conference presentation slideshare

Home Blog Business Conference Presentation Slides: A Guide for Success

Conference Presentation Slides: A Guide for Success

In our experience, a common error when preparing a conference presentation is using designs that heavily rely on bullet points and massive chunks of text. A potential reason behind this slide design mistake is aiming to include as much information as possible in just one slide. In the end, slides become a sort of teleprompter for the speaker, and the audience recalls boredom instead of an informative experience.

As part of our mission to help presenters deliver their message effectively, we have summarized what makes a good conference presentation slide, as well as tips on how to design a successful conference slide.

Table of Contents

What is a conference presentation

Common mistakes presenters make when creating conference presentation slides, how can a well-crafted conference presentation help your professional life, how to start a conference presentation, how to end a conference presentation, tailoring your message to different audiences, visualizing data effectively, engaging with your audience, designing for impact, mastering slide transitions and animation, handling time constraints, incorporating multimedia elements, post-presentation engagement, crisis management during presentations, sustainability and green presentations, measuring presentation success, 13 tips to create stellar conference presentations, final thoughts.

The Britannica Dictionary defines conferences as 

A formal meeting in which many people gather in order to talk about ideas or problems related to a particular topic (such as medicine or business), usually for several days.

We can then define conference presentations as the combination of a speaker, a slide deck , and the required hardware to introduce an idea or topic in a conference setting. Some characteristics differentiate conference presentations from other formats.

Time-restricted

Conference presentations are bounded by a 15-30 minute time limit, which the event’s moderators establish. These restrictions are applied to allow a crowded agenda to be met on time, and it is common to count with over 10 speakers on the same day.

To that time limit, we have to add the time required for switching between speakers, which implies loading a new slide deck to the streaming platform, microphone testing, lighting effects, etc. Say it is around 10-15 minutes extra, so depending on the number of speakers per day during the event, the time available to deliver a presentation, plus the questions & answers time.

Delivery format

Conferences can be delivered in live event format or via webinars. Since this article is mainly intended to live event conferences, we will only mention that the requirements for webinars are as follows:

• Voice-over or, best, speaker layover the presentation slides so the speaker interacts with the audience.
• Quality graphics.
• Not abusing the amount of information to introduce per slide.

On the other hand, live event conferences will differ depending on the category under which they fall. Academic conferences have a structure in which there’s a previous poster session; then speakers start delivering their talks, then after 4-5 speakers, we have a coffee break. Those pauses help the AV crew to check the equipment, and they also become an opportunity for researchers to expand their network contacts. 

Business conferences are usually more dynamic. Some presenters opt not to use slide decks, giving a powerful speech instead, as they feel much more comfortable that way. Other speakers at business conferences adopt videos to summarize their ideas and then proceed to speak.

Overall, the format guidelines are sent to speakers before the event. Adapt your presentation style to meet the requirements of moderators so you can maximize the effect of your message.

The audience

Unlike other presentation settings, conferences gather a knowledgeable audience on the discussed topics. It is imperative to consider this, as tone, delivery format, information to include, and more depend on this sole factor. Moreover, the audience will participate in your presentation at the last minute, as it is a common practice to hold a Q&A session. 

Mistake #1 – Massive chunks of text

Do you intend your audience to read your slides instead of being seduced by your presentation? Presenters often add large amounts of text to each slide since they need help deciding which data to exclude. Another excuse for this practice is so the audience remembers the content exposed.

Research indicates images are much better retained than words, a phenomenon known as the Picture Superiority Effect ; therefore, opt to avoid this tendency and work into creating compelling graphics.

Mistake #2 – Not creating contrast between data and graphics

Have you tried to read a slide from 4 rows behind the presenter and not get a single number? This can happen if the presenter is not careful to work with the appropriate contrast between the color of the typeface and the background. Particularly if serif fonts are used.

Use online tools such as WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to make your slides legible for your audience. Creating an overlay with a white or black transparent tint can also help when you place text above images.

Mistake #3 – Not rehearsing the presentation

This is a sin in conference presentations, as when you don’t practice the content you intend to deliver, you don’t have a measure of how much time it is actually going to take. 

PowerPoint’s rehearse timing feature can help a great deal, as you can record yourself practising the presentation and observe areas for improvement. Remember, conference presentations are time-limited , don’t disrespect fellow speakers by overlapping their scheduled slot or, worse, have moderators trim your presentation after several warnings.

Mistake #4 – Lacking hierarchy for the presented content

Looking at a slide and not knowing where the main point is discouraging for the audience, especially if you introduce several pieces of content under the same slide. Instead, opt to create a hierarchy that comprehends both text and images. It helps to arrange the content according to your narrative, and we’ll see more on this later on.

Consider your conference presentation as your introduction card in the professional world. Maybe you have a broad network of colleagues, but be certain there are plenty of people out there that have yet to learn about who you are and the work you produce.

Conferences help businesspeople and academics alike to introduce the results of months of research on a specific topic in front of a knowledgeable audience. It is different from a product launch as you don’t need to present a “completed product” but rather your views or advances, in other words, your contribution with valuable insights to the field.

Putting dedication into your conference presentation, from the slide deck design to presentation skills , is definitely worth the effort. The audience can get valuable references from the quality of work you are able to produce, often leading to potential partnerships. In business conferences, securing an investor deal can happen after a powerful presentation that drives the audience to perceive your work as the very best thing that’s about to be launched. It is all about how your body language reflects your intent, how well-explained the concepts are, and the emotional impact you can drive from it.

There are multiple ways on how to start a presentation for a conference, but overall, we can recap a good approach as follows.

Present a fact

Nothing grabs the interest of an audience quicker than introducing an interesting fact during the first 30 seconds of your presentation. The said fact has to be pivotal to the content your conference presentation will discuss later on, but as an ice-breaker, it is a strategy worth applying from time to time.

Ask a question

The main point when starting a conference presentation is to make an impact on the audience. We cannot think of a better way to engage with the audience than to ask them a question relevant to your work or research. It grabs the viewer’s interest for the potential feedback you shall give to those answers received.

Use powerful graphics

The value of visual presentations cannot be neglected in conferences. Sometimes an image makes a bigger impact than a lengthy speech, hence why you should consider starting your conference presentation with a photo or visual element that speaks for itself.

For more tips and insights on how to start a presentation , we invite you to check this article.

Just as important as starting the presentation, the closure you give to your conference presentation matters a lot. This is the opportunity in which you can add your personal experience on the topic and reflect upon it with the audience or smoothly transition between the presentation and your Q&A session.

Below are some quick tips on how to end a presentation for a conference event.

End the presentation with a quote

Give your audience something to ruminate about with the help of a quote tailored to the topic you were discussing. There are plenty of resources for finding suitable quotes, and a great method for this is to design your penultimate slide with an image or black background plus a quote. Follow this with a final “thank you” slide.

Consider a video

If we say a video whose length is shorter than 1 minute, this is a fantastic resource to summarize the intent of your conference presentation. 

If you get the two-minute warning and you feel far off from finishing your presentation, first, don’t fret. Try to give a good closure when presenting in a conference without rushing information, as the audience wouldn’t get any concept clear that way. Mention that the information you presented will be available for further reading at the event’s platform site or your company’s digital business card , and proceed to your closure phase for the presentation.

It is better to miss some of the components of the conference than to get kicked out after several warnings for exceeding the allotted time.

Tailoring your conference presentation to suit your audience is crucial to delivering an impactful talk. Different audiences have varying levels of expertise, interests, and expectations. By customizing your content, tone, and examples, you can enhance the relevance and engagement of your presentation.

Understanding Audience Backgrounds and Expectations

Before crafting your presentation, research your audience’s backgrounds and interests. Are they professionals in your field, students, or a mix of both? Are they familiar with the topic, or must you provide more context? Understanding these factors will help you pitch your content correctly and avoid overwhelming or boring your audience.

Adapting Language and Tone for Relevance

Use language that resonates with your audience. Avoid jargon or technical terms that might confuse those unfamiliar with your field. Conversely, don’t oversimplify if your audience consists of experts. Adjust your tone to match the event’s formality and your listeners’ preferences.

Customizing Examples and Case Studies

Incorporate case studies, examples, and anecdotes that your audience can relate to. If you’re speaking to professionals, use real-world scenarios from their industry. For a more general audience, choose examples that are universally relatable. This personal touch makes your content relatable and memorable.

Effectively presenting data is essential for conveying complex information to your audience. Visualizations can help simplify intricate concepts and make your points more digestible.

Choosing the Right Data Representation

Select the appropriate type of graph or chart to illustrate your data. Bar graphs, pie charts, line charts, and scatter plots each serve specific purposes. Choose the one that best supports your message and ensures clarity.

Designing Graphs and Charts for Clarity

Ensure your graphs and charts are easily read. Use clear labels, appropriate color contrasts, and consistent scales. Avoid clutter and simplify the design to highlight the most important data points.

Incorporating Annotations and Explanations

Add annotations or callouts to your graphs to emphasize key findings. Explain the significance of each data point to guide your audience’s understanding. Utilize visual cues, such as arrows and labels, to direct attention.

Engaging your audience is a fundamental skill for a successful presentation for conference. Captivate their attention, encourage participation, and foster a positive connection.

Establishing Eye Contact and Body Language

Maintain eye contact with different audience parts to create a sense of connection. Effective body language, such as confident posture and expressive gestures, enhances your presence on stage.

Encouraging Participation and Interaction

Involve your audience through questions, polls, or interactive activities. Encourage them to share their thoughts or experiences related to your topic. This engagement fosters a more dynamic and memorable presentation.

Using Humor and Engaging Stories

Incorporate humor and relatable anecdotes to make your presentation more enjoyable. Well-timed jokes or personal stories can create a rapport with your audience and make your content more memorable.

The design of your conference presentation slides plays a crucial role in capturing and retaining your audience’s attention. Thoughtful design can amplify your message and reinforce key points. Take a look at these suggestions to boost the performance of your conference presentation slides, or create an entire slide deck in minutes by using SlideModel’s AI Presentation Maker from text .

Creating Memorable Opening Slides

Craft an opening slide that piques the audience’s curiosity and sets the tone for your presentation. Use an engaging visual, thought-provoking quote, or intriguing question to grab their attention from the start.

Using Visual Hierarchy for Emphasis

Employ visual hierarchy to guide your audience’s focus. Highlight key points with larger fonts, bold colors, or strategic placement. Organize information logically to enhance comprehension.

Designing a Powerful Closing Slide

End your presentation with a compelling closing slide that reinforces your main message. Summarize your key points, offer a memorable takeaway, or invite the audience to take action. Use visuals that resonate and leave a lasting impression.

Slide transitions and animations can enhance the flow of your presentation and emphasize important content. However, their use requires careful consideration to avoid distractions or confusion.

Enhancing Flow with Transitions

Select slide transitions that smoothly guide the audience from one point to the next. Avoid overly flashy transitions that detract from your content. Choose options that enhance, rather than disrupt, the presentation’s rhythm.

Using Animation to Highlight Points

Animate elements on your slides to draw attention to specific information. Animate text, images, or graphs to appear as you discuss them, helping the audience follow your narrative more effectively.

Avoiding Overuse of Effects

While animation can be engaging, avoid excessive use that might overwhelm or distract the audience. Maintain a balance between animated elements and static content for a polished presentation.

Effective time management is crucial for delivering a concise and impactful conference presentation within the allocated time frame.

Structuring for Short vs. Long Presentations

Adapt your content and pacing based on the duration of your presentation. Clearly outline the main points for shorter talks, and delve into more depth for longer sessions. Ensure your message aligns with the time available.

Prioritizing Key Information

Identify the core information you want your audience to take away. Focus on conveying these essential points, and be prepared to trim or elaborate on supporting details based on the available time.

Practicing Time Management

Rehearse your presentation while timing yourself to ensure you stay within the allocated time. Adjust your delivery speed to match your time limit, allowing for smooth transitions and adequate Q&A time.

Multimedia elements, such as videos, audio clips, and live demonstrations, can enrich your presentation and provide a dynamic experience for your audience.

Integrating Videos and Audio Clips

Use videos and audio clips strategically to reinforce your points or provide real-world examples. Ensure that the multimedia content is of high quality and directly supports your narrative.

Showcasing Live Demonstrations

Live demonstrations can engage the audience by showcasing practical applications of your topic. Practice the demonstration beforehand to ensure it runs smoothly and aligns with your message.

Using Hyperlinks for Additional Resources

Incorporate hyperlinks into your presentation to direct the audience to additional resources, references, or related content. This allows interested attendees to explore the topic further after the presentation.

Engaging with your audience after your presentation can extend the impact of your talk and foster valuable connections.

Leveraging Post-Presentation Materials

Make your presentation slides and related materials available to attendees after the event. Share them through email, a website, or a conference platform, allowing interested individuals to review the content.

Sharing Slides and Handouts

Provide downloadable versions of your slides and any handouts you used during the presentation. This helps attendees revisit key points and share the information with colleagues.

Networking and Following Up

Utilize networking opportunities during and after the conference to connect with attendees who are interested in your topic. Exchange contact information and follow up with personalized messages to continue the conversation.

Preparing for unexpected challenges during your presenting at a conference can help you maintain professionalism and composure, ensuring a seamless delivery.

Dealing with Technical Glitches

Technical issues can occur, from projector malfunctions to software crashes. Stay calm and have a backup plan, such as having your slides available on multiple devices or using printed handouts.

Handling Unexpected Interruptions

Interruptions, such as questions from the audience or unforeseen disruptions, are a normal part of live presentations. Address them politely, stay adaptable, and seamlessly return to your prepared content.

Staying Calm and Professional

Maintain a composed demeanor regardless of unexpected situations. Your ability to handle challenges gracefully reflects your professionalism and dedication to delivering a successful presentation.

Creating environmentally friendly presentations demonstrates your commitment to sustainability and responsible practices.

Designing Eco-Friendly Slides

Minimize the use of resources by designing slides with efficient layouts, avoiding unnecessary graphics or animations, and using eco-friendly color schemes.

Reducing Paper and Material Waste

Promote a paperless approach by encouraging attendees to access digital materials rather than printing handouts. If print materials are necessary, consider using recycled paper.

Promoting Sustainable Practices

Advocate for sustainability during your presentation by discussing relevant initiatives, practices, or innovations that align with environmentally conscious values.

Measuring the success of your conference presentation goes beyond the applause and immediate feedback. It involves assessing the impact of your presentation on your audience, goals, and growth as a presenter.

Collecting Audience Feedback

After presenting at a conference, gather feedback from attendees. Provide feedback forms or online surveys to capture their thoughts on the content, delivery, and visuals. Analyzing their feedback can reveal areas for improvement and give insights into audience preferences.

Evaluating Key Performance Metrics

Consider objective metrics such as audience engagement, participation, and post-presentation interactions. Did attendees ask questions? Did your content spark discussions? Tracking these metrics can help you gauge the effectiveness of your presentation in conveying your message.

Continuous Improvement Strategies

Use the feedback and insights gathered to enhance your future presentations. Identify strengths to build upon and weaknesses to address. Continuously refine your presentation skills , design choices, and content to create even more impactful presentations in the future.

Tip #1 – Exhibit a single idea per slide

Just one slide per concept, avoiding large text blocks. If you can compile the idea with an image, it’s better that way.

Research shows that people’s attention span is limited ; therefore, redirect your efforts in what concerns presentation slides so your ideas become crystal clear for the spectators.

Tip #2 – Avoid jargon whenever possible

Using complex terms does not directly imply you fully understand the concept you are about to discuss. In spite of your work being presented to a knowledgeable audience, avoid jargon as much as possible because you run the risk of people not understanding what you are saying.

Instead, opt to rehearse your presentation in front of a not-knowledgeable audience to measure the jargon volume you are adding to it. Technical terms are obviously expected in a conference situation, but archaic terms or purely jargon can be easily trimmed this way.

Tip #3 – Replace bulleted listings with structured layouts or diagrams

Bullet points are attention grabbers for the audience. People tend to instantly check what’s written in them, in contrast to waiting for you to introduce the point itself. 

Using bullet points as a way to expose elements of your presentation should be restricted. Opt for limiting the bullet points to non-avoidable facts to list or crucial information. 

Tip #4 – Customize presentation templates

Using presentation templates is a great idea to save time in design decisions. These pre-made slide decks are entirely customizable; however, many users fall into using them as they come, exposing themselves to design inconsistencies (especially with images) or that another presenter had the same idea (it is extremely rare, but it can happen).

Learning how to properly change color themes in PowerPoint is an advantageous asset. We also recommend you use your own images or royalty-free images selected by you rather than sticking to the ones included in a template.

Tip #5 – Displaying charts

Graphs and charts comprise around 80% of the information in most business and academic conferences. Since data visualization is important, avoid common pitfalls such as using 3D effects in bar charts. Depending on the audience’s point of view, those 3D effects can make the data hard to read or get an accurate interpretation of what it represents.

Tip #6 – Using images in the background

Use some of the images you were planning to expose as background for the slides – again, not all of them but relevant slides.

Be careful when placing text above the slides if they have a background image, as accessibility problems may arise due to contrast. Instead, apply an extra color layer above the image with reduced opacity – black or white, depending on the image and text requirements. This makes the text more legible for the audience, and you can use your images without any inconvenience.

Tip #7 – Embrace negative space

Negative space is a concept seen in design situations. If we consider positive space as the designed area, meaning the objects, shapes, etc., that are “your design,” negative space can be defined as the surrounding area. If we work on a white canvas, negative space is the remaining white area surrounding your design.

The main advantage of using negative space appropriately is to let your designs breathe. Stuffing charts, images and text makes it hard to get a proper understanding of what’s going on in the slide. Apply the “less is more” motto to your conference presentation slides, and embrace negative space as your new design asset.

Tip #8 – Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation

You would be surprised to see how many typos can be seen in slides at professional gatherings. Whereas typos can often pass by as a humor-relief moment, grammatical or awful spelling mistakes make you look unprofessional. 

Take 5 extra minutes before submitting your slide deck to proofread the grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If in doubt, browse dictionaries for complex technical words.

Tip #10 – Use an appropriate presentation style

The format of the conference will undoubtedly require its own presentation style. By this we mean that it is different from delivering a conference presentation in front of a live audience as a webinar conference. The interaction with the audience is different, the demands for the Q&A session will be different, and also during webinars the audience is closely looking at your slides.

Tip #11 – Control your speaking tone

Another huge mistake when delivering a conference presentation is to speak with a monotonous tone. The message you transmit to your attendees is that you simply do not care about your work. If you believe you fall into this category, get feedback from others: try pitching to them, and afterward, consider how you talk. 

Practicing breathing exercises can help to articulate your speech skills, especially if anxiety hinders your presentation performance.

Tip #12 – On eye contact and note reading

In order to connect with your audience, it is imperative to make eye contact. Not stare, but look at your spectators from time to time as the talk is directed at them.

If you struggle on this point, a good tip we can provide is to act like you’re looking at your viewers. Pick a good point a few centimeters above your viewer and direct your speech there. They will believe you are communicating directly with them. Shift your head slightly on the upcoming slide or bullet and choose a new location.

Regarding note reading, while it is an acceptable practice to check your notes, do not make the entire talk a lecture in which you simply read your notes to the audience. This goes hand-by-hand with the speaking tone in terms of demonstrating interest in the work you do. Practice as often as you need before the event to avoid constantly reading your notes. Reading a paragraph or two is okay, but not the entire presentation.

Tip #13 – Be ready for the Q&A session

Despite it being a requirement in most conference events, not all presenters get ready for the Q&A session. It is a part of the conference presentation itself, so you should pace your speech to give enough time for the audience to ask 1-3 questions and get a proper answer.

Don’t be lengthy or overbearing in replying to each question, as you may run out of time. It is preferable to give a general opinion and then reach the interested person with your contact information to discuss the topic in detail.

Observing what others do at conference events is good practice for learning a tip or two for improving your own work. As we have seen throughout this article, conference presentation slides have specific requirements to become a tool in your presentation rather than a mixture of information without order.

Employ these tips and suggestions to craft your upcoming conference presentation without any hurdles. Best of luck!

1. Conference PowerPoint Template

Use This Template

2. Free Conference Presentation Template

Like this article? Please share

Presentation Approaches, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Filed under Business

Related Articles

Filed under Business • April 10th, 2024

Discovering Coaching Presentation Tools

Discover the best PPT templates to use as coaching presentation tools with this article. Tools explained + examples.

Filed under Design • March 27th, 2024

How to Make a Presentation Graph

Detailed step-by-step instructions to master the art of how to make a presentation graph in PowerPoint and Google Slides. Check it out!

Filed under Google Slides Tutorials • March 22nd, 2024

How to Share a Google Slides Presentation

Optimize your presentation delivery as we explore how to share a Google Slides presentation. A must-read for traveling presenters.

Leave a Reply

Weekly hours for all locations

Use Slideshare for Conference Talks

← go back to the impact challenge table of contents.

Image © GDC Europe licensed CC BY .

Your conference slides don’t get a lot of love, do they? You tend to use them to present at conferences, then throw ‘em in a virtual desk drawer and forget about them.    Yet slides are visual aids that help tell important stories about our scholarship. And they can be useful to those who weren’t able to see your talk in person. So, why not share them?    In today’s challenge, we’re going to get your slide decks on Slideshare so the world can see them.    But first: before you get started on Slideshare, make sure you’ve already uploaded any slide decks you want share to SHAREOK for all the reasons we covered in the SHAREOK chapter of this OU Impact Challenge (for one, it ensures your work will still be available long after Slideshare is gone).

Complete the Slideshare basics

Slideshare is a popular, free slide hosting service that many scholars use to share their conference and classroom lecture slides.    First things first: visit Slideshare.net and click “signup” in the upper right corner. Because you already have a LinkedIn account (You do have a LinkedIn account, right? From this  previous chapter of the OU Impact Challenge?), click the “Sign in” link underneath the “Join LinkedIn” box. The “Upload” box in the upper right corner should turn orange.    Next, create your professional profile. If you created your Slideshare account using LinkedIn, some of your personal information from LinkedIn will already be imported. If not, here’s how to edit your profile:

• Hover over the person icon in the upper right corner; select “Account Settings” from the drop-down menu.
• Select “Profile Details” from the left-hand navigation bar. Click “Personal Details.”
• On the “Personal Details” page, add a photo (the same one you used for your LinkedIn account is perfect), your name, and information about where you work and what drives your research. Link to your website and click “Save.”
• On the “Contact Details” page, add links to your Twitter and LinkedIn profiles. Click “Save.”

Now, whenever anyone finds your slide decks on Slideshare, they’ll be able to easily learn more about you and your research, and they’ll be able to find you (and connect with you) on other sites.

What to upload

You can upload your PowerPoint, PDF, Keynote, and OpenDocument slides. PowerPoint and PDF work the best; we’ve occasionally had problems uploading Keynote slides.    If you encounter errors uploading your Keynote or OpenDocument slides, a good workaround is to save your slides in PDF format and then upload them.    If you’re like us, you often use the Notes portion of your PowerPoint slide deck to leave reminders to yourself to “cite So-and-so’s 2003 paper here” or to “break down definitions here for beginners.” Beware: others who download your slides can read these notes! Double-check your slides and their notes carefully before you upload a presentation to Slideshare. Sharing your speaker notes is a best practice when you’re careful, because it helps others make sense of your presentation – especially if there aren’t a lot of words on your slides.

Make uploading a snap

Next, we’re going to make it super simple for you to share your slides moving forward. To do that, we’ll need to connect your Slideshare account to the cloud storage platforms that your slides tend to live and set a default license for all the slides you share.

Connect to the cloud

Set a default license

Get your slides online

Choose a slide deck that you’re ready to share with the world. To get it onto Slideshare, click “Upload” in the upper right corner, and then find your file on your computer or cloud storage.    As your file begins to upload, you’ll be prompted to describe your file. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Category:  Select the category most relevant to your talk.  Category options are not very granular. Note however that “Education” and “Science” are options should those describe your presentation.  It’s important that you select the category that best describes your presentation. No matter how well the category fits you should add more information in the following fields.
• Title:  Keep it the same as the title of your talk, and feel free to add the conference name and date in parenthesis, so others can see in a glance if this presentation is the one they’re looking for.
• Description:  Include your talk’s abstract in this field. You’ll also want to preface your abstract with a sentence that explains when and where you gave this talk, and link to the talk’s related publication (if applicable).
• Tags:  List some keywords that others in your discipline might use to search for your presentation. Tags will help your slides’ SEO, making them more discoverable online. Generally speaking, more tags equates to better discoverability.  Be sure to include tags that describe your work in both general and specific ways.

Once you’ve adequately described your slides, go ahead and finish your upload. You’ll be prompted to share your newly uploaded slides on LinkedIn , Twitter , and other social networks. Do it!    Bonus: If you’ve got a video of your talk, you can add that, too! On your upload confirmation screen, click the “Advanced Settings” link. On the next screen, click the “Edit YouTube video” tab, add your video’s URL, then select where you want the video to appear in the slide deck. We suggest adding it after your title slide.

Share your slides smartly

Now that you know how to get your slides online, let’s talk about all the ways you can get others’ eyeballs on them.    Some strategies for sharing your slides include:

• Using the social share buttons after you’ve uploaded your slides to share them on LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social networks
• Posting your slides prior to giving your presentation. This allows you to say, “these slides are available at . . .” instead of, “these slides will be made available . . .”
• Tweeting a link to your slides just before giving talks at conferences
• Blogging about your talk after the fact, and embedding your slides in your blog post
• Connecting Slideshare to LinkedIn and Impactstory, so your slides will be automatically imported and embedded in places where others might encounter your work (more on Impactstory in a later challenge)

Dig into your slides’ impact statistics

• Views  on both Slideshare and other websites
• Embeds , which can tell you how many times and where others have shared your slides
• Downloads , which can tell you if others have liked your slides enough to save them to their computer
• Comments , which themselves can tell you what others think about your slides
• Favorites , which – as you might guess – can tell you if others like your work

You can choose to receive email updates for your slides’ stats, but we’ll cover that in a future challenge.    Also, don’t forget to comment on, “like,” and share others’ slide decks!

Limitations

Slideshare’s usability leaves a bit to be desired, although it’s better than it used to be. And the number of emails they send can border on spam. To fix the latter, go to “Account Settings” > “Email” and opt-out of any emails you don’t want to receive. If the cluttered look of Slideshare bothers you, Speakerdeck works similarly, although it has fewer options (can only upload PDFs, smaller limits on file sizes, no analytics, no social features). If these limitations aren’t a concern, you may want to give Speakerdeck a try.    Slideshare also shares a limitation with many of the other academic social networks we’ve covered – it’s a for-profit company that sells your personal data and clutters your browser with ads. And due to its focus on sharing, the platform doesn’t give much thought to preservation guarantees. So, always make sure your slides are backed up elsewhere.  As we already mentioned, post your slides to SHAREOK OU’s institutional repository to make sure your work stays online.

You’ve got two tasks for your homework: get slides from your most prominent talk online (both to Slideshare and SHAREOK), and start thinking about how you’ll share your slides for maximum visibility after future talks.

Content for the OU Impact Challenge has been derived from “ The 30-Day Impact Challenge ” by  Stacy Konkiel  ©  ImpactStory  and used here under a CC BY 4.0 International License.    The OU Impact Challenge is licensed  CC BY 4.0 , unless otherwise noted.

Got any suggestions?

We want to hear from you! Send us a message and help improve Slidesgo

Top searches

Trending searches

solar eclipse

25 templates

education technology

180 templates

32 templates

28 templates

thanksgiving

38 templates

Conference Presentation templates

Having a conference due soon is always a stressful moment but you can make it more easy-going with a cool presentation with exactly what you need give a presentation about your next conference with one of these templates carefully designed for the occasion choose the one of your taste which suits your concept and company best.

Geometric Conference Style Presentation

Download the Geometric Conference Style Presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources....

Power of Positive Thinking Conference

The power of a positive thinking conference is where positivity meets productivity. Attendees will leave with a renewed outlook, an arsenal of practical techniques and the confidence to turn their dreams into reality! From learning how to make your mindset work for you to getting creative for your business, your...

Simple Conference Style Presentation

Download the Simple Conference Style Presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources....

Medical Conference Style Presentation

Download the Medical Conference Style Presentation presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Healthcare goes beyond curing patients and combating illnesses. Raising awareness about diseases, informing people about prevention methods, discussing some good practices, or even talking about a balanced diet—there are many topics related to medicine that you could be...

Download the Medical Conference Style presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides. Healthcare goes beyond curing patients and combating illnesses. Raising awareness about diseases, informing people about prevention methods, discussing some good practices, or even talking about a balanced diet—there are many topics related to medicine that you could be sharing...

Premium template

Unlock this template and gain unlimited access

Conference Planning Meeting Infographics

Is there anything more stressful than planning a whole conference? Not that we can think of, really… but on the plus side, we’ve figured out a way to make your conference planning meeting a good bit less tedious: This collection of infographics specifically designed around everything that needs to be...

Formal Conference Style Presentation

Download the Formal Conference Style Presentation presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic...

Conference Planning Meeting

The conference is coming up soon. Quick, you need to plan ahead and hold a meeting to discuss how to prepare for it! Since you'll need a presentation, download this one and customize it. To make your life easier, we've added all kinds of layouts: from calendars and timelines to...

Conference Pitch on Business and Economics

It will be a good conference if you accompany it with a good visual support, like this presentation! If you have checked your calendar, you have seen that in two weeks you have to give a conference on business and economy and you need a template to highlight the most...

Geopolitic Conference

Explore the complex and dynamic world of international politics and global affairs with this geopolitical conference Google Slides and PowerPoint template. With its unique color palette of muted blue and beige and topographic line illustrations, it is the perfect tool to help you create a visually stunning and engaging presentation...

Conference Meeting on Accountants

Accountants play an important role within companies, as they are responsible for ensuring that finances are running smoothly. It’s always important to share knowledge, new tools, tricks, etc. So why not hold a conference that brings together the maximum number of accountants? In this template you will find the resources...

Student-Led Conference

When it comes to student-led conferences, it's important to make sure that the presentation looks and feels professional. A well-designed template can make all the difference in how your audience perceives you and your work. That's why we've created a Google Slides and PowerPoint template that's perfect for conferences of...

Skin Diseases Conference

A conference on skin diseases could bring together some of the leading experts in the field from around the world. Attendees would learn about the latest treatments, research, and developments in skin disease prevention, diagnosis, and management. There would be a variety of presenters from hospitals, universities, and non-profits who...

Online Business Conference

The time has come. Your online conference is due soon. Is there someone who hasn't heard about it yet? Quick, download this wonderful template and give them all the information they need to know, such as timetable, speakers, topics, highlights, or whatever you want. The backgrounds look like honeycomb, with...

Business Conference Brochure

Hello, would you like to come to our conference? Here's a brochure with the program and the timetable, be sure not to miss it!. Design the brochure that is mentioned in this hypotetical scenario and include the essential information that any person interested might need. It's creative, it grabs attention...

Download the Formal Conference Style Presentation for PowerPoint or Google Slides and start impressing your audience with a creative and original design. Slidesgo templates like this one here offer the possibility to convey a concept, idea or topic in a clear, concise and visual way, by using different graphic resources....

Professional Ethics Conference

When you have to speak at a conference, it is essential to use a visual support with the most important information of your speech to catch the attention of your audience and, at the same time, make them remember the information you decided to highlight. Include images, a font that...

• Page 1 of 5

New! Make quick presentations with AI

Slidesgo AI presentation maker puts the power of design and creativity in your hands, so you can effortlessly craft stunning slideshows in minutes.

Register for free and start editing online

• Search entire site
• Search for a course
• Browse study areas

Error message

Create a conference presentation, common types of conference presentations.

• Full paper  - The length of a full paper is variable, usually between 20 and 40 min, and rarely exceeds one hour. A full paper may be followed by question time.
• Short paper  - This type of conference presentation can be as short as 10 min, and very often it is one in a series of short papers in a 1- or 2-hour session on a particular conference sub-topic or theme, each followed by 10 minutes question time. Timing is crucial as it is common for short paper sessions to be carefully managed by timekeepers who will ‘terminate’ your paper after the allocated time.
• Workshop  - The emphasis of most workshops is on their practical nature. Their purpose is for participants to experience a strategy, a technique or a practical demonstration, and to have opportunities to question you about the value or workability of what you are presenting.
• Poster  - You prepare a poster of your work (one or more A1 displays, including diagrams, text, references or visuals). This is displayed in an area of the conference venue. Your poster may be staffed at particular times when you are required to be available to provide further information or answer questions about your poster.
• Discussion paper -  It is assumed that participants have read the paper. A summary is presented at the beginning of the paper (usually, but not always by the paper presenter), and the session consists mainly of a discussion or defence of the issues, questions and ideas raised in the paper.
• Panel presentation/discussion  - You are one of several people on a panel discussing a theme/topic related to the conference. Your role is to be an expert in a particular issue, topic, technology, strategy or you represent an institution, department or company. Normally you receive advanced notice of this, but sometimes you can be asked to be a panel member at the conference.
• Roundtable discussion  - This is a short paper presentation followed by the presenter facilitating/workshopping discussion with participants in groups.

Preparing your conference presentation

There are significant differences between a written paper, essay or report and a conference presentation. The introduction of a conference presentation should be considerably longer than that of a written text. Repetition is vital in a conference presentation. An audience needs to hear information several times and in slightly different forms to understand it, whereas in a written text the reader can refer back if necessary. Informal rather than formal language should be used in an oral conference presentation.

Think of a ‘catchy’ title as most conferences run parallel sessions and your presentation may compete with numerous presentations offered at the same time.

You will need to submit an abstract to the conference committee for your presentation to be accepted. If you have already written your paper, this task should be fairly easy as the abstract is a summary of the paper which is usually around 200–400 words . Ensure the issues, questions, thesis as well as the conclusion findings are clearly stated in the abstract.

In case the paper has not been written yet, prepare the abstract in such a way that you do not commit yourself to details that will not be addressed in the final paper.

Ensure that you follow guidelines set by the conference organizers regarding length, layout, references, etc. Write the paper as you would an essay, a report, or, more and more commonly, a journal article. The latter is particularly important if the conference proceedings are to be published (refereed or non-refereed). Check previous conference proceedings or journals in your field to ensure consistency with style, referencing, etc.

Presenting your conference presentation

When presenting your conference presentation you need to know your answers to the following questions:

• Is the purpose clearly stated: are you reporting, comparing, convincing, arguing, questioning…?
• Is the thesis/topic clearly stated: “In this paper, I want to report the findings of recent research which shows that under certain conditions, dolphins can be taught how to read simple text”?
• Are your main arguments/ideas supported with evidence?
• Are all the materials relevant to the topic?
• Have you demonstrated your knowledge of the subject?
• Is the level of technicality suited to the audience?
• How do you reply to audience’s questions: long questions, ‘mini papers’ disguised as questions…?

Organise your presentation

Most presentations are organised according to a predictable pattern. They have three main stages: introduction, body and conclusion (i.e. tell them what you are going to say; then say it; then tell them what you have said).

When a presentation does not have these clear sections, it can be very difficult for listeners to follow what is being said.

Introduction

This is the most crucial part of any presentation. You need to capture the audience’s interest in your topic and establish rapport with them. Your introduction should let the audience know what they are going to hear in the presentation. They need to know what to expect in order to get interested and to be able to follow you. Giving them an outline of your presentation in your introduction enables them to do this.

You need to:

• capture the audience’s attention with a question, quotation, anecdote, or interesting statistic, etc.
• main theme or main argument
• main points you will cover and the order in which you will cover them.

The body of your presentation must be clearly organised with the main points highlighted. One effective technique is to number your ideas. Any idea which is new to your audience needs to be presented simply with supportive evidence or examples which will make it more easily understood. Each important idea should be presented several times in different ways within the body of your presentation. Your audience needs several opportunities to absorb the full meaning and the significance of the most important ideas. It is also important to state the links between your ideas clearly.

The body is where you develop your main ideas/argument, using supporting ideas/evidence. Use techniques that make it easy for the listener to follow your talk:

• number your ideas: “ There are three main factors... ”
• arrange your ideas in logical order, such as chronological; cause and effect; problem–solution
• use transitional devices to help the audience follow the direction of your talk: “ secondly…; another important point is...; on the other hand…; I would now like to move on and look at another aspect of the research.. .”
• state the main idea
• refer to experts, provide examples to illustrate the idea
• provide statistics, facts, tell anecdotes (if time permits)
• provide case studies, etc.
• repeat important ideas using different words so the audience has several opportunities to absorb them
• don’t make the information too dense – remember the audience is listening, not reading!

The conclusion sums up main points. The conclusion should reinforce the central ideas of the presentation and signal a forceful ending. A weak, inconclusive or apologetic closing detracts from a good presentation. You should show in your conclusion that you have covered all the points that you said you would in your introduction. You should also show that you are confident, and that you have communicated effectively.

It is important to have a strong conclusion so the audience is left with a good impression.

• Summarise the main ideas of your presentation.
• Don’t introduce any new ideas.
• Work towards a strong ending – don’t finish abruptly or say ‘That’s all’. Perhaps leave the audience with something to think about.

Presentation Tips

Advance preparation.

The more you know about your audience, the more likely you will be able to give an effective presentation. Try to find out as much as you can about who will be there, what their background is, why they will be coming, and how much they will already know about the topic. Go to the room where you will make your presentation and get a feel of its size, acoustics, seating, etc. If you can, familiarise yourself with the equipment in the room.

Clear pronunciation

Your voice must be clear and distinct. If you know you have difficulty with pronunciation, speak a little more slowly than usual. Use intonation, stress, changes in pace (slow down at important points, speed up at details, anecdotes) and pause to keep the listeners’ attention, and focus attention on important points.

Body language

It has been estimated that 75% of meaning transferred is non-verbal.  Try to maintain eye contact with your audience as this helps keep your audience engaged. Focus on standing straight and directly facing your audience, using hand gestures to emphasise important information.

Visual aids 

A presentation can be enhanced by the effective use of overhead transparencies (slides), charts, pictures, posters or PowerPoint presentations (with limited graphic/sound gimmicks). They provide variety and can help reinforce points made. However, you are still the main communicator of your message. Be familiar with your visual aids, refer to them specifically and only display them when you are referring to them, otherwise they will only be a distraction.

• Physical charts, graphs, pictures, etc.: ensure that the size is appropriate for a large room. If necessary, back up with handouts.
• Video: ensure the segment shown is not too long in relation to the overall length of your presentation.
• Limit the amount of material on each visual: your listeners should be able to read and understand a visual in five seconds or less.
• Be sure your visuals are large enough to be seen by everyone: the lettering should usually be minimum 20-22 pt. font.
• Use diagrams, graphs and charts instead of words where possible.
• Eliminate unnecessary detail from diagrams, graphs and charts.

Expression and style

Try to speak to your audience using notes rather than memorising or reading your presentation. In order to do this, you will have to practise your presentations as many times as you can. If possible, perform in front of an audience. Otherwise, practise in front of a mirror or record yourself on your phone. This will also give you an idea of how long your presentation will take.

Use a conversation style to make your audience feel personally involved. Each time you use the word ‘you’, the audience feels compelled to pay attention.  

Back to top

Adapted from Barthel, A. 2010, ‘Presenting a conference paper’, ELSSA Centre, University of Technology Sydney.   

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Indian J Psychol Med
• v.45(1); 2023 Jan

“Two Minutes More!” Preparing Slides for Conference Research Presentations

Shahul ameen.

1 Dept. of Psychiatry, St. Thomas Hospital, Changanacherry, Kerala, India.

Samir Kumar Praharaj

2 Dept. of Psychiatry, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.

Vikas Menon

3 Dept. of Psychiatry, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India.

Competitions for research awards give lots of weightage to the floor presentation, including the quality of the slides. 1 Likewise, the National Medical Commission mandates all postgraduate students to publish or submit a research article in scientific journals or present the paper at the national conference of the concerned Society. 2 However, be it an award paper or a free paper, many find it hard to condense the information from their manuscript (or worse, the entire thesis) into slides that should be presented in 7–10 minutes. Though articles on preparing effective PowerPoint slides 3 , 4 and making appealing podium presentations 5 are abound, we could not find any specifically discussing converting a thesis or research paper to a small number of slides that convey all the essential information in a manner that is time-efficient and also aids audience comprehension. This article tries to fill that gap and provides valuable tips and tricks that presenters, both amateur and seasoned, may find useful.

General Points

• Choose the wide-screen (16×9) aspect ratio, as it helps include graphs and related text in the same slide.
• The content may be complex, demanding much attention from the audience. Hence, keep the background and design of the slides elegant but simple and nondistracting. Avoid bells and whistles such as unnecessary clip arts and fancy animation effects.
• Include slide numbers on the footer—audience members with questions on specific slides can mention the number, and then you can jump to the slide promptly by typing the slide number and pressing Enter.
• If there is an instruction to maintain anonymity, remember it, especially while preparing the title slide and writing about the study setting and the Ethics Committee.
• In the beginning, save time by not announcing, “My topic is so and so”—people would have already gleaned it from the title slide on display.
• Don’t expand abbreviations on the slides, as you can explain them verbally. At the same time, avoid unnecessary abbreviations that can be confusing.
• Use Section Header slides (that say only “Methods” in a larger font, for example) before the methods section and the results and discussion section. This helps emphasize the transition to the audience.

• Using animations between subsequent bullet points is appropriate and preferable in most situations—it helps direct the audience’s attention better and prevents the slides from looking wordy. However, use only the “appear” option, as the others take slightly more time and can be distracting.
• Likewise, while moving to a subsequent point, pressing the “Next” button slightly before you finish the previous point, rather than doing it only after you have fully completed reading/explaining it, helps save some time.
• Instead of including all the information on the slides, reserve some for verbal explanation. For example, on the slide you may merely write, “possibility of confounding factors,” and when presenting, you may say, “like socioeconomic status.” For each slide, such points can be entered in the “Click to add notes” area below the actual slide so that you will not forget them and can even see them during the presentation if you use the Presenter View.
• Use concise language on the slides—remove all information that can be inferred from the context or is nonessential. For example, in the results and discussion section, there is no need to repeatedly write “Our study found that.” Similarly, instead of “The study by George et al. showed that,” you can write “George et al. showed that.” Another option is to merely write “George et al.:” followed by their finding, and then verbally add “showed that” while presenting. Using terms like “intervention group” and “control group” rather than “the group that received divalproex sodium” and “the group that received placebo” helps too. Sentences need not be complete, and articles (a, an, and the) can be omitted wherever possible.
• Slides should not contain any information not included in the manuscript submitted for the award. Likewise, if it is a competition for articles already published in journals, information on the slides should be restricted to those included in the concerned article.

Introduction Section

• defining new terms or concepts, if any
• the research gap
• the most important novelty
• primary and secondary objectives—with important variables in bold.
• To cite on the slides, pick the latest or the best-quality studies and the most recent systematic reviews or meta-analyses.

• In a presentation of 7–8 minutes, do not spend more than a minute on the introduction section.

Methods Section

• Mention the design, setting, sample size calculation, inclusion and exclusion criteria, sampling technique, tools used, data collection period, and interventions, if any.

• If the number of tools used is less, their screenshots can be shown, and you can tell their names in the background.
• Specify that ethics approval and patient consent were obtained. One option is to show a slide with “Ethics considerations” written on it and verbally explain in the background that they were obtained.
• In the slide on the statistical analysis section, the names of the software used or the tests done need not be mentioned. Mention the P value cut-off and the details of correction done for multiple testing, if any. If there is no relevant information to share, it is okay to eschew the slide on statistical analysis.

Results and Discussion

• Unlike in the manuscript or thesis, these sections may be combined, to save time.
• Results should get the most time.
• Tables of sociodemographic details should not be omitted. However, you need not combine all variables into a single Table 1 as in the manuscript. If the table is huge, especially if there are more than 5–7 rows, describe only 1–3 variables on one slide. The subsequent results tables too may be split similarly, may be with data related to each variable on a separate slide.
• While describing binary variables, mentioning the proportion of only one (e.g., yes) will suffice.
• Consider if it is necessary to present proportions of unimportant categories like “other,” “did not reveal,” etc.
• Present the results related to the primary and different secondary outcomes on separate slides.
• Exploratory analyses that yielded negative results may be omitted.
• If possible, use graphs rather than tables to show trends/findings—they may be better assimilated. Text or table can be provided besides the figure, if space allows.
• Instead of copying-pasting tables and graphs from your Word file, use PowerPoint’s inbuilt features to create them. However, carefully crosscheck the numbers with those in the manuscript/thesis.
• As we are used to reading from left to right, it helps to place graphs or tables on the left side of the slide and the text of their explanations or discussions on the right.

• Do not repeat information in text and images/tables.
• Discuss the major findings—2–3 points for each on the slides, with 1–2 additional verbal explanations if needed.
• Compare your findings with those of the most vigorous and relevant studies and the latest systematic reviews and meta-analyses, if available.
• Instead of wasting space by writing “our findings are similar to that of Johns et al.,” you may merely write “~ Johns et al.”
• Build hypotheses based on your findings, citing appropriate references.

• Add a slide on the translational significance or implications of your findings. However, don’t overhype the implications.

Closing Slides

• Have a “conclusions” slide. Avoid hyping here also.
• If you have mentioned the references in the footer of each slide, there is no need in the end for a series of slides listing them.
• Include a final slide with “Thank you” and “Any questions?,” maybe with some appropriate images.

Rehearse the presentation multiple times to ensure that you do not overshoot the allotted time. If the time limit is eight minutes, rehearse for a 7-minute presentation; this provides some buffer time for unexpected glitches. Backup the PowerPoint file in previous versions of the software too (1997–2003, for example) and have both cloud and local backups. Check the compatibility of fonts, audio files, and videos, if any; it can be embarrassing if they dysfunction during the coveted presentation. Also, it may be a good idea for young researchers to closely watch paper presentations of others—both novice and experienced speakers—and take notes, to improve themselves.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding: The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Table of Contents

Presentation tools to, maximize your wow factor, 30 conference presentation tools to help speakers wow attendees.

Get ready to explore 30+ tools to designed to help event organizers, and speakers create and manage engaging conference presentations. 

Two of the most memorable events that I have recently attended were HubSpot’s INBOUND  and Social Media Marketing World. What made them so memorable?

Sure, they had world class speakers, Inbound featured Dharmesh Shah and Rand Fishkin while Social Media Marketing World featured Guy Kawasaki, and Michael Stelzner. They were both set in fantastic cities-Boston and San Diego and both events had world class networking activities.

Generally, making friends is a lot easier if you’re listening to Janelle Monae (Inbound) or playing marketing bingo on a historic aircraft carrier (SMMW), but really what made both events so memorable was the quality of the conference presentations.

Here’s the thing: neither the venue, nor the celebrity cache of your speakers matters if your attendees feel like they aren’t getting value from attending your event. If you promise them world class talks that will help them improve their business, then you better deliver.

To deliver value to your attendees, each speaker will need a killer presentation and to help all of you event organizers out there, we’ve put together a list of fantastic conference presentation tools worth sharing with your speakers.

Prezi offers the opportunity to get rid of normal slides à la PowerPoint and start using a cool, flowing, non-linear conference presentation tool. This is a highly visual program that has a customizable zooming lens. It allows event presenters to hone in on certain aspects of a presentation for emphasis. The best thing about Prezi is that it is cloud-based, so users can access it from anywhere.

Keynote is a great app for Apple products that works with iCloud. It has easy drag and drop capabilities, interactive charts, and impressive visual tools. Keynote is great for conference presentations because it helps users stay on schedule with a built in timer. It also provides users with the ability to preview the upcoming slide before it goes on the big screen.

3. Haiku Deck

This is an app for mobile devices that aims at making presentation creation more fun. It has multiple apps and an in-house graph maker, plus the ability to bring in media from Dropbox, Facebook and more! Another great feature of Haiku Deck is that it gives users access to millions of images from Getty Images and Creative Commons. Eventprofs will barely have to leave the presentation platform to make something great!

At Bizzabo , we’re big proponents of Canva. From creating beautiful blog post headers, to building unique presentations – we use Canva and thoroughly recommend it. Canva has a dedicated presentation builder that is filled with simple ways to create a visually stunning conference presentation. Additional presentation tools include free and for-purchase stock images, and simple but effective cloud hosting.

5. Google Slides

If you haven’t tried Google Slides, go try it after you finish reading this article. Google slides works similarly to Keynote and good ‘ole Microsoft PowerPoint, but it allows for cross-device collaboration and seamlessly integrates into Google’s Cloud saving platform, called Drive.

Slides works similarly to Canva and Google Slides, but provides users with deeper features. This conference presentation tool might be easier for users who are used to Powerpoint, or who are looking for easy to use, yet detailed customization options.

This isn’t just a conference presentation tool, Visme can build all sorts of custom presentations, reports and sales decks. What makes it great is that it stores your work in one secure place, allows users to easily edit graphs and infographics, and has a wide array of share options.

8. SlideCamp

Imagine being able to get rid of the crafting, and just get the professional presentation you want in seconds. Well, that’s SlideCamp does. Just search for the maps, charts, or picture slides you’re looking for in their 800+ slide library, and open them up right in PowerPoint.

Rather than presenting to an audience on one giant screen, why not push your presentation to the devices your audience is holding in their hands? Duuzra allows conference presenters to create interactive presentations, while providing data on how users engaged with the presentation. Duuzra allows presenters to engage event attendees in a novel way, while also collecting in-depth data about those attendees.

Like other cloud-based presentation systems, Zoho allows users to create inspiring presentations. Users can import different file types including Powerpoint slides, Tweets, and videos. Zoho preserves presentation formatting across files, so that each slide and each presentation looks uniform and professional. When conference presenters are ready to educate their audience, Zoho can push presentation files to nearly any device.

11.  IntuiFace

What if your audience could directly interact with your presentation through multi-touch sensors? IntuiFace can create eye-catching yet fully functional touch-based experiences that can be deployed to any touch-screen manufacturer. Design your content with easy drag-and-drop software and analyze the results afterwards.

12. Slidebean

You can spend hours building a beautiful event presentation deck, or you can let Slidebean create a beautiful deck for you in minutes. Simply type out the content of your slides, and Slidebean will take your words and format them into great looking slides. What could be better for busy event presenters?

Sway combines Evernote and Microsoft Powerpoint to create a new presentation creation experience. With in-platform search, users can surf the web for relevant content without leaving the Sway platform. Easy drag and drop editing makes creating a visually appealing presentation painless. Plus, Sway comes equipped with a number of share options to make sharing a conference presentation with attendees a breeze.

Emaze has professional templates to choose from to create an amazing visual experience for your attendees. It’ll help you create a slide show, video presentation or a 3D presentation! This is perfect for those #eventprofs who really want to have a strong visual aspect for their conference presentation.

15. VideoScribe

VideoScribe is a whiteboard animation software where you can create professionally designed videos. You can also add images, text, voice and music to finish off the animation. Videos are a great way to present your ideas in a way that engages your audience and VideoScribe makes it easy to do just that.

16. PowToon

Having something unique and cool in your conference presentations is a key element to grabbing attention of attendees. PowToon is perfect for that- its easy-to-animate software allows you to create custom animations to put into your presentation. This will make your presentation more exciting to look at and help conference speakers convey their message more clearly.

17. Adobe Spark

Adobe Spark is an app that lets conference presenters create interesting and unique videos through easily combining video clips, photos, and icons. Viewable on any device, this conference presentation tool is perfect for making a presentation really stand out with a personal touch.

18. Piktochart

Create beautifully designed infographics, presentations, and print materials with Piktochart. First, pick your template out of the 600 professionally designed ones offered. Then, start creating your own unique design by adding beautiful interactive charts, animated icons, images, and videos. Finally, share your creation to the world.

Wow your audience with data! Maybe that sentence sounds like an oxymoron to you, but with Oomfo it’s actually possible to create visually compelling graphs and charts. Create interactive pie charts, graphs that instantly pull data from Excel spreadsheets and more. This is a fantastic tool for a speaker or event planner interested in presenting data in a new, exciting way.

After a conference has concluded, speakers can turn their presentations into something more exciting than a Slideshare presentation with Knovio. Upload a Powerpoint presentation, add audio or video to the file and share it with Knovio’s integrations. In no time, a speaker can turn a text-based presentation into something that will have true value online.

21. Genially

Genially allows you to create stunning visuals for any presentation format you could think of. This single platform can be used for a wide range of interactive content including presenting (videos, dossiers), interacting (games, quizzes), explaining (infographic, maps), and spreading (calendars, eCards).

22. Reflector 2

Remember this app when you’re about to present on the Y Combinator stage, or at your local demo day. Reflector 2 allows users to mirror the screen of a cell phone on a much larger screen. So if a conference speaker wants to show thousands of users what using a certain app is like, all they have to do is download the Reflector 2 app and present. It’s an elegant app perfect for events .

23. Timeglider

While it’s not a conference presentation tool per se, Timeglider allows users to create timelines that can easily be inserted into a conference presentation. This would be a great tool for presenters who want to show the development of a company, project or app.

24. SlideShare

This tool is perfect for those #eventprofs who are trying to share their conference presentations publicly. This free conference presentation tool already has an active existing audience, which means you can get your content out there for people to share and embed on their blogs, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and more! It has a vast number of presentations for you to browse through for inspiration, too. Plus, it has a built-in commenting system in case viewers want to share their opinion of a presentation.

25. SlideDog

SlideDog is great for live sharing and audience engagement through mobile devices and laptops. It also allows users to combine PowerPoints, Prezis, video clips, and web pages for a seamless attendee experience.

26. Preseria

When your event or conference is days away, you’ll come to appreciate Preseria. It allows conference organizers to invite event speakers and have them upload their presentations all in one place. The conference presentation software has two parts: a web application to gather all parts of the presentation and a slide viewer. We are big fans of all-in-one event platforms , and Preseria provides organizers with a great all-in-one presentation platform that organizers will love because it’s simple to use while keeping things organized.

27. Join.me

Join Me is designed to make meetings better, but it can also be used for small conferences or meet-ups. With Join Me, users can easily speak to one another through a supported conference call. The presenter can upload a presentation to his or her Join Me account while conferencing or video conferencing with attendees. This tool is great for those interested in virtual conferencing.

28. Slide Source

This conference presentation tool is more for event organizers, rather than event speakers, but it’s valuable nonetheless. Slide Source helps users easily manage multiple presentations in one place. In addition, the platform allows users to create new unique presentations by using existing uploaded slides in new ways.

29. Authorstream

An alternative to Slideshare, Author Stream allows event organizers and event presenters the ability to easily share a presentation online. Unlike Slideshare, Author Stream has a number of great presentation templates visitors can download to ensure that their conference presentation will look awesome, and will be easy to share.

30. SlideBoom

This allows users to share a conference presentation publicly for free, or with a private audience for $195 per year. This solution would be ideal for larger event organizers who want a way to share presentations with attendees during or after an event.

(Bonus)  Prezentt

Prezentt adds online interactivity to PowerPoint, Keynote & Prezi presentations. Prezentt is a live slide-sharing application that works on any device with a browser. It enables presenters to connect with their audiences precisely when the audience is most interested: during the presentation.

The audience gets immediate access to slides, additional resources such as web links, other documents, and the presenter’s contact details. Prezentt also provides interactivity: asking questions of the presenter, providing feedback, request a meeting, take & share notes. Plus, they can share all this on their social networks so presenters extend their reach far beyond just the people in the room.

There are more time-saving tools for event planners than just event presentation platforms. To discover 100 productivity-boosting tools for event organizers, download our free ebook. Just click the button below to grab a free copy!

You may also be interested in

30+ Must-have Event Management Software Features

Behind the Scenes: Our Journey To Becoming a Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ Leader

A Milestone Week for Event Tech: Insights and Leadership

Enjoying this article.

• Event Software Overview
• Klik Experiential & SmartBadge
• Product Integrations
• Security & Compliance
• Enterprise Event Software
• Insights & Reporting
• Capabilities
• Room Block Management
• Event Content
• Event Management
• Event Networking
• Event Marketing
• Audience Engagement
• Onsite Software & Wearables
• Event Live Streaming
• Sponsors & Exhibitors
• Mobile Event App
• Event Registration Software
• By Event Format
• In-person Events
• Virtual Events
• Hybrid Events
• By Use Case
• Conferences
• Field Marketing
• Internal Events
• By Who You Are
• Corporations
• Higher Education
• Associations
• Customer Stories
• Knowledge Center
• Professional Services
• Help Us Grow
• Bizzabo Studios
• Hopin vs. Bizzabo
• Cvent vs. Bizzabo
• Stova vs. Bizzabo
• Resource Library
• Event Success Book
• Event Experience Podcast
• Conference Planning Guide
• AI-assisted Events Guide
• Event Management FAQs
• Become a Partner
• Press & Awards

Maximize your event ROI with Bizzabo

ODU Digital Commons

Home > Sciences > Computer Science > Presentations

Computer Science Presentations

Storytelling for Summarizing Collections in Web Archives

Yasmin AlNoamany, Michele C. Weigle, and Michael L. Nelson

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Spring 2016 Membership Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, April 5, 2016. Also available on Slideshare .

Combining Heritrix and PhantomJS for Better Crawling of Pages with Javascript

Justin F. Brunelle, Michele C. Weigle, and Michael L. Nelson

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) 2016 Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, April 11, 2016. Also available on Slideshare .

Why We Need Multiple Archives

Michael L. Nelson and Herbert Van de Sompel

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI) Spring 2016 Membership Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, April 3, 2016. Also available on Slideshare.

Evaluating the Temporal Coherence of Archived Pages

Scott G. Ainsworth, Michael L. Nelson, and Herbert Van de Sompel

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) 2015 Conference at Stanford University, April 28, 2015. Also available on Slideshare .

Combining Storytelling and Web Archives

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from an Old Dominion University Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) Department Colloquium, November 13, 2015. Also available on Slideshare .

Tools Managing Seed URls (Detecting Off-Topic Pages)

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Columbia University Web Archiving Collaboration: New Tools and Models Conference, in New York, New York, June 4-5, 2015. Also available on Slideshare .

Tools for Managing the Past Web

Michele C. Weigle

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from an Old Dominion University - ECE Department Seminar, February 20, 2015. Also available on Slideshare .

What's Grad School All About?

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Capital region Celebration of Women in Computing (CAPWIC) Conference in Harrisonburg, Virginia, February 27, 2015. Also available on Slideshare .

When Should I Make Preservation Copies of Myself?

Charles L. Cartledge and Michael L. Nelson

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL) 2014 in London, United Kingdom, September 9, 2014. Also available on Slideshare .

Assessing the Quality of Web Archives

Michael L. Nelson, Scott G. Ainsworth, Justin F. Brunelle, Mat Kelly, Hany SalahEldeen, and Michele C. Weigle

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the 2014 Digital Preservation Meeting, Washington D. C., July 22-23, 2014. Also available from Slideshare .

Profiling Web Archives

Michael L. Nelson, Ahmed Alsum, Michele C. Weigle, Herbert Van de Sompel, and David Rosenthal

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the 2014 International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) General Assembly, Paris, France, May 21, 2014. Also available on Slideshare .

Strategies for Sensor Data Aggregation in Support of Emergency Response

X. Wang, A. Walden, M. Weigle, and S. Olariu

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Military Communications Conference (MILCOM), Baltimore, Maryland, October 7, 2014. Also available on Slideshare .

Bits of Research

PDF of a powerpoint presentation that provides an overview of digital preservation, web archiving, and information visualization research; dated June 26, 2014. Also available on Slideshare .

Michele C. Weigle, Michael L. Nelson, Yasmin AlNoamany, Ahmed Alsum, Justin Brunelle, Mat Kelly, and Hany SalahEldeen

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Archive-It Partners Meeting in Montgomery, Alabama, November 18, 2014. Also available on Slideshare .

"Archive What I See Now" Bringing Institutional Web Archiving Tools to the Individual Researcher

Michele C. Weigle, Michael L. Nelson, and Liza Potts

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the 2014 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Office of Digital Humanities (ODH) Project Directors' Meeting in Washington D. C., September 15, 2014. Also available form Slideshare .

Who and What Links to the Internet Archive

Yasmin AlNoamany, Ahmed Alsum, Michele C. Weigle, and Michael L. Nelson

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from TPDL 2013: 17th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries, Valletta, Malta, September 22-26, 2013. Also available from Slideshare .

Profiling Web Archive Coverage for Top-Level Domain & Content Language

Ahmed AlSum, Michele C. Weigle, Michael L. Nelson, and Herbert Van de Sompel

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from TPDL 2013: 17th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries, Valletta, Malta, September 22-26, 2013. Also available on Slideshare .

Evaluating the SiteStory Transactional Web Archive with the ApacheBench Tool

Justin F. Brunelle, Michael L. Nelson, Lyudmila Balakireva, Robert Sanderson, and Herbert Van de Sampel

On the Change in Archivability of Websites Over Time

Mat Kelly, Justin F. Brunelle, Michele C. Weigle, and Michael L. Nelson

More Archives, More Better

Michael L. Nelson

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) 2013 General Assembly in Ljubljana, Slovenia, April 23, 2013. Also available from Slideshare .

Old Dominion University Computer Science IIPC New Member

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) 2013 General Assembly in Ljubljana, Slovenia, April 22, 2013. Also available on Slideshare .

Who Will Archive the Archives? Thoughts About the Future of Web Archiving

Michael L. Nelson, Scott G. Ainsworth, Ahmed Alsum, Justin F. Brunelle, Mat Kelly, Hany SalahEldeen, Michele C. Weigle, Robert Sanderson, and Herbert Van de Sompel

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Wolfram Data Summit 2013 in Washington D.C., September 5-6, 2013. Also available on Slideshare .

Resurrecting My Revolution: Using Social Link Neighborhood in Bringing Context to the Disappearing Web

Hany M. SalahEldeen and Michael L. Nelson

Telling Stories with Web Archives

PDF of a powerpoint presentation from the Southeast Women in Computing Conference in Lake Guntersville State Park, Alabama, November 16, 2013. Also available on Slideshare .

Why Care About the Past?

Michael L. Nelson and Michele C. Weigle

A set of slides used in various presentations by the authors to show that replaying an experience via archived web pages is more compelling than reading a summary of the event. Also available on Slideshare .

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS
• Collections
• Disciplines
• Author Guidelines
• Department of Computer Science
• Other Digital Collections
• ODU Libraries
• Old Dominion University

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright