Engaging Presentation Tips, Part 1
Hi! I’m Tom and I’m a bit of a PowerPoint nerd. This obsession with designing in PowerPoint led me to presentation design, developing my own digital design agency specialising in PowerPoint — so I know a bit about writing, designing, and delivering presentations.
Less is More
Before listing these insights, the most important presentation tip for anyone is — keep it simple. After years in this industry, the most common challenge we see is clients with too much information and too many ideas being squished into one PowerPoint presentation.
As a rule of thumb, stick to one idea or key point per slide, but even within those slides — less is more. Don’t get excessive with the design elements, fonts, or colours. While standard templates often look generic and uninspired, you can use them as a foundation for your own original designs — adding your own elements, incorporating your brand colours, imagery, and fonts while simplifying your design process.
PowerPoint is made for repurposing content, editing old resources, and creating something greater than before — so use PowerPoint to its fullest. Keep a library of free images, old PowerPoint presentations, templates, and other design resources to save yourself time and sanity when designing presentations.
With that critical point — keep it simple — out of the way, we’ve got five useful presentation tips that will help you create a more cohesive and compelling slideshow while building your confidence to present in an engaging way for audiences.
Utilise the Power of Storytelling
People love stories, using them to inform, entertain, and persuade one another since the beginning of history. Narratives are more engaging and memorable than mere facts because they build empathy and entertain us in a way that captures our attention. Storytellers know how to take audiences on a journey that helps them see the world differently through narrative.
Statistics and data won’t seem compelling to your audience without context — a story can help bridge that gap, so they understand and connect with your presentation. Organising your facts into a narrative ensures audiences empathise with what’s being said and heed your call to action.
Three-Point Plan
From three-course meals to the original Star Wars trilogy — three is the magic number. The rule of thirds is one of the first things photographers get taught when learning composition. The basic idea is to frame content in a 3×3 grid system where points of interest are placed at the grid’s intersections, providing a sense of balance to the image.
The rule of thirds not only creates harmony in design, but it borrows the principle of a simplified story arc with beginning, middle, and end. This timeless formula applies to any form of storytelling whether verbal, written, or visual. The most basic story structure comes down to three stages — exposition, climax, denouement — and most stories, plays, and films are structured within three acts, so use this same framework when writing your presentation and designing your supporting slideshow.
After all, Aristotle observed that people tend to remember lists of three things — which is why it’s important to keep things brief, simple, and to the point. No matter how well you present or how engaged your audience, they’re walking away with a maximum of three points, so boil down your presentation to three core points.
