Presentation 101: Here’s how to NOT overwhelm (bore) your audience

In a dream scenario, your presentation would WOW them all, standing ovation... but let’s start with the basics to keep your audience engaged! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting some simple presentation design tips (just look for “Presentation 101”) that will help you grab—and keep!—your audience’s attention and ensure they leave with the message you intend to communicate. Let’s be real, this alone is a feat in a world where literally everything is designed to focus your attention elsewhere. Is that the new-text-vibrate or the Instagram-DM-vibrate you just felt?

In this first installment of Presentation 101, let’s talk about grouping information and setting clear communication expectations with your audience. While the topic of your presentation may make you totally light up inside—you could talk about this all day!—it’s helpful to give your audience a few hints that (1) you definitely are prepared and following a script and (2) you are going to let them know where you are in the flow of the presentation so they can focus on what you’re saying instead of wondering how much longer they have to listen.

Here are a few ways to get you there:

1. Setting expectations for the cadence of your presentation can be verbal or visual. With a short presentation there’s no need to add slides just to categorize your already streamlined ideas, just communicate the main points you’ll cover and then dive in.

2. To keep things organized and flowing, break your presentation into groups. Use note cards or outlines to make sure your topics work together and you are taking the audience on a clear journey to the conclusion.

3. Once the topic groups are identified, label them. Work to make the labels consistent in length and terminology. These topic slides become a visual key the viewer can use to follow along in your talk. The key can be visualized in several ways, and can be a great place to introduce imagery.