The power of an engaging slide deck: A before and after exercise

As a frequent conference attendee, I count myself lucky to have sat through numerous presentations on groundbreaking projects, products or ideas. Many of them have had the potential to solve someof the biggest challenges facing the planet.

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While presentations are at times breathtaking in their vision, what can be heartbreaking is how often presenters sell themselves short. With their presentation lacking flow, storyline and visually captivating slides, the value of their offer is lost, and the audience loses interest.

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‍Get your audience engaged

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Conference audiences are more likely to be engaged and take action in response to a story rather than a lecture.

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Actually, 90% of people believe that a strong narrative in a presentation is critical for engagement.

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To show this in action we developed a before and after slide deck and call out what works and what doesn’t. The aim is to provide an example of how storytelling combined with eye-catching visuals can make a colossal difference to keeping any audience rapt.

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Given our expertise working with energy sector clients, we demonstrate this magic at work through a hydrogen industry example.

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So let us introduce you to fictitious company Elemental Energy and their project, the Western Hydrogen Superhub.

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With a growing number of hydrogen mega projects emerging across Australia in the past five years, it’s becoming increasingly hard to stand out amongst competitors, attract investors and lock in offtakers.

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To set yourself apart from the rest you need to tell a story. And what a great story these projects have to share! Contributing to the development of a brand-new industry all while tackling climate change and helping Australia achieve its renewable energy superpower ambitions.

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So, let’s take a look at the two versions we prepared below.

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Before

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After

What’s working

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Key aspects of what’s working in the reinvigorated presentation are summarised below.

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#1 Big idea

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The big idea is what compels the audience to change their thinking or behavior.

A powerful big idea should be repeated throughout any presentation.

The slides above do this by incorporating key statement slides throughout and ensuring every slide links back to the ‘big idea’, in this instance how hydrogen will tackle climate change.

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#2 Storytelling

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Every good story contains characters, conflict and a resolution.

The presentation sets the scene by firstly introducing the character, Elemental Energy.

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It then establishes obvious conflict in the form of the global challenge presented by climate change and closes with the company’s response to this, their hydrogen superhub project, and how it will be delivered by the proponents.

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#3 Clear call to action

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Including a clear call to action is essential. Otherwise, what's the point of the presentation?

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Every effective presentation should compel the audience to take some form of action. Often, however, requests for the audience are missing altogether. The result is confusion about what the presenter was actually trying to achieve.

The updated presentation makes it clear what the presenter wants from their audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.

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#4 Attractive design elements

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Graphic design elements are an essential part in creating a more visually appealing deck.

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We've added icons, illustrations, and images throughout to make the slides more attractive, engaging and easy to digest.

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Key changes include:

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•  Using graphics to present complex data
• Keeping dot points and text to a minimum
• Using images strategically
• Limiting each slide to one or two ideas

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Together, these changes have resulted in a visually compelling presentation that's far more likely to win over audiences than the original version.

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An on-point presentation for your business

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Whether it be speaking at a conference, client pitch or boardroom meeting, presentations are an essential tool for doing business. It’s therefore critical to get them right!

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Visually unattractive decks that lack a clear narrative aren’t only dull for your audience, they could also see you missing out on big opportunities too.

When you have a high-stakes presentation, making the right impression is everything. It’s worth engaging the professionals to guarantee that you don’t miss the mark.

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With experience working across industries, we’ve developed numerous presentations from the ground up aimed at securing partners, investment or new customers for some of Australia’s best and brightest companies.

Speak with our team to learn more about how Presented can assist you to truly shine in your next presentation.

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Get in touch to start a discussion about your project.

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