How to Make a Business Presentation in 7 Easy Steps [Free Business Presentation Templates]

How to Craft and Deliver a Winning Business Presentation

As a business professional, being able to create and deliver compelling presentations is an essential skill. Whether you‘re pitching a new idea, providing a project update, sharing data and insights, or trying to motivate your team, a well-crafted presentation can make all the difference.

But for many people, the idea of public speaking and presenting to an audience, even a familiar one, can be daunting. The good news is that with the right approach and some practice, anyone can become a more skilled and confident presenter.

Here is a 7-step process to help you plan, create and deliver a winning business presentation every time:

1. Start with a clear plan and outline.
   Before you even think about creating slides, take the time to map out a clear plan for your presentation. What are the key points you need to get across? What story do you want to tell? How can you logically organize your content for maximum impact?

Create an outline that includes your intro and conclusion, 3-4 main points you want the audience to take away, and supporting evidence and examples for each point. Writing this out will keep you focused and ensure you build a presentation that is on-target, versus just throwing together a bunch of semi-related slides.

Your outline is also a good gut check on whether you have enough valuable content to fill your given time slot. A simple rule of thumb is 1-2 minutes of speaking time per slide.

2. Choose the right slide template for your topic and audience.
   With your outline in hand, now you can start translating it into an engaging slide deck. But resist the urge to just open up PowerPoint and start typing. First, think about the right template and visual style for your specific presentation.

In general, the more formal your audience and topic, the more restrained and conservative your slide template should be. Neutral colors, clean lines and traditional fonts are a safe choice. For presentations on serious topics like financial data, research findings or high-stakes decisions, you want a slide style that conveys credibility.

On the flip side, if your workplace is more casual or creative, you have more leeway to use colorful and modern slide templates. This can work especially well for team presentations and brainstorming sessions. Visual interest will help keep your audience engaged.

Also consider your own personal branding and presentation style. If you‘re known for humor and high energy, choose a slide template that‘s fun and a bit unexpected. But if you want to establish yourself as a trusted expert and strategic thinker, use a template with a sleek, professional vibe.

3. Open strong with a story and some humor.
   Now that you have your outline and slides ready, plan how you will capture your audience‘s attention right from the start. The best presentations often open with a personal anecdote, a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a tasteful joke.

Stories are especially impactful because they humanize the speaker and quickly create a sense of connection and shared experience with the audience. When told well, stories create an emotional hook that keeps people engaged with the topic. You don‘t need an epic tale – often simple, relatable stories from everyday life work best.

For example, I once saw a product manager begin a presentation about a website redesign by sharing a funny story of trying to buy new jeans online and getting totally frustrated by the bad user experience. This amusing tale got a big laugh and set the stage perfectly for his pitch on improving the UX and UI of the company website.

The key is to pick an opening anecdote that you can smoothly tie to your main point. Personal stories work well because they help establish credibility and give the audience a glimpse of your authentic personality.

Adding a dose of humor, when appropriate for your audience, is another way to put people at ease and make your presentation memorable. So find opportunities to add in a lighthearted comment or humorous visual to keep the mood upbeat.

4. Make your key points "sticky" with verbal signposts.
   Throughout your presentation, use clear verbal cues to highlight your main takeaways. I call these "signposts" because they guide your audience to your most important points and make them extra sticky.

After your opening, preview the 3-4 key points you‘ll be covering. Give each one a vivid, memorable name, almost like a slogan. For example, "First I‘ll explain why User Research is our Secret Weapon. Then I‘ll share why Rapid Prototyping is the Fast Path to Innovation. And finally, I‘ll show how Ongoing Testing is the Way We Wow Our Customers."

Repeat these catchy phrases each time you transition to a new section. And then review them again as part of your strong closing. Even if people forget some of the finer details, they‘ll walk away with your main themes echoing in their heads.

Numbering your points and having a clear agenda slide also helps keep your audience oriented. Preview what‘s coming and continually refer back to your roadmap.

5. Use compelling visuals to reinforce your message.
   One of the biggest mistakes I see in business presentations is overloading slides with way too much text and data. When you cram a ton of words on screen, you‘ll invariably lose your audience‘s attention as they tune you out and squint at your slides trying to decipher them.

Instead, make your slides visual. Replace long bullet lists and complex charts with simple graphics and images that reinforce your point. Put the bulk of the text in your speaker notes rather than on the slides themselves. Give people just enough visual content to stay oriented, without overwhelming them.

Photos, icons and graphic elements are quickly becoming the dominant form of communication in our digital world. People‘s brains are wired to process visual input much faster than text alone. So take advantage of that fact and rely on visuals more than words in your slides.

Of course, for some presentations containing detailed data is unavoidable. In those cases, use clean designs and build your data points line by line so the audience can absorb the information rather than being bombarded with it all at once. And always explain in your speaker notes what the key insights are – don‘t make people decipher a complex chart on their own.

6. Break up the presentation with audience interaction.
   Even the most fascinating presentation can hit an energy lull. To keep your audience engaged and energized, plan a few moments of interaction. Fortunately there are many simple ways to do this:

• Kick off with a show of hands: "Who here has ever struggled to assemble IKEA furniture? Okay, about half the room – you feel my pain!"

• Do a quick live poll: "Based on what you‘ve heard so far, if you had to vote on concept A or concept B, which would you pick? Raise your hand for A….now raise your hand for B. Looks like we have a slight preference for A, but it‘s a tough call."

• Ask people to reflect for a moment: "I‘ve thrown a lot of information at you. Take 30 seconds to review your notes and then I‘m going to have you share one key insight with the person next to you."

• Get physical: "To illustrate the sheer volume of customer service calls we handle, I need everyone to stand up for a second. Now look at the person to your right – that‘s about how many calls we get every 5 minutes!"

The point is to find quick, easy ways to change the dynamic in the room and re-engage people‘s attention. It also makes the presentation more fun and memorable. You just need 2-3 interactions sprinkled throughout your agenda.

7. Hold back some notable extras for the Q&A.
   In the best presentations, the formal talk is really just the beginning. The subsequent question and answer period allows for crucial dialogue and gives you a chance to reinforce your expertise on the subject matter.

To make your Q&A really valuable, plan ahead. Have a few "bonus" data points in your back pocket that didn‘t fit in the main presentation. Revealing them in response to questions makes it feel spontaneous and shows you‘ve really done your research.

Also jot down a few questions that you expect to get and practice succinct yet thorough answers. Have additional slides ready to bring up if needed to support your responses visually. Handling questions with poise makes you look brilliantly prepared.

If you‘re worried no one will ask questions, write 2-3 you can ask yourself: "One thing I‘m often asked is…" and then answer it like a pro. Just be ready to facilitate a two-way dialogue as well.

Strengthening Your Business Presentation Skills

Giving presentations is a core skill for business leaders and one well worth developing. Like any skill, creating and delivering presentations takes practice.

Start by observing great presenters you admire and analyzing what makes their talks so engaging. Notice their storytelling techniques, their slide designs, and their special flourishes. Adapt some of their approaches to fit your own personal style.

When preparing for a presentation, give yourself plenty of time to craft your content thoughtfully and rehearse your delivery multiple times. Present for a few trusted colleagues and ask for specific feedback on what worked well and where you could improve.

With focus and repetition, you‘ll continuously get better at developing and delivering presentations that inform, persuade and inspire. And that‘s a powerful asset to have in your professional toolkit.

So the next time you have an opportunity to present, embrace it with enthusiasm – and then wow your audience by putting these seven tips into action. You‘ve got this!