21 min read 2nd Dec 2025
You’ve got great ideas – but when it’s time to present, something gets lost in translation. The nerves hit, your energy dips, and instead of connecting, you end up rushing through your slides.
If you’ve ever wondered what makes a good presentation, this guide has the answers. You’ll learn 12 expert-backed techniques to plan and deliver with confidence.
At Body Talk, we’ve helped leaders, speakers, and teams worldwide bring their messages to life. Now, we’re passing that knowledge on to you – so you can take the same tools used by world-class communicators and make every presentation count.
Key takeaways
- Great presentations aren’t about slides, they’re about connection. When your message is audience-focused and emotionally engaging, people stay with you from start to finish.
- Structure, simplicity and storytelling are the backbone of memorable delivery. A strong opening, clear narrative and purposeful visuals make complex ideas feel effortless to follow.
- Your body language, tone and pacing speak louder than your words. Confident posture, open gestures and well-timed pauses instantly increase trust and impact.
- Preparation builds presence. When you rehearse with intention, not memorisation, you reduce nerves, strengthen your flow and deliver with natural authority.
- Strong presentation skills accelerate influence. They boost credibility, improve communication, and help you lead conversations, decisions and rooms with confidence.
Why good presentation skills matter
Good presentation skills aren’t just for speakers or salespeople, they’re a core part of professional and academic success.
Whether you’re pitching an idea, leading a meeting, or presenting research, your ability to deliver information with clarity directly affects how people respond.
When you speak clearly, people trust what you say. When you show confidence, they listen. These moments shape how others see your capability and influence the opportunities that follow.
What makes a good presentation?
Think back to a presentation that truly held your attention. Maybe it was a colleague, a keynote speaker, or a teacher. What made you stay engaged? It wasn’t just the slides or the data, it was how the message made you feel involved.
That’s business storytelling. The best presentations are audience-focused – they make the audience the hero of the story and the speaker the guide. The story isn’t “here’s what we do,” it’s “here’s how this helps you.”
When people see themselves in your message, they care. A great presentation makes it easy for the audience to pay attention because every moment feels relevant.
Of course, connection isn’t built on content alone. How you stand, speak, and manage your nerves can completely change how your message lands.
So, what actually makes a presentation stand out? Let’s look at 12 practical ways to plan, deliver, and impress every time you step up to speak.
12 tips to plan and deliver a great presentation
You don’t need to be a natural performer to give a great presentation – you just need a clear plan and the right techniques. These 12 tips will help you prepare with purpose and keep your audience engaged from start to finish.
Tip 1 – Know your subject and your audience
A presentation isn’t about showing what you know, it’s about helping the audience understand what they need to know. Research your subject until you can explain it simply and confidently. Then, focus on your audience: what do they care about? What challenges are they facing? What outcome do they want?
The best presenters make people feel seen. When your message speaks directly to your listeners’ needs, attention naturally follows.
Tip 2 – Start strong and end with impact
Your opening sets the tone. Begin with something that grabs attention – a short story, a powerful question, or a surprising fact. You want your audience thinking, “This is worth listening to.”
And don’t let your ending fade out. Finish with clarity and conviction, a single takeaway, a call to action, or a question that lingers. People remember how you start and how you finish, so make both moments count.
Tip 3 – Structure your presentation clearly
A great presentation feels effortless to follow. Give it a clear structure – an introduction that sets up the purpose, a body that delivers the message, and a conclusion that ties it all together.
Each section should build logically on the last. Avoid cluttering your slides or darting between topics – that only makes your audience work harder to stay with you. A clear, consistent structure keeps attention focused on your ideas.
Tip 4 – Practise until it feels natural
Rehearsal builds confidence and reduces nerves, but not by memorising word for word. Instead, practise your flow, transitions, and emphasis points until they feel instinctive.
Record yourself or rehearse in front of people you trust. Ask them what landed and what didn’t. Notice your tone, body language, and pacing. The goal is to sound prepared but spontaneous. Confident enough to stay in control, even if something unexpected happens.
When you practise until it feels natural, your delivery becomes smoother, your energy steadier, and your message stronger.
Tip 5 – Use confident, open body language
Your body speaks before you do. The way you move, stand, and hold eye contact tells the audience how confident you are, long before you start talking.
Research published in the Science and Education journal analysed how gestures, posture, and facial expressions influence public speaking. It found that purposeful hand and arm movements, varied facial expressions, and a strong voice significantly improved speeches.
So, what does that mean in practice? Stand tall with your shoulders open, not hunched. Maintain steady eye contact with different parts of the audience to keep everyone included. Use hand gestures to support your points and when you’re not gesturing, rest your hands naturally around your waistline to appear relaxed.
Finally, project your voice. A strong, grounded tone commands attention and helps people focus.
Tip 6 – Keep your slides simple and visual
Strong visuals can do more than words. A single image or graphic can illustrate a point instantly and help your audience remember it. In fact, you don’t always need text at all – sometimes a striking visual is all it takes to make your message stick.
And make sure not to read from your slides. Think of them as a set of cues rather than a script. When slides echo your message instead of repeating it, the audience stays with you instead of your PowerPoint.
Tip 7 – Engage with your audience
When you involve your audience, you turn passive listeners into active participants.
There are countless ways to encourage participation. Ask direct questions to spark thinking. Use a quick poll or a “hands in the air” moment to gauge opinion. Invite people to share their experiences or ask questions throughout. If it fits your topic, get your audience moving – a short exercise or activity can boost energy and focus instantly.
Tip 8 – Use pauses and pacing to add emphasis
Silence is one of the most powerful tools in speaking. A well-timed pause draws focus, gives your words weight, and helps your audience process what they’ve just heard.
Don’t rush through key points. Slow your pace when something matters – it signals importance and gives people space to absorb it. Varying your rhythm also keeps your delivery natural and engaging, helping the audience stay connected throughout.
Remember: pace carries emotion. Fast energy excites, whilst deliberate pacing builds trust. Use both intentionally.
Tip 9 – Speak clearly and avoid filler words
Filler words like “um” can break your flow. The good news? You don’t need to eliminate them completely – you just need to replace them with intentional silence.
Take a short pause when you need to think. It gives you time to think about what you want to say next instead of filling the silence with fillers.
If you struggle with fillers or want to polish your delivery further, check out our blog on how to stop using filler words – it’s packed with practical strategies to help you sound composed and confident on stage.
Tip 10 – Manage nervousness effectively
Even the best presenters feel nervous – the difference is how they handle it. The goal isn’t to eliminate nerves but to channel them into focus and energy.
Research published in the Journal of Applied Communication Research found that visualisation techniques – imagining yourself giving the speech successfully before your actual presentation – can significantly reduce anxiety and improve performance. In the study, participants who practised “performance visualisation” (mentally rehearsing the talk from start to finish) showed fewer hesitations, less tension, and greater fluency than those who received no training or standard visualisation exercises.
In other words, the brain can’t tell much difference between imagining success and experiencing it. Rehearse your presentation in your mind – preparing to go on stage, standing in front of the audience, making eye contact – and focus on breathing and staying calm throughout. This way, you’re giving your brain a positive memory associated with ‘giving your presentation.’
For more ways to manage nerves, from breathing techniques to grounding exercises, take a look at our blog on how to calm down before a presentation.
Tip 11 – Show conviction
Once you start speaking, your audience should feel your belief in what you’re saying.
If you’re uncertain, the audience will be too. But when your delivery has purpose and passion behind it, people lean in.
Conviction shows up in your body language, your tone, and your pace. It means you’re fully present – physically, vocally, and emotionally.
Even if the topic is sensitive or complex, speak with certainty. It’s conviction that makes people listen.
Tip 12 – Be relatable
Being credible isn’t just about expertise, it’s also about connection.
Share your own challenges, doubts, or mistakes when they’re relevant. Vulnerability builds trust. When you say, “I’ve been there too” or “I know that feeling,” you earn emotional credibility – the kind that makes people feel seen and understood.
Being relatable doesn’t mean being casual or oversharing. It means being human. Show empathy. Use examples your audience recognises. Let them know you’re not talking at them, but to them.
When people feel like you get them, they stop analysing your words and start believing in your message.
Benefits of good presentation skills
Good presentation skills don’t just make you sound better, they change how people respond to you.
Here’s what developing this skill set can do for you and your organisation.
Builds professional credibility
When you speak clearly and with confidence, you instantly gain authority. Strong presentation skills help others see you as capable, composed, and worth listening to. This credibility matters in every setting – from pitching new business to persuading clients or presenting strategy to your team.
It’s also a career accelerator. The ability to explain complex ideas in a way that feels simple and persuasive instantly sets you apart.
Makes your message easy to share
When your presentation is structured and memorable, your message doesn’t stop when the meeting ends. It spreads.
A clear narrative helps your audience retell your key points with accuracy and enthusiasm, whether they’re describing your business to a potential client or sharing your idea with their team. In essence, you turn your listeners into advocates, amplifying your reach and reinforcing your credibility long after you’ve left the room.
Improves confidence and public speaking ability
Confidence doesn’t come from never feeling nervous, it comes from being prepared. Each time you practise, you strengthen your ability to manage pressure and stay composed.
As you build confidence in your delivery, that self-assurance carries into other situations – meetings, interviews, networking, and leadership roles. Over time, you don’t just look confident, you feel it.
Strengthens leadership and communication skills
Strong presenters make strong leaders. When you can articulate ideas clearly and structure information so it’s easy to follow, people pay attention. They understand your direction, buy into your message, and feel motivated to act.
Great communication also builds unity. It keeps teams engaged and aligned around shared goals. Leaders who present with confidence and empathy not only guide decisions, they shape organisational culture.
Master the art of impactful communication with presentation skills training
You’ve seen the speakers who own the room – the ones who make people sit up, lean in, and remember every word.
That level of impact isn’t luck. It’s skill, and you can learn it.
At Body Talk, our presentation skills training shows you exactly how to:
- Hook your audience fast – and keep them engaged, even in high-stakes or high-pressure moments.
- Shift your mindset – dial down nerves and dial up authority, presence, and control.
- Master structure, storytelling, and delivery – so people stop, listen, and remember what you said.
Our expert coaching and high-energy sessions give you the tools and techniques that world-class communicators use every day.
Ready to become the speaker everyone listens to? Work with Body Talk and discover how to own the room every time you speak.
Frequently asked questions
We’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions about what makes a good presentation, from designing powerful slides to keeping your audience genuinely engaged.
How do you create good presentation slides?
To create good presentation slides:
- Keep your text big, readable, and minimal so every audience member can follow easily. Avoid crowding your slides with long paragraphs or unnecessary detail.
- Use visual aids like images, graphs, or short videos to reinforce key ideas, not distract from them. Every image should serve a purpose and connect clearly to what you’re saying.
- Pay attention to slide transitions too. As you move from one slide to the next, make sure it flows naturally and supports your narrative. Sudden or unrelated shifts can break your rhythm and lose your audience’s attention.
What are five things that make a good presentation?
The five most important things for a good presentation are:
- An audience-first approach – Start by understanding your target audience. What do they care about? What do they need to know? Shape your message around their world.
- Body language – Use confident, open gestures and maintain eye contact to build trust and help your audience understand your message.
- A strong start and end – Capture attention immediately, and leave your audience with a clear takeaway or emotion that lingers.
- Slides that aren’t overbearing – Keep your slides clean and purposeful so they enhance your story rather than distract from it.
- Authority through authenticity – Show credibility, but stay human. Whether it’s your expertise or a relatable story, people stay interested when they believe you.
These five factors work together to keep your audience engaged and your message memorable from start to finish.
What are the best presentation styles?
There’s no one “right” way to present. The best styles are the ones that feel authentic and hold your audience’s attention from start to finish.
The most effective presentations are delivered by people who are genuinely interested in their topic and audience.
Whether you prefer a storytelling style, a data-driven narrative, or a high-energy delivery, the key is to stay connected to your message, and the people in front of you.
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