1. E M I L Y E H R E N B E R G E R
Creating Effective Business
Presentations

2. Start With the Message and Content
 Identify:
 The purpose
 The audience
 Add the text, or content, to all slides with the
purpose and audience in mind.

3. Background and Fonts
 For a visually appealing presentation:
 Select a consistent template
 Don’t distract from the message
 Select an easy to read font style and size
 Don’t use more than two font styles

4. Select Images
 Images should be used to complement the text and message
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011).
 Use relevant images
 Be mindful of copyright permission
 Photography is preferred to clip art

5. Create Meaningful Graphics
 Use PowerPoint’s Illustration,
SmartArt, or chart tools to
easily create your own
personalized graphics
 Keep the graphics simple and
easy to understand
 Can include further descriptive
details in presentation
handouts
• Simplify and breakup complex or boring information with a
visual aid (Guffey & Loewy, 2011).

6. Add Special Effects
 Special effects can add interest and focus to a presentation
 Use Animations tool within PowerPoint to control when objects
appear on the screen
 Can be applied to bulleted points, images, or graphics
 Used to present relevant information connected to verbal
presentation
 Can add transition effects between slides, but don’t go overboard

7. Including Hyperlinks
 Can provide links to other
presentations, programs for documents,
videos or spreadsheets, or other outside
websites
 Hyperlinks to other information can
add interest to a presentation and make
it more interactive for the audience
(Guffey & Loewy, 2011).
• Include hyperlinks to outside sources or content to
enhance a presentation

8. Audience Engagement
 Add in interactive content like opinion
polls, voting, quizzes, or tests (Guffey &
Loewy, 2011).
 Responses can be submitted with
PowerPoint applications for handheld
devices that upload immediate feedback
on results through bar charts (Guffey &
Loewy, 2011).
• When audience feedback is needed, apply these creative
options for best results (Guffey & Loewy, 2011).

9. Make Presentation Public
 Put your presentation on the internet so that the
audience can reference the information (Guffey &
Loewy, 2011).
 File can be emailed to all audience members
 Presentation can be posted to company intranet
 Use alongside a web conference or create a prerecorded
presentation to accompany slides

10. Wrap-up
 Start with the message,
identify purpose and
audience then add all text
 Select appropriate
backgrounds and font
 Add relevant images
 Create graphics to improve
understanding
 Include special effects for
interest and emphasis
 Provide hyperlinks for an
interactive experience
 Encourage audience
participation with
interactive options
 Makes slides accessible
online
Always end a presentation with a summary of the
main ideas and concepts (Guffey & Loewy, 2011).
Steps for an effective PowerPoint presentation:

11. References
 Guffey, M., & Loewy, D. (2011). Business
communication: Process and product (7th ed.).
Independence, KY: Cengage Learning.