How to Make a Training Presentation Deck [The Ultimate Guide]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Apr 14, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Jul 4
When we were working on a training presentation deck for our client Matt, he asked us a question that went straight to the core of the matter:
“How do we make sure our training doesn’t feel like a lecture, but actually sticks?”
Our Creative Director didn’t hesitate for a second.
“If your slides can’t hold their attention, you’ve already lost them.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many training decks throughout the year. And we’ve noticed one recurring challenge across teams, industries, and topics: everyone overestimates how much information people can actually absorb in one sitting.
So, in this blog, we’ll talk about how to make a training presentation deck that people will not only pay attention to but remember long after the session ends.
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.
Why a Well-Made Training Presentation Deck Matters
Let’s be brutally honest for a second. Most training decks out there are sleep-inducing. They’re either overloaded with text, bloated with generic stock photos, or worse, just a dump of bullet points someone pulled from last year’s manual.
And here’s what that really costs you: attention.
According to a study by Microsoft, the average human attention span has dropped to just 8 seconds—yes, that’s now shorter than a goldfish. Combine that with the fact that 65% of people are visual learners (Social Science Research Network), and you’ve got a recipe that makes or breaks your training based on how you present the information, not just what’s in it.
But here’s the real kicker. Companies that invest in effective employee training see 24% higher profit margins than those that don’t (Association for Talent Development). Read that again. Not better margins. Higher. That’s not about what you teach—it's about how well your people actually learn.
So, what’s standing in the way? Two things:
Most training decks try to teach everything instead of what’s truly essential.
They confuse more slides with more value. Spoiler: more isn’t better. Better is better.
If you're leading a training and your slides look like a last-minute Word doc pasted into PowerPoint, you're not equipping your team. You’re overwhelming them.
And overwhelmed learners don’t retain. They just nod, check their phones under the table, and forget 90% of what you said.
So yeah, your training presentation deck matters. A lot more than most people realize.
How to Make a Training Presentation Deck That Actually Works
Let’s get one thing clear upfront: a training deck isn’t a data dump. It’s not a memory test. And it definitely isn’t a place to “show how much you know.”
Your deck is a tool. A bridge between what you need to say and what the audience can actually absorb. So if you want to make a training presentation deck that sticks, changes behavior, and gets remembered—you need to think like a teacher, not a presenter.
Here’s what that really looks like, step by step.
1. Start With the End in Mind
Most people start with content. Big mistake.
Don’t open PowerPoint. Don’t start listing bullet points. Don’t even write your agenda yet.
Start with a single question: What should my audience be able to do after this training?
Not what they should “know.” Not what they should “understand.” What they should be able to do.
That shift changes everything.
If you're teaching a sales team how to qualify leads better, the outcome isn’t “understand what BANT stands for.” It’s “apply BANT correctly during client calls.”
If you’re training managers on performance reviews, the outcome isn’t “know how to use the HR tool.” It’s “give useful, timely feedback that actually helps.”
Once you're clear on the outcome, you’ll know what to keep in the deck—and more importantly, what to leave out.
2. Strip It Down to the Essentials
The fastest way to lose your audience is to try and teach everything.
We get it—you’re the expert. You’ve spent months (or years) with this content. But your learners haven’t. And if you try to pour it all into one session, they’ll drown.
Here’s the trick: simplify, don’t dumb down.
Use this filter ruthlessly:
Does this slide directly support the learning outcome?
Will this piece of info help someone take action?
Is this slide for them or is it just making you feel smart?
If it doesn’t pass, cut it.
We’ve seen 60-slide decks trimmed to 18 and perform 3x better. Because what’s left is focused, digestible, and actionable.
Remember: training isn’t about showing effort. It’s about creating impact.
3. Design for Attention, Not Decoration
This is where most decks go off a cliff.
If you think good design is about colors and fonts, you’re missing the point. Design is about directing attention.
The best slides are visual thinking tools. They make complex ideas simple. They highlight key points instantly. They help people see the message, not just read it.
A few hard rules we follow in every training deck we design:
One idea per slide. If your slide has more than one key message, you’re making people multitask.
Ditch the full sentences. Slides aren’t for reading—they’re for scanning. Use punchy headlines, not paragraphs.
Use white space like it’s your best friend. Crammed slides feel overwhelming before the presenter even speaks.
Replace text with visuals wherever possible. Diagrams, icons, flowcharts—anything that gives the brain a shortcut.
Here’s a good rule of thumb: if your learners can’t tell what the slide is about in 5 seconds, it’s not ready.
4. Use Narrative to Drive Retention
Training is teaching. And teaching is storytelling.
No matter how technical or “dry” your topic is, people learn best through stories, examples, and emotional cues. It’s how the human brain is wired.
Don’t just list facts. Give context. Don’t just explain a process. Show a real-world use case. Don’t just show the right way. Show what happens when it’s done wrong.
Let’s say you're building a cybersecurity training. You could list 10 password rules. Or you could tell the story of a real company that got hacked because of one careless login.
Guess which one people will remember?
And please, don’t underestimate the power of analogies. They bridge understanding like nothing else. If you’re explaining a complex API process to a non-tech team, compare it to something they already understand—like ordering food at a restaurant.
The more relatable you make the content, the faster it sticks.
5. Build in Engagement, On Purpose
Most people treat interactivity as an afterthought. A quiz at the end. A “any questions?” tossed out before closing.
That’s not engagement. That’s box-ticking.
Real engagement happens when you build it into the content—not on top of it.
We recommend spacing out every 5-10 minutes of instruction with a form of interaction. That could be:
A quick poll
A show of hands
A scenario-based question
A group discussion
A physical activity (even something small like standing up or pointing)
Why? Because according to cognitive load theory, humans process new information better when they actively use it, not passively consume it.
Even small moments of reflection help reinforce learning and prevent mental fatigue.
The key is to match the format with your audience. Don’t force a gamified quiz on senior engineers if it feels childish. But do challenge them with scenario-based decision-making.
Make the engagement part of the message—not just a gimmick.
6. Anticipate Pushback and Address It
Training doesn’t happen in a vacuum. People bring their biases, their stress, and their past experience with them.
You have to meet that head-on.
If your training requires people to change how they work, you’ll face resistance. That’s normal. But if you ignore it, you lose people silently.
Great training decks don’t just tell people what to do. They acknowledge the friction—and solve it visually.
Let’s say you’re training a team to switch from Tool A to Tool B. Don’t just list B’s features.
Acknowledge that people are comfortable with A. Show a side-by-side slide that explains how B solves the problems they’ve already been facing with A.
Visual reassurance goes a long way in lowering skepticism.
7. Close with Reinforcement, Not a Thank You Slide
Most training decks end the same way: a “Thank You” slide. Polite. Pointless.
You just spent 45 minutes (or more) trying to embed new knowledge. Don’t waste the last few minutes. This is your prime time for reinforcement.
End with:
A visual recap of key takeaways (3–5 bullet visuals max)
A simple action plan (“In the next 7 days, do X”)
A call for application (“Here’s when you’ll use this next”)
Better yet, leave them with a question to think about, or a challenge to apply the learning in real life.
Training should feel unfinished—because it continues outside the room.
8. Don’t Rely on the Deck Alone
Here’s a hard truth: even the best deck can’t carry a bad delivery. If your presenter isn’t clear, confident, and prepared, even beautifully crafted slides will fall flat.
So rehearse. Not to memorize. To internalize.
Know your flow. Know what to skip if time runs short. Know where to pause, ask, engage.
And always, always test your deck in front of a real person before going live. If they look confused at any slide, revise. If they ask a question you didn’t anticipate, prepare a visual response.
Your slides are the runway—but the presenter is the pilot.
How to Present the Training Deck (Without Losing the Room)
Designing a great training deck is one thing. Delivering it in a way that actually lands? That’s a different skill.
Here are three practical tips to help you present with clarity, confidence, and impact:
1. Be a Navigator, Not a Narrator
Don’t read your slides. Guide the session. Set up ideas before showing the slide. Ask a question before revealing the answer. Think of your deck as backup, not the main act. You lead. The slides support.
2. Pause on Purpose
Silence isn’t awkward, it’s powerful. After a key point or stat, pause. Give people space to process. That tiny break helps the message sink in more than nonstop talking ever will.
3. Adapt in Real Time
Watch your audience. If they look confused, explain differently. If they’re zoning out, change the format—ask a question, share a story, start a discussion. The best presenters respond, not just recite.
Why Hire Us to Build your 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.