Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Types of Presentation Styles
Types of Presentation Styles
a) The storyteller
This style of presentation involves the speaker narrating stories and engaging the audience
emotionally.
Understand and know your audience: Knowing your audience will help you with how you
will frame your story, at the same time gauging the relevance of your narrative
Know your message: Be clear with what you want to convey through your story or how you
are connecting the story with your actual presentation
Try narrative a real-life story: Inspiring presenters often take their own stories or the stories
of people whom they know as a supplement to their presentation. When the audience listens
to your real-life examples, they become genuinely interested in your story
Add visual aids: Using visual aids such as pictures, videos, multimedia, etc., increases the
memory retention and engagement of your audience
Use the “you” attitude: Tell the story keeping your audience in mind because ultimately they
are going to be the receivers and hence, the story should be relevant and should include their
point of view as well
Most of us are visual learners, making visual information easy to understand and retain.
Visual aids like graphics, images, diagrams, key pointers or phrases, etc., are very useful when
giving any type of presentation.
Some :
Include only important pointers in your PowerPoint presentation and highlight or bold them
Try including visuals that complement what you are saying and use them as a
supplementary tool to aid in understanding your audience
If you are giving a business presentation and want to include visuals, instead of plain texts,
include graphics and charts to make information simpler to present and understand
Avoid overly complex visuals as it will confuse the audience more
Avoid using more than 6 lines per slide
c) Analytic style
If you have data records or statistical information to be presented, an analytic style will be more
helpful.
Give handouts so that the audience is on track with your presentation and the information
will be easier to comprehend
Focus and speak on selected data as too much data statistics can be overwhelming for the
audience
You can make use of humor and personal anecdotes to keep the presentation interesting
and engaging
If you have too much data and are worried that you will not be able to explain it in the time
frame given, avoid writing content of more than 2000 words
d) The Connector
Have a Q & A round with the audience at the end of your presentation for clarifying any
doubts and avoiding miscommunication
Use audience polls at the start of your presentation to know your audience and tailor your
speech accordingly
Make use of body language and gestures for delivering your presentation effectively. If you
are confused or want to know more about the aspects of how to use body and gestures,
check out our article on To walk or stand still: How should you present when on stage?
Ask questions to your audience at regular intervals for a better audience engagement
Make use of multimedia sources to keep your audience engaged and entertained
Presentation skills
Types Of Presentation
1. Informative Presentations
They are often analytical or require a rational analysis of the data presented.
Training sessions or one-day workshops are good examples where this kind of
presentation is used.Now, there are different situations where you can use
informative presentations.
a) Reporting
A perfect place to use informative presentations is news reporting, as it requires the presenter to
present information systematically.
b) Briefing
b) Research
Informative presentations are often used to present research findings to a specific
audience, as it involves reporting the findings and briefing it to the audience.
2. Persuasive presentations
If you are planning to give a persuasive presentation, and are looking for how to give
a persuasive speech, check out our article on A Comprehensive Guide to Writing a
Persuasive Speech to gain in-depth knowledge about the art of giving persuasive
presentations.
Persuasive presentations are also widely used form after informative presentations.
a) Policy-making
Government bodies make use of persuasion almost every time, be it the legislative
or decision-making bodies, executive bodies, or even courts.
b) Value judgment
This kind involves answering the question “why” and supplementing it with possible benefits.
Most Ted talks and YouTube videos try to persuade the audience and fall into the
persuasive presentation category.
3. Demonstrative presentations
This involves demonstrating a process or the functioning of a product in a step-by-
step fashion.
Usually, the audience is an active part of such presentations and these can work in
any context where you want the audience to learn a new skill.
a) Instructions
Teaching how to make a car model step-by-step is a good example where you can
use this kind of informative presentation to guide your audience.
This TED talk by Luvvie Ajayi Jones is humorous but a lot more inspirational. Check
it out!
5. Business presentations
a) Sales presentation
b) Training sessions
Often employees have on-the-job training sessions that are aimed to increase the
knowledge and skills of the employees.
b) Meetings
Meetings can be called for for different reasons and can be of different forms as well.
Conferences( both video and in-person), board meetings, informal team
meetings, daily reporting, etc., are all various contexts of meeting in a business
setting.
c) E- presentations
E- presentations existed before the COVID pandemic as well but were used seldom.
e) Seminars
It ends with a question and answers session, and the audience gets to take
handouts with them.
f) One-on-one or 1:1
Interviews are usually one-on-one and involve presenting your achievements and
capabilities to your prospective employer.
Apart from interviews, 1:1 meetings are also used in sales and marketing to crack
a business deal.
6. Powerpoint presentations
If you feel that you need to use them, provide the audience some background
information about the field or topic being covered
Avoid using more than 8 words per line, as anything more than that becomes
difficult to remember
Use bullets or a numbered list for better retention
Try not to read from your PPT
Give handouts or record your presentation in case anyone wants it
c) Repurpose PPTs
This involves reinventing an earlier ppt or combining 1 or more than 1 PowerPoints
Giving new touches to an earlier PPT or changing the format
You can take any slide of your PPT and upload it on social media for growing your
brand or business
You can even convert your PPT into mp4, i.e, video format
You can even add voice and save the mp4 format, and you have a good marketing
plan!
c) PechaKucha
d) Multimedia presentations
3. Power (volume) is one of the hardest to judge as we hear our own voice
very differently to how others hear us. If in any doubt ask for feedback or
record yourself and listen that way.
If you do need to make yourself heard, move your whole self closer to the
audience. Don’t lift your chin or push you face forward, which is what you
might think will help, as this can strain the larynx and has the opposite
effect, making your voice sound thin. Remember too that you don’t need to
shout to be heard. Lowering the pitch and volume of your voice can be
used to draw your audience in. And variety in volume is the key to keeping
attention.
4. Pronunciation is all about the clarity with which we speak. Ask yourself if
you open your mouth wide enough to be heard? Are you missing the
consonants off the ends of words or trailing away at the end of your
sentences? Audiences find it hard to process words or sentences that lose
their endings.
One of the most painful things in a presentation is listening to a presenter who is clearly
bored and uninterested in the topic. For a presentation to be effective, you need to get
the audience excited. It is almost impossible to excite your audience if you are dull or
monotonous. Show enthusiasm about the topic and people are more likely to be
engaged.
Along with being enthusiastic, you need to be honest. Even a distracted audience can
tell when a presenter is lying or exaggerating. If they sense you are not being honest
with them, both you and your presentation will lose credibility. A great presenter is
honest and transparent with the audience, while simultaneously showing enthusiasm
about everything.
Effective presenters build and deliver presentations centered around the audience, not
themselves. Focus on what the audience can get out of your presentation.
The key to any great presentation is engaging and appealing to your audience. Each
audience is different, so it is important to keep in mind the people you are talking to and
what interests them. You are more likely to gain their attention if the topic is relevant and
helpful for them.
Great presenters know how to make complex topics simple. Often, you will give a
presentation to a group of people who do not have any previous knowledge about the
topic. If you use complex language or concepts, you will confuse your audience and they
will not listen as attentively.
A presentation is essentially a teaching tool. You are teaching your audience about the
topic. Any great teacher knows that you need to simplify things to ensure everyone can
learn and understand what you are trying to say. Effective presenters can do this for
their audience.
4.Being Personable
Being personable is a great quality for every aspect of business, including presentations.
People will listen more intently if they like you and see you as relatable. Some good
ways to be personable are by making eye contact with your audience and smiling. These
simple actions build rapport and increase the chances of the audience feeling like they
can connect with you.
4. Great Body Language
Your body language says more than you think. More than three-quarters of
communication is non-verbal. Though your speaking holds the meaning, body language
could determine whether an audience listens to you and how they interpret your speech.
Great presenters stand up straight and confidently. They do not cross their arms in front
of their chest, as this comes off as cold and distant. They also avoid pacing or holding
their hands behind their backs because it makes them seem nervous. Keep your body
language open and welcoming, and your audience will see you as more credible and
trustworthy.
Presentation slides and visual aids are not the same as notes. Do not just
write everything down and read it off to your audience. Visual aids are there
to add to a presentation, not replace it. Use it to reinforce your points with
graphics or images, but not to repeat your words.
Tips To Improve Your Presentation Skills
Speak loud enough for everyone in the room to hear you. Make an effort to enunciate your
words so that everyone can clearly understand what you are saying. Practice this by
recording your voice.
Unless you are presenting something quite serious, consider adding a little humor into your
presentation. This can lighten the mood and keep people interested in what you have to say.
Think of a work-appropriate joke to start off your presentation.
Often, when people feel nervous, they speak faster. When practicing your presentation,
make an effort to slow down. You want everyone to clearly hear your ideas and have time to
process them.
Bring a bottle of water to your presentation. This is quite helpful when your throat starts to feel
scratchy from talking. It is also a great way to take a natural pause and prepare for your next
thought.
Before you begin your presentation, feel free to chat with your audience as people are getting
settled. This can help you feel more comfortable and create a connection with your audience.
Find a quiet, private room to do some mental and physical preparation. You can mentally prepare by
telling yourself positive affirmations. "I can do this," “I am a good speaker" and "I have
interesting things to say" are all helpful reminders. You can physically prepare with some deep
breathing, stretches and power stances
Smile.
Smiling increases endorphins, replacing anxiety with calm and making
you feel good about your presentation. Smiling also exhibits confidence
and enthusiasm to the crowd. And this tip works even if you’re doing a
webinar and people can’t see you.