; it’s in those deep breaths that steady nerves, and in maintaining eye contact. It’s about turning a room full of strangers into an engaged audience hanging onto your every word. When it comes to public speaking, real success comes from mastering non-verbal cues to punctuate our words and using visual aids not as crutches but as tools for engagement.

As you hone your communication skills, you will begin to form effective presentation techniques. Expect rough patches as you get the hang of things, but view them as mere footholds propelling you towards your ultimate triumph. Keep pushing forward.

Mastering Presentation Techniques for Impactful Delivery

Presentation techniques are more than just standing in front of a crowd and talking. They’re about making connections, telling stories that resonate, and leaving your audience with something to remember you by.

Elements of an Effective Presentation

For your presentation to resonate, ensure the visuals are straightforward and supportive, rather than distracting. Your message should be concise yet powerful enough to stick. And let’s not forget engagement; keeping your audience on their toes is key.

Visuals: Keep them simple but impactful.
Message: Make every word count.
Engagement: Interact with your audience, ask questions, make them think.

We’ve all seen those slides crammed with text or charts. When you make your slides, don’t cram information, because nobody wants to squint at tiny fonts or decipher complex graphs while trying to listen to you speak. This resource suggests focusing on clarity and simplicity when designing slides—advice worth taking.

Strategies for Delivering a Successful Presentation

To deliver a knockout presentation, start strong. Grab attention from the get-go with an intriguing fact or story related directly back into the topic at hand. Maintain eye contact across the room so everyone feels included in the conversation. Finally, end on a memorable note, either with a call to action or insight gained during the time together. Leave them wanting more information and eager to learn about the subject matter discussed today.

The opener: Hook your audience with a relevant fact or anecdote.
Maintain connection: Eyes up, engage everyone around.
Closing remarks : Last chance for impact–what’s your mic drop?

As author Lilly Walters once said, “The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.” This quote reminds us that the true goal of any speech is the understanding achieved between the speaker and the listeners.

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Engaging Your Audience with Nonverbal Communication

As the name implies, nonverbal communication denotes all of the ways you communicate without using words. This includes eye contact, body language, and facial expressions. Although nonverbal communication might not be the first presentation technique that comes to mind, it’s nevertheless a very powerful tool to have in your arsenal. Let’s take a look.

The Power of Eye Contact, Body Language, and Facial Expressions

Making eye contact isn’t just about looking someone in the eye; it’s about forging a connection. Aim for brief moments of eye contact across different sections of your audience throughout your presentation. Establishing fleeting eye connections across diverse audience segments fosters a sense of trust and keeps them hooked, all while ensuring no one feels on edge.

Body language is similarly important. Stand tall with good posture; it exudes confidence even when you feel nervous. As you grow more confident, mix up standing still with moving around subtly. This dynamic shift holds attention better than being rooted to one spot or nervous pacing. Use your hands to gesture naturally as you speak—it adds emphasis and keeps things lively.

If there’s one thing people can spot from miles away, it’s insincerity. So let those facial expressions match your words. Smile when you share something amusing, and furrow your brow when diving into serious stuff. After all, it’s not just what you say but how visually engaged and passionate you appear while saying it that counts.

Tying these elements together helps you deliver impactful, memorable talks. When done right, folks will leave feeling more connected, understood, and fired up by your presentation, all thanks to your techniques.

Designing Compelling Presentation Materials

Knowing how to design engaging presentation materials is one technique you can’t do without. Far from mere embellishments, these implements are crafted to hammer your message home. Hence, it’s vital to select these aids with great care and discernment.

Tips for Creating Effective Slides

When it comes to crafting slides, think of each as a billboard advertisement for your idea. You want it clear, impactful, and memorable.

Keep it simple : One idea per slide keeps confusion at bay and attention locked in.
Use bullet points : Break down your points so your audience can track.
Pick a font size : Generally speaking, bigger is better.
Use color : Harness colors that pop without blinding anyone; contrast is key.
Use images with purpose : A good picture or chart can help illustrate your point, but keep it relevant and don’t overdo it.

With a few helpful visuals, your presentation can go from good to great. For more on creating slides, check out this link here .

Handling Questions and Interactions Professionally

For some speakers, it’s not the presentation itself that makes them nervous—it’s the Q&A session that follows. This is the moment where you get to shine or stumble based on how well you handle those curveballs from your audience. If you want to round off your presentation well, you’re going to want to learn a few techniques for fielding these questions. Let’s look at a few ways of doing this.

Preparing for Audience Questions and How to Address Them Effectively

Below are six techniques that will help you address audience questions effectively.

Listen Up : The first rule of thumb is to listen like it’s a superpower. When someone throws a question at you, don’t just hear them out—really listen. Demonstrating this level of attentiveness not only conveys your respect but also affords you a brief moment to collect your ideas.
Stay Calm : You’ve got this. Even if a question catches you off guard, take a deep breath before diving into your answer. No one expects perfection, but showing confidence matters.
Practice Beforehand : Before presentation day arrives, think about potential questions folks might ask and prep some responses in advance. Practice makes perfect, after all.
Vary Your Techniques : Not every question needs an essay as an answer; sometimes short and sweet does the trick. Mix up how detailed or brief your answers are depending on what’s asked.
Show You Care : If you ever get a question that leaves you stumped, say so honestly—but add that magical line: “Let me find out more and I’ll get back to you.” Then actually do it.
Appreciate Audience Curiosity : Remember that the reason you audience is asking questions is because they’re interested. So no matter what questions you get, keep engaging with enthusiasm.

Go forth with confidence, knowing not only can these moments boost credibility—they make connections too. So next time when facing down those queries remember to listen hard, stay calm & always engage warmly. With these techniques under your belt, answering audience questions after your presentation will feel much less daunting.

Techniques for a Memorable and Effective Presentation

No matter what topic you cover in your presentation, you can easily add in a story, and more likely than not you can add a little humor too. Together, these two presentation techniques are perfect for making your speech memorable.

Incorporating Storytelling into Your Presentation

One great technique for making your presentation stick is telling stories. Stories have the power to touch people profoundly, especially when they depict relatable experiences. So, when you’re up there presenting, kick things off with a story that ties into your main message. It could be personal, something from history, or even an anecdote that gets your point across. Stories are not just fluff; they’re the glue of your presentation. They make complex ideas digestible and memorable.

Using Humor to Connect with the Audience

Another great way of engaging your audience is by using humor. But here’s the deal—use humor wisely. Keep it tasteful and tied closely to the content at hand so it enhances rather than detracts from your message.

Pick universal themes everyone can relate to.
Avoid anything potentially offensive.
Tie jokes back to your key points to make them relevant.

If humor isn’t your thing, or you’re worried about your comedic timing, it’s perfectly okay to skip the jokes. Especially if you’re new to public speaking, humor can be hard to nail immediately. But as you grow and hone your presentation techniques, consider stretching yourself a bit. By starting small, you can practice using humor to connect with your audience. That is your goal, after all—to leave a positive, memorable impression on your audience.

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Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

For some speakers, stepping in front of a crowd to speak causes immediate anxiety. But fear not! Conquering public speaking anxiety is entirely within your grasp.

Techniques to Manage Stage Fright and Boost Confidence

First off, feeling nervous before taking the stage is completely normal. Even Mark Twain admitted, “There are two types of speakers. Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” So take that flutter in your stomach as a sign you care deeply about delivering value to your audience. In addition, consider the following tips as you prepare to hit the stage.

Breathe Deep: Before stepping up, take some deep breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Feel every muscle relax with each exhale.
Mind Over Matter: Visualization is key. Picture yourself nailing that presentation, because if you can see it, you can achieve it.
Keep It Simple: Stick to what you know best; this isn’t the time for surprises or untested waters.
Pace Yourself: Speak slowly but surely—there’s no rush here.

Believe it or not, acting relaxed often leads to actually being relaxed. Remember when we said mind over matter? Well, it applies here big time. The power pose backstage might just be what turns those nerves into excitement.

So next time you feel stage fright coming on, fight back with these techniques. With these tricks up your sleeve, you’re more than ready. So go ahead, breathe deep, and step onto that stage. You’ve got this.

Using Different Presentation Methods to Engage Your Audience

While learning styles is “ little more than urban myth ,” presenting your material in a variety of ways is a great technique for engaging your audience. By switching it up, you increase your chances of explaining something in a way that clicks with individual audience members. This is especially helpful for more complex topics that might be hard to grasp.

There are three main ways of presenting your material to your audience: through visuals, audio, and hands-on activities.

Visuals: Use slides packed with images, graphs, and bullet points.
Audio: Tell stories, play audio clips or engage in discussions.
Hands-on Activities: Include activities or demonstrations that allow audience members to participate physically.

Making sure everyone gets something from your presentation means considering these techniques when planning content. Not only can incorporating various methods increase audience engagement, but it can also elevate your presentation from decent to memorable.

Essential Tips for First-Time Presenters

Stepping onto the stage or logging into that webinar platform as a first-time presenter can feel nerve-wracking. But fear not! With these tips on how to dress appropriately, arrive early, and make your presentation shine, you’ll be ready to confidently nail that presentation.

Dress Appropriately

Your outfit is your armor. Choose something professional yet comfortable. Whether it’s in-person or online, dressing one notch above what you expect your audience to wear usually hits the sweet spot. Aim for solid colors that won’t distract your audience.

Arriving Early

If possible, arrive at the venue before your audience does. This gives you time to settle in, test any tech gear like microphones or projectors, and take those deep breaths. This extra time also lets you chat with early birds. By connecting with people before taking center stage, you can ease nerves significantly.

Making Presentation Time Count

You only have the audience’s attention for so long. Keep an eye on the clock as you present, but avoid rushing through content. It especially helps to pause after key points, letting information sink in. Your end goal? Leave you’re audience wanting more. You’ll know if you succeeded based on the number of questions you get during the Q&A.

So there you have it—the techniques you need to deliver an engaging presentation. By honing nonverbal communication, like eye contact and posture, you can captivate your audience with your energy. And visual aids? They’re not just ornamental; they help bolster your point and drive it home.

We also learned that tackling audience questions is not an art reserved for the eloquent few but a skill sharpened by preparation and presence. While it takes a little work to nail good storytelling and well-timed humor, the ultimate outcome is worth it.

So while standing before an audience may set your heart racing, know that arming yourself with knowledge and technique can transform not just your presentation, but you yourself. So don’t be afraid to try your hand at these skills; in doing so, you build your own confidence and become a better speaker in the process.

Last Updated: April 11, 2024

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What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

Presentation skills are essential for your personal and professional life. Learn about effective presentations and how to boost your presenting techniques.

[Featured Image]: The marketing manager, wearing a yellow top, is making a PowerPoint presentation.

At least seven out of 10 Americans agree that presentation skills are essential for a successful career [ 1 ]. Although it might be tempting to think that these are skills reserved for people interested in public speaking roles, they're critical in a diverse range of jobs. For example, you might need to brief your supervisor on research results.

Presentation skills are also essential in other scenarios, including working with a team and explaining your thought process, walking clients through project ideas and timelines, and highlighting your strengths and achievements to your manager during performance reviews.

Whatever the scenario, you have very little time to capture your audience’s attention and get your point across when presenting information—about three seconds, according to research [ 2 ]. Effective presentation skills help you get your point across and connect with the people you’re communicating with, which is why nearly every employer requires them.

Understanding what presentation skills are is only half the battle. Honing your presenting techniques is essential for mastering presentations of all kinds and in all settings.

What are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images.

You'll make presentations at various times in your life. Examples include:

Making speeches at a wedding, conference, or another event

Making a toast at a dinner or event

Explaining projects to a team

Delivering results and findings to management teams

Teaching people specific methods or information

Proposing a vote at community group meetings

Pitching a new idea or business to potential partners or investors

Why are presentation skills important?

Delivering effective presentations is critical in your professional and personal life. You’ll need to hone your presentation skills in various areas, such as when giving a speech, convincing your partner to make a substantial purchase, and talking to friends and family about an important situation.

No matter if you’re using them in a personal or professional setting, these are the skills that make it easier and more effective to convey your ideas, convince or persuade others, and experience success. A few of the benefits that often accompany improving your presentation skills include:

Enriched written and verbal communication skills

Enhanced confidence and self-image

Boosted critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities

Better motivational techniques

Increased leadership skills

Expanded time management, negotiation, and creativity

The better your presenting techniques, the more engaging your presentations will be. You could also have greater opportunities to make positive impacts in business and other areas of your life.

Effective presentation skills

Imagine yourself in the audience at a TED Talk or sitting with your coworkers at a big meeting held by your employer. What would you be looking for in how they deliver their message? What would make you feel engaged?

These are a few questions to ask yourself as you review this list of some of the most effective presentation skills.

Verbal communication

How you use language and deliver messages play essential roles in how your audience will receive your presentation. Speak clearly and confidently, projecting your voice enough to ensure everyone can hear. Think before you speak, pausing when necessary and tailoring the way you talk to resonate with your particular audience.

Body language

Body language combines various critical elements, including posture, gestures, eye contact, expressions, and position in front of the audience. Body language is one of the elements that can instantly transform a presentation that would otherwise be dull into one that's dynamic and interesting.

Voice projection

The ability to project your voice improves your presentation by allowing your audience to hear what you're saying. It also increases your confidence to help settle any lingering nerves while also making your message more engaging. To project your voice, stand comfortably with your shoulders back. Take deep breaths to power your speaking voice and ensure you enunciate every syllable you speak.

How you present yourself plays a role in your body language and ability to project your voice. It also sets the tone for the presentation. Avoid slouching or looking overly tense. Instead, remain open, upright, and adaptable while taking the formality of the occasion into account.

Storytelling

Incorporating storytelling into a presentation is an effective strategy used by many powerful public speakers. It has the power to bring your subject to life and pique the audience’s curiosity. Don’t be afraid to tell a personal story, slowly building up suspense or adding a dramatic moment. And, of course, be sure to end with a positive takeaway to drive your point home.

Active listening

Active listening is a valuable skill all on its own. When you understand and thoughtfully respond to what you hear—whether it's in a conversation or during a presentation—you’ll likely deepen your personal relationships and actively engage audiences during a presentation. As part of your presentation skill set, it helps catch and maintain the audience’s attention, helping them remain focused while minimizing passive response, ensuring the message is delivered correctly, and encouraging a call to action.

Stage presence

During a presentation, projecting confidence can help keep your audience engaged. Stage presence can help you connect with your audience and encourage them to want to watch you. To improve your presence, try amping up your normal demeanor by infusing it with a bit of enthusiasm. Project confidence and keep your information interesting.

Watch your audience as you’re presenting. If you’re holding their attention, it likely means you’re connecting well with them.

Self-awareness

Monitoring your own emotions and reactions will allow you to react well in various situations. It helps you remain personable throughout your presentation and handle feedback well. Self-awareness can help soothe nervousness during presentations, allowing you to perform more effectively.

Writing skills

Writing is a form of presentation. Sharp writing skills can help you master your presentation’s outline to ensure you stay on message and remain clear about your objectives from the beginning until the end. It’s also helpful to have strong writing abilities for creating compelling slides and other visual aids.

Understanding an audience

When you understand your audience's needs and interests, you can design your presentation around them. In turn, you'll deliver maximum value to them and enhance your ability to make your message easy to understand.

Learn more about presentation skills from industry experts at SAP:

How to improve presentation skills

There’s an art to public speaking. Just like any other type of art, this is one that requires practice. Improving your presentation skills will help reduce miscommunications, enhance your time management capabilities, and boost your leadership skills. Here are some ways you can improve these skills:

Work on self-confidence.

When you’re confident, you naturally speak more clearly and with more authority. Taking the time to prepare your presentation with a strong opening and compelling visual aids can help you feel more confident. Other ways to improve your self-confidence include practicing positive self-talk, surrounding yourself with positive people, and avoiding comparing yourself (or your presentation) to others.

Develop strategies for overcoming fear.

Many people are nervous or fearful before giving a presentation. A bad memory of a past performance or insufficient self-confidence can contribute to fear and anxiety. Having a few go-to strategies like deep breathing, practicing your presentation, and grounding can help you transform that fear into extra energy to put into your stage presence.

Learn grounding techniques.

Grounding is any type of technique that helps you steer your focus away from distressing thoughts and keeps you connected with your present self. To ground yourself, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and imagine you’re a large, mature tree with roots extending deep into the earth—like the tree, you can become unshakable.

Learn how to use presentation tools.

Visual aids and other technical support can transform an otherwise good presentation into a wow-worthy one. A few popular presentation tools include:

Canva: Provides easy-to-design templates you can customize

Powtoon: Animation software that makes video creation fast and easy

PowerPoint: Microsoft's iconic program popular for dynamic marketing and sales presentations

Practice breathing techniques.

Breathing techniques can help quell anxiety, making it easier to shake off pre-presentation jitters and nerves. It also helps relax your muscles and get more oxygen to your brain. For some pre-presentation calmness, you can take deep breaths, slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

While presenting, breathe in through your mouth with the back of your tongue relaxed so your audience doesn't hear a gasping sound. Speak on your exhalation, maintaining a smooth voice.

Gain experience.

The more you practice, the better you’ll become. The more you doanything, the more comfortable you’ll feel engaging in that activity. Presentations are no different. Repeatedly practicing your own presentation also offers the opportunity to get feedback from other people and tweak your style and content as needed.

Tips to help you ace your presentation

Your presentation isn’t about you; it’s about the material you’re presenting. Sometimes, reminding yourself of this ahead of taking center stage can help take you out of your head, allowing you to connect effectively with your audience. The following are some of the many actions you can take on the day of your presentation.

Arrive early.

Since you may have a bit of presentation-related anxiety, it’s important to avoid adding travel stress. Give yourself an abundance of time to arrive at your destination, and take into account heavy traffic and other unforeseen events. By arriving early, you also give yourself time to meet with any on-site technicians, test your equipment, and connect with people ahead of the presentation.

Become familiar with the layout of the room.

Arriving early also gives you time to assess the room and figure out where you want to stand. Experiment with the acoustics to determine how loudly you need to project your voice, and test your equipment to make sure everything connects and appears properly with the available setup. This is an excellent opportunity to work out any last-minute concerns and move around to familiarize yourself with the setting for improved stage presence.

Listen to presenters ahead of you.

When you watch others present, you'll get a feel for the room's acoustics and lighting. You can also listen for any data that’s relevant to your presentation and revisit it during your presentation—this can make the presentation more interactive and engaging.

Use note cards.

Writing yourself a script could provide you with more comfort. To prevent sounding too robotic or disengaged, only include talking points in your note cards in case you get off track. Using note cards can help keep your presentation organized while sounding more authentic to your audience.

Learn to deliver clear and confident presentations with Dynamic Public Speaking from the University of Washington. Build confidence, develop new delivery techniques, and practice strategies for crafting compelling presentations for different purposes, occasions, and audiences.

Article sources

Forbes. “ New Survey: 70% Say Presentation Skills are Critical for Career Success , https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/09/25/new-survey-70-percent-say-presentation-skills-critical-for-career-success/?sh=619f3ff78890.” Accessed December 7, 2022.

Beautiful.ai. “ 15 Presentation and Public Speaking Stats You Need to Know , https://www.beautiful.ai/blog/15-presentation-and-public-speaking-stats-you-need-to-know. Accessed December 7, 2022.

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Start any presentation with confidence: simon’s expert tips and tricks, let’s face it: getting started is half the battle. by following simon’s advice, you'll not only prepare less and stress less but also captivate your audience from the very beginning..

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Knowing how to start a presentation is a critical skill when delivering a speech to any audience or any setting, whether it’s a boardroom, an auditorium, a classroom, or even a rehearsal dinner. Not only does a successful start help settle your nerves, but it also builds confidence.

Surprisingly, over 70% of Americans fear public speaking more than death itself, as revealed by a study conducted by the National Institutes of Mental Health . This fear can be traced back to our evolutionary past, says The Harvard Business Review , where being watched triggered a survival instinct to avoid predators. However, with the right techniques and strategies, you can overcome this fear and engage your audience right from the beginning. By implementing effective opening techniques, you can capture attention, establish credibility, and set the tone for a memorable and impactful presentation.

Level Up Your Skills Starting NOW

Unlock a treasure trove of career-boosting tips, from top-notch leadership advice to discovering workplace bliss, at The Optimism Library today.

With the guidance of Simon Sinek , a renowned public speaker with more than a billion views, we’ll share valuable tips on how to start a presentation the right way, instantly engaging your audience and winning them over. So, keep reading and get ready to shine!

And if you’re eager to learn everything about delivering an amazing presentation, including advanced storytelling techniques, practical exercises, and expert PowerPoint advice, don’t miss out on Simon’s bestselling course, The Art of Presenting. Click here to explore it further .

Tip One: Transform your nervousness into excitement

Simon emphasizes the significance of reframing our nervousness as excitement, and he is not alone in this belief. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology demonstrates that shifting our mindset from “feeling anxious” to “feeling excited” can have a positive impact on our outlook, making us feel more optimistic, confident, and in control.

As Simon explains, the physiological symptoms of both emotions are nearly identical. It is our mindset and how we choose to interpret these physiological responses within ourselves that can make all the difference. By embracing the idea that you are excited rather than nervous, you can harness that energy in a positive way and captivate your audience right from the beginning.

A simple technique to employ is to look into the mirror and say aloud, “I’m excited!” This small action can go a long way in helping you start your presentation and get into the flow.

Tip Two: Always Start with WHY

If we had to guess, you’ve probably endured countless presentations that begin with the same old boring stuff. “Today, we’ll be discussing the KPIs…” Or, “Hello, my name is Bob, and I will be presenting a comprehensive overview of the quarterly sales data.”

But let’s break free from the monotony! Instead of following the crowd, let’s explore a more captivating approach to starting a presentation. So, how do you start a presentation in a way that truly engages your audience?

According to Simon, the key is to artfully incorporate your WHY. In his bestselling book, Start with WHY , Simon introduces the concept of the Golden Circle , which consists of three layers: your WHATs, your HOW, and your WHY. While all three are important, Simon emphasizes the significance of the WHY. Your WHY is the driving force behind your HOWs and WHATs. It’s your purpose, cause, or belief that sets you apart. (If you’re interested in discovering your WHY, check out our course here .)

By infusing your presentation with authenticity and purpose, you instantly grab the audience’s attention and create an emotional connection. In fact, one study published by Stanford University has shown that “the top 10% of authentic speakers were considered 1.3 times more trustworthy and 1.3 times more persuasive than the average communicator.”

So, let’s leave the mundane introductions behind and embrace the power of starting with your WHY. It’s time to captivate your audience from the very beginning and make your presentation truly memorable.

Tip Three: How to Choose a First Sentence

According to Simon, there are several effective ways to start your presentation: with a question, a surprising fact, a bold statement, or by telling a story. These strategies instantly capture the audience’s curiosity and motivate them to pay attention, eagerly seeking answers throughout your presentation. So, how do you start a presentation in a way that truly captivates your audience?

Take, for example, author Susan Cain, who begins her TED Talk on the power of introverts with the line, “When I was nine years old, I went off to summer camp for the first time.” By launching into a personal story that illustrates a key point from her talk, she establishes a connection with the audience right from the start, as they can relate to the shared experience of summer camp.

When it comes to storytelling, specificity is key in capturing your audience’s investment in your message. In fact, a study conducted in 2009 revealed that emotionally engaging narratives inspire post-narrative actions. This means that if you can tell a story that resonates with your audience, they will not only remember your presentation better but also be more inclined to act upon your intended message.

So, when considering how to start a presentation, remember the power of a well-crafted question, a surprising fact, a bold statement, or a compelling story. These techniques will help you grab your audience’s attention and set the stage for a memorable and impactful presentation.

Tip Four: How to Start a Presentation the Wrong Way

You’re Using Jargon

To avoid alienating your audience, refrain from using jargon or technical terms that may not be universally understood. The key to effective communication is making your audience feel included and part of the conversation. Therefore, use familiar terms and take the time to explain any unfamiliar ones, ensuring that everyone feels engaged and included in your presentation.

You’re Memorizing Your Material

Memorization can hinder your ability to connect with your audience authentically and make you sound robotic. Instead, focus on deeply understanding the key concepts and ideas you want to convey, allowing for flexibility and natural conversation during your presentation. Studies have shown that being intimately familiar with your material, rather than relying on memorization, better prepares you to speak confidently and effectively.

You’re Relying Too Much on Your Slides

While slides are a common tool in presentations, it’s important not to rely on them as a crutch. Your visuals should support your message, but it’s your responsibility to deliver it effectively. Depending too heavily on slides can lead to failure if technical issues arise or if you forget necessary equipment. Being well-versed in your topic reduces the need to rely on slides to speak on your behalf.

You’re Expecting Perfection

Perfection is unattainable, and it’s important to remember that mistakes can happen to anyone, including yourself. Whether it’s a technical glitch or a momentary lapse, embrace the fact that we are all human and errors are a natural part of the process. As Simon can attest, nobody is immune to making mistakes.

Tip Five: How to Present Your First PowerPoint Slide

Using slides and visual aids can enhance your presentation, as 65% of individuals learn best visually. To make a strong first impression, create a visually appealing slide that provides a clear overview of your topic. Avoid clutter and excessive text, opting for graphics and key points that engage your audience. Remember, knowing how to start a presentation can be daunting, but with the right mindset and preparation, you can succeed.

DO This:

Now It’s Time to Take Action!

If you’re eager to become a master presenter, there’s a whole world of skills and techniques waiting for you to explore. Dive deeper into the art of presenting by enrolling in The Art of Presenting with Simon course. This comprehensive program covers everything from preparation and storytelling to creating impactful slides. Embark on your journey towards delivering unforgettable presentations today!

Good luck on your presentation journey!

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A spark is something quite small and, by itself, not very powerful. But a spark has the ability to ignite. An idea is like a spark; alone it is just a set of words, but it too can ignite. A great idea can inspire others to dream bigger. Let us all work together to ignite something greater than ourselves.

Let us all be a Spark of Optimism.

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Presentation Tips

How to become a great speaker

If there’s one thing great speakers have in common, it’s their ability to captivate their listeners. While much of it comes down to their confidence and the way they manage their sense of naturalness and belonging with the crowd, there exists a force greater than their speeches. As the audience listens intently to their every word, most don’t notice there’s actually a second storyteller on stage. It may not be as apparent and prominent as the presenter, but it has a vital part to play: the presentation.

How to become a better speaker

Structure the content, master the topic, use storytelling, interact with your audience, watch your body language, trust yourself.

There are innate characteristics that make some people naturally great at addressing crowds. To excel at it, whether or not you’re born with them, you need to embrace them. Beyond that, you also need to adopt all resources at your disposal, starting with the use of a creative presentation. When done right, presentations provide confidence, structure, and a platform to showcase know-how. Here are the top six qualities of great speakers and how to reflect them in a presentation.

As a speaker and expert on the topic you’re presenting, you may have all the information clearly laid out in your mind. It’s one thing to know it, a whole other thing to present it in a way that your viewers can easily follow and understand. That’s where a structure comes into play.

Establishing order and sequence helps to keep your speech organized and makes the information you’re presenting much more digestible and retainable for your audience. For example, in this Working from home business plan slide we can see how we first talk about the problem and then offer the solution:

It is very common to give presentations an inverted pyramid structure sets a structure that communicates what’s significant before moving on to support the narrative with details.

Great speakers are also experts in their field and extremely knowledgeable. They make a subject easy to understand and digest, much like a good teacher.

When it comes to establishing hierarchy or communicating data, great presenters rely on graphics to get their message across. They know exactly what the audience needs to know and reinforce these concepts.

For example, the table and the graphs on the following Data visualization plan slide on test results provide value and help viewers better understand and visualize the information.

Visual aids in a presentation depict segmentation, statistics, numbers, and so on in a much more intelligible way than verbal speeches.

Storytelling is the art of telling stories, and this is essential if you want to be a good speaker. When you tell things almost as if they were stories, you add an emotional component that helps you connect with your audience.

This storytelling technique seeks to inspire, persuade and move your audience to action, and is the best way to keep your listeners' attention. It is also a great method for presenting proposals where you need to convince executives, for example.

Great speakers adopt storytelling in their presentations to engage the audience and help them learn the main points through the narrative. This technique provides a fantastic opportunity to do so while introducing metaphors, providing examples of real cases, etc.

For instance, this next slide on “sneak peek” allows you to tease your project and get your audience engaged with your story.

→ If you’re looking for a presentation that can make you a more effective speaker, check out our wonderful range of free presentation templates that you can download and customize on Google Slides and PowerPoint.

The most effective way to teach is by introducing a challenge and steering your audience through a journey of learning and discovery instead of presenting them with an immediate solution. Make them enjoy the process.

How can you do this? By providing clear examples your audience can follow or asking them questions every now and then to hold their attention, with such eye-catching slides as this one on Social-emotional learning :

On the other hand, whether you are making your presentation online or physically with your interlocutors, it is important to maintain eye contact, as it helps to transmit your message.

Our gestures and the way we move also communicate. For example, showing and moving your hands when you speak conveys conviction, but try to make them natural so that you don't end up making any sudden moves that scare your audience.

As humans, almost all of us have some gesture that we repeat frequently, especially when we speak in public or when we are nervous. There are no tricks to avoid this; just practice, practice, practice. Also pay attention to intonation and pauses to make your message clear.

Studies show that confident presenters portray competency and are seen as credible and likable.

This can be hard to come by for some, considering that most people’s greatest fear is public speaking. That’s where presentations are useful.

How presentations help

Having a well-designed presentation boosts the confidence of orators because, in many ways, it’s like having a support team on stage with them.

To achieve that, your slides must be impactful. That means clear, powerful, and inspirational.

Take, for example, this presentation template on intellectual property . It includes a slide you can fill with a motivational quote at the start of your presentation.

Quotes don’t only serve to inspire but they also act as supporting arguments to reinforce your ideas.

See what we’ve done there?

This starts you off on a positive note and gets the crowd excited about what you have in store for them. That infectious buzz will eventually find its way to you, which adds passion and fervor to your presentation.

Having a clear presentation also means you can rest assured knowing that your audience has no trouble understanding your content. This gives you the confidence to speak more freely.

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7 tips to create a positive classroom culture

No matter if it's been ages since you last stepped into a classroom or just a long time ago―there’s probably a particular learning experience you often find yourself thinking about. Maybe it was a passionate teacher who kept the whole class engaged, or perhaps a classmate who lent you a hand with a tricky topic. Positive classroom experiences do leave a lasting mark on us, so it makes perfect sense that people leading a classroom aim to create the finest possible learning setting. In this article, we’ll share some tips to help you turn a regular classroom into a positive space.

How to create a word cloud in Google Slides

There are many ways to improve your Google Slides presentation. From choosing the right font to finding the right template, good presentations keep an audience engaged and convey a message in a clear way.Knowing how to visualize data in a slideshow is one of those actions that have a huge impact on the success of a presentation. At the end of the day, plain data fails to motivate decisions as effectively as clear insights do. This is when powerful visual tools like word clouds step in. Let us tell you all about them.

How to create a word cloud in PowerPoint

In the age of information, showing data has become as important as collecting it. Those who are able to turn big amounts of data into easy-to-understand ideas, are the ones pushing the game forward.At the end of the day, plain data fails to motivate decisions as much as clear insights do. That’s where powerful visual tools such as word clouds step in. We’re here to tell you all about them.

How to Use the Presenter View in Google Slides

Google Slides, like PowerPoint, has different presentation modes that can come in handy when you’re presenting and you want your slideshow to look smooth. Whether you’re looking for slides only, speaker notes or the Q&A feature, in this new Google Slides tutorial, you’ll learn about these and their respective settings. Ready? Then let’s explore the presenter view!

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Complete Guide for Effective Presentations, with Examples

July 9, 2018 - Dom Barnard

During a presentation you aim to look confident, enthusiastic and natural. You’ll need more than good words and content to achieve this – your delivery plays a significant part. In this article, we discuss various techniques that can be used to deliver an effective presentation.

Effective presentations

Think about if you were in the audience, what would:

Get you to focus and listen
Make you understand
Activate your imagination
Persuade you

Providing the audience with interesting information is not enough to achieve these aims – you need to ensure that the way you present is stimulating and engaging. If it’s not, you’ll lose the audience’s interest and they’ll stop listening.

Tips for an Effective Presentation

Professional public speakers spend hours creating and practicing presentations. These are the delivery techniques they consider:

Keep it simple

You shouldn’t overwhelm your audience with information – ensure that you’re clear, concise and that you get to the point so they can understand your message.

Have a maximum of three main points and state them at the beginning, before you explain them in more depth, and then state them at the end so the audience will at least remember these points.

If some of your content doesn’t contribute to your key message then cut it out. Also avoid using too many statistics and technical terminology.

Connect with your audience

One of the greatest difficulties when delivering a presentation is connecting with the audience. If you don’t connect with them it will seem as though you’re talking to an empty room.

Trying to make contact with the audience makes them feel like they’re part of the presentation which encourages them to listen and it shows that you want to speak to them.

Asking the audience questions during a presentation

Eye contact and smile

Avoiding eye contact is uncomfortable because it make you look insecure. When you maintain eye contact the audience feels like you’re speaking to them personally. If this is something you struggle with, try looking at people’s foreheads as it gives the impression of making eye contact.

Try to cover all sections of the audience and don’t move on to the next person too quickly as you will look nervous.

Smiling also helps with rapport and it reduces your nerves because you’ll feel less like you’re talking to group of faceless people. Make sure you don’t turn the lights down too much before your presentation so you can all clearly see each other.

Body language

Be aware of your body language and use it to connect:

Keep your arms uncrossed so your body language is more open .
Match your facial expressions with what you’re saying.
Avoid fidgeting and displaying nervous habits, such as, rocking on your feet.
You may need to glance at the computer slide or a visual aid but make sure you predominantly face the audience.
Emphasise points by using hand gestures but use them sparingly – too little and they’ll awkwardly sit at your side, too much and you’ll be distracting and look nervous.
Vary your gestures so you don’t look robotic.
Maintain a straight posture.
Be aware of cultural differences .

Move around

Avoid standing behind the lectern or computer because you need to reduce the distance and barriers between yourself and the audience. Use movement to increase the audience’s interest and make it easier to follow your presentation.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
You discuss your second point from the centre again.
You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Watch 3 examples of good and bad movement while presenting

Example: Movement while presenting

Your movement at the front of the class and amongst the listeners can help with engagement. Think about which of these three speakers maintains the attention of their audience for longer, and what they are doing differently to each other.

Speak with the audience

You can conduct polls using your audience or ask questions to make them think and feel invested in your presentation. There are three different types of questions:

Direct questions require an answer: “What would you do in this situation?” These are mentally stimulating for the audience. You can pass a microphone around and let the audience come to your desired solution.

Rhetorical questions do not require answers, they are often used to emphasises an idea or point: “Is the Pope catholic?

Loaded questions contain an unjustified assumption made to prompt the audience into providing a particular answer which you can then correct to support your point: You may ask “Why does your wonderful company have such a low incidence of mental health problems?” The audience will generally answer that they’re happy.

After receiving the answers you could then say “Actually it’s because people are still unwilling and too embarrassed to seek help for mental health issues at work etc.”

Be specific with your language

Make the audience feel as though you are speaking to each member individually by using “you” and “your.”

For example: asking “Do you want to lose weight without feeling hungry?” would be more effective than asking “Does anyone here want to lost weight without feeling hungry?” when delivering your presentation. You can also increase solidarity by using “we”, “us” etc – it makes the audience think “we’re in this together”.

Be flexible

Be prepared to adapt to the situation at the time, for example, if the audience seems bored you can omit details and go through the material faster, if they are confused then you will need to come up with more examples on the spot for clarification. This doesn’t mean that you weren’t prepared because you can’t predict everything.

Vocal variety

How you say something is just as is important as the content of your speech – arguably, more so.

For example, if an individual presented on a topic very enthusiastically the audience would probably enjoy this compared to someone who covered more points but mumbled into their notes.

Adapt your voice depending on what are you’re saying – if you want to highlight something then raise your voice or lower it for intensity. Communicate emotion by using your voice.
Avoid speaking in monotone as you will look uninterested and the audience will lose interest.
Take time to pronounce every word carefully.
Raise your pitch when asking questions and lower it when you want to sound severe.
Sound enthusiastic – the more you sound like you care about the topic, the more the audience will listen. Smiling and pace can help with this.
Speak loudly and clearly – think about projecting your voice to the back of the room.
Speak at a pace that’s easy to follow . If you’re too fast or too slow it will be difficult for the audience to understand what you’re saying and it’s also frustrating. Subtly fasten the pace to show enthusiasm and slow down for emphasis, thoughtfulness or caution.

Prior to the presentation, ensure that you prepare your vocal chords :

You could read aloud a book that requires vocal variety, such as, a children’s book.
Avoid dairy and eating or drinking anything too sugary beforehand as mucus can build-up leading to frequent throat clearing.
Don’t drink anything too cold before you present as this can constrict your throat which affects vocal quality.
Some people suggest a warm cup of tea beforehand to relax the throat.

Practice Presentation Skills

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Pause to breathe

When you’re anxious your breathing will become quick and shallow which will affect the control you have on your voice. This can consequently make you feel more nervous. You want to breathe steadily and deeply so before you start speaking take some deep breaths or implement controlled breathing.

Controlled breathing is a common technique that helps slow down your breathing to normal thus reducing your anxiety. If you think this may be useful practice with these steps:

Sit down in an upright position as it easier for your lungs to fill with air
Breathe in through your nose and into your abdomen for four seconds
Hold this breathe for two seconds
Breathe out through your nose for six seconds
Wait a few seconds before inhaling and repeating the cycle

It takes practice to master this technique but once you get used to it you may want to implement it directly before your presentation.

Take a deep breath when delivering a presentation

Completely filling your lungs during a pause will ensure you reach a greater vocal range.

During the presentation delivery, if you notice that you’re speaking too quickly then pause and breathe. This won’t look strange – it will appear as though you’re giving thought to what you’re saying. You can also strategically plan some of your pauses, such as after questions and at the end of sections, because this will give you a chance to calm down and it will also give the audience an opportunity to think and reflect.

Pausing will also help you avoid filler words , such as, “um” as well which can make you sound unsure.

10 Effective Ways to use Pauses in your Speech

Strong opening

The first five minutes are vital to engage the audience and get them listening to you. You could start with a story to highlight why your topic is significant.

For example, if the topic is on the benefits of pets on physical and psychological health, you could present a story or a study about an individual whose quality of life significantly improved after being given a dog. The audience is more likely to respond better to this and remember this story than a list of facts.

Example: Which presentation intro keeps you engaged?

Watch 5 different presentation introductions, from both virtual and in-person events. Notice how it can only take a few seconds to decide if you want to keep listening or switch off. For the good introductions, what about them keeps you engaged?

More experienced and confident public speakers use humour in their presentations. The audience will be incredibly engaged if you make them laugh but caution must be exercised when using humour because a joke can be misinterpreted and even offend the audience.

Only use jokes if you’re confident with this technique, it has been successful in the past and it’s suitable for the situation.

Stories and anecdotes

Use stories whenever you can and judge whether you can tell a story about yourself because the audience are even more interested in seeing the human side of you.

Consider telling a story about a mistake you made, for example, perhaps you froze up during an important presentation when you were 25, or maybe life wasn’t going well for you in the past – if relevant to your presentation’s aim. People will relate to this as we have all experienced mistakes and failures. The more the audience relates to you, the more likely they will remain engaged.

These stories can also be told in a humorous way if it makes you feel more comfortable and because you’re disclosing a personal story there is less chance of misinterpretation compared to telling a joke.

Anecdotes are especially valuable for your introduction and between different sections of the presentation because they engage the audience. Ensure that you plan the stories thoroughly beforehand and that they are not too long.

Focus on the audience’s needs

Even though your aim is to persuade the audience, they must also get something helpful from the presentation. Provide the audience with value by giving them useful information, tactics, tips etc. They’re more likely to warm to you and trust you if you’re sharing valuable information with them.

You could also highlight their pain point. For example, you might ask “Have you found it difficult to stick to a healthy diet?” The audience will now want to remain engaged because they want to know the solution and the opportunities that you’re offering.

Use visual aids

Visual aids are items of a visual manner, such as graphs, photographs, video clips etc used in addition to spoken information. Visual aids are chosen depending on their purpose, for example, you may want to:

Summarise information.
Reduce the amount of spoken words, for example, you may show a graph of your results rather than reading them out.
Clarify and show examples.
Create more of an impact. You must consider what type of impact you want to make beforehand – do you want the audience to be sad, happy, angry etc?
Emphasise what you’re saying.
Make a point memorable.
Enhance your credibility.
Engage the audience and maintain their interest.
Make something easier for the audience to understand.

Visual aids being used during a presentation

Some general tips for using visual aids :

Think about how can a visual aid can support your message. What do you want the audience to do?
Ensure that your visual aid follows what you’re saying or this will confuse the audience.
Avoid cluttering the image as it may look messy and unclear.
Visual aids must be clear, concise and of a high quality.
Keep the style consistent, such as, the same font, colours, positions etc
Use graphs and charts to present data.
The audience should not be trying to read and listen at the same time – use visual aids to highlight your points.
One message per visual aid, for example, on a slide there should only be one key point.
Use visual aids in moderation – they are additions meant to emphasise and support main points.
Ensure that your presentation still works without your visual aids in case of technical problems.

10-20-30 slideshow rule

Slideshows are widely used for presentations because it’s easy to create attractive and professional presentations using them. Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a 10-20-30 rule :

There should be a maximum of 10 slides – people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there’s no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

If you want to give the audience more information you can provide them with partially completed handouts or give them the handouts after you’ve delivered the presentation.

Keep a drink nearby

Have something to drink when you’re on stage, preferably water at room temperature. This will help maintain your vocal quality and having a sip is a subtle way of introducing pauses.

Practice, practice, practice

If you are very familiar with the content of your presentation, your audience will perceive you as confident and you’ll be more persuasive.

Don’t just read the presentation through – practice everything, including your transitions and using your visual aids.
Stand up and speak it aloud, in an engaging manner, as though you were presenting to an audience.
Ensure that you practice your body language and gesturing.
Use VR to practice in a realistic environment .
Practice in front of others and get their feedback.
Freely improvise so you’ll sound more natural on the day. Don’t learn your presentation verbatim because you will sound uninterested and if you lose focus then you may forget everything.
Create cards to use as cues – one card should be used for one key idea. Write down brief notes or key words and ensure that the cards are physically connected so the order cannot be lost. Visual prompts can also be used as cues.

This video shows how you can practice presentations in virtual reality. See our VR training courses .

Two courses where you can practice your presentations in interactive exercises:

Essential Public Speaking
How to Present over Video

Try these different presentation delivery methods to see which ones you prefer and which need to be improved. The most important factor is to feel comfortable during the presentation as the delivery is likely to be better.

Remember that the audience are generally on your side – they want you to do well so present with confidence.

How to Start a Presentation [+ Examples]

Published: September 13, 2023

The first step in mastering the art of delivering powerful presentations is understanding how to start a presentation properly.

how to start a presentation where a person holds mic

In this post, you'll discover strategies for crafting a solid presentation opening, designing an impactful opening slide, and delivering a memorable presentation.

Table of Contents

Why Your Presentation Opening Matters

How to start a presentation, opening slide examples, best practices for starting a presentation.

The opening of your presentation sets the tone for your entire session.

Within the first few minutes, most of your audience will decide whether they find your expertise, experience, and topic compelling enough to warrant their attention.

Think of it this way: Your opening is a preview of your presentation like a trailer is a preview of a movie. If the five-minute trailer isn’t engaging or impactful, why should the audience bother sitting through the half-hour movie?

Your opening shapes the expectations of your audience and entices them to stay engaged throughout the session.

And although you’ll still need to work to maintain their attention, getting it right from the start will spare you the challenge of re-engaging a disinterested audience right from the beginning of your presentation.

This opening statement is powerful because rather than lead with his “credentials” or “accolades,” as the audience most likely expects, he defies that expectation.

He creates a sense of intrigue that instantly piques the audience's curiosity and compels them to pay closer attention.

Infuse humor.

In Tom Thum's TedTalk titled Beatbox Brilliance , he sets a lighthearted tone by stepping on stage wearing oversized sunglasses and declaring, “My name is Tom, and I've come here today to come clean about what I do for money.”

As you might expect, this humorous approach not only elicits laughter but also surprises the audience, who are intrigued and pleasantly surprised at the tone he sets for the presentation.

Ask a question.

Graham Shaw's presentation titled “ Why people believe they can’t draw - and how to prove they can ” begins with, “Hi, I've got a question for you - how many people here would say they can draw?”

Seeing as this is a relatively lighthearted question that’s simple to answer, the audience responds immediately.

Now, what makes this a powerful opening technique is that Graham then goes on to say:

“When people say they can’t draw, I think it's more to do with beliefs rather than talent and ability. When you say you can’t draw, that’s just an illusion, and today I’d like to prove that to you.”

By immediately challenging a widely held belief among the audience and promising to debunk it during the presentation, he employs a powerful technique that keeps the audience fully engaged.

This approach makes the audience feel “invested” in the outcome of the presentation and curious as to whether he can back up his claim.

2. Tell your audience why they should be listening to you.

Getting your audience’s attention is just one part of the equation. Once you have it, you must also explain why they should “keep” listening to you. Here are some ways to do this:

Highlight relevant personal experience.

In Phil Waknell’s opening section, he talks about how he’s spent the last ten years helping conference speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs prepare and deliver powerful presentations .

This immediately signals to the audience that he’s someone worth listening to and positions him as a credible source of insights based on the wealth of experience he has gathered.

Highlight your expertise.

During the opening section of Dr. Lara Boyd’s presentation titled “ After watching this, your brain will not be the same ,” she says, “I’m Dr. Lara Boyd, and I’m a brain researcher here at the University of British Columbia.”

Sharing her credentials as a brain researcher is crucial to gaining her audience's trust — especially considering the technicality of her topic.

But even while creating presentations outside fields like brain research, sharing qualifications and credentials in your opening section can be a powerful technique.

This helps you position yourself as a credible authority and reinforcing your audience's confidence in your ability to deliver valuable information.

Tell your audience what’s in it for them.

In Mel Robbins’ opening section for her presentation titled “ How to stop screwing yourself over ,” she ends her introduction by saying:

“I’m here for you. I’m going to tell you everything I know in less than 18 minutes about how to get what you want.”

Although she started the section by highlighting her experiences and expertise, she went further by explicitly stating the benefits her audience can expect from her presentation.

Doing this is a great way to create a compelling reason for your audience to invest their time and attention and emphasize the value of the presentation you’re about to deliver.

3. Introduce your topic.

If your topic is relatively simple to grasp or your audience is particularly knowledgeable, introducing your topic can be as easy as “Today, I’m going to be talking to you about how we’ve built a six-figure software company in 6 months.”

However, if your topic is more complex or unfamiliar to the audience, you must do a bit more heavy lifting in your opening section.

For example, Sam Bern’s “ My philosophy for a happy life ” presentation discusses how he lives a happy life despite having Progeria disease.

However, because this condition might be unfamiliar to some audience members, he takes some time in his opening section to talk about the illness before delving into the meat of his presentation.

Similarly, if you’re presenting on a complex topic or to an audience that isn’t knowledgeable, it’s essential to consider this when crafting your opening section.

4. Leverage storytelling.

Stories can create immersive experiences that captivate the audience and convey a core message.

For example, in the opening section of Sam Bern's presentation, he tells a story about his struggles while trying to achieve his goal of becoming a drummer in his school marching band, despite living with Progeria disease.

This sets the tone for his entire presentation by conveying an inspiring message of fighting against and succeeding despite the odds.

Another great example is the opening section of Josh Kaufman’s presentation, titled “ The First 20 Hours — how to learn anything ,” where he tells a story about his experience as a time-strapped first-time parent.

This story enhances the presentation as Josh eventually shares that this experience triggered his interest in studying how to become an efficient learner.

Finally, Amy Morins’s presentation “ The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong ” is another excellent example of leveraging storytelling.

Amy starts her presentation with a thought-provoking story about observing a Facebook friend's seemingly perfect life.

She then highlights how such comparisons can lead to negative thought patterns and emphasizes the importance of cultivating mental resilience.

This relatable story not only resonates with her audience but also sets the stage for her message on building inner strength.

All these presentations are great examples that highlight how incorporating story-telling in your openings can be a powerful tool for creating memorable and impactful presentations.

Your presentation slides play a crucial role in determining the impact and effectiveness of your presentation.

In this section, you’ll find examples of 8 powerful opening slides across various use cases that not just support but enhance the presentation openings:

1. “ Blackboard is Getting an Upgrade ”

Although these are very different methods of injecting humor at the start of a presentation, they show how infusing humor can be a powerful tool for adding a touch of personality and creating a more enjoyable presentation for the audience.

4. Keep it short and sweet.

While it's important not to rush through the start of your presentation, keeping your opening concise is equally important. But remember, concise does not mean sacrificing substance; it simply means delivering information efficiently.

Essentially, you want an opening section that allows you to create a solid initial impression without losing the audience's interest.

So, how long should this opening secretion be?

Most successful presentation openings are under three minutes, and many are shorter, often clocking in at under one minute.

5. Embrace authenticity.

Contrary to popular belief, there isn't a specific personality that makes someone a better presenter. In fact, the most impactful presentations have been delivered by individuals with diverse characters.

Take, for instance, the contrasting styles of Tom Thum’s irreverent humor and animated mannerisms and Sam Bern, who adopts a relaxed and conversational approach. Despite their differences, both speakers have garnered millions of views for their talks.

So, rather than emulating or mimicking their presentations, the key takeaway is to embrace authenticity.

Allow your personality to shine through, lean on your strengths, and be human in your delivery.

Mastering the Art of Captivating Presentations

Starting a presentation is a skill that is as much an art as it is a science. Thankfully, it is also a skill that can be learned and honed.

By implementing the strategies in this guide and refining them through experience, you’ll become a master at delivering impactful presentations that command attention and leave a lasting impression.

All from the moment you step onto the stage.

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How to Introduce the Next Speaker in a Presentation

Last Updated: March 21, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Patrick Muñoz . Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 233,191 times.

Whether at work, school, or a professional conference or workshop, group presentations are something you might find yourself giving from time to time. Introductions are part of any public speaking , so it’s good to know a few guidelines for introducing the person who’s speaking after you in a presentation. We want to help you nail your next presentation , so we put together this list of tips to make transitional introductions a breeze!

Things You Should Know

Summarize your main points briefly to wrap up your portion of the presentation.
Introduce the next topic to shift the audience's focus into a smooth transition.
Praise the upcoming speaker or offer a few details about them. Then, state the speaker's full name and professional title to finish the introduction.

Summarize what you just talked about.

This wraps up your section of the presentation to transition into the next.

For example, say something like: “So, in conclusion , if global warming continues at the current rate, more than 140 million people could be displaced by 2050.”
Or, say something like: “Well, that was a brief introduction to the projected effects of carbon emissions over the next 3 decades.”

Set the audience up for the next topic with a question.

This gets the audience to shift their focus to the next topic.

For example, if the next speaker is going to talk about the implications of AI for future generations, ask something like: “What if by the year 2075 there was no longer any need for humans in manufacturing jobs?”
Or, if the next presenter is there to talk about cloud computing security, ask something like: “How often do you worry about security when you save your files to the cloud?”

Say the upcoming speaker’s name.

This lets the audience know exactly who is up next.

For example, say: “Up next is Robert Sandoval…”
Or, say: “Here now is John Mando…”

State the next presenter’s title or profession.

For example, say something like: “Up next is Alex Bando, Marketing Director.”
Or, say something like: “Roger Stoney is a former philosophy professor at Washington State University.”

Tell the audience what the next person is there to talk about.

This builds anticipation to get the audience’s attention.

For example, after you state the person’s name and background, say something like: “He’s going to talk to you about 5 tried-and-true time management techniques for success that you can start using today!”
Or, say something like: “Jill is going to speak about an exciting discovery she made while researching the behaviors of the Puget Sound’s octopus population last year.”

Praise the next speaker as you introduce them.

This shows the audience that you personally endorse the individual.

For example, say something like: “Sarah is truly one of the most brilliant minds I’ve met in the world of physics and I can’t wait for you to hear what she has to say.”
Or, say something like: “Alexa has been a close colleague of mine for almost 6 years now and she’s a great public speaker, so I know you’re really going to enjoy this.”
If you don't know the person personally, you could do a little research about their achievements and say something like: "John has won global recognition for his books and is a leading authority on economics."

Add a fun piece of information or a joke.

A fun fact or a joke can help pique the audience’s attention.

For example, say something like: “Besides being a leading expert in marine biology, Jill speaks 5 languages fluently. But don’t worry, this presentation is only in 1!”

Keep the introduction short.

Audiences want to hear what the speaker has to say.

For instance, your first sentence is a summary of what you said, your second sentence is a question to frame the upcoming topic, then you can fit the next speaker’s name, title, and topic all into the next 1-2 sentences. Finally, you can end with a fun fact about the next presenter in your fifth sentence.”

Give the next presenter a cue that it’s their time to speak.

This ends the intro and brings the next speaker on stage.

You could say something like: “Come on up, Sam!”
Or, say: “Welcome, Rachel.”

Rehearse your entire presentation at least twice.

This ensures you get the introduction right.

If you can’t rehearse with the speaker you have to introduce, you can still practice your whole section of the presentation up to the end of the transitional intro. Just imagine that the next speaker is sitting off to the side somewhere.
It can help to film yourself practicing in front of a mirror and then watching the video back. You can also practice in front of a friend.

Expert Q&A

↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-conclude-a-presentation
↑ https://hbr.org/2016/10/how-to-memorably-introduce-another-speaker
↑ https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-publicspeaking/chapter/introducing-a-speaker/
↑ https://www.meetingsnet.com/speakers-entertainment/4-tips-introducing-your-next-keynote-speaker
↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Xa1fq-oPo&t=120s
↑ https://hbr.org/2019/09/how-to-rehearse-for-an-important-presentation

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Keynote Presentation Template

Use the Keynote Presentation Template to create impactful presentations that will keep audiences intrigued and engaged.

Trusted by 65M+ users and leading companies

About the Keynote Presentation Template

The Keynote Presentation Template gives you the perfect framework to create a professional presentation that will capture your audience’s attention and keep them intrigued and inspired throughout your speech.

With tons of customizable elements, it’s the perfect choice if you’re planning on creating an effective keynote address that people will remember.

What is a keynote presentation?

A keynote presentation is a speech that’s given around a specific theme that sets an overall tone for the event. These speeches aim to reinforce, rally, or inspire the audience around a particular topic.

Often, keynote speeches are given by well-known figures, celebrities, or people who are very accomplished in a particular field. While mostly used at political or industry conventions, this type of presentation is excellent for other events such as expositions and academic conferences as well.

What should be included in a keynote presentation?

A keynote presentation should include:

One main theme: The best keynote speeches are created with one main idea or theme in mind. Everything else in your speech is going to relate to this one theme. For example, your theme may be “Business in the Age of AI.”

Content relevant to the audience: It’s vital that you know exactly who your audience is. What are their interests, views, and behaviors? Even more importantly, how can you connect with them and fulfill their expectations through your speech?

Stories and experiences: Use the fact-story-fact method to keep your audience intrigued throughout. Stories and experiences are an excellent way to connect with your audience and make them feel like you understand them and their struggles.

Interactive elements: Include interactive elements in your presentation to engage your audience. Ask them questions that stimulate their thinking and help them figure out how they’re going to apply the information you’re giving.

A call to action: Simplify the keynote message into a CTA. A good keynote speaker will leave the audience with actionable methods to incorporate the message into their businesses or personal lives.

How long should a keynote presentation be?

The best keynote presentations are between 15 and 45 minutes long. However, it all depends on the speaker and the type of event.

Generally, the shorter the keynote speech, the better. This is especially true when the speech is given after lunch or dinner when your audience is tired and has a shorter attention span. It’s important that the keynote speaker stays within the time parameters — even if the event is running late and requires you to shave a few minutes off your speech.

How to use the Keynote Presentation Template

Download Miro’s Keynote Presentation Template, to get instant access. Here are the steps you can follow to get the most out of the Keynote Presentation Template.

Step 1: Introduce yourself and the main theme/idea

You need to introduce yourself and the main theme of your presentation in the first few frames or slides. It’s important that you pre-frame your audience in this section. Get them to adopt a particular outlook or attitude so that they’re receptive to the rest of your speech.

Step 2: Break down your content

You can divide your content into different segments to make it easily digestible. One way to do this is to have one slide per fact and a subsequent story. Keep the information on your slides minimal and concise.

Step 3: Customize your slides

Design creative slides by customizing them with supportive images, vector graphics, infographic elements, color schemes, and other visual elements to suit your message. Creating a beautiful presentation and adding a personal touch to it can go a long way in connecting with your audience. It’s your choice whether a stylish or simple design suits your topic and brand best.

Step 4: Deliver the presentation

Once you’re done including the information on your frames, you can use presentation mode for different slide options where you can move, remove, or add slides to suit the timeframe of your speech. Once you click “present,” you’ll enter the widescreen format where your frames will be shown full-screen. You’ll be able to easily move between slides by using the arrow icons or keys.

What makes a good keynote presentation?

Here are a few tips you can follow to give a good keynote presentation:

Rehearse your speech in advance

Don’t write an entire script. Rather, focus on giving yourself a few key points that you can flesh out during the presentation. This will help you stay focused and avoid any memory lapses while you’re on stage.

Keep the slides simple

Use bullet points in your slides to limit the amount of time the audience spends reading them. This will keep the audience focused on you as opposed to your slides.

Create a clear speech structure

Does your speech have a beginning, middle, and end? Each of your speech sections will include different segments or information that should have a specific aim. You need to:

Establish authority and grab your audience’s attention in the introduction .

Make your arguments and show examples in the body of your speech.

Sum your entire speech up and give a clear CTA in your conclusion .

What makes a keynote speech different from other presentations?

A keynote speech is the principal presentation that introduces and sets the tone for an event. Instead of teaching the audience skills and concepts on a deep, experiential level — like you would in most training sessions and presentations — the audience is only required to become inspired and ingest the lessons of a keynote presentation.

How many keynote speeches are in a conference?

Most events have a single keynote speaker at the beginning of the event. However, sometimes there may be two keynote speakers — one at the beginning and one at the end.

Do keynote speakers take questions?

Keynote speakers do take questions. However, instead of taking questions at the end of the speech, they’ll usually weave in a moment for questions toward the end of the presentation and only then summarize and conclude their keynote with a final thought or story.

Get started with this template right now.

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Home Blog Business Presentation Structure Guidelines for Effective Communication

Presentation Structure Guidelines for Effective Communication

Cover for Presentation Structure guide by SlideModel

In the business world, a presentation is so much more than just a bunch of slides or points—it’s a golden opportunity. It can sway decisions, propel change, or bring people together. How you structure your presentation is absolutely critical in getting your ideas across clearly and compellingly.

When you’ve got a structured presentation just right, it’s like you’re taking your audience by the hand and guiding them through your thoughts, making sure they pick up all the important bits along the way. Moreover, it speaks of your degree of professionalism and how much knowledge you bear on the topic in question.

Therefore, nailing your presentation structure isn’t just helpful; it’s downright necessary to get the results you’re after. Whether you’re pitching a new concept to the investors, sharing the latest findings with your team, or taking the stage at a conference, how you lay out your content becomes the language you use to interact with your audience. Get to know all that’s required to create a powerful presentation structure that will guarantee success in business meetings, academic dissertations, or motivational talks .

Table of Contents

What is a Presentation Structure

Introduction, techniques to structure your presentation, common mistakes to avoid when designing a presentation structure, final words.

Let’s compare a presentation structure to a business plan . Just as a business plan is essential for guiding a company’s strategy and ensuring all aspects of the business are aligned toward common goals, a presentation structure is crucial for organizing the content and delivery of your talk.

The presentation structure lays out a clear and logical sequence of information, akin to the sections of a business plan that outline the company’s mission , market analysis , and financial projections. This clear sequence ensures that your audience can easily follow and understand your message, maximizing the impact your speech can deliver and influencing your target audience.

Key Elements of a Presentation Structure

The easiest way to study a presentation structure is to subdivide it into sections. Basically, every presentation has a structure that follows this formula: Introduction > Body > Conclusion.

The introduction is the first section of the presentation and sets the tone for the rest of the presentation. It should be attention-grabbing and make the audience want to listen to the rest of the presentation.

When defining how to start a presentation , these are the best tips we recommend you implement.

Start with a Hook

Kick off your introduction with a strong hook that grabs your audience’s attention. This could be an intriguing fact, a thought-provoking question, or a compelling story related to your topic. A captivating opening will make your audience want to listen and engage with your presentation.

Clearly State Your Topic

Be clear and concise when stating your topic. Your audience should immediately understand what your presentation is about and what they can expect to learn. A clear statement of your topic sets the stage and provides a roadmap for the rest of your presentation.

Establish Credibility

Take a moment to establish your credibility by briefly sharing your qualifications or experience related to the topic. This helps to build trust and rapport with your audience, and it shows that you are knowledgeable and well-prepared.

Engage Your Audience

Make your audience part of the presentation by engaging them from the start. Ask a question, encourage participation, or invite them to think about how the topic relates to their own experiences. Engagement helps to create a connection between you and your audience. Using a surprise factor is an alternative if you feel the topic you’re about to present may not fully resonate with the target audience.

Preview Main Points

End your introduction by briefly previewing the main points you will cover in your presentation. This provides a clear structure for your audience to follow and helps them understand what to expect in the body of your presentation. An agenda slide is the perfect tool for this purpose.

Agenda Slide in a Presentation Structure introduction

The body is the main part of the presentation and provides the content and information that the audience came to hear. It should feature the main points and details supporting your presentation’s objective. Depending on your topic, this could include data, arguments, case studies, examples, or demonstrations. Each main point should be clear and distinct, with evidence or examples substantiating it. The content should be tailored to your audience’s level of knowledge and interest.

Different presentations call for various structures. For example, a Product Presentation ’s structure should start by dividing the content into clear sections or headings. For instance, if presenting a new software tool, sections could include its features, benefits, and user feedback.

On the other hand, a Persuasive Presentation begins with stating the current situation or problem, followed by proposed solutions, evidence supporting those solutions, and the benefits of adopting your proposition.

Workshop or Training Presentations begin with an overview of what will be taught, followed by step-by-step instructions, examples, demonstrations, and summaries or quizzes after each major section.

One essential aspect is to plan the multimedia elements to include in your presentation, including audio, images, and video, depending on the presentation style you aim to deliver. Through our expertise, we want to share some tips on how to plan this kind of content:

Using relevant content: Each image should be related to its accompanying content. Avoid using images just for decoration. If using videos, dedicate an entire slide to them rather than sticking them to a corner of your slide. Plan a powerful hook to connect your thoughts with these visual aids.
Quality: Ensure all images are of high resolution and can be clearly viewed, even from a distance. Avoid pixelated or distorted images.
Simplicity: Infographics and diagrams should be easy to understand. If presenting data, use simple charts or graphs instead of complex tables. Limit the amount of text on each slide to ensure clarity. This rule of simplicity also applies to written content and the structure of your speech. Use the Feynman Technique as a time-saver approach to simplify content to reach any knowledgeable audience.
Consistency: A common cause of presentation failures is to distract the audience with an unprofessional look. Maintain a consistent style and color scheme for all images to give your presentation a polished and professional feel.

Along the path of creating these media elements, you can rethink your strategy for disclosing content. In general lines, you should present your points in a logical order, often from the most to least important or in a chronological sequence. This helps the audience follow along and build understanding step by step. Well-known practices like the storytelling technique follow this approach to maximize audience engagement.

Transition smoothly between points. Phrases like “moving on,” “in addition,” or “on the other hand” can guide your audience through your narrative. Break up long sections of spoken content with anecdotes, questions, or short videos. Such an approach adds variety and keeps the audience engaged.

A well-structured conclusion is the linchpin that holds your presentation together, reinforcing your main points and leaving a lasting impression on your audience. It is your final opportunity to communicate your message and encourage audience engagement. So, before you consider how to end a presentation , here are some powerful tips to ensure you conclude your presentation with impact.

End with a Strong Statement or Quote

This technique is commonly used in motivational presentations, where the speaker leaves the audience with a slide containing a quote related to the topic of the presentation, something that evokes inner reflection about the topic discussed.

Motivational slide presentation structure

Conclude your presentation with a strong, memorable statement or a powerful quote that ties back to your main message. This adds weight to your argument and leaves a lasting impression on your audience. If you aim to surprise your audience, silence can also be a strong statement if your presentation has to raise awareness about a problem.

Incorporate a Call-to-Action

Clearly communicate to your audience what you want them to do next. Whether it’s to adopt a new perspective, take specific action, or continue the conversation outside of the presentation, a clear call to action drives engagement and encourages your audience to act upon your message.

Ask Thought-Provoking Questions

Pose thought-provoking questions that stimulate reflection and discussion. This opens the door for audience participation and engagement and allows you to interact with the audience in a Q&A session, or reach after your presentation concluded to network.

Thought-Provoking Question slide structure

Additional Resources and Contact Info

Offer resources such as articles, websites, or books for those interested in exploring your topic further. This not only adds value to your presentation but also encourages the audience to engage with the content beyond the presentation itself.

Consider the way you leave a communication channel open with your audience. This can be in the format of a deliverable, writing down your contact data in the “Thank You” slide , or simply via speech to inform where they can know more about you and your work.

We already discussed the basic Introduction-Body-Conclusion framework for a presentation, but there are alternative approaches that can help you structure your talk.

Problem-Solution Framework

The Problem-Solution Framework is a compelling method to structure presentations, particularly when aiming to persuade or inform an audience about addressing specific challenges. The framework operates on a simple yet impactful premise: initially, highlight a problem or challenge that needs addressing and subsequently propose a viable solution or set of solutions.

Starting with the problem establishes a context, engages the audience by highlighting pain points or challenges they may recognize, and creates a desire for resolution. It sets the stage for the solution to be perceived as necessary and valuable.

The solution phase offers that much-needed resolution. By presenting a clear, actionable solution or set of recommendations, the presenter provides a pathway to overcome the identified challenge. This structure is not only logical but also highly persuasive, as it appeals to the audience’s desire for resolution and improvement. In essence, the Problem-Solution Framework is both a guide for content organization and a psychological tool for persuasion.

Chronological Structure

The Chronological Structure is an intuitive and organized approach to presenting information based on a sequence of events or a progression in time. Whether recounting historical events, outlining the stages of a project, or narrating a personal story, this structure follows a clear beginning, middle, and end sequence. By presenting details in the order they occurred, the audience can easily follow the narrative, making connections between events and understanding causality.

Chronological model presentation structure

This structure is especially effective when the timeline of events is crucial to the narrative or when showcasing developments, evolutions, or growth over time. It provides clarity and eliminates confusion that might arise from a non-linear presentation. Moreover, by anchoring information on a timeline, the Chronological Structure aids memory retention, as the audience can mentally “map out” the journey of events. In sum, this method offers clarity and a compelling narrative arc, ensuring audience engagement from start to finish.

Comparative Structure

The Comparative Structure is a strategic approach to presentations that hinges on juxtaposing two or more elements, ideas, or solutions side by side. By examining similarities and differences, this method illuminates unique qualities, advantages, or drawbacks inherent in each element. Often employed in business scenarios like product comparisons, market analysis, or debates, the comparative structure helps audiences critically analyze options and make informed decisions.

Presenters utilizing this structure typically start by introducing the elements for comparison. They then delve into detailed analysis, often using criteria or metrics to maintain objective evaluations. Visual aids like Venn diagrams or comparison charts can enhance clarity and visual appeal.

The strength of the Comparative Structure lies in its ability to foster critical thinking. By directly contrasting items, audiences are engaged, encouraged to weigh pros and cons, and ultimately arrive at a deeper understanding or more nuanced perspective on the subject matter.

Matrix Structure

The Matrix Structure offers an approach to organizing presentations by segmenting information into distinct categories or sections, akin to a grid or matrix. Instead of a linear flow, topics are grouped by themes, criteria, or any relevant classification, allowing for simultaneous exploration of multiple facets of a subject. Think of it as viewing a topic through various lenses concurrently.

For instance, in a business setting, a product might be examined in terms of design, functionality, market positioning, and customer feedback. Each of these constitutes a segment in the matrix.

Visually, the matrix can be represented using tables, grids, or quadrant charts, making the content easily digestible and engaging. A key advantage of this structure is its flexibility; presenters can delve deep into one segment or provide a broader overview of all areas, depending on the audience’s needs. Ultimately, the Matrix Structure ensures a comprehensive and multifaceted examination of a topic, providing depth and breadth in analysis.

Modular Structure

The final model we will study is the Modular Structure. It takes content and packs it into modules, which can be arranged at any other the presenter requires them to be. Each module addresses a specific topic or idea and is designed to be self-contained, ensuring clarity even if presented independently or in a different order. This adaptability makes the modular approach especially valuable in dynamic settings, such as workshops or conferences, where audience feedback or time constraints might necessitate adjustments on the fly.

For example, in a corporate training session, different modules could cover distinct skills or topics. Based on the attendees’ prior knowledge or the session’s time limit, the presenter can prioritize, omit, or rearrange modules without compromising the integrity of each segment.

By adopting the Modular Structure, presenters gain flexibility without sacrificing depth. This approach fosters a responsive presentation style, allowing speakers to tailor content in real-time, ensuring maximum relevance and engagement for their audience.

Even well-seasoned presenters can fall prey to these common mistakes in terms of presentation structure. Let’s learn how to prevent them.

Overloading with Information

It’s tempting to include every bit of knowledge you have on a topic. Still, information overload can quickly disengage an audience. Prioritize key points and leave out extraneous details. As famous architect, Mies van der Rohe famously coined, “Less is More.”

Weak Transitions

Jumping abruptly from one point to another can disrupt the flow and confuse listeners. Ensure smooth transitions between sections, signaling shifts in topics or ideas to keep the narrative cohesive.

Dull Design

While content is king, visual appeal matters. Relying solely on walls of text or bland slides can lose your audience’s interest. Incorporate engaging visuals, charts, and multimedia elements to enhance your message and retain attention.

Ignoring the Call to Action

Concluding your presentation without guiding the audience on the next steps or what’s expected of them can be a missed opportunity. Whether it’s seeking feedback, prompting a discussion, or encouraging an action, always have a clear call to action.

Good communication is all about making your point clear, especially in presentations. We’ve talked about how the right structure can keep your audience hooked. But there’s more to it. Think about your presentation. Is it telling your story the way you want? Is it reaching your audience? Take a step back and really look at how you’re laying it out. Don’t just go with the flow – choose your format wisely. Remember, every presentation tells a story, and how you set it up matters a lot.

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How to Memorably Introduce Another Speaker

Deborah Grayson Riegel

What to say to get your audience’s attention.

As a professional speaker and facilitator for over 20 years, I’ve been introduced more than a thousand times, by countless meeting planners, conference organizers, and team leaders. Nevertheless, most of the introductions have fallen into one of four categories:

Deborah Grayson Riegel is a professional speaker and facilitator, as well as a communication and presentation skills coach. She teaches leadership communication at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and has taught for Wharton Business School, Columbia Business School’s Women in Leadership Program, and Peking University’s International MBA Program. She is the author of Overcoming Overthinking: 36 Ways to Tame Anxiety for Work, School, and Life and the best-selling Go To Help: 31 Strategies to Offer, Ask for, and Accept Help .

How to Optimize Room Setup for Training and Presentations

If your audience seating arrangement and overall room setup isn’t aligned with the design of your session, you are starting from a position of weakness.

In this article, we describe the core principles that factor into your room setup choices. We then offer an in-depth view of several popular options, and point out the advantages and disadvantages of each. Finally, we end with tips you can use to optimize the room for your audience and set yourself up for success.

Core Principles for Choosing a Seating Setup

Before we dig into the many seating styles available, let’s first review the high-level audience-centric principles which will guide your choices.

Comfort — Are audience members able to participate fully while facing forward? Or do they need to constantly twist around? Is there enough room for them to get to their seat easily? Will they be bumping into one another constantly? If they are comfortable, they can focus on listening to you.
Sight lines — Can audience members see the presenter? The slides? Each other? Clear sight lines allow your audience to absorb the visual component of your message, whether it be slides, body language, or anything else.
Utility — Is a surface provided for using a laptop, taking notes, practice exercises, eating, or drinking? You want your audience members to be active learners, so give them space to do it.
Proximity — Are audience members relatively close to the screen, the presenter, and each other? Or is it sparse seating? Too far apart drains energy from the room, but too close can be uncomfortable.
Compatibility — Is the layout of the room and the seating arrangement optimal for the style of presentation/training being offered? Does it support slide content? Large-group discussions? Small-group exercises?

These five principles will be our focus as we tour many popular seating styles available for your room.

Theater Style Seating Setup

Theater style seating is a series of chairs arranged in parallel rows, all facing forward to the front of the room. No tables are provided. Most large lecture theaters and movie theaters are arranged this way.

Allows high-density seating; that is, for a given room size, theater style seating maximizes the potential audience size.
Because audience members are close to each other and the speaker, this arrangement tends to maximize the energy in the room.

Disadvantages

No surface on which to place laptops, writing pads, food, or any other items.
Poor sight lines for people sitting near the front corners and, in very large rooms, people sitting toward the back and along the sides.
Angle of seats may require some audience members to “twist” their body to face the speaker or screen.
May be cumbersome to get to seats, depending on locations of walking aisles.
Less overall comfort (i.e. hot, stuffy) due to high density.
Audience members have essentially zero eye contact with each other, making discussions inconvenient and unlikely.

Best for…

Presentations for large audiences where the information flow is one-way (from speaker to audience) and there is no requirement for taking notes or using laptops.

Classroom Style Seating Setup

Classroom style seating is a series of tables (or desks) and chairs arranged in parallel rows, all facing toward the front of the room.

Tables (or desks) provide space for laptops, note-taking, and food.
Highest density of any seating arrangement involving tables or desks.
Poor sight lines for people sitting near the front corners.
Angle of seats and tables requires some audience members to twist their body to face the speaker or screen.
Training sessions where most audience members are taking notes or using laptops, and where most of the information flows from the speaker to the audience.

Boardroom Style Seating Setup

Boardroom style seating is a single large table (or several smaller tables butting up against one another) surrounded by chairs on both sides. The most common shape is rectangular (as shown in the diagram), but variations include both circular or square tables.

Lots of eye contact between audience members promotes discussion.
Tables allow for laptops, note-taking, and food.
Terrible sight lines to view slides for many audience members, particularly those at the “far end”.
Even worse sight lines from audience members to see the presenter, who must either stand to the side (not good) or sit (worse).
Multi-tasking (e.g. using a laptop while viewing slides or the presenter) requires lots of body twisting.
Depending on length (and shape) of table(s), audience members at the extreme ends can feel isolated. Tables which are circular or square can mitigate this.
Small groups focused on discussion and making decisions where there’s no primary presenter and little reliance on slides.

U-Shaped Style Seating Setup

U-shaped style seating is a series of tables forming three sides of a square or rectangle, with seating arranged around the outside. In this arrangement, all seats face the middle of the “U” shape.

Clear sight lines (both audience-to-presenter and audience-to-audience) fosters large group discussions.
Presenter can walk into open space within the “U”; this creates a unique dynamic because they are “immersed” within the audience.
Tends to lead to very low density seating, and thus requires a larger room for the same size audience.
Audience members at the “bottom” of the “U” are seated a large distance from screen, leading to several bad results: [a] readability of slides or flip charts is reduced, [b] participants are more easily distracted, and [c] participants are more likely to lose focus.
Audience members in the “corners” can feel relatively isolated.
Training sessions which are designed to emphasize large group interactions, with less emphasis on slide content.

Banquet Style Seating Setup

Banquet style seating is when a number of tables are scattered throughout the room, with seating arranged entirely around each table. Tables are often circular, but can be other shapes as well.

Tables create focal points which promote small-group discussions.
Small group settings create feelings of inclusiveness, and counteract the isolated feeling or anonymity that individual participants may feel within a large group.
Many people are naturally facing away from screen, and must turn away from table to see slides or presenter.
Tables can promote side chatter among groups unrelated to event goals.
Table space can be limited, depending how many people are seated at each table. (i.e. there is less individual space compared to classroom, boardroom, or U-shaped style seating)
Moving to/from seats can be cumbersome, depending on overall room size and walking aisles.
Training sessions which are designed to emphasize small-group exercises, with less emphasis on slide content.

Cabaret Style Seating Setup

Cabaret style seating is when a number of tables are scattered throughout the room, with seating arranged only partly around each table. This avoids anyone sitting with their back to the front of the room where the speaker or screen are located.

Most people are facing screen and presenter with limited twisting.
Lower density compared with Banquet style seating. More tables and a larger room are required for the same number of people.
Training sessions which are designed to emphasize a balance between small-group exercises and slide content.

Chevron Style Seating Setup

Chevron style seating (or V-shaped seating) is when tables are arranged in a series of angular patterns relative to one another, with seating on one side so that every chair is oriented optimally to face the screen or speaker. In narrow rooms, tables might be arranged in true “V”-shapes (as shown in the diagram); in wider rooms, tables might be arranged with a central “wing” connecting the two ends of the “V”, like this: \_/ .

Everyone faces the screen and presenter, so nobody has to twist their chair. Note-taking or using a laptop is thus comfortable for everyone.
Many audience members are now able to make full or partial eye contact with each other, promoting group discussion.
Relatively high density (similar to Classroom seating).
Individual tables support small-group exercises.
While some large group discussion is supported, it isn’t ideal because some people are still looking at the backs of other people’s heads.
Training sessions which are designed to emphasize slide content, but also want to incorporate some small-group exercises and some large-group discussion.

What is the Best Seating Arrangement?

It depends! There’s no single seating arrangement that works best for all speakers and all settings. I have had productive sessions (both as the speaker and as an audience member) in all of the above arrangements, and I’ve also been in many rooms which were not set up properly to support the goals of the session.

A trainer who trained me several times usually adopts U-shaped style seating, because her courses rely heavily on large-group discussion, and she feels very comfortable sitting in the middle of the “U”.

On the other hand, I generally prefer chevron style seating for the courses that I teach, because I feel it offers the best blend of comfort and flexibility to support the slide content, large-group discussions, and small-group exercises which I design into my courses.

Tips for Optimizing the Room for Your Audience

Regardless of the seating arrangement that you choose for your event, be thoughtful and action-oriented when it comes to setting up your room for success. Every style above can be modified and enhanced to further support your goals.

Be proactive. Plan for success. The overall success of the presentation or training session reflects on you. Ask questions about what is possible. Think about the seating arrangement that will best support your format, and make it happen.
Show up early and roll up your sleeves. If the room isn’t set up as you requested (and if the furniture isn’t all bolted to the floor), then go ahead and move it. Several times, I’ve asked for chevron-style seating with tables, and discovered that the tables were stacked at the back of the room. Moving them was a small effort to invest in the success of the training session.
Pull the seats forward. When your audience is unnecessarily far away from you, it’s harder for them to hear you, harder for them to read your slides, and harder for you to connect with them. I have routinely moved all of the seats forward to improve this situation.
Eliminate unnecessary seats. Suppose you know that your audience is going to be 30 people, but the room is set up with 6 rows of 10 chairs each (=60 seats total). Most people tend to choose a seat toward the back. The result is that most of your audience will sit in the back half of the room. This reduces the overall energy in the group, and makes it harder for them to hear you and see you (and your slides). You have several options: [a] push the chairs/tables all the way back so they aren’t an option, [b] tip the chairs on the back rows forward to indicate they are blocked, or [c] “tape” them off.
Identify and solve sight line problems. Check the seats in the corners to make sure that someone sitting there can see [a] the screen, [b] you (even as you move around) and [c] any other equipment you’ll be using (e.g. flip charts, white boards, etc.). I recently delivered a training session in a long, narrow room which could only be set up in Boardroom style. The consequence was that most participants would not be able to see both the screen and the flip chart if I left them side by side. So, I decided to pull the flip chart to a central location when I needed it, and then push it away again to support focusing on slides.
Plan your movement with room constraints in mind. Remember that your body will block sight lines too. Map out where you can stand to avoid blocking your audience’s view of the screen, whiteboard, or flip chart.
Design your slides with room constraints in mind. If you know that the room will be set up in such a way that everyone past the front row can’t see the bottom 10% of your slides (which is the case in many rooms), then don’t place any useful information there.

Which seating arrangements do you prefer?

As a speaker or trainer, which seating style helps you achieve your goals?

As an audience member, which seating style is most conducive to your goals?

Have you ever been in a room which was set up in a way that contradicted the goals of the session?

Please share your thoughts in the comments.

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Yes – just yes! It always amazes me how many presenters just accept the room as it is when they walk in.

I’ve been known to turn the entire room around to get what I wanted. (Mind you, my team weren’t all that impressed by how hard they had to work 😉 )

Thanks, Simon. Good to hear that others are being proactive with the room setup too.

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How-To Geek

How to use speaker notes in powerpoint.

If you're worried about forgetting important points during your presentation, jot down some speaker notes. Here's how to prepare and use them.

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Add speaker notes in powerpoint, use speaker notes during a powerpoint presentation.

Adding speaker notes to a PowerPoint presentation provides reference material for the speaker when they're presenting a slideshow, allowing them to stay on track without forgetting key message points. Here’s how to add and use speaker notes.

To add speaker notes in PowerPoint, you’ll first need to be in the Normal view. If you’re not already there, you can switch to Normal view by going to the “View” tab and then selecting “Normal” in the “Presentation Views” group.

Next, in the pane on left, select the slide where you'd like to add speaker notes.

Next, click the “Notes” button at the bottom of the window.

A small box reading “Tap to Add Notes” will appear beneath the slide. For Mac users, this will say “Click to Add Notes.”

Now, simply type the speaker notes for that slide. Repeat this process for each slide you'd like to add notes to.

There are two ways to use speaker notes during a presentation: by presenting on a secondary monitor or by printing out the speaker notes .

Using a Secondary Monitor

It’s safe to assume that most presentations will be presented on a secondary monitor. If this is the case for you, there’s not a whole lot you really need to do.

Related: How to Add an Extra Monitor to Your Laptop

The first thing you need to do is change the view to Slide Show. You can do this by selecting the Slide Show icon at the bottom-right corner of the window.

In this view, the audience will see only the slides as you’re going through the presentation. However, on your primary monitor, you’ll see the current slide, a preview of the upcoming slide, and your speaker notes for the current slide.

This is a convenient way to have a virtual copy of the speaker notes while you’re giving a presentation, but it never hurts to have a hard copy.

Printing the Speaker Notes

To print the speaker notes of your presentation, first select the “File” tab in the Ribbon.

Related: How to Print Multiple PowerPoint Slides to Each Piece of Paper

In the pane on left, select the “Print" button.

In the “Settings” group, select the option that says “Full Page Slides.”

A drop-down menu will appear. Here, select “Notes Pages” in the “Print Layout” group.

Finally, click “Print.”

You’ll now have a physical copy of your speaker notes.

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How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation [with Examples]

In this post, we are going to cover the best way, a very simple three-step process that will help you introduce yourself in a presentation. A summary of the steps is below.

Start with your name and company (or organization or school).
Tell your audience what problem you can solve for them.
Share some type of proof (social proof works best) that you can solve this problem.

I will break down each step into a simple-to-follow process. But first… a little background.

First, Identify What Your Audience Wants from Your Presentation

Create an Introduction for Yourself that Makes the Audience Care About the Topic

So, before you design your introduction, think about what your audience wants from your presentation. Why do they want to spend their valuable time listening to you? Are going to waste their time? Or, are you going to provide them with something valuable?

For instance, I have expertise in a number of different areas. I’m a public speaking coach, a keynote speaker, a best-selling author, a search engine optimization specialist, and a popular podcaster. However, if I delivered that sentence to any audience, the most likely reaction would be, “So what?” That sentence doesn’t answer any of the above questions. The statement is also really “me-focused” not “audience-focused.”

So, when I start to design my self-introduction, I want to focus just on the area of expertise related to my topic. I’m then going to answer the questions above about that particular topic. Once you have these answers, set them aside for a second. They will be important later.

How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation in Class.

If Everyone Already Knows You DON'T Introduce Yourself

Instead, you probably want to add in a fun way to start a speech . For example, instead of introducing yourself in your class speech and starting in an awkward way, start with a startling statistic. Or start with a summary of your conclusion. Or, you could start the presentation with an inspirational quote.

Each of these presentation starters will help you lower your nervousness and decrease your awkwardness.

If you are delivering a speech in a speech competition or to an audience who doesn’t know you try this technique. Just introduce yourself by saying your name , the school you represent , and your topic . Make it easy. This way you get to your content more quickly and lower your nervousness.

Typically, after you get the first few sentences out of the way, your nervousness will drop dramatically. Since your name, school, and topic should be very easy to remember, this takes the pressure off you during the most nervous moments.

Obviously, follow the guidelines that your teacher or coach gives you. (The competition may have specific ways they want you to introduce yourself.)

How to Introduce Yourself in a Business Presentation — A Step-by-Step Guide.

In a professional setting, when new people walk into a meeting and don’t know what to expect, they will feel uncomfortable. The easiest way to ease some of that tension is to chat with your audience as they come into the room.

By the way, if you are looking for a template for an Elevator Speech , make sure to click this link.

Step #1: Start with your name and company name (or organization).

This one is easy. Just tell your audience your name and the organization that you are representing. If your organization is not a well-known brand name, you might add a short clarifying description. For instance, most people outside of the training industry have never heard of The Leader’s Institute ®. So, my step #1 might sound something like…

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company…

Still short and sweet, but a little more clear to someone who has never heard of my company.

Should you give your job title? Well… Maybe and sometimes. Add your title into the introduction only if your title adds to your credibility.

For example, if you are delivering a financial presentation and you are the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of your company, you might mention that. Your title adds to your credibility. However, if the CFO is delivering a presentation about the value of joining a trade association, the CFO title adds little credibility. So, there is very little value in adding the title.

Step #2: Tell your audience what problem you can solve for them.

Identify the Problem You Solve for Your Audience

For instance, if my topic is how to deliver presentations, I have to determine why the audience would care. What problem will they have that I can help them with? For my audiences, the problem that I most often help people with is how to eliminate public speaking fear. Once I have the problem, I add that to my introduction by using the words, “I help people…”

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear.

However, if my topic is How to Close a Higher Percentage of Sales Presentations , I’d likely want to alter my introduction a little. I might say something like…

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people design more persuasive sales presentations.

I have expertise in both areas. However, I focus my introduction on just the expertise that is applicable to this audience. If I gave the first introduction to the second audience, they will likely respond by thinking, well, I don’t really get nervous speaking, so I guess I can tune out of this speech .

So, create a problem statement starting with, “I help people…” Make the statement apply to what your audience really wants.

Step #3: Share some type of proof (social proof works best) that you can solve this problem.

By the way, if you just do steps #1 and #2, your introduction will be better than most that you will hear. However, if you add Step #3, you will gain more respect (and attention) from your audience. Without adding some type of proof that you can solve this problem, you are just giving your opinion that you are an expert. However, if you can prove it, you are also proving that you are an expert.

This is the tricky part. For some reason, most people who get to this part feel like they haven’t accomplished great things, so they diminish the great accomplishments that they do have.

For instance, an easy way to offer proof is with a personal story of how you have solved that problem in the past.

A Few Examples of How to Introduce Yourself Before a Presentation.

For instance, one of my early clients was a young accountant. When I was working with him, he came up with the following introduction, “I’m Gary Gorman with Gorman and Associates CPA’s, and I help small businesses avoid IRS audits.” It was a great, audience-focused attention-getter. (No one wants to get audited.) However, as an accountant, it wasn’t like his company was getting a lot of five-star reviews on Yelp! So, he was kind of struggling with his social proof. So, I asked him a series of questions.

Me, “How many clients do you have?”

Gary, “Over 300.”

Me, “How many small business tax returns have you processed?”

Gary, “Well, at least a couple hundred a year for 15 years.”

Me, “So, at least 3000?” He nodded. “How many of your 300 clients have been audited since you have been representing them?”

He looked at me and said, “Well, none.”

So, we just added that piece of proof to his talk of introduction.

I’m Gary Gorman with Gorman and Associates CPA’s, and I help small businesses avoid IRS audits. In fact, in my career, I’ve helped clients complete over 3000 tax returns, and not a single one has ever been audited.

Here Is How I Adjust My Introduction Based on What I Want the Audience to Do.

For my proof, I have a number of options. Just like Gary, I have had a lot of clients who have had great successes. In addition, I have published two best-selling books about public speaking. I also have hundreds of thousands of people who listen to my podcast each week. So, I can pick my evidence based on what I want my audience to do.

For instance, if I’m speaking at a convention, and I want the audience to come by my booth to purchase my books, my introduction might sound like this.

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear. One of the things that I’m most know for is being the author of two best-selling books, Fearless Presentations and Mastering Presentations.

However, if I’m leading a webinar, I may want the audience to purchase a seat in one of my classes. In that case, my introduction might sound like this.

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear. For instance, for the last 20 years, I’ve taught public speaking classes to over 20,000 people, and I haven’t had a single person fail to reduce their nervousness significantly in just two days.

If my goal is to get the audience to subscribe to my podcast, my intro might sound like…

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear. One of the ways that I do this is with my weekly podcast called, Fearless Presentations, which has over one million downloads, so far.

Use the Form Below to Organize How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation.

The point is that you want to design your introduction in a way that makes people pause and think, “Really? That sounds pretty good.” You want to avoid introductions that make your audience think, “So what?”

If you have a speech coming up and need a good introduction, complete the form below. We will send you your answers via email!

Can You Replace Your Introduction with a PowerPoint Slide?

Is it okay to make your first slide (or second slide) in your presentation slides an introduction? Sure. A good public speaker will often add an introduction slide with a biography, portrait, and maybe even contact information. I sometimes do this myself.

However, I NEVER read the slide to my audience. I often just have it showing while I deliver the short introduction using the guide above. This is a great way to share more of your work experience without sounding like you are bragging.

For tips about how many powerpoint slides to use in a presentation , click here.

Remember that There Is a Big Difference Between Your Introduction in a Presentation and Your Presentation Starter.

When you introduce yourself in a presentation, you will often just use a single sentence to tell the audience who you are. You only use this intro if the audience doesn’t know who you are. Your presentation starter, though, is quite different. Your presentation starter should be a brief introduction with relevant details about what you will cover in your presentation.

For details, see Great Ways to Start a Presentation . In that post, we show ways to get the attention of the audience. We also give examples of how to use an interesting hook, personal stories, and how to use humor to start a presentation.

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How to Introduce a Speaker: 8 Steps to a Perfect Introduction

Have you ever noticed the energy in the room after a powerful introduction of the speaker?

Knowing how to introduce a speaker can establish a great starting point for the presenter and boost the audience's enthusiasm for the speaker and the topic.

An introduction that lacks passion and is full of cliche biographical details and exaggerations fails to create momentum.

Hence, a presenter must introduce their speaker in the best way possible. It is your responsibility as the host, MC (master of ceremonies) , or presenter to establish the speaker's credibility through a carefully written and skillfully executed introduction.

Fortunately, crafting a well-thought-out introduction isn't difficult.

Furthermore, it gets progressively easier as you flex your presenter skills , and soon, you might be able to roll a smooth introduction off the tip of your tongue. But first, here are some steps to guide you.

8 Essential Steps of Introducing a Speaker

These tips will help you to understand how to give an engaging speaker introduction that will captivate your audience.

1. Make the Introduction Engaging

The speaker is important, but the audience is equally important and is an even higher priority. The audience needs to have a reason to listen to the speaker.

They need to understand why the speaker is the authority and why their words are worth their time. The presenter's introductory approach significantly impacts the audience's decision to look up and pay attention or zone out.

Why should your audience be excited if you, the host, are not excited to introduce your guest speaker?

The MC is primarily responsible for drawing in the audience and piquing their interest in the speaker. Therefore, the use of clichéd sentences is one thing you, as an MC, should entirely avoid doing.

"Good day" and "My guest speaker needs no introduction" are all uninteresting and outdated sentences.

Also, you should actively introduce and personalize the speaker instead of just reading their biography.

Try to bring them closer to the audience and topic. Remember that for most audience members, that speaker is just a name in the event program. Making the speaker more relatable may help pique their interest.

Ideally, the introduction shouldn't be more than three minutes. Try to grab the audience's attention in the first 30 seconds . Even if the presenter is a well-known figure like Elon Musk or Bill Gates, the audience will begin to droop if the MC fails to keep them engaged.

Furthermore, you need to make the introduction of the guest speaker as simple as possible and in easy-to-understand language , even if the presentation is technical. Let the guest speaker handle the technical part.

2. Do Your Research About the Speaker

This is crucial when preparing to introduce a speaker or host an event. If you haven't researched the speaker(s), you'll be left with woefully little to speak on.

You may be stuck repeating the short bio or a few achievements you've gleaned from the program. Not only would this irritate the audience, but it may also affect the speaker's confidence.

If you are an MC and you are going to introduce a guest speaker, you should know why the speaker is speaking, be aware of the event's purpose, the organizers' goals, and the guest speaker's qualifications.

Most significantly, you should know how the audience will benefit from the presentation. When you can respond to most general inquiries about the speaker, you have already completed the first step in creating a good introduction.

Usually, you can find enough information on your speaker online.

However, if you require additional information not offered online, you could contact the speaker and find out what they want to be highlighted. The guest speaker may even give you a prepared introduction.

3. Practice the Introduction

It may seem like introducing a speaker is something you can muddle through if you have a good memory, but that's not enough. There are fine details that require practice and polishing to deliver an excellent introduction.

Here's an example. Some speakers may have unique names that might be difficult to pronounce for those unfamiliar with the pronunciation .

Saying it wrong can be disrespectful at least and offensive at most. Practicing your introduction will allow you to rehearse the pronunciation till you can say it easily.

You owe it to the person you are introducing and your audience to make your brief introduction engaging. Make it seem like a great honor to present this speaker. You'll need to practice consistently to do all this while sounding natural.

4. Maintain Confidence and Positive Body Language

As one of the oldest forms of communication, body language still serves us today. Your body language is half of your introduction.

If your body language while introducing a guest speaker is not confident and engaging enough, you'll come across as nervous and jittery and distract the audience from your words.

Speak informally , as you would to friends. A smile might also be an inviting sign of warmth to the audience.

While you don't necessarily need to tell jokes when presenting a speaker, you must feel at ease on the podium and come across as confident. You should captivate the listener with your tone , language, and speaking style.

A general rule is that the first 30 seconds of a talk or presentation is when an audience's opinion of the speaker is mainly formed. You can start those thirty seconds off right by having a solid introduction and the correct body language.

5. Establish the Speaker's Qualifications

Consider why the audience would want to attend the seminar or presentation. Did the audience come for the guest speaker? Or did they come to the event because of the topic of the presentation?

Most of the time, the topic of the presentation draws the audience to the seminar. However, there are instances where the whole event is focused on one speaker.

In such a case, many audience members may be more interested in the speaker than in the event. You need to ensure you're aware of the audience's goals.

No matter the situation, you need to be able to assure the audience that the speaker has the qualifications to provide input on the topic.

You can do that by expanding on the experience and achievements of the speaker. Also, add details of what the audience can expect to learn or discover to increase their interest.

Let's use an illustration to clarify further. Imagine a symposium on artificial intelligence, and Andrew G, a computer scientist and businessman specializing in machine learning and AI, is the main speaker.

You need to share Andrew's qualifications and experience to assure the audience that he has the knowledge to teach them.

To satisfy your audience, a great way to introduce Andrew G would be to mention his books on AI and his research.

What unique perspective does he have to share, and how does that align with the event's purpose or the organization? You can even share a quote from his writings if you so choose.

All these will help the audience understand that the guest speaker is an authority on the subject. They may also realize that the guest speaker has different and unconventional ideas to share about the topic.

6. Keep It Brief

Your introduction shouldn't include a lengthy rundown of the speaker's successes, honors, and experiences. The audience can find a list of some of these in the program handouts . Additionally, it shouldn't be a presentation synopsis.

Don't pile on flattery. Overly effusive compliments about the speaker can give rise to unreasonable expectations. So keep it simple and realistic.

The host should reveal nothing that might embarrass or distract the audience from the speaker's presentation. Always keep in mind that the guest speaker—not the MC—is what the audience is there to hear.

7. Get to Know the Speaker

If you aren't enthusiastic about introducing the guest speaker, you won't be able to hold the audience's attention.

You may get to know the guest speaker better by introducing yourself and interacting with them before the event. There are differences between learning about someone online and meeting them in person.

Some of the details you learn by interacting with the speaker can make them more personable to you and, therefore, easier to introduce.

Not only that, it will impress the speaker if they're so welcome. The speaker would be confident that the audience and the event planners were genuinely interested in his speech and viewpoint.

You can first find out more about the speaker online to discuss things you may have in common. Also, you can chat about the topic of the presentation with them.

Not only can this help you better introduce the speaker, but you might even make an acquaintance, if not a friend.

8. TIS Formula

A good introduction should excite the audience about listening to the guest speaker. Interestingly, successful introducers apply a formula while introducing the guest speaker. It's called the TIS formula.

What is TIS? Let's have a look!

T: stands for Topic

I: stands for Important

S: stands for Speaker

To apply this formula, you must include these three crucial inquiries in your introduction:

What's the topic?

Why is this topic significant to the audience?

What qualifies the speaker to give this speech?

By considering these three questions and making them a structure of your introduction, you can increase the speaker's credibility and give the audience a reason to listen .

We are confident that if you follow the above guidelines and consistently practice, you won't ever need to inquire how to introduce a presenter again.

Now, let's now address what you should steer clear of when introducing a speaker.

9. POETTS Formula for Toastmasters

If you're introducing someone in a Toastmasters meeting , then use the POETTS formula.

P – Project Title of the speech

O – Objectives of the speech (you may call upon the evaluator to read this out)

E – evaluator : who is the evaluator of this speech

T – Time allocated for the speech

T – Title of the speech to be given

S – Speaker’s introduction

Using this formula helps the Toastmaster of the Day to be consistent when introducing every speaker.

Things to Avoid While Introducing a Speaker

Here are some things you should always try to avoid when introducing a speaker.

Never joke around. There are no situations that permit comedy in an introduction speech. Plus, it can draw attention from the speaker to yourself, which is never the goal. Especially never mention anything that can cause embarrassment to the speaker.

The introduction shouldn't appear as though you are reading the speaker's resume or biography. It shouldn't be an overstatement of his accomplishments, either.

Don't use a cliché. Statements like "This woman needs no introduction," or other clichés sound wordy or awkward. If the speaker needed no introduction, you wouldn't have a role in that event.

If you have personal or professional links with the speaker, keep them to yourself because the audience will interpret them as the introducer's prejudiced viewpoint.

Keep the introduction to no more than three minutes . Make it as brief as you can. Lengthy introductions sound like speeches and can reduce the audience's enthusiasm for the speaker.

During the introduction, keep your eyes on the audience rather than the speaker. Additionally, avoid seeming like you are reciting the introduction off a paper. Observe the crowd and make eye contact . Just before the introduction is through, turn to face the speaker.

Do not—absolutely do not—mispronounce the speaker's name. Not only is it disrespectful, but it could hurt your credibility and reputation as an introducer or host.

Give the audience a sneak peek of what they will learn and why they should pay attention without giving away too much about the guest speaker.

The introducer shouldn't try to overshadow the speaker by drawing attention to themselves. Remember, you are an introducer, not a celebrity or a star.

Conclusion: How to Introduce a Speaker

Knowing how to introduce a keynote speaker isn't rocket science. The role of an introducer is to simultaneously engage the guest speaker and audience while conveying to both parties that they are welcome at the event.

Just keep it straightforward and sincere, and be confident. Keep in mind that dull introductions are lengthy. Nobody shows up to an event to hear the introducer ramble. Follow the steps above, and you'll become a master of introductions in no time.

You might also like: How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation with 6 Terrific Tips

Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view Article
Add speaker notes to your slides Article
Rehearse and time the delivery of a presentation Article
Record a slide show with narration and slide timings Article
Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes Article
Create a self-running presentation Article

Add speaker notes to your slides

When you're creating a presentation, you can add speaker notes to refer to later while delivering the slide show in front of an audience.

During your presentation, the speaker notes are visible on your monitor, but aren't visible to the audience. So the Notes pane is the place to store talking points that you want to mention when you give your presentation.

Your browser does not support video. Install Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash Player, or Internet Explorer 9.

Add notes while creating your presentation

The Notes pane is a box that appears below each slide. (It is outlined in magenta in the picture below.) An empty Notes pane will prompt you with text that says, Click to add notes . Type your speaker notes there. If you don’t see the Notes pane or it is completely minimized, click Notes on the task bar across the bottom of the PowerPoint window (also marked in magenta in the picture below).

Shows the speaker Notes pane in PowerPoint

If your notes exceed the allotted length of the Notes pane, a vertical scroll bar appears on the side of the pane. You can also enlarge the Notes pane by pointing your mouse at the top line of the pane and then dragging upward after the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow.

What the notes look like in Presenter view

Tip: You can add notes either while you’re presenting, directly from Presenter view, or as you’re editing your presentation. For information on how to add speaker notes to while editing your presentation, see Add speaker notes to your slides.

The notes appear in a pane on the right. If you need to add or delete something, simply click in the text box to edit it. The text wraps automatically, and a vertical scroll bar appears if necessary. You can also change the size of the text in the Notes pane by using the two buttons at the lower left corner of the Notes pane:

Change the size of the text in the Notes pane in Presenter view

Presenter view isn't something you have to create. PowerPoint assembles it for you by gathering the notes you've typed for each slide and pairing them with a set of controls for navigating through your presentation.

By default, PowerPoint is set to use Presenter view when you run a slide show. You can change this setting on the Slide Show tab of the PowerPoint ribbon:

The Presenter View option is controlled by a check box on the Slide Show tab of the ribbon in PowerPoint.

Read Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view for more details about how to see and use Presenter view.

Print speaker notes

See Print slides with or without speaker notes .

Print slides with or without speaker notes

Start the presentation and see your notes in Presenter view

Transfer slides from one presentation to another

Add notes to your slides

To add notes to your slides, do the following:

On the View menu, click Normal .

Select the thumbnail of the slide you want to add notes to.

Shows a slide selected in the thumbnail pane in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

The notes pane will appear beneath your slide. Click where it says Click to add notes and type whatever notes you'd like to add.

Shows the notes pane in PowerPoint 216 for Mac

View your notes while you present

If you want to view your notes while you're presenting but make sure your audience only sees what you've put on the slide itself, use presenter view. Here's how:

On the View menu, click Presenter View .

You'll see the main slide that you're presenting, a preview of the next slide, and any notes you've added for the current slide below the preview of the next slide.

Shows notes in Presenter View in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

Your audience will only the slides that you're presenting in your presentation, and not your notes.

Print your slides and handouts

PowerPoint for the web lets you create speaker notes, but it doesn't have the ability to show you the notes while you're presenting your slide show.

Create speaker notes

On the View tab of the ribon, in the Show group, select Notes.

The pane appears across the bottom portion of the PowerPoint window, with the cursor blinking, ready for you to begin typing.

The Notes pane appears across the bottom portion of the window.

If you're a Microsoft 365 business subscriber and your presentation is stored on OneDrive for work or school or SharePoint in Microsoft 365, you can print your speaker notes. See Print your PowerPoint slides, handouts, or notes for more information.

See speaker notes while presenting

Currently you must use a desktop version of PowerPoint to see speaker notes while you're presenting.

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Congress and Conference Centre: Centro Cultural de Belém
Registration

Instructions for Speakers

MSR Banquet
Transportation
Travel Support
Visa Support Letters
Code of Conduct
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Plan
Complete Program
Your Program
Technical Papers
Data and Tool Showcase Track
Mining Challenge
Registered Reports
Vision and Reflection
Industry Track
Social Events
MSR 2024 Committees
Organizing Committee
Track Committees
Contributors
People Index

Time Slots and Lengths

Please check the MSR 2024 program for your time slot and presentation length. Please see below for the exact presentation length per track:

Technical track : For full papers (12-minute presentation slot), prepare for 10 minutes of presentation and 2 minutes of Q&A. For short papers (6-minute presentation slot), prepare for 5 minutes of presentation and 1 minute of Q&A.
Industry track : Prepare for 4 minutes of presentation, and 1 minute of Q&A.
Registered Reports : Prepare for 4 minutes of presentation, and 1 minute of Q&A.
Data and Tool Showcase Track : Prepare for 3 minutes of presentation, and 1 minute of Q&A.
Mining Challenge Track : Prepare for 4 minutes of presentation and 1 minute of Q&A.
Tutorial Track : Prepare for 35 minutes of presentation and 10 minutes Q&A.

Please go to your allocated room 15-20 minutes before the session start time to meet with the Session Chair, review the pronunciation of your name, and familiarize yourself with the room and AV.

Presentation Format

Your presentation needs to be in either PowerPoint or PDF format .

The CCB (Centro Cultural de Belém) has a special smart lectern that all presenters must use; therefore, you will be unable to use your laptop. This applies to all speakers except for the speakers of the tutorials . For the tutorials, you will be able to connect your own device to the AV of the room.

The slide ratio for your presentation should be set to 16:9. To change the ratio on PPT, go to the ‘Design’ tab at the top, then select ‘Slide Size’ (usually located on the far right) here you will find the ratio options.

Presentation Upload

You will need to bring your PowerPoint or PDF presentation to the Conference on either a USB or have it saved on an accessible web drive such as a Google Drive or Dropbox so that you can easily provide your presentation to the AV technician.
A speaker preparation room will be located in the Speaker Room (exact location: TBD).
Speakers should report to the speaker preparation room at least 1 hour before their presentation.
If you have any video files in your presentation, please have these files saved separately on your USB or accessible web drive.
The Speakers’ Preparation Room will be open 8:00am – 4:30pm

Audiovisual inclusions

The below audiovisual will be provided in all session rooms:

Screen and projector with sound
Smart lectern with in-built screen and presentations pre-loaded

Speakers will be unable to use their own laptops as this will cause delays in the program. We ask all speakers to kindly use the equipment provided and follow the instructions above to load your presentation in the speakers’ preparation room.

You can visit the Speaker Room or the registration desk if you have any inquiries.

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Hi, What Are You Looking For?

PMC Reference Speakers For Steven Wilson’s High End Munich 2024 Presentations

Acclaimed musician and producer Steven Wilson will share his experience and creative use of immersive audio with reference-level audio supplied by PMC.

PMC is providing what they say is “the ultimate large-scale Dolby Atmos audio system” for legendary musician Steven Wilson at the High End show in Munich next month. The artist, who has already been the show's ambassador , will share his extensive knowledge and experience of using immersive audio as a creative tool in his career as one of the world's leading songwriters, producers, and Grammy-nominated spatial audio mix engineers.

Steven Wilson x PMC High End Munich 2024

Steven Wilson will host a series of seminars throughout the four days of the High End show from 9th to 12th May, in which he will talk about his use of immersive audio in creating his music and as an in-demand remixer of classic works by other artists. Each presentation will include demonstrations of music from his latest album, The Harmony Codex , alongside other artists' mixes he has produced, including works by Tears for Fears , Ultravox and Roxy Music .

Commenting on the opportunity to present immersive/spatial audio to the audiophile audience in Munich, he says, “There are some people who are very sceptical about spatial audio, and yet they love stereo, to which my reply is, 'You like stereo, you like spatial'. When sound comes from more than one direction, it is, by definition, spatial.” Wilson adds, “And, if you play them the right track, in the right context, you can convert them, which is why this event we're doing at the High End is so exciting. We're going to have an incredible system and interesting music. What's not to love when you hear your favourite music, and you are literally inside the music with the artist.”

The system Wilson refers to will be installed by PMC specifically for these presentations. We are told that there will be a trio of class-leading BB6 XBD Active monitors, as used by the BBC, Metropolis, LP:ME Dubai and countless other studios, for the front left, centre and right channels. Surround and height duties will be undertaken by 14 models from the ci series , with the low frequencies handled by four of PMC's BST awesomely powerful professional-grade subwoofers.

This presents a great mix of the British speaker company's professional studio main-mix monitors and the ci series, which have become the reference for Atmos Music mixing to the point that Dolby uses them in their London Atmos Music studio . Moreover, PMC tells us that this will be the largest such installation undertaken by a company whose speakers are found in the world's foremost recording facilities. Additionally, the use of PMC's pro-audio and custom install (CI) speakers goes to prove that all the brand's speakers are voiced identically, from the smallest hi-fi speaker, the prodigy1 ( the prodigy 5 really impressed us ), or the largest studio monitors, the QB1 XBD-A. This “Studio to Home” approach ensures that music lovers get the same sound at home as in the studio.

Oliver Thomas , PMC's commercial director and head of design, told StereoNET :

This is a system unlike any other we have installed for a hi-fi event. It will provide the audiophile visitors to the High End an opportunity to experience immersive audio on a system unlike any they have heard before, just like the ones used in major commercial studios for Atmos mixing, giving them a taste of what is actually heard by the artists and producers. To be partnering with a musician of Steven's calibre is a real honour, and we know the presentations will be an eye-opener for many of the visitors, for whom immersive audio hasn't yet been featured in their listening experiences.

Steven Wilson's presentations will occur in room K1, foyer 1, at the MOC, Munich.

The timetable for the presentations is as follows:

11:00 - Intro to spatial audio + tracks from The Harmony Codex and others + Q&A

14:30 - Intro to spatial audio + tracks from The Harmony Codex and others + Q&A

10th, 11th May

16:30 - The Harmony Codex full album spatial audio playback + Q&A

14:30 - The Harmony Codex full album spatial audio playback + Q&A

In addition to the immersive audio system, PMC will be exhibiting in room D106, atrium 3, where the flagship fenestria and new Active twenty5i series will be on demonstration.

Visit PMC for more information

Distributor

Jay Garrett

StereoNET UK’s Editor, bass player, and resident rock star! Jay’s passion for gadgets and Hi-Fi is second only to being a touring musician.

Posted in: Hi-Fi Industry HiFi Show Tags: pmc pmc distribution pmc speakers high end munich 2024 munich2024 steven wilson dolby atmos atmos music

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Applause Awards are personally issued by StereoNET’s global Editor-in-Chief, David Price – who has over three decades of experience reviewing hi-fi products at the highest level – after consulting with our senior editorial team. They are not automatically given with all reviews, nor can manufacturers purchase them.

The StereoNET editorial team includes some of the world’s most experienced and respected hi-fi journalists with a vast wealth of knowledge. Some have edited popular English language hi-fi magazines, and others have been senior contributors to famous audio journals stretching back to the late 1970s. And we also employ professional IT and home theatre specialists who work at the cutting edge of today’s technology.

We believe that no other online hi-fi and home cinema resource offers such expert knowledge, so when StereoNET gives an Applause Award , it is a trustworthy hallmark of quality. Receiving such an award is the prerequisite to becoming eligible for our annual Product of the Year awards, awarded only to the finest designs in their respective categories. Buyers of hi-fi, home cinema, and headphones can be sure that a StereoNET Applause Award winner is worthy of your most serious attention.

UTHealth Houston

Grand Rounds, April 18, 2024

Presentation title: teaching and learning in an outstanding surgical environment, speaker: john riggs, md, abbey bachmann, m.ed, phd, samuel neher, edd, ms, and vineeth john, md, mba.

Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024 Time: 7:00 AM ‐ 8:00 AM Location: Medical School Building Learning Format: In‐Person

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

Describe experiences that lead to great learning moments
Discuss your vision for surgical education
Explain the relationship of character skills to achieving career goals
Adopt new methods for learning in surgical care

Accreditation Statement: McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation:

McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 Hour(s) Attendance w/No Credit. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

ABS MOC Statement: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME and Self‐Assessment requirements of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider’s responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

Event Disclosures:

Speakers: Abbey Bachmann, M.Ed, PhD, Vineeth John, MD, MBA, Samuel Neher, EdD, MS, and John Riggs, MD, MS have no financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re‐selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients to disclose.

Planners and other Administrative Support: David Lubkin, MD, Ashley Dawson, MD, Sasha Adams, MD, David Kim, MD, and Nicole Harris, MD have no financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients to disclose.

Lillian Kao, MD, Professor, Surgery has disclosed a financial relationship with one or more ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re‐selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients:

Wolters Kluwer ‐ Editor of Section in UpToDate ‐ Relationship Ended

Any financial relationship that was found to be relevant has been mitigated.

Commercial Support: This activity is not commercially supported.

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Demonstration of EmFORE: Learning Email Folder Classification Rules by Example (AAAI 2024 Demo)

Mukul Singh

Associate Researcher

Publication

EmFore: Online Learning of Email Folder Classification Rules
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Demonstration of CORNET: Learning Spreadsheet Formatting Rules by Example

VLDB 2023 Presentation for CORNET: Learning Table Formatting Rules By Example

Microsoft Research India - who we are.

Kalika Bali,
Sriram Rajamani,
Venkat Padmanabhan

Sumit Gulwani: 3-min video introduction

Sumit Gulwani
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Join us for the amazing presentation and some pizza in the Rearch Commons on the first floor of Meriam Library. Speaker Casey Phillip Wong aims to advance justice by interrogating systems of coloniality, carcerality, and oppression in education through critical feminist, anti-colonial and abolitionist frameworks and by investigating and developing culturally sustaining and strength-based pedagogies to teach and learn otherwise.

He researches and collaborates with communities to affirm, foster, sustain, and revitalize educational institutions and relations that critically center overlapping and interconnected African/Black, Indigenous, Latine/x/a/o, Asian and Pacific Islander communities. This educational work has crucially involved partnering and working directly with county offices of education (e.g., Los Angeles County Office of Education), school districts (e.g., Center Unified School District), teacher preparation programs (e.g., Alder Graduate School of Education), schools (e.g., Oak Hill Elementary School), and educational institutions within the United States and internationally (e.g., Heal the Hood Project in Cape Town, South Africa), to develop curriculum and instruction that address systemic injustices. His multi-regional and multi-national empirical investigations strive to solve the most intractable educational problems and to prepare the next generation of school leaders, teachers and educators to achieve educational justice through policy and practice guided by state-of-the-art theory, evidence, and careful analysis.

Marion County Republicans gear up for the fall

Republications in Marion County hosted their 49th annual Harding Day Dinner on April 11 at All-Occasions Catering in Waldo.

Local GOP Chairman Ken Stiverson served as the master of ceremonies. State of Ohio Auditor Keith Faber was the keynote speaker.

About 98 people attended for an evening of food, fellowship and politics.

The 2023 Chairman’s Leadership Award was presented to Commissioner Kerr Murray.

Municipal County Municipal Court Judge Teresa Ballinger was presented with the 2023 Republican of the Year Award.

Proceeds from the event will help the Republican Party heading into the November General Election.

IMAGES

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Speaker at Business Conference and Presentation.
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The Speakers' Society: An Innovative Approach to Developing
Audience Applauding Speaker After Conference Presentation
Speaker at Business Conference and Presentation.

VIDEO

BPS DCP Annual Conference 2012
Speaker Design Competition
Speaker Design Competition
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English Public Speaking

COMMENTS

What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation
Read more on Business communication or related topics Power and influence, Presentation skills and Public speaking Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of ...
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What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)
Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images. You'll make presentations at various ...
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The secret structure of great talks. From the "I have a dream" speech to Steve Jobs' iPhone launch, many great talks have a common structure that helps their message resonate with listeners. In this talk, presentation expert Nancy Duarte shares practical lessons on how to make a powerful call-to-action. 18:00.
How to Start a Presentation: Simon Sinek's Tips for Captivating Your
Using slides and visual aids can enhance your presentation, as 65% of individuals learn best visually. To make a strong first impression, create a visually appealing slide that provides a clear overview of your topic. Avoid clutter and excessive text, opting for graphics and key points that engage your audience.
How to Start a Presentation: 12 Ways to Keep Your Audience Hooked
1 Make a provocative statement. "I want to discuss with you this afternoon why you're going to fail to have a great career." One surefire way to get your audience's attention is to make a provocative statement that creates interest and a keen desire to know more about what you have to say. The presentation above, for example, does just that by ...
11 Public Speaking Tips From the World's Best Speakers & Communication
Speak from the heart. Use compelling imagery as a component in your speech. Ditch the bullet points. Spend time rehearsing. Use plain English. 1. Start with a clear message and purpose. "If you can't write your message in a sentence, you can't say it in an hour.". — Dianna Booher, Communication Expert.
How to become a great speaker
How presentations help Having a well-designed presentation boosts the confidence of orators because, in many ways, it's like having a support team on stage with them. To achieve that, your slides must be impactful. That means clear, powerful, and inspirational. Take, for example, this presentation template on intellectual property. It ...
How to Prepare for a Presentation, with Examples
4. Practise presentation flow. As well as practising for the ideas and what you want to say, practise how you want your presentation to flow. Think of it almost as a symphony, with high points, slow movements and crescendos. If it's important, think about how you want your audience to feel, what emotions you want them to have, and when. 5.
Complete Guide for Effective Presentations, with Examples
Tips for an Effective Presentation. Professional public speakers spend hours creating and practicing presentations. These are the delivery techniques they consider: Keep it simple. You shouldn't overwhelm your audience with information - ensure that you're clear, concise and that you get to the point so they can understand your message.
How to Start a Presentation [+ Examples]
In Phil Waknell's opening section, he talks about how he's spent the last ten years helping conference speakers, business leaders, and entrepreneurs prepare and deliver powerful presentations. This immediately signals to the audience that he's someone worth listening to and positions him as a credible source of insights based on the ...
How to Introduce the Next Speaker in a Presentation
This ends the intro and brings the next speaker on stage. Make eye contact with the upcoming presenter and motion to them with your hands. Say something like "welcome" or "come on up" to invite them to come up in front of the audience. [9] You could say something like: "Come on up, Sam!". Or, say: "Welcome, Rachel.". 10.
Keynote Presentation Template for Event Speakers
Download Miro's Keynote Presentation Template, to get instant access. Here are the steps you can follow to get the most out of the Keynote Presentation Template. Step 1: Introduce yourself and the main theme/idea. You need to introduce yourself and the main theme of your presentation in the first few frames or slides.
Presentation Structure Guidelines for Effective Communication
This technique is commonly used in motivational presentations, where the speaker leaves the audience with a slide containing a quote related to the topic of the presentation, something that evokes inner reflection about the topic discussed. A Motivational Quote is among the best options to conclude a presentation on career development.
What Is a Keynote Speech? (+10 Speaker Tips to Deliver Powerfully)
For example, sharing the story of how a client successfully overcame an obstacle may inspire your listeners—especially if they've faced a similar obstacle. 4. Consider Giving an Interactive Presentation. Adding an interactive element to your keynote message is another way to capture your audience's attention.
How to Memorably Introduce Another Speaker
Deborah Grayson Riegel is a professional speaker and facilitator, as well as a communication and presentation skills coach. She teaches leadership communication at Duke University's Fuqua School ...
How to Optimize Room Setup for Training and Presentations
Presentations for large audiences where the information flow is one-way (from speaker to audience) and there is no requirement for taking notes or using laptops. Classroom Style Seating Setup Classroom style seating is a series of tables (or desks) and chairs arranged in parallel rows, all facing toward the front of the room.
The top 10 most influential presentations even given
It demonstrates the potential of PowerPoint presentations - even without a live speaker. Its simple yet engaging nature reveals some of the best and most creative methods of presenting: short pieces of text, a comic book story, and colorful illustrations. Steve Jobs - Introducing the Macintosh.
How to Use Speaker Notes in PowerPoint
Next, in the pane on left, select the slide where you'd like to add speaker notes. Next, click the "Notes" button at the bottom of the window. A small box reading "Tap to Add Notes" will appear beneath the slide. For Mac users, this will say "Click to Add Notes.". Now, simply type the speaker notes for that slide.
Free Speaker Presentation Templates & Google Slides Themes
Free Speaker Slide Templates for an Engaging Slideshow. Deliver your message with confidence with this speaker presentation template. Designed for keynote speakers, entrepreneurs, and business professionals, these templates are perfect for any type of presentation. With a range of customizable slides, you can easily manage your message and make ...
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Step #2: Tell your audience what problem you can solve for them. This is where all of the pre-work comes into play. In this step, you will use the answers to one of those questions that you answered earlier. For instance, if my topic is how to deliver presentations, I have to determine why the audience would care.
How to Introduce a Speaker: 8 Steps to a Perfect Introduction
1. Make the Introduction Engaging. The speaker is important, but the audience is equally important and is an even higher priority. The audience needs to have a reason to listen to the speaker. They need to understand why the speaker is the authority and why their words are worth their time.
Add speaker notes to your slides
Add notes while creating your presentation. The Notes pane is a box that appears below each slide. (It is outlined in magenta in the picture below.) An empty Notes pane will prompt you with text that says, Click to add notes. Type your speaker notes there. If you don't see the Notes pane or it is completely minimized, click Notes on the task ...
Instructions for Speakers
A speaker preparation room will be located in the Speaker Room (exact location: TBD). Speakers should report to the speaker preparation room at least 1 hour before their presentation. If you have any video files in your presentation, please have these files saved separately on your USB or accessible web drive.
PMC Reference Speakers For Steven Wilson's High End Munich 2024
Steven Wilson's presentations will occur in room K1, foyer 1, at the MOC, Munich. The timetable for the presentations is as follows: 9th May. 11:00 - Intro to spatial audio + tracks from The Harmony Codex and others + Q&A. 14:30 - Intro to spatial audio + tracks from The Harmony Codex and others + Q&A. 10th, 11th May
Grand Rounds, April 18, 2024
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2024. Time: 7:00 AM ‐ 8:00 AM. Location: Medical School Building. Learning Format: In‐Person. Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to: Describe experiences that lead to great learning moments. Discuss your vision for surgical education.
Demonstration of EmFORE: Learning Email Folder Classification Rules by
VLDB 2023 Presentation for CORNET: Learning Table Formatting Rules By Example November 7, 2023 Speakers: Mukul Singh; Microsoft Research India - who we are. September 15, 2023 Speakers: Kalika Bali, Sriram Rajamani, Venkat Padmanabhan , et. al. Sumit Gulwani: 3-min video introduction February 21, 2021 Speakers: Sumit Gulwani ...
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy Speaker Series Watch Party
Join us for the amazing presentation and some pizza in the Rearch Commons on the first floor of Meriam Library. Speaker Casey Phillip Wong aims to advance justice by interrogating systems of coloniality, carcerality, and oppression in education through critical feminist, anti-colonial and abolitionist frameworks and by investigating and developing culturally sustaining and strength-based ...
Marion County Republicans host Harding Day Dinner; Faber is speaker
The event included the presentation of awards to Commissioner Kerr Murray and Judge Teresa Ballenger. Ohio Auditor Keith Faber was keynote speaker.

15 Essential Presentation Techniques for Winning Over Any Audience

Table of Contents

Mastering Presentation Techniques for Impactful Delivery

Elements of an Effective Presentation

Strategies for Delivering a Successful Presentation

Engaging Your Audience with Nonverbal Communication

The Power of Eye Contact, Body Language, and Facial Expressions

Designing Compelling Presentation Materials

Tips for Creating Effective Slides

Handling Questions and Interactions Professionally

Preparing for Audience Questions and How to Address Them Effectively

Techniques for a Memorable and Effective Presentation

Incorporating Storytelling into Your Presentation

Using Humor to Connect with the Audience

Overcoming Public Speaking Anxiety

Techniques to Manage Stage Fright and Boost Confidence

Using Different Presentation Methods to Engage Your Audience

Essential Tips for First-Time Presenters

Dress Appropriately

Arriving Early

Making Presentation Time Count

About The Speaker Lab

Get Started

What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

What are presentation skills?

Why are presentation skills important?

Effective presentation skills

Verbal communication

Body language

Voice projection

Storytelling

Active listening

Stage presence

Self-awareness

Writing skills

Understanding an audience

How to improve presentation skills

Work on self-confidence.

Develop strategies for overcoming fear.

Learn grounding techniques.

Learn how to use presentation tools.

Practice breathing techniques.

Gain experience.

Tips to help you ace your presentation

Arrive early.

Become familiar with the layout of the room.

Listen to presenters ahead of you.

Use note cards.

Article sources

Keep reading

How to make a great presentation

The secret structure of great talks

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TED's secret to great public speaking

How to speak so that people want to listen

How great leaders inspire action

What are you looking for?

Level Up Your Skills Starting NOW

Tip One: Transform your nervousness into excitement

Tip Two: Always Start with WHY

Tip Three: How to Choose a First Sentence

Tip Four: How to Start a Presentation the Wrong Way

Tip Five: How to Present Your First PowerPoint Slide

DO This:

Now It’s Time to Take Action!

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