4 quick tips to craft an
impactful presentation
90% of the success of your presentation lies in the content crafting phase.
From our years of research, we can now safely say that humans are wired to listen to stories. That being said, to build an impactful presentation, you need to take your audience on a journey rather than simply telling a story.
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When you take your audience on a journey, some of the most significant decisions you have to make are,
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Where to start
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Where to focus
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Where to end it.
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Finding the answer to these three questions can be the difference between a mediocre presentation and an impactful presentation that will make your audience see the world in a different way afterward.
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With that in mind, let us dive right in and absorb the top tips on building an impactful presentation.
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Audience focused presenting
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Start with a hook
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First 45 seconds matter
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Structure it using the rule of three
Audience focused presenting
Over 70% of the audience’s frustration was that the speakers were spending more time reading the slides rather than spending time on engagement. Remember that you are the presentation, not the slide itself.
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We break down the audience-focused presentation into three steps:
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1. Profiling your audience
When it comes to a good presentation, you have to be proactive. Understand that the story you are presenting is not for yourself but your audience. Keeping that in mind, you must profile, study, and understand your audience so you can resonate with their needs and interests.
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2. Structuring your message
As a presenter, you do not want information all over the place. Structuring your message helps you better interact with your audience, build a momentary relationship with them and improve their ability to dissect complex topics.
Moreover, this step also allows you to take a step away from the chaos of fast thinking and help you structure your messages for a more meaningful and simplistic result.
3. Design Visual Aids
The third and final step of this methodology is designing visual aids. Taking this step will create a better impact on your audience and increase the credibility of your message. Moreover, you will be able to deliver more information in a shorter amount of time, which is vital in today's presentation norm.
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Profile your audience
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Structure your messages
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Design your visual aids
Start with
a hook
Every successful presentation starts with a hook that engages your audience from the beginning. One of the biggest mistakes that many people make is starting with a:
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General overview
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Slowly working towards the details/ facts of the topic
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Finally finishing it up with the key message.
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This might be an effective approach if you’re writing a book. However, for a presentation where every second matters, this is a complete NO-NO.
Instead, switch up the presentation approach and present the essential message of the presentation in the form of a catchy hook. This gives the audience a reason to stay hooked to your story and hold their attention.
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Hook them in with the hero message
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Add in supporting details/ facts to further convince the audience
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Finally include any general information and end it repeating the hero message once again.
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The first 45 seconds matter
When it comes to presentation, every second counts, especially the first 45. An audience will make up their mind about whether or not they want to invest their attention and time listening to what you have to say in the first 45 seconds. And the first impression you make during that timeline, will last well beyond the whole presentation due to the Primacy effect.
By getting the beginning just right, you get the opportunity to curve the pathway that leads to a successful and attention-grabbing storytelling session.
Get creative with your introduction by using one of the following,
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Engaging question
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Short story
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Vital stat
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Video
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Personal experience
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Famous quotation
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Expert opinion
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Physical object
Hola? Ni hao?
My name is...
Structure your presentation in a 3-stage format
Free-flowing your data in a presentation sometimes seems acceptable, as your audience will have the same time to absorb every piece of information. However, in practice, that is usually not true.
The human mind accepts information better if they are given in chunks. That is why it is highly advised to structure your presentation in 3 separate stages. This will ensure your story has a good flow that the audience can easily follow and digest.
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In stage one, begin your story with a hook and offer supporting information to the message you want to showcase.
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Use a relevant jump to your 2nd stage using data from your 1st theme.
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And finally, move on to your 3rd and final theme to finish your presentation with an impactful explanation along with information to support all three messages.
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Depending on your topic, you might have less thee three stages for your presentation. However, three is the maximum stage we recommend regardless of the focus topic of your presentation.
Summary
In order to maximize the potential of your presentation, you must follow an audience-focused approach before the craft.
Get creative with your greeting and grab the audience's attention within the first 45 seconds.
Quickly follow with a hook to keep them engaged.
Divide your whole story into three separate themes
Finally offer a concise recap and conclusion to hammer in the key message.
Theme 2
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Theme 3
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Hook
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Greeting
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Theme 2
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Theme 3
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