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Must-Have Ways of Working Templates with Samples and Examples

Simran Shekhawat

Your working style is how you approach your regular tasks at work. Each person has a unique working style or plan to perform at their best. Knowing your working style will help you get the most out of your time at work, interact with others well, and produce as much as possible. How can you know which working style?

Nobody likes fixed or rigid working patterns, which keep us glued to our office chairs. With growing changes in work environments and employee preferences, studies have shown that employees require changes to escape daily monotonous working styles, and to substantiate that, new working styles are adopted to set free from rigid working patterns while shifting towards feasible and flexible working methods.

Check out our project management templates to improve your project performances.

Here's how we solve this.

Introducing you to SlideTeam's Ways of Working Templates that offer you the knowledge of different ways of working accompanied with PPT Sets that help you to improve project performance and employee efficiency while expanding your business. These templates are editable and customizable as per your needs. Employ these PPT Designs to prevent yourself from being glued to a structured environment and welcome changes with open arms.

Looking out for an effective resistance management plan? Click here to learn more!

Template 1 – Project Management Made Easy With – Agile Ways of Working

Introduce your company with a practical template that highlights the advantages of Agile. Leverage the power of agile working methods to improve business performance and deliver world-class services to your team and company. Bring this template into your business to help you complete the essential tasks for your company while working with different staff to boost employee productivity and combine people, processes, and technology under the same project management umbrella to maximize performance and meet design goals.

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Template 2 – Agile Companies Using the Scrum Approach

Utilize this comprehensive built agile scrum approach template that pledges to promote the development of Agile with Scrum approach. Help your business to market its product successfully as it assists teams in completing project deliverables quickly, and scrum ensures data division into manageable sprints to adopt fast-moving development projects.

Template 3 – Key Initiatives for Successfully Implementing Agile Ways of Working

Get this template to efficiently deploy important initiatives that simplify the challenging agile working process. Discover the principles of agile, pick the best approach, demonstrate leadership abilities, accept slower implementation policies, etc. It is an outstanding match because it teaches you the value of investing in agile training and setting up cross-functional agile teams, as well as how to implement the agile pattern of working successfully. It has a function for tracking Agile metrics, which boosts project performance and improves the working atmosphere.

Template 4 – Agile ways of Planning, Managing, Tracking, and Working

It is crucial to separate your jumbled data into manageable information so that it can capture the readers' attention. Use this pre-made template slide to organize separate, plan, track, and monitor your various kinds of data or tasks. This template is designed to help you organize and manage your team's meetings, progress towards future goals, and backlogs in order to monitor and forecast data. while developing novel techniques for monitoring and controlling the engineering delivery process and maintaining quality control.

Template 5 – Essential Ways to Improve the Business Working Environment

Looking for a practical way to enhance the conditions at work? We have got this covered for you. Use this template into your company so that you can implement a fair employee policy, provide rewards and incentives, assemble an excellent group for upcoming projects, and look for ways to enhance communication in order to change the working environment of your company as a whole and increase employee productivity.

Template 6 – Keyways of Working to Increase Profits in Small Business

Bring the power of essential business management tools in increasing small business profits. Get a hold of these templates to increase earnings levels in your small business. Create a system that maximizes your cash flow while streamlining your management costs. Put more emphasis on boosting sales and creating new goods and services to satisfy client demand. Create plans to increase company profits. Discuss ways to boost sales and marketing-related revenue. Bring pricing strategies that boost profits while maintaining competition.

Template 7 – Keyways to Improve Project Working Performance

Grab this project management template to assist teams with planning and monitoring their tasks, deadlines, dependencies, resources, milestones, etc. Employ this template to increase the project performance by stating clear objectives, planning and prioritizing objectives, improving communication, and conquering risks at the earliest. This template is designed to draft a clear picture plan for efficient project management.

Template 8 – Ways of Working to Increase Productivity with Big Data

Isn't it fantastic to find a template that, if necessary, can break down each enormous data block into a more manageable and thorough format? Use this template to transform enormous amounts of data into non-complex data sets so you may learn more about various project management procedures and identify discrepancies, facts, and purchase patterns. Create a lot of helpful and accessible information. Using these templates, you better comprehend client needs while cutting expenses and identifying potential dangers. Use this model slide to get through the massive data-related challenges of today.

Template 9 – Ways of working

With our recently released ways of working templates, provide your team with a variety of working methods. This template not only affects how well your team members communicate with one another and with customers, but it also helps them better understand business goals. We welcome you to this eye-catching template slide with its pre-designed template, where you can scribble down effective and novel ways to present your working styles and patterns in accordance with how the workplace is changing. The success of this template strives to achieve the company's objectives while encouraging appropriate ways to enhance corporate performance. Each of these techniques of operation has particular advantages.

Template 10 – Keyways of Working in Teamwork

Get your team acquainted with the knowledge of teamwork while working to establish objectives, develop communication structure, design team rules, and develop a resilient attitude for solving every problem and coping with the same. Allow this template to design a structure for your team, encouraging them to adhere to the critical ways of working to achieve goals and increase collaboration, productivity, and overall effectiveness and project performance.

Draft Changes in your working styles with SlideTeam Templates

Improve organizational performance, communication, and cohesiveness across departments or projects by including a set of common project management methods and tools with SlideTeam's PPT templates.

Add scrum master to your working style for better performance. Click here to learn about Scrum Master.  

FAQs on Ways of Working

How do you present new ways of working.

Effectively presenting new ways of functioning requires excellent communication, including stakeholders, and showcasing the advantages and practicality of the suggested changes. The idea of new ways of working is practiced at numerous workplaces. These include co-working areas, open-plan workplaces, remote working, and flexible working. Making the best decision for your needs means considering the advantages and disadvantages of each of these new working methods.

How do you establish team ways of working?

To establish team ways of working, it is necessary to identify the procedures, standards, and principles that direct how a team functions and collaborates.

• Establish the team's aims and objectives first.
• Give each team member's tasks and responsibilities. Make sure that it is clear who is in charge of what tasks and deliverables.
• Define the steps in decision-making explain the team's decision-making process. Will 
• Make a timeline and milestones for the project - Create a schedule with precise deadlines and checkpoints. 
• Onboarding and training - Provide training and onboarding materials to new team members to aid in their quick understanding and adoption of the norms.
• Watch and Assess regularly evaluate the team's compliance with the agreed working practices. Obtain input from the team and then adjust as appropriate.

What are the benefits of new ways of working?

New ways of working (NWOW) can benefit businesses, staff members, and other stakeholders it eliminates inefficiencies and streamlines procedures to boost production. Employees can spend more time on high-impact jobs and less time on low-value ones. Modern working practices frequently make use of technology. Regarding the place and time of employment, NWOW can be flexible. This adaptability can improve work-life balance and lower stress and burnout levels.

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8 Ways to Deliver a Great Presentation (Even If You’re Super Anxious About It)

• Joel Schwartzberg

Know your point, always.

Feeling anxious about a presentation? It’s likely about a fear of public humiliation rather than of public speaking.

• Shift the spotlight from yourself to what you have to say.
• Reject the voice in your head trying to destroy your confidence.
• Knowing what matters – and what doesn’t – will help you succeed.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

I recently worked closely with a 24-year-old client — let’s call him Martin — who was tapped to deliver a five-minute presentation at his company’s annual town hall meeting. Martin had never given a public speech in his professional life, but his accomplishments impressed his supervisors, and they wanted Martin to share his success with the rest of the organization.

• JS Joel Schwartzberg oversees executive communications for a major national nonprofit, is a professional presentation coach, and is the author of Get to the Point! Sharpen Your Message and Make Your Words Matter and The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team . You can find him on LinkedIn and X. TheJoelTruth

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The future of the workplace: Embracing change and fostering connectivity

Partners with organizations to provide research-backed expertise on leadership, talent management, learning and development, and future of work topics

Partners with clients across a variety of sectors on topics regarding analytics-led organizational transformations, with expertise in future of work and talent management to drive lasting impact

June 21, 2021 COVID-19 has changed the workplace as we have known it. While the physical space still exists, the overall idea of what a workplace is and what it is for needs to be reimagined. Organizations must deliberately address the changes wrought by the pandemic and the rapid pace of technological investment to enable remote and flexible work. In particular, organizations must take three key actions.

Embrace the hybrid model. The post-pandemic outcome is clear: a hybrid work model in which part of the workforce works outside of the traditional office for part of the time. The more important question: Which portion of the workforce needs to be present in the office, and when, and for what reason?

Employees are craving clarity  about what is coming next in terms of work arrangements. It falls on organizational leaders to chart the path for managers and employees. Transparent and frequent communication, with managers playing a key role, can help ensure that the organization moves in unison.

In a recent survey, we found that organizations that articulated more specific policies and approaches for the future workplace have seen employee well-being and productivity rise . More specifically, organizations that have clearly communicated post-COVID-19 work arrangements have seen a two-fold increase to employee-reported feelings of support, a three-fold increase to feelings of inclusion, and an almost five-fold increase to reported feelings of individual productivity. Attempting to force a one-size-fits all solution can have detrimental effects  on the workforce, particularly on women, people of lower socio-economic status, and people in less advanced economies.

Reimagine the physical space. The office of the future requires organizations to consider the altered footprint and layout that will emerge from a hybrid work model. Since in-person work will look substantially different, organizations need to make sure that their physical space is in tune with the objectives of the people within it. Pre-pandemic cubicle setups may be a thing of the past, making way for areas of collaboration, innovation, and community-building.

Real-estate footprints of many organizations will also change significantly. Already, we have seen many companies move to new geographies to tap new talent pools. For example, a large technology company recently announced some roles could remain remote indefinitely, allowing them to leverage talent from around the country. Others, such as a large financial company that is planning on having 60 desks per 100 employees, are rethinking their real-estate spend as they move to hybrid working models.

Manage fundamental human needs. The overnight shift to remote work has been one of the most notable real-time social experiments of recent times. It has shown that remote work does not necessarily come at the cost of productivity. In fact, many companies have reported increased productivity. A McKinsey analysis found that more than 20 percent of the workforce  could work remotely three to five days a week as effectively as from an office.

However, remote employees complain that it is difficult to feel connected to colleagues and manage work-life boundaries . Some companies are adamant about the value of remote work while also being concerned about its effect on employee well-being. One online retailer, for example, is addressing these concerns  and is acquiring over 900,000 square feet of new office space across six U.S. cities. The gradual return of in-person work alongside the newfound importance of virtual workspaces means organizations need to figure out ways to increase connectivity and a sense of belonging, regardless of where employees are.

The relationship between employees and the workplace has changed in ways that require organizations to invest seriously in helping people navigate through their vision for the hybrid workplace and any changes to the physical workspace. Doing so can help employees balance productivity, well-being, and a sense of connection in the evolving future of work.

This blog post is part of a series on the future of work post-pandemic, exploring three symbiotic elements of work , the workforce , and the workplace .

Learn more about our People & Organizational Performance Practice

3 reasons your work presentation is boring, according to 1,000 remote workers

• Distraction is rampant in the new hybrid workforce.
• Canva, a visual-communication and design platform, explains why workers zone out in presentations.
• Canva's intuitive software lets you create beautiful, engaging presentations.

We've all done it. You're working from home, and a coworker fires up their screen to present the newest financial report. Do you (a) crank the volume and take meticulous notes, or (b) make lunch and shop online for new hiking boots?

If you answered B, you're not alone. A survey by the global design platform Canva found that 89% of workers said they were distracted during work presentations. The report, "Bridging the Hybrid Workforce Divide , " asked 1,000 full-time employees in the US to list the top activities they do while watching someone present remotely, and here's what they said:

• 42% read emails or text messages
• 28% complete work not related to the presentation
• 28% scroll through memes on social media
• 27% use the bathroom
• 26% listen to music
• 26% prepare meals
• 25% online shop

Remote work has made it harder to create engaging presentations. And that's a problem because presentations are one of the most common ways of sharing plans and ideas. Canva's survey found that 59% of workers said they plan to continue working from home some or all of the time, and 81% considered virtual collaboration the "new way" of working.

Why most work presentations are boring

So what makes the typical meeting slide so humdrum? Canva's survey found three reasons your colleagues' minds start to wander during presentations:

• 60% say they're too long
• 54% say they're too data heavy
• 52% say they have dull or uninspiring visuals

It's hard to focus when you're staring down a 2,000-word corporate manifesto crammed onto a single slide, but presenters are having a difficult time, too. In the survey, 82% of respondents said they found it challenging to deliver visual presentations to a group or audience, and almost half struggled to create slides with standard presentation and design programs.

Dr. Michelle McQuaid, a psychologist and an expert on organizational change, says: "Joyful connections between people increase levels of our pleasure hormone, immediately reducing anxiety and improving concentration. But those working from home will miss out on many social interactions and nonverbal cues, which we often rely on to make people feel included during presentations and meetings.

By asking questions, showing gratitude, incorporating humor, or including entertaining or relatable photos and videos, we can make audiences more engaged in our presentations, and leave them less tempted by distraction."

How Canva smashes the learning curve

What if it were easy to make stunning presentations right out of the box?

Canva's free platform makes beautiful design accessible to everyone. Its millions of users can choose from over 500,000 professional-grade templates for design inspiration. They can intuitively drag and drop elements and access a large image library without downloading a single file. Best of all, they can collaborate on presentations within the software itself, leaving comments and even demoing designs for their teams in real time. The end result? Infinitely more engaging presentations that take half the time to create.

Better software, better inclusivity  

Distributed teams lean heavily on presentations to communicate — in fact, employees expect to make 10% more of them within the next six months.

This phenomenon has serious implications for diversity in the new hybrid work environment: 28% of introverts said their presentation skills have negatively affected their careers, compared to 12% of extroverts. 

Canva is revamping the presentation format through a series of new features such as Talking Presentations, which let presenters integrate short videos of themselves as playable elements within slides. This gives an alternative to live presenting, while still letting people have their voices heard.

Great presentations give great ideas the visibility they deserve. And businesses benefit from a diverse range of perspectives. To stay competitive and ensure everybody's ideas are heard, we must embrace better software.

Make better presentations with Canva. Learn more here.

This post was created by Insider Studios with Canva.

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How to give a good presentation that captivates any audience

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What are the main difficulties when giving presentations?

How to create an effective presentation, after that, how do i give a memorable presentation, how to connect with the audience when presenting.

If you’ve ever heard someone give a powerful presentation, you probably remember how it made you feel. Much like a composer, a good speaker knows precisely when each note should strike to captivate their audience’s attention and leave them with a lasting impression.

No one becomes a great public speaker or presenter without practice. And almost everyone can recall a time one of their presentations went badly — that’s a painful part of the learning process.

Whether you’re working within a small creative team or a large organization, public speaking and presentation skills are vital to communicating your ideas. Knowing how to present your vision can help you pitch concepts to clients, present ideas to your team, and develop the confidence to participate in team meetings.

If you have an upcoming presentation on the horizon and feel nervous, that’s normal. Around 15-30% of the general population experience a fear of public speaking . And, unfortunately, social anxiety is on the rise, with a 12% increase in adults over the last 20 years . 

Learning how to give a good presentation can dismantle your fears and break down these barriers, ensuring you’re ready to confidently share your point of view. 

It’s the week before your presentation, and you’re already feeling nervous . Maybe there’ll be an important mentor in the room you need to impress, or you’re looking for an opportunity to show your boss your value. Regardless of your countless past presentations, you still feel nervous. 

Sharing your vision and ideas with any sized group is intimidating. You’re likely worrying about how you’ll perform as a presenter and whether the audience will be interested in what you offer. But nerves aren’t inherently negative — you can actually use this feeling to fuel your preparation.

It’s helpful to identify where your worries are coming from and address your fears. Here are some common concerns when preparing for an upcoming presentation:

Fear of public speaking: When you share your ideas in front of a group, you’re placing yourself in a vulnerable position to be critiqued on your knowledge and communication skills . Maybe you feel confident in your content, but when you think about standing in front of an audience, you feel anxious and your mind goes blank.

It’s also not uncommon to have physical symptoms when presenting . Some people experience nausea and dizziness as the brain releases adrenaline to cope with the potentially stressful situation . Remember to take deep breaths to recenter yourself and be patient, even if you make a mistake.

Losing the audience’s attention: As a presenter, your main focus is to keep your audience engaged. They should feel like they’re learning valuable information or following a story that will improve them in life or business.

Highlight the most exciting pieces of knowledge and ensure you emphasize those points in your presentation. If you feel passionate about your content, it’s more likely that your audience will experience this excitement for themselves and become invested in what you have to say.

Not knowing what content to place on presentation slides: Overloading presentation slides is a fast way to lose your audience’s attention. Your slides should contain only the main talking points and limited text to ensure your audience focuses on what you have to say rather than becoming distracted by the content on your slides.

Discomfort incorporating nonverbal communication: It’s natural to feel stiff and frozen when you’re nervous. But maintaining effective body language helps your audience stay focused on you as you speak and encourages you to relax.

If you struggle to incorporate body language into your presentations, try starting small by making hand gestures toward your slides. If you’re working with a large audience, use different parts of the stage to ensure everyone feels included. 

Each presenter has their own personal brand and style. Some may use humor to break the ice, while others might appeal to the audience’s emotional side through inspiring storytelling. 

Watching online presentations, such as TED talks, is an excellent way to expose yourself to various presentation styles and develop your own. While observing others, you can note how they carry themselves on stage and learn new ways to keep your audience engaged.

Once you’ve addressed what’s causing your fears, it’s time to prepare for a great presentation. Use your past experience as inspiration and aim to outshine your former self by learning from your mistakes and employing new techniques. Here are five presentation tips to help you create a strong presentation and wow your audience:

1. Keep it simple

Simple means something different to everyone.

Before creating your presentation, take note of your intended audience and their knowledge level of your subject. You’ll want your content to be easy for your intended audience to follow.

Say you’re giving a presentation on improving your company’s operational structure. Entry-level workers will likely need a more straightforward overview of the content than C-suite leaders, who have significantly more experience. 

Ask yourself what you want your audience to take away from your presentation and emphasize those important points. Doing this ensures they remember the most vital information rather than less important supporting ideas. Try organizing these concepts into bullet points so viewers can quickly identify critical takeaways.

2. Create a compelling structure

Put yourself in your audience member’s shoes and determine the most compelling way to organize your information. Your presentation should be articulate , cohesive, and logical, and you must be sure to include all necessary supporting evidence to strengthen your main points.

If you give away all of your answers too quickly, your audience could lose interest. And if there isn’t enough supporting information, they could hit a roadblock of confusion. Try developing a compelling story that leads your audience through your thought processes so they can experience the ups and downs alongside you. 

By structuring your presentation to lead up to a final conclusion, you’re more likely to keep listeners’ attention. Once you’ve reached that conclusion, you can offer a Q&A period to put any of their questions or concerns to rest. 

3. Use visual aids

Appealing to various learning styles is a great way to keep everyone on the same page and ensure they absorb your content. Visual aids are necessary for visual learners and make it easier for people to picture your ideas.

Aim to incorporate a mixture of photos, videos, and props to engage your audience and convey your key points. For instance, if you’re giving a presentation on anthropology subject matter, you could show your audience an artifact to help them understand how exciting a discovery must have been. 

If your presentation is long, including a video for your audience to watch is an excellent way to give yourself a break and create new jumping-off points for your speech.

4. Be aware of design techniques and trends

Thanks to cutting-edge technology and tools, you have numerous platforms at your disposal to create a good presentation. But keep in mind that although color, images, and graphics liven things up, they can cause distraction when misused.

  Here are a few standard pointers for incorporating visuals on your slides: 

• Don’t place blocks of small text on a single slide
• Use a minimalistic background instead of a busy one
• Ensure text stands out against the background color
• Only use high-resolution photos
• Maintain a consistent font style and size throughout the presentation
• Don’t overuse transitions and effects

5. Try the 10-20-30 rule

Guy Kawasaki, a prominent venture capitalist and one of the original marketing specialists for Apple, said that the best slideshow presentations are less than 10 slides , last at most 20 minutes, and use a font size of 30. Following this strategy can help you condense your information, eliminate unnecessary ideas, and maintain your audience’s focus more efficiently.

Once you’re confident in creating a memorable presentation, it’s time to learn how to give one. Here are some valuable tips for keeping your audience invested during your talk: 

Tip #1: Tell stories

Sharing an anecdote from your life can improve your credibility and increase your relatability. And when an audience relates to you, they’re more likely to feel connected to who you are as a person and encouraged to give you their full attention, as they would want others to do the same.

Gill Hicks utilized this strategy well when she shared her powerful story, “ I survived a terrorist attack. Here’s what I learned .” In her harrowing tale, Hicks highlights the importance of compassion, unconditional love, and helping those in need.

If you feel uncomfortable sharing personal stories, that’s okay. You can use examples from famous individuals or create a fictional account to demonstrate your ideas.

Tip #2: Make eye contact with the audience

Maintaining eye contact is less intimidating than it sounds. In fact, you don’t have to look your audience members directly in their eyes — you can focus on their foreheads or noses if that’s easier.

Try making eye contact with as many people as possible for 3–5 seconds each. This timing ensures you don’t look away too quickly, making the audience member feel unimportant, or linger too long, making them feel uncomfortable.

If you’re presenting to a large group, direct your focus to each part of the room to ensure no section of the audience feels ignored. 

Tip #3: Work on your stage presence

Although your tone and words are the most impactful part of your presentation, recall that body language keeps your audience engaged. Use these tips to master a professional stage presence:

• Speak with open arms and avoid crossing them
• Keep a reasonable pace and try not to stand still
• Use hand gestures to highlight important information

Tip #4: Start strong

Like watching a movie trailer, the first seconds of your talk are critical for capturing your audience’s attention. How you start your speech sets the tone for the rest of your presentation and tells your audience whether or not they should pay attention. Here are some ways to start your presentation to leave a lasting impression:

• Use a quote from a well-known and likable influential person 
• Ask a rhetorical question to create intrigue
• Start with an anecdote to add context to your talk 
• Spark your audience’s curiosity by involving them in an interactive problem-solving puzzle or riddle

Tip #5: Show your passion

Don’t be afraid of being too enthusiastic. Everyone appreciates a speaker who’s genuinely excited about their field of expertise. 

In “ Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance ,” Angela Lee Duckworth discusses the importance of passion in research and delivery. She delivers her presentation excitedly to show the audience how excitement piques interest. 

Tip #6: Plan your delivery

How you decide to deliver your speech will shape your presentation. Will you be preparing a PowerPoint presentation and using a teleprompter? Or are you working within the constraints of the digital world and presenting over Zoom?

The best presentations are conducted by speakers who know their stuff and memorize their content. However, if you find this challenging, try creating notes to use as a safety net in case you lose track.

If you’re presenting online, you can keep notes beside your computer for each slide, highlighting your key points. This ensures you include all the necessary information and follow a logical order.

Tip #7: Practice

Practice doesn’t make perfect — it makes progress. There’s no way of preparing for unforeseen circumstances, but thorough practice means you’ve done everything you can to succeed.

Rehearse your speech in front of a mirror or to a trusted friend or family member. Take any feedback and use it as an opportunity to fine-tune your speech. But remember: who you practice your presentation in front of may differ from your intended audience. Consider their opinions through the lens of them occupying this different position.

Tip #8: Read the room

Whether you’re a keynote speaker at an event or presenting to a small group of clients, knowing how to read the room is vital for keeping your audience happy. Stay flexible and be willing to move on from topics quickly if your listeners are uninterested or displeased with a particular part of your speech.

Tip #9: Breathe

Try taking deep breaths before your presentation to calm your nerves. If you feel rushed, you’re more likely to feel nervous and stumble on your words.

The most important thing to consider when presenting is your audience’s feelings. When you approach your next presentation calmly, you’ll put your audience at ease and encourage them to feel comfortable in your presence.

Tip #10: Provide a call-to-action

When you end your presentation, your audience should feel compelled to take a specific action, whether that’s changing their habits or contacting you for your services.

If you’re presenting to clients, create a handout with key points and contact information so they can get in touch. You should provide your LinkedIn information, email address, and phone number so they have a variety of ways to reach you. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all template for an effective presentation, as your unique audience and subject matter play a role in shaping your speech. As a general rule, though, you should aim to connect with your audience through passion and excitement. Use strong eye contact and body language. Capture their interest through storytelling and their trust through relatability.

Learning how to give a good presentation can feel overwhelming — but remember, practice makes progress. Rehearse your presentation for someone you trust, collect their feedback , and revise. Practicing your presentation skills is helpful for any job, and every challenge is a chance to grow.

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Discover coaching that transforms your public speaking and boosts your confidence in presenting.

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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The New Future of Work

The New Future of Work is an initiative dedicated to creating solutions for a future of work that is meaningful, productive, and equitable. It began during the pandemic in response to an urgent need to understand remote work practices . When many people returned to the office, the focus shifted to supporting the hybrid work transition . Work practices are changing once again but this time the driver is technology. As such, the New Future of Work Initiative has entered a new chapter – artificial intelligence .

AI models, and specifically foundation models, have reached a watershed in power and maturity. The pandemic significantly accelerated the digital transformation and the pace at which work-related data is generated. Combined with the significant advances in AI and AI machinery, technology has an unprecedented opportunity to transform the way people work. Given the enormous potential of new AI systems, commonly referred to as generative AI, we must work together to ensure the technology is deployed in a privacy-preserving, responsible, and equitable way. This site features research from the initiative that has been published in peer-reviewed scientific venues, as well as resources to help you navigate a rapidly changing work environment and thrive in the age of AI. We recently published our 2023 Report (opens in new tab) that summarizes some of the exciting work in this space.

AI and the New Future of Work CFP | Spring 2024

Language models are fundamentally changing how work gets done, and high-quality academic research is needed to ensure that the new future of work that they will help create is bright. Microsoft is soliciting proposals to fund research that will help shape the landscape of work for years to come.

Spring 2023 award program

In Spring 2023, we funded academic projects on the use of LLMs in productivity scenarios, with a focus on truly creative research that redefines what work might mean in various contexts.

WorkLab is a Microsoft site that builds on the research here to deliver stories and science-based insights on how to connect more, create more, and unlock ingenuity. It includes pieces on performance in the age of AI and how generative AI will transfrom work .

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New ways of working for modern organizations

The future of work is here, and many businesses are now adopting new ways of working .

We have moved on from the industrial age to the age of technology. The new generation of employees prefers a digital workplace that uses advanced technology and allows them a certain degree of autonomy.

Additionally, the Covid 19 pandemic has made it even more critical for companies to adopt new working systems that help them survive and grow in an ever-changing business environment.

In this article, we’ll talk about the new ways of working and discuss its benefits . We’ll also look at the major technologies you need in this new world of work.

This article contains:

(Click on a link below to jump to that section)

• What are the New Ways of Working?
• 5 Technologies to Integrate New Ways of Working
• 4 Game-changing Benefits of New Ways of Working
• 3 Ways to Implement New Ways of Working

Let’s dive in.

What are the new ways of working?

The phrase “new work” was coined by a German-Austrian professor – Frithjof Bergmann, back in the 1980s. He wanted to change the very foundation of work to offer people greater freedom and work engagement.

‘New ways of working’ was a radical departure from the office-bound corporate culture of the early 20th century. 

It started with concepts like mobile offices, flexible workspaces, videoconferencing, etc with the aim to reduce people’s burdens by using digitization for automating work processes.

Along the same lines, today’s new ways of working intend to enhance employee experience and employee retention in the workplace by bringing about changes in:

• Time: Employees need not work 9-5 or in set shifts. The focus is on the outcome and meeting the deadlines, irrespective of when they work.
• Place: Employees don’t need to be present in a physical office space to complete their work. 
• Contracts: People no longer need to be bound by full-time contracts. They get paid for the outputs, products, or services they provide.

Some popular work environments that follow these new ways of working include:

• Freelancing: Self-employed people offer their services to companies and often work for multiple clients at the same time.
• Flextime : Employees work a set number of hours but are free to choose the start and stop times.
• Job sharing: Two or more people are employed on a part-time or reduced-time basis to complete a job normally done by one full-time employee.
• Telecommuting: The staff prefers remote working using modern technological tools for collaboration like Slack , Zoom , etc. 

These flexible working environments replace the barriers and styles of the past era with a work culture that focuses on the empowerment of the modern multigenerational workforce.

5 technologies to integrate new ways of working

Using some advanced technologies can greatly simplify the transition to a flexible office space.

Let’s look at the top 5 ones:

1. Design thinking

Design thinking involves using a set of practical, strategic, and cognitive processes to find solutions. You can apply it to any field or industry, including developing creative business strategies. 

Organizations are increasingly using this methodology to identify the right solutions for their customers and build better products.

Here are the five stages of the design thinking model:

• Empathize: Incorporate empathy to understand and prioritize the customer.
• Define: Clearly define the user’s problems, needs, and record insights.
• Ideate: Generate multiple ideas for solving the problem.
• Prototype: Create working models and representations of the best ideas.
• Test: Try out the new concept to integrate into the business and refine it as per feedback.

Design thinking aims to understand the user’s needs to create useful innovations that address old and new challenges. It also helps you look for the right questions to address during the process.

2. Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can drastically change the way you make project management decisions. It can help eliminate errors and biases while creating budgets, developing schedules, etc.

AI-based tools can save time and allow a team leader to focus on areas that require a human touch, such as team building and personal development.

These tools can also use other components of AI, like deep learning , to ensure that the projects stay aligned with the business goals and the organizational needs.

Customer support teams also use AI to collect customer data from various channels and provide a customized experience, enhancing customer satisfaction.

3. Cognitive computing

Cognitive computing is a part of AI and uses technologies, such as machine learning to analyze large data sets, make predictions, and promote business discoveries.

Tools with cognitive computing can learn through experience or human instructions, converse in a natural language, weigh in evidence to offer the best possible results, etc.

Cognitive computing also has other applications like:

• Finance: Analyze the market and make valuable suggestions for investments.
• Healthcare: Access past patient records and answer treatment-related questions.
• Travel: Aggregate information like pricing and flight availability to offer customized suggestions.

4. Organizational agility

An agile organization moves quickly, effectively, and decisively to embrace change while also staying in touch with the customers’ needs.

Organizational agility allows you to anticipate, initiate, and take advantage of any change and also remain flexible enough to accommodate setbacks. 

For example, while setting up a new coffee shop, you should be able to anticipate the needs of your customers and design the menu accordingly. However, you must also be flexible enough to modify this menu if it doesn’t get a great response.

Increasing the agility of your organization needs an actively engaged workforce. That’s why you should handhold your employees through a smooth transition to the new approaches from the old ones.

DevOps (development + operations) is a delivery approach that involves collaborating with all the teams in the product life cycle — design, development, and deployment. 

The process ensures that all operations are synchronized and that the final product is practical, can be repaired quickly in case of issues, and is deployed faster.

It emphasizes quality, testing, automation, and collaboration to reduce the production and deployment times.

Similar to the agile way of working, DevOps helps businesses deliver rapid and reliable products, services, and customer experiences in the ever-changing business environment.

This kind of digital transformation has dramatically improved the way many businesses work, allowing them to focus more on their employee experience and customer satisfaction.

4 game-changing benefits of new ways of working

Satisfied and engaged employees can deliver better customer experiences and satisfaction. 

Using new technology and adopting the new way of working can enhance employee engagement.

Here’s how:

1. Varied work agreements

In new ways of working, the employer doesn’t need to offer full-time jobs or related benefits to get their work done. 

They can simply hire people who’ll complete a particular task, rather than compelling them to become ‘employees’. In turn, they don’t need to worry about high costs, human resource management, or the legal aspects of hiring a full-time employee.

Flexible working arrangements, like freelancing, are beneficial for employees as well. 

Many professionals find that they have a better work engagement as they can control their own time and widen their work horizons.

This type of portfolio worker has several part-time employment contracts that allow them to work with multiple clients and enhance their skills. 

Professionals no longer need to restrict the scope of their success to a full-time job with one employer for years.

2. Promotes a culture of equality

Older working practices involved hierarchical structures where all the power rested with the top management, who delegated work activities through the layers of management. 

Leaders believed in knowledge hoarding as means of showing their authority. People who complied with the existing culture were praised, while those who opposed it were written off. 

However, the new ways of working are changing these old work cultures. The new generation of digital natives in the working population emphasizes creating a culture of equality .

These professionals believe in knowledge sharing for better end results. 

They want to know why they should do a task in a certain way or why knowledge work depends on a fixed place and time. They also believe in focusing on their core skills and using technology to complete routine work.

3. Allows greater flexibility of work

Historically, work involved passing down physical documents or objects to another person. That’s why fixed workstations and fixed work hours were necessary. 

However, technology allows greater flexibility of work. 

In-house and virtual teams can collaborate with colleagues from home or on the go. They can also carry their computers and files wherever they are and share files virtually with anyone, anywhere.

Additionally, the new generation workforce has different priorities. 

While money and financial stability are still important, they don’t like to revolve their life around work. For them, social interaction with friends, vacations, social media activities, family commitments, etc., are equally important. 

Due to this change in mindset, they are challenging the old management practices of fixed working hours and places. 

4. Prioritizes work-life balance

The previous generation of employees prioritized getting a good paycheck in order to have a decent standard of living. They were even willing to sacrifice their personal and social life at times to reach top positions.

However, as the focus on mental health at the workplace increases, so does the need for employees to maintain a good work-life balance . 

New generation employees are even willing to switch jobs to achieve this balance. They prefer jobs that offer them career progress without sacrificing their personal life.

Here’s why you must encourage work-life balance in remote work environments.

3 ways to implement new ways of working

Shifting from a traditional setup to a flexible work environment is a radical change for any company. Older employees and those who’re used to the conventional working practices can find it harder to adjust to the new ways.

Companies must strike a balance between attracting new talent and retaining the loyalty of existing employees.

Here are three smart ways to change your working environment and help everyone adopt it:

1. Install a change management process

People have set habits, beliefs, and behaviors about how they work and how others should too. In order to successfully implement a flexible work environment, they need to adapt to the changing culture.

Change management can help you achieve this goal. 

It refers to the actions you take to change a significant aspect of your business. 

You can follow these five steps: 

• Prepare the organization.
• Create a plan for change.
• Implement the changes.
• Embed changes into the company culture.
• Analyze the success or failure of the change.

A critical aspect of this effort is encouraging your staff to connect with their work and find their own sustainable ways to adapt to the work changes.

You shouldn’t restrict the change process to just your staff. It should also extend to your client/customer interactions. 

The change process should involve using virtual tools for gathering data, providing personalized solutions, conducting team meetings involving the client, etc.

2. Focus on employee well-being

A work environment that offers greater flexibility may often include remote work. 

But employees who are used to working in a traditional setup with their colleagues sitting just a desk away may find this isolating and monotonous. 

That’s why it’s essential to focus on frequent virtual meetings and creating a safe environment where they’ll feel supported, especially regarding their mental wellness.

Ensure that you foster the right workplace relationships and upgrade your infrastructure to efficiently support any such flexibility of your workforce. 

In addition, you should consider your health and safety policies and update them to accommodate the new ways of working.

3. Use productivity management software

People in leadership roles may think that only a traditional workplace can foster productivity. 

However, the tools and technologies used in the new ways of working include productivity software that can encourage people to be more efficient.

A simple yet highly effective tool that can do this for you is Time Doctor .

What is Time Doctor?

Time Doctor is a robust employee time tracking and performance management tool used by major companies, like Ericsson, as well as by small businesses, like Thrive Market, to boost team productivity.

Here’s how the tool can redefine the way you implement new ways of working:

• Enhances employee productivity by tracking time spent on different projects and tasks .
• Allows you to schedule shifts to avoid confusion about the work hours. 
• Lets you monitor the attendance of remote workers to understand the staffing requirements.
• Generates multiple comprehensive reports in real-time for taking data-backed decisions.
• Enables you to pay the staff directly via Paypal , Wise , etc., in any currency and for any pay period.

Final thoughts

Organizations worldwide have started implementing new ways of working, more so after the onset of the pandemic. And to stay ahead of your competition, you should too!

It’ll help boost metrics like customer engagement and satisfaction, as well as employee retention.  

This article will be a good start to familiarize yourself with the technologies that form the core of flexible work environments. You can also use these above tips to implement this new work environment with ease.

View a free demo of Time Doctor

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19 Top Presentation Tips for Work

By: Michael Alexis | Updated: April 17, 2024

You found our list of presentation tips for work.

Presentation tips are strategies that help workers deliver effective presentations. For example, planning ahead, understanding your audience, and using engaging narratives. The purpose of these tips is to make a positive impact during presentations. These tips are also known as “giving presentations at work” and “how to prepare for presentations.”

These presentation tips for work are related to team building PowerPoint topics , team meeting ideas , and public speaking tips .

This list includes:

• giving presentations at work
• business presentation tips
• how to prepare for presentations
• work slideshow tips
• work presentation skills
• how to make interesting slides

Let’s get to it!

List of presentation tips for work

From planning ahead to motivating your audience, here is our list of the best tips for giving great presentations.

1. Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is crucial when giving presentations at work. This process involves outlining key points, organizing materials, and practicing delivery. By taking the time to plan in advance, you can ensure a more polished and effective presentation.

Planning also allows for adjustments and improvements before the actual delivery. Practicing leads to a more confident performance. Successful presentations often result from careful planning and preparation.

2. Understand Your Audience

Knowing your audience is an important part of delivering an effective presentation. Before your speech, research the demographics, interests, and expectations of your listeners. Then, you can tailor your content accordingly. This step fosters engagement and ensures your audience receives your message positively. Understanding your audience leads to more impactful presentations.

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3. Research the Topic

Selecting a research topic is vital when preparing for work presentations. Your topic should interest you and meet your audience’s needs. Having a strong idea is essential for delivering a compelling presentation. While writing, think about the relevance, depth, and potential impact of the topic on your audience. By being thoughtful, you can add engagement and value to your presentation. By dedicating time to choosing the right research topic, you establish a strong foundation for your presentation.

4. Make Effective Slides

When wondering how to make interesting slides, be sure to be short and sweet. Effective slides are the cornerstone of making strong presentations. Slides should have concise and relevant info that matches your speech. Bullet points, charts, and images can help you share your image clearly. To avoid distracting from your points, avoid overcrowding slides with text or too many visuals. By making visually interesting and informative slides, you can capture the audience’s attention.

5. Use Presentation Tools

Tools for presentations are crucial for making engaging and polished presentations at work. These tools include software like Microsoft PowerPoint and online platforms like Prezi or Canva. These platforms provide various features, such as templates, animations, and collaboration options. By using presentation tools well, folks can give powerful presentations that connect with their audience. Plus, these tools can make it easy to create your slides.

6. Share Engaging Narratives

Narratives offer a compelling way to connect with your audience. By telling an engaging story, you can provide valuable insights in a memorable way. Stories should be relevant, easy to follow, and emotionally resonant. Adding personal anecdotes can humanize the information.

Also, using stories in your presentations can make them more digestible and engaging. An interesting narrative ties up facts and figures, making them easier to remember. Sharing your content through stories also promotes emotional connections. These bonds encourage audience engagement and open discussions. This tip makes your presentation informative and engaging.

7. Focus on Body Language

Body language is one of the most vital work presentation skills. This type of communication involves gestures, facial expressions, and posture. For instance, maintaining strong eye contact and open body positioning can build trust. Being aware of your body language can improve your presentation skills. Further, this behavior demonstrates professionalism in different work environments.

8. Control Your Voice

Controlling your voice is essential for work presentations. Speaking clearly and confidently is key to sharing your message with the audience. Monitoring your tone and volume helps emphasize important points and keeps listeners engaged. Practicing proper pronunciation and enunciation improves speech clarity. Improving voice control can greatly enhance the effectiveness of your work presentations.

9. Use Humor

Adding humor to presentations can engage the audience and enhance content retention. A well-timed joke or light-hearted story is one of the work slideshow tips that can create a relaxed atmosphere. Humor should suit the context and match the overall tone of the presentation. Ultimately, humor should support your message without overshadowing it. By using humor thoughtfully, presenters can connect with their audience and maintain their interest. Thoughtful humor can also simplify complex information in a more entertaining way. From clever comments to amusing visuals, humor can make presentations more enjoyable.

For example, here are icebreaker jokes .

10. Manage Your Time

Effective time management is key to giving great work presentations. While writing your speech, be sure to keep your time frame in mind. On average, it is a good idea to spend around two minutes on each slide. For instance, for a 20-minute presentation, you can make ten slides. Following this structure can keep you on track. You can balance information by trimming stories, prioritizing key points, and rehearsing your speech. These steps will ensure smooth transitions. Well-managed time helps with message clarity, engagement, and professionalism.

Learn time management tips .

11. Practice

Practicing your presentation is crucial to success. You can start by honing your content and then rehearse aloud often. Before the final presentation, practice in front of friends or colleagues to get feedback. Then, you can make adjustments as needed.

Practice also helps you engage your audience with better articulation and confidence. By rehearsing, you will improve your flow and create a more polished final product.

12. Accept Feedback

Accepting and using feedback is essential to creating a strong speech. This process helps you identify areas that need improvement and share your message effectively. Once you complete your slides, perform your presentation for coworkers and friends. These listeners can offer notes that can foster your growth. It is important to remember that constructive criticism is supposed to help you. Being resilient on this front can improve your presentation skills.

Read about constructive criticism .

13. Interact with Audiences

Interaction is one of the most important business presentation tips. You can engage the audience with questions or tasks to maintain interest. Body language, eye contact, and Q&A sessions can create connections. This interaction fosters a dynamic atmosphere, improves the discussion, and enables better understanding. Ensuring two-way communication makes your presentation highly effective and memorable.

14. Use Visual Aids

Images, charts, and graphs can improve a presentation by showing data or concepts visually. Using visual aids can help the audience grasp information and remember important points. When used well, visual aids can make a presentation more interesting and memorable for viewers. To prevent overwhelming the audience with excessive information, keep visual aids clear.

15. Overcome Nerves

Experiencing nervousness before a presentation is common. One way to overcome these nerves is by preparing well. For instance, make sure you have a deep understanding of your topic and rehearse your delivery. Also, practicing slow, deep breaths can help calm your nerves. Deep breathing can also improve your focus throughout the presentation. Feeling nervous is normal and can actually improve your performance by keeping you attentive.

16. Address Questions

Answering questions during a presentation is essential for sharing information. These sessions engage your audience and clear up any uncertainties they may have. When you respond to questions, it is crucial to be brief and confident in your responses. Before replying, take a moment to think about the question to ensure you give a clear answer. Questions provide an opportunity to showcase your knowledge and expertise on the subject. By addressing questions well, you show your grasp of the topic and establish credibility with your audience.

17. Stand Out

To stand out in a work presentation, you should engage your audience from the beginning. For this process, start with an interesting opening that captures the viewers’ attention. Then, use visual aids like slides or props to help folks remember important points. Finally, keep eye contact with your audience and show confident body language. By using these tactics, you can leave a lasting impact and help your message connect with your coworkers or customers.

18. Leave Strong Impressions

Closure in a presentation is the speaker’s way of concluding their talk. This step leaves a lasting impression on the audience. During these final moments, you can summarize important points and provide a call to action. Another closing option is finishing with a thought-provoking quote. A powerful closure can emphasize core concepts and encourage deeper thinking among listeners.

Here are good opening and closing statements for meetings .

19. Evaluate Your Performance

When wondering how to prepare for presentations in the future, be sure to take time after each speech to analyze it.

Here are a few questions you can ask yourself:

• Were you clear and concise?
• Did you engage the audience?
• How was your body language and eye contact?

Evaluating your performance will help you identify strengths and areas for improvement. In addition, you should seek constructive feedback from your peers to enhance your presentation skills.

Examples of presentation topics

You can give workplace presentations on several topics.

Here are a few examples:

• Financial Planning : This presentation covers the basics of budgeting, saving, investing, and managing finances. Attendees will learn to achieve short-term and long-term financial goals.
• Effective Communication : Explore strategies and techniques for clear, concise, and impactful communication in the workplace. These tips foster better collaboration and understanding among team members.
• Project Management Essentials : Share essential skills and tools for planning, executing, and monitoring projects effectively. These methods ensure successful completion within scope, budget, and timeline.
• Customer Service Excellence : Teach techniques for providing exceptional customer service, building customer loyalty, and resolving issues.
• Team Building and Collaboration : Explore methods for fostering a positive team environment. Talks can promote trust, cooperation, and synergy among team members to achieve collective goals.
• Presentation Skills : Develop confidence and proficiency in delivering engaging and persuasive presentations. Learn to use effective visuals and engaging storytelling techniques.
• Time Management Hacks : Discuss practical strategies and tools for prioritizing tasks, minimizing distractions, and maximizing productivity.
• Leadership Development : Explore key principles of leadership, including communication, decision-making, motivation, and delegation.
• Conflict Resolution Strategies : Cover common sources of conflict in the workplace, and learn techniques for resolving conflicts.
• Stress Management Techniques : Talk about coping mechanisms and relaxation strategies to effectively manage workplace stress. This presentation promotes mental health and well-being.

No matter which topic you cover, these presentation tips will help you succeed.

Final Thoughts

Mastering the art of presenting at work can improve your professional impact. By adding these tips to your routine, you can become more confident in delivering presentations. Effective presentations should engage and inspire your audience. The more you present, the better you will become at it. By refining your skills and striving for continuous improvement, you can become a presentation pro.

Next, check out our posts on conference breakout session ideas and lunch and learn topics .

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FAQ: Presentation tips for work

Here are frequently asked questions about presentation tips for work.

What are some good tips for presentations at work?

Several tips can help you create strong workplace presentations. Examples include time management, presentation tools, and planning ahead.

How can you make presentations more engaging?

To make presentations more engaging, consider using storytelling to share your points. Visual aids like graphs or images can also illustrate points clearly. Q&A sessions can help clarify your points and add an element of interaction.

What tools can you use for better work presentations?

Several tools can help you make your presentations. For instance, Prezi offers a zoomable canvas, Google Slides is great for easy collaboration, and Canva has a wide range of templates.

What are some strategies to overcome presentation nerves?

Nerves are common before giving a presentation. To help beat the stress, practice your speech several times, focus on the message, and take plenty of deep breaths.

How can you use humor in work presentations?

Relevant jokes or stories are a great way to add humor to a presentation. Funny visuals and slides are another option. However, it is important to ensure the humor is appropriate and does not detract from the message.

Author: Michael Alexis

CEO at teambuilding.com. I write about my experience working with and leading remote teams since 2010.

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I write about my experience working with and leading remote teams since 2010.

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The best presentation software in 2024

These powerpoint alternatives go beyond the basics..

The latest presentation apps have made it easier than ever to format slides and create professional-looking slideshows without giving off a "this is a template" vibe. Even standard PowerPoint alternatives have updated key features to make it easier than ever to collaborate and create presentations quickly, so you can spend more time prepping for your actual presentation.

If, like me, you've used Google Slides unquestioningly for years, it's a whole new world out there. The newest crop of online presentation tools go way beyond the classic slideshow experience, with new features to keep your audience's attention, streamline the creation process with AI, and turn slide decks into videos and interactive conversations.

I've been testing these apps for the past few years, and this time, I spent several days tinkering with 25 of the top presentation software solutions out there to bring you the best of the best.

The best presentation software

What makes the best presentation app, how we evaluate and test apps.

When looking for the best presentation apps, I wanted utility players. After all, slideshows are used for just about everything, from pitch decks and product launches to class lectures and church sermons. With that in mind, here's what I was looking for:

Pre-built templates. The best presentation tools should have attractive, professional-looking templates to build presentations in a hurry.

Sharing and collaboration options. Whether you plan to share your webinar slides later, or you just want to collaborate with a coworker on a presentation, it should be easy to share files and collaborate in real-time.

Flexibility and customization options. Templates are great, but top presentation apps should enable you to customize just about everything—giving you the flexibility to build exactly what you need.

Affordability. Creating compelling presentations is important, but you shouldn't have to bust your budget to make it happen. With capable free tools on the market, affordability is a top consideration.

Standalone functionality. There's no reason to use multiple tools when one can do it all, so I didn't test any apps that require and work on top of another presentation app like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Familiar, deck-based interface. For our purposes here, I only tested software that uses slides, with the familiar deck-based editor you expect from a "presentation" tool (versus, for example, a video creation app).

Beyond that, I also looked for presentation apps that brought something unique to the table—features above and beyond what you can get for free from a legacy solution like PowerPoint or Google Slides.

Here's what my testing workflow looked like:

I went through any onboarding or guided tutorials.

I created a new deck, scanning through all available templates, noting how well-designed they were (and which were free versus paid).

I added new slides, deleted slides, edited text and images, and played around with other content types.

I changed presentation design settings, like color schemes and background images.

I reviewed and tested the sharing and collaboration options.

I tested out presenter view (when available).

After my first round of testing, I went back into the top performers to test any unique or niche features, like AI, brand settings, and interactive content. With that, these are the best presentation apps I found—each one really brings something different or radically easy to the table.

The best presentation software at a glance

The best free presentation software, .css-yjptlz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} canva (web, windows, mac, android, ios).

Canva pros:

Excellent free plan

Tons of amazing templates for all use cases

Feature-rich

Canva cons:

The AI tools aren't groundbreakingly useful

Canva offers one of the most robust free plans of all the presentation apps I tested. The app delays account creation until after you've created your first design, so you can get started building your presentation in seconds. Choose from an almost overwhelming number of beautiful templates (nearly all available for free), including those designed specifically for education or business use cases.

Anyone who's accidentally scrolled too far and been bumped to the next slide will appreciate Canva's editor interface, which eliminates that problem altogether with a smooth scroll that doesn't jump around. Choose from a handful of preset animations to add life to your presentations, or browse the library of audio and video files available to add. And Canva also has a number of options for sharing your presentation, including adding collaborators to your team, sharing directly to social media, and even via QR code.

Present directly from Canva, and let audience members submit their questions via Canva Live. Once you share a link to invite audience members to your presentation, they can send questions for you to answer. As the presenter, you'll see them pop up in your presenter view window, so you can keep the audience engaged and your presentation clear. Alternatively, record a presentation with a talking head bubble—you can even use an AI presenter here—to share remotely.

Canva pricing: Free plan available; paid plans start at $120/year for 1 user and include additional features like Brand Kit, premium templates and stock assets, and additional AI-powered design tools.

The best presentation app for AI-powered design

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Beautiful.ai pros:

True AI design

No fussing around with alignment

Still allows for customization

Beautiful.ai cons:

No free plan

If you're like me, editing granular spacing issues is the absolute worst part of building a presentation. Beautiful.ai uses artificial intelligence to take a lot of the hassle and granular design requirements out of the presentation process, so you can focus on the content of a presentation without sacrificing professional design. If I needed to make presentations on a regular basis, this is the app I'd use.

Many apps have recently added AI design features, but Beautiful.ai has been doing it for years—and they've perfected the experience of AI design, ensuring the tool's reign as the most streamlined and user-friendly option for AI design.

The editor is a little different from most presentation apps, but it's still intuitive—and you'll start off with a quick two-minute tutorial. When creating a new slide, scroll through "inspiration slides" to find a layout you like; once you choose, the app will pull the layout and automatically adapt it to match the design of the rest of your presentation.

With 10 themes, several templated slides, over 40 fully-designed templates, and more than 20 different color palettes to choose from, Beautiful.ai strikes a perfect balance between automation and customization.

While Beautiful.ai doesn't offer a free plan, paid plans are reasonably priced and offer sharing and collaboration options that rival collab-focused apps like Google Slides. And speaking of Google, you can connect Beautiful.ai with Google Drive to save all your presentations there.

Note: I re-tested the generative AI feature (called DesignerBot) this year. It's great for adding individual slides to an existing presentation—automatically choosing the best layout and matching the design to the rest of the deck—but as with most other apps, it struggled to pull in relevant images.

Beautiful.ai pricing: Plans start at $12/month for unlimited slides, AI content generation, viewer analytics, and more. Upgrade to a Team plan for $40/user/month to get extra collaboration and workspace features and custom brand controls.

The best presentation app for conversational presentations

.css-yjptlz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} prezi (web, mac, windows, ios, android).

Prezi pros:

Doesn't restrict you to standard presentation structure

Lots of customization options

Prezi Video lets you display a presentation right over your webcam video

Prezi cons:

Steep learning curve

Struggling to squeeze information into a basic, linear presentation? Give Prezi a try. Unlike nearly all other presentation apps on the market, Prezi Present doesn't restrict the structure of your presentation to a straight line. The editor focuses on topics and subtopics and allows you to arrange them any way you want, so you can create a more conversational flow of information.

With the structural flexibility, you still get all the same customization features you expect from top presentation software, including fully-editable templates. There's a learning curve if you're unfamiliar with non-linear presentations, but templates offer a great jumping-off point, and Prezi's editor does a good job of making the process more approachable.

Plus, Prezi comes with two other apps: Prezi Design and Prezi Video. Prezi Video helps you take remote presentations to a new level. You can record a video where the presentation elements are displayed right over your webcam feed. Record and save the video to share later, or connect with your video conferencing tool of choice (including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet) to present live.

Prezi's generative AI feature works ok, but it's more useful as a wireframe. When I asked it to create a presentation about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for example, the resulting content read a lot like a student writing a term paper in the broadest strokes possible to avoid doing any actual research.

The best presentation app for video presentations

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Powtoon pros:

Timing automatically changes based on the content on the slide

Can toggle between slideshow and video

Can orient presentation as horizontal, vertical, or square

Powtoon cons:

Limited free plan

Powtoon makes it easy to create engaging videos by orienting the editor around a slide deck. Editing a Powtoon feels just like editing a presentation, but by the time you finish, you have a professional video. 

You can edit your slides at any time, and when you hit play, a video plays through your deck—the feel is almost like an animated explainer video. Each slide includes the animations you choose and takes up as much time as is needed based on the content on the slide. Powtoon figures the timing automatically, and you can see in the bottom-right of the editor how much time is used on your current slide versus the total presentation. If you ever want to present as a slide deck, just toggle between Slideshow and Movie.

You'll likely need to subscribe to a paid plan to get the most out of Powtoon—like creating videos longer than three minutes, downloading them as MP4 files, and white-labeling your presentations—but doing so won't break the bank. Plus, you'll unlock tons of templates complete with animations and soundtracks.

One of my favorite Powtoon features is the ability to orient your video: you can choose horizontal orientation (like a normal presentation) or opt for vertical (for mobile) or square (for social media). When your presentation is ready, you can publish straight to YouTube, Wistia, Facebook Ads, and any number of other locations.

The best presentation app for collaborating with your team

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Pitch pros:

Google levels of collaboration

Assign slides to specific team members

Excellent generative AI feature

Pitch cons:

User interface is a little different than you're used to

Need to collaborate on presentations with your team? Pitch is a Google Slides alternative that gets the job done. As far as decks go, Pitch includes all the beautifully-designed templates, customizability, and ease of use you expect from a top-notch presentation tool. But the app really shines when you add your team.

The right-hand sidebar is all about project management and collaboration: you can set and update the status of your deck, assign entire presentations or individual slides to team members, plus comment or add notes. Save custom templates to make future presentations even easier and faster.

You can also invite collaborators from outside your company to work with you on individual decks. And if you opt for a paid plan, Pitch introduces workspace roles, shared private folders, and version history.

Pitch also offers one of the most impressive generative AI features on this list. It still struggles to pull in relevant images, but I found the AI-generated written content and design to be top-notch.

The best presentation app for conversational AI

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Gamma pros:

Creates fully fleshed-out presentations from a prompt

Conversational chatbot-like experience

Can still manually edit the presentation

Gamma cons:

Not as much granular customization

I tested a lot of apps claiming to use AI to up your presentation game, and Gamma's conversational AI features were head and shoulders above the crowd.

Simply give the app a topic—or upload an outline, notes, or any other document or article—approve the outline, and pick a theme. The app will take it from there and create a fully fleshed-out presentation. It's far from perfect, but Gamma produces a very useful jumping-off point. (Last year, it was by far the best, but this year, other apps are catching up.)

Here's the key: Gamma is much more geared toward the iterative, chatbot experience familiar to ChatGPT users. Click on the Edit with AI button at the top of the right-hand menu to open the chat, and you'll see suggested prompts—or you can type in your own requests for how Gamma should alter the presentation.

Once you've done all you can with prompts, simply close the chat box to manually add the finishing touches. While you do sacrifice some granular customizability in exchange for the AI features, you can still choose your visual theme, change slide layouts, format text, and add any images, videos, or even app and web content.

The best presentation app for audience engagement

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Mentimeter pros:

Tons of audience engagement features

Simple for participants to interact

Mentimeter cons:

Less granular customizability

Bit of a learning curve

If you need to engage with an audience during your presentation, Mentimeter makes that easy. The app is designed around interactive elements like quizzes, surveys, Q&As, sliders, and more (even a Miro whiteboard!).

Each of these is included in a number of different, professional-looking templates, so you can build a fully interactive presentation super quickly.

When it's time to present, your audience members can scan the QR code with their phone cameras or type in the URL and access code to participate. There's one code per presentation (so they won't have to do this on every slide), which gives access to each slide as you move through the presentation.

There are two main drawbacks to this one, though. First, there's a bit of a learning curve and less familiar editing interface (but I found it pretty easy to learn with some practice). The other drawback is that you can't get as granular with the visual customization as you can with many other presentation tools.

The best presentation app for generative AI

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Top-tier generative AI features

Simple, customizable templates

Intuitive doc-style editor

There's definitely a learning curve

Tome is one of the new additions to this list that I'm most excited about. If you're looking for generative AI that just genuinely works , it's definitely worth a look. The editor is a bit more stripped down than most presentation apps but intuitive nonetheless—it's almost a cross between your standard deck editor and a Notion-style doc.

To generate an AI deck, click Generate with AI in the top right, and either write your own prompt or choose from the example prompts that cover a handful of common use cases, like sales enablement and company pitches. Edit or approve the suggested outline, then generate the full presentation.

From there, you can edit each slide as a doc via the right-hand menu—without limits on how much information you can include. During the presentation, you simply size down any slides that take up more than the standard amount of space. It's super simple but somehow feels revolutionary in a presentation app.

What about the old standbys?

You might notice a few major presentation players aren't on this list, including OGs Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides. These apps are perfectly adequate for creating basic presentations, and they're free if you have a Windows or Mac device or a Google account.

I didn't include them on the list because the presentation space has really developed in the last several years, and after testing them out, I found these behemoths haven't kept pace. If they weren't made by Microsoft/Apple/Google, I might not even be mentioning them. They're pretty basic tools, they're behind the curve when it comes to templates (both quantity and design), and they don't offer any uniquely valuable features like robust team collaboration, branding controls, video, and so on.

In any case, if you're reading this, you're probably looking for an alternative that allows you to move away from one of the big 3, and as the presentation platforms featured above show, there's a ton to gain—in terms of features, usability, and more—when you do.

What about PowerPoint and Google Slides add-ons?

While I focused my testing on tools with full feature-sets—those that can serve as your sole presentation tool—there are a ton of add-on tools you can use atop big name tools like PowerPoint and Google Slides.

Related reading:

This post was originally published in October 2014 and has since been updated with contributions from Danny Schreiber, Matthew Guay, Andrew Kunesh, and Krystina Martinez. The most recent update was in April 2024.

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Kiera Abbamonte

Kiera’s a content writer who helps SaaS and eCommerce companies connect with customers and reach new audiences. Located in Boston, MA, she loves cinnamon coffee and a good baseball game. Catch up with her on Twitter @Kieraabbamonte.

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Blog Beginner Guides 8 Types of Presentations You Should Know [+Examples & Tips]

8 Types of Presentations You Should Know [+Examples & Tips]

Written by: Krystle Wong Aug 11, 2023

From persuasive pitches that influence opinions to instructional demonstrations that teach skills, the different types of presentations serve a unique purpose, tailored to specific objectives and audiences.

Presentations that are tailored to its objectives and audiences are more engaging and memorable. They capture attention, maintain interest and leave a lasting impression. 

Don’t worry if you’re no designer —  Whether you need data-driven visuals, persuasive graphics or engaging design elements, Venngage can empower you to craft presentations that stand out and effectively convey your message.

Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface, extensive presentation template library and customizable design options make it a valuable tool for creating slides that align with your specific goals and target audience. 

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8 Different types of presentations every presenter must know

How do i choose the right type of presentation for my topic or audience, types of presentation faq, 5 steps to create a presentation with venngage .

When it comes to presentations, versatility is the name of the game. Having a variety of presentation styles up your sleeve can make a world of difference in keeping your audience engaged. Here are 8 essential presentation types that every presenter should be well-acquainted with:

1. Informative presentation

Ever sat through a presentation that left you feeling enlightened? That’s the power of an informative presentation. 

This presentation style is all about sharing knowledge and shedding light on a particular topic. Whether you’re diving into the depths of quantum physics or explaining the intricacies of the latest social media trends, informative presentations aim to increase the audience’s understanding.

When delivering an informative presentation, simplify complex topics with clear visuals and relatable examples. Organize your content logically, starting with the basics and gradually delving deeper and always remember to keep jargon to a minimum and encourage questions for clarity.

Academic presentations and research presentations are great examples of informative presentations. An effective academic presentation involves having clear structure, credible evidence, engaging delivery and supporting visuals. Provide context to emphasize the topic’s significance, practice to perfect timing, and be ready to address anticipated questions. 

2. Persuasive presentation

If you’ve ever been swayed by a passionate speaker armed with compelling arguments, you’ve experienced a persuasive presentation . 

This type of presentation is like a verbal tug-of-war, aiming to convince the audience to see things from a specific perspective. Expect to encounter solid evidence, logical reasoning and a dash of emotional appeal.

With persuasive presentations, it’s important to know your audience inside out and tailor your message to their interests and concerns. Craft a compelling narrative with a strong opening, a solid argument and a memorable closing. Additionally, use visuals strategically to enhance your points.

Examples of persuasive presentations include presentations for environmental conservations, policy change, social issues and more. Here are some engaging presentation templates you can use to get started with: 

3. Demonstration or how-to presentation

A Demonstration or How-To Presentation is a type of presentation where the speaker showcases a process, technique, or procedure step by step, providing the audience with clear instructions on how to replicate the demonstrated action. 

A demonstrative presentation is particularly useful when teaching practical skills or showing how something is done in a hands-on manner.

These presentations are commonly used in various settings, including educational workshops, training sessions, cooking classes, DIY tutorials, technology demonstrations and more. Designing creative slides for your how-to presentations can heighten engagement and foster better information retention. 

Speakers can also consider breaking down the process into manageable steps, using visual aids, props and sometimes even live demonstrations to illustrate each step. The key is to provide clear and concise instructions, engage the audience with interactive elements and address any questions that may arise during the presentation.

4. Training or instructional presentation

Training presentations are geared towards imparting practical skills, procedures or concepts — think of this as the more focused cousin of the demonstration presentation. 

Whether you’re teaching a group of new employees the ins and outs of a software or enlightening budding chefs on the art of soufflé-making, training presentations are all about turning novices into experts.

To maximize the impact of your training or instructional presentation, break down complex concepts into digestible segments. Consider using real-life examples to illustrate each point and create a connection. 

You can also create an interactive presentation by incorporating elements like quizzes or group activities to reinforce understanding.

5. Sales presentation

Sales presentations are one of the many types of business presentations and the bread and butter of businesses looking to woo potential clients or customers. With a sprinkle of charm and a dash of persuasion, these presentations showcase products, services or ideas with one end goal in mind: sealing the deal.

A successful sales presentation often has key characteristics such as a clear value proposition, strong storytelling, confidence and a compelling call to action. Hence, when presenting to your clients or stakeholders, focus on benefits rather than just features. 

Anticipate and address potential objections before they arise and use storytelling to showcase how your offering solves a specific problem for your audience. Utilizing visual aids is also a great way to make your points stand out and stay memorable.

A sales presentation can be used to promote service offerings, product launches or even consultancy proposals that outline the expertise and industry experience of a business. Here are some template examples you can use for your next sales presentation:

6. Pitch presentation

Pitch presentations are your ticket to garnering the interest and support of potential investors, partners or stakeholders. Think of your pitch deck as your chance to paint a vivid picture of your business idea or proposal and secure the resources you need to bring it to life. 

Business presentations aside, individuals can also create a portfolio presentation to showcase their skills, experience and achievements to potential clients, employers or investors. 

Craft a concise and compelling narrative. Clearly define the problem your idea solves and how it stands out in the market. Anticipate questions and practice your answers. Project confidence and passion for your idea.

7. Motivational or inspirational presentation

Feeling the need for a morale boost? That’s where motivational presentations step in. These talks are designed to uplift and inspire, often featuring personal anecdotes, heartwarming stories and a generous serving of encouragement.

Form a connection with your audience by sharing personal stories that resonate with your message. Use a storytelling style with relatable anecdotes and powerful metaphors to create an emotional connection. Keep the energy high and wrap up your inspirational presentations with a clear call to action.

Inspirational talks and leadership presentations aside, a motivational or inspirational presentation can also be a simple presentation aimed at boosting confidence, a motivational speech focused on embracing change and more.

8. Status or progress report presentation

Projects and businesses are like living organisms, constantly evolving and changing. Status or progress report presentations keep everyone in the loop by providing updates on achievements, challenges and future plans. It’s like a GPS for your team, ensuring everyone stays on track.

Be transparent about achievements, challenges and future plans. Utilize infographics, charts and diagrams to present your data visually and simplify information. By visually representing data, it becomes easier to identify trends, make predictions and strategize based on evidence.

Now that you’ve learned about the different types of presentation methods and how to use them, you’re on the right track to creating a good presentation that can boost your confidence and enhance your presentation skills . 

Selecting the most suitable presentation style is akin to choosing the right outfit for an occasion – it greatly influences how your message is perceived. Here’s a more detailed guide to help you make that crucial decision:

1. Define your objectives

Begin by clarifying your presentation’s goals. Are you aiming to educate, persuade, motivate, train or perhaps sell a concept? Your objectives will guide you to the most suitable presentation type. 

For instance, if you’re aiming to inform, an informative presentation would be a natural fit. On the other hand, a persuasive presentation suits the goal of swaying opinions.

2. Know your audience

Regardless if you’re giving an in-person or a virtual presentation — delve into the characteristics of your audience. Consider factors like their expertise level, familiarity with the topic, interests and expectations. 

If your audience consists of professionals in your field, a more technical presentation might be suitable. However, if your audience is diverse and includes newcomers, an approachable and engaging style might work better.

3. Analyze your content

Reflect on the content you intend to present. Is it data-heavy, rich in personal stories or focused on practical skills? Different presentation styles serve different content types. 

For data-driven content, an informative or instructional presentation might work best. For emotional stories, a motivational presentation could be a compelling choice.

4. Consider time constraints

Evaluate the time you have at your disposal. If your presentation needs to be concise due to time limitations, opt for a presentation style that allows you to convey your key points effectively within the available timeframe. A pitch presentation, for example, often requires delivering impactful information within a short span.

5. Leverage visuals

Visual aids are powerful tools in presentations. Consider whether your content would benefit from visual representation. If your PowerPoint presentations involve step-by-step instructions or demonstrations, a how-to presentation with clear visuals would be advantageous. Conversely, if your content is more conceptual, a motivational presentation could rely more on spoken words.

6. Align with the setting

Take the presentation environment into account. Are you presenting in a formal business setting, a casual workshop or a conference? Your setting can influence the level of formality and interactivity in your presentation. For instance, a demonstration presentation might be ideal for a hands-on workshop, while a persuasive presentation is great for conferences.

7. Gauge audience interaction

Determine the level of audience engagement you want. Interactive presentations work well for training sessions, workshops and small group settings, while informative or persuasive presentations might be more one-sided.

8. Flexibility

Stay open to adjusting your presentation style on the fly. Sometimes, unexpected factors might require a change of presentation style. Be prepared to adjust on the spot if audience engagement or reactions indicate that a different approach would be more effective.

Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and the best type of presentation may vary depending on the specific situation and your unique communication goals. By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the most effective presentation type to successfully engage and communicate with your audience.

To save time, use a presentation software or check out these presentation design and presentation background guides to create a presentation that stands out.    

What are some effective ways to begin and end a presentation?

Capture your audience’s attention from the start of your presentation by using a surprising statistic, a compelling story or a thought-provoking question related to your topic. 

To conclude your presentation , summarize your main points, reinforce your key message and leave a lasting impression with a powerful call to action or a memorable quote that resonates with your presentation’s theme.

How can I make my presentation more engaging and interactive?

To create an engaging and interactive presentation for your audience, incorporate visual elements such as images, graphs and videos to illustrate your points visually. Share relatable anecdotes or real-life examples to create a connection with your audience. 

You can also integrate interactive elements like live polls, open-ended questions or small group discussions to encourage participation and keep your audience actively engaged throughout your presentation.

Which types of presentations require special markings

Some presentation types require special markings such as how sales presentations require persuasive techniques like emphasizing benefits, addressing objections and using compelling visuals to showcase products or services. 

Demonstrations and how-to presentations on the other hand require clear markings for each step, ensuring the audience can follow along seamlessly. 

That aside, pitch presentations require highlighting unique selling points, market potential and the competitive edge of your idea, making it stand out to potential investors or partners.

Need some inspiration on how to make a presentation that will captivate an audience? Here are 120+ presentation ideas to help you get started. 

Creating a stunning and impactful presentation with Venngage is a breeze. Whether you’re crafting a business pitch, a training presentation or any other type of presentation, follow these five steps to create a professional presentation that stands out:

• Sign up and log in to Venngage to access the editor.
• Choose a presentation template that matches your topic or style.
• Customize content, colors, fonts, and background to personalize your presentation.
• Add images, icons, and charts to enhancevisual style and clarity.
• Save, export, and share your presentation as PDF or PNG files, or use Venngage’s Presentation Mode for online showcasing.

In the realm of presentations, understanding the different types of presentation formats is like having a versatile set of tools that empower you to craft compelling narratives for every occasion.

Remember, the key to a successful presentation lies not only in the content you deliver but also in the way you connect with your audience. Whether you’re informing, persuading or entertaining, tailoring your approach to the specific type of presentation you’re delivering can make all the difference.

Presentations are a powerful tool, and with practice and dedication (and a little help from Venngage), you’ll find yourself becoming a presentation pro in no time. Now, let’s get started and customize your next presentation!

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PETRONAS : New Way of Working

Presentation: petronas : new way of working, presentation, 2022 - aveva world san francisco - planning and scheduling.

New Way of Working Sharing the journey of transition from legacy to Spiral Suite for a New Way of Working Continuous improvement

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Unleashing engagement: 4 ways to reimagine stale presentations.

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Lux Narayan is the CEO and co-founder of StreamAlive , a leading audience engagement platform for live sessions.

In my career, I’ve given more presentations than I can count. In fact, I think I’ve been presenting for a living all along. As a founder, I motivated hundreds of employees, as a TED speaker , I connected with like-minded leaders and as an amateur stand-up comedian, I facilitated connection through laughter.

And for as many successful presentations I've given, I've still failed many times—some stand-up sets left me yearning for a sitcom laugh track to fill the silence after a flopped joke. There were corporate presentations where I could not keep the audience’s attention, rendering my message ineffective. But the underlying truth of every presentation I've ever given is a desire to engage, connect and make my audience feel seen.

Today in the workplace, more technology than ever before is competing for our limited attention. In remote and hybrid environments, virtual meetings and presentations fill our calendars, but few are efficient or productive. According to a 2022 study from meeting analytics startup Read AI, 40% of virtual meeting participants have below-average or poor engagement, and 22% don’t say a single word. With more meetings on the calendar than ever, productivity and employee satisfaction can both take a huge hit from low meeting engagement.

I’ve spent a fair part of my life designing presentations that capture audiences’ attention and I’ve found ways to cut through the noise. Here are my four most essential pieces of advice for guaranteeing engagement in every presentation you lead, so your presentations can feel more like conversations.

‘Ghost Of Tsushima’ Is Already Flooded With Negative Reviews On Steam

Wwe smackdown results winners and grades with stratton vs belair, biden trump debates what to know as trump pushes for 2 more faceoffs, 1. less talking, more listening.

Shifting your mindset from "presenting" to "listening" is the key to hosting effective virtual meetings. No matter their size, online meetings that put attendees at the center of the conversation and invite everyone to participate create an environment that mimics successful in-person meetings. Presenters can stimulate spontaneous conversation and ensure that every attendee feels included by focusing on asking questions and listening for understanding.

It may seem counterintuitive to ask a keynote presenter to present less, but presentations, especially virtual ones, often feel too much like monologues. In many meetings, it has become the norm for most participants to be "cameras off," further emphasizing the disconnect between the presenter and the audience.

A good presenter focuses on dialogue and looks for information from their audience to guide them on how to move forward, adjusting the presentation in real time. In a classroom, lecturers can poll students to check for understanding. Poor or inconclusive responses can indicate that the presenter needs to go over the material in more detail.

After all, "listening" to your audience does not always mean they are communicating verbally. It just means they are being heard.

2. Foster Channels For Interaction

In a perfect world, your audience is full of ideas and eager to participate, but in reality, they likely need some encouragement. Building avenues for engagement into your presentation is often the best way to facilitate discussion.

To break through the monotony, find a way to "interrupt" your audience. Pausing for questions is not enough. Polls, interactive maps, games and other tools bring a light, easy tone to your content, as well as acting as a natural break and signaling to the audience that it’s time to speak up.

3. Pass The Microphone To The Audience

Participatory meeting culture goes beyond added visual elements. To truly upgrade the audience’s experience, encourage attendees to lead the discussion, foster the conversation and connect. At StreamAlive, we lean heavily on our virtual platform’s native chat function to engage with participants. For example, in our live streams and demos, we visualize the chat in real time and use AI to collect every question and link shared in the chat. That way, we can answer "FAQs" in our post-event email.

Directing attendees to the chat creates a sense of community anchored in the "now" and founded in shared interests, which drives better engagement. I encourage presenters to explore tools outside of their video conferencing platform’s integrated features to push the boundaries of creativity when presenting. Marketplaces like Zoom’s Essential Apps are a goldmine of resources to help level up your presentations beyond the status quo.

4. Visual Storytelling

Visual aids are crucial to the 65% of people identified as visual learners . Instead of using unrelated stock images merely to break up text, reinforce your message with strategic visuals woven into your storytelling. Each image should clearly contribute to the narrative of the presentation, and be used to reinforce key points and create a cohesive story. In the case of our platform, audiences contribute to live, onscreen visuals (like real-time polls or interactive maps, for example) that help ensure everyone is included in the conversation. The visuals evolve with audience participation.

With longer, text-based presentations, attendees might zone out, missing crucial information. To counteract this, mimic the flow of normal conversation. Think about how long it is appropriate to monopolize a dinner table conversation before inviting someone else to participate by asking a question. The same holds true for punctuating your presentation with helpful images and audience participation. We are used to engaging in short bursts and engagement is rich when conversation flows naturally.

Structuring your presentation with a clear visual flow means images will serve as "breadcrumbs" to help attendees follow along and reconnect if their attention lapses. Summarize what has happened so far and give your audience a preview of what will happen next.

On Your Way To Better Presentations

Improving virtual meetings involves more than new technologies or adding features; it requires rethinking engagement strategies. Focus on listening, engaging and visually guiding your audience to transform routine sessions into dynamic, effective communication platforms. This approach will improve the overall meeting experience, making virtual gatherings something participants look forward to.

Remember, as Maya Angelou once wrote, "At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you said, they'll remember how you made them feel."

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At revered Black school, Biden leans into faith and tells grads he hears voices of dissent

ATLANTA – President Joe Biden on Sunday warned graduates at one of the country's most revered African American academic institutions of "extremist forces aligned against the meaning and message of Morehouse" College in a commencement address that sought to lay out the stakes of the 2024 election.

"Graduates, this is what we're up against," Biden said during a 27-minute speech that leaned heavily into themes of faith and democracy in an appeal to Black voters. "They peddle a fiction, a character about what being a man is about − tough talk, abusing power, bigotry. Their idea of being a man is toxic."

"But that's not you. It's not us," he said.

Biden's remarks to the 414 graduates at Morehouse , an all-male historically Black college in Atlanta, came as he is struggling to unite Black voters , particularly Black men, around his candidacy. Many Morehouse students and faculty criticized Biden's participation when it was announced because of his support for Israel's war in Gaza.

"In a democracy, we debate dissent about America's role in the world. I want to say this very clearly: I support peaceful, nonviolent protest," Biden said on Sunday in response to the complaints. "Your voices should be heard. I promise you, I hear them."

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

No major disruptions, but peaceful protests target Biden

Although there were no major disruptions during Biden's speech, a few students walked out when Biden received an honorary Morehouse degree. More than a dozen graduates and at least three faculty members wore keffiyehs, while one student entered the ceremony draped in a Palestinian flag.

As Biden delivered his address, at least one female faculty member stood in the opposite direction, her fist raised, in a sign of protest.

Biden, wearing a maroon gown at the outdoor ceremony, said his administration is "working around the clock for more than just one cease-fire," but also to "bring the region together." He reiterated his support for a two-state solution in which Israelis and Palestinians live in peace.

"This is one of the hardest, most complicated problems in the world. There's nothing easy about it," Biden said. "I know it angers and frustrates many of you, including my family, but most of all, I know it breaks your heart. It breaks mine as well."

Biden added that leadership is about "fighting through the most intractable problems" to "find a solution by doing what you believe is right, even when it's hard and lonely."

About a mile away, pro-Palestinian protesters held a rally organized under the banner of "Say No to Genocide Joe Speaking at Morehouse." Morehouse's valedictorian also raised Israel's war in Gaza during his remarks before Biden took the lectern.

"It is my stance as a Morehouse man – nay as a human being – to call for an immediate and the permanent cease-fire in the Gaza Strip," graduating senior DeAngelo Jeremiah Fletcher said, with Biden sitting just steps behind him. Biden applauded in response.

Biden touts record with Black voters

Polling shows Biden is vastly underperforming his 2020 performance among Black voters, a reliably Democratic constituency, as some drift to Donald Trump, the former president and presumptive Republican nominee.

A New York Times/Siena College poll of six battleground states, including Georgia, found Biden has support from 60% of Black voters and Trump, while Trump is backed by 20% of Black voters. Biden won Black voters in the 2020 election by a 87%-12% margin, according to exit polls.

Ahead of Biden's arrival, Anwar Karim, a sophomore studying film at Morehouse and a member of Atlanta University Center Students for Justice in Palestine, told USA TODAY he was disappointed in his school’s choice of commencement speaker. He also decried Morehouse’s decision to award Biden an honorary degree, which is typically awarded to the school’s commencement speaker after a faculty vote.

“Morehouse College is dedicated to producing men of consequence who lead lives of service and leadership, and I just have to beg the question, when it comes to Biden, what is an example of his leadership?” Karim said Friday.

Biden commits to showing 'democracy is still the way'

In his speech, Biden touted his presidency as one that has delivered to Black Americans, pointing to efforts to invest in Black families and communities, cut child poverty, expand work opportunities, reduce prescription drug prices and cut student loan debt. He called out the "poison of white supremacy" and "systemic racism."

He said he is committed to "show that democracy, democracy, democracy is still the way," even in the face of inequality for Black Americans.

"What is democracy if Black men are being killed in the street? What is democracy if the trail of broken promises still leave Black communities behind?" Biden said. "What is democracy if you have to be ten times better than anyone else to get a fair shot? Most of all, what does it mean, as you've heard before, to be a Black man who loves his country even if it doesn't love him back in equal measure?"

Biden railed against new voting restrictions in Georgia and the "constant attacks on Black election workers." He also said those who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 "are called patriots by some," a clear reference to Trump.

“Not in my house," Biden said.

In the days leading up to his Morehouse visit, the White House focused on Black outreach. Biden met on Thursday with plaintiffs of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, on the 70th anniversary of the dismantling of the "separate but equal" precedent. On Friday, Biden met with leaders of the "Divine Nine" HBCU sororities and fraternities.

More: In a nod to history, Biden meets with Brown v. Board of Education families

In Atlanta on Saturday, Biden spoke to Morehouse alumni and others at a campaign event at Mary Mac's Tea Room. "The fact is, this election, lots at stake, lots at stake. It's not about me. It's about the alternative as well," Biden said. "My opponent's not a good loser, but he is a loser."

Introducing Biden, Morehouse President David Thomas said, "No administration in history, since the inception of historically Black colleges and universities, has invested more in our institutions than the Biden administration."

"And if you look at his policies, it is very clear that those investments are not charity," Thomas said.

Biden, 81, closed his remarks with a reference to his age, a liability that has hung over his reelection. When he started his political career, Biden said he was told he was "too young." Now he hears he's "too old."

"Whether you're young or old, I know what endures: The strength and wisdom of faith endures. And my challenge to you is to still keep the faith as long as you can," Biden said. "Together we're capable of building a democracy worthy of our dreams."

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Israel Resists Grand Bargain as U.S. and Saudis Work on Security Pact

President Biden is pushing for a broad deal that would get Israel to approve a Palestinian state in return for Saudi recognition of Israel. But officials need to overcome Israeli opposition.

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By Edward Wong and Vivian Nereim

Edward Wong reported from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem and Amman, Jordan, while traveling with the U.S. secretary of state, and from Washington. Vivian Nereim reported from Riyadh.

Two years into President Biden’s term, his aides began negotiating with Saudi leaders to have the kingdom establish diplomatic relations with Israel. But when the Israel-Hamas war began last October, the talks withered .

American and Saudi officials have tried to revive prospects for a deal by demanding more from Israel — a cease-fire in Gaza and irreversible steps toward the founding of a Palestinian state. Now those officials say they are close to a final agreement on the main elements of what the Saudis want from the deal: a U.S.-Saudi mutual defense pact and cooperation on a civilian nuclear program in the kingdom .

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto Saudi leader, about these matters in private on his visit last month to Riyadh , according to the State Department. And Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, is expected to follow up when he goes to Saudi Arabia and Israel this weekend.

But there are no signs that Israeli leaders are moving to join them, despite the symbolic importance for Israel of establishing ties with Saudi Arabia, the most powerful Arab nation.

That resistance, along with a potential full-scale assault by the Israeli military on the Palestinian city of Rafah, puts in jeopardy a potential three-way grand bargain that Mr. Biden envisions as the foundation to a long-term solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has rebuffed calls for the creation of a Palestinian state, saying that it would become a “terror haven.” Most Israelis also oppose it, according to polls. Mr. Netanyahu has not proposed a governance system for Gaza, and Yoav Gallant, the defense minister, criticized him on Wednesday for the lack of such a plan.

Since Mr. Blinken’s visit to Saudi Arabia, American and Saudi officials have begun challenging Mr. Netanyahu by publicly saying they are getting closer to agreement on a package that they will offer Israel. Mr. Netanyahu can either take the megadeal and move toward regional peace and potential security cooperation with Saudi Arabia that could counter Iran, their shared adversary — or reject it and perpetuate the cycle of Israeli-Palestinian violence and Israel’s isolation in the region, they say.

“We continue to work to finalize both the bilateral pieces of such an agreement as well as what the pathway to an independent Palestinian state would look like,” Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, said this month.

The “bilateral” part was a reference to the talks between the United States and Saudi Arabia on their agreement, which in addition to a defense treaty would involve cooperation on a civilian nuclear program with uranium enrichment in the kingdom , the sale of advanced American-made weapons and, potentially, a trade deal.

U.S. officials have emphasized that Israel must agree to a Palestinian state for any agreement to be finalized. Mr. Sullivan delivered that message on May 4 at a Financial Times conference in London.

“The integrated vision is a bilateral understanding between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia combined with normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, combined with meaningful steps on behalf of the Palestinian people,” he said, adding: “All of that has to come together.”

This month, some Saudi and American policy analysts who were briefed by Saudi officials have argued that a bilateral deal — a “ plan B ” — might be the best course because the Israeli-Palestinian part seemed too difficult to achieve.

Saudi officials have not made any such suggestion publicly and continue to insist on a larger deal with an Israeli commitment on a Palestinian state. But they have noted how far the U.S.-Saudi talks have advanced.

“We are very, very close; most of the work has already been done,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, said at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh last month. On a pathway to a Palestinian state, he said, “We have the broad outlines of what we think needs to happen.”

He suggested that Israel could be persuaded, referring to “mechanisms within the toolbox of the international community that can overcome the resistance of any party, any spoiler, on any side.”

However, even the Saudis’ most immediate demand of Israel — a sustainable cease-fire in Gaza — seems out of reach for now. Israel has avoided committing to a permanent cease-fire, and efforts by Arab mediators to get Israel to agree to a temporary cease-fire for the release of some hostages faltered last week . At the same time, Israel has stepped up strikes in Rafah , where more than one million Palestinians have sought shelter.

Saudi Arabia, the United States and other nations have warned Israel not to carry out a major offensive there.

Given all that, Saudi officials remain wary of the domestic political cost of normalizing relations with Israel.

“At this stage, it looks like a long shot,” said Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government.

Some officials in the region say the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain got very little out of normalizing ties with Israel under the Abraham Accords that the Trump administration helped engineer in 2020. The Israeli government did not fulfill promises to respect Palestinian territory in the West Bank.

“We hear this from Saudis all the time: look what happened to the Emiratis, look what happened to the Bahrainis, when they went full on,” said Ghaith al-Omari, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Before the war, U.S. and Saudi officials planned to ask the Israelis for modest concessions for the Palestinians, U.S. officials say. But the stakes are higher now. Mr. Biden sees a deal involving a Palestinian state as a critical component of the war’s endgame. And Israeli acquiescence to such a state could be the only way for Prince Mohammed to get broad support for the deal from citizens enraged by the killings of an estimated 35,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

Mr. Biden’s willingness to grant a mutual defense treaty and other benefits to Prince Mohammed is a sharp departure from his vow during the 2020 presidential campaign to ensure the country remains a “pariah” because of human rights violations . Those include the killings of civilians during the Yemen war and the murder in 2018 of Jamal Khashoggi , a Washington Post columnist and Virginia resident, by Saudi agents in Istanbul.

U.S. and Saudi officials are modeling the defense treaty on the pacts that the United States has with Japan and its other Asian allies . The two sides are trying to work out the conditions that would trigger a mutual defense clause.

Prince Mohammed wants a treaty that is ratified by a supermajority in the U.S. Senate. But administration officials say that would be hard without a robust Israeli-Palestinian component in the deal, since skepticism of Saudi Arabia is strong among many Democratic and some Republican lawmakers.

For Saudi Arabia, the biggest threat is Iran. Saudi officials remain bitter that the Trump administration did not intervene militarily when oil installations in the kingdom were attacked with drones and missiles in 2019 — an assault that Saudi and U.S. officials say was linked to Iran.

“The basic concept that they’ve been trying to establish is: What would trigger U.S. kinetic action in defense of Saudi Arabia?” said Hussein Ibish, a senior scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

“Saudi Arabia and others, including the Emirates, don’t know when the U.S. would act,” he added.

U.S. officials say they also plan to extract promises from Saudi Arabia to limit cooperation with China on military matters and on advanced technology, and that the kingdom would continue to buy oil in dollars rather than renminbi, China’s currency. But some American analysts say they are puzzled about why U.S. officials insist this is an important reason to make a deal with the Saudis. China has no interest in being a security guarantor in the Middle East. And analysts say there is little chance that Saudi Arabia would forsake the dollar — which its own currency is pegged to — for the renminbi.

The Biden administration also hopes Saudi Arabia will commit to keeping oil prices from surging, especially as the U.S. presidential election approaches. U.S. and Saudi officials clashed over such perceived promises in 2022 , when the Saudis went against Mr. Biden’s wishes.

Locking in American cooperation on a civilian nuclear program is important for Prince Mohammed. U.S. and Saudi negotiators are working out details of how the United States would maintain strict oversight of in-country uranium enrichment, officials say.

Prince Mohammed says he will develop nuclear weapons if Iran does so, and some U.S. lawmakers and many Israeli officials oppose Saudi Arabia having a nuclear program of any kind.

Karen Young, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, said the nuclear program was the “No. 1 priority” for Prince Mohammed.

For Saudi Arabia, she asserted, “it’s always been a bilateral deal; it’s not a trilateral one.”

“Israel is so peripheral,” she said, “which is beyond ironic.”

Edward Wong is a diplomatic correspondent who has reported for The Times for more than 24 years from New York, Baghdad, Beijing and Washington. He was on a team of Pulitzer Prize finalists for Iraq War coverage. More about Edward Wong

Vivian Nereim is the lead reporter for The Times covering the countries of the Arabian Peninsula. She is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. More about Vivian Nereim

Our Coverage of the Israel-Hamas War

News and Analysis

The International Criminal Court prosecutor requested arrest warrants  for the leaders of Hamas and for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.

Benny Gantz, a centrist member of Israel’s war cabinet, presented Netanyahu with an ultimatum , saying he would leave the government if it did not soon develop a plan for the future of the war in Gaza.

At least 64,000 Gazans have been displaced from the northern town of Jabaliya as Israel’s military launched a new offensive there .

Demanding New Leadership: Some reservists in the Israel Defense Forces, who have returned home from war, have joined the growing calls within Israel  for Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition to step aside.

Gaza’s Wartime Economy: In the seven months since Israel started bombarding Gaza, the enclave’s economy has been crushed. In its place, a marketplace of survival has arisen focused on the basics .

Protest in Brooklyn: A large pro-Palestinian protest in Brooklyn erupted into a chaotic scene , as the police arrested dozens of demonstrators and at times confronted them violently.