Preparing presentations – tips from an advertising agency

Speaking in public is often a significant challenge. Many of us feel a lot of stress or even fear at the very thought of public speaking. It’s no wonder – few people are natural speakers, and even professionals emphasize how much work it took to develop the skills for engaging speeches and creating presentations that capture an audience. Why are public presentations so important? We believe every speaker (or potential speaker) has crucial information to share that can influence the world, or at least the audience. Of course, some conditions must be met. First of all, the presentation must actually happen – if we don’t overcome our weaknesses, no one will hear about our great ideas, discoveries, or breakthrough solutions. But it’s worth remembering that for the presentation to reach the audience, the speech must be professionally prepared. The speaker’s most powerful tool is a multimedia presentation. It organizes your speech, emphasizes key information, and makes the presentation more interesting and engaging. Multimedia presentations are used during business conferences, academic lectures, and corporate meetings. How do you prepare a multimedia presentation that is effective? Creating presentations for conferences is not easy – numerous publications confirm this. However, we decided to create a short guide based on the experience we have gained over years as an advertising agency.

Before you create a multimedia presentation

Creating a multimedia presentation should begin with… the right mindset. A speech is a communication in which you are the sender, and the audience is the receiver. During this communication, a bond is formed. It’s important to make the audience feel that what you are saying is authentic and that you are 100 percent convinced of the proposed solutions or visions presented. It’s a mistake to assume in advance that the presentation will interest no one. Unfortunately, as an advertising agency, we often encounter presenters who do not believe in the value of their own presentations. They justify it by thinking that no one will care, so it’s not worth the energy. This is a wrong mindset – if you have it too, change it before planning your speech! A well-prepared presentation and speech allows you to convey a lot of technical information and dry data in an accessible way. It also helps when seeking project funding or convincing the management board of the validity of an initiative.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE CREATE A PRESNTATION? DIY VS. ADVERTISING AGENCY

Many people treat presentations as a minor or unavoidable task. Consequently, they spend very little time on them. The worst possible approach is to create a presentation the day before a speech – in that case, neither the presentation nor the speaker will make a good impression on the audience. It’s worth thinking of the presentation as the best way to show achievements, research, or opportunities, and convince management or the research team of a project’s value. If what you are doing is important to you and you want to convince others, dedicate more than a single evening to prepare the presentation.

We are aware that not everyone has experience creating conference presentations. That’s why advertising agencies (like ours) specializing in graphic design offer support by creating multimedia presentations for conferences. Entrusting this task to an agency saves you time – you don’t need to learn all the features of a presentation program or spend hours designing slides. You simply present your vision to the agency and provide the data and information to include in the presentation.

DEFINE THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENTATION AND THE TARGET AUDIENCE

Whether you are preparing the presentation yourself or outsourcing it to an advertising agency, it’s worth first defining the purpose of the presentation. It should address a specific problem or topic. This ensures your message is clear.

It is also essential to define your target audience – as this determines how you convey information. Ask yourself: are the audience familiar with the topic, or hearing about it for the first time? Are they colleagues, management board members, or conference participants? Knowing your audience helps tailor how you present the information and choose your language. Consider different types of learners – some remember information better visually, while others prefer listening. A well-prepared presentation should reach both visual and auditory learners, increasing the effectiveness of your message.

HOW TO PREPARE AN ENGAGING PRESENTATION FOR A CONFERENCE?

Unfortunately, almost every specialist in our advertising agency has encountered a boring presentation. An uninteresting presentation will only discourage the audience. To gain and maintain attention (which is truly an art!), remember a few key principles. Think of your presentation as a story. Begin by defining the problem you faced. Then discuss the solutions you tested – both successful and failed – and the lessons learned. Conclude by presenting the best solution and the path to discovering it. Stories are powerful tools for conveying information. Data presented in a narrative form is more likely to be remembered than dry facts.

When creating a presentation and building a story, don’t forget the visual aspect. Bullet points on gradient backgrounds are outdated. If you want your presentation to be taken seriously, it must look professional. For corporate presentations, the graphic design should match the company’s visual identity. The visual style should fit the topic – images, illustrations, and colors. Ensure images are high-quality – visible pixels reduce professionalism. Most importantly, avoid overload. Excessive content and images create chaos, making it hard for the audience to focus.

CREATING A PRESENTATION – EVERY SLIDE MATTERS

When designing a presentation, remember the specific structure of this communication format. A presentation consists of:

Title slide – introducing the presenter and topic
Agenda – table of contents, speech plan
Content slides – containing concrete data and information
Final slide – including contact details

Every slide matters. They should all be designed with the same care, style, and color scheme. Use consistent fonts throughout. This creates cohesion, order, and clarity.

The key principle: one slide, one idea. Avoid overloading slides with information, as this risks the audience focusing more on reading than listening. A presentation supports the speaker – it is not a replacement. Include only the most important ideas, which you will expand upon verbally. Avoid presenting raw numbers – most people won’t remember them. Images, diagrams, and graphics convey ideas more effectively.

Minimal text (blocks of text distract) and reinforcing ideas with appropriate graphics – simple, right?

However, creating engaging slides is more complex than it seems. Bullet points and attractive graphics alone aren’t enough. Professional conference presentations often require knowledge of eye tracking and the psychological impact of colors on the audience. Proper text placement and integration with graphic elements, such as backgrounds, illustrations, arrows, and charts, require not only aesthetic sense but also knowledge of user experience (UX).

Is a professional presentation a guaranteed success?

Remember, a multimedia presentation is just a tool (albeit a very useful one) at your disposal during a speech. Attractive visuals capture attention, helping maintain interest, but they cannot replace the speaker. To succeed, you must prepare thoroughly. Rehearse the content several times to maintain sequence and order. Avoid reading from notes, but also don’t memorize the speech verbatim – speak naturally about your project and insights. Most importantly, trust the power of a good presentation – it can be the perfect capstone for your project!

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