How to Create a Presentation That People Will Love
Our TravelBank team just got back from an offsite in Lake Tahoe. Aside from enjoying the snow, our internal teams shared a number of presentations and conducted workshops. After all of these sessions, we’ve noticed some trends around the best presentations.
Whether you are taking a business trip to present at a conference or conduct a sales pitch, here are some tips for creating a presentation that your audience will love.
Outline the Story You Want to Tell
To help the presentation flow and share a holistic message, outline the story you want to tell. Once you define that, it’s easier to break the story into chunks or slides.
Keep Bullets Brief
Make sure the take away from each slide is clear. Do this by writing key ideas in a simple list or short sentence. It’s tempting to use slides to outline your talking points but put those in your notes instead. As a simple audit, you can look at each slide and ask yourself what your audience should be getting out of it.
Visuals are Key
We’ve said it before, most people are visual learners. And using visual aids can help people receive your message faster, understand your message better and remember your message longer. Additionally, they add an element of interest to your presentation. If you can pull a screenshot or image of what you are talking about, that’s perfect. Otherwise, try creating a simple infographic.
Use a Simple and Consistent Format
A good presentation template can make all the difference. Keep it simple to minimize distractions and consistent so it looks professional. Be careful not to go crazy with PowerPoint effects, since this isn’t your middle school computer science class.
Don’t Be Afraid to Add a Touch of Personality
People like doing business with people. So while it’s important to keep it professional, a well placed joke or meme can go a long way in making your presentation memorable or even relatable. Alternatively, if your company has a strong brand aesthetic, incorporate it.
An Extra Tip for Collaboration
If your presentation involves multiple presenters or collaborators, Google Slides are a great way to build collaboratively. We had four members of our creative team working on a single presentation at once and it was easy to keep things up to date and consistent.
