Succeeding in business is more than being good at what you do. Itâ€
s about presenting your brilliant ideas and work in an attractive, intelligent, and well-packaged way. Because if customers donâ€t see your brilliance, they wonâ€t know that they need your services.
This means that as a small business owner, youâ€ll need to give presentations about your ideas and work. Brilliant and intriguing presentations. Whether youâ€re presenting the results of your work at a professional conference, presenting a proposal to potential clients, or presenting before prospective investors, your goal should be to inspire your audience.
Sometimes, all it takes are a few awesome presentation ideas to turn a boring presentation that puts everyone to sleep into an unforgettable experience. Here are seven unique ways that will make your presentation exciting and memorable.
1. Tell a Story
The human brain is designed to respond to stories as survival and entertainment mechanisms. This has made stories one of the most powerful communication tools.
Stories are more interesting than facts because they entertain us. And storytelling captures and maintains attention. It enables the audience to understand and remember the message long after the story is over.
Rather than presenting your work in the form of facts (budget breakdowns, figures, etc.), organize your facts into a story. Think of the interesting connections you can make between your facts. Then build a story around them to keep your audience engaged from start to finish.
2. Experiment with Color
Itâ€s mind-blowing what a little color can do. And the way you use and pair colors in your presentation design can grab and maintain attention. However, make sure you do it tastefully and carry the theme across all slides.
Also, you can experiment with a two-toned design by adding different accents to your presentation background and other visual elements. Contrasting color palettes can also create an eye-popping effect.
Another idea? Use neutral shades to give off a subdued vibe.
3. Avoid the Slide-By-Slide Style
Free your presentation from the confines of the slide. Zoom in and out on key points and move between topics and sections of your presentation in any order. Use scrolling infographics instead of static images.
Also, make transitions between ideas look like pathways or scenes instead of just clicking consecutively from slide to slide. Using different elements will make your presentation a memorable experience.
4. Organize Your Presentation into Three Main Points
Three is a magical number. Things in threes fascinate the human mind and help us retain information better.
The number three works like a charm because at the end of any presentation, we can easily remember three things that were said. So, itâ€s important to organize your presentation into three takeaways if you want to inspire your audience. And make sure your audience pays attention to the important points and not the irrelevant details.
If you have more than three points, which is common, organize your minor points into three main categories. This way, you can easily address and summarize the essence of your presentation at the end.
5. Donâ€t Read from Your Slides
Reading from the slides is boring, and it makes you look unprepared. Your PowerPoint presentation isnâ€t there for you to read. Itâ€s there to help your audience have a better understanding of your message.
If you read off your presentation, your audience will also read along with you. And 20-40% of the time, our minds wander while reading. This means reading from your slides can distract your audienceâ€s attention.
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So keep the text in your slides short and use it to highlight the important points. Your slides shouldnâ€t be a crutch for when you canâ€t remember what to say.
6. Use Personal Examples
Another creative way to make your presentation memorable is to personalize your talk for the specific audience. Whether a potential investor or a prospective client, always adjust and personalize your presentation experience to the specific audience.
Give examples that involve the audience and show them how they can benefit from your solution. People may not care about your solution or presentation if itâ€s just general. But once they realize that something directly affects them and they can benefit, they pay attention.
Show your audience the direct effects of your presentation by using them in your examples, and youâ€ll inspire them to apply your solution.
7. Close Strong!
What next after delivering an amazing presentation and using stunning slides along the way? Wrap up with a strong finish.
No matter how inspiring your presentation is, itâ€s important to recap and summarize the key points at the end. This is the best way to make sure the audience remembers your message and takes action.
Remember how you should organize your presentation into three key takeaways? Now itâ€s time to revisit them. Highlight your key points, touch on each of them briefly, and recap how each fits into the whole message. This will lock your message into memory.