How to Deliver a Persuasive Presentation

Know Your Audience

Before you design your presentation deck, conduct research on your audience. Research the roles and positions they hold at their organizations. Learn about each audience member on a personal level so that you know what they’re passionate about. If you know what they value, you can lightly touch on these topics in your persuasive presentation to engage each audience member individually.

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Make the First 30 Seconds Count

First impressions are everything. Start your presentation off strong to get your audience excited about the rest of the presentation. Don’t waste the beginning of your presentation discussing your agenda. Give a brief introduction of who you are and go right into discussing your big ideas. You might also have one strong headline to state at the start of your presentation, and your audience can absorb and internalize it. Project confidence in the first 30 seconds of your presentation to show your audience that you’re an expert in what you’re presenting.

Incorporate Visual Aids

Visual aids are engaging ways to summarize complex ideas in your presentations. Your audience probably won’t remember a slide filled with text, but a colorful image or well-organized chart can leave a lasting impression. Use visual aids like tables, charts, and infographics to summarize data and major talking points. Label everything on the visual aids to ensure your audience can follow along.

Memorize & Practice Your Presentation

Memorizing your main talking points can help you present in a natural and more connected way. If you read off a card or sheet of paper, it can distract your audience and prevent you from building trust and rapport with them. You don’t have to remember your presentation word for word, but you should be able to deliver it without reading from a script. Practice your presentation repeatedly until you feel confident in presenting it.

Engage Your Audience

Your audience should feel like you’re speaking with them instead of speaking at them. Engage your audience in a conversation that helps them retain the information you’re presenting. You’ve already researched what they’re passionate about, so relate your main topics to their values. Ask them questions about things that matter to them and explain how the purpose of your presentation can benefit those things. Engaging your audience keeps them entertained and interested in your presentation from start to finish.

Emphasize the Call-to-Action

One of the final slides in your deck should talk about what next steps the audience should take. Pose a question or a statement that tells them what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. If they can use the topics you’ve discussed to take the next steps, emphasize that. Persuade them by letting them know how they can use the information you’ve given them in the presentation.

Finish Strong

You should end your presentation as strong and as confident as you began it. Use strong closing statements that summarize the purpose of your presentation and the ways the audience can benefit from the talking points. Make eye contact with each of your audience members to create one final connection. Thank them for their time and leave time for them to ask you any questions.

Ask for Feedback from Your Peers

Once your persuasive presentation is over, reach out to your coworkers and peers who might’ve caught glimpses of it. Ask them for feedback on what they thought you did well and on any parts you can improve. Take notes on their feedback and refer to the notes when preparing for your next presentation.

A persuasive presentation not only convinces the audience to take next steps, but it also educates them on the main topic. Your audience should feel more knowledgeable about the topic and about how your goods or services can help them by the end of your presentation.