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Activities to Improve Presentation Skills: Training Exercises and Practices

• Presentation Skills
• March 19, 2024

Ever wondered what sets a great presentation apart? It’s more than just the words you use. Think about this, voice modulation, or how you say things, plays a substantial role at 38%. Your body language like hand gestures or eye contact, or how you carry yourself, takes a commanding lead at 55%.

Surprisingly, the content—the words you speak—only contributes 7% to a successful presentation. This interesting fact reveals that being an impressive presenter is like having a special recipe. It’s not just about what you say but how you present yourself. 

In this blog, we’ll dive into the world of presentation skills, and here’s the exciting part—we’ll make the learning process enjoyable by exploring games and activities that can transform you into an outstanding communicator even in front of a large group. Let’s explore the elements that can make you a standout presenter on your professional journey!

Importance of Presentation Skills

In the professional world, the ability to deliver a compelling presentation goes beyond sharing information; it’s about creating a memorable impact on your audience.

Here’s why presentation skills are important:

1. Communication Mastery

Presentation skills are at the forefront of effective communication. It’s not just about what you say; it’s how you say it. A well-delivered presentation ensures your message is heard and understood, fostering clear and meaningful communication.

2. Professional Credibility

A skilled presenter commands professional credibility. The ability to articulate ideas with clarity and confidence instils trust and respect from colleagues, superiors, and stakeholders. Credibility is a cornerstone for career advancement and building strong professional relationships.

3. Influence and Persuasion

Presentations are powerful tools for influencing and persuading others. Whether pitching a proposal, leading a team meeting, or advocating for a project, effective presentation skills enable you to sway opinions, gain support, and drive initiatives forward.

4. Career Advancement

Professionals with polished presentation skills often find themselves on a fast track to career advancement. The capacity to deliver compelling presentations positions you as a valuable asset to the organisation, setting the stage for leadership roles.

5. Confidence Building

Mastering presentation skills significantly contributes to building confidence. The more skilled you become at presenting, the more confident you feel in expressing your ideas. Confidence is contagious and can inspire confidence in others, creating a positive and dynamic work culture.

Now that we understand the pivotal role presentation skills play in professional success, let’s dive into engaging activities that can serve as effective tools for improvement.

Activities To Enhance Presentation Skills

These activities go beyond traditional training methods, offering a dynamic and enjoyable way to refine your presentation prowess.

Explore the following activities to elevate your skills:

Activity 1: Pecha Kucha

Pecha Kucha is a unique presentation style that challenges individuals to communicate their message with precision and impact. Originating from Japan, the term “Pecha Kucha” translates to “chit-chat” in English, and the format was first introduced in 2003 by architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham . Here’s how Pecha Kucha works:

20 Slides, 20 Seconds Each: 

Presenters create a slideshow with precisely 20 slides. The catch? Each slide is displayed for only 20 seconds. This strict time constraint adds an element of urgency, compelling presenters to deliver their message succinctly.

Concise and Focused Content

With only 20 seconds per slide, presenters must convey their content in the most essential and impactful points. This format discourages information overload and encourages a clear and focused presentation.

To excel in creating a Pecha Kucha presentation, consider the following tips:

Thematic Consistency: Maintain a consistent theme or message throughout your 20 slides to ensure coherence and a unified presentation.

Powerful Visuals: Prioritise impactful images, diagrams, or concise text on each slide to enhance the visual appeal and complement your spoken content.

Scripted Timing: Practise your presentation to synchronise with the 20-second time limit per slide. This ensures a smooth and well-timed delivery during the actual presentation.

Succinct Messaging: Craft concise and memorable messages for each slide, focusing on the main points to avoid overwhelming the formal audience with information.

Engaging Transitions: Plan smooth transitions between slides to keep the audience engaged. The rapid pace should feel natural and purposeful.

Feedback Seeking: Seek feedback from peers or mentors to gather insights on your Pecha Kucha presentation’s clarity, impact, and effectiveness.

Activity 2: Gush About Something You Don’t Like 

In this unconventional activity, participants are tasked with passionately speaking about something they don’t like. The challenge lies in transforming a negative subject into a positive and engaging presentation.

The objective is not to dwell on criticism but to practise the art of constructive communication and find positive aspects even in seemingly unfavourable situations.

Key Elements of the Activity:

Positive Framing: Participants must employ positive framing, emphasising constructive aspects or potential solutions related to a disliked subject. This requires creative thinking and the ability to reframe perspectives.

Expressive Communication: The activity encourages a person to maintain a passionate and expressive tone while discussing a disliked topic. This helps develop spontaneity and enthusiasm, key elements of engaging communication.

Audience Engagement: Engaging the audience is crucial in this activity, which also acts as an ice breaker. Participants must capture attention by injecting humour or providing relatable anecdotes, ensuring the presentation remains interesting despite the negative subject.

Improvisation Skills: The unpredictability of this activity fosters improvisation skills. Participants must think on their feet, respond to potential audience questions or objections, and navigate the presentation with adaptability.

Benefits of Gushing About Something You Don’t Like:

Participating in this activity provides several benefits. It cultivates the ability to find positives in challenging situations, fostering a constructive mindset. Expressive communication skills are honed through the challenge of maintaining enthusiasm, even when discussing a disliked topic. Engaging the audience under these circumstances enhances overall presentation skills, and the fun exercise sharpens improvisation skills by navigating unexpected turns.

Ultimately, this activity transforms negativity into an opportunity for growth, allowing participants to develop a positive and adaptable approach to communication challenges.

Activity 3: Photo Story

The Photo Story storytelling activity is a creative and engaging way to enhance presentation skills by incorporating visual storytelling. Participants are tasked with creating a presentation using a series of carefully selected photos as visual aids.

Each image becomes a piece of the narrative puzzle, and the presenter must seamlessly articulate the story, connecting each photo to the overarching message.

Visual Narrative Building: Participants select a sequence of photos telling a story. The challenge is to ensure that each image contributes meaningfully to the narrative, creating a cohesive and interactive visual journey.

Storytelling Skills: The activity focuses on developing storytelling skills. Presenters must describe the images and weave them into a compelling story. This enhances the ability to convey messages in a narrative format, making presentations more memorable.

Emphasis on Visual Communication: Photo Story underscores the importance of visual communication. Participants learn to use visuals effectively, recognising the impact of images in conveying emotions, themes, and key points. This skill is transferable to other aspects of presentation design.

Audience Engagement through Imagery: Engaging the audience is achieved through the power of imagery. Participants must captivate their audience by explaining the significance of each photo, fostering a deeper connection between the audience and the presented content.

Benefits of Photo Story:

Engaging in the Photo Story activity yields numerous benefits. It enhances storytelling capabilities, making presentations more engaging and memorable. The emphasis on visual communication contributes to creating visually appealing presentations in various professional contexts.

Additionally, the activity cultivates the ability to structure information coherently and captivate audiences through compelling visuals and narrative elements.

Overall, Photo Story is a versatile tool that improves presentation skills and promotes creativity and effective visual communication.

Activity 4: 30 Seconds Without Filler Words

The “30 Seconds Without Filler Words” activity is a great exercise designed to enhance public speaking skills by promoting clarity, coherence, and the elimination of filler words. Participants are challenged to speak on a random topic for 30 seconds without using common filler words such as “um,” “uh,” or “like.”

This activity aims to sharpen communication skills, encourage mindful expression, and minimise distractions to create a more impactful and engaging presentation style.

Elimination of Filler Words: The primary focus is on eliminating filler words that often diminish a presentation’s impact. Participants are encouraged to speak fluently and confidently, avoiding unnecessary pauses or distractions.

Mindful Communication: The activity cultivates mindful communication by prompting participants to recognise their speech patterns. This heightened awareness contributes to more intentional expression.

Pacing and Time Management: Participants must effectively manage their time within the 30-second limit, emphasising the importance of pacing in public speaking. This skill is transferable to various presentation scenarios where time constraints are a factor.

Enhanced Message Impact: Presenters create a more polished and professional impression for the whole room by eliminating filler words. The message becomes clearer, and the overall impact of the presentation is heightened, contributing to a more effective communication style.

Benefits of 30 Seconds Without Filler Words:

Engaging in this activity yields several benefits. It fosters an awareness of speech patterns, enabling participants to identify and eliminate filler words from their presentations. The emphasis on fluent and coherent expression enhances overall public speaking skills along with nonverbal communication, making presentations more impactful and engaging.

Moreover, the activity instils valuable lessons in time management and pacing, crucial elements in delivering concise and effective presentations. Ultimately, “30 Seconds Without Filler Words” is a targeted exercise that empowers participants to refine their communication style and deliver presentations with increased clarity and confidence.

The Power of Presentation Skills Training

Starting a presentation skills training course is like discovering a secret weapon for professional success. A skilled trainer can guide you through the intricacies of effective communication, helping you harness the true power of your voice.

Practice speaking under the guidance of experts allows you to refine your delivery, build confidence, and captivate your audience with every presentation.

Most people may underestimate the impact of a well-delivered presentation, but with the right training, you can elevate your skills to new heights.

In a presentation skills training course, you’ll discover the art of engaging an audience through various mediums. A seasoned trainer will train you on different types of presentations, teaching you to adapt your approach based on the context and audience.

Whether you write a speech, deliver a pitch, or participate in a video conference, the course equips you with the skills to excel and make your presentation successful.

A great trainer understands that effective communication goes beyond words. They emphasise the importance of non-verbal cues, teaching you to read and respond to your audience in the session. For example, when you actively listen, you can tailor your presentation to address the specific interests of your audience, ensuring they not only listen but also relate to your message.

Good presentation involves understanding these two truths: the significance of non-verbal communication and the importance of audience engagement.

In presentation skills training, every session is an opportunity to refine your abilities and unlock your full potential as a communicator.

So, if you’re interested in making a lasting impression and mastering the art of persuasive communication, a presentation skills training course is your pathway to success, offering opportunities for public speaking activities and discussion.

Rishabh Bhandari

Rishabh Bhandari is the Content Strategist at Kapable. Rishabh likes to transform complex ideas into captivating narratives relatable to the target audience. He loves telling stories through his content. He believes that stories have the power to shift mindsets and move mountains. He has 3 years of experience in educational blog writing and copywriting.

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7 Public Speaking Exercises to Level Up Your Presentation Skills

• The Speaker Lab
• July 22, 2024

Table of Contents

Whether you are a seasoned speaker or just starting, public speaking exercises are crucial for refining your skills and boosting your confidence. These exercises go beyond simply rehearsing your material. They help you develop essential skills like body language , voice control, and audience engagement. Let’s explore some of the best public speaking exercises to improve your presentation prowess.

Power Posing: A Confidence Booster

Have you heard of “ power posing “? This psychological technique can increase your confidence before a big presentation. It involves standing in a posture that signals power and confidence for two minutes. Some examples include standing with your hands on your hips or with your arms raised in a V-shape. The idea is that, just like how you use your body language to communicate to others, you can also use it to communicate to yourself. When your brain registers that you are posing confidently, it releases hormones that increase your confidence .

When preparing to go on stage for a presentation, try out a few power poses. Public speaking is, after all, often about projecting confidence. How you feel internally can greatly influence how others perceive you.

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The Power of Non-Verbal Communication

You’ve probably heard the saying “it’s not what you say, but how you say it.” When it comes to public speaking, this saying rings true. Your body language speaks volumes to your audience, sometimes even louder than words. As a result, public speaking exercises that focus on nonverbal communication skills are invaluable.

Using Eye Contact to Connect with Your Audience

Think about how you feel when someone maintains good eye contact while speaking to you. Chances are that you feel more heard and respected than if they practiced poor eye contact. When public speaking, you want to create the same feeling with your audience.

Effective eye contact establishes a connection with individuals, creating intimacy and engagement. Staring blankly at one person for an extended time can feel uncomfortable and unnatural, though. The trick is to spread your gaze around the room, connecting briefly with individuals. Treat it as if you’re having mini-conversations with different people.

Refining Your Non-verbal Communication

In addition to eye contact, your stance and gestures significantly impact how your message resonates. One of the best ways to refine your body language is through public speaking exercises like the one below.

To get started, record yourself practicing a speech. After all, it can be extremely valuable to watch and hear yourself as your audience would experience you. Alternatively, you can use this tool to record yourself and your screen. As you watch the recording back, look for these key elements:

• Open Posture: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms relaxed. Imagine an invisible string pulling you slightly upwards from the crown of your head. Avoid hunching or crossing your arms, as these postures might make you appear closed off or unapproachable.
• Purposeful Movement: When appropriate, move around the stage with intention. Instead of pacing nervously, connect movement with transitions in your speech to emphasize a point or engage different parts of the audience. Remember, too much movement can be distracting, and not all stages permit freedom of movement.
• Gestures: Utilize your hands and arms to complement your words. Practice hand gestures that feel natural to you, ensuring they’re not exaggerated to the point of distraction. Don’t forget to review your recordings to ensure your movements look and feel authentic and enhance, rather than distract, from your delivery.

Tongue Twisters: The Ultimate Public Speaking Warm Up

Public speaking often requires articulate speech and clear pronunciation. This is where tongue twisters shine as excellent warm-up exercises for speakers of all levels.

Mastering the quick, repetitive sounds of tongue twisters, like the classic “she sells seashells,” improves your pronunciation clarity. This makes your speech delivery smoother.

Consider practicing tongue twisters before presentations as a warm-up routine. This is helpful whether in front of large formal audiences or even close friends. It significantly improves articulation and breath control, especially if you struggle with feeling anxious. Tongue twisters are fun, lighthearted, and effective, making them a great public speaking exercise.

Impromptu Speaking: Mastering the Art of Thinking on Your Feet

Impromptu speaking, where you speak without extensive preparation, can be incredibly daunting, even for seasoned public speakers. Although nerve-wracking, the reality is that many real-life speaking situations demand some level of off-the-cuff thinking. Utilizing public speaking exercises can be the key to thinking clearly under pressure.

Just imagine being asked an unexpected question in a Q&A session. The better you can formulate clear, engaging answers spontaneously, the more confident you’ll feel. This even applies to impromptu speech situations at your job, a work party, or even at an event or wedding. Impromptu speaking is truly a valuable communication skill with applications beyond the stage.

Impromptu Public Speaking Exercises

Instead of waiting for an impromptu opportunity, create one yourself. Practice the exercises below in order to hone your ability to think on the spot.

Random Object Speech

Grab a household object (a spoon, a book, anything.) and set a timer for 2-3 minutes. The goal is to deliver a cohesive, interesting “speech” about the item. This exercise hones your ability to generate ideas and structure thoughts spontaneously.

“Yes, and…” Improv

Grab a friend (the more, the merrier) and play a round of “Yes, and…” improv. One person starts with a statement and the next person builds on it with “Yes, and…” continuing the narrative. This cultivates active listening skills and spontaneous storytelling, which is excellent for building public speaking confidence.

Public Speaking Games: Interactive Activities to Sharpen Your Skills

Who says practicing public speaking can’t be enjoyable? Games provide a light-hearted platform to try different public speaking activities. They allow you to hone your presentation skills in a fun, collaborative setting. Plus, practicing in a group fosters teamwork and allows you to observe and learn from one another’s speaking styles.

Photo Storytelling

Gather a collection of interesting images (they can be anything from personal photographs to random finds online). Have each participant choose a random image and craft a short story about it, presenting their narrative to the group.

This game hones skills like:

• Developing narrative flow
• Using descriptive language to engage listeners
• Thinking creatively and quickly

“Sell It” Challenge

In the “Sell It” Challenge, each person picks a random object (like a pen or stapler) and attempts to “sell” it to the group. This is done by highlighting its extraordinary (or not-so-extraordinary) qualities with humor and enthusiasm. It encourages creativity in speech because the success of their pitch hinges solely on their public speaking ability and persuasive prowess.

This public speaking game is ideal for encouraging:

• Practicing persuasion techniques
• Promoting quick thinking
• Adding humor into presentations

Analyzing the Masters: Learning from the Best Public Speakers

One of the best ways to enhance your public speaking skill is by studying successful public speakers. Watch those who deliver inspiring messages at events like TED Talks . By observing different elements of these popular speeches and implementing similar techniques, you’ll enhance your speaking skills.

Here are some ways you can study public speakers to advance your public speaking practice:

• Observe Delivery Techniques: Pay attention to the speaker’s voice modulation, pace, and strategic pauses. Also notice body language like their hand gestures, eye contact, and movements on stage. Finally, analyze the structure, storytelling elements, humor (if used), and closing remarks. The more talks you analyze, the more you’ll start noticing patterns, techniques, and effective approaches.
• Imitate Their Style: Once you’ve made a list of the elements that impressed you, try to integrate these public speaking tips into your own speaking. Practice those pauses, the impactful closing, or adapt their storytelling approach. Emulating these masters is not about copying, but more about studying effective techniques.

Additional Tips and Tricks for Powerful Presentations

Mastering any new skill requires practice and the right approach. Whether preparing for a presentation at work, an important interview, or a talk at an upcoming industry event, there are tons of public speaking exercises to choose from. Choose methods that are effective for your personal needs and practice consistently. Finally, don’t forget to seek out feedback so that you continue to build on improvements.

Here are some tips for delivering great presentations:

• Practice Makes Perfect: Embrace opportunities to present, whether it’s to friends and family, your team at work, or at local speaking clubs. The more experience you have, the less daunting the stage becomes. Public speaking is just like any skill. The more you practice talking, the easier it becomes.
• Know Your Audience: Tailoring your message to resonate with your target demographic is crucial for audience engagement. Understanding the group’s interests, demographics, and why they are listening can help make your presentation even more impactful.
• Storytelling Captivates: Weaving narratives throughout your presentation will help listeners connect more deeply with your message. It will also make it more engaging and memorable. People connect to emotions, vulnerability, and a touch of relatability, so put in the work to find your own story, then practice telling it.

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FAQs About Public Speaking Exercises

What are 5 public speaking tips.

Engage your audience with eye contact and a clear, audible voice. In addition, speak at a moderate pace and utilize pauses for emphasis. Don’t be afraid to use humor. In order to maintain audience engagement, tailor your delivery to your specific audience. Most importantly, project confidence through a relaxed and approachable demeanor.

How do I get over the fear of public speaking?

One strategy is to change your perspective. Instead of fearing judgment, envision your talk as an exciting opportunity to share your valuable insights. Picture your audience members genuinely interested in your message. This can significantly reduce anxiety.

What makes someone a good public speaker?

Good public speakers possess a unique ability to convey information with clarity and purpose, but most importantly passion and authenticity. They are engaging storytellers who can capture and hold their audience’s attention.

Mastering public speaking is an ongoing endeavor. Thankfully, public speaking exercises are effective ways to polish your skills and overcome common fears. Embrace opportunities to practice whenever you get a chance. Consistent efforts in honing these skills will cultivate your confidence, stage presence, and ultimately contribute to making your future presentations impactful. Remember, the best public speakers weren’t born that way; they practiced.

• Last Updated: July 14, 2024

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Home Blog Education Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Presentation Skills 101: A Guide to Presentation Success

Getting the perfect presentation design is just a step toward a successful presentation. For the experienced user, building presentation skills is the answer to elevating the power of your message and showing expertise on any subject. Still, one can ask: is it the same set of skills, or are they dependable on the type of presentation?

In this article, we will introduce the different types of presentations accompanied by the skillset required to master them. The purpose, as always, is to retain the audience’s interest for a long-lasting and convincing message.

Table of Contents

The Importance of Presentation Skills

Persuasive presentations, instructional presentations, informative presentations, inspirational presentations, basic presentation skills, what are the main difficulties when giving a presentation, recommendations to improve your presentation skills, closing statement.

Effective communication is the answer to reaching business and academic goals. The scenarios in which we can be required to deliver a presentation are as diverse as one can imagine. Still, some core concepts apply to all presentations.

 We define presentation skills as a compendium of soft skills that directly affect your presentation performance and contribute to creating a great presentation. These are not qualities acquired by birth but skills you ought to train and master to delve into professional environments.

You may ask: is it really that evident when a presenter is not prepared? Here are some common signs people can experience during presentations:

• Evasive body language: Not making eye contact with the audience, arms closed tightly to the body, hands in pockets all the time.
• Lack of interest in the presenter’s voice: dull tone, not putting an effort to articulate the topics.
• Doubting when asked to answer a question
• Irksome mood

The list can go on about common presenter mistakes , and most certainly, it will affect the performance of any presented data if the lack of interest by the presenter is blatantly obvious.  Another element to consider is anxiety, and according to research by the National Institute of Mental Health, 73% of the population in the USA is affected by glossophobia , which is the fear of public speaking, judgment, or negative evaluation by other people.

Therefore, presentation skills training is essential for any business professional who wants to achieve effective communication . It will remove the anxiety from presentation performance and help users effectively deliver their message and connect with the audience.

Archetypes of presentations

Persuasive presentations aim to convince the audience – often in short periods – to acquire a product or service, adhere to a cause, or invest in a company. For business entrepreneurs or politicians, persuasive presentations are their tool for the trade.

Unless you aim to be perceived as an imposter, a proper persuasive presentation has the elements of facts, empathy, and logic, balanced under a well-crafted narrative. The central pillar of these presentations is to identify the single factor that gathered your audience: it could be a market need, a social cause, or a revolutionary concept for today’s society. It has to be something with enough power to gather critiques – both good and bad.

That single factor has to be backed up by facts. Research that builds your hypothesis on how to solve that problem. A deep understanding of the target audience’s needs , concerns, and social position regarding the solution your means can offer. When those elements are in place, building a pitch becomes an easy task. 

Graphics can help you introduce information in a compelling format, lowering the need for lengthy presentations. Good presentation skills for persuasive presentations go by the hand of filtering relevant data and creating the visual cues that resonate with what your audience demands.

One powerful example of a persuasive presentation is the technique known as the elevator pitch . You must introduce your idea or product convincingly to the audience in a timeframe between 30 seconds and less than 2 minutes. You have to expose:

• What do you do 
• What’s the problem to solve
• Why is your solution different from others 
• Why should the audience care about your expertise

For that very purpose, using engaging graphics with contrasting colors elevates the potential power of your message. It speaks professionalism, care for details, and out-of-the-box thinking. Knowing how to end a presentation is also critical, as your CTAs should be placed with care.

Therefore, let’s resume the requirements of persuasive presentations in terms of good presentation skills:

• Identifying problems and needs
• Elaborating “the hook” (the element that grabs the audience’s attention)
• Knowing how to “tie” your audience (introducing a piece of information related to the hook that causes an emotional impact)
• Broad knowledge of body language and hand gestures to quickly convey your message
• Being prepared to argue a defense of your point of view
• Handling rejection
• Having a proactive attitude to convert opportunities into new projects
• Using humor, surprise, or personal anecdotes as elements to sympathize with the audience
• Having confidence
• Be able to summarize facts and information in visually appealing ways

You can learn more about persuasive presentation techniques by clicking here .

In the case of instructional presentations, we ought to differentiate two distinctive types:

• Lecture Presentations : Presentations being held at universities or any other educative institution. Those presentations cover, topic by topic, and the contents of a syllabus and are created by the team of teachers in charge of the course.
• Training Presentations : These presentations take place during in-company training sessions and usually comprise a good amount of content that is resumed into easy-to-take solutions. They are aimed to coach employees over certain topics relevant to their work performance. The 70-20-10 Model is frequently used to address these training situations.

Lecture presentations appeal to the gradual introduction of complex concepts, following a structure set in the course’s syllabus. These presentations often have a similar aesthetic as a group of professors or researchers created to share their knowledge about a topic. Personal experience does tell that course presentations often rely on factual data, adequately documented, and on the theoretical side.

An example of a presentation that lies under this concept is a Syllabus Presentation, used by the teaching team to introduce the subject to new students, evaluation methods, concepts to be learned, and expectations to pass the course.

On the other hand, training presentations are slide decks designed to meet an organization’s specific needs in the formal education of their personnel. Commonly known as “continuous education,” plenty of companies invest resources in coaching their employees to achieve higher performance results. These presentations have the trademark of being concise since their idea is to introduce the concepts that shall be applied in practice sessions. 

Ideally, the training presentations are introduced with little text and easy-to-recognize visual cues. Since the idea is to summarize as much as possible, these are visually appealing for the audience. They must be dynamic enough to allow the presenter to convey the message.

Those key takeaways remind employees when they revisit their learning resources and allow them to ruminate on questions that fellow workers raise. 

To sum up this point, building presentation skills for instructional presentations requires:

• Ability to put complex concepts into simpler words
• Patience and a constant learning mindset
• Voice training to deliver lengthy speeches without being too dense
• Ability to summarize points and note the key takeaways
• Empathizing with the audience to understand their challenges in the learning process

The informative presentations take place in business situations, such as when to present project reports from different departments to the management. Another potential usage of these presentations is in SCRUM or other Agile methodologies, when a sprint is completed, to discuss the advance of the project with the Product Owner.

As they are presentations heavily dependent on data insights, it’s common to see the usage of infographics and charts to express usually dense data in simpler terms and easy to remember. 

Informative presentations don’t just fall into the business category. Ph.D. Dissertation and Thesis presentations are topics that belong to the informative presentations category as they condense countless research hours into manageable reports for the academic jury. 

Since these informational presentations can be perceived as lengthy and data-filled, it is important to learn the following professional presentation skills:

• Attention to detail
• Be able to explain complex information in simpler terms
• Creative thinking
• Powerful diction
• Working on pauses and transitions
• Pacing the presentation, so not too much information is divulged per slide

The leading inspirational platform, TEDx, comes to mind when talking about inspirational presentations. This presentation format has the peculiarity of maximizing the engagement with the audience to divulge a message, and due to that, it has specific requirements any presenter must meet.

This presentation format usually involves a speaker on a stage, either sitting or better standing, in which the presenter engages with the audience with a storytelling format about a life experience, a job done that provided a remarkable improvement for society, etc.

Empathizing with the audience is the key ingredient for these inspirational presentations. Still, creativity is what shapes the outcome of your performance as people are constantly looking for different experiences – not the same recipe rephrased with personal touches. The human factor is what matters here, way above data and research. What has your experience to offer to others? How can it motivate another human being to pursue a similar path or discover their true calling?

To achieve success in terms of communication skills presentation, these inspirational presentations have the following requirements:

• Focus on the audience (engage, consider their interests, and make them a part of your story)
• Putting ego aside
• Creative communication skills
• Storytelling skills
• Body language knowledge to apply the correct gestures to accompany your story
• Voice training
• Using powerful words

After discussing the different kinds of presentations we can come across at any stage of our lives, a group of presentation skills is standard in any type of presentation. See below what makes a good presentation and which skills you must count on to succeed as a presenter.

Punctuality

Punctuality is a crucial aspect of giving an effective presentation. Nothing says more about respect for your audience and the organization you represent than delivering the presentation on time . Arriving last minute puts pressure on the tech team behind audiovisuals, as they don’t have enough preparation to test microphones, stage lights, and projector settings, which can lead to a less powerful presentation Even when discussing presentations hosted in small rooms for a reduced audience, testing the equipment becomes essential for an effective presentation.

A solution for this is to arrive at least 30 minutes early. Ideally, one hour is a sweet spot since the AV crew has time to check the gear and requirements for your presentation. Another benefit of this, for example, in inspirational presentations, is measuring the previous presenter’s impact on the audience. This gives insights about how to resonate with the public, and their interest, and how to accommodate your presentation for maximum impact.

Body Language

Our bodies can make emotions transparent for others, even when we are unaware of such a fact. Proper training for body language skills reduces performance anxiety, giving the audience a sense of expertise about the presented topic. 

Give your presentation and the audience the respect they deserve by watching over these potential mistakes:

• Turning your back to the audience for extended periods : It’s okay to do so when introducing an important piece of information or explaining a graph, but it is considered rude to give your back to the audience constantly.
• Fidgeting : We are all nervous in the presence of strangers, even more, if we are the center of attention for that moment. Instead of playing with your hair or making weird hand gestures, take a deep breath to center yourself before the presentation and remember that everything you could do to prepare is already done. Trust your instincts and give your best.
• Intense eye contact : Have you watched a video where the presenter stared at the camera the entire time? That’s the feeling you transmit to spectators through intense eye contact. It’s a practice often used by politicians to persuade.
• Swearing : This is a no-brainer. Even when you see influencers swearing on camera or in podcasts or live presentations, it is considered an informal and lousy practice for business and academic situations. If you have a habit to break when it comes to this point, find the humor in these situations and replace your swear words with funny alternatives (if the presentation allows for it). 

Voice Tone plays a crucial role in delivering effective presentations and knowing how to give a good presentation. Your voice is a powerful tool for exposing your ideas and feelings . Your voice can articulate the message you are telling, briefing the audience if you feel excited about what you are sharing or, in contrast, if you feel the presentation is a burden you ought to complete.

Remember, passion is a primary ingredient in convincing people. Therefore, transmitting such passion with a vibrant voice may help gather potential business partners’ interest.  

But what if you feel sick prior to the presentation? If, by chance, your throat is sore minutes before setting foot on the stage, try this: when introducing yourself, mention that you are feeling a bit under the weather. This resonates with the audience to pay more attention to your efforts. In case you don’t feel comfortable about that, ask the organizers for a cup of tea, as it will settle your throat and relax your nerves.

Tech Skills

Believe it or not, people still feel challenged by technology these days. Maybe that’s the reason why presentation giants like Tony Robbins opt not to use PowerPoint presentations . The reality is that there are plenty of elements involved in a presentation that can go wrong from the tech side:

• A PDF not opening
• Saving your presentation in a too-recent PowerPoint version
• A computer not booting up
• Mac laptops and their never-ending compatibility nightmare
• Not knowing how to change between slides
• Not knowing how to use a laser pointer
• Internet not working
• Audio not working

We can come up with a pretty long list of potential tech pitfalls, and yet more than half of them fall in presenters not being knowledgeable about technology.

If computers aren’t your thing, let the organization know about this beforehand. There is always a crew member available to help presenters switch between slides or configure the presentation for streaming. This takes the pressure off your shoulders, allowing you to concentrate on the content to present. Remember, even Bill Gates can get a BSOD during a presentation .

Presentations, while valuable for conveying information and ideas, can be daunting for many individuals. Here are some common difficulties people encounter when giving presentations:

Public Speaking Anxiety

Glossophobia, the fear of public speaking, affects a significant portion of the population. This anxiety can lead to nervousness, trembling, and forgetfulness during a presentation.

Lack of Confidence

Many presenters struggle with self-doubt, fearing that they may not be knowledgeable or skilled enough to engage their audience effectively.

Content Organization

Organizing information in a coherent and engaging manner can be challenging. Presenters often grapple with how to structure their content to make it easily digestible for the audience. Artificial Intelligence can help us significantly reduce the content arrangement time when you work with tools like our AI Presentation Maker (made for presenters by experts in presentation design). 

Audience Engagement

Keeping the audience’s attention and interest throughout the presentation can be difficult. Distractions, disengaged attendees, or lack of interaction can pose challenges.

Technical Issues

Technology glitches, such as malfunctioning equipment, incompatible file formats, or poor internet connectivity, can disrupt presentations and increase stress.

Time Management

Striking the right balance between providing enough information and staying within time limits is a common challenge. Going over or under the allotted time can affect the effectiveness of the presentation.

Handling Questions and Challenges

Responding to unexpected questions, criticism, or challenges from the audience can be difficult, especially when presenters are unprepared or lack confidence in their subject matter.

Visual Aids and Technology

Creating and effectively using visual aids like slides or multimedia can be a struggle for some presenters. Technical competence is essential in this aspect.

Language and Articulation

Poor language skills or unclear articulation can hinder effective communication. Presenters may worry about stumbling over words or failing to convey their message clearly.

Maintaining appropriate and confident body language can be challenging. Avoiding nervous habits, maintaining eye contact, and using gestures effectively requires practice.

Overcoming Impersonal Delivery

In virtual presentations, maintaining a personal connection with the audience can be difficult. The absence of face-to-face interaction can make it challenging to engage and read the audience.

Cultural and Diversity Awareness

Presenting to diverse audiences requires sensitivity to cultural differences and varying levels of familiarity with the topic.

In this section, we gathered some tips on how to improve presentation skills that can certainly make an impact if applied to your presentation skills. We believe these skills can be cultivated to transform into habits for your work routine.

Tip #1: Build a narrative

One memorable way to guarantee presentation success is by writing a story of all the points you desire to cover. This statement is based on the logic behind storytelling and its power to connect with people .

Don’t waste time memorizing slides or reading your presentation to the audience. It feels unnatural, and any question that diverts from the topic in discussion certainly puts you in jeopardy or, worse, exposes you as a fraud in the eyes of the audience. And before you ask, it is really evident when a presenter has a memorized speech. 

Build and rehearse the presentation as if telling a story to a group of interested people. Lower the language barrier by avoiding complex terms that maybe even you aren’t fully aware of their meaning. Consider the ramifications of that story, what it could lead to, and which are the opportunities to explore. Then, visualize yourself giving the presentation in a natural way.

Applying this technique makes the presentation feel like second nature to you. It broadens the spectrum in which you can show expertise over a topic or even build the basis for new interesting points of view about the project.

Tip #2: Don’t talk for more than 3 minutes per slide

It is a common practice of presenters to bombard the audience with facts and information whilst retaining the same slide on the screen. Why can this happen? It could be because the presenter condensed the talk into very few slides and preferred to talk. The reality is that your spectators won’t retain the information you are giving unless you give visual cues to help that process. 

Opt to prepare more slides and pace your speech to match the topics shown on each slide. Don’t spend more than 3 minutes per slide unless you have to introduce a complex piece of data. Use visual cues to direct the spectators about what you talk about, and summarize the principal concepts discussed at the end of each section.

Tip #3: Practice meditation daily

Anxiety is the number one enemy of professional presenters. It slowly builds without you being aware of your doubts and can hinder your performance in multiple ways: making you feel paralyzed, fidgeting, making you forget language skills or concepts, affecting your health, etc.

Meditation is an ancient practice taken from Buddhist teachings that train your mind to be here in the present. We often see the concepts of meditation and mindfulness as synonyms, whereas you should be aware that meditation is a practice that sets the blocks to reach a state of mindfulness. For presenters, being in the here and now is essential to retain focus, but meditation techniques also teach us to control our breathing and be in touch with our body signals when stress builds up. 

The customary practice of meditation has an impact on imagination and creativity but also helps to build patience – a skill much needed for connecting with your audience in instructional presentations.

Having the proper set of presentation skills can be quite subjective. It goes beyond presentation tips and deepens into how flexible we can be in our ability to communicate ideas.

Different presentations and different audiences shape the outcome of our efforts. Therefore, having a basic understanding of how to connect, raise awareness, and empathize with people can be key ingredients for your career as a presenter. A word of advice: success doesn’t happen overnight. It takes dedication and patience to build communication skills . Don’t condition your work to believe you will be ready “someday”; it’s best to practice and experience failure as part of the learning process.

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How to Pass a Presentation Exercise at an Assessment Center

Understanding Presentation Exercises

Presentation exercises are employed to assess the presentation skills of individuals being interviewed either for a job or admission to a graduate or post-graduate course. The candidate may be given a topic beforehand and be asked to come prepared to give a presentation, or they may be provided with an existing presentation at the interview and asked to present it. They may also be given a topic on the spot to make a presentation in an allotted time. Multiple tools may be employed for these presentations, including digital tools like PowerPoint and physical tools, like flip charts.

Usually, there is a fixed time allotted to each candidate during which they have to complete the presentation exercise. It may be followed up by a round of questioning to further evaluate the abilities of the candidate based on their responses to the queries.

The Need for Presentation Exercise

Presentations are often used in professional sectors. For example, they may be utilized for presenting sales reports, proposing a project, analyzing information, or pitching a prospective client. The success of a presentation usually depends on the skills and knowledge of the presenter. As presentations are usually involved in the day-to-day tasks in today’s corporate world, having these skills is necessary for individuals to excel at their jobs. Hence, depending on the job position, potential employees may be assessed for these skills via the use of presentation exercises while applying for an interview.

The skills generally measured in this regard include a candidate’s ability to speak, present and communicate information comprehensively, their confidence, their body language, and their persuasion skills. Their time management and decision-making abilities on the spot are also reflected in the exercise. Information structuring, prioritizing, and comprehending capabilities may be evaluated as well.

The common job positions where presentation skills are usually required include sales and marketing. There is a high probability of interaction with potential customers and target audiences, financial advisories that present the annual reports of companies analyzing profits, and losses and management consulting positions that are involved in making decisions.

Mastering the Presentation Exercises

Some candidates may not have complete control over the aspects of the presentation exercise, but they can master it by being knowledgeable of a few tips and strategies as mentioned below:

Making the Presentation

While making the presentation and selecting its content, a few key points should be considered.

• Relevant information should be included in the presentation with an emphasis on quality over quantity.
• The presentation should be well structured with the information categorized and divided properly.
• Concise text points and graphs and charts should be used wherever possible.
• If using digital media, the font and text should be clearly visible.
• A probable list of questions should be prepared beforehand based on the content of the presentation.

Presenting Effectively

While participating in the presentation exercise, a candidate can excel keeping in mind a few points as mentioned below:

• Maintaining Composure

The primary quality that a candidate should exhibit is composure. The main purpose of the presentation exercise is to test the ability of the presenter to cope with stress, repeated questioning, and time management. Focusing on the task at hand, breathing deeply, and going through the prepared notes regarding the presentation can help the candidate remain calm and composed.

• Effective Communication

The presenter usually has the full attention of the audience in the presentation room and so they can assert their control and authority to define the way the audience perceives them. Presenting, interacting with the assessors, and trying to get them involved may consider the candidate as an initiative taker which is a leadership quality. These will highlight the confidence of the candidate as well as their ability to communicate effectively. The pitch of their voice should be audible and their language should be formal. The presenter should pause for a couple of seconds especially if they want to emphasize a point or if they change the point or topic in the context of the presentation content.

• Using the Time at Hand

The presentation exercise is not always about the result but about taking part in it and learning something new. Instead of focusing on going through the motions and finishing it fast, the candidate should try to evaluate the points to demonstrate their communicating abilities. The pace of the presentation should conform to the time allotted. Every second is an opportunity for candidates to exhibit their skills and abilities.

• Regular Practice

The best way to master something is to practice it regularly. Candidates who have upcoming interviews with the probability of presentation exercises may practice mock presentations regularly with their peers or others to be aware of what to expect. If a list of probable presentation exercise topics has already been delivered beforehand by the interviewers, a presentation on every single item on the list should be made after research and should also be rehearsed. Question sessions may be practiced beforehand so that the candidate gets used to them.

• Body Language

Body language usually has a vital impact on the outcome of the presentation exercise. Eye contact should be made, especially with the assessors in the room. Using a moderate amount of hand gestures can be effective in grabbing the attention of the audience and conveying a point to the attendees. Fidgeting or unnecessary movements should be avoided by the presenter. A mirror may be used to improve one’s body language via regular practice.

• The Questioning Round

There will often be a questioning round at the end of the presentation. The presenter should end his presentation by welcoming any queries from the attendees. They should be knowledgeable of any information included in the presentation that may lead to questioning.  A calm yet firm pitch may be used to emphasize one’s point if there is a disagreement while answering. Every question should be heard completely and the questioner should not be cut off in between.

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The Assessment-Training.com data science team found that through practice, candidates increased their scoring accuracy and went into their assessments more confidently. Remember, you need to practice to make sure you familiarize yourself with the test formats, work on your accuracy, and experience performing under time pressure.

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14 Fun & Interactive Presentation Games for Teams and Students

So you've got an audience to energize, students to engage, or a team that needs a little extra fun — playing an interactive presentation game is an easy way to do just that.

We've done the research and found the best of these games for you: we looked specifically for games that are simple to set up, fun to play, and flexible enough to be used with a variety of presentations and audiences. Most of these activities work virtually with Zoom/PowerPoint and can also be used in person.

Which of these 14 presentation games do you like best? Take a look and let us know your favorites:

1. Live Trivia Competition

A great way to ramp up the excitement and engagement is to enable a little bit of friendly competition. Trivia is an easy way to do this—plus, it can be whole-group inclusive and large-audience friendly (if you use the right tools).

Here's a great trivia game you can run with your team, students, or any large audience. It's already created for you with questions and scoring built in to make it even easier:

Here's how to play:

• Make a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the slide deck and copy it. 
• Launch the trivia game by clicking "Start Event."
• Invite your group to join in and submit answers using their mobile devices (show the winners automatically).
• Interact and play during your presentation!

This trivia game has questions on many topics to keep your audience's attention and appeal to everyone. It only takes 10-15 minutes to play, so it's a great game for long discussions! Also, this interactive activity is free for up to ten participants and is totally customizable.

2. Sing and Swing 

To really liven up your group, encourage your listeners to play Sing and Swing. This activity is best for long presentations because it boosts energy, creates a fun, light-hearted environment, and makes people laugh a lot. 

Here's how to play: 

• Before your presentation, pick a well-known song and rewrite the chorus (replace parts of it with words and phrases from your presentation) 
• When you're ready to play, show the song on your screen. 
• Invite your audience to sing it with you!

If you have a fun group or a class of energetic students, consider adding choreography to engage your audience even more. 

3. 20 Questions

If you want a presentation game that requires your listeners to talk more than you, 20 Questions is the one to play! A classic and simple activity, this game immediately boosts engagement and gets people laughing. 

Here's how to play: Have someone put an appropriate image or word on the screen behind you (this can be an audience member you trust or a colleague or co-presenter). To make things more fun, put on a blindfold so that everyone knows you can't cheat. From there, ask 20 "yes or no" questions to guess what's displayed on the screen. Your group should respond "yes" or "no" to guide you to the correct answer. 

4. Scavenger Hunt Challenge

To get your audience out of their seats, a scavenger hunt challenge is one of the best interactive games for presentations. It'll immediately energize your audience , team, or students while giving them a fun way to learn.  

There are tons of in-person and virtual scavenger hunt ideas you can use to dive deeper into your topic or help everyone learn about one another. But if you want a ready-to-play game that you can instantly launch without having any tech skills, here's a fun one to play: 

• Use an email address and password to create a free account here: https://slideswith.com/ (a free account guarantees up to ten people can play at no charge). 
• Click the game and press "Copy and use this slide deck." 
• In the top right corner, click "Start Event."
• Ask listeners to join the game by using their mobile devices to scan the QR code. Players should continue using their mobile devices to submit answers to questions.
• Have everyone start hunting for items! 

This activity is a particularly fun game because it's a photo-hunt, show-and-tell challenge! That means your audience will not only get out of their seats to find items, but they'll also get to take pictures and share and discuss photos of what they find. This conversational element will help engage your group! 

5. Group Word Clouds

Whether you're speaking to team members, students, or conference-goers, this activity lets you ask questions and get your listeners' thoughts on specific topics. 

This game is the perfect way to start your presentation, especially if you're discussing something with a wide range of opinions or are unsure how much your listeners know about a certain subject. Group Word Clouds is also beneficial if you want to do a quick meeting pulse or know how your listeners feel going into your presentation—understanding their energy levels and mood can help you adjust (if necessary) to get maximum engagement and excitement.

To enjoy this activity, keep things simple by using a tool that already offers a ready-to-play Group Word Clouds game. Here's a popular one you can launch immediately: 

• Create a free account by entering an email and password here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the game and then copy it (the button to do so is right underneath the slide deck).
• Press "Start Event" in the top right corner. 
• Tell participants to play by scanning the QR code. 
• Create word clouds and have fun!

This interactive game only takes 5-10 minutes to play, so it's a fast, fun way to engage your audience and feel out the room. Players can use their mobile devices to answer questions. This activity is also free for up to 10 people and is easy to personalize.

6. The Get to Know You Game

This activity is one of the best presentation games if you have a small group that doesn't really know each other. The Get to Know You Game is a creative way to do introductions, and it's really simple.

Here's how to play the game: Before the event, ask group members to bring a favorite song or item to the presentation (you can do this by emailing them). When you're ready to play, ask each person to introduce themself, present their song or item, and explain why they picked it. For those sharing a song, have them play it on their phones before they explain why it's their favorite. 

7. Live Poll Questions 

When you have a large group, it's not easy to find ways to boost engagement—but poll questions are the solutions, especially when they're live and interactive. With this unique setup, large groups engage by answering questions and seeing their answers displayed in a fun way. 

Your job is to make sure you actually find a game that showcases responses uniquely to captivate your group. For a quick and great option, here's a popular icebreaker activity that promises to display responses using fun formats like word clouds, donut charts, live graphs, and per-player: 

• Create an account for free to access the game:  https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the slide deck and press the button to copy it. 
• Look in the top right corner of the deck and press "Start Event."
• Invite your group to play the game. They only need to use their mobile devices to scan the QR code. 
• Start polling your audience!

This activity is one of those fun presentation games everyone will want to enjoy, so invite all of your team members and students to participate. This game can accommodate up to 250 players and takes 5-10 minutes to complete. Tell your group to use their mobile devices to submit their responses. 

8. Assumptions 

This interactive game is a great way to break up your presentation to see who's paying attention and who can answer questions pertaining to your topic. 

• Ask your audience to stand up (for virtual presentations, make sure everyone's video is on). 
• Show true or false statements on the screen one by one. 
• Tell people to raise a hand if they think the statement is correct and sit down if they think it's incorrect.
• Continue until one person is left standing.
• Award the winner. 

This activity can be as short and challenging as you want. Also, if your presentation is long, you can play multiple rounds to break up your speaking time and test your audience throughout your discussion.  

9. Controversial Questions 

Want to see where your audience, students, or team lands on controversial topics? Then, energize your presentation with a fun, creative game called Controversial Questions. This activity has prompts that inspire lively debates, so it's a great way to get your group excited and chatty. 

However, to maintain a positive environment, make sure to find a tool that offers an office-friendly, classroom-friendly, and conference-friendly game. You don't want to sour the mood by creating uncomfortable division during your presentation. To make sure this game is fun and light-hearted, here's a popular one that's suitable for all audiences and ages: 

• Sign up for a free account by inputting an email address and password here:  https://slideswith.com/pricing  
• Click the game and press the button that says, "Copy and use this deck." 
• Press "Start Event" (the button is in the top right corner). 
• Have participants join the fun by asking them to scan the QR code with their mobile devices. 
• Get controversial and play! 

This interactive game for presentations asks fun (but appropriate) questions like:

• Does pineapple belong on pizza?
• Does the person flying in the middle seat get both armrests?
• Should the toilet roll go over or under? 

Players should use their mobile devices to submit answers. Up to ten people can play for free, and you can customize the game by updating the questions!

10. Word of the Day 

With this activity, you can keep your audience, team, or students engaged throughout your entire presentation. This  game requires listeners to be alert and recognize whenever you say the word of the day. 

Here's how to play: At the beginning of your presentation, tell your group the word of the day (it can also be a phrase if you'd prefer). Say that you'll weave the word into your presentation and that your audience must shout it out whenever you mention it. 

11. Mini Activity: Group Icebreaker

Whether you're doing an in-person or virtual presentation, you need to warm up your audience to get things started on a positive note. The best way to do that is with a quick icebreaker game. 

However, make sure your questions are fun, positive, and engaging. You can easily do this by finding a game that already has the best icebreaker questions included. Here's one that's ready to play (and requiring no tech skills to launch): 

• Input an email address and password to make a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click the deck and copy it (press "Copy and use this deck). 
• Click the button in the top right corner that says "Start Event."
• Invite participants to play by asking them to scan the QR code. 
• Break the ice to warm up your audience!

Your group should use their mobile devices to submit responses to poll questions. Also, this game accommodates up to 250 players, but only ten people can join for free.

12. Process of Elimination 

This activity is one of the best games for presentations because it's simple yet fun and great at helping listeners get to know each other. You can play it at the beginning of your presentation or in the middle to give your group a chance to stretch their legs. 

• Before your event, create a list of "yes or no" questions. 
• Once you're ready to play, tell your group to stand up (if you're doing a virtual presentation, make sure everyone's video is on). 
• Ask each question one by one. 
• Tell attendees to stand if their answer is "yes" and sit if their answer is "no." 

The questions can relate to your topic or be totally random. Also, if you'd prefer to thin out the number of people standing, you can take a creative twist and ask your questions by saying something like this: "Stay standing if (insert scenario)." When phrasing each question this way, the game will end with one person standing. To acknowledge the winner, you can give them a round of applause or award them a prize. 

13. Conference Opener Icebreaker 

If you're speaking at a big conference, you need an interactive game for presentations that can get everyone involved and ensure every voice is heard. To achieve these goals, you should create an icebreaker game that works for large groups . 

Using an easy, intuitive template is the best step to take. That way, you don't have to start from scratch or spend hours making your game. For a template that requires no code or tech-savviness to build on, here's the best option: 

• Sign up by making a free account here: https://slideswith.com/  
• Click on the game. On the next page, click the button to copy and use the deck. 
• Customize the template using the instructions HERE . 
• During your presentation, press "Start Event" in the top right corner. 
• Ask the group to use their mobile devices to scan the QR code and join the fun. (Also, make sure participants use their mobile devices to submit answers.) 
• Play and engage your audience!  

This template has fun, interactive features built in to keep your large audience engaged. Those features include polls, word clouds, and ratings. Just make sure you sign up for a paid plan to accommodate the large number of people in your group—the free account only works for up to ten players. 

14. Two Truths and a Lie 

This classic game is a fun, energizing way to help your listeners get to know one another. It's perfect for small in-person or virtual groups and is an ideal activity for the beginning of your presentation. 

Here's how to play: Pick any topic (for the purposes of this article, the topic will be "movies"). In no particular order, say two movies you've really watched and one you haven't watched. Ask your audience to guess which statement is the lie. The winner picks the next topic and says two truths and a lie. 

Be Memorable With Presentation Games

Oftentimes, people forget presentations within a week or even days, and that's because the discussions are boring. But you don't work hard preparing a presentation for it to be forgotten. If you want your message to stick, all you have to do is make it enjoyable without being corny.  

If you want to be remembered and actually get people engaged, you need to make your presentation fun and enjoyable, without coming off as corny or desperate to please. Ivan Dimitrijevic, 10 Secrets of Making Every Presentation Fun, Engaging, and Enjoyable

Luckily, the interactive presentation games in this article are unique and exciting—they're far from corny. So, use them for your upcoming presentations to make your messages compelling and memorable. 

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Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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15 Presentation Skills Activities and Exercises for Adults

Last updated July 31, 2024

If you are running a training session or a workshop on presentation skills, using activities will help your participants be more engaged.

Activities help to break the training up, with activities and trainer-led teaching a good mix to keep participants i.e. employees interested. Here are 15 presentation skills activities you can use.

Page Contents

Presentation Skills Activities for Public Speaking

1. speak nonsense.

Purpose: When we speak, we often overlook how important nonverbal communication and body language are. Yet, nonverbal communication constitutes a significant part of how we communicate and it can have a huge impact on your audience.

Nonverbal communication includes voice tone, volume and speed; facial expressions; position and movement of the body in general; hand gestures and more.

By leaving out the meaning of the words, this activity allows you to focus solely on the nonverbal aspects of communication.

This is one of the best presentation skills activities to do for those who struggle with the nonverbal side of communication.

Instructions: All you need to do is find some text in a language you don’t understand or write some text yourself that does not make sense. Use just a random collection of words as long as it has no meaning for you.

Then, think about a feeling you want to express or an effect you want your speech to have on your audience.

With this idea in mind, read the text aloud and try to express as much as you can through your voice (considering pace, intonation and inflexion) and body language.

If you are practising by yourself, video yourself and then watch the video to give yourself feedback.

If you are facilitating the activity for a group, have one participant deliver the speech. The other participants will be part of the audience and will give feedback at the end as to what they understood was the meaning of the speech (to check if the speaker achieved the outcome they wanted).

Equipment Needed: No equipment is needed if you run this activity in a group.

You will need some video recording equipment if you are on your own.

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: If you are facilitating the exercise for a group, you can allocate 1 minute for participants to write their gibberish text; 1 or 2 minutes for each participant to speak and 5 for the others to give feedback.

2. Thirty Seconds without Fillers

Purpose: This is one of the best presentation skills activities to help participants improve their public speaking skills by reducing the use of filler words (such as “um,” “uh,” “like,” and “you know”) during presentations.

Filler words can be quite annoying for the listener if used too often and are best replaced by well-calculated silences, if needed, for effect and to give you time to think.

So, this exercise aims to increase awareness of filler words to encourage your participants to speak more fluently and with more confidence.

Instructions: Ask each participant to prepare a short, 30-second speech on a topic of their choice. It can be something simple like describing their favourite hobby or explaining a process they are familiar with.

One participant at a time will deliver their 30-second speech to the group.

During the speech, other participants will listen attentively and note any filler words used by the speaker.

After each speech, provide feedback to the speaker, highlighting their use of filler words and offering suggestions for improvement.

Equipment Needed: You will need a pen and paper, for participants to write down their speech, and a timer.

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: 30 minutes on average, but it all depends on the number of participants.

Up to 15 participants would be best and usable as a presentation skills icebreaker.

3. Impromptu Speeches

Purpose: An important ability to have, when speaking in public, is being able to think and speak on your feet and quickly.

This is one of the best presentation skills exercises to help your participants improve spontaneity, quick thinking, and public speaking confidence by delivering short speeches on random topics with minimal preparation.

Instructions: Before the training session, prepare a set of random topics that the participants will deliver a short speech on.

These topics can be anything from the concept of happiness to something mundane such as how to prepare a cup of coffee.

Write down or print each topic on a separate piece of paper.

On the day of the session, put these slips of paper inside a pouch or other type of container and invite each person to pick one. Whatever topic they pick is what they will have to deliver a speech on.

Give your participants 1 minute to prepare their speech and then ask each participant, in turn, to deliver the speech to the rest of the class in 2 minutes.

Ask the audience to listen carefully and to then give constructive feedback after the speech, regarding how engaging it was, if it was clear and any other presentation aspect they can think of.

Equipment Needed:

• Slips of paper with random topics
• A hat, pouch or bowl to draw topics from
• Stopwatch or timer
• Notepads and pens for feedback

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: Ideally, 10 to 20 participants would take part.

Timewise, allow 40 to 60 minutes for this activity, including delivering the speeches and giving feedback.

4. Story Circles

Purpose: This activity encourages creativity and the ability to think fast.

Also, creating and sharing stories in a group setting helps participants improve their narrative techniques, such as how to create engagement in an audience.

Telling stories is a big part of presentation skills, as it is a great way to attract the audience’s interest. So, this is one of the best presentation skills activities you can use to help your participants hone their storytelling skills.

Instructions: Ask your participants to form groups of 5 to 7 people and then ask each group to sit together in a circle.

Give the class a common prompt to start their story. For example, “a memorable journey,” “an unexpected challenge,” or “a lesson learned”.

Instruct each group to decide which of them will start, so that the first person will start the story with one sentence, related to the prompt you gave them.

Then, each person takes turns adding one sentence to the story, connecting to the previous one. This process continues several times around the circle (with each participant contributing several times) until the group have created a cohesive story.

Allow 5 to 10 minutes for the group to form their story.

After the time is up, ask each group to select one person to tell the story to the rest of the class.

Finish the activity with a discussion about the storytelling techniques used, highlighting effective elements such as structure, emotion, and imagery.

• Notepads and pens for participants to jot down notes (optional)

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: Suitable for up to 35 participants divided into groups of 7.

5. Storytelling

Purpose: This is another activity that focuses on the storytelling aspect of a presentation but this time participants work individually.

The aim is to help participants develop compelling stories, which can capture attention, convey messages powerfully, and create memorable experiences for the audience.

Instructions: Ask each participant to think of a short story to tell. This can be about work or their personal life such as their hobbies or travel experiences.

Allow participants 5 minutes to create an outline for their story and jot it down.

Then, ask each participant to tell their story to the rest of the group and allow 3 minutes for each speech.

Encourage the audience to listen carefully to each story and, at the end of each story, facilitate a brief discussion including feedback on aspects such as structure, delivery, emotional impact, and engagement.

• Notepads and pens for participants to outline their stories and take notes

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: Up to 20 participants and 60 to 90 minutes, depending on how many participants there are.

>> See the Presentation Skills Training Course Materials

6. Storytelling Using Pictures

Purpose: This is another one of those presentation skills activities that focus on storytelling.

This time though, you use images as prompts to inspire your participants to create more vivid stories. At the same time, this activity fosters creativity as your participants will have to create a story starting from an image.

Instructions: Provide a selection of images depicting a variety of topics such as landscapes, objects, people and places. You can print these images out or use digital versions (e.g. on a slide or other digital files).

Assign an image to each participant. You can allocate the images randomly or ask participants to select one image that inspires them.

Allow participants 5 minutes to come up with a story that is connected to the image. The story should be structured with a start, a middle and an end.

Have each participant take turns presenting their story to the group, using the picture as a visual aid (you can give each participant 2 to 5 minutes for their presentation).

After each presentation, ask the other participants to give constructive feedback and discuss various aspects of the storytelling, such as clarity, engagement and emotional impact, and how effectively the picture was integrated into the story.

• A variety of pictures or images (printed or digital)

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: For this activity, 10 to 15 participants are a good number.

Timewise, you should allocate between 60 and 90 minutes depending on group size.

7. Elevator Pitch

Purpose: The focus of this activity is the ability to deliver short and to the point, yet effective presentations.

In business, networking is essential but people are busy and don’t necessarily have much time to connect and talk. So, you want to convey your messages quickly, effectively and in a way that is engaging.

The elevator pitch is one of those presentation skills activities that can help your participants develop this ability.

Instructions: Explain that an elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech that summarizes an idea, product, service, or personal introduction in the time span of an elevator ride, typically 30-60 seconds.

An elevator pitch should include a strong opening, a clear articulation of the main idea, a compelling reason why the listener should be interested and a call to action.

Give participants 5 to 10 minutes to consider and draft their elevator pitch. This can be a business idea they have, a personal introduction for networking or a service they offer.

Participants will then take turns to deliver their elevator pitch to the rest of the group in 30 or 60 seconds.

After each pitch, ask the rest of the group to provide constructive feedback to the speaker on how clear, engaging and persuasive their pitch was.

• Notepads and pens for participants to draft their pitches and take notes

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the group, and 10 to 15 participants.

8. PowerPoint Karaoke

Purpose: For this activity, participants present a short PowerPoint slide deck that they have never seen before.

This presentation skills activity is designed to encourage participants’ creativity and ability to improvise.

Instructions: Before the presentation skills session, prepare some PowerPoint presentations, each 5 slides long, one presentation per participant.

Each slide can have an image, a graph or a minimal amount of text to generate ideas.

Randomly allocate one presentation per participant and give them 1 minute to look at the first slide and gather some ideas.

Then have each participant, in turn, present their slides (2 minutes per presentation), while the rest of the group listens and gives feedback at the end.

They should pay attention to how the oral presentation matches the slides and how the speech is delivered, including aspects such as engagement, timing, pacing and nonverbal communication.

• Computer with PowerPoint software
• Projector and screen
• Pre-prepared random PowerPoint presentations

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: 40 to 90 minutes, depending on the size of the group, and 10 to 15 participants.

9. Construct a Meaning

Purpose: This is another one of those presentation skills activities that promotes improvisational skills and creativity.

The idea is for participants to create a narrative from an ambiguous word taken out of context such as “chaos”, “a blank canvas” or “innovation”.

Instructions: Before the training session, prepare a set of ambiguous abstract words.

Split the participants into small groups of 4 to 6 people and assign a word to each group.

Give the groups 10 to 15 minutes to build a narrative around their word. The narration needs to be logical and coherent. Also, they need to make sure that the story is presented in such a way as to be engaging.

After they have created a narrative, ask each group to select a spokesperson to deliver the presentation to the rest of the group.

After each presentation, the rest of the class will give constructive feedback.

• Ambiguous prompts or abstract concepts (printed or digital)
• Notepads and pens for brainstorming and notes

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: This activity is ideal for classes of 20 to 30 people divided into smaller groups.

Allow 60 to 90 minutes to include preparation of the stories, presentations and feedback.

10. My Favourite Thing

Purpose: This activity helps participants build confidence in their presentation skills by talking about a topic they are passionate about.

Talking about a topic they love will help participants come across as enthusiastic and engaging speakers. This can also act as a great presentation skills icebreaker activity to get your class started.

Instructions: Ask each participant to think about their favourite thing, such as a hobby, a type of food, an activity, a movie, a person, etc.

Give each participant 5 to 10 minutes to prepare a 2-minute speech about their favourite thing.

This should include the reasons why they like that thing, a description of it and some interesting details. The presentation should convey their enthusiasm.

Have each participant deliver their presentation in turn, while the others listen carefully and provide feedback at the end.

• Notepads and pens for preparation and notes

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: This activity can be run with 10 to 20 participants and it should take between 30 and 60 minutes.

11. Take over the Speech

Purpose: This is one of the presentation skills activities that focuses on the participants’ improvisational skills and quick thinking, even when they are not fully prepared.

In addition, it focuses on collaboration skills, which can be useful when presenting a topic as a team.

Instructions: Divide participants into pairs.

Ask each pair to choose a topic they are comfortable with and to create an outline of their opening statement, with just the basic points but without discussing the details.

Give them 5 minutes to prepare this.

Then, the first person in each pair starts talking for 1 minute. After 1 minute, the second person takes over for another minute and so on, taking over alternatively. Allow the speech to go on for 6 minutes per pair.

Each person, in taking over the speech, should aim to maintain coherence and build upon what their partner said.

At the end of each presentation in pairs, ask the rest of the class to give feedback and comment on how the pair did on aspects such as adaptability, coherence, engagement, and delivery.

• Notepads and pens for outlining initial thoughts

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: This activity is suitable for groups of up to 20 participants divided into pairs.

Allow between 60 and 90 minutes, depending on the number of people.

12. Questions for a Professional

Purpose: This presentation skills activity is about encouraging your participants to feel confident and learn how to speak with authority about a topic they know nothing about.

By removing the focus from the topic, the attention will shift towards all the nonverbal signs that help you convey authority.

Instructions: Select one of the participants to act as an expert on a topic that they know nothing about.

Instruct the rest of the group to ask questions to the “expert”. The expert will need to answer making the answers up while sounding confident.

This activity is not about the content that you are delivering, but about all the nonverbal signals that make you come across as confident.

Give each participant 5 or 10 minutes to cover the role of the expert. Then, rotate participants.

Equipment Needed: You can use a timer to set a time limit for each participant to cover the role of the expert.

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: 10 to 15 people and 30 to 60 minutes for the whole activity.

13. Create an Ad

Purpose: The intention in the activity is to guide participants toward being more creative, to present compelling arguments and to understand target audiences.

Instructions: Divide your participants into groups of 3 to 5 people.

Give each group an item to advertise. Make sure you provide a variety of topics, such as a tourist attraction, a new restaurant, a theatre show, a gym, etc.

Give groups 15 minutes to create an advertisement.

In the ad, they should focus on:

• Deciding on the target audience.
• Highlighting the key features and key benefits of the product/service.
• Creating a clear and engaging message.

Each group will present the ad to the rest of the class as though they were talking to potential customers.

Give each group 3 minutes to present their ad and, after each presentation, ask the participants in the audience to provide constructive feedback.

They should pay particular attention to clarity, creativity, engagement, and effectiveness in targeting the intended audience.

• Notepads and pens for brainstorming
• Optional: markers and poster paper for creating visual ads

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: Up to 25 participants split into smaller groups of up to 5 people each.

Time depends on the number of participants, so you can allocate between 60 and 90 minutes.

14. Promote a Topic You Dislike

Purpose: This exercise helps individuals develop empathy, adaptability, and the ability to find positive aspects in any subject (regardless of personal biases), which are crucial skills for effective presentation and persuasion.

Instructions: Encourage your participants to think about something they dislike (advise that it should be something non-offensive).

Give them 5 minutes to prepare a 2-minute presentation on this topic, trying to promote it. They should focus on highlighting its positive aspects, benefits, and why others should find it appealing.

Allow each participant to give their speech and, ask the audience to give constructive feedback at the end of each speech.

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: Ideal for 10 to 20 participants.

Allow 60 to 90 minutes, depending on how many people there are and how long you want to spend on feedback.

15. Origin Story

Purpose: This is one of those presentation skills activities that focus on storytelling.

The participants are encouraged to create a compelling and well-structured story about the origin of something.

To do this, they will have to build an interesting narrative, understand the importance of context, and engage the audience with a personal or fictional background story.

Instructions: Ask each participant to create an origin story.

This can be the story of how they got into something (e.g., how they started a business), a fictional story (e.g., the background story of a fictional character) or the origins of an object or an invention.

Give your participants 5 minutes to draft the outline of their story and then 3 minutes each to deliver it. They will have to pay particular attention to:

• Establishing the scene and offering context
• Highlighting key events or turning points
• Conveying emotions and lessons learned
• Creating a clear and engaging narrative arc

Each participant will take turns to deliver their presentation, while the rest of the class listens and gives feedback at the end of each presentation.

• Notepads and pens for brainstorming and outlines

Time for the Activity and Number of Participants: Up to 15 participants and 60 to 90 minutes for the whole activity.

This activity can also be used as a teambuilding exercise or presentation skills icebreaker.

Benefits of Presentation Skills Activities for Training Adults

Acquiring presentation skills is very useful at any time in your life and you can do it at any age, as an adult.

If you are a company, training your employees on presentation skills can be a great way to make them feel engaged, increase their confidence and help them develop their careers.

In addition to helping build presentation skills, engaging in these presentation skills activities can help participants develop other abilities, such as:

• Communication – Regular practice at presenting enables you to articulate your thoughts more clearly and confidently.
• Listening – While your peers deliver a presentation, if you are in the audience, you need to make an effort to listen to them attentively in order to give them constructive feedback.
• Overcoming fear of speaking in public.
• Increased self-esteem through successfully delivering presentations.
• Persuasion and influence – These presentation skills activities drive you towards delivering compelling arguments and engaging your audience.
• Structuring information – Part of delivering successful presentations is organizing your thoughts logically and coherently.
• Time management – Presentations in these activities need to be delivered within a strict time limit.
• Creativity and problem-solving – Some presentation skill activities require you to come up with ideas and solve challenges during the activities.
• Emotional intelligence – You will practice creating content based on the audience’s needs, reading the audience’s reactions and sharing meaningful stories with them.
• Team collaboration – Some of the presentation skills activities involve working in groups.
• Adaptability – Many presentation skills activities require you to think on your feet (See the Adaptability training materials )

If you have found these presentation skills icebreakers and these presentation skills activities useful, I’d love it if you also took a quick look at our training materials – see below.

• Recent Posts

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• 12 Coaching Skills Activities & Exercises - August 13, 2024
• 5 and 10 Minute Fun, Fast & Quick Team Building Activities & Icebreaker Exercises - August 9, 2024

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How to Prepare for a Presentation, with Examples

February 15, 2021 - Dom Barnard

This guide covers everything you need to know to prepare for your presentation. including what you need to think about beforehand, during and after the presentation.

1. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse (always aloud)

Once you have your presentation worked out, you will need to practice it, but even though you might think it’s the best way to have a flawless presentation, don’t memorise what you’re going to say.

That might sound like incredibly bad advice, but here’s why:

• If you memorise your speech, you’ll get stuck in thinking you can only deliver your ideas in that way, and that stifles your creativity, and the chance for new thoughts and ways to put things that come up as you speak.

Not only that, but every  audience is different . Sometimes they laugh out loud, sometimes they sit and smile, and you never know which type of audience you’ll have until you’re live.

Practice Presentation Skills

Improve your public speaking and presentation skills by practicing them in realistic environments, with automated feedback on performance. Learn More

If you’re going off a memorised presentation, it’s much more difficult to break away from that to go with the flow on the day, and respond naturally to your audience.

• If you forget your speech in the middle of it, you will be thrown, and you’ll have more chance of complete brain freeze, which really will knock your confidence.
• Memorising your presentation gives you a false sense of security, which could leave you high and dry if something goes wrong. If you’ve only got your memorised speech, for example, what will you do if your PowerPoint freezes or your props break, and you can’t do what you were going to do?

Rehearse in front of colleagues, friends, a mirror, in virtual reality – always aloud. Make sure you spend plenty of time practising your presentation, it will make you feel much more relaxed if you know your material.

Courses where you can rehearse with interactive exercises:

• Essential Public Speaking
• How to Present over Video

Video showing how you can prepare for your presentation using virtual reality.  Learn more about virtual reality training .

2. Memorise your opening line

Do, however, memorise your opening line. If you know how you’re going to begin, you’ll get a strong start and that will build your confidence.

Many speakers and stage actors find that the minute they’ve actually delivered their first line, the nerves are gone and they’re well into their stride.

3. Practise your speech from written notes

Writing your presentation out in your own handwriting will help you clarify your ideas and may well bring you new ones.

• How to Write a Speech to Engage your Audience

4. Practise presentation flow

As well as practising for the ideas and what you want to say, practise how you want your presentation to flow. Think of it almost as a symphony, with high points, slow movements and crescendos. If it’s important, think about how you want your audience to feel, what emotions you want them to have, and when.

5. The power of silence

Don’t be afraid to pause and use the power of silence. A good pause can have a huge emotional impact. It allows people to really absorb what you are saying and react, and it’s vital to pause if you’re using humour so that the next part of your presentation doesn’t get lost underneath people’s laughter.

For more on the ‘Power of the Pause’, watch this short from video Brian Tracy:  The Power of the Pause

• 10 Effective Ways to use Pauses in your Speech

6. Have a backup

There’s nothing worse than the projector dying or finding that your laptop won’t communicate with the projector for some reason. If you know you have a backup, even if it’s only a pre-prepared flip chart, you’ll feel better, and you’ll be more confident.

7. Arrive early

Following on from that, arrive at least half an hour early so you aren’t feeling rushed, and so you have time to check your equipment and get your notes laid out ready to go. That gives you time to breathe and relax before you go on, knowing everything is as set as it can be.

8. Use physical props for a demo

Use physical props, if possible, for a demo. This can make you stand out and be more memorable among all the other speakers who only use PowerPoint, and it can add greatly to the impact of your presentation.

Video showing an example of using physical props during a live demo.

9. Structure your presentation

First, find out how much time you have to present, is it 10 minutes, 15, an hour? Prepare enough material for this time and have a couple of extra slides as backup – we tend to speak much quicker when nervous so you might find you finish your presentation too early. At some large conference events, timings may change on the day, be aware of this have a shorter version of your presentation in mind (i.e. know which slides to skip over).

• How to Structure your Presentation, with Examples
• Examples of Corporate Presentation Structures

10. Prepare for questions

Have a few backup slides for questions you think will arise from your presentation. It is sometime a tactic to explain a section briefly in your speech, so that you get a question about it afterwards. If you don’t understand the question, ask for it to be rephrased.

If there are no questions, it is not an indication how good or bad your presentation was. You many have explain your material extremely well, or simply that people are tired at the end of the day and want to go home.

• Guide for Handling Questions after a Presentation

11. Prepare for where you are presenting

If you can, go to the room you are speaking in before the actual event. It gives you an idea of furniture layout, podium height, location, room size, audience size and lighting. You can then visualise the room while practising and avoid the shock of suddenly being faced with a huge room when you expected a tiny one.

Ask the organiser if you need any particular props, for example a table to help with your live demo.

Additional planning to think about before your presentation:

1. Purpose  – what outcome are we trying to achieve? How can results be measured? What will success look like?

2. Topic  – Novelty? Complexity? Technical?

3. People  – Who should attend? What do they already know? How are they going to help?

4. Timing  – When will it happen and how long will the presentation take?

5. Location  – Where will the presentation be held? Do you have access to the correct facilities for the presentation?

6. Papers  – Who is keeping minutes? Do you need to send out an agenda before the presentation? Background information required?

7. Visual aids  – Is a  projector required ? Boards?

8. Style  – Structure or unstructured, discussion style? How assertive should you be? How should the meeting items be organised?

12. Choose the signals to give to your audience

Before the presentation, think about these 5 topics:

• Eye contact
• Facial gestures
• Body language

Decide how you will use each of these to reinforce your message. Use the table below for help.

Additional courses to help you prepare for your presentation:

• Presentation Skills Training Courses

Example from Steve Jobs

Think about these 10 techniques while you are preparing your presentation..

• Planning in Analog.  Tell a story, create stunning visuals and videos to complement video, use demonstrations and other speakers, keep the audience engaged.
• Creating a Twitter-Friendly Description  Single description sentence, condensed his message into 140 characters.
• Introduce the Enemy  Story needs villains or a problem to be solved. Jobs highlighted IBM and useless mobile phones (during iPhone release) as his villains.
• Focusing on Benefits  Keep reinforcing the benefits of your product, create top 10 lists, understand this is what customers care about.
• Sticking to Rule of Three  Classic Literary technique, things are best remembered and reinforced in threes. Read this article on  Literary Techniques  for more detail.
• Sell Dreams, Not Products  Create a vision people believe in, create a vision which will make people’s lives better
• Create Visual Slides  Use as few words as possible and use colourful graphics on the slide to highlight points.
• Make Numbers Meaningful  Compare large numbers to things people understand.
• Use Plain English  Use easy to say and easy to remember words, keep it simple.
• Large Reveals  Due to Apple secrecy, Jobs was able to deliver unexpected products to the world at his product launches.

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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15 Interactive Presentation Games to Engage Your Audience

In the world of presentations and public speaking, engaging your audience is crucial. A captivating presentation can leave a lasting impact and ensure that your message is heard and retained. One effective way to achieve this engagement is by incorporating interactive presentation games into your talks.

Interactive presentation games break the monotony of traditional slideshows and transform passive listeners into active participants. In this blog, we’ll explore 15 interactive presentation games that can make your presentations more dynamic, memorable, and enjoyable for your audience.

Why Use Interactive Presentation Games?

Traditional presentations often involve passive listening, which can lead to disengagement and limited retention of information. On the other hand, interactive presentation games create an environment of active participation. 

Making your presentations more memorable and impactful. They foster interaction, feedback, and collaboration, turning your audience into active participants rather than passive observers.

Benefits of Engaging Your Audience

Engaging your audience with interactive presentation games offers numerous benefits:

• Increased Engagement: Interactive presentation games grab your audience’s attention and keep them actively involved throughout the presentation.
• Improved Information Retention: Active participation enhances the retention of key information, ensuring that your message sticks with your audience long after the presentation is over.
• Enhanced Learning: Games encourage a deeper understanding of the subject matter, making it easier for your audience to grasp complex concepts.
• Better Audience Connection: By involving your audience, you establish a stronger connection, making them feel valued and heard.
• Immediate Feedback: Games provide opportunities for instant feedback, allowing you to address questions and concerns in real time.
• Fun and Entertainment: Interactive fun games add an element of fun and entertainment to your presentations, making them more enjoyable for your audience.

How to Choose the Right Presentation Games

Selecting the appropriate presentation games depends on your audience, topic, and objectives. Consider factors such as the size of your audience, the level of interactivity you desire, and the technology available. Tailor your choice of games to align with your presentation goals, ensuring they enhance your message rather than distract from it.

Now, let’s explore 15 interactive presentation games that you can incorporate into your presentations to engage your audience effectively:

01. Polling and Surveys

Polling and surveys involve asking questions to your audience and collecting their responses in real time. This game is useful for engaging the audience and gathering valuable data or opinions.

Example: During a marketing presentation, you can use polling to ask the audience which social media platform they use most frequently for product discovery, with response options like “Facebook,” “Instagram,” or “Twitter.” The results can guide your marketing strategy.

02. Quiz and Trivia

Quiz and trivia games challenge the audience’s knowledge of a specific subject. Correct-answer questions encourage competition and learning because participants’ scores are added up.

Example: In a history lecture, you can organize a trivia quiz about historical events. Ask questions like, “Who was the first President of the United States?” and award points for correct answers to make learning history engaging.

03. Interactive Q&A Sessions

Interactive Q&A sessions allow the audience to ask questions and engage in a live dialogue with the presenter. This interactive presentation game promotes engagement, clarification, and in-depth discussions.

Example: After a business strategy presentation, open the floor for an interactive Q&A session where the audience can ask questions about the proposed strategies, fostering a deeper understanding of the material.

04. Gamified Scenarios

Gamified scenarios present real-world situations or challenges to the audience. Participants make decisions, and the consequences of those choices are revealed, creating an immersive learning experience.

Example: In leadership training, simulate a business scenario where participants make decisions as managers. Their choices affect the company’s success, making the learning process engaging and interactive.

05. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Experiences

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) games provide immersive 3D experiences. Participants can explore virtual environments or interact with augmented elements.

Example: In a product launch presentation, use AR to allow the audience to visualize how the product would fit into their homes. They can use their smartphones to see a virtual presentation version of the product in their living rooms.

06. Storytelling Challenges

Storytelling challenges encourage participants to create and share their stories, fostering creativity and personal expression.

Example: In a team-building workshop, ask each participant to share a personal success story related to teamwork. This engages the audience and builds a sense of connection among participants.

07. Collaborative Whiteboard Activities

In real-time, collaborative whiteboard activities involve multiple participants contributing ideas, drawings, or annotations on a digital whiteboard. This game fosters teamwork and brainstorming.

Example: During a brainstorming session for a new project, use a digital whiteboard tool where team members can simultaneously sketch out their ideas and add comments. This promotes collaboration and idea generation.

08. Interactive Polls and Word Clouds

Interactive polls and word clouds engage the audience by having them vote or input keywords related to a topic. The results are displayed dynamically.

Example: In a conference PowerPoint presentation about technology trends, ask the audience to submit keywords related to the most exciting emerging technologies. Display the results in a word cloud to visualize the collective interest.

09. Simulations and Case Studies

Simulations and case studies replicate real-life scenarios for participants to make decisions and see the outcomes. This game is effective for practical learning.

Example: In a business strategy workshop, provide participants with a case study of a struggling company. Have them analyze the situation and propose strategies to turn the business around. The best solutions can be discussed as a group.

10. Role-Playing Exercises

Role-playing exercises involve participants taking on specific roles or characters to act out scenarios. This game promotes empathy and communication skills.

Example: In customer service training, participants can take on the roles of customers and service representatives. They act out various customer service scenarios to practice effective communication and problem-solving.

11. Breakout Rooms and Group Discussions

Breakout rooms and group discussions split the audience-focused audiences into smaller groups to discuss specific topics or tasks. This great game promotes active participation and in-depth exploration of ideas.

Example: In an educational webinar, use breakout rooms to divide participants into smaller groups. Each group discusses a different aspect of the topic and then shares their insights when they return to the main session.

12. Live Challenges and Competitions

Live challenges and competitions introduce competitive elements to the best presentation games. Participants can compete individually or in teams to solve problems or complete tasks.

Example: In a team-building event, organize a friendly competition where teams compete in a series of challenges. Challenges could include problem-solving tasks, physical activities, or trivia quizzes to foster teamwork and camaraderie.

13. Interactive Presentations

Interactive presentations incorporate multimedia elements, quizzes, and audience participation throughout the entire presentation screen to keep the audience engaged.

Example: During a product launch presentation, embed interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, and live demos within your slides. This ensures constant engagement and information retention.

14. Icebreakers and Energizers

Icebreakers and energizers are quick, fun activities designed to create a relaxed atmosphere and engage the audience at the beginning of a presentation or during breaks.

Example: At the start of a team meeting, use a fun icebreaker like “Two Truths and a Lie,” where each participant shares two true statements and one false one about themselves. It lightens the mood and promotes bonding.

15. Creative Challenges and Brain Teasers

Creative challenges and brain teasers stimulate creativity and problem-solving. They present puzzles, riddles, or creative tasks to engage the audience stand.

Example: During a creativity workshop, present participants with a riddle or a creative problem to solve as a group. Encourage them to think critically and come up with innovative solutions, fostering creative thinking.

How QuestioPro LivePolls can help in Interactive presentation games

When you use any tool for an interactive show, you need to think about how your audience votes and your presentation’s goals. Make sure the interactive elements enhance the learning or engagement experience rather than becoming a distraction. 

Here are some ways a survey-based tool like QuestionPro can assist in creating interactive presentation games:

Question and Quiz Creation

Many interactive presentation game tools allow you to create questions and quizzes that you can integrate into your presentations. These questions can be multiple-choice, true/false, open-ended, or other formats. Participants can then respond to these questions during your presentation.

Interactive presentation fun game tools often include features that engage your audience. This can include things like timers for questions, leaderboards to display scores, and interactive survey elements that make your presentation more engaging and fun.

Feedback and Scoring

These tools typically provide instant feedback to participants. Correct answers might be rewarded with points, while explanations could follow incorrect answers. Scores are often tallied in real time, creating a competitive or gamified atmosphere.

Data Collection

Interactive presentation game tools can help you collect data on audience response software . This data can be valuable for assessing learning outcomes, understanding audience vote opinions, or tailoring your content to your audience’s preferences.

Customization

You can often customize the appearance and behavior of interactive elements to fit your presentation’s theme or style. This allows for creative and engaging presentations.

Audience Participation

Such tools enable audience members to actively participate and feel involved in your presentation. This can lead to higher engagement levels and better retention of information.

Reports and Analytics

Some tools provide analytics and reports after your presentation, which can help you assess the effectiveness of your interactive elements and the overall presentation.

Incorporating interactive presentation games into your talks can elevate your engagement, foster learning, and make your message more memorable. Whether you choose polls, quizzes, simulations, or storytelling challenges, tailoring the games to your audience and objectives is key. 

By doing so, you’ll transform your presentations into dynamic and unforgettable experiences that leave a lasting impact on your audience. So, level up your presentations with these interactive games, and watch your audience become active participants in your message.

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PowerPoint 101: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Are you struggling with PowerPoint? You need a quick design in PowerPoint but don't know where to start? Don't worry, you have nothing to be ashamed of.

In this article, we're going to refresh the most important PowerPoint basics so you can take advantage of this Microsoft software and create high-impact presentations at any time!

Millions of users worldwide use Microsoft 365 services , making PowerPoint the presentation design software with the highest market share. And with good reason! PowerPoint's features stand out for its usability and originality . We can tell you that PowerPoint is pretty intuitive software, and it's a great option to choose when working with presentations on a daily basis. So, are you ready for a quick PowerPoint 101 class?

Let ' s see what you ' re going to learn today with this PowerPoint Guide :

What is PowerPoint?

What are the best uses of powerpoint, powerpoint basics: what are the components of powerpoint workspace, mastering powerpoint: what are the main features of powerpoint, what are powerpoint templates and where to find them, time to practice how to make a presentation in powerpoint.

Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation design software that is part of Microsoft 365 . This software allows you to design presentations by combining text, images, graphics, video, and animation on slides in a simple and intuitive way.

Over time, PowerPoint has evolved and improved its accessibility to users. For this reason, it has been adapted to the main operating systems and modalities:

• PowerPoint Online

Additionally, you can use Word and Excel in this online version. That way, you'll be able to make real-time changes in the cloud without fearing losing your files. Sounds great, right?

PowerPoint has a versatile range of uses. Here's a list of the different tasks you can complete with this presentation design software:

• Business presentations or Pitch decks.
• Marketing, Sales and HR plans.
• Project briefs and timelines.
• Inductions to new employees.
• Seminars and educational classes.
• Professional portfolio of photos or designs.
• Presentations of a research summary.
• Presentations for special occasions.

These are just a few examples of the multiple possibilities this Microsoft software offers. Your imagination is the only limit!

Stay tuned as we continue with this PowerPoint 101 Guide...

In order to deeply understand this presentation design software, you need to recognize its main components. Now it's time to learn about the PowerPoint basics!

A quick note before going any further: when opening PowerPoint, some of the commands in the ribbons will look grayish and won't be highlighted when you hover the mouse over them.

This happens since some commands need to be selected in order to function. For example, if you want to change the color of a text, you first need to select it.

That being said, let's start with this Guide for PowerPoint beginners:

PowerPoint Main Window

The first aspect to learn is PowerPoint Main Window. To facilitate the explanation, we've organized its main elements with numbers from 1 to 10:

Based on that, the main components of PowerPoint window are the following:

1. Quick Access Toolbar: allows you to customize commands to have them at hand. You only have to select it and go to "More commands."

2. Title Bar: shows you the name of your file and other "Suggested options" like Slide Master View . These options will vary depending on the use you give to the commands.

3. File Tab: you will see the Home Menu (PowerPoint backstage) by selecting it. There, you can create a new presentation, save it, print it, export it, and many other options.

4. The Ribbon: it's where PowerPoint tabs and tools are. These tools can also be called "commands" or “features.”

5. More Button or Down Arrow: these arrows allow you to view more tools or layout options in PowerPoint.

6. Slides Pane: shows your slides in thumbnail size. By right-clicking, you can access additional options for customizing each slide. Perfect for PowerPoint beginners!

7. Slide: PowerPoint's blank canvas and the frame to be seen when presenting the file.

8. Placeholders: they are dotted boxes that will store your content.

9. Status Bar: allows you to view the slide number, grammatical errors, speaker notes, and the comments on your file.

10. Zoom: allows you to enlarge or minimize your PowerPoint workspace. The range goes from 10 to 400%.

PowerPoint Tabs

The PowerPoint tabs are the control desk of your presentation . Since PowerPoint's features are too many, they're organized in tabs.

You can come and go between tabs as you need. Once you click on a tab, it will open its ribbon, and there, you'll be able to see all the tools related to that particular category.

This PowerPoint tutorial for beginners will give you an overview of all PowerPoint tabs . Pay attention to the following list:

• Transitions Tab
• Animations Tab
• Slide Show Tab
• Recording Tab

1. Home Tab

The Home tab is the most common tab of PowerPoint. This is the tab you'll probably use the most if you're designing a presentation deck from scratch.

It allows you to add new slides and change the text characteristics : font, size, boldness, underlining, alignment, etc. If you've ever used Microsoft Word, these features will be familiar to you.

Also, you will find commands to edit the characteristics of the geometric shapes you insert. This includes: fill color, line color, sharpe effects, among others.

2. Insert Tab

The Insert tab is exactly what its name says it is. In this ribbon, you'll find all the options concerning adding a new element to your PowerPoint presentation .

You can insert a picture, some geometric shapes, icons, WordArt graphics, among others. We can tell you that this tab is really helpful for PowerPoint beginners!

For example, if you have a lot of data in PowerPoint , you could add a chart or diagram to show your information in a more visual way. Also, you can embed videos or music into PowerPoint really easily.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: To be able to write text on your slides, you need a text box. So, if you're designing your presentation from scratch, remember to go first to the Insert tab and add a text box to start writing.

3. Design Tab

If you are one of those people who enjoy choosing the design of a PowerPoint presentation, this tab will be your favorite.

The Design tab offers a wide range of premade designs , allowing you to get more polished slides. Even better, if you explore its ribbon, you can adjust the color palette and change the overall style of your PowerPoint deck.

The PowerPoint interface, as this basic PowerPoint Tutorial, is really intuitive. We believe that you won't have any problem with this tab!

4. Transitions Tab

Using transitions in PowerPoint is a dynamic way to move from one slide to the next during a presentation. This feature is PowerPoint's stamp, so don ' t miss it!

Some PowerPoint transitions are really classic, like wiping the old slide to present the new one. Others are somewhat over the top, like the “Vortex” or the “Airplane” effect.

If you click on each kind of transition, you'll see a preview on how it would look when presenting. Really cool, right?

5. Animations Tab

In case you want to add special effects for certain elements in your slides , the Animations tab in PowerPoint will interest you.

Like the Transitions tab, you will find various animation effects in this ribbon. It's a matter of trying and choosing the best one according to your needs!

6. Slide Show Tab

As its name says, the Slide Show tab is about presenting your slides . We really like that it gives you several options to show up your presentation!

Considering that you're a PowerPoint beginner, you're not likely to use the Slide Show tab very much.

But if you're curious about this command, you must read our article: How to Make a PowerPoint Slideshow that Runs Automatically?

7. Review Tab

The Review tab is not often used by PowerPoint beginners either.

However, if your job is related to writing or if you work at an international company, this tool can be extremely useful!

With this tab, you can check the slide's spelling, translate the text in real-time, and add comments to your slides . This last function can be helpful to give feedback to a colleague.

8. View Tab

This View tab allows you to change the view of your PowerPoint slides and make handouts from them, among other things.

As you can see, the majority of its commands are really specific. So you won't have any issues while designing, test and see!

In this section, our favorite command for PowerPoint beginners is Slide Master . Explore more about this tool in our guide!

9. Recording Tab

In the last versions of this design presentation software, PowerPoint added the Recording tab. As its name says, it allows you to record all your presentation slides .

This ribbon has advanced commands, so the most common action for a PowerPoint beginner is to take a screenshot or record the screen sequentially .

10. Help Tab

Finally, there is the Help tab. If you have any problem or question concerning how to use PowerPoint, you may go here to look for a solution.

In the latest versions, Windows has added a “Show Training” option. You can click this command to practice the PowerPoint basics since it will download training templates.

As a beginner in PowerPoint, you must recognize the objective of each PowerPoint tab to be able to master the software . But, in order to conduct an outstanding presentation deck, you also need to dominate its most important features. Let's see some of them in the next section!

If you feel ready to delve deeper into PowerPoint's tools, this section is for you.

As you may know , 24Slides specializes in creating outstanding presentations for any Design Project . So, we asked one of our experts about her favorite PowerPoint features, and we want to share them all with you!

Carmen Navarrete , Graphic Designer at 24Slides, highlighted the following features that will make your presentations stand out from the crowd:

PowerPoint Feature #1: Crop to Shape

This first PowerPoint feature is simple but effective!

Let's see how to use it:

• First, choose an image you want to cut and insert it into your workspace.
• Once inserted, select it with the mouse.
• Go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Press the arrow of the "Crop" button (right side of the screen).
• Select "Crop to Shape."
• Choose your favorite shape and customize your PowerPoint presentation!

PowerPoint Feature #2: Merge Shapes

If you don't like any figure enough, you can create one from scratch!

This is possible thanks to the "Merge Shapes" option. Follow these steps to unleash your creativity:

• First choose an image you want to cut.
• Check the list of PowerPoint shapes (Insert tab > Shapes).
• Choose two or three figures you want to merge (they can be the same figure).
• Select the figures you are going to merge (see the image).
• Once selected, go to the "Shape Format" tab.
• Press the "Merge Shapes" option and the type of merge you want (test and choose!).

• A new figure will appear, and you must fill it with the image from the first step.
• Stay on the Shape Format tab and go to "Shape Fill" (button in the middle of the ribbon).
• Select "Picture Fill" and browse for your image.
• Select the image to fill your new figure, and that's it!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: When your merged figure is ready, paste the image to the background of your slide to achieve a better result. This way, you can use your image as a canvas and see if both elements fit well.

PowerPoint Feature #3: Insert Icons

This PowerPoint feature is quite easy to follow for PowerPoint beginners!

Just follow these steps:

• Go to the Insert tab.
• Select the "Icons" option.
• A Microsoft 365 library will open, where you can search for the required icon.
• Now, you must insert it into your presentation and adapt it to your design.
• If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you'll have access to a larger number of icons in PowerPoint.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: If you want to learn more about icons in PowerPoint, read our article on How to Use Icons to Make Amazing PowerPoint Presentations .

PowerPoint Feature #4: Insert SmartArt

PowerPoint's SmartArt is one of the most popular and accessible tools to dominate while learning about PowerPoint basics.

To use it in your slide deck, you must:

• Select SmartArt.
• See all SmartArt categories and choose your favorite based on your needs.
• Add the text you have prepared and adapt it to your presentation.

We want to give you some ideas to master this SmartArt tool in PowerPoint: you can make timelines , flowcharts , and even a Venn diagram in just a few seconds. Try and see!

PowerPoint Feature #5: Remove Background

If you don't know how to use Photoshop and want to remove the background from an image, in this PowerPoint 101 Guide, we show you how:

• First choose the image you want to remove the background from.
• Insert the image in the PowerPoint workspace.
• Select the image and go to the "Picture Format" tab.
• Select "Remove Background" (first option on the left).
• You can keep and remove parts of the image with the first two tools of the ribbon (see image).
• Keep in mind that all the sections highlighted in purple will be deleted.

• We recommend zooming in to keep or remove parts of the image with more detail.
• Once you're done, press the "Keep Changes" button.
• Finally, adapt the new image to your PowerPoint presentation.

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: Choose a high-contrast photo or image for best results. In other words, the outline of the person or object you want to cut out must have clear edges and cannot blend with the image's background color.

PowerPoint Feature #6: Add Speaker Notes

The latest PowerPoint feature is a command you can use to prepare your speech before presenting to an audience.

Learning how to add speaker notes in PowerPoint is simple:

• Select the slide that needs some notes.
• Usually, there is a footer below the slide, but if not, you will have to activate it.
• Go to the View tab and select "Notes."
• The Speaker Notes section will appear, and you can add whatever you want!

• PowerPoint tip for beginners: In case you want to practice your entire presentation and have a lot of notes, go to the View tab and select "Notes Page" (fourth command). You'll be able to see all your Speaker Notes faster!

PowerPoint Feature #7: PowerPoint Translator

If you've ever wondered how to translate your PowerPoint Slides, we'll explain the step by step here:

• Go to the Review tab.
• Select the text you want to translate.
• Press the “Translate” button.
• A panel will open on the right side of the screen.
• Choose the language you need and you'll see the translation in real-time.
• If you press Insert, the text will change to the new translation!

PowerPoint Feature #8: Screen Recording

The process of recording your screen in PowerPoint is straightforward and intuitive. Let's see:

• Go to the “Record” or “Recording” tab.
• Press the "Record Slide Show" button or the “From Beginning” button (depending on your PPT version).
• A new window will open.
• Select the red record button and start recording!
• When you're done, select “Export.”
• By default, the video will be 1080p. If you want to lower the video quality, go to "Customize export."
• Name the video, save it to a folder and that's it!

As you may have noticed, this software has endless PowerPoint design options for beginners. We encourage you to try and test each functionality!

However, we're clear that PowerPoint has different features, so it can be hard to know where to start. That's why understanding PowerPoint basics is crucial if you truly want to master this software!

Our PowerPoint 101 Guide continues; stay tuned to discover more great stuff about this Microsoft software. Keep reading!

A PowerPoint template is a pre-made design that you can use for your own means, and that will save you a lot of time!

Templates in PowerPoint are a great resource for designing since all the structure is already done, and you only have to update the content . We can tell you they're the perfect resource for PowerPoint beginners!

They can be incredibly specific. For example, there are templates for a SWOT analysis or a complete Marketing report. Otherwise, templates can also be very general, with several slides with a similar design.

If you struggle with the artistic part of designing presentations, downloading PowerPoint templates will be a life changer!

How to download PowerPoint templates for free?

If you didn't know, 24Slides has an extensive repository of PowerPoint templates. But how to obtain them? It's really simple:

• First, create an account on our Free Templates Website with the button “Register” (that way, you can download everything without problems!).
• Think about the graphics you need and the ideal structure for your presentation deck (you can also change the color palette later!).
• Download it in PowerPoint format (if you prefer it in Google Slides format, you'll also find this type in our repository).
• Edit and change everything you need for your PowerPoint presentation!

24Slides Designers specialize in business and corporate PowerPoints, but you'll also find other types of templates on our website: Data templates, Timelines, Roadmaps, Matrixes, Diagrams, and more.

Keep in mind that a well-designed PowerPoint deck helps you communicate stronger messages to your audience . Don't waste this opportunity to make your presentation shine!

If you want to learn more about how to master PowerPoint, do not miss the last section. We'll show you some PowerPoint basics from the software itself!

A PowerPoint 101 Guide wouldn't be that useful with no examples. So, if you enjoy the step-by-step guides, this section is for you.

Below, we'll show you how to make a simple PowerPoint presentation. But first, here are some tips to be more efficient in the process:

• Be clear about what type of presentation you're going to create (is it corporate, playful, or more creative?).
• Make a draft with the most important information you need to add and, thus, generate a good structure in your presentation .
• Get inspired by examples on the internet , but adapt them to your needs and audience.
• If you will create a business presentation, keep in mind your brand identity .
• Make sure your PowerPoint works , you may need to update to the latest version or pay for the subscription.

Step 1: Make a draft to structure your presentation

As we said before, writing a draft or script of your content will be vital to start on the right foot as a PowerPoint beginner.

This advice is so important that we choose it as the first step to learning how to make a PowerPoint presentation. Remember: Planning is key!

Regarding the process of planning, we share some good practices:

• If your presentation will be very long , write down all subtitles and content in a Word document. This will help you organize your ideas and give a correct sequence to your narrative. In addition to avoiding redundancies in the message you want to communicate.
• If your presentation will use many visual resources , we recommend choosing high-quality images. This will help you have a starting graphic base. Some good free image repositories are Freepick , Unsplash , and Adobe Stock .
• If your presentation is based on data , have all your results summarized or your most relevant conclusions at hand. The idea of making a PowerPoint presentation is to show your information in the simplest way possible for your audience.

Step 2: Create a new document in PowerPoint

Once you check that all the functions are working fine with the software, please open it and go to the File tab. If you've ever used Word or Excel, you'll probably find this Home Menu familiar.

In short, this is the main page of PowerPoint, where you can create a new presentation or open an older one. Let's see:

In order to follow this part of our PowerPoint Tutorial correctly, take into consideration the following points:

• On the lower side of the screen, you'll find your recently opened PowerPoint files. This option is great for saving some time.
• If you don't find the presentation you're looking for, click on the “Open” option at the left bar and find older files.
• Don't forget to save your presentation with a relatable name so you won't lose sight of it!

Step 3: Choose the perfect design for your presentation

With your information ready in a draft, it's time to choose the design of your PowerPoint slide deck. You must imagine that the available design options are endless!

For practical reasons, you have three options regarding the design:

• Start a design from scratch (very difficult for a PowerPoint beginner).
• Choose an established PowerPoint design or layout.
• Download a PowerPoint template and modify some details.

Don't worry if you don't know how to continue! In this PowerPoint 101 class, we're going to explain step by step the second option:

How do you set a default design in PowerPoint?

• First, go to the Design tab.
• Open the list of options by clicking on the third arrow.
• Choose the design you like the most for your PowerPoint presentation.

If you want to explore more PowerPoint designs, there is a way to research online. For that, you only need to:

• Go to the File tab (first tab, next to the Home tab).
• Select "More themes" (see image).

• Use the search engine and write the keyword you want (it can be related to your business or it can be a color).
• Check the list of PowerPoint themes and choose your favorite.
• Wait a few minutes while it loads and keep designing in PowerPoint!

How do you change the layout of one slide in PowerPoint?

In this PowerPoint 101 Guide, you will also learn how to configure the layout of each slide.

Keep in mind that to have a high-impact presentation, you must adapt your slides' design to the type of content you'll add. And using layouts is perfect for this purpose.

To change the layout type in PowerPoint, follow these steps:

• Right-click on the slide you want to change.
• Select the "Layout" option.
• You will find more than ten layout models.
• Choose the one that best suits your content.
• Repeat these steps for each slide (if you wish or require).

How do you customize your slides in PowerPoint?

The design process in this PowerPoint 101 Guide doesn't stop there.

You also can customize your presentation's color palette , font style, background format , and graphics effects .

Just go to:

• Design tab > Variants.
• Select Colors, Fonts, Effects or Background Styles (as you need).
• If you're inspired and want to create your own background in PowerPoint, select Background Styles > Format Background.
• Finally, custom your slides as you want!

Step 4: Add all your information to your presentation

Now, it's time to add all your information to your slides. If your script is long, take your time to copy each part of it.

In this PowerPoint Tutorial, we're going to show how our design is going so far. We design at your side!

Step 5: Add transitions or animations to your presentation

The stamp of PowerPoint is its transitions and animations! Naturally, our PowerPoint 101 has considered these essential commands.

If you want to add them to your presentation and make your speech more fluid, follow these steps:

• Go to the tabs section of PowerPoint.
• Select "Transitions" or "Animations" and try your favorite effects.
• Remember that if you select Transitions, these will modify the entire slide, while Animations can be added to each element individually.

When choosing one Animation, you can eliminate it if you aren't 100% convinced. You only need to:

• Select the Animation number that appears on the corner.
• Press the "Delete" or "Backspace" button on your keyboard.
• Choose another Animation in PowerPoint if you want!

This “PowerPoint for dummies” is full of tips and tricks! So here is one more: Don't overuse transitions or animations in PowerPoint ; they can make your presentation slower and unprofessional . Use this tool in a subtle way!

Step 6: Refine the final details

As always, every final product must be reviewed. Especially if you're learning the PowerPoint fundamentals with us.

We recommend reviewing each slide of your PowerPoint presentation one final time. In this process, you will be able to:

• Add icons if your presentation requires it.
• Change any image or illustration if they don't convince you.
• Change transitions or animations.
• Customize your presentation's color palette .
• Proofread your slides' text or add more information.
• Add speaker notes to your presentation.

Step 7: Slideshow your presentation

When your presentation is finished, it's essential to know how to make a PowerPoint slideshow. This way, you can see your slides from the exact same perspective your audience will see them.

To slideshow your presentation in PowerPoint, follow these simple steps for PowerPoint beginners:

• Position yourself on your first slide.
• Go to the bottom right of the software.
• Select the "Slide Show" button (see image).
• Have a look of your presentation by clicking on each slide or pressing the right arrow on your keyboard.
• To go out from the Slide Show mode, you have to press the ESC key.

Now you can present your slides like an expert!

When you master this presentation design software, you'll be able to create amazing things in PowerPoint : infographics, diagrams, charts, pitch decks, business cards, calendars, you name it!

This was our PowerPoint Guide for beginners. We hope that our compilation today will be useful for conducting more professional presentations in the future and, why not, achieve all your goals!

Don't forget to share this PowerPoint 101 Guide with your co-workers or whoever you want!

Want to boost your beginner PowerPoint skills? Check out this content:

• How to Work with Multiple Images in PowerPoint
• How to Add a Timer to Your Powerpoint Presentations
• PowerPoint Charts, Graphs, & Tables Made Easy | Tips & Tricks
• How To Use PowerPoint Design Ideas - All Questions Answered!
• 36 Fun Icebreakers for Your Next Presentation
• The Cost of PowerPoint Presentations: Discover the hidden expenses you might overlook!

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The Story and Meaning Behind “Dust in the Wind,” a Fingerpicking Exercise Turned Smash Ballad by Kansas

Jim Beviglia

Sometimes a band needs to step outside its comfort zone, especially when they’re in possession of a fantastic song that might not fit their usual style. Kansas wisely followed that path with “Dust in the Wind,” a song somewhat uncharacteristic of their usual approach, but one that became their biggest hit.

Videos by American Songwriter

What is the song about? What inspired it? And why did the song’s writer hesitate to bring it to the band’s attention? Let’s find out all the details about one of classic rock’s most beloved ballads, “Dust in the Wind.”

We’re Definitely in Kansas

You get three guesses where the band Kansas originated, and the first two don’t count. Yes, that’s right, they hailed from Topeka, but they arrived on the scene on their self-titled 1974 debut album with a sound a bit more complex than the state-based name might suggest. They combined elements of prog rock and hard rock and made great headphone music.

But all you need to do is check out some of the song titles from that first record (“Belexes,” “Journey from Mariabronn,” “Death of Mother Nature Suite”) and the lengths of some of those tracks (three of eight were over seven minutes), and you can probably tell Kansas was perfect for freeform FM radio programmers. But they weren’t quite right for the pop charts.

Yet, lo and behold, their 1976 album Leftoverture produced “Carry on My Wayward Sun,” which with its striking a cappella opening and contained-but-crunching guitar attack, battered its way into the Top 20. That opened the doors for Kansas to strike again. But first, one of their founders and chief writers had to get over his reticence to present a song to the rest of the group.

Shaking Out the “Dust”

Kerry Livgren was one of the original members of the group that eventually morphed into Kansas, and he was responsible for a good chunk of their songwriting. Because he was more used to playing electric guitar, he decided to polish up his acoustic techniques. To do that, he came up with a picking exercise and attached some chord changes to it. His wife, happening by as he was playing, said he should turn it into a song.

As for the lyrics, Livgren explained to Guitar World how they came to be:

“I was reading a book of American Indian poetry at the time, and happened to come across this line: ‘All we are is dust in the wind.’ It really struck me and stuck with me. I was humming that line along with this fingerpicking exercise, and 15 minutes later I had a song. I put it down on a little four-track analog tape recorder and took it to a rehearsal.”

Livgren then reluctantly played the rest of the band the song when they asked if they had anything to fill out what would become their 1977 album Point of Know Return . He was hesitant because the quiet, acoustic “Dust in the Wind” was so different from what the band usually produced. But the others quickly heard the striking beauty of the song, and there was no doubt they’d be recording it.

What is the Meaning of “Dust in the Wind”?

“Dust in the Wind” is a meditation on the ephemeral nature of life. While Livgren’s lyrics (as sung by lead singer Steve Walsh) focus on the negative connotations of that notion, which is understandable considering the downcast tone of the music, the unspoken message is you have to make the most of what time you have.

The song begins by focusing on the micro: I close my eyes / Only for a moment and the moment’s gone . Those moments add up to a lifetime that speeds away from us: All we do / Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see . And any efforts to stop the process are folly: It slips away / And all your money won’t another minute buy .

Which leads to the inevitable conclusion: All we are is dust in the wind . Not exactly uplifting, but insightful. And, at the time, not exactly typical of Kansas. But, as it turned out, as successful as anything they ever released.

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How-To Geek

How to practice your presentations with powerpoint's presenter coach.

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Asus unveils new wi-fi 7 routers and an adapter, the best touchscreen laptops of 2024, quick links, how the presenter coach helps you with your presentations, what you'll need, how to launch the presenter coach in powerpoint, reading your rehearsal report.

Microsoft PowerPoint now has a Presenter Coach to let you rehearse your presentations before going to the audience. This coach gives you a detailed report telling you how well you did and suggesting areas for improvement. Here's how to use it.

Consider the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint as a trusted friend who listens to you practice performing  your presentations . This coach reviews your entire presentation and creates a report detailing your performance.

For example, it will grade you on how fast you speak and how much you use filler words like "um" and "ah." It will also inform you of words you might want to avoid and encourage you not to simply read the words on your slides aloud.

Basically, if you need a second opinion on your presenting style, this is a great way to get it.

Related: 8 Tips to Make the Best PowerPoint Presentations

To use the Presenter Coach in PowerPoint, you must have:

• a Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account
• a working internet connection
• a microphone (so that PowerPoint can listen to what you're saying)

Also, the Presenter Coach only works if you use the English language in PowerPoint. Other languages are not yet supported as of April 2021.

PowerPoint's Presenter Coach works for any presentation. You can use it with your commercial, educational, and even family presentations.

To start using this feature, open your presentation with PowerPoint.

In the PowerPoint window, click the "Slide Show" tab on the ribbon at the top of the window.

If you don't see the Slide Show tab, you're probably in Slide Master View. Close this view by selecting "Slide Master" at the top and then clicking "Close Master View."

In the Slide Show tab, click "Rehearse with Coach" to open PowerPoint's Presenter Coach.

Your presentation will open in fullscreen mode. To activate the Presenter Coach, click "Start Rehearsing" in the bottom-right corner of your window. Optionally, enable "Show real-time feedback" if you want the coach to give you tips while you're still presenting.

Now, begin your presentation like you normally would. If you enabled the real-time feedback option, you'll see some tips appear in the bottom-right corner of your window.

Press "Esc" when you're done presenting to exit fullscreen mode. PowerPoint will now open your rehearsal report.

It's important to read and analyze the Presenter Coach's report properly. This will help you find areas for improvement and see whether you're doing well.

The report will vanish as soon as you close the report window. To save the report, take a screenshot of it.

Here's what each section in the report tells you about your presentation:

• Summary : Summary tells you the amount of time you spent practicing your presentation. It also shows the number of slides you rehearsed.
• Fillers : In the Fillers section, you'll see the filler words (umm, ah) that you used during your presentation. Using these filler words makes you sound less confident, and you should try to avoid using them.
• Sensitive Phrases : Sensitive Phrases highlights culturally sensitive phrases that you used in your presentation, which you might want to avoid. It considers the following areas sensitive: disability, age, gender, race, sexual orientation, mental health, geopolitical topics, and profanity.
• Pace : The Pace section tells you the pace of your presentation. If you were too fast or too slow, you'll find that information here.
• Originality : Microsoft suggests that you avoid reading out the text written in your presentation slides, as this makes your presentation boring. Instead, you should use original content in your speech. The Originality section informs you if you only read the text from your slides.

Now that you know where you need to improve, click the "Rehearse Again" button at the top of the report to re-present your presentation. When you're done, PowerPoint will make another report detailing your new presentation performance.

Related: How to Add Music to Your PowerPoint Presentation

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Vocabulary for beginning a presentation exercise

Opening or starting a presentation is along with ending one the most important parts of a presentation. And fortunately, they are also the easiest to master and learn (because most presentations begin and end the same way). You just need to learn what you have to say in them and how to say it.

When you start, you need to make the audience interested in what you're going to say, and also be clear and concise about the presentation's content. There is also a simple structure to starting or beginning a presentation and this is the same in English as it is in other languages.

In this online exercise on presentations, you'll see an example of a good beginning to business presentation and learn the English vocabulary and phrases which are used when doing it.

Click here to see more online exercises on presentations and presentation vocabulary

Exercise: Starting a presentation

In the following text, a man begins a business presentation on improving staff performance.

From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are and why they are being said. Then do the quiz at the end to check if you are right.

Speaker: 'Good Morning ladies and gentlemen. First of all, let me start by thanking you for attending this presentation. I understand that everybody is very busy. So your attendance is very much appreciated. My name is Russel Grants and I work as the European human resources manager for LPS. Which I have done for the past 5 years. I have worked in the field of human resources in various companies since I left university, nearly 20 years ago. In this presentation, I am going to talk to you about why your staff are lazy and unproductive, or to put it another way , how employers and managers mismanage their staff. Today's presentation is divided into three parts , which I will tell you about now. To begin with , I will give an overview of how current employee under-performance is costing companies millions in lost revenue, every minute of every day. Then I will explain the causes of this under-performance. And finally , I will outline an easy method to rectify this problem, which will keep your staff motivated and more productive. If you have any questions, I would be pleased to answer them at the end of the presentation . But before we start the first part, ask yourselves , what you would do if you could reduce the relative labour cost of each product you manufacture or sell, or each service you provide? As you all well know , labour normally accounts for about 40% of total costs in most businesses. A lot of money! Money which could be spent in other areas like Research and Development(R&D) or by reducing the price of your product.'

Quiz: Vocabulary for beginning a presentation

Below is a definition/description of each of the words/phrases in bold from the above text. Now choose the word/phrase from the question's selection box which you believe answers each question. Only use one word/phrase once. Click on the "Check Answers" button at the bottom of the quiz to check your answers.

Now that you understand the starting a presentation vocabulary, practise it by writing your own beginning of a presentation in English with the new words/phrases.

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Presentation Skills EAP Worksheets and Activities

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4-3-2 Presentation Fluency

Eap presentation fluency practice - speaking activity: giving a short presentation, freer practice, fluency practice - pair work - intermediate (b1) - 30 minutes.

Presentation Language

Eap presentation language worksheet - reading and writing exercises: unscrambling, writing phrases - speaking activity - preparing and delivering a presentation - pair work - intermediate (b1) - 40 minutes.

Present with Style

Eap academic presentation skills worksheet - reading and writing exercises: matching, categorising, ranking, identifying, rewriting sentences - intermediate (b1) - 45 minutes.

Impromptu Speech Practice

Eap presentation skills worksheet - reading and writing exercises: identifying, matching, brainstorming, creating an outline - speaking activity: presenting - group work - upper-intermediate (b2) - 45 minutes.

Presentation Preparation and Practice

Eap academic presentation skills worksheet - reading and writing: ordering, matching, identifying, gap-fill - speaking: delivering a presentation - group work - upper-intermediate (b2) - 60 minutes.

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Teach-This is one of the best EFL websites I've found. It's extremely user-friendly, and I always find what I need quickly. I like the design, and the content is fun, engaging and original. I am very thankful for all your work and generosity by making some resources free. I always recommend this website to my fellow teachers. Your work is really helpful, and I value it enormously.

I like the grammar-focused resources the most as they save me time. The resources also inspire me. If I see an interesting grammar activity, I often rework it for other grammar rules. I like the fact that I simply pay a flat fee, and I can download whatever I want. Teach-This really is a great timesaver. I know that if I am in need of resources for my students, I can go to Teach-This and find something interesting.

Getting familiar with the site and how to use the resources is not difficult. I found the writing skills resources to be the most valuable as they have enhanced my teaching of this skill. The website is elaborate and full of all types of resources to help me teach English. When I contacted customer support, they were super-fast to deal with my enquiry. So overall, I recommend it.

I have found the grammar and vocabulary resources the most valuable. They have improved my teaching experience because they are easy to use and well-organized. The materials are very engaging for my students. The website is also very user-friendly. The best thing about Teach-This is that it offers ready-made worksheets for busy teachers, and the content is well-organized and full of information.

I'm really glad I found the Teach-This website. The materials in the General English section have proven to be really helpful and made my classes more engaging. The materials are well-structured and cover a wide range of topics, making it easy to keep my students interested and motivated. Overall, my experience using your resources has been great.

My first impression of the website was that it was amazing. The games and activities have really improved my teaching. The resources are engaging and relevant to my students’ needs, and I find the website easy to use and navigate. Thanks.

I discovered the site on Google when I was searching for question games and reading activities. It has been very helpful. The activities are awesome and have benefited me and my students by making my classes more fun. I am now less stressed about preparing for classes as the ready-made resources offer me everything I need. I give the site five out of five for user-friendliness. It is very easy to navigate and find what I need.

I would like to thank you for making a fantastic website. I particularly enjoy teaching the functional language materials, which have been very helpful in my classes. The resources have significantly improved my students' communication skills in daily life, so it was rewarding to see them benefit in this way. It feels great to be able to make a difference in my students' lives. Please keep up the good work.

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