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Grow » thrive, how to give a killer business presentation (even if you're nervous).

Improve your slideshow or demonstration by learning how to wow your audience with an engaging presentation and seamless experience.

A typical business presentation includes a slide deck and speech presented virtually or in person. However, an excellent presentation incorporates storytelling and data visualization techniques. It should engage your audience and encourage them to take action.

Give a great presentation by designing an aesthetically pleasing slide deck in the right format for your needs. Next, work on your storytelling skills and take your presentation software for a test run. Plus, don't forget to prepare for the unexpected.

Consider the presentation type and format

A business presentation can refer to keynote speeches, investor or sales pitches , and project status reports. You may want to teach your audience about your products or persuade them to purchase. Alternatively, your presentation may kick off a new project by defining the steps needed to progress.

According to SlideModel , there are three general presentation types:

• Informative: Educate your audience during a team briefing, business plan presentation, or stakeholder report.
• Persuasive: Sway your audience and prompt them to act with an effective sales, business case, or investor presentation .
• Supporting: Convey your action plan to decision-makers during a business meeting with leadership or a public speaking event.

Your business presentation format will vary according to your audience and topic. For instance, demonstrating a product at your client's business may play out differently than virtually walking them through an online demo. Think about the presentation tools you will use and any supplementary materials you will hand out or send digitally.

Use storytelling techniques

Bring your speech and slideshow to life through storytelling. Elena Valentine, the CEO and co-founder of Skill Scout Films , told Relevance , "As presenters, good stories allow us to be both an expert and a human at the same time." Storytelling involves sharing relatable details that help you forge a connection with attendees.

Your presentation is a journey with a set arc, including a clear beginning, middle, and end. It should guide your audience to a conclusion and speak to their emotions. Keep your topic, central message, and purpose in mind when crafting the narrative.

[ Read more: 7 Ways to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills ]

Also, consider having a second person help with your in-person or virtual presentation. They can work behind the scenes to assist attendees with audio or video problems, moderate the chat, or troubleshoot technical issues.

Create a compelling slide deck

Define your main point with a headline on each slide and make them scannable. According to Zoho , the 10-20-30 rule is an effective way to create a business presentation. This method uses 10 slides for a 20-minute presentation with 30 points or larger font sizes. In addition, American Express recommends centering text and using high-contrast slides.

Use data visualization tools to turn vital statistics into bar graphs and pie charts. Also, consider ditching the bullet points and replacing them with infographic-style graphics. Many software tools, including PowerPoint , provide slide layouts and font templates, which can be a time-saver. Don't forget to summarize your presentation's main takeaways and tell your audience what to do next with a call-to-action (CTA).

Get familiar with your presentation technology

Although your audience may be patient, you lose precious minutes fumbling with devices and software. If possible, set up your system beforehand and run through your presentation several times. Play around with different presentation modes and views to create an optimal experience.

If you're presenting outside your office or home, try arriving at the venue early to connect your devices and explore the technical setup. Also, consider having a second person help with your in-person or virtual presentation. They can work behind the scenes to assist attendees with audio or video problems, moderate the chat, or troubleshoot technical issues.

[ Read more: 6 Virtual Event Platforms For Small Businesses ]

Prepare for the unexpected

Presenting to an audience can be stressful, and those feelings are amplified when something goes wrong. Your presentation software won't load, or an in-person event switches to virtual. However, the show must go on.

Follow these tips to avoid problems at the last minute:

• Bring backup devices in case of hardware failures, such as a tablet or laptop.
• Have a mobile hotspot and login details ready as a backup internet connection.
• Keep a PDF version of your presentation on your device.
• Save a backup copy on a drive not connected to the cloud.
• Upload supplementary materials to your website and keep the links handy.
• Run through your backup presentation methods, so you're comfortable with them.

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Giving Killer Presentations: Our Favorite Reads

• Vasundhara Sawhney

Don’t worry — your nerves are a good thing.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

In college, I hated giving presentations . I’d be the first one in a group to raise my hand when it came to making the deck, but then I’d pretend to pick up something off the floor when the team was deciding who would present. My feelings about presentations haven’t changed much since then, but I’ve gotten so much better at delivering them.

• Vasundhara Sawhney is a senior editor at Harvard Business Review.

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How to Give a Killer Presentation [2024]

January 05, 2024

When you give a killer presentation, you stand a much greater chance of making it easy for your audience. And if you make it easy for your audience they are more likely to respond.

What does creating a killer presentation mean in reality.

By killer presentation, I mean:

• A presentation that can be remembered.
• A presentation that positions you as someone of note within your organisation.
• A presentation that creates action, change in behaviour or change in thinking

To create a killer presentation you need to be different, and you need to take a few risks. (If there was a simple formula, then everyone would be doing it.) But when I say take risks, I mean doing things that are done outside the typical business setting but are actually best practice presentation skills training shortcuts. Shortcuts that have been tried and tested for hundreds if not thousands of years. You want to follow the cardinal rule of ‘Don’t be boring’.

An Example of a Killer Presentation

John is the COO of a large utilities company. We trained him to improve his presentation skills.  To deliver killer presentations. He has thousands of employees working daily in dangerous conditions, keeping water running for millions of customers. People have to work at heights, at depth, in the middle of the road, day and night, winter and summer. They work in every dangerous situation you could imagine.

And it is hard keeping everyone safe. Teams are scattered over several hundred square miles and they work autonomously, going to emergencies as and when they happen.

Health and safety is important to the business; it takes up a large part of senior management time. Every year the senior team gathers, and this year safety was again one of the main topics of the day.  

John, was new as COO and determined to make an impact. He know that the presentation skills he learned in his training would be critical.

His HR team had pulled together a big presentation deck discussing health and safety. It had the company history, the key imperatives, the company values, best working practices and updates on recent legislation. It was a comprehensive pack and it had taken weeks to put together. They even brought in professional designers to make sure the presentation looked as important as it was.

John knew from his presentation skills training at Benjamin Ball Associates that starting his presentation with slides – no matter how good – would not work. So he used a story from his early career. He started his killer presentation like this:

“When I was in twenties I was put in charge of a building site. In my first week on that job we had a crane collapse. “That night, I had to knock on a woman’s door and tell her that her husband had been killed on a site where I was in charge. “I don’t want any of you to have to go through what I went through that day. That’s why we are talking about health and safety today.”

In less than 80 words John had grabbed his audience’s attention, had appealed to their emotions and made them realise that he knew what he was talking about.

That was a great example of a killer presentation using advanced presentation skills.

While not every presentation you do will be a killer presentation, it is something that you should aim for. Much better to aim high and fall short than aim low and fall short anyway.

Contact us for a free consultation on your coaching needs

Why is it hard to create killer presentations?

One of the big challenges we face in business is that The Presentation has become a standard way of communicating. Unfortunately, the average presenter and the average presentation is not very good. As a result, time is wasted, money is wasted and we are not as clear and inspiring as we should be.

The average business presentation is completely forgettable. I often challenge clients to count the number of presentations they have seen in the last year, and then to describe any memorable ones. I am lucky if they can speak about one.

Too many people, when they hear the word “presentation”, reach for their computer and start creating slides. They feel as if they are making progress.

They pull information together, they lay it out into a PowerPoint document and admire their handiwork. Then they start to think about how to tell the story. You’ll never give a killer presentation like this.

“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.” – Alexander Graham Bell

What you need – A story, a script and a plan to create a killer presentation

BUT…the process for creating a great presentation should be more like that of making a movie. When you make a movie, filming (the equivalent of creating slides) only happens after you have a story, a script and a plan.

The better you have planned your presentation, the easier the process of giving it. At first, it may feel frustrating that you are not writing or creating slides. But when you invest in proper presentation planning, you will benefit many times over.

In the end you will spend less time playing with PowerPoint. You will spend less time editing and you will spend less time searching for a way to link the sections of your presentation together. You will probably find that practising and rehearsing is also easier and more enjoyable.

The other great advantage of improving your presentation skills is that you have formal check points where you can share your work to check that you are on track. This will help with timekeeping and, where necessary, make sure your colleagues are onside.

“There are three things that are important for a film. Number one is story, number two is story, number three is story. Good actors can save a bad script and make it bearable, but good actors can’t make a bad script good – they can just make it bearable.” – Mark Strickson, TV producer & acto r

Summary – how to improve your presentation skills for success

Start by planning, not by writing. This may feel counter intuitive, but you’ll make progress faster.

How do you give a killer presentation? Try these steps:

• Use AIM as the first stage of preparing your presentation
• A – Audience: Analyse your audience and understand their needs
• I – Intent: Be clear on the single purpose of your presentation.
• M – Message: Decide your one take-away message from your presentation
• Decide the three parts of your presentation
• Create and perfect a 90 second summary of your presentation before fleshing it out
• Answer the WHY questions in your presentation before the WHAT or HOW questions
• Imagine your audience asking So What? and What’s in it for me? throughout.
• Check your presentation summary against your Audience, Intent and Message.

Create a killer presentation. Step #1 – Have you taken AIM?

Summary – aim is an easy-to-apply planning tool that makes your business presentations and talks easier to prepare..

What typically goes wrong? Most people create presentations without proper planning. They start writing or creating visual aids before they have decided what they want to say.

Why does this matter? Without an effective tool for preparing a business presentation you waste time and will be less effective.

So, instead, Use AIM.  Start with a blank sheet of paper and write the three letters AIM across the top. In each of these columns start writing what you know about A: Your Audience, I: Your intent, or Purpose and M: your take-away Message. For Audience ask yourself searching questions about why they are here and what they want from your presentation. For Intent, summarise your intent into one clear line. And for message identify the single message that you’d like your audience to take away from your business presentation. See the next sections for more detail on A, I and M.

“90% of how well the business presentation will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform.” – Somers White

Improve your presentation skills tips

• Use the AIM approach before all communications.
• Keep working at AIM until you are happy.

Create a killer presentation. Step #2 – AIM Part 1: Who’s your audience and what do they need?

Summary – your audience, not you, should be centre of attention in your presentation. the better you understand your audience, the better your business presentation will be..

What typically goes wrong?  When people give presentations about their latest project, they talk about their latest project. If they are reporting quarterly results, they report quarterly results. If they are speaking about their new business, they tell the audience about their new business. If explaining a new piece of regulation, they talk about elements of that regulation.

The problem with this approach is they are not including their audience in their presentation. And if they don’t include the audience, The audience will be less engaged.

Why does this matter?  Audiences are selfish. They like being talked about.

Instead, to improve your presentation skills your presentation should be about what your subject means for your audience. For example:

• “What you can learn from our latest project.”
• “Our quarterly results and what they mean for your department next quarter.”
• “How our new business can make you money.”
• “What the new regulations mean for you and your clients”

To do this, you must understand your audience. That means asking questions about them and getting under their skin. For example, some questions you may have could include:

ABOUT BACKGROUND

• Who is coming to this business presentation?
• What common reference points can I use?
• What experiences have they shared?

ABOUT MOTIVATION

• Why are they coming?
• What problems do they have?
• What do they need and want?
• What will make life easy for them?

ABOUT EXPECTATIONS

• What would they like me to business presentation about?
• What would a win feel like for them?
• What will make them sit up?

ABOUT CONNECTING

• What can I say that will show them I am on their side?
• What stories will resonate?
• How can I add value?

ABOUT EMOTIONAL POSITION

• What frame of mind will they be in?
• What should I avoid talking about?
• What will make them feel good?
• What can I say at the start to win them over?

ABOUT MAKING IT EASY FOR THEM

• What specific language should I use?
• How should I position what I am talking about for this audience?
• What phrases will resonate?

The more you learn about your audience, the better you know them and the better you can plan your presentation for them.

“Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it: To Whom It May Concern.” – Ken Haemer, presentation designe r

Top Presentation Improvement Tips

• Before any presentation, analyse your audience
• Research them
• Make sure you really know them and their needs before you start planning what to say

Create a killer presentation. Step #3 – AIM Part 2: What are you trying to achieve?

Summary – decide early the intent or purpose to your presentation. this will help you direct your efforts and target your presentation so that you achieve your goals..

What typically goes wrong?  “I’m going to talk about…” is a typical answer to the question “Why are you doing this business presentation?” But presenting about something is of no use to anyone. It is pointless.

For example:

• “I’m presenting about our new project”
• “I’m presenting about the new regulations”
• “A pitch about our new fund”
• “An introduction to ABCX co”
• “Monthly board report”

Why does this matter?  For a presentation to work it requires a clear purpose. When you know your purpose you can harness your presentation to achieving just that.

So, instead, decide your intent. For example, when I asked a Chief Financial Officer recently what was the intent of his presentation, he was clear: he said that he “Wanted to look like the next CEO of this business.” This clear purpose made it easy to help him prepare what he said, how he said it and how he positioned himself.

Someone recently, when giving a presentation about new regulations, was clear that she wanted “to help companies use the new regulations to run better, more profitable businesses”.

An HR director who was introducing a new expense system was clear that her intent was to “get people to use the new system by next month so they can get paid faster and with less effort.’

A fund manager who was pitching a first time fund to new investors had a clear intent of “getting onto their radar screens and securing a second meeting.”

A company looking for a trade buyer had crystallised their intent into “creating excitement about the potential value of buying this business and demonstrate the risk of others buying it.”

“An accountant at an FMCG firm had the intent with his monthly board reports to “Get them to recognise the value my team adds.”

Having a clear intent will make it easier for you to plan your presentation. Identifying that intent is also one of the harder parts of planning a business presentation.

“A presentation is a voyage with purpose and it must be charted. The man who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there.” – Dale Carnegie

• Be absolutely clear on the intent of your presentation.
• Summarise your intent in one line
• Use your intent as your North Star to guide everything you say and how you say it.

Create a killer presentation. Step #4 – AIM part 3: What’s your one big take-away message?

Summary – your presentation needs a take-away message. this means one simple message so when someone asks “what was that presentation about” a listener can confidently answer what you want them to say., what typically goes wrong.

Many presentations have titles such as:

• “Quarterly strategy report”
• “Project X”
• “Manufacturing update”
• “Annual results”

These are all topics, not messages

Why does this matter?  These titles do not help the audience. It only tells them something they already know. With a topic title you miss the opportunity of preparing your audience and getting them in the right mindset to be ready for your presentation.

So, instead, identify a message that summarises your presentation that you can use as its title. Keep improving the title until it properly captures what you want to say. For example:

• “Our strategy remains on track”
• “Launching Project X by December could double revenues next year”
• “Manufacturing: three problems we must address”
• “Profits up 5% this year despite Covid headwinds”

Then test your title on other people. Check if it generates the reaction you want.

“If you can’t write your idea on the back of my calling card, you don’t have a clear idea.”  – David Belasco, theatre producer

• Decide the title of your presentation early.
• Check it generates the reaction you want.
• Use this to build the rest of your presentation.
• Re-test your message against A.I.M.

Create a killer presentation. Step #5 – What are the three parts of your presentation?

Summary – your brain is naturally tuned to hearing things in sets of three. if you can break your presentation into three parts that work together then it’s more likely to be successful..

What typically goes wrong?  Many presentations are like shopping lists. The presentation covers multiple topics and jumps from one idea to the next.

What’s wrong with a shopping list approach? In the end, a huge amount of information has been transmitted but little has been received.

So, instead, remember that Less is More in a presentation. Help your audience by giving them a structure. A three part structure is one of the most useful planning shortcuts that you can use.

Once you are completely clear about your intent and your message, start developing a three part structure for your presentation. For example, if I wanted to give a presentation that shared advice on how to present, I would consider using one of the following structures:

Mistakes other people make / Tips you can use / How to become a great speaker or How to define your messages / How to structure your presentation / How to deliver your presentation or What bad looks like / what good looks like / what you can do differently

“ In writing and speaking, three is more satisfying than any other number. “ – Carmine Gallow, author

• Find your three part structure early.
• Use the structure to focus your efforts and guide your planning

Create a killer presentation. Step #6 – What is your story?

Summary – to improve your presentation skills you should underpin your presentation with a story or a narrative. no matter how dry your subject, by using a story it will be more memorable and more effective..

What typically goes wrong?  As an expert, a typical presenter wants to share knowledge. For example, A few years ago, I helped a lawyer give a business presentation to investors. This audience was made up of private equity investors in businesses who also sat on their boards. The subject was the 2006 Companies Act and the Duties and Responsibilities of a Director. A dry subject.

In her first draft, she reviewed sections of the Act and highlighted problems that directors may face. For example, “Section 172 of the Act, sets out your overarching duties as a director. You must act in the way you consider, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole.”

As you can imagine, it was not the most exciting of business presentations.

Why does this matter?  A precise business presentation may not be an interesting business presentation. And an uninteresting presentation will not be heard.  Your job as a presenter is to make your business presentation interesting and easy for your audience.

What to do instead

What this means is that you need to find a story that fits what you want to talk  about. This is key to improving presentation skills.

For example, for the investor director presentation above, we decided to title the presentation “How to keep your nose clean and yourself out of jail”

Then the presentation was based around a series of situations that anyone in the audience might face. She did not refer to any particular section of the Companies Act at all. Her text was:

“Imagine this situation. You turn up for a board meeting. You are a 10% shareholder and you are a director. At that board meeting the CEO announces that the company is near bankrupt and needs more funding. What should you do? Do you absent yourself, having a connected interest. Or do you declare your interest as a shareholder? Or do you carry as normal assuming business as usual?”

By framing it as a story you involve your audience and you make it easier for them to process what you say.

“Sometimes reality is too complex. Stories give it form.” – Jean Luc Godard, film director

• Find stories to tell, narratives to bring your facts to life.
• Tell the story behind the numbers.
• The dryer your subject matter, the more important stories become.

Create a killer presentation. Step #7 – Have you asked WHY?

Summary – ‘why’ comes before ‘what’ comes before ‘how’.

What typically goes wrong? When a speaker knows a subject well, it is easy for them to assume knowledge and talk about the nuances of what they know. I often describe this as the ‘How’ of a subject.

For example, when speaking about a new engine you have developed, you might say that we made the pistons more accurately, that you mix petrol more precisely and you have added a new technique of managing engine performance.

Why does this matter?  This is one of the most common mistakes that experts make when giving presentations. They spend too much time explaining HOW something works, rather than explaining WHAT it is they are presenting about and WHY it is important.

Instead, to improve your presentation skills, phrase it like this, answering the WHY question:  “We have designed a car engine that is more efficient and will get 100 miles to the gallon.”

“Start with Why” – Simon Sinek

• Check that you are clear why the audience will be interested.
• Imagine someone in the audience asking “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM)

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Create a killer presentation. Step #8 – Can you give a 90 second summary of your presentation?

Summary – the best way to test your planning and improve your presentation skills is by speaking a c 100-200 word summary of your presentation. this summary will test the rigour of your thinking, the clarity of your ideas and the robustness of your plan..

What typically goes wrong?  The average poor presentation meanders from topic to topic and is more like a data dump than a well organised business presentation. It is rich in information but poor in story, structure and planning. It will not easily fit into a short sharp clear summary.

Why does this matter?  Lack of planning = Lack of story = hard on your audience.

So, instead, Create a short summary of your presentation to test your thinking

• You can use it early in your planning to test your ideas.
• If you are working with colleagues you can share your thinking.
• If you are preparing a presentation for someone else, you can share your summary to test their reaction.
• If someone else is preparing your presentation, you can use a summary to check they are on track.

This is one of the most powerful of all shortcuts and will save you a huge amount of wasted time.

“If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.” – Dianna Booher, Author

• Test your ideas with a short summary.
• Use a critical audience.
• If it is not tight enough, keep refining your summary.

Summary – how to plan your presentation for success

• Use AIM as the first stage of preparing any presentation
• Answer the WHY questions in your presentation before the WHAT or HOW questions.

Transform your presentation skills with tailored coaching

We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too .

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For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice of leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East to improve presentation skills and presentations through coaching, training and expert advice.

Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level with Benjamin Ball Associates.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to find out more and discuss transforming your speeches, pitches and presentations.

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Chris Anderson shares his tips for giving a killer presentation

In a new essay in The Harvard Business Review ’s June issue , Anderson shares his fine-tuned advice for delivering a powerful talk. A few choice tidbits:

“We all know that humans are wired to listen to stories, and metaphors abound for the narrative structures that work best to engage people. When I think about compelling presentations, I think about taking an audience on a journey.”

“Many of our best and most popular TED Talks have been memorized word for word … Most people go through what I call the ‘valley of awkwardness,’ where they haven’t quite memorized the talk. If they give the talk while stuck in that valley, the audience will sense it … Getting past this point is simple, fortunately. It’s just a matter of rehearsing enough times that the flow of words becomes second nature.”

“Perhaps the most important physical act onstage is making eye contact. Find five or six friendly-looking people in different parts of the audience and look them in the eye as you speak. Think of them as friends you haven’t seen in a year, whom you’re bringing up to date on your work.“

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How to Give a Killer Presentation

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HBR's 10 Must Reads on Public Speaking and Presenting (with featured article "How to Give a Killer Presentation" By Chris Anderson) by Harvard Business Review, Chris Anderson, Amy J.C. Cuddy, Nancy Duarte, Herminia Ibarra

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How to Give a Killer Presentation

By chris anderson.

A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, on a trip to Nairobi, Kenya, some colleagues and I met a 12-year-old Masai boy named Richard Turere, who told us a fascinating story. His family raises livestock on the edge of a vast national park, and one of the biggest challenges is protecting the animals from lions—especially at night. Richard had noticed that placing lamps in a field didn’t deter lion attacks, but when he walked the field with a torch, the lions stayed away. From a young age, he’d been interested in electronics, teaching himself by, for example, taking apart his parents’ radio. He used that experience to devise a system of lights that would turn on and off in sequence—using solar panels, ...

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Home » Blog » Management Tips » How to Give a Killer Presentation

By Barbara Davidson

Posted on December 9, 2016

How to Give a Killer Presentation

Presentations have become an enormous part of the way we work today. For some it means turning up to seminars and conventions to share our company’s message, while for others it can be presenting new ideas in the safety of the office. But even if it’s as rare for you as an occasional job interview, having the confidence to perform a winning presentation can be crucial to your career.

In fact, a whopping 75% of us confess to suffering from anxiety when it comes to public speaking. But that needn’t be the case, with the right preparation and a few special techniques, nailing that presentation can be a doddle. For a start, you’ll need to prepare. Identify the message you want to share, find a way to express it as a story , and arm yourself with some visual prompts to get you — and your audience — through all that text.

Giving a killer presentation isn’t rocket science — it’s closer to rock’n’roll! Once you’re confident in your material and in your method, you may even come to enjoy the challenge. Check out our new infographic for a step-by-step guide on how to develop that killer technique.

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Widrich, L. (2012). The Science of Storytelling: Why Telling a Story is the Most Powerful Way to Activate Our Brains. lifehacker.com

Belknap, L. (2016). How To Tell A Story During A Presentation . ethos3.com

May, K. (2012). How to give more persuasive presentations: A Q&A with Nancy Duarte. ted.com

Lacey, S., Randall, S., Sathian, K. (2012). Metaphorically Feeling: Comprehending Textural Metaphors Activates Somatosensory Cortex . Nih.gov

Duarte, N. (2014). Finding the Right Metaphor for Your Presentation . hbr.org

Hyerle, D. (2009). Visual Tools for Activating Habits of Mind, P28

Thorpe, S., Fize, D. & Marlot, C. (1996). Speed of processing in the human visual system, Nature, Vol 381.

Shattuck, S. (2016). The 6 Best Prezis from TED . Prezi.com

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Write-Out-Loud. Cue Cards . Write-out-loud.com

Birdwhistel, R. (1970). Kinesics and Context.

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The Total Communiocator. (2004). There’s a message in Your Voice . totalcommunicator.com

Adams, B. Step by Step Guide to Making a Compelling Presentation . businesstown.com

Scudamore, B. (2016). 6 Ways To Conquer Your Fear Of Public Speaking . forbes.com

Psychological Science. (2016). Power Posing . sagepub.com

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How to Give a Killer Presentation? Lessons For Entrepreneurs

Unleash your entrepreneurial prowess with our comprehensive guide on giving killer presentations. master storytelling, engagement, and impact to captivate any audience..

Dear Fellow Entrepreneurs,

Imagine standing before a room full of eager eyes, hearts beating with anticipation, all waiting for you to deliver a presentation that leaves them inspired, informed, and thoroughly impressed. As entrepreneurs, presentations are our platforms for showcasing our ideas, influencing stakeholders, and driving our ventures forward. A killer presentation has the potential to not only captivate the audience but also generate substantial revenue and open doors to unimaginable opportunities.

In this fast-paced world of business, where attention spans are fleeting and competition is fierce, the art of delivering an exceptional presentation has become a cornerstone skill. Whether you’re pitching your startup to investors, unveiling a game-changing product, or sharing insights at a conference, mastering the art of presentation is non-negotiable. And that’s exactly what we’re here to guide you through – a comprehensive journey into the strategies and tactics that can turn your presentations into game-changers.

We’ve all witnessed the electrifying power of a great presentation – the way it holds the audience in a spell, conveys complex information effortlessly, and instills a sense of confidence in the speaker. Behind this magic lies a combination of meticulous planning, skillful execution, and an understanding of human psychology. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur looking to sharpen your skills or a newcomer wanting to make your mark, the principles we’re about to unveil are universal and adaptable.

Through this blog, we’re offering you more than just pointers; we’re sharing a blueprint to transform your presentation style from ordinary to extraordinary. We’ll dive deep into each step, providing insights, real-world examples, and practical tips that you can implement immediately. So, let’s embark on this journey to unleash your presentation prowess and elevate your entrepreneurial venture to new heights.

Are you ready to captivate, influence, and conquer with your presentations? Let’s dive in!

So How To Give a Killer Presentation?

• Know Your Audience: Understand the demographics, needs, and preferences of your audience to tailor your message effectively.
• Crystalize Your Message: Craft a clear, concise, and compelling core message that encapsulates the essence of your presentation.
• Storytelling Mastery: Weave narratives that resonate emotionally, making your content memorable and relatable.
• Structural Brilliance: Organize your presentation logically, with an attention-grabbing opening, insightful body, and impactful conclusion.
• Engaging Openings: Start with a bang – a thought-provoking quote, a surprising statistic, or a compelling anecdote.
• Visual Excellence: Utilize visuals that support and enhance your message without overwhelming the audience.
• The Power of Simplicity: Keep slides uncluttered, use concise text, and avoid jargon for easy understanding.
• Dynamic Delivery: Master your tone, pace, and body language to keep the audience engaged and attentive.
• Audience Interaction: Incorporate Q&A sessions, polls, or discussions to foster engagement and address queries.
• Confidence and Authenticity: Embrace your unique style and exude confidence to establish credibility and build trust.
• Visual Aids as Enhancements: Leverage multimedia, props, and slides as supplements, not substitutes, to your presentation.
• Data Utilization: Interpret data visually, using charts and graphs to simplify complex information.
• Transitions and Flow: Ensure smooth transitions between ideas, maintaining a seamless and easy-to-follow narrative.
• Embrace Technology: Familiarize yourself with presentation tools and have a backup plan for technical glitches.
• Practice Like a Pro: Rehearse extensively to eliminate stage fright, refine timing, and boost overall delivery.
• Feedback and Iteration: Seek constructive feedback to refine content, delivery, and impact.
• Overcoming Obstacles: Anticipate possible challenges and prepare contingencies to maintain composure.
• Inspire Action: Conclude with a compelling call to action that prompts your audience to take the desired steps.

Conclusion:

Fellow Entrepreneurs,

The journey of mastering the art of delivering a killer presentation is not just about speaking to an audience – it’s about igniting minds, stirring emotions, and inspiring action. The steps we’ve uncovered are not mere guidelines; they are the keys to unlocking your potential as a presentation powerhouse. Embrace them, adapt them, and make them your own.

Remember, every presentation is an opportunity to shine, to establish your authority, and to make an indelible mark. From crafting your message to mesmerizing your audience with storytelling, from using visuals to your advantage to conquering the stage with your delivery – each step is a building block in the monument of your success.

So, go forth with confidence, armed with the tools you need to captivate any audience, convert skeptics into believers, and propel your entrepreneurial journey to greater heights. The stage is set, and you are the star. Let your presentations resonate, inspire, and drive your ventures forward.

To your presentation success!

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How to Make a Killer Business Plan Presentation (+Templates)

Learn how to make a business plan presentation with tips for slide design, structure, and engaging examples, as well as templates to bring your vision to life.

7 minute read

helped business professionals at:

Short answer

What slides should a business plan presentation include?

• Opening slide
• Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
• Business overview
• The challenge you're addressing
• Market analysis
• Your solution
• Marketing and sales strategy
• Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Team composition
• Funding request and allocation

Your business plan presentation needs to be as strong as your idea

Having a well-crafted business plan is crucial, but if it's not presented effectively, it's like having a treasure map that no one can read.

Even the best ideas can fall flat if they're not communicated clearly, potentially burying your chance of getting your business off the ground.

Remember, presenting a business plan is more than just sharing facts and figures. It's about engaging your audience, whether they're investors or stakeholders, and making them believe in your vision.

But don't worry, you're not alone in this. This guide is here to help you master the art of business plan presentation. You'll learn how to structure your presentation, design slides that captivate, and conclude in a way that leaves a lasting impact and drives action.

Let's dive in!

What to include in a business plan presentation?

A business plan presentation is your chance to delve deep, showcasing not just the what and the how, but also the why of your business. It's your strategic playbook that can persuade investors, guide your team, and set the foundation for your business's success.

11 essential slides of a business plan presentation:

Opening slide: Set the tone with an engaging first impression.

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Define what sets your business apart.

Business overview: Offer a concise snapshot of your company.

The challenge you're addressing: Describe the problem your business solves.

Market analysis: Demonstrate your understanding of the industry and market trends.

Your solution: Detail how your product or service addresses the problem you’ve identified.

Marketing and sales strategy: Outline your approach to winning and keeping customers.

Goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Specify your objectives and how you’ll measure success.

Team composition: Introduce key team members, their roles, and expertise.

Funding request and allocation: Explain your financial requirements and how the funds will be utilized.

Next steps: Guide the reader on the next steps after reviewing your plan, whether it's a meeting request, further discussion, or a specific action you want them to take.

What does a business plan presentation look like?

In today's fast-paced business world, static business plan presentations are losing their edge. Imagine having to constantly pinch and zoom on a mobile device just to see the details. It's frustrating and distracting.

People also get disengaged when faced with walls of text. They're there to hear a story, not read a novel.

Interactive presentations, on the other hand, bring your business plan to life. They encourage audience participation, adapt to the flow of discussion, and make complex ideas more digestible and memorable.

You can see what an interactive business plan presentation looks like below:

How to turn a business plan into a presentation

Transforming your business plan into a presentation is a crucial step in bringing your vision to life. It's not just about having a plan; it's about presenting it in a way that resonates with investors and partners.

Start by distilling the essence of your plan, focusing on key points like your mission, market analysis, and financial projections. Use engaging visuals and a clear narrative to make complex information accessible.

For detailed insights on how to write a business plan , check out our guide.

How to make a business plan presentation in 6 easy steps

Crafting a business plan is about blending vision and strategy into a narrative that captivates your audience. With Storydoc's AI business presentation maker, creating this narrative becomes intuitive and easy.

In the guide below, we'll show you how to turn your plan into an engaging presentation in 6 simple steps. Stick around to see how seamlessly Storydoc can bring your business story to life.

1) Describe your presentation’s objective

Kick things off by sharing with our AI the type of business plan you're looking to create. This is like setting the GPS for your journey, ensuring every part of your plan is aligned with your end goal.

2) Give an overview of yourself, your organization, and your offering

Introduce the essence of your business - who you are, what your company stands for, and the unique value of what you offer. This sets the stage for a personalized and relevant presentation.

3) Select a suitable design template

Dive into our collection of design templates and pick one that resonates with your business's personality.

4) Tailor your business plan presentation to your needs

Now, here’s where you add your personal touch. Fill in your details, tweak the design, and watch the magic happen as the template adapts to your content. This is where your business plan presentation starts to take on a life of its own.

Then, you can either upload your own multimedia elements or sit back as our AI assistant generates some for you.

5) Add personalized elements

Next up, sprinkle in some personalization. It works just like personalizing a newsletter - you can insert dynamic variables that automatically fill up with your recipient's data.

This level of customization not only makes your presentation feel tailor-made for each reader but also adds a layer of engagement. As a matter of fact, it can get 68% more people to read your deck in full , and share it internally 2.3x more often!

6) Review and refine your business plan presentation

Finally, take a step back and review your plan. Ensure it looks good, flows well, and clearly conveys your message.

The beauty of Storydoc is that it's a living document – if you spot a mistake or need to update information after sharing, you can. You're in control, ensuring your audience always sees the most polished and up-to-date version of your business plan presentation.

Business plan design principles to turn average into impressive

Designing a business plan presentation is about more than just putting words on a page; it's about creating an experience that captures and holds attention. In today's digital age, the way you present your plan can be just as important as the content itself.

Let's explore how to design a business plan presentation that stands out in the modern business landscape.

1) Move from static to interactive

Gone are the days of static, text-heavy business plan presentations. Today's plans are interactive, engaging readers with clickable elements, dynamic charts, and even embedded videos.

This interactivity not only makes your plan more interesting but also allows readers to engage with the content in a more meaningful way.

Here's a great example of an interactive business plan presentation:

2) Use scroll-based design

Forget the hassle of pinching and zooming on a PDF. A scroll-based design, similar to a modern website, offers a fluid reading experience.

It's straightforward and aligns with how we naturally consume content online, making your business plan presentation easier and more enjoyable to read.

Here's an example of scroll-based design:

3) Make sure your business plan presentation is mobile-friendly

With so many people reading on their phones, your business plan presenttion needs to look good on any device.

Responsive design means your plan is easily readable on a phone, tablet, or computer, ensuring that your message is clear no matter how your audience accesses it.

4) Shift from local files to online documents

Step away from traditional Word docs or PDFs and embrace online documents. They're great for sharing, updating in real time, and collaborating with others.

Plus, they're accessible from anywhere, which is perfect for busy investors who are always on the move.

For more information, check out our comparison of the best business plan document types .

5) Embrace visual storytelling

Use visuals like infographics and charts to tell your business's story. They can turn complex data into easy-to-understand, engaging information. A well-placed visual can often do a better job of explaining your points than text alone.

Here's a great example of visual storytelling:

Best business plan software

Selecting the right tool to create your business plan presentation is vital for any startup. To ease your journey, I've compiled a list of the top business plan software, each designed to cater to different needs.

From comprehensive platforms guiding you step-by-step to dynamic tools that add interactive elements to your presentation, there's something for every entrepreneur.

The best business plan software currently available:

LivePlan.com

BizPlan.com

Upmetrics.co

GoSmallBiz.com

Business Sorter

MAUS Master Plan Lean

For a deep dive into each tool and to find the one that best fits your business's needs, explore our detailed guide to the best business plan software .

Interactive business plan presentation templates

The pressure to get your business plan presentation right can be overwhelming. After all, in many cases, you only get one shot to impress.

These business plan presentation templates offer a framework that takes care of the structure and design, allowing you to focus solely on fleshing out your strategy.

Whether you're pitching to investors, partners, or stakeholders, these templates give you the confidence that your plan is presented in the best possible light.

Grab one and see for yourself.

Hi, I'm Dominika, Content Specialist at Storydoc. As a creative professional with experience in fashion, I'm here to show you how to amplify your brand message through the power of storytelling and eye-catching visuals.

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Tips for Creating a Killer Business Presentations.

Home / Presentation Tips / Tips for Creating a Killer Business Presentations.

Business professionals, you know that giving a killer presentation is the key way to success.

Whether you’re pitching a new idea to your boss or presenting your company’s products to potential clients, you want to make sure your presentation is both engaging and effective.

But how do you create a presentation that will truly stand out? Find our tips and tricks page , for creating a killer business presentation that will get you noticed.

From crafting a compelling story to using persuasive visuals, we’ll cover everything you need to know to make your next presentation a success. So if you’re ready to take your presentation skills to the next level, let’s dive in!

The Importance of a Killer Presentation

In a career, a killer presentation can impact hard. It can help you win clients, secure funding, and even get a promotion. The problem is that most presentations are boring, forgettable, and fail to engage the audience. To be successful, you need to create a presentation that stands out from the crowd.

Understanding Your Audience

Before you start creating your presentation, you need to understand your audience. Who are they? What are their interests? What do they care about? Once you have this information, you can tailor your presentation to meet their needs. For example, if you’re presenting to a group of investors, you’ll want to focus on the financials and the potential return on investment.

Researching and Preparing Your Presentation

Once you know your audience, it’s time to start researching and preparing your presentation. This involves gathering data, creating slides, and practicing your delivery. The more time you spend preparing, the more confident you’ll feel when it’s time to present.

Choosing the Right Visuals and Design

Visuals are an essential part of any presentation. They help to break up the text and make your message more engaging. When choosing visuals, make sure they’re relevant to your message and add value to your presentation. Avoid using stock photos and clip art, as they can look generic and unprofessional.

Crafting an Attention-Grabbing Opening

Your opening is the most crucial part of your presentation. It’s where you grab your audience’s attention and set the tone for the rest of your talk. You can start with a quote, a story, or a surprising fact. Whatever you choose, make sure it’s relevant to your message and grabs your audience’s attention.

Creating a Clear and Concise Message

Your message is the heart of your presentation. It’s what you want your audience to take away from your talk. To create a clear and concise message, start by defining your goal. What do you want to achieve with your presentation? Once you know your goal, you can craft a message that supports it.

Engaging Your Audience with Storytelling

Storytelling is a powerful tool for engaging your audience. It helps to create an emotional connection and makes your message more memorable. To tell a great story, start by identifying the key points you want to make. Then, craft a narrative that brings those points to life.

Handling Questions and Objections

During your presentation, you’re likely to face questions and objections from your audience. This is a normal part of the process, and it’s essential to be prepared. When facing a question or objection, stay calm, and listen carefully. Then, respond with a clear and concise answer that addresses their concern.

Practicing and Refining Your Delivery

Practice makes perfect when it comes to presentations. The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel, and the better your delivery will be. When practicing, focus on your body language, tone of voice, and pacing. Make sure you’re speaking clearly and at a reasonable pace.

Conclusion A killer presentation can open doors, win clients, and advance your career. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a presentation that stands out from the crowd. Remember to focus on your audience, craft a clear and concise message, and engage them with storytelling. With practice and preparation, you’ll be ready to deliver a killer presentation that gets you noticed.

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A Serial Killer From the U.S. Preyed on Young Women in Canada

The police believe the killer, who died in an Idaho jail, may be linked to the unsolved murders of other women in British Columbia, Alberta and the United States.

By Vjosa Isai and Jeremy Appel

Vjosa Isai reported from Toronto and Jeremy Appel reported from Edmonton.

The serial killer made little effort to hide his tracks. Over the course of a year in the 1970s, he dumped the remains of four young women in different spots — along a road, in a gravel ditch, beneath an underpass — just outside Calgary, in Western Canada.

They were fully clothed, all had been strangled and DNA evidence revealed that they had been sexually assaulted.

Still, it took nearly 50 years and filtering through 853 possible suspects for Canadian police on Friday to finally reveal that the women had been the victims of a serial killer.

The police identified their killer as Gary Allen Srery, who had fled to Canada while out on bail in 1974 after being charged with rape by the police in Los Angeles.

He died at 68, of natural causes, in an Idaho prison in 2011, where he was serving a life sentence for a rape in that state. The authorities believe he may have killed other women in Canada and the United States.

Despite Mr. Srery’s brazenness, there were few witnesses to the killings, which were committed in 1976 and 1977.

The investigation dragged on for several decades. In the 1990s, four separate task forces combed through leads, including roughly 800 tips and 500 statements from the public, Supt. David Hall of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said during a news conference in Edmonton on Friday.

“No investigation, no matter how successful, could undo the harm caused by crimes of this nature,” Superintendent Hall said. But, he added, the perseverance of investigators over many years “allows us to bring answers to the families of the four young women robbed of their futures.”

Three of the four victims were teenagers.

Eva Dvorak and Patricia McQueen, both 14, were visiting friends after school on Feb. 15, 1976, and were last seen together around midnight. Their bodies were found less than 12 hours later, in an underpass.

Seven months later, in a gravel ditch just west of Calgary, the police found the body of Melissa Rehorek, 20, one day after she had gone missing. Ms. Rehorek, a hotel housekeeper, had told her roommates that she was going to hitchhike to the mountains before she disappeared.

Five months later the police found Barbara MacLean, 19, a bank worker who had gone out with friends to a cabaret show at a bar in Calgary. Witnesses last spotted her walking home from the bar in the early hours of Feb. 26, 1977.

A dog walker stumbled on her remains, which showed signs that she had fought back against her attacker, the police said.

Semen was found on all four victims, but, at the time, investigative tools to analyze it were limited. It was not until 2003 when lab tests were able to link the same unknown offender to the DNA samples found on two victims, Ms. Rehorek and Ms. MacLean.

A break in the case came with the help of genetic genealogy, a forensic technique that uses DNA samples to identify relatives of a suspect and home in on them. In 2022, DNA from the killings of Ms. Dvorak and Ms. McQueen was used to link all four killings to the same man, Mr. Srery.

By the time he arrived in Canada in the mid 1970s, Mr. Srery was already a convicted rapist in the United States.

Detectives are now piecing together a detailed timeline of Mr. Srery’s life, tracing his movements between 1979 to 1998. His transient lifestyle, the nine aliases he used and his violent history suggest to the police that he may have committed other killings.

“We truly believe the suspect is not involved in only four homicides, but there’s a distinct possibility that he’s responsible for many more, either in Alberta, British Columbia, or the western United States,” Staff Sgt. Travis McKenzie, a commander with the Mounties’ historical homicide unit, told reporters.

Mr. Srery was never questioned in connection to the investigation of the Calgary killings. However, he was convicted in Canada in another rape case in 1998 — in New Westminster, British Columbia — and then deported to the U.S. in 2003.

Because Mr. Srery is dead, the police provided relatives of the victims a detailed presentation of their findings and what led them to zero in on Mr. Srery, Staff Sergeant McKenzie said in an interview.

“I know they’re appreciative and they’re grateful,” he said, “but I also know for a fact that their grief has never stopped either.”

Mr. Srery was born in Oak Park, an affluent suburb of Chicago, and then moved to California with his family and three younger siblings, the authorities said. He married in 1960, had several children and was divorced in 1969.

Genetic genealogy has become a more common technique among law enforcement to try to solve cases that have long grown cold. But its use is limited in Canada because the labs needed to do that kind of work are largely in the United States.

“In light of the growing demand for genetic genealogical testing in Canada, we need to re-evaluate where we’re doing that work,” said Nicole Novroski, a forensic geneticist and professor at the University of Toronto. “It truly is an incredibly powerful tool.”

Vjosa Isai is a reporter and researcher for The Times based in Toronto, where she covers news from across Canada. More about Vjosa Isai

Canva Design Platform Targets Hollywood and Big Business Users as Australian Digital Star Unveils Growth Plans

Bob Iger, Disney CEO and Canva investor, will deliver the keynote address today at Canva Create event in L.A.

By Cynthia Littleton

Cynthia Littleton

Business Editor

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Canva , the online service that offers a host of easy-to-use design tools, is targeting large companies in general and Hollywood in particular as growth initiatives as the DIY platform plots its next 10 years.

Canva, launched in Janaury 2013, has been one of the biggest and buzziest digital media startups to emerge from Australia’s increasingly busy tech, venture capital and startup sector over the past decade. Disney CEO Bob Iger made a personal investment in the Sydney-based company in 2022 when it was valued at $40 billion.

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Canva “continues to defy gravity for a company of our size and we’re incredibly optimistic about the growth,” Adams told reporters. Amid the expansion effort to target large entities such as FedEx or the American Film Institute, Canva has seen its revenue generated by sales to organizations, rather than individuals, climb 48% in 2023. At the same time, the company has also launched a service dubbed Canva Affinity that will be made available free to students and nonprofit organizations.

Zach Kitschke , Canva’s chief marketing officer who has been with the firm since its launch, sees great potential for the tools to be used by other creatives who have need to create marketing, promotion and informational materials on the fly.

Canva has proven to be attractive to those who work in “inherently creative pursuits,” Kitschke said. “We’re talking to producers, script writers, showrunners and directors,” he said. Canva, in the company’s view, can become a bigger player in what Kitschke called “the machinery of the production process.” As they have courted bigger business customers, Kitschke notes that the company has greatly strenghtened its firewalls and cloud security protocols. “It’s the first question out of the mouths of every CIO and CTO,” he said.

Canva’s platform is powered in part by AI technologies that are polarizing in the creative community out of concern that they will ultimately become job-killers, especially for below-the-line workers. Kitschke said Canva’s platform gives users a transparent “opt-in” option for allowing the materials they create to be used in the future training of Canva AI models. Kitschke made it clear that Canva is monitoring the mood of Hollywood when it comes to the latest tech-driven earthquake to shake up the industry.

“We’re a platform for creators at the end of the day. And so when we’ve looked at new technology that we can integrate [into Canva tools], the starting point is how to do so in a way that’s additive, that’s fair and maintains that sense of trust that we’ve built with our community,” Kitschke said. “And so we’ve been super-mindful about what we do and don’t integrate, and the way that we build all that functionality.”

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Lorenza izzo to lead opposite diego boneta in prime video comic book series ‘el gato’, ‘bad friends’ animated comedy from andrew santino & bobby lee in works at hulu.

By Nellie Andreeva

Nellie Andreeva

Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV

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EXCLUSIVE : In a competitive situation with several major adult animation players interested, Hulu has landed for development Bad Friends . The animated project comes from Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee , the duo behind the comedy podcast of the same name.

Created by Lee, Nick Kreiss, Santino and Andres Salaff, the potential series will be written by Kreiss and Santino.

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Launched in 2020 by comedians Lee and Santino, Bad Friends , which showcases their improv skills, has become a top comedy podcast across platforms, including Apple and Spotify.

On the strength of streaming hits like  Family Guy  and  Bob’s Burgers ‘ current and previous seasons, Hulu has been looking to expand its original adult animation offerings beyond shows like  Solar Opposites  and the  Futurama  revival. The streamer also recently commissioned an animated presentation for Journey to the Center of the Internet.

Lee is repped by CAA, Santino is with UTA. Kreiss is repped by Underground and attorney Ryan Goodell.

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‘pulled from the dryer one limb at a time’: deputies find wanted suspect in ‘tumble-ready hideout’, david jerome jackson was hiding in a clothes dryer when deputies searched for him.

Ivan Herrera , Digital Journalist

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Florida – Deputies in Florida discovered more than just clothes in a dryer after finding a wanted suspect in the “tumble-ready hideout” while serving a warrant last week.

Escambia County Sheriff’s Office deputies were looking for 31-year-old David Jerome Jackson on Friday.

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Jackson was wanted for a March shooting into a home on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, damage to property, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Deputies received a tip that Jackson was in a home on Edgewater Drive and began their search after getting a warrant. They made their way to the laundry room after looking extensively.

Jackson was discovered in a “remarkably small dryer drum,” according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.

“The look on his face, a combination of guilt, embarrassment, and warm hosiery.

“He was pulled from the dryer one limb at a time, as he clung to his tumble-ready hideout. Outside the dryer, deputies removed three dryer sheets, two mismatched socks, and a crumpled-up tissue from his surprisingly wrinkled Star Wars shirt,” a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office said.

Jackson was taken into custody to face charges.

“As always the case, all suspects are presumed innocent and free of static cling,” the post read.

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About the Author

Ivan herrera.

Ivan Herrera has worked as a journalist in San Antonio since 2016. His work for KSAT 12 and KSAT.com includes covering breaking news of the day, as well as producing Q&As and content for the "South Texas Pride" and "KSAT Money" series.