How to Make a Stand-Out Presentation – Video

See all presentation training videos

Introduction: How to Create a Standout Presentation without Starting with PowerPoint

This video explains why standout presentations begin with ideas, not slides. You’ll learn how to shape your thinking into clear messages, how to turn those messages into stories and how to grab your audience in the opening seconds with something relevant and compelling.

What you’ll learn: Creating a Presentation That Truly Stands Out

• Why PowerPoint should never be your starting point
• How to turn raw ideas into meaningful messages
• How stories make your messages more memorable
• How to hook your audience in the opening seconds
• Why relevance is essential for a powerful start

Summary: Building Ideas and Stories That Lead to a Standout Presentation

A standout presentation begins long before you create any slides. Start with your ideas and understand why they matter to your audience. Turn those ideas into clear, purposeful messages and then shape them into stories that help people understand and remember your point. Your opening moments also matter. A rhetorical question, a surprising fact or a moving story can all ensnare your audience — as long as the hook is genuinely relevant to them. When your message, stories and opening are designed around your audience’s needs, your presentation becomes more engaging, more distinctive and far more memorable.

Mini FAQ: Designing a Presentation That Engages from the Start

Why shouldn’t I start with PowerPoint?
Slides can trap your thinking too early. Strong presentations start with ideas, messages and audience relevance.

How do I turn ideas into stories?
Work out what the idea means for the audience, then shape it into a short, relatable story that brings it to life.

What makes a strong opening?
A question, fact or story that is surprising and directly relevant to your audience.

Why does relevance matter so much?
If your opening doesn’t matter to the audience, they won’t stay with you — even if it sounds dramatic.

Transcript (edited)

If you want to create a standout presentation, the one thing you don’t want to do is start with PowerPoint — it’s the biggest mistake people make. Start with your ideas and understand why they matter to your audience. Then work through the process of turning your ideas into messages, turning your messages into something meaningful for that audience and, where possible, developing them into stories. That process of turning an idea into a story is what makes a standout presentation.

Jane Renton – Senior Advisor: A standout presentation manages, in the first opening seconds, to really ensnare the audience. You can do that in several ways. You can ask a rhetorical question they weren’t expecting, tell a story that moves them or make a strong statement or fact they haven’t heard before. Whatever you choose, it must be completely relevant to them.

Suggested Links

• Start your presentation with the right ideas
• Turn your ideas into clear audience-focused messages
• Use stories to make your presentation memorable
• Craft an opening that grabs your audience instantly

Speak to an expert. Get a free consultation

Read our Ultimate Guide to Business Presentations