Presentation Best Practices [What Works]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Mar 21
- 7 min read
Our client, David, asked us a question while we were working on their investor pitch deck. He said, “What actually makes a presentation work?”
Our Creative Director answered immediately: “A presentation works when people stop reading slides and start listening to you.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on countless presentations throughout the year, and we have noticed a common challenge. Most presenters cram their slides with text, assuming that more information means better persuasion. It doesn’t. In fact, too much information kills engagement, confuses the audience, and makes even the best ideas forgettable.
So, in this blog, we’ll cover the best presentation practices that actually work—practical, tested, and brutally honest insights based on what we see every single day in real-world presentations.
Why Presentation Best Practices Matter
Let’s be honest. Most presentations are forgettable. Not because the content is weak but because the delivery is dull, the slides are overwhelming, and the audience tunes out within minutes.
We have seen it happen over and over again—brilliant ideas buried under walls of text, poorly structured narratives, and cluttered designs that do more harm than good. And the worst part? The presenter often doesn’t realize it until they see their audience checking emails, scrolling through their phones, or worse, nodding off.
A well-designed, well-delivered presentation is not just a formality. It is a tool of influence. It decides whether investors write you a check, clients sign a deal, or leadership approves your proposal. It determines whether people remember what you said or forget it the moment they leave the room.
This is why presentation best practices matter. Because a great presentation is not about what you say—it is about how you make people care.
Now, let’s break down what actually works.
Presentation Best Practices [What Works]
1. Clarity Over Everything
If your audience has to work to understand your slides, you have already lost them. Clarity is not just about keeping things simple—it is about making sure there is no room for misinterpretation.
The biggest mistake presenters make is assuming that complexity equals credibility. It does not.
Overloading slides with excessive data, jargon, or long-winded explanations does not make you look smart—it makes you look unprepared. A slide should communicate one key idea at a time. If you find yourself cramming multiple points onto a single slide, rethink your approach. A well-structured presentation flows effortlessly, guiding the audience through the narrative without making them pause and decode what you are trying to say.
Clarity also applies to the way you speak. Rushing through information, over-explaining obvious points, or using filler words weakens your impact. Every word should serve a purpose. If it does not add value, remove it. The strongest presenters say less but communicate more.
2. The 10-Second Rule for Slide Design
Every slide should be understood in 10 seconds or less. If your audience needs more time than that, your slide is doing too much.
The human brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text. This means your audience is far more likely to retain an idea if it is presented visually rather than through paragraphs of text. Yet, we see too many presenters stuffing slides with bullet points, lengthy explanations, and dense tables. It is lazy and ineffective.
A strong slide design follows a visual hierarchy—meaning the most important element stands out immediately. This could be a bold headline, a striking image, or a key statistic. Supporting details should be secondary. If a slide needs explanation, you should provide it, not the slide itself. Slides are not teleprompters. They should complement your speech, not replace it.
The best presentations strip away everything that is not essential. This means fewer words, more space, and an intentional use of visuals. Every time you finish a slide, ask yourself: "What can I remove without losing meaning?" If you can cut something, do it.
3. Narrative First, Data Second
Data does not persuade—stories do. No matter how compelling your numbers are, they will not stick unless they are framed within a narrative.
One of the biggest mistakes we see in business presentations is data dumping. Presenters assume that just showing numbers will convince their audience. It does not work that way. Numbers without context are meaningless. A well-crafted presentation leads with a clear narrative—why this information matters, what problem it addresses, and what action should be taken. The data should support the story, not be the story itself.
For example, if you are presenting a sales report, do not just list the revenue numbers. Show the growth trend, explain why there was an increase or decline, and use data to reinforce your point. Instead of saying, “Sales increased by 15%,” say, “Our new pricing strategy led to a 15% increase in sales, proving that customers are willing to pay more for premium features.” The second version connects the numbers to a logical cause, making it far more persuasive.
4. The 3-Second Impression Rule
Your audience decides within the first 3 seconds whether they are going to listen to you or not. That is how long you have to make a strong impression.
The worst way to start a presentation is by introducing yourself and listing your credentials. Nobody cares at that moment. People want to know why they should listen. The best way to hook an audience is by starting with something unexpected—a bold statement, a compelling question, or a surprising fact.
For example, instead of saying, “Today, I will talk about customer retention strategies,” start with: “70% of customers who leave your company will never tell you why.” This immediately sparks curiosity and makes people want to hear more.
Your body language in these first few seconds also matters. If you seem hesitant, robotic, or overly rehearsed, people will disengage. Confidence is contagious. If you want your audience to care, you have to show them that you care first.
5. Less Is Always More
If you have 50 slides for a 10-minute presentation, you are doing it wrong. If you need a paragraph to explain a simple concept, you are overcomplicating it. If your charts look like they belong in a PhD thesis, you are losing your audience.
Most presentations fail because they try to do too much. Instead of making things clearer, they overwhelm the audience. A great presentation follows one golden rule: every slide, every word, and every visual should serve a clear purpose. Anything extra is a distraction.
Here is a simple way to test whether your slides are working: remove half of them and see if the core message still makes sense. If it does, you probably never needed those extra slides in the first place.
6. Speak to the Room, Not at the Screen
The moment a presenter turns their back to the audience and starts reading off slides, they have already lost the room.
Your slides are not the main focus—you are. The audience came to hear you speak, not to read along with you. This is why your delivery matters just as much as your content. If you do not engage with your audience, your presentation will fail, no matter how good your slides are.
Good presenters treat a presentation like a conversation. They maintain eye contact, use natural gestures, and adjust their tone based on the audience’s reactions. They are not just talking—they are connecting.
If you catch yourself reading slides word-for-word, you are not presenting—you are narrating. And nobody enjoys being read to in a business setting.
7. Avoid Death by Bullet Points
Bullet points are one of the biggest culprits of bad presentations. They encourage lazy writing and lazy design. Instead of thinking through how to visually present an idea, people default to listing out points on a slide. The result? A dull, text-heavy presentation that no one remembers.
If something can be turned into a visual, do it. Replace text-heavy slides with diagrams, infographics, or even a single image that conveys the main idea. If you must use bullet points, limit them to three or four per slide and make sure they are concise. Long bullet points defeat the purpose—they are just sentences disguised as lists.
A good rule of thumb: If your audience could just read your slides instead of listening to you, your presentation is not doing its job.
8. The Power of White Space
Most presenters are afraid of white space. They feel the need to fill every inch of a slide with content, assuming that an empty space means something is missing. This is a mistake.
White space is not empty—it is intentional. It helps your audience focus. It directs attention to what matters. It makes a presentation feel modern, clean, and professional.
Look at some of the best-designed presentations in the world—Apple’s keynotes, TED Talks, top-tier agency decks. They all have one thing in common: simplicity. Their slides breathe. They do not feel crowded or overwhelming. Every element has a purpose, and nothing fights for attention.
The more space you give your content to breathe, the more powerful it becomes.
9. A Call to Action That Actually Works
A great presentation does not just inform—it drives action. And yet, so many presenters end their talk without telling the audience what to do next.
Your call to action should be clear, specific, and actionable. Do not say, “Let’s stay in touch.” Say, “Email me by Friday if you want the full report.” Do not say, “Let us know if you are interested.” Say, “Sign up for a demo today, and we will walk you through the full product.”
People respond to clarity. If you leave your audience guessing, they will do nothing.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.