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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

• Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

• Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman  (St. Martin’s Press).

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6 different Types of Presentation Goals

When you are doing a presentation you always have a goal. You are trying to get a message across. You are trying to teach your audience. Or you are trying to sell something. There is always a presentation goal.

There are different goals for a presentation. Here are six types of goals. Each of them has their own purpose. And each of them should be handled in a different way. In this article, I will explain how they work and how you as a speaker can benefit best.

The six presentation goals are:

To persuade or convince

To activate, to inspire or motivate, to entertain.

Most of the presentations in business are about informing the people in the room. A client or your manager asks you to come and present on the progress of the project. What they expect is to get informed. They aren’t looking for inspiration or funny videos. What they want is a clear explanation of what the status of the project is.

There are more examples of presentations that are about informing the audience. Like presenting financial results or presenting the findings of a research. Or when you are a teacher and informing the parents of all the things that are going on in your school.

These talks are often short and to the point. If there is too much information, people won’t remember much. They should be easy to understand for those in the room.

The talks focus on the facts. The goal is to give the audience these facts.

When the talks become a bit more complicated, that is usually because they aren’t only to inform. They are to educate. The goal is to have the audience go home understanding more about what they heard. They need to leave knowing a lot more.

This goes beyond stating facts. You want the audience to learn, so you have to pay attention to this. You need to teach or instruct the group of people in front of you. That means you need to know a lot about your topic.

There are many different examples of this talk. A workshop or training session is the most logical one of course. But also instructing your staff on new policies is an example.

Presentations to educate are often longer. Because you want the audience to remember what you teach them, you will use more examples and go more in depth. Often they are also more interactive since interaction helps the understanding. What is more important than the length, is how thorough you are on the topic.

There are a lot of presentations that have the goal of persuasion. Speakers want to convince the audience to understand or believe their stand on a topic. Or simpler: to buy a product or service.

These types of presentations you can often see in politics. The politician wants to convince the listener to vote for them. But you can see it as often in business. Each sales presentation is about persuading the potential client. You want them to choose your product or service.

A persuasive speech is working towards a solution. You show the problem. Then offer the audience the solution by presenting your views and methods. A persuasive speech offers evidence, logic and has emotion in it.

Close to persuasion is activation. These speeches present the audience with information that makes them want to take action. Fundraising presentations are good examples, but you can see them in politics a lot as well. Politicians want people to take action. Or vice versa, people want politicians to take action.

To make this type of presentation work, one of the most important ingredients is to tell them what to do. If the audience doesn’t know what to do, why would they act? Another important ingredient is passion. You are trying to make people move. They will only do that if they feel you believe.

In essence, every speaker wants to inspire. Inspiration, after all, is one of the most powerful emotions. It is great if you are able to inspire people to think, move or change their behavior.

These types of speeches are often seen at TED Conferences. More often you see them at events aimed at personal improvement. There are many motivational speakers there. You can also see motivational speeches within businesses. When management is trying to inspire the staff to work harder or better. The best examples of motivational speeches you find in locker rooms. When coaches are trying to get their teams out on the field full of positive adrenaline.

Talks that are inspiring are often very personal. Overcoming hardship usually does very well. But it doesn’t have to be about something bad that has happened. It can be about the future. The speech Martin Luther King gave was about a dream. In the future. That can be just as inspiring!

The last type of presentation is to entertain. Everybody likes to be entertained. And one way of entertaining is to have a great speech.

Many of these types of presentations are done in personal settings. When you are entertaining guests for example. Or when you are doing a speech at someone’s (or your own) wedding. But you can see the entertaining speeches in many places. Stand up comedy, theatre, but also presentations at an opening of an event. They are meant to entertain. To make the audience laugh and feel happy.

To make this presentation work, you have to give the audience what they are looking for: a good feeling. Sometimes you can accomplish this by telling jokes. But be careful, not everyone has the same humor. And especially these days, people are hurt easy.

To be able to make people feel good, you need to understand who is in the room and what makes them tick. You need to do your research here!

To conclude: your goals

Now that we’ve looked at the different types of goals, it’s time for you to determine your presentation goals. Have you figured them out yet? Make sure you do before you create the presentation! That way, you can work towards the goal.

And remember, when you are thinking about your presentation goals, think first about your audience. What should they get out of it? Because for all the different types of talks, the secret to all success is to understand your audience!

You need to define your goals. That means you need to take a few steps.

First , you need to get more understanding of your audience . Do your research . Find out what their wants and needs are.

Second , write down your own goals . What do you want to accomplish?

Third , find the overlap between you and your audience. And focus your presentation on that.

About Author

Bas van den Beld is the founder of Speak with Persuasion. He is also your first trainer. Bas is a highly sought-after consultant, trainer and professional speaker. He helps businesses and individuals become better and more confident speakers. He has won several awards for consulting, speaking and training, including being voted European Search Personality 2015, honoring his achievements within the search marketing industry.

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Define Goals for Your Presentations – Here’s How to Succeed Every Time!

The way it often goes is that you start with a great idea, and eagerly start to work towards realizing it.  Your goal seems clear!  Then as you go along, more goals start to sprout . 

New ideas and new goals can quickly crowd out your original clarity, and as your thoughts are a mess, the whole project falls apart. To avoid this, it’s absolutely essential that that you define goals as soon as possible.

Why is defining goals so important?   

Goals are totally necessary to success in any situation. Having a fixed goal in mind helps to focus and realize your wishes and ideas, and also helps to measure how close you are to that goal.

Goals also serve as an incentive; when achieved, they boost self-confidence. Without goals, people can become aimless and waste a lot of energy. Whatever the goal is, (e.g. getting a raise, saving enough money for a vacation, completing a qualification) – achieving those goals makes us feel happy and confident.

The Importance of Goals in PowerPoint Presentations

Goal setting is also important in the context of PowerPoint presentations. This is because when you put a presentation together, there is an intention behind that presentation, whether it’s sales-oriented or purely informative. What is the purpose of your presentation? Why do you want to talk about a certain topic? Learning to define concrete objectives helps you create a really effective presentation around your goal.

Goals are also beneficial in these areas within presentations:

• Goals as a guide for the presentation process

Goals serve as a guide in the planning and creation of a PowerPoint presentation . They help structure the entire presentation process and ensure that all content, slides, and arguments align with the desired goals.

By defining clear goals, you can better plan the flow of the presentation and ensure that all relevant information is covered.

For more tips on how to prepare your presentations properly, you can also refer to the article “ Preparing Presentations: 11 Tips “.

• Goals to enhance clarity and effectiveness of your presentation

Defining goals significantly contributes to the clarity and effectiveness of your PowerPoint presentation . When you know exactly what goal you want to achieve with the presentation, you can select and present the content more purposefully.

Goals help avoid irrelevant information and focus on the essentials. This makes the presentation clearer and more concise , facilitating your audience’s understanding and absorption of the message.

• Goals as a guide for your audience

Goals also serve as a guide for the audience. When the audience is aware of the presentation’s goals, they can better understand what is expected and which information is relevant.

Goals help the audience recognize the underlying structure of the presentation and process the information more effectively. By defining clear goals, you ensure that your audience perceives the presentation as relevant and valuable and actively engages with it.

Bring Order into Chaos

You need to get clear and keep in mind why you want to give your presentation and what you want to achieve with it . A structured plan will help you to get chaotic thoughts in order. The ideal way of doing this is to use the SMART method . This article will go through what it entails and how to use it to set effective goals for your presentations.

Here are the steps to define your goals in PowerPoint presentations:

• Analyze the presentation context

The first step is to thoroughly analyze the presentation context . This includes considering the audience, occasion, time frame, and expectations of the presentation. Having a clear understanding of the context allows you to define goals that are appropriate and tailor the content and presentation style accordingly .

It is important to have a basic understanding of your target audience to adapt the presentation to them and choose goals accordingly. Read more in the article “ Target Audience Analysis”.

• Identify the main message

It is important to identify the main message of the presentation. What is the central statement or primary goal that needs to be conveyed? By establishing a clear main message, the presentation becomes focused and concise.

Learn how to identify, define, and communicate your main message in the article “ Developing Key Messages for Presentations “.

• Set specific goals

Building upon the main message, you can define specific goals. These goals should be clear, measurable, and realistic.

For example, a goal could be to convey specific information, promote certain behavior, or elicit a particular response from the audience. The goals should be aligned with effectively communicating the main message.

• Assess goal attainment possibilities

Before finalizing the goals, it is important to assess the possibilities of achieving them . Consider the available resources, time, and the presenter’s skills. It is important to set realistic goals that are achievable and do not exceed the scope of the presentation.

By carefully following these steps, a clear goal definition can be achieved in PowerPoint presentations, supporting the success of the presentation and achieving the desired impact.

Define Goals Optimally with Information Questions

Before we go into more detail about the principle of SMART goals, it’s useful to revisit some basic tips on the subject of goal definition. To be able to grow both professionally and personally, we need goals that help us to make progress. The same applies to companies: it is essential to define goals and to realize visions in order to grow.

Who is giving the presentation?

Even setting a goal can be a challenge. Setting a goal that is too high to reach, or too low to ensure progress, is counterproductive. A good way to help define goals is to ask information questions. When preparing a presentation, it’s really useful to ask yourself the following:

What topic are you covering?

Why this topic, exactly? What in particular do you have to say about it?

What does your audience expect from you?

How will you convey your key messages? How do you want your presentation to look; how can you optimize your slide design to help?

When are you going to give your presentation? Do you have enough time to prepare?

Where will your presentation be taking place? Does it have suitable equipment, such as a projector and screen?

Defining Goals with the SMART Formula

As mentioned above, the SMART method offers a solidly useful way to define goals.

SMART is an acronym for the following terms:

S – Specific : Formulate your goals precisely so that you know exactly what you want to achieve.

M – Measurable: Define clear criteria to measure your goals.

A – Attainable: Make sure your goals are achievable and can be practically implemented.

R – Relevant : Make sure your goals align with your overall vision.

T – Time-bound: Set a deadline for yourself.

Here’s an example of how to apply the SMART method in practice. We’re going to use the goal of “more Facebook fans”, which can obviously also be applied many other things.

1. The specific goal is to reach 50,000 fans.

2. This is measurable as Facebook counts your fans for you.

3. Since you already have 45,000 fans, this is a goal that is achievable. Sufficient funds and time are available for acquiring the additional 5,000.

4. This would benefit your company, since more fans ensure higher traffic.

5. This is scheduled and should be achieved by the end of the year.

SMART Method PowerPoint Templates

In order to help you define your goals as effectively as possible, we offer numerous templates around the topic of Smart working. These can help you to design a PowerPoint presentation around your goal easily and optimally. Our Smart Goals PowerPoint template slide set offers practical working aids, explanations and overviews around the Smart method, and checklists for defining goals and creating presentations.

WOOP – an Alternative to the SMART Method

Like the SMART method, the WOOP method, is an acronym intended as a tool for defining and achieving goals. The method was developed by Professor of Psychology Gabriele Oettingen. The individual letters stand for the following terms :

W – Wish: The starting point is defining what you want to achieve.

O – Outcome: The next step is to visualize the result. What will change if you implement your wish? Will your business be positively changed by the goal? Does thinking about this step fill you with the energy needed to implement it?

O – Obstacle : What are the obstacles that might prevent you from reaching that goal? This is when you identify and and all reasons that may keep you from achieving your goal.

P – Plan : Plan how you will break down these barriers and work consistently toward your goal.

Conclusion: Define Your Goals and Achieve Success!

We hope the above article, setting out really effective means such as the SMART method for defining goals, will mean you are optimally equipped for your next presentation. Get your next presentation in order with a structured plan, and persuade your audience without any difficulty.

If you have any questions about the SMART method and define goals, or about PowerPoint presentations in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] .

Other articles which may be of interest to you:

• Use Handouts to Enhance Your Presentations
• The best presentation structure: tips&tricks
• Create a PowerPoint Presentation: helpful tips

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14 SMART Goals Examples for Public Speaking

Public speaking is a critical skill in many contexts, such as job interviews and presentations in the workplace. It may be intimidating to present in front of a crowd, but with preparation and practice, anyone can become an effective public speaker.

Having SMART goals encourages you to focus your efforts on specific outcomes and make progress toward being able to deliver presentations confidently.

Table of Contents

What is a SMART Goal?

Your public speaking goals should be created in tandem with the SMART strategy. In case you are unaware, SMART is an acronym standing for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

• Specific: Ensure your goals are as detailed as possible.
• Measurable: Public speakers should make their goals trackable; this component is essential to success.
• Attainable: You want your goals and objectives to be both challenging and reasonable.
• Relevant: Try to align your goals with your personal core values.
• Time-based: You need a specific end date for accomplishing your goal . This will keep you accountable and create a feeling of urgency.

By following these 5 SMART criteria, you can speak confidently and assertively on stage.

Let’s cover 14 examples of SMART goals to improve your public speaking skills:

1. Increase Confidence

SMART Goal: To become a more confident speaker, I’ll practice public speaking exercises every day for the following two months. I want to become more comfortable speaking in front of large groups and build the confidence I need to be a successful public speaker.

• Specific: This goal outlines what you need to do (practice public speaking exercises) and how often you need to do it (every day).
• Measurable: You could count the days you’ve practiced public speaking.
• Attainable: Practicing public speaking exercises daily is absolutely doable.
• Relevant: Taking advantage of these exercises is an excellent way to boost confidence when speaking in front of large groups.
• Time-based: Goal achievement is expected after two whole months.

2. Improve Vocal Delivery

SMART Goal: I want to improve my vocal delivery when I give presentations. To do this, I will practice speaking in front of a mirror for 30 minutes every day for the three months ahead and record myself during practice sessions to review my progress.

• Specific: The SMART goal is explicit because it details how the individual will improve their vocal delivery.
• Measurable: They can record themselves speaking during practice sessions.
• Attainable: Practicing speaking in front of a mirror is achievable within three months.
• Relevant: Vocal delivery is instrumental in enhancing your public speaking skills.
• Time-based: Goal attainment is expected within three months.

3. Expand Repertoire of Presentation Materials

SMART Goal: I will develop new presentation materials for my public speaking engagements by the end of two months. This will include creating slideshows, animations, videos, and interactive resources to capture my audience’s attention.

• Specific: The statement is clear and concise, outlining what materials need to be created.
• Measurable: You can determine how many new materials have been developed.
• Attainable: This goal can be accomplished by dedicating time to developing the materials.
• Relevant: This is essential for public speaking because it will help engage the audience and make presentations more interesting.
• Time-based: There is a two-month end date for accomplishing this goal.

4. Conquer Your Fears

SMART Goal: I’ll aim to improve my public speaking skills and conquer the fear of speaking in front of a large audience. I will attend one public speaking event each month for the next 6 months and practice my skills by presenting at least two talks during this time frame.

• Specific: The person has a particular goal to conquer their fear of speaking in front of a large audience.
• Measurable: Attend one public speaking event each month and present two talks.
• Attainable: Given the timeline of 6 months, this statement is achievable.
• Relevant: This is pertinent to the person’s needs and interests in becoming a successful public speaker.
• Time-based: Six months is required to reach this particular target.

5. Develop Stronger Storytelling Skills

SMART Goal: By the end of 5 months, I will work to develop stronger storytelling skills. I’ll practice my oral presentation skills with friends and family, work on writing stories to use for presentations, and attend workshops that focus on storytelling techniques.

• Specific: This goal is focused on improving storytelling skills, which will be helpful in public speaking.
• Measurable: Make sure you actively follow the listed action items for success.
• Attainable: This is a relatively achievable goal if you are dedicated and consistently practicing.
• Relevant: Storytelling skills are essential for public speaking and will help you convey your message more engagingly.
• Time-based: There is a deadline of 5 months for meeting this goal.

6. Practice Nonverbal Cues and Gestures

SMART Goal: To become a more confident speaker, I will practice my nonverbal cues and gestures for 10 minutes daily for one month. I want to use my body language better and clearly convey what I’m saying.

• Specific: You will practice nonverbal cues and gestures for 10 minutes each day.
• Measurable: The individual could record the time spent practicing their nonverbal cues and gestures.
• Attainable: This is possible because it requires a small amount of daily effort.
• Relevant: The goal is appropriate because the person wants to become a more confident speaker, and using nonverbal cues can help with this.
• Time-based: This goal is time-bound because you want to complete it in one month .

7. Focus on Audience Involvement

SMART Goal: I will design each presentation to involve the audience, allowing them to participate. By the end of two months, I will strive to ensure every presentation I give includes an interactive element that encourages participation.

• Specific: The goal details the objective and how it will be achieved in two months.
• Measurable: You could measure audience involvement by looking at the number of questions asked and audience participation during each presentation.
• Attainable: This SMART goal is doable because it focuses on integrating audience participation into each presentation.
• Relevant: It is crucial to engage with the audience and ensure they participate in the presentation.
• Time-based: There is a two-month timeline for accomplishing the goal.

8. Enhance Visual Aids and Slideshows

SMART Goal: My goal is to be able to create visual aids and slideshows that better engage the audience in my presentations. I plan to create a template of custom visuals that I can use for all my future presentations by the end of three months.

• Specific: The goal is specific since this person wants to create better visual aids and slideshows.
• Measurable: You can check off the boxes after creating the template and visual aids.
• Attainable: This is a realistic timeline to create a template of visuals for future presentations.
• Relevant: This goal is relevant to public speaking as it will help engage the audience better.
• Time-based: You’ll achieve this goal by the end of three months.

9. Boost Knowledge of Topic Areas

SMART Goal: For 7 months, I’ll spend two hours each week researching and learning more about the topics I’ll discuss in my public speaking engagements. I want to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and regulations to give my audience the best information possible.

• Specific: The goal is clear. The public speaker wants to become an expert in their field.
• Measurable: You will spend two hours each week researching and learning.
• Attainable: This is achievable and achievable with time and intentional effort.
• Relevant: The goal aligns with the speaker’s desire to become an expert in their field.
• Time-based: You will gain more knowledge over the duration of 7 months.

10. Speak with More Assertiveness

SMART Goal: To improve my public speaking, I’ll practice and implement powerful communication techniques in each of my speeches by the end of 6 months. I want to enhance my message to the audience and speak with more authority.

• Specific: The goal is clear and concise, stating precisely the objective and how it will be accomplished.
• Measurable: By practicing communication techniques and implementing them in speeches, the speaker can measure their success with audiences.
• Attainable: This goal can be accomplished through practice and research on powerful communication techniques.
• Relevant: This is relevant to public speaking because it helps the speaker enhance their message and gain more authority.
• Time-based: There is a 6-month end date for reaching this goal.

11. Refine Time Management

SMART Goal: After four months, I’ll have established a time management system that allows me to schedule and manage tasks better without sacrificing the quality of work. This will make me more organized and efficient when preparing for my speeches.

• Specific: This goal includes the time frame for completion and outlines what you need to do (establish a time management system).
• Measurable: Measuring this goal could include tracking how you manage your tasks and if they are completed promptly.
• Attainable: Creating and refining a time management system is something you can definitely do.
• Relevant: Managing your time will encourage efficiency while preparing for your speeches.
• Time-based: Goal completion is expected to take four months.

12. Increase Self-Awareness

SMART Goal: I will increase my self-awareness to better understand how I express myself in public speaking by taking an online course on communication within two months. When addressing an audience, I plan to be more mindful of my body language and tone.

• Specific: The SMART goal is explicit because it outlines precise steps toward increasing self-awareness.
• Measurable: The speaker will determine how well they can identify their body language and tone of voice.
• Attainable: This goal is achievable as long as the person puts in the effort and time.
• Relevant: The goal relates to increasing self-awareness regarding public speaking.
• Time-based: Goal achievement is expected by the end of two months.

13. Study Audience Dynamics

SMART Goal: I want to enhance my public speaking skills by studying audience dynamics on a deeper level. I will dedicate at least an hour each week for the next 6 months to studying how different demographics interact with each other and how my messages can be tailored to reach them.

• Specific: The goal is to study audience dynamics and build public speaking skills by tailoring messages.
• Measurable: Dedicate at least an hour each week to studying audience dynamics.
• Attainable: The timeline is reasonable, so this should be achievable with the proper focus.
• Relevant: The goal is appropriate to the task at hand because it focuses on honing public speaking skills.
• Time-based: There is a 6-month time frame for pursuing this goal.

14. Learn from Your Mistakes

SMART Goal: In the following three months, I want to improve upon any errors I made in the past and ensure I make fewer mistakes each time I present. I’ll be more confident in my speaking abilities and know I can give an effective presentation.

• Specific: The statement is to improve upon any errors made in the past and make fewer mistakes each time speaking.
• Measurable: You can track the number of mistakes made in each presentation.
• Attainable: This is achievable because the individual actively seeks ways to improve and shows confidence in their abilities.
• Relevant: The SMART goal is appropriate because it focuses on personal growth and improvement as a speaker.
• Time-based: The goal is time-bound because it has a deadline of three months.

Final Thoughts

Public speaking may be an overwhelming experience, but creating SMART goals will make it more manageable. Knowing what you want to achieve and planning are vital to reaching success.

Start developing realistic, measurable objectives that motivate you to do your best. Take note of how far you’ve come and celebrate the small victories. With some preparation and practice, you’ll be ready to hit the stage confidently.

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Blog Beginner Guides How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

Written by: Krystle Wong Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

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• Presentation Science

Setting Your Presentation Goals

• By: Amy Boone

Before you stand up to give a presentation, you probably set goals for yourself, right? Things like present with confidence. Get through without too many “ums.” Or make good eye contact. But have you ever set goals for your audience before giving a presentation?

Audience goals keep you focused on the exact change you are hoping to accomplish. It might be to help the audience understand a new policy, to join a work team, or to purchase a product. Best-selling author Dr. Stephen Covey says you should “ begin with the end in mind .” In other words, you should know what you hope to accomplish before you start writing your presentation. And that’s what we are talking about today.

If you are preparing a presentation in hopes that it will be effective, you need to understand how humans learn and then set specific learning goals for your audience. So let’s talk about different levels of learning and how to leverage these in your presentations.

Bloom’s Taxonomy

In 1956, Benjamin S. Bloom created a hierarchy of learning that is known as Bloom’s Taxonomy . Bloom’s guide helps us understand the different levels of learning. In 2000 Anderson and Krathwohl updated Bloom’s original language as shown in the table below. Bloom’s taxonomy moves from the lowest level of learning, which is remembering, to the highest level of learning found in creating.

As a presenter, this hierarchy can help you set appropriate goals for your presentation. Before doing that though, let’s learn a little bit more about each level. The Teaching and Educational Institute of The University of Queensland in Australia defines each level like this:

• knowledge: can recall of specific items
• comprehension: can recall, but can do a little more (e.g. paraphrase, define, discuss to some extent)
• application: can take information of an abstract nature and use it in concrete situations
• analysis: can break down a communication into its constituent parts, revealing the relationships among them
• evaluation: can make judgements about the value of materials or methods
• synthesis: can pull together many disorganized elements or parts so as to form a whole

Looking at those levels, ask yourself, what is it that I want my audience to be able to do at the end of my presentation ? If you simply want them to remember the key terms or points, a presentation focused on remembering is fine. But if you want them to be able to apply the information you are presenting, you’ll need to aim a little higher.

Let’s discuss some specific ways to accomplish each learning level goal in your presentations. Keep in mind that they are cumulative; they build upon each other. So if your ultimate goal is to get your audience to the application level, you need to also use the tips in the lower levels that come before application. Let’s get started.

If your goal for your audience is remembering:

Keep the main terms in your presentation the same. If you tell your audience you are going to cover “how caffeine affects your brain and body,” don’t switch that to “cerebral and physical effects of caffeine” later in your presentation. Certain words become anchor points for your audience. They are listening for them. And they use them to orient themselves within the presentation, so don’t switch them up.

Also, repeat the terms or points that you want the audience to retain at least 3 times. Once in the introduction, once in the body of your message, and once as you are reviewing in your conclusion.

If your goal for your audience is understanding:

Move beyond definition to illustrations and examples that connect with your audience. Words don’t mean much until they connect to something we know. Connection is the start of understanding. Here’s how to make that happen. In their 2019 article, “ Unleashing the Power of Examples ,” Dr. Ken Alford and Dr. Tyler Griffin share a story originally told by Dr. Kim B. Clark of an elementary teacher who taught his fourth graders about German theologian Martin Luther. Following his lesson, the students took a quiz, but they bombed the quiz. They answered the questions as if the quiz was about Martin Luther King Jr., the American civil rights activist and leader.

The next time the teacher taught this same lesson on Martin Luther, he started his presentation like this: “How many of you know who Martin Luther King, Jr. was?” When all of the students raised their hands, he asked, “Do any of you know why his parents gave him the name of Martin Luther?” As Alford and Griffin write, “He then shared the  same  information he had presented to the first group, but the students heard his lesson  differently  because it built on information they already understood.” The second group of students passed their quizzes easily. The first level of learning, remembering, is aimed at basic memorization. But the second level, understanding, connects new information with what the audience already knows.

If your goal for your audience is applying:

The above example gets partly into application because the students were asked to take a quiz on the information. That shows that they were able to apply what they had learned. But I’m guessing you aren’t planning to give your audience members a quiz following your presentation. Instead, you can achieve this level of learning by asking your audience to provide some examples of their own. Once you’ve explained a point or concept, ask for feedback either by opening the floor for them to share examples or by asking them to share examples in small groups.

If your goal for your audience is analyzing:

At this stage of learning, you should start to view your audience members not as students, but as decision makers. In order for your audience make the best decision, they have to be able to analyze your ideas, so you need to help them understand all the component parts. Say for example you are giving a sales pitch. Helping them analyze might mean that your presentation needs to cover the history of your product, the motivating factor for its creation, the ways in which it solves problems for other customers, data on its cost effectiveness, statistics on how it compares to its competitors, etc. This stage illustrates why Bloom’s taxonomy can be so helpful for setting your audience presentation goals. If your audience doesn’t need to analyze or make decisions, you can leave out some of this more detailed and granular information.

If your goal for your audience is evaluating:

With this level of learning, you are helping your audience form opinions about your ideas. You are asking them to assign value and judge something to be right/wrong, good/bad, helpful/not helpful, true/false, and so on. One of the main goals of information presentation is to help your audience get to the place where they judge your content to be worthy of their time, attention, money, respect, or support. In order to do this, you need to show how the information you’ve presented affects their daily lives in a positive way. Without this explicit connection, the audience can too easily dismiss your presentation as irrelevant.

If your goal for your audience is creating:

The highest level of learning is synthesizing or creating. Remember that all the levels of learning build upon each other. So in order to get to this last and highest step, you need to move the audience through the other levels first. It could be that your presentation goal is to get your audience to take what they’ve learned from you and use it to create new ideas, new products, or new policies of their own.

In these cases, you need to focus on inspiration and motivation. Don’t waste time on things the audience already knows. Instead, spend your energy actually getting them to act. For example, if you are launching a recycling initiative at your workplace, don’t bog them down with recycling stats and why recycling is good for the planet. You may touch on this briefly, but don’t spend too much time on it because the audience already accepts that recycling is a worthy cause. Instead, figure out how to convince them to actually start acting on this initiative and creating new initiatives of their own that coincide with those of the company.

When you know what your goal is for your audience members, you can start to balance your presentation content accordingly. What do you need to spend the most time on? Is there anything your audience doesn’t need to know that you can take out? What do you need to accomplish first before moving on to higher levels of learning? Bloom’s taxonomy helps you ask the right questions so you develop the right presentation to get the right results.

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Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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11 SMART Goals Examples for Your Public Speaking Skills

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Public speaking is one of the most common fears. It is not easy to get on stage with people looking straight at you, and give a speech.

But by working on your public speaking skills, you can get better at it, and start to appear more comfortable when on stage.

One strategy that can help is to set SMART goals that provide milestones you can use to overcome the specific challenges you have related to public speaking. 

So, in this article, we will briefly discuss what smart goals are, why they are important for public speaking, and finally we’ll look at 11 SMART goals that you can apply to improve your public speaking .

Let’s get to it.

Table of Contents

What Are SMART Goals?

If we don’t have a compass or a compass that is constantly spinning around, we will probably end up getting nowhere. SMART goals help us set a target and draw a roadmap to get there. The clearer our vision of the target, the easier it is for us to achieve them.

We hear about SMART Goals nearly every day; everyone talks about them. Setting goals is one of the most crucial steps to achieving what is important for you in life; they help us acknowledge and define our objectives, give us a sense of direction, and help us align our compass.

Not All Goals Are as SMART as They Seem

Have you ever made a list of vague goals that ended up in your drawer, never to see the light of day again? How about a list of goals about getting organized that you found in your huge pile of papers lying on the floor beside your desk?

According to  Jack Canfield , an American author, “Vague goals lead to vague results.”

Take one common goal that many people set, chase them for a few days, and eventually give up on; “I want to be a better public speaker.” Before we get on stage and speak our hearts out, we need to have a specific objective. Being a better public speaker is a term that is too vague to be a SMART goal.  

Without a precise and clearly defined objective, all our plans are likely to fail. SMART goals help us define our objective and allow us to focus on it. The acronym SMART expands into:

• S pecific: Must be narrowed down, focused, and clearly defined
• M easurable: Must have some quantitative factors that help track progress
• A ttainable: Must be achievable
• R elevant: Must be important and have a significant value in our life
• T ime-Bound: Must have a timeline and a deadline

If you are looking for a more detailed overview of SMART goals and how to set them with a few easy steps, then be sure to check out our step-by-step build for setting and achieving SMART goals.

Why SMART Goals Are Important for Public Speaking

Public speaking is a vast field. Setting a goal like “ I want to be a better public speaker ” is too vague to address and work on.

Every public speaker has some room for improvement. So if you want to get better at speaking in front of crowds, then you could set SMART goals that help you focus on:

• Confidently delivering the message
• Maintaining eye contact
• Stop using filler words such as um, ah, like, actually, etc.
• Improving  body language
• Improving vocality
• Making your presentations more engaging

Each one of these goals will make you a better public speaker. Working on these more specific tasks will be much easier than working on a vague goal of becoming a better public speaker.

Public speaking  is a skill that will take time and practice to improve. If your goals aren’t in the right order, you will not make much progress, exhaust yourself, and eventually give up. It is important to be specific with what you want to achieve.

So let’s dive into 11 examples of SMART goals you could set.

11 SMART Goals Examples for Public Speaking

1. improve stage confidence.

I want to improve my stage confidence and learn how to deliver my message more confidently. I will record my speeches and make it a habit to go over my presentations the next day and list all confidence flaws I find. I will try to eliminate them in my next presentation and aim to have less than five flaws in all my speeches by six months.

Specific:  Improve stage confidence, and reduce confidence flaws to less than five

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by counting the confidence flaws, and when the flaws drop below five, I will know that I have achieved the goal

Attainable:  Using the recordings from the speeches, I can determine if the goal is attainable or not. Also, there is good room for error, and adequate time has been provided to practice and improve.

Relevant:  I want to deliver the message more confidently because it will persuade more people. I will also feel better after presenting confidently.

Time-Bound:  Since I have set a deadline for this goal, I know that I have to reduce the flaws to less than five in six months.

2. Overcome Stage Fright

I have a big presentation coming up in three months. I want to learn how to manage my nerves. I will practice speaking to small family audiences to overcome my nerves and increase my speech time from 3 minutes to 15 minutes by the end of two months.

Specific:  Overcome stage fright and increase speech time to 15 minutes

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by measuring the time I stayed on the stage

Attainable:  With the help of the family audience, I will be able to speak more easily, and

Relevant:  I have a big presentation coming up and want to do well in it

Time-Bound:  I have set a timeline that I want to get comfortable by the end of two months and also increase my speech duration to 15 minutes by then.

3. Control Filler Words

I want to eliminate the use of filler words like uhh, umm, so, etc. I want to sound more confident on stage. I hope to minimize the usage of filler words by rehearsing my speech at least five times before delivering it. I plan to have a maximum of two filler words for every ten minutes of presentation by the end of four months .

Specific:  Sound more confident by eliminating filler words

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by counting the filler words in the speeches. When they are down to two for every ten minutes of speaking, the goal will be achieved

Attainable:  With ample time, and room for error, the goal is made attainable

Relevant:  I want to sound confident and not waste my efforts in preparing and delivering the speech

Time-Bound:  The timeline is clearly defined at four months

4. Build Rapport with Audience

I want to refer less to my notes during my presentation because I would like to build a rapport with the audience. I will rehearse my speech six times before it is due in two weeks.  

Specific:  Build rapport with the audience, minimize the usage of notes, and rehearse the speech at least six times.

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by counting the times I referred to the notes.

Attainable:  With proper rehearsals and practice, it is attainable

Relevant:  I would like to build a rapport with the audience and make a good impression.

Time-Bound:  The timeline is clearly defined at two weeks.

5. Improve Posture

I want to improve my posture and look more confident when on stage. I have to stop myself from slouching when standing up during my presentation. I will consciously correct my posture every time I slouch over the next 30 days .

Specific:  Stop slouching and maintain a good posture.

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by checking the number of times I slouched during the speech. And also, by the number of times I had to correct my posture consciously.

Attainable:  Since the slouching habit can be eliminated within a few days, this goal is attainable

Relevant:  I want to look confident and leave a positive impression on the audience

Time-Bound:  The timeline is defined as 30 days

6. Control Purposeless Movement

I want to control purposeless movement on stage as it distracts the audience. I will work with my friend and ask them to count the times they think I unintentionally fidgeted on stage. I want to control and eliminate purposeless movement with practice over the next ten presentations .

Specific:  Control purposeless movement.

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by checking the number of times I fidgeted or moved unintentionally on stage.

Attainable:  With practice, purposeless movement can be eliminated, as many novice public speakers have done.

Relevant:  I want to look confident and not speak to a distracted audience

Time-Bound:  The timeline is ten presentations. This means that I hope to have significantly minimized purposeless movement by the time I start my eleventh.

7. Improve Audience Engagement

I want to improve the audience engagement by adding humor to my speech. After every ten minutes of my forty-minute presentation, I will add a joke to keep the audience alert and engaged. 

Specific:  Improve audience engagement

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by checking the reaction of the audience and the number of times a joke was told during the presentation.

Attainable:  Several speakers add humor to their presentations to keep the audience engaged  

Relevant:  I want to keep the audience engaged and not feel like a television or a radio.

Time-Bound:  The timeline is defined as a joke every ten minutes during a forty-minute presentation

8. Improve Eye Contact

I want to improve my eye contact with the audience and improve my credibility. I will practice making eye contact with every audience member for five seconds. I will start by practicing with small audiences of 8-10 people and hope to be comfortable with larger audiences by six months. 

Specific:  Improve eye contact

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by checking the number of times I stared blankly at the floor, ceiling, or wall. It can also be measured by the audience size that I am comfortable with

Attainable:  Several speakers can make eye contact with their audience members. If they can, so can I.  

Relevant:  I want to improve my credibility with the audience

Time-Bound:  The timeline is defined as six months’ worth of practice

9. Design Eye-catching Slides

I want to be able to design eye-catching and intriguing presentation slides. I plan to attend an online course on presentation design for two weeks and hope to make professional-looking slides by the end of the course.

Specific:  Learn how to design eye-catching slides

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by the number of days the course has been attended and also by comparing previous slides to ones after the course

Attainable:  The goal is easy to attain

Relevant:  I want to impress the audience and keep them intrigued with my presentations

Time-Bound:  The timeline is defined with the course of two weeks

10. Improve Voice Modulation

I want to work on adding voice modulation to my speeches. My monotonous voice often causes the audience members to doze off. I will work with a public speaking coach for two months to learn and apply modulation. I will also keep an eye on the members dozing off to know how effective the coaching is.

Specific:  Improve voice modulation and keep the audience alert.

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by checking the number of audience members who doze off during the presentation and comparing it with previous presentations.

Attainable:  The goal is easy to attain with a public speaking coach

Relevant:  I want the audience to listen to what I am saying

Time-Bound:  The timeline is two months to minimize the number of dozed-off audience members.

11.  Improve Hand Gestures

I want to add emphasis to my speeches by adding proper hand gestures. I will take an online public speaking course to learn the skill. I will then record myself during rehearsals and on stage to determine how much I am improving during the course. I hope to be fluent with the gestures within four months .

Specific:  Improve hand gestures

Measurable:  The progress can be measured by checking the number of times hand gestures were used

Attainable:  The goal is easy to attain with practice

Relevant:  I want the audience to understand the importance of what I am saying

Time-Bound:  The timeline is defined as four months.

Final Thoughts on SMART Goals for Public Speaking

Public speaking is a broad topic. So it’s essential to narrow down the areas you want to improve related to the current challenges you’re facing.  Hopefully these 11 examples will provide that spark of inspiration for setting goals that will help you become a more effective public speaker.

Just remember that the key to accomplishing SMART goals is to have them written down and revisit them every day. To get started, you can use one of the SMART goal worksheets and templates that are provided on this page .

And if you want more SMART goal ideas and examples, be sure to check out these blog posts:

• 5 SMART Goal Examples for Your Musician Career
• 6 SMART Goals Examples for Event Coordinators
• 7 SMART Goals Examples for Churches or a Ministry

Finally, if you want to take your goal-setting efforts to the next level, check out this FREE printable worksheet and a step-by-step process that will help you set effective SMART goals .

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How to set a clear presentation objective

Home  >   Presentation Outline >  Presentation Objective

Ask any presenter, and they will tell you that it is essential to set a presentation objective. However, when asked how to go about setting these objectives, they often draw a blank. The term 'objective' is often used quite casually by many presenters, without fully understanding its importance.

Most presentation objectives tend to sound like this: "I want everyone to appreciate my unique ideas, leave a strong impression on my audience, and make a great presentation." However, these goals are too broad and lack specificity to help a presenter create a presentation that will truly resonate with their audience.

The objectives of a presentation are not vague statements of presenter goals.

They follow a clearly defined structure.

You need to use that structure for setting your objectives because…

A clearly defined presentation objective is the first step to a remarkable presentation.

A clear and meaningful presentation objective determines…

• How  confidently you deliver your presentation
• How much your audience trusts your suggestions
• How you prioritize your points and  structure your presentation
• How your presentation ends – i.e. whether your presentation ends with polite claps or with a clear decision to address the next steps.

In this article, we will show you  Minimal® process  for setting up clear objectives for presentation in a step-by-step way.

What is the process for setting the objective?

Setting an objective for your presentation involves answering three essential questions: Who, What, and Why.  

• Who is the intended audience? 
• What action should they take?
• And why should they take this action? What is in it for them?

 Let's delve into each of these questions in turn.

WHO – Who is the last person in your audience?

The last person is the one who must take action based on your presentation. This could be the ultimate decision-maker or someone who has an influence on the decision-making process.

 If your presentation is purely informational , such as a training presentation on products, the last person is the one with the least amount of knowledge on the subject.

When crafting your presentation outline or story, it is important to keep the last person in mind in order to ensure that the information is presented in a way that is understandable and engaging.

Why do you need to define the last person for your presentation?

It is to focus your message. The clearer you are about the last person, the more focused your message gets:

• By understanding the knowledge and experience level of the last person, you can plan the extent to which you need to build the  context and background.
• By understanding the motivation factors, you can determine the  nature of your offer.
• By understanding the preferences, you can decide the  extent to which you need to use data and emotions  in your presentation.

If you don’t determine the last person, you end up with a vague and boring presentation. Remember, when you want to appeal to everyone, you convince no one.

So, setting a clear presentation objective is the critical first step in creating your presentation.

Your action step

Determine the last person for your presentation. Create a thumbnail profile – like the age, work experience, job responsibilities, awareness levels etc. If possible, get a picture of the last person and stick it in front of you.

This person represents your audience. Check if your presentation would appeal to this person.

Page 2 What is in it for me?

Return to Main  Presentation Outline Page

Return to Top of Presentation Objective Page

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Home Blog Business Setting SMART Goals – A Complete Guide (with Examples + Free Templates)

Setting SMART Goals – A Complete Guide (with Examples + Free Templates)

Businesses today are more focused on effective strategic planning and goal setting than ever. At first sight, these processes might seem pretty straightforward. However, there’s so much more going on behind the scenes. Companies dedicate a lot of time and resources to goal based strategic planning . After all, they determine the company’s future liquidity and success. This post covers the concepts related to goal-setting and the SMART criteria, their respective benefits, and instructions for writing SMART goals.

SMART Goals Definition and Meaning

What are the benefits of setting smart goals, setting the scope of a smart goal, writing the content of a smart goal, s – specific, m – measurable, a – achievable, r – relevant, t – time-bound, a smart goals template, learn how to set smart goals, to conclude, what are smart goals.

“ Goal setting and task performance: 1969-1980 ” was the first study to promote the importance of setting achievable yet challenging goals. It found that 90% of people perform better with relevant and challenging goals, translating to higher business efficiency and profits.

Over the years, management and marketing teams came with different alternatives for goal setting and enhancing workplace performance . One widespread process is using the SMART acronym.

George T. Doran, a consultant and former Director of Corporate Planning for Washington Water Power Company, first introduced the SMART acronym. He published a paper titled There’s a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management’s Goals and Objectives in November 1981.

Fast forward, the five rules or criteria known as SMART today serve as a psychological tool for increasing productivity . A SMART goal can foster a clear and mutual understanding of what constitutes expected performance levels and successful professional development, but also to achieve personal goals.

SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

The SMART goals acronym eliminates generalization and guesswork, thus setting the base for tracking progress and identifying missed deadlines. When a business entity defines these five parameters, it essentially ensures its team will attain the listed objectives within a predetermined time frame.

SMART is an effective tool with growing popularity. Businesses worldwide incorporate the criteria for strategic planning and goal setting due to the following benefits:

How to Write SMART Goals?

The following section consists of the steps in the process of writing SMART goals, including practical examples to form a comprehensive goal statement.

SMART goals can address a wide range of job responsibilities, most commonly day-to-day job activities. Business entities primarily apply the SMART criteria to direct their attention and resources towards the most critical aspects of their operation, thus achieving their priorities .

SMART goals can cover different personal or business objectives, such as increasing/decreasing, developing, making, improving, and saving something (resource, expense, revenue, time, etc.).

Setting the scope of a SMART goal is a three-step process with the aim of help meeting personal or business goals:

Note : If a business has too many goals, it can indicate that they are developed at a too low level and meeting the business goals can be challenging in these situations. These goals are more task-oriented instead of focusing on the broader picture and the result. A practical solution to this problem is combining several statements into one, more comprehensive goal.

A general goal has a lower chance of being accomplished compared to a SMART goal.

An example of a general goal: “ I will increase my profits this year “.

First, SMART goals are always specific, providing enough detail to eliminate a general goal’s indecision.

An example of a specific goal: “ The sales department will increase my profits this year by increasing my marketing efforts in the domestic market “.

Specific goals answer the famous “W” questions:

Note : Not every specific goal has to answer all questions. They are given as a starting point; it’s a non-exclusive list.

A specific SMART goal is a solid base but worth almost nothing without the proper metrics in place. Setting metrics to determine whether a business will attain the goal and track progress makes the goal more tangible. Usually, this translates to numbers or customer/employee satisfaction.

A measurable goal usually answers questions, such as the following:

An example of a measurable goal: “ The sales department will improve my profits by 15% this year by increasing my marketing expenses by 5% in the domestic market “.

Note : A business can easily measure these indicators since they are expressed in numbers (revenues, expenses, profits) – these are quantitative measurements.

However, a measurable goal can take another form: “ The sales department will improve my profits by 15% this year by increasing customer satisfaction in the domestic market “.

The second refers to qualitative measurements that cannot be assessed as easily. An entity, in this case, will need to think in terms of customer feedback, testimonials, ratings, surveys, and so on. In the long term, customer satisfaction translates to customer/brand loyalty and increased profits. Still, these effects are difficult to quantify.

Can the business improve profits by 15% in a single year? Is this the reality of its niche (is it a fast-growing one, is there a demand for these products/services)?

On the other hand, does the entity have the needed capital and resources to increase expenses by 5%? Or will this decision harm its operation, in debt the company in the long-term, or harm its market position?

These, and a range of other questions, should be considered. A business might need to stretch its abilities, develop new skills, change attitudes, or identify previously overlooked opportunities. Still, they should be able to achieve the set goal promptly. If the goal turns out to be too optimistic, the team might think of other, more viable alternatives.

A single SMART goal statement should be consistent and make sense within the broader image and business mission . All of an entity’s departments should move in the same direction, or in other words, be aligned.

A relevant SMART goal answers the following questions:

The time-bound element in the goal is “this year”, so that there’s no need to expand the statement. Still, it would help to break down the deadline into shorter milestones since a year is pretty broad. A better alternative would be:

“ The sales department will improve my profits by 3% this month/quarter by … . “

A time-bound goal usually answers the following questions:

With a timeline, a business will rarely overlook the importance of a goal. With the lack of it, the company can easily commit to day-to-day activities or occurring crises and forget what should have been a priority in the first place.

The SMART Goals Templates are a tool that facilitates the presentation of the goal-setting process and outcomes. It helps businesses better present their goal statements and communicate them with related parties.

SMART Goals templates are usually divided into several sections, taking a form similar to the following:

A business starts by writing the initial idea. Then, it answers the listed questions as specified in each section above, respectively. In turn, the company can create a more practical goal statement.

The following template might help your entity write a SMART Goal:

Filling in the gaps might lead to examples, such as the following:

Here’s an excellent example of a SMART goals template, depicting the seven-step goals-based strategic planning process :

Through the SMART Goals Template free we invite you to set your main goal and generate a conversion process towards SMART Goals. Thanks to this exercise you will be able to rethink your goal through different questions that will guide you towards the SMART methodology.

SMART Goals Examples

1. free smart goals powerpoint template.

The Free SMART Goals Template is a PowerPoint presentation that will allow you to communicate your business goals using the SMART methodology. Thanks to this PowerPoint template you will be able to evaluate your main goal before moving on to the planning and execution phase. This SMART Goals Template has six slides, is fully editable and available for PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Use This Template

2. Target SMART Goals PowerPoint Template

The Target SMART Goals PowerPoint Template is a creative timeline design for goal setting techniques. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The arrow with five circular icons these five elements of goals. The curved arrow represents a timeline leading to a dartboard of achieving goals. It helps you highlight the key components and show how goals are achieved with SMART goal criteria in mind.

3. SMART Goals Slide Design for PowerPoint

The SMART Goals Slide Design for PowerPoint can evaluate different business goals. It can be applied to any management or marketing plan and edited to fit any corporate presentation. In SlideModel.com, we recommend it for project management, employee performance management, personal development, and various other business environments.

4. Goal Strategy & Tactics PowerPoint Template

The Goal Strategy & Tactics PowerPoint Template visualize steps that will help you describe multiple solutions. There are two slide designs of gradient PowerPoint backgrounds and shapes. Moreover, diagram presents chess game clipart icons like king, knight, and pawn for strategies. The arrow icons in tactic segments will help display optimal solutions.

5. Goals Based Strategic Planning PowerPoint Templates

The Goals-Based Strategic Planning PowerPoint Templates is a set of slides designed to present the result of a goals based strategic planning process. There are different approaches and models for strategic planning. These include goal-based strategic planning, issue-based strategic planning, organic, and scenarios. The Goal-based strategy focuses on organization’s values, mission, visions, and business objectives. It is most commonly used in financial planning to prioritize and optimize.

6. SMART Objectives Slide Design for PowerPoint

SMART Objectives Slide Design for PowerPoint is a presentation that will allow you to simply and clearly specify each of your SMART objectives. It is a very useful PowerPoint Template to specify your goals with your work team and use it as a Roadmap for short-term goals, medium and long-term goals.

7. SMART Goals One Pager PowerPoint Template

The SMART Goals One Pager PowerPoint Template is a data table where you can enter each of your SMART goals. This way you will be able to present in a simple and clear way with the One Pager format each of your goals and their breakdown in SMART acronyms.

8. SMART Objectives PowerPoint Template

9. SMART Goals PowerPoint Template

10. 5-Item Goal Target PowerPoint Template

11. Short & Long Term Goals PowerPoint Template

12. SMART Goals Planning Sheet PowerPoint Template

13. SMART Goals for Balanced Scorecard PowerPoint Template

14. SMART Objectives PowerPoint Template

15. Flat SMART Objectives PowerPoint Template

16. Setting Goals Template for PowerPoint with Target & Darts

SMART goals are effective tools that can increase the efficiency and profitability of a business. They give a clear direction to long-term goals, long-term progress and prioritize the most critical aspects for success. Teams with SMART goals can better focus on the broader picture and not lose themselves in day-to-day activities.

Better focus, motivation, and productivity, in turn, set the base for increasing the financial position of a company, along with the non-financial indicators, in a positive direction.

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Balanced Scorecard, Business PowerPoint Templates, Business Presentations, Corporate Presentations, Strategy Filed under Business

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How to Structure your Presentation, with Examples

August 3, 2018 - Dom Barnard

For many people the thought of delivering a presentation is a daunting task and brings about a  great deal of nerves . However, if you take some time to understand how effective presentations are structured and then apply this structure to your own presentation, you’ll appear much more confident and relaxed.

Here is our complete guide for structuring your presentation, with examples at the end of the article to demonstrate these points.

Why is structuring a presentation so important?

If you’ve ever sat through a great presentation, you’ll have left feeling either inspired or informed on a given topic. This isn’t because the speaker was the most knowledgeable or motivating person in the world. Instead, it’s because they know how to structure presentations – they have crafted their message in a logical and simple way that has allowed the audience can keep up with them and take away key messages.

Research has supported this, with studies showing that audiences retain structured information  40% more accurately  than unstructured information.

In fact, not only is structuring a presentation important for the benefit of the audience’s understanding, it’s also important for you as the speaker. A good structure helps you remain calm, stay on topic, and avoid any awkward silences.

What will affect your presentation structure?

Generally speaking, there is a natural flow that any decent presentation will follow which we will go into shortly. However, you should be aware that all presentation structures will be different in their own unique way and this will be due to a number of factors, including:

• Whether you need to deliver any demonstrations
• How  knowledgeable the audience  already is on the given subject
• How much interaction you want from the audience
• Any time constraints there are for your talk
• What setting you are in
• Your ability to use any kinds of visual assistance

Before choosing the presentation’s structure answer these questions first:

• What is your presentation’s aim?
• Who are the audience?
• What are the main points your audience should remember afterwards?

When reading the points below, think critically about what things may cause your presentation structure to be slightly different. You can add in certain elements and add more focus to certain moments if that works better for your speech.

What is the typical presentation structure?

This is the usual flow of a presentation, which covers all the vital sections and is a good starting point for yours. It allows your audience to easily follow along and sets out a solid structure you can add your content to.

1. Greet the audience and introduce yourself

Before you start delivering your talk, introduce yourself to the audience and clarify who you are and your relevant expertise. This does not need to be long or incredibly detailed, but will help build an immediate relationship between you and the audience. It gives you the chance to briefly clarify your expertise and why you are worth listening to. This will help establish your ethos so the audience will trust you more and think you’re credible.

Read our tips on  How to Start a Presentation Effectively

2. Introduction

In the introduction you need to explain the subject and purpose of your presentation whilst gaining the audience’s interest and confidence. It’s sometimes helpful to think of your introduction as funnel-shaped to help filter down your topic:

• Introduce your general topic
• Explain your topic area
• State the issues/challenges in this area you will be exploring
• State your presentation’s purpose – this is the basis of your presentation so ensure that you provide a statement explaining how the topic will be treated, for example, “I will argue that…” or maybe you will “compare”, “analyse”, “evaluate”, “describe” etc.
• Provide a statement of what you’re hoping the outcome of the presentation will be, for example, “I’m hoping this will be provide you with…”
• Show a preview of the organisation of your presentation

In this section also explain:

• The length of the talk.
• Signal whether you want audience interaction – some presenters prefer the audience to ask questions throughout whereas others allocate a specific section for this.
• If it applies, inform the audience whether to take notes or whether you will be providing handouts.

The way you structure your introduction can depend on the amount of time you have been given to present: a  sales pitch  may consist of a quick presentation so you may begin with your conclusion and then provide the evidence. Conversely, a speaker presenting their idea for change in the world would be better suited to start with the evidence and then conclude what this means for the audience.

Keep in mind that the main aim of the introduction is to grab the audience’s attention and connect with them.

3. The main body of your talk

The main body of your talk needs to meet the promises you made in the introduction. Depending on the nature of your presentation, clearly segment the different topics you will be discussing, and then work your way through them one at a time – it’s important for everything to be organised logically for the audience to fully understand. There are many different ways to organise your main points, such as, by priority, theme, chronologically etc.

• Main points should be addressed one by one with supporting evidence and examples.
• Before moving on to the next point you should provide a mini-summary.
• Links should be clearly stated between ideas and you must make it clear when you’re moving onto the next point.
• Allow time for people to take relevant notes and stick to the topics you have prepared beforehand rather than straying too far off topic.

When planning your presentation write a list of main points you want to make and ask yourself “What I am telling the audience? What should they understand from this?” refining your answers this way will help you produce clear messages.

4. Conclusion

In presentations the conclusion is frequently underdeveloped and lacks purpose which is a shame as it’s the best place to reinforce your messages. Typically, your presentation has a specific goal – that could be to convert a number of the audience members into customers, lead to a certain number of enquiries to make people knowledgeable on specific key points, or to motivate them towards a shared goal.

Regardless of what that goal is, be sure to summarise your main points and their implications. This clarifies the overall purpose of your talk and reinforces your reason for being there.

Follow these steps:

• Signal that it’s nearly the end of your presentation, for example, “As we wrap up/as we wind down the talk…”
• Restate the topic and purpose of your presentation – “In this speech I wanted to compare…”
• Summarise the main points, including their implications and conclusions
• Indicate what is next/a call to action/a thought-provoking takeaway
• Move on to the last section

5. Thank the audience and invite questions

Conclude your talk by thanking the audience for their time and invite them to  ask any questions  they may have. As mentioned earlier, personal circumstances will affect the structure of your presentation.

Many presenters prefer to make the Q&A session the key part of their talk and try to speed through the main body of the presentation. This is totally fine, but it is still best to focus on delivering some sort of initial presentation to set the tone and topics for discussion in the Q&A.

Other common presentation structures

The above was a description of a basic presentation, here are some more specific presentation layouts:

Demonstration

Use the demonstration structure when you have something useful to show. This is usually used when you want to show how a product works. Steve Jobs frequently used this technique in his presentations.

• Explain why the product is valuable.
• Describe why the product is necessary.
• Explain what problems it can solve for the audience.
• Demonstrate the product  to support what you’ve been saying.
• Make suggestions of other things it can do to make the audience curious.

Problem-solution

This structure is particularly useful in persuading the audience.

• Briefly frame the issue.
• Go into the issue in detail showing why it ‘s such a problem. Use logos and pathos for this – the logical and emotional appeals.
• Provide the solution and explain why this would also help the audience.
• Call to action – something you want the audience to do which is straightforward and pertinent to the solution.

Storytelling

As well as incorporating  stories in your presentation , you can organise your whole presentation as a story. There are lots of different type of story structures you can use – a popular choice is the monomyth – the hero’s journey. In a monomyth, a hero goes on a difficult journey or takes on a challenge – they move from the familiar into the unknown. After facing obstacles and ultimately succeeding the hero returns home, transformed and with newfound wisdom.

Storytelling for Business Success  webinar , where well-know storyteller Javier Bernad shares strategies for crafting compelling narratives.

Another popular choice for using a story to structure your presentation is in media ras (in the middle of thing). In this type of story you launch right into the action by providing a snippet/teaser of what’s happening and then you start explaining the events that led to that event. This is engaging because you’re starting your story at the most exciting part which will make the audience curious – they’ll want to know how you got there.

• Great storytelling: Examples from Alibaba Founder, Jack Ma

Remaining method

The remaining method structure is good for situations where you’re presenting your perspective on a controversial topic which has split people’s opinions.

• Go into the issue in detail showing why it’s such a problem – use logos and pathos.
• Rebut your opponents’ solutions  – explain why their solutions could be useful because the audience will see this as fair and will therefore think you’re trustworthy, and then explain why you think these solutions are not valid.
• After you’ve presented all the alternatives provide your solution, the remaining solution. This is very persuasive because it looks like the winning idea, especially with the audience believing that you’re fair and trustworthy.

Transitions

When delivering presentations it’s important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it’s all relevant. This can be done  using speech transitions  which are words and phrases that allow you to smoothly move from one point to another so that your speech flows and your presentation is unified.

Transitions can be one word, a phrase or a full sentence – there are many different forms, here are some examples:

Moving from the introduction to the first point

Signify to the audience that you will now begin discussing the first main point:

• Now that you’re aware of the overview, let’s begin with…
• First, let’s begin with…
• I will first cover…
• My first point covers…
• To get started, let’s look at…

Shifting between similar points

Move from one point to a similar one:

• In the same way…
• Likewise…
• Equally…
• This is similar to…
• Similarly…

Internal summaries

Internal summarising consists of summarising before moving on to the next point. You must inform the audience:

• What part of the presentation you covered – “In the first part of this speech we’ve covered…”
• What the key points were – “Precisely how…”
• How this links in with the overall presentation – “So that’s the context…”
• What you’re moving on to – “Now I’d like to move on to the second part of presentation which looks at…”

Physical movement

You can move your body and your standing location when you transition to another point. The audience find it easier to follow your presentation and movement will increase their interest.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

• Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
• For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
• You discuss your second point from the centre again.
• You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
• The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Key slides for your presentation

Slides are a useful tool for most presentations: they can greatly assist in the delivery of your message and help the audience follow along with what you are saying. Key slides include:

• An intro slide outlining your ideas
• A  summary slide  with core points to remember
• High quality image slides to supplement what you are saying

There are some presenters who choose not to use slides at all, though this is more of a rarity. Slides can be a powerful tool if used properly, but the problem is that many fail to do just that. Here are some golden rules to follow when using slides in a presentation:

• Don’t over fill them  – your slides are there to assist your speech, rather than be the focal point. They should have as little information as possible, to avoid distracting people from your talk.
• A picture says a thousand words  – instead of filling a slide with text, instead, focus on one or two images or diagrams to help support and explain the point you are discussing at that time.
• Make them readable  – depending on the size of your audience, some may not be able to see small text or images, so make everything large enough to fill the space.
• Don’t rush through slides  – give the audience enough time to digest each slide.

Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a  10-20-30 rule :

• There should be a maximum of 10 slides – people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there’s no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
• The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
• The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

Here are some additional resources for slide design:

• 7 design tips for effective, beautiful PowerPoint presentations
• 11 design tips for beautiful presentations
• 10 tips on how to make slides that communicate your idea

Group Presentations

Group presentations are structured in the same way as presentations with one speaker but usually require more rehearsal and practices.  Clean transitioning between speakers  is very important in producing a presentation that flows well. One way of doing this consists of:

• Briefly recap on what you covered in your section: “So that was a brief introduction on what health anxiety is and how it can affect somebody”
• Introduce the next speaker in the team and explain what they will discuss: “Now Elnaz will talk about the prevalence of health anxiety.”
• Then end by looking at the next speaker, gesturing towards them and saying their name: “Elnaz”.
• The next speaker should acknowledge this with a quick: “Thank you Joe.”

From this example you can see how the different sections of the presentations link which makes it easier for the audience to follow and remain engaged.

Example of great presentation structure and delivery

Having examples of great presentations will help inspire your own structures, here are a few such examples, each unique and inspiring in their own way.

How Google Works – by Eric Schmidt

This presentation by ex-Google CEO  Eric Schmidt  demonstrates some of the most important lessons he and his team have learnt with regards to working with some of the most talented individuals they hired. The simplistic yet cohesive style of all of the slides is something to be appreciated. They are relatively straightforward, yet add power and clarity to the narrative of the presentation.

Start with why – by Simon Sinek

Since being released in 2009, this presentation has been viewed almost four million times all around the world. The message itself is very powerful, however, it’s not an idea that hasn’t been heard before. What makes this presentation so powerful is the simple message he is getting across, and the straightforward and understandable manner in which he delivers it. Also note that he doesn’t use any slides, just a whiteboard where he creates a simple diagram of his opinion.

The Wisdom of a Third Grade Dropout – by Rick Rigsby

Here’s an example of a presentation given by a relatively unknown individual looking to inspire the next generation of graduates. Rick’s presentation is unique in many ways compared to the two above. Notably, he uses no visual prompts and includes a great deal of humour.

However, what is similar is the structure he uses. He first introduces his message that the wisest man he knew was a third-grade dropout. He then proceeds to deliver his main body of argument, and in the end, concludes with his message. This powerful speech keeps the viewer engaged throughout, through a mixture of heart-warming sentiment, powerful life advice and engaging humour.

As you can see from the examples above, and as it has been expressed throughout, a great presentation structure means analysing the core message of your presentation. Decide on a key message you want to impart the audience with, and then craft an engaging way of delivering it.

By preparing a solid structure, and  practising your talk  beforehand, you can walk into the presentation with confidence and deliver a meaningful message to an interested audience.

It’s important for a presentation to be well-structured so it can have the most impact on your audience. An unstructured presentation can be difficult to follow and even frustrating to listen to. The heart of your speech are your main points supported by evidence and your transitions should assist the movement between points and clarify how everything is linked.

Research suggests that the audience remember the first and last things you say so your introduction and conclusion are vital for reinforcing your points. Essentially, ensure you spend the time structuring your presentation and addressing all of the sections.

Big Presentations in Small Rooms

Helping ordinary people communicate with extraordinary effectiveness.

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3 Essential Questions for Defining Your Presentation Goal

• Mike Gibson
• October 27, 2020

A Presentation Goal toward Your Hope

Remember. You are on a journey . You are pursuing your hope . Your presentation is a step on the path toward that hope. You know that your words move things . Now, let’s talk more specifically about the presentation and the need for a presentation goal.

A Speech without a Presentation Goal

Imagine walking into a small room, sitting down, and listening as a presenter rambles on and on.  He uses business buzzwords in an attempt to sound relevant. Still, you can tell you are not the only audience member who is frustrated. This is not going well.

It goes on and on like this, and you begin to wonder.

What does he want?

Why does it matter?

What specific responses are suggested?

What you are looking for is a presentation goal.

Three Questions to Define the Presentation Goal

Your questions are leading toward a presentation goal.

1 – What does he want? What is he proposing? What change is needed? What is the speaker’s desired outcome? One contributor to audience frustration is a failure to get to the point. The speaker is rambling at the very beginning. That does not bode well for the rest of the presentation. You can easily imagine people sighing as they wonder why this time is being wasted.

2 – Why does it matter? What is the mission of the organization and how can his material help reach it? When you can acknowledge the mission of the organization (the reason the organization exists) and articulate how your proposal supports that mission, you are guiding the audience to see how your goal is a part of a larger organizational identity. 

3 – What specific responses are suggested? What action does he want from the audience? If the audience buys into the change that supports the mission, they still need some direction. How does the presenter propose that we make this change?

Presentation Goal Examples

The content of future posts will help you craft and deliver an effective presentation—one that has a clear goal. But first, you need to be able to define it! So, a good question is, “What is the desired outcome of your presentation?”

Approval for a project?

An increased budget?

A promotion?

Customer purchase of a product or service?

Something else?

What do you want? That is question number one.

Presentation Goal Considerations

When you know what you want, then you can move on to other questions.

How does the presentation goal support the mission of the organization? That is question number two.

What specific actions are requested? What steps are involved? That is question number three.

Remember. The goal is your desired outcome. It should relevant to the mission, and be well defined by the step(s) involved. Then it will provide answers to all three questions.

If you would like to learn even more, purchase Big Presentations in Small Rooms .

Do you have an upcoming presentation? If so, what is the presentation goal?

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10 Tips for a Persuasive Presentation

Powerful presentation is persuasion. here's how to elevate your impact..

Posted May 11, 2024 | Reviewed by Ray Parker

• Presentations aim to effect change. It's essential to be clear about what change you want to see.
• Powerful presenters embrace and extend empathy to seek first to understand their audience.
• Substance and style both matter to create an audience-informed communication experience.
• Persuasive presentations are relevant, reasoned, real, and resonant.

How many of us realize that giving a presentation or making a speech is all about persuasion , influence, and emotional intelligence ? Impactful presenters understand the power of empathy to understand and engage their audience, the efficiency and kindness of having a clear objective and message, and the importance of substance and style—all as a way to connect in a way that engages and inspires.

Much has been written on the power and behavioral science of persuasion, not least by expert Robert Cialdini. His bestselling book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion explains seven research-based universal principles of influence .

From my experience as a leadership coach working with thousands of people worldwide, I have compiled a list of ten essentials to elevate our presentation.

1. Maintain an "other" focus. What do you know about your audience and how can you find out more? Ask yourself what kind of a speaker will appeal to your audience, what arguments are likely to resonate with them, and what feelings you want to inspire so the audience will positively respond to your ask.

If your audience is predominantly data-driven, you may want to use more evidence-based arguments. If the audience is mixed, a combination of data, authority, and storytelling may be more appropriate. Extend Daniel Goleman’s three types of empathy to gather intelligence , understand your audience, and tailor your intervention to connect more profoundly.

2. Determine a specific objective. Presentations aim to effect change in some way. What change do you want to see in your audience?

For instance, gaining their approval for a certain investment, soliciting their buy-in for a change, or creating a sense of enthusiasm for an idea or initiative. The purpose of a presentation is to bring about change so make sure you are clear on what kind of change you want to bring about.

3. Design a grabber. Our attention spans have shrunk as we have more and more competing demands on our attention . If you want to get someone’s attention, you need to grab it at the outset and try and hold on.

You can do this in several different ways. Throw out a question that demands a response from the audience. Give a surprising fact or statistic, or quote from a well-known figure. Tell a story or an anecdote. A good grabber captures the attention of everyone there and makes them focus on what you have to say.

4. Crystalize your message and construct your arguments. Your message is the heart of your speech. Craft a brief phrase that clearly defines your proposal in 10-12 words—for example, “This post is about crafting presentations that inspire and engage others to elevate their presentations.”

Make it memorable by choosing inspiring words, symbols, catchy expressions, something that will remain in the audience's mind. As Brené Brown says: “Clear is kind,” and a clear message provides a path to develop your ideas.

When you have a clear and concise message, it helps you formulate your arguments. Think of developing your arguments using the rule of three —three compelling arguments to convince but not overwhelm your audience.

5. Prepare a call to action. Remember, we want to change our audience in some way, so we need to make our ask clearly and concretely. Consider your call to action in terms of what you want your audience to think/feel/do:

• Think: “I want you to think about how you can improve your presentations.”
• Feel: “I want you to feel enthusiastic and motivated so that you can elevate your power to persuade.”
• Do: “I want you to try out some of these tips and tools for yourself.”

6. Craft a memorable closing. Close the speech in an elegant and memorable way. We need people to remember what we've told them, so prepare it well.

This is not the time to improvise. Try to connect your closing to your opening grabber, which makes the presentation more memorable. Good preparation means preparing everything to the very end—finish well.

7. Plan your delivery. A dynamic speaker draws listeners in by using vocal variety (tone, intonation, speed, volume, pace, pauses, silence) and body language (posture, gestures, expression, and movement) to highlight important points and hold the audience’s attention. Be intentional: How will you use your voice and your body to emphasize a thought or idea? Think about it: If you increased the time you spent on style or delivery by 20 percent, what would it mean for the impact you make?

8. Think about how you will engage your audience. You want the audience to feel considered throughout. Include pauses so they can process what’s being said; connect with individuals throughout the room and make deliberate eye contact while speaking, especially when delivering key points. Read and respond to the audience by changing how you deliver as you go based on the audience’s nonverbal communication .

9. Rehearse and practice. Practice is one of the most crucial elements of presenting—and probably the most neglected one. If this is new to you, start by reading your presentation in front of a mirror to get comfortable speaking your presentation.

Next, video yourself and watch out for nervous or distracting habits to eliminate them and identify any areas where you can improve your delivery. If you are feeling brave, practice in front of an audience and ask for feedback.

10. Prepare your success rituals and mantra. Public speaking and/or stage fright can feel debilitating for some. Have your calm-down ritual prepared and ready to go before you start your presentation. This might be a certain gesture, a power pose, breathwork, or a mantra.

Try this tip: Identify three adjectives to describe how you would like to show up during this presentation. This sets an intention and helps focus our cognitive and emotional resources on success.

Powerful presenters embrace and extend empathy to seek first to understand their audience. They use this intelligence to carefully make choices about substance and style to create an audience-informed communication experience that feels relevant, reasoned, real, and resonant and creates a pathway for change.

Palena Neale, Ph.D. , is a women’s leadership coach, lecturer, and founder of unabridged, a boutique leadership development practice.

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Top 10 Smart Goals Templates with Samples and Examples

Taranjeet Singh

Picture this: You're a dedicated project manager leading a diverse team through a critical initiative. The path to triumph is well-defined, yet harnessing it requires a strategic and adaptable roadmap. Setting clear and actionable goals is essential to success in today's fast-paced and competitive professional landscape.

Enter SlideTeam’s Top 10 Smart Goals Templates PowerPoint Presentations.

Go with your full potential with our Smart Goal Templates and witness achievements!

When goal-setting, customization reigns supreme, and that's where our meticulously curated collection of Smart Goals Templates steps in. These templates are not just static guidelines but dynamic tools designed to empower professionals like you to define, track, and attain objectives with precision.

Open new pathways to accomplishments with our Must-Have Action Plan to Achieve Goals Templates .

What sets these templates apart is their 100% customizable nature, allowing you to tailor each framework to the unique contours of your project, team, and organizational context. Not just that, they are also content-ready.

Achieve peak performance and drive results with our meticulously crafted Employee Goals Templates .

In this comprehensive exploration, we delve into the art and science of Smart Goals, unveiling a range of templates meticulously engineered to streamline your journey from vision to realization.

Let’s begin.

Template 1: Importance of SMART Goals PPT

This presentation is designed to illuminate the crucial role of goal setting in achieving personal and professional success. With a variety of slides, including "Smart Goals – Importance of Goal Setting," "Training Curriculum on Time Management," "About Us," "Our Team," and "Idea Generation," this PPT Slide offers a complete resource for enhancing your goal-setting strategies and boosting productivity. Download our PPT Slide and embark on a journey toward excellence.

Download Now!

Template 2: Define Smart Goals and Objectives PPT

This comprehensive one-page PPT Presentation offers a structured approach to creating effective goals. The template features user-friendly tabs including for the concepts of S (Specific), M (Measurable), A (Achievable & Assignable), R (Realistic/Related), and Timely, guiding you to input relevant information for each aspect of your goal. Streamline your goal-setting process by clearly defining specific objectives, measuring progress, ensuring achievability, assigning responsibilities, validating realism, and setting timely milestones. Download now and supercharge your goal-setting strategy.

Template 3: Set Smart Goals for Global Marketing PPT

Leverage our PPT Layout to streamline your global marketing endeavors. Craft a robust one-page PPT Slide, guiding you through the SMART goal framework. Seamlessly refine your objectives with precision. Amplify your presentation's impact by incorporating relevant images that complement your vision. Download now for a perceptive approach to triumph in international marketing.

Template 4: Smart Analysis of Cybersecurity Effective Goals PPT

This concise one-page resource features categorized tabs for the SMART goals structure – enabling seamless data input to achieve your cybersecurity objectives. Ensure precision in goal setting, progress tracking, and alignment with organizational aims. Foster clear communication and accountability, strengthening your security measures. Download this PPT template for a fortified digital defense.

Template 5: Smart Goals Showing Specific Meaningful Action-Oriented and Realistic PPT

This one-page PPT template simplifies complex concepts through a structured approach of the 5 SMART stages crafted for clarity and precision. Use this PPT Slide to ensure each goal is specific and well-defined, holds meaningful significance, encourages actionable steps, remains grounded in reality, and adheres to a realistic timeline. Raise your communication with a streamlined and strategic presentation that guides your audience toward understanding and achieving your goals. Download this PPT Layout to transform your ideas into actionable and impactful insights.

Template 6: Data-Driven Marketing Smart Goals of Enterprise PPT

Unlock the power of data-driven decision-making with this comprehensive solution. The PPT Template prominently features a detailed bar graph showcasing New Customer Acquisition Rate and ROI metrics, enabling you to gauge your campaign's effectiveness at a glance.

But that's not all – the template goes beyond the visual. It ensures that your marketing goals are defined and substantiated with relevant information. Download the PPT Preset and revolutionize your marketing approach.

Template 7: Smart Goals Examples for Employees PPT

This user-friendly PPT Slide offers a structured 5-stage process to set and achieve SMART goals effectively. Clearly define objectives under the Specific category, aligning them with the organization's vision. Ensure Meaningful goals by emphasizing relevance and significance. Actionable plans empower employees with tangible steps to success. Realistic goals promote attainability, while Tractable goals maintain a manageable pace. This PPT Theme simplifies the goal-setting journey, fostering clarity and motivation. Crafted for convenience, it allows seamless input of employee information, facilitating strategic planning. Elevate your team's productivity and growth. Take the first step towards success – download now!

Template 8: Smart Goals Strategy for Achieving Execution Excellence PPT

This PPT Slide guides you through the 5-stage SMART goals process. Empower your team to define precise goals, track progress, and align efforts with organizational objectives. Foster a culture of accountability and motivation by leveraging SMART goal-setting, ensuring optimal results. Drive success – download now and equip your workforce to excel in execution.

Template 9: Smart Goals Specific Measurable Attainable Time Bound and Dart Board PPT

This one-page solution simplifies your journey toward success by breaking down goals into five clear stages: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Each section features an intuitive dart form, allowing you to input your unique information effortlessly.

Craft laser-focused objectives under the "Specific" tab, ensuring clarity and direction. Quantify progress with precision using the "Measurable" section. Strive for attainable milestones by utilizing the "Attainable" segment. Align your aspirations with relevance through the "Relevant" stage. Lastly, instill urgency and structure in your goals with the "Time-Bound" category. Streamline your goal-setting process by downloading it!

Template 10: Examples of Smart Goals for Work PPT

Our PPT Template enhances workplace productivity. This comprehensive one-page presentation features a streamlined 5-stage process to guide effective goal setting. Each stage provides a clear framework for crafting well-defined objectives, ensuring your team's efforts are focused and impactful. This PowerPoint Template empowers users to input tailored information for employees at every step. This intuitive resource will accelerate professional growth, task efficiency, and project success. Take the first step towards achieving SMART goals in your workplace – download the template now.

In the realm of strategic goal-setting, flexibility and precision are paramount. Our Top 10 Smart Goals Templates offer a versatile toolkit that equips professionals across industries to navigate the intricate path to success. By harnessing the power of customization, these templates become your strategic allies, fostering goal attainment with unparalleled clarity. Embrace the transformative potential of our templates and elevate your achievements, turning visions into tangible triumphs in the dynamic world of modern business.

FAQs on SMART Goals

What are the five 5 smart goals.

SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives designed to enhance productivity and success. Firstly, "Specific" goals are well-defined and clear, providing a focused direction. "Measurable" goals are quantifiable, allowing progress tracking and assessment. "Achievable" goals are realistic and attainable, ensuring feasibility and motivation. "Relevant" goals align with broader objectives, contributing meaningfully to overall success. Lastly, "Time-bound" goals have a defined timeframe, promoting accountability and urgency. Employing SMART criteria improves goal-setting precision, fostering effective planning and execution in various contexts, such as personal development, project management, and organizational strategies.

What are SMART goals examples?

SMART goals are a framework for setting well-defined and achievable objectives. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Examples of SMART goals include:

• Specific: Increase monthly website traffic by 20% through content marketing and SEO optimization within six months.
• Measurable: Achieve a customer satisfaction rating of at least 90% based on post-purchase surveys by the end of the quarter.
• Achievable: Complete a professional certification course related to project management within the next year to enhance skills and advance career prospects.
• Relevant: Launch a new product line targeting the youth demographic to capitalize on emerging market trends, resulting in a 15% revenue increase in the next fiscal year.
• Time-bound: Reduce customer complaint resolution time by 25% by implementing a new ticketing system within three months, enhancing overall service efficiency.

What are the benefits of SMART goals?

SMART goals, an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound offer numerous advantages. They provide clarity by defining precise objectives, making understanding and communicating goals easier. The measurable aspect ensures progress can be tracked and success is quantifiable. Achievability encourages realistic targets, enhancing motivation and focus. Relevant goals align with broader objectives, contributing to the overall strategy. Time-bound constraints establish a clear timeframe, promoting accountability and urgency. SMART goals enhance planning, increase productivity, facilitate effective decision-making, and foster a sense of accomplishment, making them a robust framework for goal-setting and performance improvement in personal, professional, and organizational contexts.

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Brighton 1-2 Chelsea: Blues go sixth in Premier League and boost European qualification hopes

Match report and free highlights as goals from Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku either side of half-time help Chelsea to fourth win in a row and sixth place in Premier League; Blues on course for European qualification; Reece James sent off before Danny Welbeck set up nervy finish

Senior Football Journalist @psmithXI

Thursday 16 May 2024 06:18, UK

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In-form Chelsea held on to beat Brighton 2-1 after Reece James' late red card, meaning they move up to sixth in the Premier League and edge towards European football next season.

Goals from Cole Palmer and Christopher Nkunku had put the visitors in control at the Amex but it was a nervy finale for Mauricio Pochettino's men after captain James kicked out at Joao Pedro and was sent off following a VAR check with two minutes of normal time remaining. Brighton could not add to Danny Welbeck's close-range finish seven minutes into injury time, though.

A sixth-placed finish will earn Chelsea Europa League football, should Man City win the FA Cup, or a UEFA Conference League spot, if Man Utd beat their rivals at Wembley. There is yet hope of stealing fifth off London rivals Tottenham, should Spurs surprisingly slip up at Sheffield United on the final day.

But regardless of what happens elsewhere, Chelsea supporters will be buoyed by their side's run of four straight victories, with their travelling fanbase able to celebrate back-to-back away wins for the first time in 2024.

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There were plenty more talking points on the south coast, with VAR in focus just hours after it was revealed Premier League clubs will vote on scrapping the system for next season.

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VAR Peter Bankes advised referee Michael Salisbury to check the pitchside monitor for James' obvious sending off and there were other high-profile calls from the officials in Stockley Park in the first half.

Bankes also rightly advised the ref to overturn his decision to hand Chelsea a penalty for Facundo Buonanotte's good tackle on Marc Cucurella - but let off Tariq Lamptey for taking out Mykhailo Mudryk. Bankes said there was no conclusive evidence of violent conduct from Lamptey. Mudryk was forced out of the game with concussion.

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There was also a header from Nicolas Jackson ruled out in that first half but those calls ultimately did not prevent Chelsea from continuing their strong finish to the campaign.

Brighton mounted a big push at the end of this contest, with Simon Adingra hitting a post before Welbeck pulled one back. It was the second time they'd hit the woodwork, after Joao Pedro's header against the bar on the stroke of half time. But once again Brighton lacked precision in the final third. It is now 15 games since they scored more than once in a match.

A third defeat of the season to Chelsea leaves their hopes of a top-half finish under threat on the final day.

Player ratings

Brighton: Verbruggen (6), Lamptey (6), Webster (6), Dunk (6), Igor (6), Gross (7), Gilmour (7), Buonanotte (6), Enciso (6), Adingra (7), Joao Pedro (7). Subs: Barco (7), Baleba (6), Welbeck (7), Fati (6), Offiah (6). Chelsea: Petrovic (6); Gusto (7), Chalobah (6), Badiashile (6), Cucurella (7); Caicedo (7), Gallagher (7), Palmer (7); Madueke (6), Jackson (7), Mudryk (6) Subs: Nkunku (7), James (3), Sterling (6), Thiago Silva (6), Casadei (N/A), Ugochukwu (N/A) Player of the match: Moises Caicedo (Chelsea)

How Chelsea held on to win on night of drama

As well as big VAR calls, there was good football on show from these two sides from the first whistle.

Noni Madueke, Adingra and Palmer threatened with early efforts before Malo Gusto forced a fine stop from Bart Verbruggen with a deflected effort. But there was no surprise it was Palmer who made the breakthrough.

• Brighton made two changes from their draw at Newcastle, with Tariq Lamptey in for the injured Joel Veltman and Joao Pedro starting ahead of Danny Welbeck up top.
• Chelsea made one change from the win at Nottingham Forest, with Malo Gusto coming in and Thiago Silva dropping to the bench. Moises Caicedo started against his former club on his return the Amex while fit-again Ben Chilwell was on the bench.

It was a super header from Cucurella's cross, with Palmer steering his 25th goal of the season beyond the reach of Verbruggen. It was a satisfying contribution, too, for Cucurella, who had been jeered on his return to Brighton, suffered an early cut and seen his penalty award chalked off.

Moises Caicedo also made his mark on his return to Brighton, his first since his British transfer record move last summer, impressing in the centre of midfield. No player won possession more times.

Chelsea thought they had another in first-half stoppage time when Jackson nodded in but the officials spotted a shove on Lamptey from the forward as he tried to find space in the box. That setback was almost compounded when Joao Pedro rattled the bar at the other end seconds before the interval.

The action continued immediately after the break, with Adingra seeing his penalty appeal correctly waved away, Nkunku firing wide, Jackson miscuing a cross on a counter before another Chelsea break was stopped by half-time sub Valentin Barco.

But the Blues found breathing space when Nkunku converted Gusto's excellent cutback for his third Chelsea goal of an injury-hit season.

A mis-timed sliding tackle from Verbruggen outside his box on Jackson earned the Brighton 'keeper a yellow - and once again had Pochettino complaining to the officials - but there was little to concern the Chelsea boss in terms of the result until his captain saw red.

James had only been on for 17 minutes when he pushed his leg against Joao Pedro after being floored by the Brighton man. A red card for violent conduct was inevitable after VAR advised ref Salisbury to go to the monitor. The Blues skipper will miss four games for his second such offence of the season.

That sparked a Brighton barrage but although Welbeck eventually made their pressure pay from Joao Pedro's cross after Adingra had hit the woodwork moments earlier, Chelsea repelled the hosts' search for an equaliser to cling on for a valuable victory.

De Zerbi: It's been a tough season

Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi:

"We played a very good second half and second part of the first half. We suffered in the first 20 minutes because our pressure wasn't how we prepared in the last days. But after that I think we played a good game.

"We could score [to make it] 1-1 before conceding the second goal but we gave our best and we have the last game to reach the top-10 position.

"It has been a very tough season. I don't want to make excuses. But for our level of club playing without great players for us is tough. We've lost too many points at home, especially in the first part of the season, and we've paid for that."

On Lewis Dunk's injury: "We have to see, for the last game I hope it's not a problem."

On VAR: "I think it was a clear penalty today [for Adingra]. The problem is not VAR, the problem is the level of the referee. Today I didn't like the performance of the referee. But I make more mistakes than the referee."

On Reece James's red: "I'm sorry for him. He lost much time through injuries. It could be a red card but I don't like this situation for my players or the opponent as well."

Pochettino: We can dream of Europe

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino:

"Full credit to the players, they fully deserved the victory. It allows us to dream of playing in Europe next season.

"We need to keep our mentality to win. The most important is the belief and the performance. The performances and results are really good. I think the performances from the beginning were good but the result didn't match.

"We dominated from the beginning of the game, against a team that's not easy to play. We're so proud, so happy. The evolution of the team is there."

On VAR calls and use of VAR in the future: "We cannot complain, in the end we get three points. We need to move on and see if next season we can improve the way we use VAR. It's not VAR out yes or no, it's about improving the way we use it."

What's next?

The final day of the Premier League season sees Brighton host Manchester United at the Amex on Sunday, kick-off 4pm.

At the same time, Chelsea are at home to Bournemouth as they look to secure their place in Europe.

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Brain-chip patient plays online chess - Neuralink

Elon Musk's brain-chip company Neuralink has shown its first patient moving a cursor on a computer using an implanted device.

In a nine-minute livestream on X , formerly Twitter, Noland Arbaugh uses the cursor to play chess online.

Mr Arbaugh was paralysed below the shoulders after a diving accident and received the chip implant in January .

The company's goal is to connect human brains to computers to help tackle complex neurological conditions.

"The surgery was super easy," Mr Arbaugh said during the presentation.

Mr Arbaugh also said that he had used the brain implant to play the video game Civilization VI. Neuralink gave him "the ability to do that again and played for eight hours straight", he said.

However, Mr Arbaugh said the new technology was not perfect and they "have run into some issues".

Neuralink's device, which is about the size of a one pound coin, is inserted into the skull, with microscopic wires which can read neuron activity and beam back a wireless signal to a receiving unit.

The company has also run trials in pigs and claimed that monkeys can play a basic version of the video game Pong.

Neuralink was given permission to test the chip on humans by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2023.

Neuralink is one of a growing number of companies and university departments attempting to refine and ultimately commercialise this technology.

For example, the École Polytechnique Fédérale in Lausanne in Switzerland has successfully enabled Gert-Jan Oskam, who is paralysed, to walk just by thinking about the movements involved.

That was achieved by putting electronic implants on Mr Oskam's brain and spine, which wirelessly communicate thoughts to his legs and feet.

Details of the breakthrough were published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature last year.

The human brain is home to around 86 billion neurons, nerve cells connected to one another by synapses.

Every time we want to move, feel or think, a tiny electrical impulse is generated and sent incredibly quickly from one neuron to another.

Scientists have developed devices which can detect some of those signals - either using a non-invasive cap placed on the head or wires implanted into the brain itself.

The technology - known as a brain-computer interface (BCI) - is where many millions of dollars of research funding appears to be heading at the moment.