Business Presentation

7 Tips to Make a Business Presentation Template

A business presentation uses public speaking and visual materials to share important information with a group of professionals, such as co-workers, supervisors, managers, and investors. An effective presentation goes beyond just lecturing; it includes elements similar to a story, making it more engaging and memorable.

Various types of business presentations are used in different scenarios. For example, you might present a quarterly review to your team or executives, a sales pitch to a client, a follow-up with potential customers, an investor pitch deck, or an onboarding video for new hires. In all these situations, a business presentation helps make your message stronger, more memorable, and more professional. Essentially, business presentations allow you to communicate key information and ideas in a way that sticks with your audience.

Key Takeaways

  • Understand Presentation Types: Business presentations can be informative, persuasive, or instructive. Each type serves a unique purpose: sharing knowledge, convincing an audience, or guiding action.
  • Incorporate Visuals: Use images, diagrams, and videos to enhance your message. Visual aids help make key points more memorable and keep your audience engaged.
  • Keep It Concise: Focus on clarity and brevity. Aim for a clear structure and avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive information.
  • Engage Your Audience: Make your presentation interactive and end with a Q&A session. This fosters engagement and ensures your message resonates effectively.

Types of Business Presentation Templates

Types of Business Presentation

Business presentations can serve various purposes, and their content often reflects the intended goal. Broadly, business presentation examples fall into three main types: Informative, Persuasive, and Instructive or Supporting.

 Informative Business Presentation

An informative business presentation aims to share knowledge and insights. It’s the most common type of business presentation, so chances are you’ve created one before. The goal is to clearly explain what you know to your audience, making it easy for them to understand and retain the information.

Informative presentations are often used internally to communicate new information and insights to team members. They can also be used externally to share results and updates with clients. 

Examples of informative business presentation topics –

Team Briefings Presentation: Updates on team activities and progress.

Annual Stakeholder Report: Comprehensive overview of the company’s yearly performance.

Quarterly Business Reviews: Regular updates on business performance every three months.

Business Portfolio Presentation: Detailed look at the company’s offerings and achievements.

Business Plan Presentation: Outline of the company’s strategy and goals.

Project Presentation: Status and progress of a specific project.

These examples of business presentations help ensure everyone is on the same page and has the necessary information to move forward.

Persuasive Business Presentation

A persuasive business presentation aims to convince your audience of your point of view and prompt them to take action. Unlike informative presentations, these require strong copywriting and public speaking skills. Your goal is to sway opinions and inspire your audience to act.

To create a persuasive presentation, focus on confidence and clarity. A polished, engaging presentation is key to winning over your audience. These business PowerPoint presentation examples include pitch decks for investors, sales presentations, and business proposals.

Examples of persuasive business presentation ideas –

Pitch Deck/Investor Presentation: Convince potential investors to fund your project.

Sales Presentation: Persuade customers to purchase your product or service.

Business Proposal Presentation: Present a plan to secure a deal or partnership.

Remember, the quality of your presentation business plan templates reflects your professionalism and can significantly impact your audience’s decision.

Instructive or Supporting Business Presentation

Instructive or supporting business presentations are essential for effective decision-making and action planning. They help communicate the general “action plan” and outline the necessary steps to achieve specific goals. These corporate presentation formats can guide teams through new processes, clarify visions and goals, and support overall business strategies.

Examples of instructive presentation topics about business –

Roadmap Presentation: Outlines the steps to achieve a long-term goal, providing a clear path forward.

Project Vision Presentation: Communicates the project’s objectives, scope, and expected outcomes.

After Action Review Presentation: Evaluates completed projects, highlighting successes and areas for improvement.

Employee Training Presentation: Teaches new skills or procedures to employees.

Employee Onboarding Presentation: Introduces new hires to company policies, culture, and roles.

Company Policy Presentation: Explains company policies and procedures to ensure everyone is on the same page.

These business slideshow examples are valuable resources for conveying important information and ensuring that everyone involved understands the next steps and goals.

Importance of Business Presentations

Business presentations are more than just templates and speeches. They are key to engaging and inspiring your audience. We’ve all experienced dull presentations that fail to capture our attention. Research shows losing your audience takes just 10 minutes if you rely solely on PowerPoint.

Business presentations offer a fresh approach. This format grabs attention and boosts your confidence as a presenter. A well-crafted presentation acts as a guide, helping you stay focused and anticipate the next points.

Presentations play a crucial role in sharing important ideas and influencing outcomes. Whether you’re selling a product, motivating employees, or showcasing your expertise, a strong presentation can make a significant impact. It reinforces key topics and highlights your knowledge, solidifying your message and making a lasting impression.

Slides to Include in a Business Presentation

Slides to Include in a Business Presentation

To create an effective business presentation, ensure you include the following key slides:

Introduction Slide: Start with an introductory template to set the stage for your presentation. This slide should briefly introduce the topic and establish the context for your audience.

Agenda or Purpose Slide: Include a template outlining the agenda or purpose of your presentation. This will enable your audience to understand what to expect and provide a roadmap for the information you’ll cover.

Primary Information or Content Slides: These slides present the core information or content. They should be clear and organized, conveying the main points and details of your presentation.

Key Takeaways Slide: Summarize the most important points with a key takeaways slide. This slide helps reinforce the main messages and ensures your audience remembers the crucial information.

Call-to-Action or Next Steps Slide: Conclude with a call-to-action or next steps slide. This slide should clearly state what actions you want your audience to take or outline the next steps following the presentation.

Including these essential slides will help you create a well-structured and engaging business presentation.

Tips to Make a Winning Business Presentation

Tell a Story

Storytelling is a potent tool in business presentations. Like many TED talks that start with a personal anecdote, beginning your presentation with a story can quickly establish rapport and capture your audience’s attention. A good story sets the stage for your message, drawing your audience in and focusing them on what’s to come. It also taps into emotions, which can be especially persuasive.

Before you begin your presentation, organize your information into a storyboard. This will help you see the flow of your presentation and ensure that your story is compelling and well-structured. Whether you use pen and paper or a digital template, this step is crucial for crafting a narrative that resonates.

Ensure your story includes a clear conflict or problem, followed by a solution or resolution. Even if you don’t have a perfect solution, let your audience know how the story unfolds and where it leads. Avoid sounding like a lecture; weave in real-life examples and visual aids to make your points more relatable and engaging. This approach helps transform your presentation from a collection of facts into a memorable narrative.

Use Visual Aids

Visual Aids in Business Presentation

Incorporating visual aids into your business presentation can significantly boost its effectiveness. Research shows that people remember visuals much better than text alone. For example, John Medina highlights that adding a picture to your message can improve recall from 10% to 65%. 

Instead of relying solely on bullet points, opt for images, diagrams, video clips, or animations. These elements can make key points more memorable and engaging. Webcam recordings can also help to create a stronger connection with your audience.

When using visual aids, choose simple graphics and fonts that enhance, rather than clutter, your message. Avoid overloading slides with text or distracting graphics. Keep the design clean and purposeful to support your main points without overwhelming your audience.

Keep It Short and Simple

In business presentations, brevity is key to maintaining your audience’s attention and ensuring your message is clear. Here are some essential tips to help you keep your presentation short and straightforward:

Trim the Fat: Long presentations can be overwhelming and cause your audience to lose focus. Review your slides and eliminate unnecessary content. Aim to condense repetitive ideas and get straight to the point. For example, McKinsey consultants are trained to replace 20 slides with just two, forcing a focus on core ideas.

Stick to a Simple Structure: Use a three-part structure: setup, confrontation, and resolution. This helps you organize your content and remove any information that doesn’t fit within this framework.

Be Concise: Write in short, impactful phrases. Try to keep text blurbs under 156 characters, similar to a tweet. This makes your points clear and digestible.

Visualize Data: Instead of long paragraphs of statistics, use visuals like charts and graphs. This makes data easier to understand and keeps your slides clean.

Follow the 10/20/30 Rule: Restrict your ppt to 10 slides, 20 minutes, and use no smaller than 30-point font. This rule helps you stay focused and ensures your content is accessible.

Keep It Engaging: Aim for a presentation length that conveys your message effectively without dragging on. The ideal length is about 20 minutes, though shorter presentations often make a stronger impact.

By keeping your presentation concise and focused, you’ll make a great impression and keep your audience engaged.

Explore the Article: 10/20/30 Rule

Maintain Brand Consistency

To create a memorable business presentation, it’s crucial to keep your brand consistent throughout. Each slide should feel like a natural part of a larger story. Stick to the same visual style, including typography, color scheme, and overall design, to ensure your presentation is cohesive.

Consistency helps your audience instantly recognize your brand. Treat your presentation with the same care as a social media post or other brand communications. This is especially important because your presentation might be your audience’s first interaction with your brand. 

When transitioning between topics, use visual elements to highlight changes in the narrative but avoid drastic shifts in style. This approach maintains a unified look while seamlessly guiding your audience through different sections of your presentation.

End with a Q&A Session

To keep the conversation going after your presentation, consider ending with a Q&A session. This allows the audience to ask questions and provide feedback, making them feel more engaged and valued.

A Q&A session is especially useful for informational presentations where further discussion is needed. It provides a chance to clarify points, address concerns, and explore topics that interest your audience.

If time is tight and you can’t fit a Q&A into your presentation, offer an alternative way for your audience to ask questions. You can use a Google form or email to collect their queries afterward.

By including a Q&A session, you foster interaction and ensure your audience has the opportunity to contribute to the discussion.

Make It Interactive

Consider incorporating interactive elements to make your business presentation more engaging. Adding a QR code at the end of your presentation can be a great way to share additional resources or connect with your audience. Customize the QR code to match your brand, and include a clear call to action to guide your audience through what to do next.

Break away from a one-way communication style by involving your audience in the presentation. Ask questions, share relevant anecdotes, and encourage feedback. This approach helps keep your audience focused and makes your presentation feel more like a conversation than a lecture.

Think of your presentation as a personal conversation, whether you’re addressing a large audience or a small group. This mindset can help you connect better with your listeners, making your message more relatable and memorable.

Practice Your Presentation

Before presenting, it’s essential to know your material thoroughly. Your audience will sense it if you’re not confident about your presentation. Rehearse your presentation multiple times until you are well-versed with the content. 

Consider recording yourself during practice. This will help you spot any areas where you might be repetitive or unclear. It will also allow you to refine your presentation, making it more concise and compelling.

Practicing in front of a test audience can also be beneficial. It helps simulate the actual presentation environment and can boost your confidence. Whether you practice alone or with others, the goal is to ensure you feel prepared and assured when it’s time to present.

Wrap-up: Business Presentations

Successful business presentations blend clear storytelling with engaging visuals to communicate key information effectively. By understanding the various types—informative, persuasive, and instructive—presenters can tailor their approach to fit their audience’s needs. Informative presentations focus on sharing knowledge, while persuasive ones aim to influence and inspire action. Instructive presentations guide decision-making and action planning. 

To make your presentation stand out, keep it concise and visually appealing, ensuring it aligns with your brand’s identity. Engaging your audience through interactive elements and a Q&A session can enhance the impact of your message. With proper preparation and a clear structure, your presentation can leave an unforgettable impression and achieve its intended goals.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the goal of a business presentation?  

A business presentation aims to share important information with professionals using public speaking and visual aids. It goes beyond lecturing by engaging the audience with a structured narrative, making the content memorable.

2. What are the main types of business presentations?  

Business presentations fall into three categories: Informative, which shares knowledge; Persuasive, which aims to convince and prompt action; and Instructive or Supporting, which guides decision-making and planning.

3. How can I make my ppt more engaging?  

To engage your audience, use storytelling, visual aids, and interactive elements. Keep the presentation concise and aligned with your brand’s identity. Ending with a Q&A session can also encourage audience interaction.

4. What should I include in a business presentation?  

Essential slides include an Introduction, Agenda, Main Content, Key Takeaways, and a call to action. These components help organize your presentation and ensure your audience understands the key points and next steps.

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