Best Presentation Techniques (With Examples You Can Use Today)

At some point in your career, whether you’re making an investor pitch or hosting a webinar, you’ll likely need to present information in front of an audience. Fortunately, you can draw on a range of established and tested techniques to structure your presentation and make sure you communicate effectively. In an increasingly AI-dominated professional landscape, presentation skills are poised to become more important for workers looking to burnish the soft skills that only humans can master.

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What Are Presentation Techniques?

Presentation techniques are a set of strategies for engaging an audience during a presentation. They include both concrete deliverables like visual aids (e.g., PowerPoint decks, multimedia elements) and soft skills like public speaking, research skills and audience engagement strategies. An effective presenter will cultivate both aspects of their toolkit.

Why Presentation Techniques Matter in the Workplace

The secret truth of any presentation is that great content is only half the battle. Even the most interesting information will fall flat if your delivery is confusing or boring. That’s why a thorough understanding of effective techniques for presenting information is so important. 

The way you present the information is almost as important as the actual content itself. The material in an effective presentation should be clearly structured and coherent to facilitate the audience’s understanding. This includes both the information architecture and the visual aids and examples you use to support your content. 

You also need to tailor both the content and the form of your presentation to the audience’s level of understanding. For instance, a presentation on artificial intelligence will vary based on whether you’re talking to a middle school class or a group of Google engineers.. The two groups will have different levels of existing knowledge, interests in the material and attention spans. What fascinates one audience may bore another, so make sure you know as much as you can before you begin.

10 Core Presentation Techniques to Master

Here are the most important techniques in planning and delivering an effective presentation. They’re organized roughly chronologically in the order you would complete them as you work on a presentation. 

1. Know Your Audience Before a Presentation 

Before you can plan anything, you need to know to whom you’re speaking. Are they already familiar with the topic, or will this be their first introduction to the information? If your presentation is argumentative in nature, what are their existing beliefs about the subject? Is this a formal occasion like an investor pitch or a more relaxed environment like a lunch-and-learn? The audience will shape every subsequent decision you make about your techniques. In the event that you don’t know or can’t find out, err on the side of a more formal and more detailed presentation. Relaxing your tone and cutting information in the moment is much easier than the opposite. 

2. How to Prepare for Your Presentation

This may seem obvious, but you need to prepare thoroughly before giving a presentation on any topic, even if you’re already an expert on it. We’ve all sat through a rambling, unfocused presentation in which the speaker clearly hadn’t done enough to prepare themselves. 

Conduct research to find the most interesting and persuasive information on your given topic. As a general rule, you want to conduct about twice as much research as you’re going to include in the final version of the talk. Not only will this boost your confidence, but you’ll also be well prepared for any audience questions outside the immediate scope of the presentation. A pro tip for this phase is that, although it’s old-fashioned in the AI age, handwriting has been linked to better memory retention. You may want to take notes by hand at this stage to help yourself remember the information when you deliver the final speech.

Next, you’ll begin thinking about how best to organize your research. 

3. How to Structure Your Presentation

Maybe the most underrated aspect of any effective presentation is a clear structure. Model your delivery on the classic five-paragraph essay structure:

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them: No more than 15 percent of total presentation time. Open with an attention-getter like a funny anecdote or surprising fact or statistic to get the audience interested. Then quickly lay out your main point and any supporting points that you’re going to address. By the end of this section, the audience should understand the broad contours of your presentation. Other than your attention getter, don’t put any examples or argumentation in the introduction.
• Tell them: 80 percent of total presentation time. This section should get the bulk of your attention. Introduce your examples and any pertinent analysis of them in this part of the presentation. This is where you make your argument or clarify the topic. 
• Tell them what you just told them: No more than 5 percent of total presentation time. Very quickly recap your main points and close with a one- or two-sentence takeaway for the audience. Don’t introduce any new information in the conclusion.

This approach may seem rudimentary to some, but it’s a classic for a reason. The opening tells the audience what they should focus on, the body of the presentation develops your overall point and then the closing summarizes everything clearly. A well-structured presentation on any topic is more engaging than a scattershot, vague one on a subject that you find interesting. 

Once you have your research completed and you settle on a clear structure, you can create an outline for your presentation. Think of this document as the proposal, not the marriage. That means you can edit and adjust it as you continue working and the speech evolves. 

4. Use Storytelling to Make Your Presentation More Engaging

Based on your research, select the most interesting or persuasive material you’ve found. Begin weaving it into your outline to figure out the most compelling way to present your findings. As you work on this stage, you may find that you need to play Tetris with both the structure and content of the presentation to make it work.   

Humans tend to find narratives captivating, so you may find it helpful to think of your presentation as a story. Where should it begin? Where should it end? What are the emotional high points, and how do they build to an interesting, intellectually satisfying conclusion? How can the narrative address counterexamples or contradictory ideas? At each stage of revision, ask yourself if you’re telling the most compelling story possible.  

Finally, consider your audience and the context in which you’re presenting. Do you want a more formal, elevated word choice, or are you trying to cultivate a closer, more friendly tone? Humor is almost always welcome in a presentation, but make sure that any jokes you tell are suited to the audience and environment. When in doubt, err on the side of formality and material that would be appropriate for a business context.

5. How to Design Visual Aids and Interactive Elements for Your Presentation

In most contexts, you’ll want some sort of visual aid to support your presentation and offer another channel on which to engage the audience. No matter how interesting your speaking style, images, video and audio enhance a presentation and concretize things in the audience’s mind. Multimedia elements are becoming increasingly common in presentations today, as are interactive and gamified elements like quizzes and live surveys. These features can break up a speech and provide variety for the audience. They can also allow you to do some audience analysis in real time in case you might want to adjust any parts of your presentation.

If you’re using a slide deck, make sure you follow the five-five-five rule: no more than five words per line of text, no more than five lines of text per slide and no more than five text-heavy slides in a row. Too much text on a slide gets boring and repetitive, and you run the risk of having the audience tune you out as they read the slides. Keep the words on a slide to key information that supports your points.  

6. Use Notes and Speaking Aids for Your Presentation

You should have some sort of to keep yourself on track during the presentation. This could be an outline, notecards, or a full text copy of your remarks. Every presenter is different: Some people find notes inadequate by themselves, while others think reading a fully written speech feels overly mechanical. You may need to experiment with a variety of approaches to find what works best for your style. Whatever you use, make sure your materials are clearly structured, easy to follow and free of any distracting information. 

7. Rehearse Your Presentation

You don’t want to give any presentation, and especially an important one, cold turkey. You need to practice as much as possible before the big day. Do it a few times alone with a stopwatch running to ensure that you’ll fill the allotted time. Work on delivering the words slowly and clearly, enunciating as much as possible. Many inexperienced presenters talk too fast and tend to mumble due to nerves; the more you practice, the less likely this will be you.

Once you’re comfortable, ask a trusted colleague or friend to watch a run-through and give feedback about anything that isn’t clear. Live audience feedback is invaluable at this stage.

8. How to Engage Your Audience 

As you’re presenting, you should check in with the audience. Smile and adopt a friendly, even tone. Make eye contact with different audience members around the room. This will make your delivery approachable and engaging. 

You may also invite the audience to ask questions and offer feedback during the presentation. If so, just make sure you tell them how best to engage, e.g., raising a hand or holding queries until the end.

9. Prepare for a Question-and-Answer Session

After some types of presentations, you’ll be expected to hold a question-and-answer session. Make sure you tell the audience up front how you want to moderate the session. As they ask questions, follow a few simple steps when you respond. 

First, repeat the question to make sure you understand it and that everyone knows what you’re answering. This will also give you a few moments to formulate a response. Then provide a succinct answer as directly as possible and ask if the answer was sufficient. If you don’t know the answer, offer to look into it and follow up later. Finally, in the unlikely event that you’re subjected to a hostile query, don’t get drawn into an argument. Provide a diplomatic response and move on.

10. End Your Presentation With a Call-to-Action and Follow-Up

Don’t leave the audience in doubt about the next steps. Tell them exactly what you want them to do, whether that’s investing in your company or emailing you with any follow-up questions. Make sure you provide a clear, concise course of action and contact information for any necessary parties.

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How to Choose the Right Presentation Technique for Your Audience

Every presentation you give will likely include aspects of all of these techniques. Still, some techniques lend themselves more effectively to certain types of presentations. Always begin by carrying out as much audience analysis as you can. Ask the organizers of the event about the group you’re speaking to. Check out LinkedIn for more information on any specific members. Then, determine what type of presentation you’re giving — is it informative, persuasive, demonstrative? — and begin selecting the best approach.

Presentation Methods Used in Different Contexts 

Informative Presentations

An informative presentation is designed to introduce the audience to a topic and provide a baseline of information on it. Try to collect extensive feedback from a range of people about the topic beforehand to get an idea of how much people know before you begin. 

Persuasive Presentations

A persuasive presentation aims to convince the audience that your position is correct. For this type of presentation, you need to conduct as much audience analysis as possible. Try to understand their pre-existing attitudes on the subject and see how much you can persuade them. Then undertake as much research as possible to build your persuasive case. 

Crucially, don’t feel that you need to exclude or cover up anything that contradicts or undermines your argument. Somewhat paradoxically, obscuring contradictory information weakens your argument by making you look selective and biased in your argumentation. In your structure, include a section that raises contradictory evidence and offers reasons for the superior likelihood of your viewpoint.

Instructional or Demonstrative Presentations

Instructional and demonstrative presentations teach the audience about a topic or how to do something. Effective visual aids are vital for clearly explaining something. In a demonstrative speech, you may also want to do a live demo of the task and have the audience follow along and repeat it with you.  

Inspirational Presentations

An inspirational presentation seeks to unify the audience around a common goal or belief. You’ll generally deliver this type of presentation to a like-minded group of people, so you can focus more on your delivery and style than research and persuasion. Reference shared goals and points of view to build a strong connection with the audience.

Common Presentation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Lack of Preparation

Most bad presentations go off the rails at the first step: The speaker doesn’t prepare adequately. Maybe they didn’t do enough research to understand the topic or failed to practice and came in way under time, but the root cause is the same. The key to successful public speaking is confidence, and there’s no better way to boost your confidence than to know you’re prepared for the task at hand. Do plenty of research and practice. 

Unclear Structure

A slightly more esoteric problem is a presentation that’s difficult to follow. This is an especially easy trap to fall into when you’re presenting on a topic that you’re interested in and already understand well. Remember, a structure that makes sense to you may not work for everyone. Get feedback on the structural clarity of the presentation during the editing process. 

Poor Delivery

Mumbling, unclear enunciation and speaking too quietly impair an audience’s ability to understand you. Practicing will help with these aspects of your delivery as well. 

Likewise, if you’re in a rush, your delivery may suffer. On the day of the presentation, make sure you arrive early enough to get set up and meet anyone who will be assisting with AV needs. Bring a bottle of water to drink during the speech because your mouth will likely get dry. 

Distracting Visual Aids

Visual aids are to a presentation what toppings are to a pizza. Good ones probably won’t save a weak presenter, but bad materials can sink a skilled one. Ensure all the images you choose are high quality and clearly related to your topic. Check any multimedia elements to be certain they’ll work when you need them to. Avoid text-heavy slides that the audience will read instead of listening to you. Overall, remember that less is more. Everything should help focus the audience’s attention on your point. 

Tips for Improving Presentation Skills Quickly

The fastest way to improve your presentation skills is to practice, get targeted feedback and focus on delivery fundamentals like structure, pace and clarity. Here are some tips for leveling up your presenting game.

Practice Your Presentation

The good news is that presenting well is a skill, and you can learn and improve any skill. The best way to improve any skill is to practice as much as possible. Of course, this means you need to rehearse well before any single presentation. But your skills will also improve dramatically over the course of multiple presentations on a variety of topics. You’ll learn how to synthesize and distill information, analyze an audience and respond in the moment when things go awry. To get more experience presenting, volunteer for any opportunities that come along. You also might consider working with a group like the Toastmasters to boost your confidence.

Watch Other Speakers Present

After practicing your own techniques, the next best way to improve your skills is to watch other presenters. Check out TEDTalks or other lectures on YouTube. Drop by your office’s lunch-and-learn, even if the topic doesn’t sound that interesting. Go to a book reading. The more speakers you see in different contexts, the more skills you can adopt into your own approach.

Get Feedback on Your Presentation

As you practice, ask friends and colleagues whose opinions you trust to watch you and give feedback on your speaking. Note common feedback you get and make a point of addressing it in future versions of a presentation.

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What Makes a Presentation Effective? Key Principles to Remember

• Prepare and Research: Presenters should conduct twice as much research as they plan to share. This builds confidence and prepares the speaker for unexpected questions. Audience analysis is the most crucial first step, tailoring the tone and complexity to the specific listeners.
• Follow a Logical Structure: Make sure your presentation is coherent with a clear structure. Get feedback from trusted peers or experts to ensure the structure is clear.
• Smart Design and Delivery: Use the five-five-five rule for slides (max five words per line, five lines per slide, five text-heavy slides in a row) to prevent audience boredom. 
• Rehearse: Practice is essential to control pacing and clarity. Rehearse with a stopwatch and seek feedback from a trusted peer.
• Tell a story: Frame the data within a narrative to increase engagement.
• Manage the Q&A: Repeat questions back to the audience to ensure clarity and buy time to think.
• Close With a Call to Action: Always end with clear next steps or contact information.

Frequently Asked Questions