In a business presentation, your audience is the hero of the story. And just like any hero's journey, they are on a quest to learn something new and overcome a challenge. By making your audience the center of attention, you can build a deeper connection and ensure your message is well-received.
As the presenter, it's your job to guide your audience on this journey and make them the star of the show. Here are 5 things you can do to make your audience the headliner of your presentation.
Know your audience
Before you start creating your presentation slides, take the time to understand your audience's needs and what they hope to gain from your presentation. This will help you tailor your message to ensure it resonates. You should also take some time to understand your audience’s presentation preferences. Are they visual learners or are images distracting? Do they prefer bulleted lists over blocks of text? Knowing what type of presentation elements to include will help you engage your audience more effectively.
Open with purpose
Don’t make the audience guess what your presentation is about—open with your main takeaway. This helps align your audience—the hero—with the goal and purpose of your presentation so that they will be more invested in the content. After you open with purpose, you can use the rest of your presentation to provide supplemental information that supports and emphasizes your main takeaway.
Make it relatable
Include relevant examples and anecdotes that your audience can relate to in your presentation. Stories allow you to share information in a way that creates an emotional connection, which helps your audience see themselves as the hero of the story and makes your presentation more memorable for them.
Be interactive
A good way to keep your audience engaged is by opening up your presentation for questions and an active discussion. Giving your audience the opportunity to solve problems or make decisions further emphasizes that they are the main attraction and will help them stay focused and interested in your presentation.
Close with action
At the end of your presentation, provide your audience with specific steps they can take to achieve their goals. This helps emphasize that they are the hero of this story and empowers them to take charge of their own journey.
Supercharge your presentations
Every hero needs a sidekick—and yours should be Prezent!
With Prezent, the AI-powered presentation productivity platform, you can build customized business presentations in minutes. Prezent’s ML algorithm makes it easy for you to put your audience at the center of your presentation by collecting their personal preferences and tailoring your slide designs to fit their presentation needs.
Prezent’s master communication technology is built from analyzing more than 10 million business slides and presentations to create structured presentation shells based on key business storylines and objectives. The platforms media library houses all your company branding, colors, and logos—so you can design brand-approved presentations with ease. No design experience is required!
