How To Create Impactful Presentations For Your Business
Long ago, I remember timidly standing in front of my high school class, notes in hand and projector on, terrified about what I was about to do. It was my turn to give a presentation and I was clueless! Clip art graphics and poorly designed slides gave my classmates little interest in what I had to say. Sound familiar?
Gone are the days of shaky presentations created hastily and with little skill. Luckily, presentation design has come a long way and today there are so many ways to make your presentations stand out.
What Is a Presentation?
So, what is a presentation? Presentations come in many forms and have many purposes, depending on your needs. Presentations are made up of ideas, stories, words, and images that use raw data to convey information. The goal of a great presentation is to convince your audience to listen to you.
Today’s presentations are largely digital, but print is definitely not dead. Materials that can function both digitally and on paper can really make an impact. Plus, creating materials both digitally and in print gives you reach to any member of your audience, no matter their preference.
Most professionals today consider there to be 6 common types of presentation design. Each type can fill a different void. For example, a progress report could be a great option for a startup looking to keep investors up to date.
Determining the right type of presentation style for your work can be tricky. Making sure that you tailor your information for your audience and present it in a way that makes sense is key to a great presentation.
6 Types of Presentations That Businesses Use Today
In today’s business world, there are 6 main presentation types used. Each offers a unique solution to a problem. How do you know what type of presentation you should use to communicate your message effectively? We’ll help break down the ins and outs of each type of presentation style and help you find the best options for your business.
Types of Presentations:
- Informative Presentations
Informative presentations get to the point! They are used as tools in educating your audience. The main goal is always to share information. Keep them short and straightforward!
- Teaching Presentations
Teaching presentations are similar in many ways to Informative presentations, except they go a bit further. The intention of these types of presentations is to teach your audience something and leave them with new knowledge and skills.
- Persuasive Presentations
Persuasive presentations take a problem and offer a valuable solution. Often these are used to sell a product, idea, or service.
- Motivational Presentations
Motivational presentations inspire the audience to change their behaviors and thoughts. Emotion is used to draw in the audience and create a connection to what you’re offering.
- Sales Presentation
A good sales presentation focuses on the needs of the client. These presentations create value and lead clients to the action you want.
- Progress Presentations
Progress presentations focus on delivering the latest information on how your campaigns are meeting their goals. This type of presentation includes deliverable updates, talking points and allows your audience to ask questions at the end. Here, numbers and details are your friends!
Getting your message right gives employees, investors, and consumers confidence in what you do. If your presentation material falls flat, you miss an important chance to reach your audience.
Today’s business environment demands top-notch materials across all platforms. Consumers expect a brand to carry a consistent look and feel throughout the brand.
Presentation materials are no exception! As a critical part of any business, those need to shine too!
What Value Can Great Presentations Add To Your Business?
Like any other part of your business, powerful presentations can make or break your brand. The poor presentation material can make investors wary of what you’re offering. That won’t help you reach your goals!
A professional image means everything to a business. Investors and employees gain confidence in your brand when the message is clear, but that confidence can get skewed when materials are sub-par. Creating digital marketing material that’s in line with your brand message and stays consistent is just one of many ways to appeal to your audience, employees, and potential investors.
We know how hard it is to find good talent, let alone keep them! Retaining employees saves a business time, resources, and headaches. Employees tend to stay with businesses when they believe in the vision and message. Keeping employees is good for business and giving your employees what they need is a win for everyone.
Ways To Improve Your Presentations
Now that you understand WHY presentations matter, you’re probably asking how you can improve. We’ve put together a list of ways your presentation material can stand out, help grow confidence, and convey a more professional image:
- Know What You’re Talking About
Know your material inside + out before you present it.
- Look Alive!
If you act uninterested in what you’re presenting, chances are your audience will as well.
- Practice Makes Perfect
Many of us are put off by our fears of public speaking, so practice before the pitch!
- Open Strong
Come out the door with your best talking points, data, and engaging information. Hook your audience from your first sentence.
- Use Images and Graphs
Words get lost without images. As a matter of fact, your brain can process images in as little as 13 milliseconds!
Using these ideas will not only help your presentations become more effective, they’ll help your entire business.
How We Can Help
Creating cohesive marketing material and presentations is the job of a graphic designer. They’ll help streamline your business collateral into easy-to-understand and aesthetically pleasing material that your audience will understand. A good graphic designer is skilled at creating presentations that are impactful. They can help you create materials that excite your audience, convey the right information, look professional, and stand out. Working with a graphic designer is the smart choice!
At Hard Pressed Creative we do this every day. We specialize in creating awesome pitch decks, internal + external communication material, Investor decks, insight briefs, and annual reports. Whether you’re starting from the ground up or rebranding, we can help.
Don’t settle for less when it comes to your presentation materials. Consumers have so many choices today and you’ve got to stay ahead of the curve!
Showing your values + ideas, connecting with your audience, and putting energy into your presentations will give big rewards. Small changes in how you present your business lead to incredible results. That’s what we want for you.
What do you struggle with when creating presentations for your business?
Comment below!
