Engaging Business Presentations: How to Leave Out the Boring Bits

  • Engaging Business Presentations: How to Leave Out the Boring Bits

    Engaging Business Presentations: How to Leave Out the Boring Bits

    We’ve all endured presentations where every name, place, and number is read aloud from the slides. While the intention is often to be thorough and recognise contributors, this approach can quickly lose your audience’s attention. If you want to deliver truly engaging business presentations, it’s essential to leave out the boring bits and focus on what matters most.

    Why Less Creates More Engaging Business Presentations

    Many presenters feel compelled to cover every detail. However, research and experience show that audiences retain information better when it’s presented clearly, concisely, and in an engaging manner. Overloading your audience with details can overwhelm them, causing your key messages to be missed. Instead, prioritise what’s important and deliver it in a way that keeps your audience interested.

    Creative Ways to Avoid the Boring Bits

    To make your business presentations more engaging avoid lists. Instead try use these slide ideas:

    • Show a Group Photo or a Visual List: Display key contacts or contributors on a visually appealing slide. Adding photos by each name humanises the list and makes it more memorable.
    • Use Maps: Instead of listing locations, show them on a map for instant context.
    • Incorporate Graphs: Replace tables and long numbers with graphs. Rather than reading out each figure, point to the trend and explain the story behind it. For example, “Here we see a 5% increase in sales as we gained an important new customer!”
    • Highlight the Big Picture: Long numbers are hard to digest. Use rounded figures or percentages in your speech, while showing the exact numbers on the slide. For instance, say, “Our marketing budget is about 5% of our overall budget,” instead of reciting the precise figures.

    Interact with the Audience for More Engaging Business Presentations

    Engaging business presentations invite audience participation:

    • Allow Time for Reading: Let your audience read lists themselves, respecting their time and intelligence.
    • Recognise Contributors Creatively: Ask those named on the slide to stand or raise their hand, creating a moment of interaction and energy.
    • Point and Explain: Touch the screen to highlight specific information and provide additional context.
    • Take a Quick Poll: Before revealing data, ask the audience to guess outcomes. For example, “How many think our sales went up this month?” This builds suspense and curiosity.

    Provide Handouts for Details

    For information that may be needed for reference, such as lists of names or numbers, prepare a handout or share the details via email. This allows your audience to access the information at their own pace, keeping your presentation focused and dynamic.

    Create Action and Lasting Engagement

    By skipping the tedious details and making your presentations interactive, you create memorable experiences. Recognition becomes a celebration, not a roll call. Your audience remains engaged, focuses on what matters, and is more likely to remember your key messages.

    Conclusion – Engaging Business Presentations Skip the Boring Bits

    Leaving out the boring bits in your business presentations isn’t about omitting important information—it’s about delivering it in a way that respects your audience’s attention and makes your message stick. Next time you’re tempted to read every name, place, or number, remember: show, don’t tell. Make it visual, interactive, and memorable, and you’ll master the art of engaging business presentations.

    Author

    Media, presentation and public speaking trainerKimberly VanLandingham is the founder, trainer, and strategist for European Market Link Sarl, including EML’s Presentation Training Switzerland. Specialising in international business and technical leaders, she facilitates live training courses in Switzerland, covering public speaking and presentation skills. Kimberly has over 12 year experience helping clients with communications, 20 years experience at the DuPont company (including as a product spokesperson on TV), with a masters in communications and a BS in engineering.

     

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