How to Give a Presentation: A Complete Guide (Types, Steps, Skills & Delivery)

Giving a presentation should feel like having a conversation with your audience. However, for many of us, it often feels like going through a survival course. 

You might think luck and natural abilities are what separates good presenters from bad ones, but it’s actually preparation. 

So, read our full guide on how to give a presentation, and learn everything you need to know about presentation types, steps, and skills.

• A good presentation is simple, clear, and engaging. It caters to the needs of the audience, and it is confidently delivered.
• To prepare for a presentation, you need to do research, structure the presentation and the slides, and practice your delivery.
• To hook your audience from the start, open the presentation with an interesting or shocking statistic, a bold statement, or a provocative question.
• If you’re struggling with anxiety, prepare for the presentation, try to focus on excitement rather than fear, focus on the topic, present it slowly, don’t dwell on mistakes, ask for feedback, etc.
• To end a presentation, reiterate your key points, include a call to action, give clear options to keep the conversation going, thank everyone, and ask for feedback.

What makes a good presentation? 

A good presentation is simple, clear, and engaging, as well as confidently delivered. The 5 key elements of a good presentation are:

1. Clear structure
2. Audience awareness
3. Memorable visuals
4. Confident delivery
5. Engaging storytelling

Include these elements regardless of your presentation’s purpose, whether to inform, educate, persuade, or entertain. 

While these goals apply universally, your presentation’s specific type and style will dictate the outcome. Expected results range from knowledge transfer and improved client relationships to career growth.

4 types of presentations

Each purpose or goal corresponds to a certain presentation type, and these types differ in structure. There are 4 different types of presentation:

1. Informative. Analytical and informational, these presentations have a goal to transfer knowledge, data, or information. Information presented has to be precise and correct and have real educational value. When presenting, try to engage your audience with visuals of your data to help them understand it.
2. Persuasive. The point of this type of presentation is to persuade your audience, change their minds, or offer a new point of view that will make them take action. Often used when demonstrating a new product or service, these presentations require confident delivery. 
3. Motivational. Designed to inspire, encourage, or energize the audience to behave in a certain way, motivational presentations play on the emotions of the audience. Pick a powerful topic, and use personal stories and examples to move people and help them relate to you. 
4. Instructive. Technical, precise, and focused, these presentations are designed to teach a specific process, skill, or knowledge. Often used for employee training sessions, academic lectures, and tutorials, they require clear, understandable, and easy to follow content.

7 common presentation styles

Still wondering how to give a successful presentation? Aside from picking the right presentation type, the key is to also find your style. 

Everything from your vocabulary to your tone defines your presenting style. Some common presentation styles are:

1. Storyteller. Engages the audience with a narrative arc that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. It positions the audience as the hero, builds tension around a problem, and leads to a memorable resolution.
2. Instructor. Uses metaphors to get the message across to the audience, but has more of a commanding voice than the Storyteller. Carefully aligns the story and the data in a logical and compelling manner, leaving the audience convinced and educated.
3. Closer. Demands action from the audience. Presenters who opt for this style want their audience to not only learn something new but also get up from their seats with a newfound urge to take action. 
4. Connector. Connects with the audience by building rapport and encouraging open dialogue. The Connector is both a presenter and a member of the audience and relies on active audience participation. 
5. Coach. Guides the audience with their own enthusiasm for the subject. Used mainly in motivational speeches, this style allows the coaches to use their knowledge and personal experience to drive the audience to feel the same passion about the subject they do.
6. Lessig style. Invented by Lawrence Lessig, who thought a speaker should spend only 15 seconds on each slide or point during a presentation. This style usually goes very well with the visual style. 
7. Visual style. Uses visual aids to present and transfer knowledge, data, or information to the audience.

In the table below, you’ll find the characteristics, pros, and cons of each style, as well as what they are most useful for.

To pick the right style for your presentation, you need to determine:

• The type of audience 
• Their needs
• Your goals

Once you know who you’re speaking to, what you want to tell them and why, you’ll have no trouble picking one of the 7 styles above (or a combination of several of them). 

However, knowing the style of your presentation is just one part of the preparation. Next up, we’ll get into everything else you need to know.

How to prepare for a presentation 

Overall, we can divide presentation prep into 3 vital steps:

1. Research
2. Structure
3. Practice

Let’s take a deeper look into what each step entails. 

#1: Do research

Before anything else, you should do research (even if you’re presenting on a topic you’re an expert on). Thorough research will help you:

• Find your core message — this is the entire point and the main takeaway of your presentation, and it should be simple and direct.
• Define the purpose (goal) of your presentation — knowing your goal will help you determine which type of presentation you need to prepare for.
• Learn more about your audience — find out what your audience already knows and what they’re looking to learn or get from your presentation.

Consider your audience and adjust your presentation to their level of knowledge, sensibilities, and needs. 

If you can’t gauge their knowledge, start with the assumption your audience knows nothing. That way, you won’t forget to explain or present basic information. 

To make your audience care about what you’re saying, you need to ensure that:

• No one struggles to keep up with the presentation.
• Everyone leaves with a new piece of knowledge or information.

#2: Create a structure

Even if you know the subject of your presentation by heart, create an outline of what you want to say. Structuring your presentation into a beginning, middle, and end will turn your speech into an easy-to-follow story. Make your introduction strong, your body clear, and your conclusion memorable.

Always prepare notes that you can follow. Some people think that having slides is enough, but having short notes that will serve as cues and reminders while you talk will come in handy. 

Speaking of slides, always ensure your slides are clean and not crowded with text. Otherwise, you risk overwhelming your audience with too much text, which will make them shift their focus from you to the slides. Use short, impactful phrases and quality visuals to: 

• Emphasize a point you’re making. 
• Reinforce your ideas. 
• Add color and texture to the presentation. 

If you’re having trouble structuring your slides, try one of the 2 following rules:

1. The 5-5-5 rule: no more than 5 words per line, 5 lines per slide, and 5 text-heavy slides per presentation. 
2. The 10-20-30 rule: no more than 10 slides per show, no longer than 20 minutes, and no more than 30 point size for your font.

#3: Practice, practice, practice 

Practicing what you plan on saying during your presentation is the key to success. The more you practice, the more ready you will feel — and when you feel prepared, your nerves will ease up and allow for a smooth delivery.

Make sure to rehearse out loud, multiple times. This will build muscle memory and give you plenty of opportunity to check your timing. It’s also a good idea to record yourself or practice with a coworker, as it will allow you to spot areas for improvement.

Bonus tip: Presentation prep for remote teams

If you’re delivering your presentation in person, make sure all your technology works. You don’t want to be stuck in front of your audience, clicking a remote that refuses to release your next slide. 

If you’re delivering a presentation remotely, then you’ll need to make extra sure technology won’t fail you. Test your screen sharing software several times — both on your own and with a coworker. 

If your team chat app has screen sharing capabilities, you might be tempted to think you don’t have to practice. After all, you use that tool every day. However, if hosting presentations isn’t something you usually do, you’ll want to get familiar with the software beforehand. Learn all the buttons you have to click to make sure everything works and everyone can see your presentation. 

Even with a tool like Pumble, which allows for one-click screen sharing, it’s good to practice a bit before you start presenting. 

Hold presentations on Pumble

How to start a presentation

When planning their speeches, most people get stuck on presentation starting words. How do they begin? Which words do they open with?
To properly start a presentation, you should:

• Introduce yourself.
• Hook the audience with an interesting opening (a surprising fact, interesting anecdote, or a joke).
• State your core purpose.

The body of a speech contains most of the information you want to share with the audience and the conclusion allows you to invite the audience to take action. However, it’s the introduction that persuades them to listen to you in the first place.

As the Associate Professor of Professional Practice & Communication at Rutgers University Mark Beal told us, starting off on the right foot is vital.

“It is critically important to engage your audience immediately at the start of a presentation in a high-energy manner, or you could lose them to their mobile phone or laptop and you may never get them back.”

In addition to capturing the audience’s attention, your introduction also needs to establish your authority. You can do that by following some of the 10 presentation tips below or adapting one of the practical examples we included.

#1: Exude confidence

You want the audience to see you as someone who knows what they’re talking about. Use nonverbal cues to project confidence: make eye contact, don’t fidget, and project your words.

#2: Drop the pleasantries

Don’t waste time on small talk. After a brief introduction, move right on to your presentation.

#3: Prove your expertise 

Get someone else to introduce you and establish your credibility before you start your presentation. Alternatively, hook the audience with a good opener, and then introduce yourself right before you head into the main part of the speech.

Example: “Users spend just 21 seconds deciding whether to click on a phishing link. I’m here to teach you how to use those 21 seconds wisely. Hello, everyone. I’m Nick Mulder, the head of the security department. I’m here to talk to you about phishing.”

#4: Begin with a realistic promise

Explain what the audience stands to gain from your presentation. This keeps the audience engaged. 

Example: “By the end of my talk, you’ll be able to spot phishing emails and understand the steps you need to take when you do.”

#5: Go for the drama

Start with a fun story, a startling statement, or a moving tale to induce excitement and keep your audience’s mood elevated throughout your presentation.

Example: “In a few seconds, I’m going to show you a slide that’s been 10 years in the making!”

#6: Fall back on an insightful quote or a pop culture reference

Quoting a particularly impressive individual or a well-known piece of content is a good way to “borrow” their authority.

Example: “I’ll try to explain it simply because, as Albert Einstein once said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’” 

#7: Share an interesting statistic

Numbers can be quite impactful and memorable, just make sure to cite your sources (and pick credible ones).

Example: “According to APWG, the number of wire transfer Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks increased by 59% in the third quarter of 2025.”

#8: Ask questions

A presentation shouldn’t be a monologue, so engage your audience by asking questions. You can ask direct questions or rhetorical ones.

#9: Relieve tension with a joke or a humorous statement

Cracking a joke at the top of your presentation sets the scene for a lighthearted conversation and makes you appear confident (even if you’re not).

Example: “Did you know that staff retention is more likely to be improved by offering better working conditions than by chaining employees to their desks? Who would have thought!”

#10: Use visual tools

Use images, videos, printed materials, data charts, or even physical props — anything that will make your presentation more dynamic.

How to deliver your presentation: Methods and techniques

OK, you started strong. Does that mean you know how to give a good presentation now?

Well, there’s still work to be done. Aside from using the tips above throughout your presentation, you can also turn to one of the 4 presentation methods:

1. Impromptu or unscripted method — giving an emotionally charged speech on the spot, letting passion guide what you’ll say. 
2. Memorizing method — writing down a speech and memorizing it start to finish. 
3. Extemporaneous method — a combination of the previous two methods. Prepare and practice so you know what to say, but deliver the presentation in your own words and a conversational manner.
4. Scripting method — reading a written speech to an audience.

If these methods seem rigid, that’s because the ideal method for giving a presentation is to use a combination of them all and employ some presentation techniques like practicing, using visual aids, incorporating personal stories, using the right presentation style, etc.

How to engage your audience

All the methods and techniques in the world won’t help you if you have a disengaged audience. Luckily, we already gave you the answer on how to engage your audience — tell them a story.

According to recent research, speakers are more likely to create memorable and engaging presentations if they use personal anecdotes, created narratives, or shared experience.

And, if you pair your engaging story with strong visuals, your audience is more likely to remember your presentation even after some time has passed. As a 2025 research paper states, people are more likely to retain visuals in long-term memory than they are words. 

Figuring out how to engage your audience is especially important for those of us giving remote presentations via video conferencing. In person, you can just call on someone you’ve noticed making eye contact with you. That’s not that easy to do when you’re giving an online presentation. 

Luckily, tools like Pumble offer features that can help. For example, you can invite audience members to participate by sending reactions during your presentation. Alternatively, if you’re looking for more high-level participation, you can prepare a poll and send it to them during your presentation. 

Explore Pumble by CAKE.com

Use screen sharing, meeting recording, and other features to give your presentation skills a boost.

Sign up See features

How to manage presentation nerves

Fear of public speaking affects 75% of people. So if you think you’re the only one sweating bullets before having to give a presentation at work, trust us when we say — you’re not. 

Speaking in front of people opens us up to judgment and rejection, so having some fears is quite justified. But, fear doesn’t have to define you. According to Linda Whiteside, a licensed clinical counselor, fearing public speaking doesn’t have to mean you’ll never be able to do it:

“Public speaking is a skill, and just like every skill, once you keep doing it you become better at it, and eventually it becomes second nature.”

So, as you probably guessed by now, our first tip for not being nervous during a presentation is to practice. The rest are:

1. Prepare and organize. Make sure that you completely understand the topic you’re covering by researching as much as possible. Organize the presentation into distinct sections, and memorize the sequence of your talking points to always know what’s next.
2. Accept fear and turn it into excitement. Accept that you’re scared and tell yourself that you’ll do it regardless. Try to think positively so your anxiousness slips into excitement. 
3. Focus on the topic, not the audience. If presenting to a lot of people is difficult, try to focus on the presentation at first, instead of them.
4. Slow down. Don’t rush through the presentation, as that will make you slur your speech or forget important points. 
5. Remember what the audience thinks. The audience is convinced you’re an expert and they want the presentation to be good. So, they believe in you even if you don’t.
6. Make eye contact. Maintaining eye contact with the audience is key to a confident speaking experience.
7. Don’t obsess over mistakes. The audience won’t know you made a mistake, so don’t waste time agonizing over it.
8. Ask for feedback. Ask the members of your audience what they liked and disliked about your presentation, and use it to improve your skills. 

If you keep these things in mind, you’ll deliver a successful presentation before you know it. Now, all you need is a memorable ending to seal the deal.

How to end a presentation

You may have delivered valuable insights during your presentation, but if you don’t bring them together in a way that truly lands, your message fades fast. 

A well-crafted ending helps tie everything together and reinforces what matters most. Most importantly, it gives your audience something concrete to walk away with. 

To that end, we have highlighted the top 4 tips that can help you wrap up your presentation:

1. Reiterate the key points and your core message. 
2. Call to action.
3. Keep the conversation going.
4. Thank the audience and ask them for feedback.

Let’s take a closer look at each one

#1: Reiterate the key points and your core message

Making sure the audience remembers your main points is one of the most important objectives your conclusion should accomplish.

As advised by Mark Beal, you should dedicate some time at the end of your speech to reinforcing what you were trying to say throughout your presentation.

“Most audience members will not recall more than 3 messages. Some may only recall 1 or 2. With that [in mind], an engaging and effective presentation should conclude with the 3 messages the presenter wants the audience to take away.”

In essence, you’ll want to summarize your presentation by reiterating up to 3 key points and then repeating your thesis statement.

To make your recap more impactful, you can sum up your key points into a 2-minute video message and send it to your team chat app to keep the absent stakeholders in the loop. This will help people get up to speed quickly, without having to sift through the entire presentation deck.

Keep everyone in the loop with Pumble

#2: Call to action

According to the authors of “Communicating at Work,” there are 2 ways to deliver a call to action at the end of your presentation. Namely, you can either phrase it as:

1. An appeal or a question (e.g., “If any of this sounds interesting, you can learn more by signing up for our newsletter through the link on the screen behind me.”)
2. A challenge or a demand (e.g., “Now, you can keep doing what you’re doing and getting lackluster results. Or, you can sign up for our newsletter to receive tips that will help you upgrade your strategy.”)

Here are a couple of examples of calls to action that you can adapt and use at the end of your presentation.

“Remember, even if you happen to open a phishing email, you’ll be able to deal with it easily by forwarding it to this email address. That’s the main thing you need to remember from this talk.”

“I bet many of you could come up with even more creative ways to incorporate AI into your marketing campaigns. So, how about this: if you fill out the form I’m about to send you, I’ll check in with you in about 3 months. Those of you who succeed in using AI in a meaningful way will get a chance to share your insights on this very stage next year!”

#3: Keep the conversation going

Business presentations often double as networking opportunities, for both presenters and audience members. With that in mind, you might want to put your contact information on one of your closing slides.

Instead of saying a quick goodbye and hoping people remember to reach out, you can give them a clear next step.

You can do this by pointing people to a dedicated channel in Pumble, for example. If you don’t want to juggle multiple emails and lose track of messages, you can invite your audience to join a dedicated Pumble channel where they can ask questions and share ideas. Moreover, this type of space lets you introduce collaborative follow-up strategies more naturally. 

Even if your audience members aren’t part of your company or members of your workspace, they can still join using Pumble’s guest access.

Explore Pumble’s Guest access

You can use these phrases to encourage your audience to keep in touch: 

“I’m always happy to answer any of your security or phishing-related questions on Pumble. You’ll find me by clicking the plus sign next to the direct messages section and searching my name, Nick Mulder.”

“If you all have any follow-up questions for me or one of the experts I’ve spoken to, you’ll find all of our contact information on this slide.”

“If anything pops up later, feel free to drop into our team channel on Pumble. I’ll be there and happy to chat.”

#4: Thank the audience and ask them for feedback

Lastly, some speakers might benefit from knowing what the audience thinks about their delivery and other aspects of their presentation.

So, after thanking the audience, ask them to give you feedback by sharing their thoughts in person or in a suggestion box or a notebook set by the door. Alternatively, online presentations can end with a slide that links to an anonymous survey online. 

You can also invite participants to continue the conversation in a dedicated channel, using Pumble threads to dive deep and encourage more thoughtful input. For example, you can:

• Ask a question (e.g., “What’s one thing that could be improved?”) and instruct the attendees to reply in a thread. 
• Create separate threads for specific aspects of your presentation to keep feedback organized. 
• Use threads to facilitate deeper discussions, where participants can build on each other’s comments without cluttering the main conversation.

Make communication easy

Simplify team communication and collaborate more effectively. Try Pumble.

Sign up Learn more

FAQ

How do I start to give a presentation?

To start a presentation, introduce yourself, hook the audience with an interesting opening (a surprising fact, interesting anecdote, or a joke), and state your core purpose.

What is a good opening line for a presentation?

A good opening line will either grab the attention of everyone in the audience or establish you as an authority in your field or on the subject you’re presenting. 

How do you hook your audience?

To hook the audience from the start, open with an interesting or shocking statistic, a bold statement, or a provocative question. Do this before introducing yourself or the core purpose of your presentation. 

How do I structure a presentation?

Structure your presentation so it has a clear beginning, middle, and end. That will turn your speech into an easy-to-follow story. Make your introduction strong, your body clear, and your conclusion memorable.

Structure your slides in a clean manner, with impactful phrases and powerful visuals. They shouldn’t be overwhelmingly full of text. If you burden your audience with too much text, they will shift their focus from you to the slides. 

What are the 5 basic steps of a presentation?

The 5 basic steps of giving a presentation are: 

1. Planning a goal
2. Knowing the audience
3. Having a strong structure
4. Including clear visuals
5. Practicing the delivery

What are 5 qualities of a good presentation?

The 5 key qualities of a good presentation are:

1. Clear goal or purpose
2. Straightforward organization
3. Appealing visual design
4. Engaging storytelling
5. Confident delivery

Presenting with Pumble by CAKE.com

Knowing how to give a presentation effectively is a skill like any other — you’re bound to get better through practice and repetition.

To get the most out of your presentations, make sure to deliver them on Pumble.

Pumble, a team communication and collaboration app by CAKE.com, helps you create the most interactive, efficient presentations with:

• Seamless video conferencing, so you can share your knowledge with large audiences
• Powerful screen-sharing for smooth presentation delivery
• Glitch-free meeting recording for posterity
• Simple video messages to summarize key points for absent stakeholders
• Useful channels and threads that keep feedback organized and the conversation going

Make your presentations memorable with Pumble.

Get started with Pumble today