What Makes a Great Presentation [How to Create one]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- 12 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Our client Monica asked us an interesting question while we were working on her latest sales deck.
She asked,
"What exactly makes a presentation stand out and feel truly great?"
Our Creative Director answered,
"A great presentation connects with its audience, tells a clear story, and leaves them remembering the point you want to make."
As a presentation design agency, we work on many decks and slides throughout the year, and in the process, we’ve observed one common challenge: most presentations try to impress with visuals or data but forget that clarity and flow are what make them truly memorable.
In this blog, we’ll talk about what makes a great presentation & how to create one that people actually pay attention to, remember, and respect.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
What Makes a Great Presentation
From years of creating decks that have closed millions in deals, we’ve noticed three things consistently make a presentation great.
1. A Story That Flows Naturally
Great presentations guide the audience from problem to solution like a conversation. Each slide should feel like the next sentence in a story, building toward the conclusion you want them to reach.
2. Clarity Over Complexity
The most effective presentations focus on a few key points. One idea per slide, simple visuals, and clean messaging help the audience understand and remember the message.
3. Emotional Engagement
Presentations that drive results make the audience care. This can be through a story, a relatable challenge, or a bold point that captures attention. Emotion makes people act, while logic alone often falls flat.
Example of a Great Presentation That Delivered Results
Here’s an example of an investor pitch deck we created for a startup that closed millions in Series B funding. We call it great because it combined a strong narrative with exceptional design.
How to Create a Great Presentation That Makes You Win
Creating a great presentation is not about adding flashy graphics or trying to impress with fancy words. It is about clarity, connection, and a story that people actually remember. From our experience, a great presentation always balances writing and design. Let’s break down exactly what you need to focus on.
Writing a Great Presentation
1. Start With a Clear Objective
Before you type a single word or open PowerPoint, ask yourself what the goal of your presentation is. Are you trying to secure funding, pitch a product, or explain a strategy? Everything you include should tie back to this goal.
We’ve seen so many presentations fail simply because they had too many ideas competing for attention. Your audience doesn’t want to chase your thought; they want a path that leads them to the outcome you want. Keep it simple. Define your objective and stick to it.
2. Build a Story, Not Slides
A great presentation is a story, not a collection of slides. Think of it like a conversation. You need a beginning that grabs attention, a middle that explains the problem and solution, and an ending that makes your point unavoidable. Every slide should feel like the next sentence in that story.
We’ve found that when you build the story first, the slides practically design themselves. Skip the story, and you end up with a deck that feels scattered and forgettable.
3. Limit Your Key Points
It is tempting to show everything you know, but people remember very little. Focus on 3 to 5 key points and repeat them where it makes sense. Your slides should support these points, not try to carry the entire argument on their own. We’ve observed that presentations that respect this rule are easier to follow and far more persuasive.
4. Use Simple, Direct Language
Your audience is not impressed by big words or long sentences. Clear, concise language works best. Write the way you would speak. Avoid jargon unless your audience expects it, and don’t overcomplicate concepts. A slide should communicate one idea in seconds, not minutes. If your audience has to pause to figure out what you mean, you’ve lost them.
Designing a Great Presentation
1. Keep It Clean and Consistent
Design matters, but it should never overshadow your story. A clean, consistent design helps guide your audience’s attention and makes the presentation feel professional. Choose a simple color palette, stick to 1 or 2 fonts, and use consistent spacing. The goal is to let your content shine, not confuse people with flashy elements that serve no purpose.
2. Use Visuals to Explain, Not Decorate
Charts, icons, and images should reinforce your message, not just fill space. We’ve seen presentations with amazing graphics that add zero value. Every visual should have a purpose. A chart should make a trend obvious, an icon should highlight an idea, and an image should evoke emotion. If it doesn’t do one of these, leave it out.
3. Focus on One Idea Per Slide
This is a simple rule that most people ignore. A slide should communicate a single idea. If you cram multiple points into one slide, the audience has to choose what to focus on, and often they focus on nothing. One idea per slide ensures clarity and retention. This also gives your design a clean canvas to work with.
4. Emphasize Key Points with Hierarchy
Not all text and visuals are equal. Use size, color, and placement to guide the audience to the most important elements. Headlines should pop, supporting text should be readable but secondary, and visuals should complement the hierarchy. This approach makes your deck scannable and persuasive. People remember what stands out, so make your main points obvious.
Presenting This Slide Deck So It Stands Out as Great
You’ve done the hard work. You’ve written a clear, focused story and designed slides that are clean, engaging, and memorable. But here’s the reality: even the best deck can fall flat if it isn’t presented well. Presenting a slide deck is not just about clicking through slides. It is about commanding attention, guiding the audience, and making every point land.
1. Start Strong
Your opening matters more than anything else. You have roughly 30 seconds to grab attention and signal that this presentation is worth listening to. Open with a story, a bold statement, or a question that directly relates to your audience’s pain point. Avoid starting with an agenda or a “thank you for being here.”
People don’t remember slides, they remember how you make them feel. The first impression sets the tone for everything that follows.
2. Own the Story, Don’t Read the Slides
Your slides exist to support you, not replace you. We often see presenters reading text word-for-word from slides, and it kills engagement. Instead, treat your slides as visual cues that highlight key points. Speak to your audience, add context, and use the slides as a tool to reinforce your message. The more confidently you own the story, the more your audience will trust you.
3. Use Timing and Pauses Strategically
Great presenters understand the power of timing. Don’t rush through slides just because you want to finish on time. Pause after important points to let the audience absorb the message. Pause before revealing a key metric or insight to build anticipation. A well-timed pause emphasizes your points without saying anything extra.
4. Make the Audience Part of the Conversation
A presentation is not a monologue. Ask questions, encourage nods, and even invite quick feedback when appropriate. This keeps your audience engaged and makes them feel involved in the story you are telling. The more they participate mentally, the more they remember.
We’ve seen presentations that include small interactive elements consistently outperform decks that are purely one-way.
5. Body Language and Voice Matter
Your slides can be perfect, but if your energy is flat or your gestures are stiff, the presentation suffers. Stand confidently, make eye contact, and use natural gestures to reinforce your points. Vary your tone and pace to keep interest high.
Audiences respond to authenticity and energy more than design alone. A strong deck is amplified when your delivery matches it.
6. Handle Questions Without Losing Momentum
Questions are inevitable, and how you handle them can make your deck feel even stronger. Listen fully, answer clearly, and if a question requires a long explanation, offer to discuss it after the presentation. This keeps the flow intact and ensures you don’t derail the story you’ve built.
7. End with Impact
Just like your opening, your closing matters. Reinforce your key points in one concise statement. Give the audience a takeaway that sticks in their minds. Avoid trailing off with “Any questions?” as the last line.
End with something memorable that makes the presentation feel complete. A strong ending is what turns a good deck into a great one.
8. Rehearse, Adjust, Repeat
Finally, no great presentation happens by accident. Practice until the story flows naturally and you can deliver it without thinking about each slide. Rehearse in front of a colleague or record yourself. Adjust pacing, tweak wording, and refine gestures until the presentation feels effortless. Every minute of rehearsal increases your confidence and ensures your deck will stand out.
Why Hire Us to Build You a Great Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.