10 minute presentation powerpoint

10-Minute presentations: How to Write, Design & Deliver (Complete Guide)

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation , Public Speaking

Presentations are an interesting way to introduce a new topic, perspective, or study to your audience. 10-minute presentations serve the same purpose but they come with a specified restriction on time.

When we see the word presentation, we instantly think of PPTs and while PPTs are used in many cases, some presentations are completely oral as well.

The number of speakers is another variable while presenting. It can be done individually like in the case of a job interview presentation or in a group setting like in the case of a college assignment. 

How long should a 10-minute presentation be?

Ideally, for 10-minute presentations, you should focus on adding 5-10 effective, crisp slides. And a speech of about 1000-2000 words should be enough to complete the presentation within 10 minutes.

However, there are no set rules while making a presentation which means that you are free to increase or decrease the number of slides in your presentation depending upon your pace of presenting.

Now when we talk about the pace of presenting, we mean the number of words you can speak in an understandable manner per minute. So, if you can speak 100-120 words per minute (adding the usual pauses), then a 1000–1200-word speech would be enough for your 10-minute presentation.

While we cannot point out an exact word count specifically catered for you in this blog, we can surely suggest you take up any piece of long article and go on reading it out loud while taking necessary pauses and timing it. It might give you an idea of your speed which in turn would help you gauge the perfect word count for your presentation.

Another factor that would define the way you present your topic is whether you are presenting it individually or in a group.

Individual Presentations

In Individual presentations, you are the one to shoulder your entire presentation’s responsibility. You can make use of effective PowerPoint presentation skills or use props to keep the audience engaged and interested in your presentation.

Further, it becomes extremely important for you to have sufficient knowledge about your topic, as in case of any doubts you are the only one to be questioned by the audience members.

Group Presentations

On the other hand, in group presentations, the responsibility to carry out an effective and good presentation falls on all group members. This calls for a lot of coordination which would require a ton of practice.

In groups, you can make use of skits to explain a certain phenomenon. Or maybe the use of coordinated props per speaker can also make your presentations more eye-catchy.

Further, involving your entire group to present rather than just 2 people doing it with beautifully placed content, will easily stand out to the audience.

The placement of your content could be in a para format wherein one person speaks a para followed by another one. Or one person can explain one subtopic followed by another; whatever suits best for your group.

A beautiful example of group presentations is the one by The minimalists .

It is a beautiful presentation because we see that while one person is speaking, the other enacts what is being said, thus making it an interesting presentation involving both speakers.

Tips for your 10-minute presentations

1. avoid information overload.

While it can be very tempting to add all the relevant information in your presentation, limiting it will turn out to be one of the best decisions taken by any presenter.

The reason is very simple, every individual has a very limited attention span and capacity to take in new information . 10-minute presentations exceed the average duration of attention span among humans which is 7 minutes.

If you bombard them with tons of information, chances are that they might feel exhausted and detached from your topic and presentation altogether.

2. Avoid reading from your slides

We know you might have heard this a gazillion times but here we are to say it again because it is very important. Avoid reading from your slides. As it might indicate your lack of understanding of the topic . It can also end up being a little boring for the audience to listen to something present in front of them that they can easily read themselves.

3. Give your audience an incentive to listen to you

It is always better to assume that your audience is not innately motivated to listen to your presentation and hence to give them a reason why listening to your presentation would be worth it.

Are you planning on discussing a new perspective on a widely-spoken topic? Are you trying to introduce new findings? Is your presentation trying to motivate the audience?

Whatever goal you wish to achieve through your presentation, make it known to the audience.

4. Try to offer something new

The very essence of presentations is to offer some new idea, perspective, or study to your audience. This holds especially true when your presentation is on a generic or widely-spoken topic like climate change.

5. Avoid exceeding the time limit

This goes without saying, avoid exceeding your time limit. If you know you have been given 10 minutes, either finish it by the time it hits the limit or better yet, finish it before time.

Everyone would appreciate you for finishing your presentation before time for sure.

6. Make it easy to understand

Another point that goes without saying is to make your content very easy for everyone in the audience to understand.

Try to tweak your presentation in a manner that is convenient for the youngest and the least experienced member to understand easily.  For if your presentation doesn’t reach your audience, it might not fulfill its very purpose.

Structuring 10-minute presentations

Just like we structure any speech, with a beginning, a middle, and an end, structuring your presentation follows a similar pattern.

In the initial few minutes or even seconds of your presentation, the audience might have decided whether they should listen to your presentation or will it be more fruitful to dive deep into their thoughts.

This is the reason why starting 10-minute presentations on a strong foot is emphasized so much. But again, there is no need to stress out about it.

Here are a few tips on how you can start your presentation:

1. Provocative statements

Provocative statements are the ones that try to shake some strongly held views of the audience. Reggie Rivers make use of a provocative statement in his TED talk that might help you understand its use better.

He begins by saying

If you want to achieve your goals, don’t focus on them.

The statement clearly goes against a belief we have grown up with; the idea that we should chase and focus on our goals in order to achieve them.

2. Hypothetical scenario

Starting with a hypothetical scenario includes the use of words like “Imagine” or “what if.” It gives your audience a chance to put themselves in a situation that you are about to address in your presentation.

An example of the same is given below.

Imagine you are going out for a drive with your friends. It is a little late and the roads are wet from the heavy shower that had surrendered only a few minutes ago. You are all singing and laughing. But then you look to your left only to realize two giant lights come close to you at lightning speed and you know at that moment you are going to die. That you are going to die in that crash. Then you hear a screech and *pause* the truck halts 5 cm from your car. That is exactly what someone with anxiety feels but unlike you, it doesn’t end within a few minutes; it persists for hours or even days.

3. Hard-hitting questions

While questions are one of the most widely used ways to open any speech or presentation, the task here is to open with a hard-hitting question.

A question that your audience probably doesn’t have an answer to, which you plan on providing them through your presentation.

Some examples of these would be:

• Is there anyone here who can give me the exact amount of microplastics they consumed during this week?
• Did you know that with the advancement in technology, there is a possibility that the organ transplanted to you in 20 years would not be from another human but from an animal?

Starting your presentation with props is the easiest and most creative way to start a presentation. The reason why it is creative is that you can use absolutely anything as a prop. Be it a plastic bottle, a jar full of waste, or even some hula hoops.

Once you have introduced yourself and your topic, you can go on to the next step: the main content of your presentation.

However, it isn’t just about presenting your points but how you present them that we will take a look into.  Presenting your topic in a more structured manner makes it easier for your audience to stay in tune with your presentation.

One of the formatting ways is the 3-pointer format . The idea behind using a 3-pointer structure is to divide your main content into 3 huge chunks or points. And while you are free to add more points, having 3 points makes it a tad bit easier to recall the information and to maintain a flow among the listeners.  

An example of using a three-pointer structure is this 5 slide presentation by Ashley Stahl where she talks about 3 key questions to unlock your authentic careers.

• What are you good at?
• What do people tell me I am good at?
• What is holding you back?

The closing remarks like the opening lines are quite important.

There are several ways in which you can close your presentation. But it takes more than a mere thank you to make it an effective closing remark for your presentation.

A few ways in which you can close 10-minute presentations are:

1. Fitting remark

A fitting remark or in simple terms a summary is where you revise what you just spoke in a couple of lines. It is better to keep it as short as possible as 10-minute presentations don’t give you enough tie to elaborate.

2. Calling for action

You can end your speech by instilling a sense of action and purpose among the audience members to make a difference. An amazing example of this is the speech by Leonardo DiCaprio. While it is a speech, you can observe his way of delivering the last couple of lines and inculcate the same in your presentation.

For more ways in which you can close your presentation check out our video on 5 Powerful Speech Closing Remarks for your next Presentation.

Designing 10-minute presentations

Designing your PowerPoint is as important as presenting your topic confidently and effectively.

A few dos and don’ts of designing your PPTs are:

Some amazing websites that will help you in making effective and aesthetically pleasing presentations are canva , Prezi , and more.

Best PowerPoint presentations on TED 

Some of the most innovative PowerPoint presentations we came across on Ted were the ones given by Tim Burton and Adam Grant.

1. Tim Burton

I can not emphasize how absolutely wonderful the Presentation by Tim is. A mix of information with tons of humor coupled with very entertaining visuals.

His confidence makes the presentation quite engaging and interesting to watch.

2. Adam Grant

Adam Grant like Tim Burton has made use of animated cartoons to make the statistical data quite entertaining. However, the way he presents his topic is a little different.

His presentation is filled with images and cartoons . When he states quantitative data, the font size and color are something that must be taken a look into. Further, the language that he includes in his PPT is very candid and informal.

Delivering 10-minute presentations

While you are trying to make your content crisp, 10 minutes may seem way too little; But when it comes to presenting it and speaking, 10 minutes is not that short of a time.

There are a few things that you can do so as to deliver your presentation in its most effective way.

1. Practice your presentation in chunks.

Chunks are the division of your main content into small parts. 5-to-9 chunks are easy to remember.

We are not encouraging you to memorize or rote learn your presentation. However, it is important to remember the flow in which you are supposed to be presenting. And for this dividing, your presentation into chunks to practice can help navigate you through your entire presentation.

This also raises the question that,

How Long Should You Practice for a Presentation?

It is advisable to practice your presentation at least 3 times and a maximum of 10-12 times . But as the old saying goes “Practice makes a man perfect,” you can practice as long as you feel you have perfected your presentation.

If you are looking for a specific time duration for which you should practice then, for a 10-minute presentation, 30 minutes to about An hour and a half should suffice.

For some amazing tips on how you can rehearse your presentations, check out 13 Tips For Rehearsing A Presentation .

2. Add a story or share a personal experience

Stories are a very binding way to let your point across. It adds a personal touch, especially if you are sharing your personal experience. It also gives the audience a chance to understand where you come from and maybe even relate to you.

The TED by Jarret J. Krosoczka is a wonderful presentation where he illustrates his story while talking about it to the audience.

The creative bend makes it a presentation worth remembering, don’t you think?

3. Engage the audience.

While it isn’t mandatory for you to add elements that would ensure that the audience stays engaged, adding it will only help in enhancing your and your audience’s experience (if time permits).

You can add a quiz , or a small game like spot a difference between the two pictures. you can also ask a question and take a poll by asking the audience members who agree to raise their hands.

4. Add humor to your presentations

Humor can be your friend or your enemy while presenting a topic. If you get it right, it can make your presentation an unforgettable one. At the same time, if you end up making jokes that the audience might not find funny or worst even derogatory, It may land you in some trouble.

One of the funniest and most energy-filled presentations I have come across was the one by Alexis Nikole Nelson and her take on Veganism. The way in which she makes use of the prop is another thing you must take a look into.

Add elements of credibility

Elements of credibility include stating facts and figures . You can also quote some renowned personalities . All these things would build the confidence of the audience in your presentation. It also works best to give a reality check. How do you ask?

Simple, when you state figures, you give them a clear picture of the situation.

An example of this is the use of statistics used by Randy Palisoc in his Ted talk “Math isn’t hard, it’s a language.”

26%..Thats is the percentage of US 12 graders who are proficient in math

Find the full video of the same below.

Famous 10-Minute Presentations

1. bill gates.

We might have all heard about Bill Gates and his talks or speeches on Climate Change. But this presentation was a little different.

Here, Bill Gates goes on to explain how teachers have not been receiving sufficient feedback which could’ve led to drastic changes in their teaching patterns.

He explains the wide disparity in feedback given to teachers through charts , thus providing a way to easily compare and evaluate one’s country’s performance to that of others.

His bidding statement ends on a positive note as it is filled with optimism. He says,

I am excited about the opportunity to give all our teachers the support they want and deserve. I hope you are too.

2. Vishaan Chakrabarti

Renowned Architect Vishaan Chakrabarti gives an insight into the need for sustainable housing to provide a roof over the head of additional 3 billion people who are expected to be born by 2100.

The presentation is particularly interesting for the way in which he has used the visuals and animations . The language is kept simple which makes it easy to understand even if you have no degree in architecture.

Topics for 10-minute presentations

Presentation topics for college students.

• Population explosion
• The increasing gap between Rich and Poor
• Virtual money as the next evolution in monetary exchange
• Diversification and blending of cultures
• Change in seeking entertainment post-pandemic
• Data is the new oil
• Are we prepared for the next pandemic?
• Electric Vehicles: Future of Transportation
• E-learning and the shift in the education system
• Veganism and sustainability
• Evolution of the fashion industry in the metaverse
• Legalization of cryptocurrencies
• Need for immediate action toward climate change
• Do your degrees define your success in life?
• Evolution in careers across the years

Presentation Topics for Interviews

• Overcoming fears can lead to success
• Diversification in the workplace and its impact on better decision making
• Right to work is a fundamental right
• Can a few jobs permanently start working from home?
• Women as leaders
• The rise in startup culture
• The increasing threat of data breach
• Influencer marketing and its advantages
• Employee motivation and its relation to monetary rewards
• Should employees be paid for working overtime
• Paternal leave and its benefits
• Building skills is more important than degrees
• The efficiency of a 4 day work week
• Benefits of going paperless to the organizations

Funny 10-minute presentation topics

• 11 ways to order a pizza
• Why you don’t need success
• Why be excellent when you can be mediocre?
• World’s worst Disaster: Crocs Heels
• Evolution of Dance: from Bellydance to TikTok dance
• Being an Adult: The Most challenging task
• Struggles of Being a Planned Child
• Alcohol fixes relationships
• How autocorrect ruins your life
• LOL: Only Socially Acceptable way to Avoid laughing
• If only I had the life I do on My Instagram
• 5 easy ways to make it out of the friendzone
• 3 Totally useless professions
• 6 ways to do absolutely nothing
• The Rise of Family Whatsapp Groups

You can also find more speech topics depending on the type of your speech. Check out Demonstrative Speech Topics , Informative Speech Topics , and Persuasive Speech Topics on our website to get some inspiration for your speech.

10-Minute presentation sample

Presentation on Sustainable Fashion

I want you to imagine the amount of water you drink in a day. Now imagine and tell me if you can do the math, how much water would you have consumed in 3 years?

Let me help you.

2720 liters of water.

Now how would you feel if I tell you that this also equal to the amount of water that went into making the t-shirt you quite stunningly adorn right now?

*Imitates mind being blown*

With a 4-fold increase in the production of clothes over the last 20 years, we cannot even imagine the extent to which it has penetrated the pollution index across the world. Every year, fast fashion brands release several micro collections against the ideal 2. So if you ever wondered how the store has a very different collection every time you step into H&M or Zara, you know now. In fact, In the US per person, approximately 35 kgs of textile waste are generated every year.

If this wasn’t enough, the extent of water pollution caused by Fast fashion is beyond imaginable. 22,000 toxic waste is released into rivers by tanneries in Bangladesh,

Every. Single. Day.

So, what is the most immediate action that you can take to switch to more sustainable styling?

I am going to introduce a mantra that has worked wonders for me when I felt overwhelmed about switching to sustainable fashion. The 4 Rs and No it isn’t Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

The 4 Rs for sustainable fashion are

Reduce your consumption of clothes. Has it ever happened that you end up buying a shirt only to realize you don’t a perfect pair of pants to wear with it? Or bought something that you found super cute but never touched once you got home? It’s okay! Don’t feel guilty, I have done that too.

But that can be avoided. A simple method is to ask yourself “Do I need this Now?” and “Will I be able to use it in the long run?” The answer to the second question will immediately direct you away from fast fashion brands that offer cheap quality clothing at a very affordable rate.

If the clothes you own can be repaired in any way, it is better to do that than jump on to buy a new one. There were many times when I repaired or redesigned my outfits. For example. this one time when I slipped in my yard and tore my jeans a little from the knee area. Guess the ground was desperate for me to own another pair of ripped jeans and so I did exactly that. The other time a friend of mine, an amazing artist got some splashes of paint on her pants, Any guess what we did with those pants?

Exactly! Splashed more paint over it. Now I know it may sound bizarre but that was a time when that was in trend.

The third option is to Resell your stuff or give it to someone else.

This is where our popular thrift stores come into the picture. You’ve got a piece of clothing that you are never going to wear? Why let it take up the space in your closet when you can easily make money out of it and get rid of it at the same time. But if you are more altruistic, you can even consider donating your not-so-frequently used clothes to those who need them. And I know for a fact that every brown person sitting here is a pro at both lending and receiving hand-me-downs.

Lastly and the most important of all is, to rethink your consumption of fashion. It is 2022. Some brands have dedicated their entire efforts to providing you with sustainable alternatives. You can choose to buy consciously.

For instance, Adidas’s future craft loop edition shoes are one such example of big brands trying to do their part in this battle of saving our planet from our species. Further, there are brands like Baggit that use vegan leather for all their products.

Then there are completely sustainable brands like Eco India that use the clothes thrown into landfills to make fashion statements that are both iconic as well as sustainable.

While I can talk about this for as long as my voice doesn’t give in, I guess I should cut it short.

Reduce, Repair, Resell and Rethink what you can do to make the change towards a healthier fashion choice. After all the industry thrives upon you and your impulsiveness, try not to give in to it.

So the idea is simple. Maintain your style but not at the cost of the planet.

Final Thoughts

Presentations are an effective mode of presenting your topic with creativity.

10-minute presentations however come with a restriction on time which makes it important to focus on crunching the information you plan to add and thus keeping it short.

The use of visuals can be effective in carrying out successful presentations, be it PPTs or props.

Sharing personal experiences, humor, or any other element that makes your presentation stand out would enhance your presentation and make it easier for the audience to recall the information shared by you.

Lastly, there is no right or wrong way of presenting.

The only way we know is to enjoy your presentation just as much as you would want the audience to enjoy listening to it.

If you feel like you need more personalized guidance on carrying out your presentation in a more effective and confident manner, Check out Frantically Speaking .

We will be more than happy to help you!

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10-Minute Presentation Topics | 50 Unique Ideas in 2024

Lawrence Haywood • 05 Apr 2024 • 10 min read

For 10 minutes, what can you really do? A shower? A power nap? An entire presentation?

You might already be sweating at the idea of that last one. Cramming an entire presentation into 10 minutes is tough, but doing it without even knowing what to talk about is even tougher. So let’s check out 10-minute presentation topics

No matter where you’ve been challenged to give a 10-minute presentation, we’ve got your back. Check out the ideal presentation structure below and over fifty 10-minute presentation topics, you can use for your big (actually, pretty small) speech. So, let’s check out the best 50 10-minute presentation topics!

Table of Contents

• The 10-Minute Presentation Structure
• Topics for College Students
• Topics for Interviews
• Relatable Topics
• Interesting Topics
• Controversial Topics

Frequently Asked Questions

Start in seconds.

Get free 10-minute presentation topics and templates. Sign up for free and take what you want from the template library!

Tips from AhaSlides – 10-minute presentation topics

• Types of Presentation
• Product presentation
• Business presentation

The 10-Minute Presentation Topics Structure

As you might imagine, the hardest part of a 10-minute presentation is actually sticking to 10 minutes. None of your audience, organisers or fellow speakers will be pleased if your speech starts running over, but it’s hard to know how not to.

You might be tempted to cram as much information as possible, but doing so is just going to make for an overbearing presentation. Especially for this type of presentation , knowing what to leave out is as much of a skill as knowing what to put in, so try and follow the sample below for a perfectly structured presentation.

• Introduction (1 slide) – Start your presentation with a quick question, fact or story relayed in a maximum of 2 minutes.
• Body (3 slides) – Get into the nitty gritty of your talk with 3 slides. Audiences struggle to take home more than three ideas, so spacing all three out over the course of 6 or 7 minutes can be very effective.
• Conclusion (1 slide) – End it all with a quick sum up of your 3 main points. You should be able to do this in 1 minute.

This 10-minute presentation example format contains a fairly conservative 5 slides, based on the famous 10-20-30 rule of presentations. In that rule, an ideal presentation is 10 slides in 20 minutes, meaning a 10-minute presentation would only require 5 slides.

Use interactive features with AhaSlides to gain better engagement in any type of presentation! You can spin the fun to the presentation, by gathering crowd ideas by idea board , live word clouds , or surveying them by top free survey tool , online polling , and also test their knowledge with an online quiz creator !

10 Ideas for College Students – 10-Minute Presentation Topics

A 10-minute presentation is all you need as a college student to show your knowledge and forward-thinking values. So let’s check out few 10-minute presentation topics!

They’re also great practice for presentations you might be making in the future. If you feel comfortable within 10 minutes, chances are that you’ll be alright in the future, too.

• How to work alongside AI – Artificial intelligence is making huge steps forward daily. We’ll soon be in a different world, so how are you, the worker of the future, going to deal with it? This is a super interesting topic and one that’s very relevant for your classmates.
• Fighting the climate catastrophe – The issue of our age. What is it doing to us and how do we solve it?
• Portable homes – The portable home movement is on the way to revolutionising the way we live. What’s good and bad about having a house you can move around and what does your ideal one look like?
• The thrift life – How to save money on clothes, along with the pros and cons of throwaway fashion for youngsters.
• The future of streaming platforms – Why is TV on demand so great and why is it not universal? Or is it stealing too much of our free time?
• What happened to newspapers? – Newspapers are probably ancient technology to college students like you. A deep dive into history will reveal what they were and why they’re on their way out of print.
• The evolution of the mobile phone – Has any device in history advanced as quickly as mobile phones have? There’s so much to talk about in this 10-minute presentation topic.
• The life and times of your hero – A great chance to show your love for someone who inspires you the most. This can be within or outside of your college subject.
• My permaculture future – If you’re looking for a greener existence in your future, try explaining to your classmates about the advantages and logistics of having a permaculture garden.
• E-waste – We dump out so much electrical waste these days. Where does it all go and what happens to it?

10 Interview Presentation Ideas – 10-Minute Presentation Topics

More and more nowadays, recruiters are turning to quick-fire presentation as a means of testing a candidate’s skill and confidence in presenting something.

But, it’s more than that. Recruiters also want to learn about you as a person. They want to know what interests you, what makes you tick and what has changed your life in a profound way.

If you can nail any of these presentation topics in your interview, you’ll be starting next Monday!

• Someone who inspires you – Pick a hero and talk about their background, their achievements, what you’ve learned from them and how it’s shaped you as a person.
• The most eye-opening place you’ve ever been – A travelling experience or holiday that blew your mind. This might not necessarily be your favourite ever abroad experience, but it was one that made you realise something you had not thought about before.
• An imagined problem – Set out a hypothetical problem at the company you’re applying for. Show the recruiters the steps you would take to eradicate that problem for good.
• Something you’re proud of – We’ve all got achievements we’re proud of, and they do not necessarily work achievements. A quick 10-minute presentation on something you’ve done or made that has made you proud can reveal a lot of good stuff about you as a person.
• The future of your field – Make some interesting, bold predictions about where you think the industry is heading in the upcoming years. Do research, get stats to back up your claims, and avoid being condescending.
• A workflow you’ve fixed – Untidy workflows are rampant in many workplaces. If you’ve had a hand in turning something inefficient into a well-oiled machine, make a presentation about it!
• A book you’d love to write – Assuming you were a top-class wordsmith, what’s the one topic you’d love to write a book about? Would it be fiction or non-fiction? What would the plot be? Who are the characters?
• Your favourite work culture – Choose the job with the best work culture in terms of office atmosphere, rules, after-work activities and trips away. Explain what was so great about it; it might give your potential new boss a few ideas!
• Pet peeves in the workplace – If you fancy yourself as a bit of a comedian, listing out the things that grind your gears in the office could be a good laugh and a nice bit of observational comedy for your recruiters. Make sure it’s actually funny though, as listening to a candidate moan for 10 minutes is not normally something that leads to recruitment.
• The good and bad of remote working – Surely every office worker in the world has experience of remote working. Pry open your own experiences and discuss whether or not they’ve been for the better or for, the worse.

10 Relatable 10-Minute Presentation Topics

People love stuffs they can relate to their own experiences. It’s the reason why your presentation on the problems of the post office was a hit, but your one on the use of thermoplongeurs and suspension compression on modern fatigue carousels was an absolute travesty.

Keeping topics nicely open and accessible for everyone is a great way to get a good reaction. Do you need some topics for presentation that participants can get involved in quickly? Check out these fun presentation topics ideas as below…

• The best Disney princess – The best interesting presentation topics! Everyone’s got their favourite; who’s the one that gives you the most hope for generations of strong, independent girls?
• The greatest language ever – Maybe it’s the language that sounds the sexiest, looks the sexiest or the one that just works the best.
• Coffee vs tea – Most people have a preference, but very few have the numbers to back it up. Do some scientific research into what’s better between coffee and tea and why.
• Stand-up – You may not initially think it, but a stand-up comedy performance is definitely a presentation of sorts. 10 minutes is a great time window for some witty observations that make everyone laugh.
• Reasons for procrastination – List out all the things that keep you from doing what you’re supposed to be doing. Remember to tell some stories in this – chances are that almost all of your audience will be able to relate.
• Is social distancing for life? Introverts, assemble. Or actually, don’t. Should we keep social distancing an opt-in, opt-out kind of thing?
• Paper books vs ebooks – This one is all about physical touch and nostalgia against modern convenience. It’s a fight for our age.
• Identity of the decades – We all know the distinction between the 70s, 80s and 90s, but what were the unique cultural points of the 2000s and 2010s? Will we see later or will they just never get their own identities?
• Pluto’s a planet – Believe it or not, there are a surprising number of Pluto aficionados out there. Talking about how Pluto’s a planet could really get them on your side, and they’re a powerful bunch.
• Observational comedy – A dive into the most relatable of relatable short presentation topics. What makes observational comedy so relatable?

10 Interesting 10-Minute Presentation Topics

This one is the exact opposite of ‘relatable topics’. These short presentation topics are all about super interesting scientific phenomena that a lot of people don’t know about.

You don’t have to be relatable when you can be fascinating!

• Crown shyness – A presentation that explores the phenomenon of the crowns of trees that grow in such a way as not to touch each other.
• Sailing stones – There are rocks that can sail across the floor of Death Valley, but what causes it?
• Bioluminescence – Dive into what makes certain animals and plants light up the night using just their bodies. Include heaps of pictures in this one, it’s a glorious sight!
• What happened to Venus? – Venus and Earth came into existence at the same time, made of the same stuff. Yet, Venus is a real hellscape of a planet – so what happened?
• Music therapy in Alzheimer’s treatment – Music is so effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Take a dive into the interesting reason why that is.
• What the hell is slime mould? – An exploration of the mould made up of single cells that can solve mazes when those cells combine forces.
• All about Havana Syndrome – The mysterious illness that struck the US embassy in Cuba – where did it come from and what did it do?
• The origins of Stonehenge – How did people 5000 years ago drag boulders from the Welsh highlands to lowland England? Also, why did they even decide to build Stonehenge?
• Intuition – Gut feeling, sixth sense; whatever you want to call it, scientists don’t really know what it is.
• Deja vu – We all know the feeling, but how does it work? Why do we feel deja vu?

10 Controversial 10-Minute Presentation Topics

Check out some controversial 10-minute presentation topics. Not only are social topics for presentation, but these are also ideal topics for presentation for students in class as they can make positive debates in the learning environment.

• Cryptocurrency: good or bad? – It resurfaces in the news every few months, so everyone’s got an opinion, but we often only hear one side of the cryptocoin and not the other. In this 10-minute presentation, you can introduce the good and bad of crypto.
• Should we ban Black Friday? – Mass consumerism and mass tramplings at store entrances – has Black Friday gone too far? Some will say it’s not gone far enough.
• Minimalism – A new way to live that’s the opposite of everything Black Friday represents. How does it work and why should you try it?
• The best stuff for your health – Another one about which everyone’s got something to say. Do the research and give the facts.
• Disney whitewashing – This one’s definitely a controversial topic. It could be a quick exploration of how Disney seemingly chooses and alters skin tones depending on the story being told.
• Time to eat some bugs – As the world will soon have to move away from meat, what are we going to replace it with? Hope your audience likes cricket sundaes!
• Free speech – Is free speech something we still have? Are you having it right now while you give this presentation? That’s a pretty easy one to answer.
• Gun laws around the world – See how the world’s most gunned-up country compares to other countries in terms of weapons available and its ramifications.
• 1 million vs 1 billion – The difference between $1,000,000 and $1,000,000,000 is much bigger than you think. There are so many ways to highlight the enormous wealth gap in a 10-minute presentation.
• Military spending – We could solve all world issues in a flash if every country dissolved its military and used its funds for good. Is it feasible?

Bonus Topics: Vox

Looking for unique topics for presentation? Being your great idea source, Vox is an American online magazine with a real knack for making insightful video essays on interesting topics you may never have thought about. They were the guys behind the ‘ Explained ‘ series on Netflix, and they’ve also got their own YouTube channel full of topics.

The videos vary in length, but you can choose any of these to present if you feel like it’s interesting enough for your crowd. They are not only the best topics for presentation in college but also unique topics for presentation in office. Contract or expand the information in the video to 10 minutes and make sure you can present it comfortably.

Some of Vox’s videos include trendy topics for presentation…

• How music on TikTok goes viral.
• London’s super basements.
• The AI behind creating art on demand.
• The end of oil.
• The rise of K-pop.
• Why diets fail.
• Many, many more…

Wrapping Up

10 minutes is, categorically, not a long time , so yes, 10-minute presentation topics can be difficult! Okay, it’s a long time to spend on your turn on the karaoke machine, but it’s not a long time for a presentation. But those also can be the best ideas for video presentations!

Above is your choice of 10-minute presentation topics!

Nailing yours starts with the right topic. Any of the 50 unique ones above would be a great way to kick off a 10-minute presentation (or even a 5-minute presentation ).

Once you have your topic, you’ll want to craft the structure of your 10-minute talk and the content. Check out our presentation tips to keep your presentation fun and watertight.

3 magic ingredients of Amazing Presentations?

The Audience, Speaker and Transformation in-between.

How do you present for 15 minutes?

20-25 slides are perfect, as 1-2 slides should be spoken in 1 minute.

Is a 10-minute presentation long?

a 20-minute presentation should be 9 – 10 pages long, while a 15-minute presentation should be 7-8 pages long. Therefore, the 10-minute presentation should be around 3-4 pages long

Lawrence Haywood

Former ESL teacher and quiz master converted to the wild slide. Now a content creator, traveller, musician and big time slider preaching the good word of interactivity.

More from AhaSlides

200 topics for 10-Minute Presentations

As a presenter, having a selection of concise and captivating topics is key to a memorable 10-minute presentation. These 200 topics are designed to inspire and engage, ensuring your next presentation is a hit!

• The Importance of Time Management
• Tips for Effective Communication Skills
• The Power of Positive Thinking
• Understanding Body Language and Nonverbal Cues
• The Basics of Mindfulness and Meditation
• How Renewable Energy Is Shaping the Future
• The Impact of Globalization on Cultures
• A Beginner’s Guide to Personal Finance
• The Role of Social Media in Today’s Society
• Overcoming the Challenges of Public Speaking
• The History of the Internet and Its Evolution
• The Science Behind Healthy Eating Habits
• The Significance of Emotional Intelligence
• The Art of Negotiation in Business and Life
• The Effects of Climate Change on Our Planet
• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
• How Volunteering Benefits Both You and Society
• Understanding the Basics of Blockchain Technology
• The Impact of Fast Fashion on the Environment
• Exploring the World of Virtual Reality
• The Evolution of Telecommunication
• Why Cultivating Creativity Matters
• Mental Health Awareness and Stigma Reduction
• The Effects of Sleep on Performance and Well-being
• Strategies for Effective Conflict Resolution
• An Overview of World Religions and Philosophies
• The Pros and Cons of Remote Work
• The Growth of E-commerce and Online Shopping
• Achieving Work-Life Balance in a Busy World
• Basic First Aid Skills Everyone Should Know
• The Rise of Autonomous Vehicles
• An Introduction to Sustainable Living
• The Importance of Biodiversity Conservation
• How to Set and Achieve Personal Goals
• The History and Culture of a Country of Your Choice
• The Role of NGOs in Global Development
• How to Develop Leadership Skills
• The Benefits of Learning a Second Language
• Exploring the Moral Implications of Genetic Engineering
• Understanding the Basics of Economics
• The Future of Space Exploration
• The Impact of Tourism on Local Communities
• The Role of Education in Empowering Women
• The Importance of Protecting Wildlife
• The Psychology of Advertising
• How to Maintain Mental Fitness
• The Historical Significance of the Olympic Games
• The Social and Economic Effects of Urbanization
• The Rise of Cybersecurity Threats
• The Revolution of 3D Printing
• The Elements of a Successful Entrepreneur
• The Ethical Issues Around Animal Testing
• The Influence of Music on Society
• Dealing with Peer Pressure in Adolescence
• The Benefits and Challenges of Multiculturalism
• The Science Behind Memory and Learning
• The Importance of Art in Education
• The Future of Jobs and Automation
• An Overview of Quantum Computing
• The Debate on Gun Control in the United States
• The Importance of Coral Reefs to Marine Ecosystems
• Exploring the Concept of Universal Basic Income
• Understanding the Stock Market for Beginners
• The Role of Technology in Modern Education
• The Journey of Coffee from Bean to Cup
• Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
• The Cultural Significance of Traditional Festivals
• The Health Effects of Tobacco and Alcohol
• The Basics of Photography and Composition
• How to Manage Stress and Anxiety
• The Benefits of Urban Green Spaces
• Understanding the Human Immune System
• The Importance of Reading in Personal Development
• The Impact of Artificial Light on Sleep Patterns
• The Science of Happiness
• The Consequences of Plastic Pollution
• How Social Movements Shape History
• Exploring Alternative Energy Sources
• The Principles of Sustainable Agriculture
• The Myths and Realities of Dieting
• Understanding Digital Privacy and Security
• The Phenomenon of Mass Media Influence
• Coping with the Loss of a Loved One
• The Effect of Video Games on Cognitive Skills
• The Importance of Interpersonal Skills in the Workplace
• The Basics of Intellectual Property Rights
• The Challenges of Global Poverty
• The Relationship Between Exercise and Mental Health
• The Significance of the United Nations in Global Affairs
• Understanding Intercultural Communication
• Exploring the Deep Ocean and Its Mysteries
• The Increasing Importance of Big Data
• How to Create a Successful Youtube Channel
• The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
• The Story of Human Evolution
• The Future of Genetic Testing and Personalized Medicine
• The Effect of Automation on Employment
• The Role of Animals in Therapy
• The Implications of Virtual Currency
• The Benefits and Limitations of Smart Home Technology
• How to Create an Effective Résumé
• The Importance of Critical Thinking Skills
• An Introduction to the World’s Major Political Systems
• The Rise of Drones and Their Applications
• The Effects of Social Isolation on Health
• The Role of Cryptocurrencies in the Financial Market
• Understanding the Causes of Global Food Insecurity
• The Concept of Minimalism and Simple Living
• How to Build and Preserve Digital Reputation
• The Anomalies of the British Monarchy System
• The Art of Storytelling and its Significance
• The Rise of Veganism and Its Impact
• The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding
• The Influence of Celebrities on Public Opinion
• The Growing Problem of Electronic Waste
• How Digital Assistants Are Changing Our Lives
• The Importance of Maintaining Online Etiquette
• Exploring the Current State of Electric Vehicles
• The Future of Wearable Technology
• The Connection Between Diet and Chronic Diseases
• The Art and Science of Beer Brewing
• The Mystery of Black Holes
• The Significance of Water Conservation
• The Fundamentals of Cryptography
• The Relation Between Stress and Physical Health
• The Role of Citizen Journalism in the Media Landscape
• The Dangers of Antibiotic Resistance
• The Social Impact of Podcasting
• The Use of Drones in Agriculture
• The History and Significance of the Nobel Prize
• The Changing Landscape of Book Publishing
• The Growth of Telemedicine and Its Future Implications
• The Debate Over Net Neutrality
• The Basics of Augmented Reality
• The Dynamics of Group Behavior
• The Phenomenon of Procrastination and Strategies to Overcome It
• The Importance of Bees to the Ecosystem
• Understanding the Circular Economy Model
• The Psychological Effects of Social Media Use
• The Power of Microfinance in Developing Countries
• The Growing Trend of Digital Nomadism
• The Social and Political Impact of Graffiti and Street Art
• The Benefits of Adopting a Plant-Based Diet
• The History of the Computer and its Evolution
• The Role of Biotechnology in Agriculture
• The Potential of Smart Cities to Transform Urban Living
• The Controversy Surrounding Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
• The Tradition of Tea Drinking Across Cultures
• The Challenges of Overpopulation
• The Importance of STEM Education for the Future
• Understanding the Gig Economy and Freelancing
• The Philosophy of Stoicism and Modern Life
• The Cultural Impact of Reality TV Shows
• The Role of Meditation in Cultivating Inner Peace
• The Threat of Melting Polar Ice Caps
• The Ethics and Implications of Cloning
• The Benefits of Team Sports in Personal Development
• The Exploration of Mars: Possibilities and Challenges
• The Science of Food Preservation Techniques
• The Role of Trade Unions in the Modern Workforce
• The Resurgence of Podcasts as an Information Medium
• The Relationship Between Fashion and Identity
• The Importance of Urban Wildlife Habitats
• The Impact of Driverless Cars on Society
• The Psychology Behind Consumer Choices
• The Role of Microorganisms in Our Ecosystem
• The Rising Trend of Telehealth and E-Health
• The Influence of Architecture on Human Behavior
• The Role of the World Bank in International Development
• The Growing Use of Biometrics for Security
• The Science and Art of Wine Tasting
• The Benefits of Public Transportation Systems
• The Connection Between Literature and Society
• The Potential of Hydroponic Gardening
• The Role of Online Education in Learning
• The Cultural Phenomenon of Superheroes
• The Importance of Historical Preservation
• The Art of Precision in Watchmaking
• The Psychology of Leadership and Authority
• The Connection Between Climate and Agriculture
• The History and Evolution of Jazz Music
• The Role of Play in Child Development
• The Impact of Nanotechnology on Medicine
• The Effects of Overfishing on Marine Environments
• The Importance of Adventure Tourism
• The Future of Robotics in Daily Life
• The Health Benefits of Yoga Practice
• The Influence of Digital Marketing on Consumer Behavior
• The Mechanics of Tectonic Plate Movement
• The Complex World of International Trade Agreements
• The Implications of Self-Driving Technology on Logistics
• The History of Women’s Suffrage Movement
• The Importance of Open Source Software
• The Relationship Between Air Pollution and Respiratory Health
• The Influence of Classical Music on Modern Composers
• The Role of Bioplastics in Reducing Pollution
• The Sociology of Fashion and Trends
• The Frontier of Brain-Computer Interfaces
• The Power of Social Entrepreneurship
• The Cultural Significance of Culinary Traditions

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Mastering 10-Minute Presentations: Slides for Maximum Impact

How many slides for a 10-minute presentation do you need to get your message across in a limited amount of time?

Here’s a short answer: anywhere from five to 15 slides .

The long answer? Well, the ideal number of slides may vary depending on several factors , including the complexity of the topic discussed, your speaking phase, time allowance for audience interaction, and more.

This article will dive deep into the secrets of short and sweet but impactful presentations. We’ll also review a few methods from experts about determining the number of slides you need for your presentation, whether it’s a pitch deck, webinar slides, or anything else in between.

Read on and get ready to transform those fleeting ten minutes into a memorable experience that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

The 10/20/30 PowerPoint Rule

How many PowerPoint slides is a 10-minute presentation?

When it comes to pitching and presentations, marketing specialist and author Guy Kawasaki may just be one of the best people to consult. After all, as a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, he’s heard thousands of pitches, and he knows what kind of presentations can hook the audience.

So, how many slides for a 10-minute presentation does one need, according to Kawasaki?

The Art of the Start author has discussed the 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint , and it has become a well-known guideline for creating effective slide presentations, particularly in the context of business and entrepreneurship.

Here are the components of the concept:

• 10 Slides . Kawasaki says the presentation should only have ten slides as it’s the best number to cover all the critical points of a presentation without overwhelming the audience. With limited slides, the presenter allows the audience to focus on the essential aspects of their message.
• 20 Minutes . The venture capitalist believes that a presenter should aim to complete the presentation within 20 minutes. This time frame is enough to cover key points and not too long to bore the audience. It also leaves room for discussion, questions, and unforeseen delays.
• 30-Point Font . Kawasaki recommends a minimum font size of 30 points so that the text is readable and the slides are not overcrowded with too much information. A larger font size also forces you to use more visuals and less text.

If we were to apply Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 rule to a 10-minute presentation, we would look at five slides – more or less two minutes per slide. This would be enough to get all the major points across while being concise and not overwhelming the audience.

The 3-2-1 Presentation Rule

Here’s another perspective on how many slides for a 10-minute presentation: the 3-2-1 rule discussed by Plus Cofounder and CEO Daniel Li.

This concept has three main components:

• 3 Key Takeaways . Li suggests presenters identify three main points they want the audience to remember and focus on.
• 2 Minutes per Slide . The CEO recommends spending two minutes to discuss each slide in the presentation.
• 1 Idea per Slide . Just as Kawasaki suggests overwhelming the audience with only a few pieces of information at a time, Li encourages presenters to focus on one central idea per slide for clarity.

If we use the 3-2-1 rule concept when determining how many slides for a 10-minute presentation we need, the answer is more or less the same if we used Kiwasaki’s proposal – we come up with five slides, give or take one or two slides .

In addition to the general concept of the 3-2-1 Rule, Li recommends the following approaches depending on the context of the presentation:

• Work Context . Focus on two or three central slides to convey your main ideas, supplemented by 2 to 3 slides with additional data or illustrative examples.
• Sales Context . Develop three core slides that showcase the advantages of your product or service, with two extra slides for customer testimonials or detailed data to enrich the discussion.
• Academic Context . Prepare two or three primary slides outlining main discoveries, and include 2 to 4 slides for supporting evidence or expanded explanations.
• Storytelling Context . Create three principal slides to create a story arc (beginning, middle, end), along with two slides for powerful quotes or imagery.

Other Recommendations for Number of Slides

Aside from Kawasaki and Li’s concepts of slide quantity, there are other approaches you can use:

• In an article for Cath Lab Digest, University of California, Irvine Professor Dr. Morton J Kern and VA Long Beach Cardiac Imaging Director Dr. Jeannie Yu discussed best practices to present and communicate  ideas to physicians, nurses, technologists. They said the rule of thumb is 10 slides for 10 minutes, with speakers spending around 30 seconds or a minute per slide. They recommend preparing 10 to 12 slides for a 10-minute presentation.

• Cloud-based AI-powered presentation maker Wonderslide, meanwhile, also says speakers typically use 10-12 slides for a 10-minute presentation. However, a speaker might use more slides to show examples or photos . Let’s presume that you stuck with 12 slides, but you had to show three examples, then the final slide count would be 15.

Tips to Nail Your 10-Minute Presentation 

Now that you know the main approaches to how many slides for a 10-minute presentation, here are a few tips to drive your points home:

• Rehearse and Time Your Delivery . Practice to ensure you stay within the 10-minute limit.
• Clarity in Content . Ensure your message is clear and concise; every word counts.
• Effective Storytelling . Weave a narrative that connects with your audience emotionally.
• Concise Slides . Limit text and focus on key points to avoid overwhelming your audience.
• Visuals and Graphics . Use high-quality images and graphics to illustrate points.
• Professional Template . Use a PowerPoint presentation design template that looks professional and aligns with your presentation’s tone. For presentation design , pay attention to layout, color schemes, and typography for a cohesive look.

If you need professional slide designs crafted by professional designers, Penji can help. We have the top 2% of designers who are well-versed in the power of visual storytelling.

Sign up today and power up your 10-minute presentation for maximum impact.

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Tips for a 10-minute presentation

Prioritise.   Select.  In a 10-minute talk, you can hope to convey one key idea.  So:  what’s your ‘take-away message’?

Think of a 10-minute talk as an extended abstract:  your aim is to convey the unique character of your research, with just enough detail so that the audience can grasp the big picture and understand what distinguishes your research from other related work. 

Plan the time:

If the talk is 10 minutes, then you can’t spend 5 of them on the introduction.  Associate time with important points – points essential to convey the character and shape of your research, points important to your line of reasoning, points concerning the implications of your research, and so on.  

It is essential to cover enough of the design and structure of your research for the audience to grasp its character.  So, your talk should include the classic key ingredients:

1.  Research question :  including what motivates you to address it, and why an answer will be important.  

2.  Context :   what is already known, what the issues are, what other approaches have been tried or are being tried – in brief.

3.  Your research design :   what you’re doing, what evidence you expect to find.

4.  Findings:    what evidence you have produced so far.

5.  Take-away message:   what you want the audience to remember about your research.

You’ll need balance among these elements:  don’t sacrifice the evidence, or your take-away message won’t be convincing.  Don’t short-change the context, or the research choices may not make sense.  Don’t forget to motivate the question, or the audience might wonder why you’re bothering.  And so on.

Start by giving a minute to each of the five – and then allocating the remaining five minutes to the elements that are most important to you to convey.  Note the time allocation on your running notes or script (whatever you use to guide yourself during your talk).

Plan the slides:

At 1 slide per minute, you need to contain your key points in 10 slides or so.  That doesn’t mean squeezing the material from 20 slides into 10; it means selecting key points and crucial material.  Remember:  if the audience is too busy trying to read your slides, then people won’t be listening to your words.  The purpose of the slides is to focus attention and reinforce key points.  If you have important supporting material (e.g., data, analyses) that won’t fit into the talk, keep them to hand in case they’ll help you answer questions.

Don’t just guess.  Make sure you’ve timed yourself giving the talk in a normal delivery pace at least once.  For example, give the talk to some friends or colleagues, and time it.  

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How to Choose the Right Number of Slides for a Powerpoint Presentation

Last Updated: July 12, 2023 References

Choosing the Right Number of Slides Based on Design Choices

Using time to determine the right number of slides, moving beyond formulaic answers to finding the right number of slides.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 221,069 times. Learn more...

• Keep the presentation about you, not the slideshow. [2] X Research source The slides are there to support what you have to say. They should be just one part of your presentation, not the whole thing.

• Go through your entire presentation and ask yourself if you really need a given slide. If the answer is no, or if you find you can deliver the info verbally instead, eliminate it.

• If your presentation ended well before the time limit you’ve been given, try to extend the amount of time you spend on each slide, or add extra slides to expand on the info introduced in the presentation.
• Solicit advice from family and friends during your practice presentation. If they feel there are too many or too few slides, or if they feel certain sections of the presentation felt rushed or slow, adjust your presentation to correct these deficiencies.

• One well-known formulation for PowerPoint presentations is the 10/20/30 rule. This rule dictates that you should use about ten slides for a twenty minute presentation, and each slide should utilize thirty point font. In other words, each slide should be about two minutes in length. [8] X Research source Perhaps the 10/20/30 rule works for you. If it does not, don’t feel as if you’re using the wrong number of slides.
• Others argue that an average slide should be onscreen for no more than two minutes, and can be onscreen for as little as 15 seconds. [9] X Research source

• If, on the other hand, you’re in a more intimate environment and can control the lighting, you might be inclined to utilize a greater number of slides. As always, however, don’t feel obligated to use many slides just because you can.

Community Q&A

• If your slide has embedded video, or you aren’t using one slide for each point of your presentation, you can spend longer on each slide. [11] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Treat each slide on its own merits. If one slide needs to be onscreen for two minutes, so be it. If it needs to be onscreen for ten seconds, that’s fine too. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you have a slide with no pictures but several bullet points, each of which you intend to talk about for fifteen to twenty seconds, you might spend well over a minute on that slide. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• When you take all of these factors (detail, technicality, audience size and awareness, etc.) into consideration, you can see that the only short answer to "how many slides should I use" is: "it depends." Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.virtualsalt.com/powerpoint.htm
• ↑ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2006-06-01/how-to-powerpoint-like-a-pro
• ↑ http://www.shutterstock.com/blog/7-design-tips-for-effective-beautiful-powerpoint-presentations
• ↑ http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2011/03/10/the-five-most-common-powerpoint-mistakes/
• ↑ http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/articles/how-many-slides-for-a-30-minute-presentation/
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/ppt/20071016041310_686.ppt

About This Article

1. Break complex slides into several simple slides. 2. Include audio and video support only as needed. 3. Time your presentation. 4. Match the number of slides to the subject matter. 5. Tailor to your audience. Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How many slides do you need for a 10-minute presentation?

Table of Contents

Are you struggling with the dilemma of how many slides to include in your 10-minute presentation? Whether you’re gearing up for a crucial business meeting or preparing for an important academic lecture, the challenge of balancing the right number of slides without overwhelming your audience is real. 

Many presenters and students face the anxiety of overloading their PowerPoint slides, the clarity of content quantity, and the fear of exceeding the time limit. In this blog, we’ll tackle these concerns head-on and guide you through the exact number of slides to use, perfectly tailored for your 10-minute slot.

How many slides do you need? Guidelines for slide count

A good rule of thumb is one slide per minute , so aim for about 10 slides in a 10-minute presentation. The total number of slides can make or break your presentation’s effectiveness and engagement level. 

Estimated number of slides based on presentation time:

• 10-minute presentation: 5 to 12 slides
• 15-minute presentation: 8 to 17 slides
• 30-minute presentation: 15 to 32 slides

💡 Presentation tip: Keep your slides readable from a distance (minimum 30pt font size)

In the following sections, we’ll look at general guidelines and the factors that might adjust your slide count.

One idea per slide

To make your 10-minute slideshow effective, align your script with your slides. A practical method is to dedicate one idea to each slide . This helps you to break the topic into concise sections, resulting in an easy-to-digest presentation structure.

In a typical 10-slide setup, you’ll have around 8 slides for your key points, considering that the first and last are usually extra slides reserved for an introduction and conclusion. This approach helps you organize your content clearly and ensures that each slide effectively conveys a single, focused message.

💡 Interesting fact: Attendees typically retain just 3% of the content from a presentation.

Remember, the guideline on the number of slides is not a strict rule. The goal is to ensure you have enough time to convey your message clearly and concisely.

How many minutes per slide?

Generally, aim to spend between 0.5 to 2 minutes on each slide. The 10/20/30 rule by Guy Kawasaki suggests a maximum of 2 minutes per slide, but consider these points and adjust based on these factors:

• Spend more time on slides with detailed data or complex concepts.
• Ensure thorough explanation for audience understanding.
• These usually require less time as they indicate topic changes.
• Allow extra time for questions and discussions with the audience.
• These slides might remain on screen while you interact.

💡 Presentation tip: Vary the time spent on each slide, focusing on its importance and complexity.

The purpose of timing yourself is to keep your presentation dynamic. Spending appropriate time on a slide keeps your audience engaged, even if some slides take longer than two minutes.

Talking speed: how fast should I speak?

Concerned about how fast you should speak during your presentation? The thing is, we all talk (and present) at different speeds in different settings. Your talking speed is connected to the total length of the presentation, the number of slides, and the complexity of the content. Whether it’s an in-person or virtual presentation might also affect your talking speed.

For presentations, use a moderate talking speed of around 100 to 150 wpm (words per minute) so your audience can easily follow and absorb your message.

These factors also affect your talking speed:

🗣️ Your natural pace: Stay close to your regular speaking rate for comfort and authenticity.

🗣️ Language fluency: If you or your audience are not native speakers, a slower pace can aid understanding.

🗣️ Audience’s background: Adapt to the audience’s level of knowledge in the presentation’s subject matter and their language comprehension.

🗣️ Presentation style: A conversational style might be slower, while a scripted talk could be faster.

Be mindful that speeds over 150 wpm can be challenging for some, particularly for non-native speakers.

💡 Presentation tip: Use visuals and graphics to break the monotony and help convey part of the information.

How to time a PowerPoint presentation

There are two ways to time your PowerPoint slides: auto-advancing slides or rehearsing within PowerPoint for pre-recorded timings. Note: These features are exclusively available to PowerPoint users (not Google Slides).

Method #1: Use Transitions to advance slides automatically

• On the ‘Transitions’ tab, look for ‘Timing’ > ‘Advance Slide’.
• Check the box for ‘Advance Slide After…’.
• Type in the duration you prefer. For example, you can set your slides to switch to the next one after 30 seconds.
• The timer starts when the last animation or effects on the current slide finishes.
• To have more control during your presentation, you can select both ‘On Mouse Click’ and specify a timing on ‘After..’. This allows you to use a mouse click to advance the slide before the timer is up or let the slides advance after the timing ends.

Image from Microsoft

💡 Learn more: How To Convert PowerPoint to Google Slides

Method 2: Rehearse and time your slides

Rehearse Timings is a powerful feature alongside Speaker Coach. You’ll rehearse your slides and record how much time you take for each slide. PowerPoint can use the recorded timings to advance your slides automatically during your presentation.

• Select ‘Slide Show’ > ‘Rehearse Timings’. 
• You’ll enter presentation mode, a recording toolbar will appear, and the timer will start.
• As you rehearse, click ‘Next’ to go to the next slide.
• Click ‘Pause’ to temporarily stop recording the time. Select ‘ Resume recording’ to restart the timer.
• If you want to reset the timer on a particular slide, click ‘Repeat’ > ‘Resume recording’.
• Press’ Esc’ on your keyboard to stop recording and exit presentation mode.
• On the last slide, select ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ if you want to keep the recorded timings for the slides.
• To see the timings for each slide (from the rehearsal), go to ‘View’> ‘Slide Sorter’.
• With the recorded timings, you can let it auto-advance slides at your next presentation. If you prefer to avoid having your ppt slides advance automatically based on these timings, go to ‘Slide Show’> unselect ‘Use Timings’.

Read more about rehearsing PowerPoint slides from Microsoft here .

Presentation tips to stay on time

• Rehearsing is key for timely presentations. Even if it seems obvious, it’s the most crucial step. If you’re new to your material, practice to gauge the time you need accurately.
• Prioritize your content. Start with what’s most important. If time runs short, at least you’ve covered the essentials without missing critical points.
• Say more with less. Decide which 3 takeaways (most essential points) you will structure your presentation around, and state them clearly at the start and end of your presentation. It’s easier for the audience to remember a few key points than 20 (which are not all that important).
• Set time checkpoints within your presentation. Plan to reach certain slides at specific times to track your pace and make adjustments on the fly.
• Focus on your main points and simplify. People’s attention spans are limited, and packing too much into a 10-minute presentation can overwhelm your audience. It’s better to cover a few key topics well than to skim over many.
• Stick to one main idea per slide . This keeps your presentation clear and focused. It also ensures that your slides flow logically. 

Without practicing with your slideshow, you might discover that your points don’t connect smoothly too late, which is especially noticeable in professional settings. Use these tips while rehearsing and clarifying your core message; you are more likely to deliver a polished and timely presentation. 

To deliver a successful 10-minute presentation, balance your slides with clear content. We’ve shared guidelines on deciding the number of slides you need and tips to align your slides with your script.

Aim for about 10 slides for a 10-minute presentation, each with a single idea, and adjust your speaking speed and slide timing to match your content’s complexity. This guideline isn’t a fixed rule, so don’t worry about adding a few extra slides! Remember, effective rehearsal and preparation are crucial for a clear, concise, and impactful presentation.

How long does it take to make a 10-minute presentation?

Preparing a 10-minute presentation can take anywhere between 2 to 20 hours. This variation depends on your familiarity with the topic and subject matter, the depth of content, and your audience (professional, business, or academic). On average, you spend around 30 minutes to 2 hours preparing each slide, which includes creating content and rehearsing.

Use presentation templates or AI presentation makers such as SlidesAI to save time on preparation.

Follow these steps to manage your presentation preparation time efficiently:

• Research your topic.
• Create and design your slides.
• Write a script.
• Practice your presentation.
• Revise and finalize your slides.

How many words is a 10-minute speech?

At an average speed of speech, a 10-minute speech is roughly the equivalent of a 1500-word paper, according to this source . It doesn’t mean your script has to be strictly 1500 words long since there are variations in speaking speeds. 

What should I do if I go over time?

If you find your presentation overrunning, tell your audience the new end time immediately and confirm they can stay. If you have lost your audience’s attention, proceed to summarize your key points to end your presentation effectively. A well-executed summary will drive home your main points and is more likely to be remembered by your audience for a long time.

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Interesting 10-minute presentation topics.

Are you looking for some interesting topics to give a presentation on? Then you have reached the right place. This article shall help you with some good topics to woo your audience. They are detailed well so that your audience has all their eyes on you.

Let’s get right into it!

I. Myth Or Reality

Red flags don’t enrage bulls! The Earth is not flat!

An informative yet interesting topic where you can describe some common myths or just one myth or reality and talk about it creatively.

II. How To Avoid The Next Pandemic?

This is a crucial topic after the events that led to the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are not from a medical/science background, don’t worry; you can talk to professionals, read research papers, or read informational blogs .

III. The Power Of Mindful Eating

In today’s world, where our mobile phones have constant attention, we forget to live mindfully. People watch Netflix while eating their food, and some medical professionals believe that your brain may not register that you have eaten the food. So, mindful eating is a must, an important topic you can cover.

IV. Biggest Advertising Failures Of 2022

This might be the perfect topic for people working in branding firms, marketing and commerce-related fields. Some interesting marketing campaigns and advertisements were launched by big brands but flopped, and you can explain what went down and how the failures can be avoided.

V. 1982 vs 2022: The Big Change

The world has changed enormously in the last 40 years, and it would be extremely interesting to compare the different aspects of life we have now to what they used to be. You can discuss the changes in the mode of communication, lifestyle, social life, etc.

VI. Stress Management And Coping Skills

This is the need of the hour. People are slipping into depression, which affects their personal and professional life. Corporate sectors must make the mental health of their employees a top priority.

VII. Global Poverty Alleviation Strategies

People across the globe still live in dilapidated conditions, and some still do not have homes or food or water to drink. This topic needs attention, and you can woo the people by telling them how important this matter is and why everyone should care.

VIII. The Impact Of Films On Society

Another topic that can be presented. You can show how films impact people, how movies based on social causes can affect people, compartmentalizing what is real and what is not and how awareness can be raised.

IX. Is A Borderless World Beneficial To The International Economy?

Imagine a world with no borders, no walls and no boundaries. What will the world look like? How will it impact the economies of the countries? What will the political situations look like in this matter? And more.

X. Feminism

Many people still do not understand the concept of feminism, what it is all about and more. This is an interesting topic since it has the entire world’s attention.

Important Points To Remember

1. audience.

Remember your audience’s background. Nothing should come off offensive or insensitive.

2. Choose an engaging topic for your project

Demonstrate your understanding of the topic. Choose a topic you are confident about and know you can deliver well. Interesting presentation themes leave a good impression and ensure an interactive session happens with the audience after presenting.

Set an objective. It will help you determine what you want your audience to take away from your presentation.

4. Availability of facts:

Before you finalize the topic, ensure the availability of facts and their credibility. It will make the presentation look well-researched and informative. Also, show statistics and actual research conducted if the presentation requires it.

To sum it up, do your research, engage the audience, and make your presentation interesting and creative. You deserve a standing ovation.

Also, check out the different creative ways to introduce yourself before the presentation.

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Top 10-Minute Interview Presentation Templates with Samples and Examples

Pratibimb Shukla

In today's fierce job market, making a lasting impression on potential employers is crucial. For individuals having trouble crafting a powerful personal presentation, "10 Minute About Me PowerPoint Slides" is a lifesaver. Effective self-presentation is crucial for business meetings and employment interviews, and this imaginatively created template is the ideal answer.

To ace your upcoming interviews, check out our Blog on How To Prepare For a Job Interview With Samples And Templates.

This blog post examines the value of a polished self-introduction and demonstrates how to turn the game using the included PowerPoint template. The blog offers readers advice on how to construct a thorough and impressive self-introduction by using various slides, including those about the user, their career path, a SWOT analysis, their accomplishments, etc. The blog also highlights the template's adaptability and invites readers to seek assistance from PowerPoint designers or modify presentations to their specifications. This is a call to action to hone your presentation skills and show you have the self-assurance necessary to succeed in your career.

Template 1: 10 Minutes Presentation About Myself PowerPoint Presentation Slides

With its smooth user interface and support for standard and widescreen screen sizes, the PowerPoint template gives presenters choices in their settings. Premium support is advantageous to users and offers helpful guidance for practical use. With an emphasis on a 10-minute presentation, this template's one-step design efficiently assists users in providing crucial information about themselves for a professional presentation, academic assignment, or job interview. This template enhances the user experience overall and expedites the creation of presentations, making it a valuable tool for various audiences.

Download Now

Template 2: About Me

This "About Me" template offers a versatile way to communicate your identity, personally and professionally. It provides a concise "Personal Profile," an extensive "Professional Experience," "Education," and a specific "Achievements" area where users can highlight their subject-matter expertise. A personal touch is added in the "Hobbies" part, while various talents are covered in the "Skills and Languages" section. With an adjustable "Contact Information" section, the template guarantees smooth contact and offers flexibility for an interesting self-presentation according to each person's requirements.

Template 3: Path to Career

The "Path to Career" template helps users visually plan their professional path from 2007 to 2020 and engagingly presents career milestones. It enables a precise and configurable presentation of one's work trajectory, highlighting accomplishments and improvements, making it perfect for presentations or portfolios. Users can adjust the years to fit their tenure, and the chronological pattern efficiently communicates professional advancement. For individuals who want to engage their audience with a thorough narrative about their professional development, this template offers a potent visual aid.

Template 4: SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis template leads users through a strategic evaluation by first highlighting internal strengths, then addressing weaknesses for development, looking for growth opportunities, and assessing threats to control risks. This methodical technique starts with a positive openness, fosters self-awareness, supports forward-looking optimism, and ends with a careful evaluation of potential obstacles. It gives users the ability to make strategic decisions based on an in-depth examination of both internal and external variables.

Template 5: Training

The "Training" preset is an adaptable tool made to enhance the way information connected to training is presented. Whereas the training module or course title is a placeholder in the section "Description 1". Users are given the option to customize the information according to their training needs in "Description 2". This adjustable feature guarantees smooth modification, whether changing specifics of training outcomes, modules, or techniques. The adaptability that is repeated in "Description 3" highlights the user's capacity to change the text and creates a flexible theme that is consistent across the template.

Template 6: Case Study

Using the case study template, users can tell comprehensive stories about problems, solutions, and outcomes flexibly. The challenge section, which states the problem in plain terms, comes first. Users can further highlight their creative thinking and experience in the Solutions part, while the Results section summarizes the findings. This template is helpful for professionals who wish to convey their problem-solving abilities and showcase their achievements in a concise and captivating way.

Template 7: Experience Project

The "Experience Project" preset is a potential instrument that enables experts to showcase their accomplishments connected to projects. Whether it's describing the specifics of Project 1, emphasizing the accomplishments of Project 2, stressing the distinctiveness of Project 3, or providing an overview of the main ideas of Project 4, with the help of this feature, professionals can make dynamic and captivating presentations that effectively convey their project experiences. This makes it a priceless tool for anyone hoping to impress potential clients, stakeholders, or employers with a visually appealing presentation of their project work.

Template 8: Skills

The "Skills" template is an easy-to-use and eye-catching tool that allows people to highlight their abilities. It more successfully draws attention to essential characteristics like creativity, teamwork, flexibility, and goal orientation by adding "Skills - Set" and more visually appealing signage. The template's minimalism guarantees clarity without being overbearing on the audience. Perfect for a resume, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile, it graphically emphasizes key competencies, making it an invaluable tool for professionals wishing to give a concise and captivating synopsis of their qualifications to prospective employers or partners.

The "10 Minute PowerPoint Presentation" might be a valuable tool for overcoming the anxiety associated with presenting oneself in business meetings and interviews. These creatively and precisely designed templates offer a comprehensive how-to for exhibiting your accomplishments, abilities, professional path, and more in just ten minutes. Users can customize their presentations to leave a lasting impression by following the blog that goes along with this template, which offers helpful customizing guidance. This tool is revolutionary for anyone navigating the cutthroat job market since it offers a well-organized, eye-catching platform for showcasing confidence. With this customizable and easy-to-use PowerPoint template, you can make your presentations shine.

To get more exciting "About Myself" templates, Click here ! And read our blog on Top 10 Templates for Presentation About Myself with Samples and Examples.

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10-Minute Presentation Ideas – Questions and Answers

I have to give a 10-minute interview presentation. The topic is how I would manage and develop my territory. How many slides should there be? – Angela

The format I would suggest – probably 7 slides/ pages 1. Title slide with name – introduction 2. Outline the problem that you are trying to solve 3. Solution 1 4. Solution 2 5. Solution 3 6. Outline the benefits of these solutions

7. Wrap up and summarise the three key points

Make sure that you rehearse it well. With thanks to Doctor

I have to do a presentation with the title: “What Practical Steps Do You Take to Solve a Problem?” I just want some help as I am new to this. – Richard

There are a few steps to solving any problem. The first is identifying what the problem is. For example, the problem might be “We keeping running out of printer ink.” Then you need to look at what is causing this. Maybe the ink is not being delivered, or people don’t order the ink until it has already run out. Evaluate the evidence. The person ordering may claim they order in time, but if you look at the records, they might be reacting rather than anticipating the problem. Look at the possible answers to the solution; how can you change it? It might be possible to keep a replacement in stock, or automate the ordering process. Look at the pros and cons of each. With thanks to Giblets

I have a presentation on how children learn through play. Should I get the panel to do a quick play task as an example/ ice breaker? Or should I go straight into the presentation? – Prometheus The idea of giving a presentation through the ice breaker is a very good one. A Chinese proverb states: Tell me, I’ll forget Show me, I’ll remember Involve me, I’ll understand In this case, I think that the ice breaker will be very effective. With thanks to Doctor

I have a second interview for a position that I really want. I decided to print a PowerPoint presentation and bind it, but I am worried that I won’t stand out. I feel with such a small audience (about five people) I should keep the attention on me and not the PowerPoint slides. Any thoughts? – Babs You are quite right to print out your presentation. This will mean that you go straight in to making a memorable performance rather than fiddling with the projector. First impressions work and your first impression will be professional. If you want an edge, print the presentation on high-grade paper. It’s a small touch, but the difference between candidates is often decided on small things. With thanks to Doctor

I have a second interview on Friday where I have to give a presentation. The topic is “What I Can Bring to the Role”. I’ve got an idea of what I want to say, but I have no idea how I’m going to make it last 10 minutes! – Anon You would be amazed how quickly ten minutes can go. Once you have your structure right, start to time yourself speaking it out loud. You will soon see how much time you will need. I would suggest that you get some third-party validation about your strengths. This could come from job reviews, 360 degree feedback, references, customer letters, thank you emails, school reports, etc. With thanks to Doctor

I have to do a presentation for a Regional Training Manager’s position. I am on one side of the country and they are on the other; we will be doing the interview by video conference and I am unsure of how the visuals will be seen on video. – Skyelar

My experience is that visuals are really important by video conference. The real trick is to make the visuals large and simple. On video conferences the secret is preparation. Send printed copies of your slides several days in advance. You can also email the slides a day or two before. That way you don’t have to worry so much about what will display on the screen. With thanks to Doctor

I have an interview in which I have to present Art and Design teaching and learning materials. I can use a laptop, PowerPoint and projector if I wish. Do you have any suggestions that might be helpful? – Richard

I suggest that you look at three main topics for your presentation. Have you already worked in art and design? If you have then it may be useful to show some of your students’ work and maybe some feedback from your students. Third-party endorsement can be really useful. The most important thing is not to spend all of your time on your slides. It is the rehearsal that will make all of the difference. Read your script out loud at least four times, at least once in front of a real audience. If you can learn it word for word so much the better. With thanks to Doctor

I have to give a presentation for a prospective job opportunity. There are two questions I need to answer in this presentation: why I chose to apply for the job and why I am an ideal candidate. There are a lot of other candidates and I feel I need a hook that the panel will remember. – Guest

As much as possible, use real-life examples of why you are ideal, e.g. “At my last company I had this challenge, which I imagine you have too. The way I dealt with this was X, and the result was Y.” You are quoting experience, showing you understand their business, and sharing your knowledge… all good things. With thanks to David

I have an interview presentation on how I will bring the post forward in the first 6 months! The post is a complaints and communications officer. I haven’t really got any ideas on where to start with this. Any advice would be appreciated!!! – Tor One idea – Use the rule of three. Sketch out the three key things that you think they are looking for and find ways to illustrate these. Present past examples of how you have achieved these in other jobs. This will get the presentation back on to your strengths. If you can, use feedback from other people on your performance. With thanks to Doctor

I am going for a job as a trainer. Given the role, I want the audience to learn something from me. – Emma

I would suggest that you pick a topic that you are passionate about – ideally one related to work. A good example would be “my most successful project” or “my most successful training group”.

With thanks to Doctor

I have an interview presentation for a business sales position. I don’t have a clue where to start, what should it look like or what the content should be. – Ngighg

I would suggest that you simply present your best ever or proudest sale. Show the customer problem, and how you overcame the problem. The real challenge is to present feedback from the customer (like a reference letter) about what a great sales person you are. If possible, hand round the reference letter. The real key once you have everything together is to rehearse. With thanks to Doctor

I have a presentation on my leadership style for a position in my company. Any advice would be helpful. – Redcall

You could get feedback from your boss, colleagues or people who work for you. It is much more powerful to say, “My colleagues describe me as good at dealing with difficult situations,” than it is to say “I am a good manager.” If you can, give some examples of situations when you have demonstrated leadership. With thanks to Doctor

I have a second interview with a large advertising company and I have to present on why I am right for the role. I have never done a presentation before and do not know where to start. Could someone help me? – Sarah

My advice is to read the job application form and the company’s website and see what kind of qualities they are looking for. Usually in their company description or job description they will have words like dynamic, honest etc. Try and use these in your presentation and bring up your experience as well. With thanks to Giblets

My presentation has to be based on 3 successes and one failure. I’m going to concentrate on job-related issues. Does anyone have any tips on how to pitch this? Also, any views on what order I should do each item? – Guest

The best way to present a failure is to have failed because of one of your strengths (e.g. I was so determined to get the job done on time that we went over budget). Effectively talk about the failure more as a trade-off. Also, don’t use the failure as the last item. It should go in the middle. People will remember the first and the last items, but not the ones in the middle. With thanks to Doctor

I have to prepare a presentation on “What skills I will bring to the job”. I know what my skills are, I just don’t know how to start. – Josephine

The best approach would be to list the three best skills you have. Then try to find a way to illustrate these skills. Try to get some feedback from other colleagues about what these skills are. It always sounds much better if you say “other people say that my key skills are… ” rather than “my key skills are…” With thanks to Doctor

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I have a presentation about ‘Matching pedagogy with technology’ How can I start my presentation and how I will end it ?

I appreciate any help from you

Kind regards

I have to prepare for a 10 minutes presentation as a part of the job interview.And the topic will be,”Where do you see Radiology Nursing in 5 years with the growing service”I have loads of ideas but I don’t Know where to start.PLEASE HELP!

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Creating a 10-15 Minute Scientific Presentation

In the course of your career as a scientist, you will be asked to give brief presentations -- to colleagues, lab groups, and in other venues. We have put together a series of short videos to help you organize and deliver a crisp 10-15 minute scientific presentation.

First is a two part set of videos that walks you through organizing a presentation.

Part 1 - Creating an Introduction for a 10-15 Minute Scientfic Presentation

Part 2 - Creating the Body of a 10-15 Minute Presentation: Design/Methods; Data Results, Conclusions

Two additional videos should prove useful:

Designing PowerPoint Slides for a Scientific Presentation walks you through the key principles in designing powerful, easy to read slides.

Delivering a Presentation provides tips and approaches to help you put your best foot forward when you stand up in front of a group.

Other resources include:

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20 Great Examples of PowerPoint Presentation Design [+ Templates]

Published: January 17, 2024

When it comes to PowerPoint presentation design, there's no shortage of avenues you can take.

While all that choice — colors, formats, visuals, fonts — can feel liberating, it‘s important that you’re careful in your selection as not all design combinations add up to success.

In this blog post, I’m sharing some of my favorite PowerPoint tips and templates to help you nail your next presentation.

Table of Contents

What makes a good PowerPoint presentation?

Powerpoint design ideas, best powerpoint presentation slides, good examples of powerpoint presentation design.

In my opinion, a great PowerPoint presentation gets the point across succinctly while using a design that doesn't detract from it.

Here are some of the elements I like to keep in mind when I’m building my own.

1. Minimal Animations and Transitions

Believe it or not, animations and transitions can take away from your PowerPoint presentation. Why? Well, they distract from the content you worked so hard on.

A good PowerPoint presentation keeps the focus on your argument by keeping animations and transitions to a minimum. I suggest using them tastefully and sparingly to emphasize a point or bring attention to a certain part of an image.

2. Cohesive Color Palette

I like to refresh my memory on color theory when creating a new PowerPoint presentation.

A cohesive color palette uses complementary and analogous colors to draw the audience’s attention and help emphasize certain aspects at the right time.

10 Free PowerPoint Templates

Download ten free PowerPoint templates for a better presentation.

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It‘s impossible for me to tell you the specific design ideas you should go after in your next PowerPoint, because, well, I don’t know what the goal of your presentation is.

Luckily, new versions of PowerPoint actually suggest ideas for you based on the content you're presenting. This can help you keep up with the latest trends in presentation design .

PowerPoint is filled with interesting boilerplate designs you can start with. To find these suggestions, open PowerPoint and click the “Design” tab in your top navigation bar. Then, on the far right side, you'll see the following choices:

This simplistic presentation example employs several different colors and font weights, but instead of coming off as disconnected, the varied colors work with one another to create contrast and call out specific concepts.

What I like: The big, bold numbers help set the reader's expectations, as they clearly signify how far along the viewer is in the list of tips.

10. “Pixar's 22 Rules to Phenomenal Storytelling,” Gavin McMahon

This presentation by Gavin McMahon features color in all the right places. While each of the background images boasts a bright, spotlight-like design, all the characters are intentionally blacked out.

What I like: This helps keep the focus on the tips, while still incorporating visuals. Not to mention, it's still easy for me to identify each character without the details. (I found you on slide eight, Nemo.)

11. “Facebook Engagement and Activity Report,” We Are Social

Here's another great example of data visualization in the wild.

What I like: Rather than displaying numbers and statistics straight up, this presentation calls upon interesting, colorful graphs, and charts to present the information in a way that just makes sense.

12. “The GaryVee Content Model,” Gary Vaynerchuk

This wouldn‘t be a true Gary Vaynerchuk presentation if it wasn’t a little loud, am I right?

What I like: Aside from the fact that I love the eye-catching, bright yellow background, Vaynerchuk does a great job of incorporating screenshots on each slide to create a visual tutorial that coincides with the tips. He also does a great job including a visual table of contents that shows your progress as you go .

13. “20 Tweetable Quotes to Inspire Marketing & Design Creative Genius,” IMPACT Branding & Design

We‘ve all seen our fair share of quote-chronicling presentations but that isn’t to say they were all done well. Often the background images are poor quality, the text is too small, or there isn't enough contrast.

Well, this professional presentation from IMPACT Branding & Design suffers from none of said challenges.

What I like: The colorful filters over each background image create just enough contrast for the quotes to stand out.

14. “The Great State of Design,” Stacy Kvernmo

This presentation offers up a lot of information in a way that doesn't feel overwhelming.

What I like: The contrasting colors create visual interest and “pop,” and the comic images (slides 6 through 12) are used to make the information seem less buttoned-up and overwhelming.

15. “Clickbait: A Guide To Writing Un-Ignorable Headlines,” Ethos3

Not going to lie, it was the title that convinced me to click through to this presentation but the awesome design kept me there once I arrived.

What I like: This simple design adheres to a consistent color pattern and leverages bullet points and varied fonts to break up the text nicely.

16. “Digital Transformation in 50 Soundbites,” Julie Dodd

This design highlights a great alternative to the “text-over-image” display we've grown used to seeing.

What I like: By leveraging a split-screen approach to each presentation slide, Julie Dodd was able to serve up a clean, legible quote without sacrificing the power of a strong visual.

17. “Fix Your Really Bad PowerPoint,” Slide Comet

When you‘re creating a PowerPoint about how everyone’s PowerPoints stink, yours had better be terrific. The one above, based on the ebook by Seth Godin, keeps it simple without boring its audience.

What I like: Its clever combinations of fonts, together with consistent color across each slide, ensure you're neither overwhelmed nor unengaged.

18. “How Google Works,” Eric Schmidt

Simple, clever doodles tell the story of Google in a fun and creative way. This presentation reads almost like a storybook, making it easy to move from one slide to the next.

What I like: This uncluttered approach provides viewers with an easy-to-understand explanation of a complicated topic.

19. “What Really Differentiates the Best Content Marketers From The Rest,” Ross Simmonds

Let‘s be honest: These graphics are hard not to love. I especially appreciate the author’s cartoonified self-portrait that closes out the presentation. Well played, Ross Simmonds.

What I like: Rather than employing the same old stock photos, this unique design serves as a refreshing way to present information that's both valuable and fun.

20. “Be A Great Product Leader,” Adam Nash

This presentation by Adam Nash immediately draws attention by putting the company's logo first — a great move if your company is well known.

What I like: He uses popular images, such as ones of Megatron and Pinocchio, to drive his points home. In the same way, you can take advantage of popular images and media to keep your audience engaged.

PowerPoint Presentation Examples for the Best Slide Presentation

Mastering a PowerPoint presentation begins with the design itself.

Get inspired by my ideas above to create a presentation that engages your audience, builds upon your point, and helps you generate leads for your brand.

Editor's note: This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. This article was written by a human, but our team uses AI in our editorial process. Check out our full disclosure to learn more about how we use AI.

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How Many Slides for A 10 Minute Presentation and How to Prepare It

A proper presentation needs some slides in PowerPoint. The slides will show the audience about the materials and points you explain. Some presentations only have a short time, so you might think about how many slides for a 10 minute presentation to support the explanation.

It is very challenging to prepare a proper presentation, especially when you have a lot of points to tell to the audience. Hence, there are some tips to make it look good, brief, yet clear to be more understandable. Here are the total slide explanation and the tips to prepare it.

How Many Slides for A 10 Minute Presentation

A ten-minute presentation is short. So, you have to prepare the slides efficiently. If you have packed material to explain to the audience, make it ten slides from the introduction to the conclusion part. It is the maximum slide because at least you have to explain a slide per minute.

Then how many slides for a 10 minute presentation at least? Five slides are enough to explain everything. You have to make it brief with some points, yet you are explaining without seeing the screen that often. To look better, you can put some data in it such as diagrams or illustrations.

Tips for Creating Proper and Brief Slides for Presentation

1. make it to the point.

The first thing for you to remember is to make it to the point. You shouldn’t type the whole explanation into the slides, because the slides will be too long. You can take the keywords of explanation, and then make them into points. Hence, you have to be very prepared, so the material won’t miss out during the presentation.

2. Pick a proper font

A proper font is important because it will give impact the slide you create. It’s very convenient to use the classic ones instead of the creative ones for a short presentation. Why is this the best choice? A creative one may be unbearable for the audience to read while you present it to them.

Some creative fonts may change if you are presenting them on someone else’s computer. If the font changes to the random one, the slides will be so messy and will ruin your presentation. The classic font is the safe option because it is available on every computer without special installation.

3. Pick the font size

Font size is also important for presentation slides. If you are typing the small ones, your audience won’t read your slides which means you prepare them for nothing. It should be readable, yet it doesn’t take up a lot of space for the slides. For the title, it should be 20pt and for the body, it is at least 18pt.

4. Prepare a high-quality image

Some presentations might need images, and you had better put a high-quality image in your slide. They will be a good representative of the presentation because the audience can see it. Make sure you do some formatting to put it into the slides. Avoid using low-quality ones because they are not readable.

5. Put some graphs

Explanations with words may be boring, especially for the data that needs to be inferred by the audience. You can present it using visualization, such as diagrams and graphics. They are the best representatives because the audience can infer the material of the slides better. It’s more understandable than words.

The explanation about how many slides for a 10 minute presentation above is just an estimation for a brief explanation. You can create less than it if there is a Q & A session in the 10 minute presentation. Practice the slides you create before you present them to the audience to estimate the time.

Interview presentation preparation tips

The interview presentation is becoming more common in the hiring process. It gives employers a better overview of your general aptitude and provides you with an opportunity to showcase your skills, knowledge, and experience. But how should you prepare for an interview presentation? What should you include? What if it goes wrong?

4th Jun, 2021

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What is an interview presentation?

As you progress further in your career, particularly to executive level, you may be asked to give a presentation for interview. Perhaps you’ve been asked to conduct research and present your findings to a panel, complete a task and show how you approached it, put together a business plan and present your ideas, or even give a presentation about yourself and how you would excel in the role. Whatever you are presenting about, how you approach it should remain the same.

Many people find giving presentations intimidating, especially during an interview when you’re already nervous, but it’s something that you may have to do throughout your career – the sooner you tackle this skill, the better.

Why are you being asked to do a presentation for a job interview?

Many employers opt for a presentation-style interview as it gives a better overview of your general aptitude when compared to, or combined with, a traditional question and answer interview, like a competency-based interview . The interviewer is looking for proof that you can do the job and that you possess the required skills and traits.

Additionally, if you put time and effort into your presentation, this will highlight to the hiring manager that you are committed to the role and enthusiastic about joining the company. How many times have you been asked in an interview ‘Why do you want this position?’ or ‘What is it about this role that attracted you to it?’. They want to know how much you want this position, rather than just any position.

How to prepare a presentation for an interview

Where do you start? What should you include? The presentation is your opportunity to showcase your knowledge, experience, and communication skills as well as your organisational skills and diligence – so start with the job description and person specification and pick out key skills and traits that the company is looking for. Then you can prepare your presentation around what they want to see.

For example, if the business is looking for someone creative, pay great attention to the style of your presentation. If it is looking for someone who is a confident public speaker, spend more time perfecting your speech. If attention to detail is paramount in the role, double and triple check your spelling and grammar. This is a great starting point and gives you something to build your presentation around.

What to include in an interview presentation

Although you may be tempted to go all out and show your potential employer that you are committed to the job, don’t fall into the trap of creating a 30-slide presentation with reams of text. Try to keep each slide short and significant and aim for no more than 10 slides. This ensures the information you deliver is memorable and will help you to stand out from other interviewees. Some interviewers may even give you a specific amount of time for your presentation, make sure you factor this in and don’t go over the time limit – otherwise you may appear to have poor time management skills.

Another way to make sure your presentation engages hiring managers is to include a range of formats to help you illustrate your points. Include graphs, statistics, diagrams, video clips, and images to help break up large volumes of text and maintain the attention of the interviewers.

If you are conducting research as part of your presentation, include quotes from industry leaders and/or research pieces. This gives your points authority and demonstrates your commercial awareness.

You should also try to incorporate the company’s colours, fonts, or style in your presentation. This will show that you have done your research and highlights your brand awareness.

Finally, check your spelling and grammar thoroughly! Small mistakes can really undermine the content of your presentation.

Tips for presenting at the interview

Presenting is a skill which can be learnt. Even if you are not a confident public speaker, the more you practice, the better you will become.

Present confidently and enthusiastically - Remember to speak clearly, make eye contact, and use open body language.

Don’t just read the slides - There is nothing worse than watching a presentation where the presenter has their back to you the whole time just reading reams of text from their PowerPoint notes.

Try not to talk too fast - Make sure you breathe, and take your time.

Practice, practice, practice - Ensure you are well rehearsed so that you are familiar with the structure of your presentation and are able to deliver it smoothly. If possible, practice your presentation with family members or friends to get used to speaking in front of other people.

Arrive early to give yourself time to set up the presentation and settle any nerves - Get comfortable with PowerPoint and presentation equipment. Make sure you know how to work any projectors, screens, or remote controls before you begin to avoid any awkward stumbles or pauses.

Stay within the allocated time - If you have not been given guidance on length, aim for the 10-minute mark. Time your presentation when you are practising to make sure it will fit within the time limit. If you need to reduce the content of your presentation, cut out the least relevant or weakest points.

Be prepared to adapt - You may have practised your presentation in a certain way, but the interviewer might not respond accordingly. Be prepared to be interrupted by questions or further discussion unexpectedly.

Breathe and try to enjoy it - By relaxing, you will find yourself presenting better and, if you enjoy it, your interviewers will respond to that and be better engaged with what you are saying.

Tips for keeping the interview presentation simple

It can take a lot of work to make something simple, yet effective, and when it comes to interview presentations less is often more. Keep it short - As previously mentioned, try to keep each slide short and aim for no more than 10 slides in total.

One idea per slide - To make sure your presentation is clear and concise, each slide should represent a different point/idea you want to make.

Stick to the important bits only - If you don’t think it’s important enough to spend time on, don’t have it on your slide.

Use the 4x6 rule - Aim for either four bullet points with six words per bullet point, or six bullet points with four words per bullet point. This way, your slides won’t look too busy.

Minimal text - Instead of writing paragraphs of text, use bullet points and a minimum font size of 24.

What's better for your interview presentation? Cue cards or presenting from memory?

Should you use cue cards in your presentation for interview or try to present from memory?

The answer to this question depends on what you feel most comfortable doing. If you find that having cue cards will help ease your nerves and ensure that you don’t forget your speech, then there is nothing wrong with that.

However, if you choose to use cue cards, you should not rely too heavily on them. You shouldn’t stand in front of the interviewers and look down at the cards continuously, neither should you write your whole speech out on the cards and read directly from them. They are cue cards for a reason and should only give you prompts on what to talk about. If your interview presentation has a lot of statistics on, using cue cards to remember the figures if you are unable to memorise them all is an excellent strategy.

What to do when things go wrong

You can practice your interview presentation as much as possible, but something may still go wrong and it’s important to be prepared for this eventuality. Here are some things that could go wrong and how to deal with them: Technical issues

There is not a lot you can do to prevent technical issues, especially if you are using someone else’s computer. But there are ways you can prepare just in case. Ensuring you have access to multiple sources of your presentation is key. Email the file to yourself and the recruiter, bring a copy on a USB stick and printed handouts. This way you are covered if anything goes wrong with the file you’re intending to use.

Your mind goes blank

Even those who are pros at presenting can sometimes lose their train of thought and find that their mind goes blank. The key here is not to panic. If possible, take a bottle or glass of water in with you and use this chance to take a sip, breathe and try to relax. Then look at your presentation slide or your cue cards and pick up where you left off. It may be helpful to repeat the last point you made as saying it out loud could spark your memory for your next point.

You are asked a question that you don’t know how to respond to

If you have allotted time at the end of your presentation to allow the interviewer to ask any questions (which is recommended), don’t worry if someone asks a question that you are not sure on. It may be that the interviewer is looking to see how you respond to a challenging question, so how you react is often more important than the answer itself.

If you do not understand the question, ask the person to explain. There is nothing wrong with doing this and shows more confidence than just saying that you don’t know. If you understand the question but are not sure of the answer, then admit that you don’t have the full answer, provide what information you do have, and offer to come back to them at a later date with a complete answer.

10-minute interview presentation template

Below is a presentation for interview example. Use this as a baseline and adapt or reorder where appropriate based on the task you have been set by the interviewer. Slide 1 - Introduction – Reiterate the objectives you have been set and lay out the structure of your presentation so that the interviewers know what to expect. Slide 2 - About you – Detail your professional experience, skills and working style. Slide 3 - Company history – Give a brief summary of the company history, any milestones or awards. Slides 4-7 - Answering the brief – Give your responses to questions you’ve been asked to answer, the benefits and limitations of your suggestions. Slide 8 - Question and answers – Include a slide titled ‘questions and answers’ as a cue to pause for interaction. Slide 9 - Conclusion – Sum up the key points you have made, reach a decision, and explain your reasoning. Slide 10 - Personal achievements – End the interview on a high with a brief slide highlighting achievements that show how you will succeed in the role.

For more information on how to ace your interview, download our free guide, ‘ Getting the best from your interview: Candidate interview tips and tricks ’, or contact your local recruitment specialist today.

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Frequently Asked Questions

A job interview presentation is all about selling yourself. Be confident, speak clearly, and make eye contact with the interviewer. Don’t be afraid to promote yourself and highlight your achievements. This is your chance to really show the interviewer that you are capable and have the necessary skills to do the job. By putting time and effort into your presentation, you can show them how dedicated you are to the role and the company. For more information on how to ace your interview, download our free guide, ‘ Getting the best from your interview: Candidate interview tips and tricks ’.

Using cue cards can support you with your interview presentation, as long as you use them for their intended purpose. Do not write your entire presentation for interview out on cards and read from them word for word or constantly hold them in your hand and fail to make eye contact with the interviewer. Use them only to prompt you or for remembering key facts and figures. For more tips, read our article on ‘interview tips & questions’ .

If you have been sent a presentation brief that you do not understand – don’t panic. If there are words that you are not sure about, do some research and try your best to figure out what the organisation is asking of you. If you are still unsure, you could ask your recruiter as they may have seen this brief before and can give you an idea. If you are dealing directly with the hiring manager, then it may be worth checking that your interpretation of the brief is correct.

It is better to ask the question than present on something completely different to what the interviewer has asked. However, instead of saying to them that you don’t understand the brief and leaving it at that, tell them your understanding of it and ask if this is correct. This will show that even though you are unsure, you have taken the time to try to come to a conclusion yourself before asking for help. Download our free interviewing guide for more tips and advice.

How long your job interview presentation should last depends on what guidance you have been given. Thoroughly read the brief, as the recruiter or hiring manager may have specified the length of time you have for your presentation. If they haven’t given any indication, you should aim for 10 minutes, including time for questions and answers. For more tips on interviewing, read our article on ‘interview tips & questions’ .

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Five things to know about… the three-minute thesis competition.

Left to right, Lihao Yan, Arya Ökten, Yanyu Zhao, Jenna Andrews, Ethan A.Lerner, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Lynn Cooley, Alicia E. Ellis, Laura Stevens, Meera Choi, Alev Baysoy, Theodoros Trochatos, and Leonardo de Siqueira Lima. (Photo by Stephanie Anestis)

Every year, Yale’s Three-Minute Thesis Competition provides Ph.D. students with an opportunity to step away from the fog of their dissertation research and tell the world exactly what it is they are trying to achieve.

In three minutes.

The competition, known as 3MT, requires students to present their theses in a succinct, clear, and compelling way before a panel of judges. Winners receive a cash prize and bragging rights. But everyone who competes likely comes away understanding their research better and feeling more confident about public speaking, said Suzanne Young, the assistant dean for graduate student professional development in the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), which sponsors the competition.

“ This is really going back to the roots of public speaking, where it’s about you, your voice, your intelligence, and your quickness on your feet while presenting to people who might be reacting to you in the moment,” she said.

Yale News caught up with Young just before this year’s event on April 12. (See this year’s winners in accompanying box.) Here are five takeaways.

Yale’s 3MT competition is modeled after one founded by the University of Queensland (UQ) in Australia.

The original 3MT was held at UQ in 2008. The concept gradually spread throughout Australia and then abroad. Competitions are now held at more than 900 universities in more than 85 countries, according to UQ’s 3MT website.

For Yale’s competition, which debuted in 2017, registration opens in January. Most years, about 35 to 40 students sign up. A first-round competition is held in late February. The 10 winners chosen during that round go on to the April finals.

The competition is not just for students in the STEM fields.

Students compete in one of five categories: biology, engineering, humanities, physical science, and social science. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the entrants tend to be weighted toward the sciences.

“ In biology, contestants are talking about different ways to attack cancer, and in astronomy, different ways to understand dark matter,” Young said. “The stakes of those questions are pretty straightforward and obvious. I think that helps STEM candidates come to this competition more eagerly.”

But humanities students stand to gain a lot from the preparation required for the competition, and Young encourages them to give it a try. She knows from her own experience writing an English dissertation that the long process involved in shaping a thesis — including questioning, researching, and reading — can at times make the project feel “a bit amorphous.”

“ Having to say, ‘here’s why this matters, here are the key central ideas, here’s what I hope to change about the field, here are the stakes of what I’m doing’ — that clarity can be really welcome and helpful,” she said.

Presentations must include a single PowerPoint slide, but the use of any other technology or prop is prohibited.

In such a technology-dependent culture, this rule might seem outdated. But prohibiting technological enhancements and other distractions keeps the focus on the speaker, Young said. The single slide is intended to be an adjunct to what the speaker is saying and not a focus itself.

“ We’ve all been to talks where you have to decide whether you’re going to listen to the speaker or read the slides,” she said. “We want this to be a live moment of public speaking and all the challenges that come with that.”

Coaching is available to all competitors.

All participants are encouraged to prepare for their presentations by pursuing the Certificate for Public Communication , through the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. As soon as they sign up for the 3MT, they receive an email link to the certificate page. They also have access to coaching and advice from Young, as well as staff in the Office of Career Strategy and the Graduate Writing Lab.

“ We really emphasize the power of preparation and feedback,” Young said.

The judges in the competition are Yale alumni.

The final round takes place before a panel of judges comprised of accomplished Yale GSAS alumni representing a mix of disciplines and Lynn Cooley, dean of the graduate school. After the presentations, the judges leave the auditorium to confer. The audience — both those in the auditorium and those watching via the live stream — is then invited to vote for two entrants to receive the “People’s Choice” award. And there is entertainment — this year, the graduate and professional school a cappella group, the Citations, performed.

Eventually, the judges troop back in and announce the first-, second- and third-place winners. Each poses with an oversized cardboard check (prizes range from $300 to $1,000 for first place).

“ We try to make it fun, and a bit of a spectacle,” Young said.

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