how to make a presentation outline

October 16, 2024

How to create a presentation outline (with examples)

Four methods to create a presentation outline and example outlines for inspiration

Co-founder, CEO

Like it or not, if you work in an office or go to school, you'll probably have to make a presentation sooner or later. But creating a great presentation can be challenging, especially if you're prepping last-minute or suffering from writer's block.

Luckily, there are many ways to get a head start on your presentation outline. In this article we'll walk through four options for creating a presentation outline and show you several examples of great presentation outlines.

Why should I write a presentation outline?

An outline helps you organize your ideas in a clear and logical way . Instead of getting bogged down on details like formatting or word choice, an outline presents the overarching story of your presentation with just a few main points.

Creating an outline helps ensure you have a cohesive narrative before you dive into the nitty gritty work of wordsmithing individual bullet points or selecting the perfect slide theme. If this sounds like a lot of work, it often is! But spending time writing a great outline will save you time and effort down the road because it will be easier to organize your work and create each slide when you understand how it fits in to the broader presentation.

Here are four ways you can get a start on creating your next presentation outline:

Method 1: Create your outline from scratch

Creating an outline from scratch may sound intimidating if you have never written a presentation outline before, but this is the most straightforward way to get started.

Start by jotting down the three main points you want to make in your presentation. Once you have your main ideas in order, write down a few supporting details and examples for each point.

Then, add an introduction (find an interesting image, quote, or question to help grab the audience's audience) and a conclusion (decide on the best way to summarize the takeaways from your presentation) to the outline, and you are ready to go.

This method is great for those who prefer to have complete control over their presentation and want to create a custom outline that works best for their needs.

Method 2: Create a presentation outline using an AI presentation maker

If you're short on time or looking for a quick way to get a first draft of a presentation outline that you can then refine, choosing an AI presentation maker is a great option.

Plus AI lets you type a short prompt like "Create a presentation that provides an overview of the Norwegian oil industry," and it will automatically generate an outline of a presentation for you. After Plus creates the outline, you can change the titles of slides, rearrange slides, and remove any pieces of the outline that are not necessary.

Once your outline is created, you can click the "Generate presentation" button, choose a template, and let the AI create the first draft of your entire presentation.

This method is a good option for those who want to create a polished presentation without getting stuck with a blank piece of paper. Instead, it frees you up to focus on improving the content and practicing the storytelling.

Method 3: Create a presentation outline using ChatGPT

ChatGPT is an AI chatbot that can help with a wide variety of tasks - everything from acting as a therapist, to sharing recipes, to helping you come up with presentation ideas and creating content for a presentation .

To have ChatGPT help you generate a presentation, you can take two different approaches:

• Use a custom GPT that has been trained to help people create presentations or
• Ask the general ChatGPT interface to "Create a presentation outline for me on the topic of [XYZ]."

Both approaches will yield similar results, but a custom GPT like Plus AI presentation maker will be more fine-tuned to helping people create presentations. It will also provide additional functionality like providing a visual preview of the slides and feedback on how to improve your presentation.

Method 4: Create a presentation outline using a template

Last but not least, using a template is a good way to speed up the process of creating a new presentation outline. Similar to using an AI presentation maker, templates can give you a first draft of an outline that is easier to edit and refine than starting from scratch.

Presentation templates often come pre-designed with example text and images, so all you have to do is fill in your own content. For example, this TED Talk presentation template provides some instructions on how to create an outline for a TED Talk-style slide deck.

The secret to using this method is to find the closest template to the type of presentation you want to create. You should use detailed search terms to and look across multiple sites and resources to find one that matches the content and style that you would like.

Once you have your template, start by reviewing the overall outline or structure and tweak it to meet your needs. Then, you can fill in the specific content (e.g., text and images) with your materials to make it your own to quickly make a beautiful presentation.

Presentation outline examples

Basic presentation outline example.

Let's take a look at a presentation outline and accompanying notes for a persuasive presentation on encouraging people to meditate every day:

I. Introduction

• Hook - find a striking image and tell a story
• Thesis statement - everyone should meditate for 10 min per day

II. Main point 1 - Meditation is one of the easiest ways to improve your health

• Physical health
• Mental health

III. Main point 2 - Meditation is backed up by thousands of years of practice and research

• One anecdote from antiquity
• One anecdote from recent research

IV. Main point 3 - You can get started with meditation today

• Basic technique
• Tips for newcomers

V. Conclusion

• Summarize key points
• Call to action

As you can see, this is a relatively lightweight plan for the presentation, but it provides an easy-to-understand framework that we can fill in with slides.

There are rough notes on specific content for the different points in the presentation, but we don't need to write out everything in fine detail, just the broad strokes.

Pitch deck outline example

Now let's review an outline for a pitch deck that someone might use to present their startup idea to prospective investors. This is for a startup that uses autonomous food trucks to deliver meals to people's homes and workplaces.

I. Problem statement - "Food delivery sucks, and here's why"

• Hook - pictures of typical food delivery headaches (e.g., late/no show, bad selection, etc)

II. Value prop - "FoodDrive revolutionizes the food delivery model"

• Compare value chain of FoodDrive to traditional restaurant and delivery service
• Show how $50 order gets allocated to different people

III. The product - "Customers love our trucks"

• Picture of food truck and menu
• Customer quotes and reviews

IV. Why now? - "Our self-driving technology is ready for prime-time"

V. Business model - "Each truck can generate $2-3M of revenue per year with a 60% gross margin"

• Show high-level financial forecasts on unit basis

VI. Competitive landscape - "FoodDrive's closest competitors don't come close"

• Comparison table with delivery services, in-house delivery, eating out-of-home, etc.

VII. Go to market strategy - "We've tested FoodDrive in 2 markets so far. Here's how we win in new markets"

• Overview of social media strategy
• Case study on new market launch

VIII. Team - "Our team has experience in autonomous vehicles, food delivery, and quick service restaurants"

IX. Traction - "We generate $5M of revenue per year with our 2 trucks, and we can ramp up new trucks immediately"

• Show revenue growth chart with focus on time to ramp new trucks to productivity

X. Fundraising goal - "We are raising $50M to expand FoodDrive to 10 more markets"

• Highlight key milestones we aim to reach with additional funding

Even though a pitch deck is a specialized type of presentation that often requires specific content, it's helpful to start with an outline to build out the 'story' behind the content. That way, you have a cohesive story rather than a set of disparate slides.

How can I create a presentation from an outline?

Once you have your presentation outline written, it's time to start writing your slides. Since you already know the main points you are trying to make in your presentation, the main decisions here are

• What type of visual style you want to follow
• How many slides you want in your presentation
• How you will present or share the slides

To get a head start on creating a first draft of your presentation, you could enter your outline into an AI presentation maker. This will provide a first draft of the slides so that you can focus on making sure they tell a cohesive story or tweaking individual slides to leave a memorable impression.

Tip: If you already have an outline for your materials in a Word doc, try using Plus AI's free Word to PPT converter to transform your doc into a presentation.

Other tips and tricks for great presentations

Here are some resources to help you create great presentations:

• Make slides look good - Here are six tips for making visually appealing slides.
• Number of slides - Here is a calculator that can help you calculate how many slides you need for a presentation depending on how long you need to present.
• Unique presentation ideas - Here are 250 ideas for presentation topics that will help you create a great presentation.

Creating a presentation outline can be one of the most time-consuming parts of the creative process for making a new slide deck. Luckily, there are many tools and templates that can help you kickstart this process.

With these four methods, you should be able to choose the one that works best for your situation and get started on your presentation outline. And if you want to save time on slide design, try out a tool like Plus AI presentation maker to convert your outline into a presentation.

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How to make a presentation outline: a step-by-step guide

Georgina Guthrie

May 24, 2024

Whether you’re building a house, baking a cake, or creating a killer presentation — having a plan in place before you begin work will make the task much easier. Planning saves time and enhances the quality of your work. This is especially true for business presentations, which is why you should always start with a presentation outline.

A presentation outline is a streamlined version of your talk, capturing the general direction and key points. Its purpose is to shape your thinking, organize your thoughts, and ensure your material is presented logically.

In this article, we’ll explore what a presentation outline is, how storytelling can engage your audience, and how to create a flawless outline. Let’s dive in.

Defining your presentation’s goal

What are you trying to achieve with your presentation? A good starting point is to think about the overall purpose.

Types of presentation goals

There are six main types of presentation goals:

• Inspire action
• Inspire or motivate

In a business setting, ‘to inform’ is most common, but it’s usually coupled with at least one other. For example, if you’re there to talk about quarterly results, then you’ll want to inform and motivate. However, if you’re a business coach, your goals will likely be to inspire, motivate, and entertain.

Once you’ve defined your goal, you’ll want to understand the impact you hope to have on your audience. To answer this, ask these questions:

• What do I want people to take away from my presentation?
• How will what I talk about help others in the room?
• What do I want people to do after my meeting?

From here, you should be able to create a summary of your presentation’s goals and purpose in one or two sentences. Put that on your first slide for easy reference.

Understanding your presentation’s audience

Knowing your audience is crucial for crafting a presentation that resonates. Consider their knowledge level, interests, and what they hope to gain from your presentation. Tailoring your content to meet their expectations will make your presentation more engaging and effective.

Questions to understand your audience

• What is the demographic makeup of your audience (age, gender, profession)?
• What are their roles in the organization or industry?
• How familiar are they with the topic you will be presenting?
• Do they have any preconceived notions or misconceptions about the topic?
• What are their primary interests related to the topic?
• Why are they attending your presentation? What do they hope to gain?
• What are their current pain points or challenges related to the topic?
• How can your presentation address these challenges?
• Do they prefer visual aids, interactive sessions, or straightforward lectures?
• Are they more inclined towards data-driven insights or anecdotal evidence?

Choosing your story structure

Stories are powerful tools for bringing people and ideas together. Great stories persuade and inform; the best stories inspire and stay with us. But we don’t often see this happening enough in the boardroom.

Stats and numbers are important for supporting claims, but if you want to inspire your audience, you need to weave those stats into a story. T he truth is, most stories are formulaic, so once you’ve chosen your formula, filling in the blanks is pretty easy.

Let’s look at a few popular story structure formulas below.

1. Fact and story

Mixing storytelling with facts works in a kind of mutually supportive cycle. Facts add substance to the story; the story adds interest to the facts.

In this structure, you weave the two together and move back and forth between the two.

• Start with a ‘what if’ question. For example, if you were pitching a vacuum cleaner, your initial sales pitch might be ‘what if you didn’t have to lose suction?’
• Add facts that illustrate the current state of things. To continue with our example, it might be current stats on traditional vacuums losing suction. Keep alternating facts with fiction throughout the body of your presentation.
• End on a high note that makes the listeners feel like they learned something and want to move to action because of it. For example, to invest in your new product, or to sponsor your new app .

2. The hero’s journey

From Odysseus to Chihiro , adventure stories typically feature a hero who goes on a journey fraught with peril and learns a vital lesson at the end of it. It’s a formula employed by thousands of writers — and you can draw from it to add some drama to your presentation.

This structure works really well for inspirational personal stories, or tales about a company from its humble beginnings to the success it is today.

• Begin somewhere neutral. The situation is neither ideal nor unbearable.
• Introduce a challenge — one that needs to be solved.
• Present a worsening situation. The problem is being addressed, but things are still getting worse.
• Define rock bottom. The situation seems impossible; there is apparently no way forward and all seems lost. Until…
• Introduce a new discovery that offers hope.
• Show your work. Armed with your new abilities, you tackle the issue head-on.
• Resolve the problem, but instead of returning to the way things were before, the hero (you) discovers an even better way of living.
• Finish with a lesson, which you can share to inspire your audience.

3. The pitch

The ‘pitch’ style of presentation is commonly used by salespeople. The goal is to show how a product or idea can help an individual overcome a hurdle toward a positive outcome. The story should be relatable, so the audience can picture themselves in the situation and, therefore, benefitting from the solution.

• Start with a summary of the way things are in simple terms.
• Introduce the problem or hurdle that needs solving. Make it relatable to help your audience put themselves in the situation.
• Introduce a solution: give your audience a glimpse into a possible solution.
• Create a fork in the road: Give your audience a couple of options for solving the problem. Offer an average option first, then follow up with a better one.
• Close: Choose the better option and explain why that’s the best one (and only real suitable choice).
• Finish up by telling the audience exactly how to solve the problem , step by step.
• Talk about extra benefits that extend beyond simply solving the problem. Finish on an uplifting high.

4. The explanation

This presentation format is for when you want to teach your audience something — whether that’s a process, a new skill, or a way to overcome a problem. It has similarities with the fact and story structure, insomuch as facts should weave into the story.

• Explain how things are at the moment , what the goal looks like, and how you plan to get there. You can even start with a story to add emotional interest from the get-go.
• Take your first step on the journey toward the final destination.
• Add more steps that build on this.
• Take a moment to recap the points you’ve covered so far while tying them to the main point. This will help your audience visualize the ground you’ve covered and see where you’re heading.
• Add the finishing pieces to the puzzle and lead your audience to the end.
• End your journey so your audience feels as though they’ve learned something new.

5. The opportunity

A close relative of the pitch, this three-part structure swaps a hurdle for an opportunity. Here, you want to show your audience that a problem they thought they had actually had an easy fix.

• Start with the situation as it is now.
• Next, add a ‘but’ — this could be a small hiccup that stops things from being as good as they could be. For example, our chocolate pudding company is doing really well. But we could be doing better if we changed supplier.
• Talk about the opportunity, with as many facts and stats as possible to make it feel achievable and real.
• Add a conclusion.
• Explain why the product or service meets the challenges raised. Add more stats and facts to support your point.

Storyboarding your presentation outline

Now you’ve worked out your structure, it’s time to start building your presentation. Storyboarding is the best way to do this. In the same way that directors use storyboards to map out their films scene-by-scene, you’re going to use it to map out your presentation slide-by-slide.

(Don’t worry, you can do stick people and squiggles if drawing isn’t your strong point.) Image Source

The trick here is to avoid adding too much detail too quckly. Ideally, have one or two sentences on each slide summarizing what each one will address. Stick to one main point per slide and no more than 3 subpoints.

You can do this with pen and paper, but since you’ll likely end up going digital eventually, you might as well start there. It looks far neater, and it means that if you need to change something, it’s as simple as deleting or editing a cell or slide rather than starting over.

If you don’t want to start from scratch, a business presentation template is a great place to start. You can storyboard directly on the template, and then flesh out each of the slides in more detail once you’re ready.

Once you’ve got your storyboard mostly ready, all that’s left is to fill in the details! And of course: make it look great.

Formatting your presentation

Proper formatting is crucial to ensuring your presentation is visually appealing and easy to follow. Effective formatting helps to highlight key points, maintain audience engagement, and enhance overall comprehension. Here are some guidelines and best practices for formatting your presentation:

Choose a consistent theme

• Use a professional and clean template that aligns with your topic and brand.
• Ensure the template is consistent throughout the presentation to maintain a cohesive look.
• Choose a color scheme that is visually appealing and easy on the eyes.
• Stick to 2-3 primary colors to avoid visual clutter.

Organize your slides

• Include a title slide with the presentation topic, your name, and date.
• Add a relevant image or graphic to set the tone.
• Provide an agenda or outline slide to give the audience an overview of what to expect.
• Use section divider slides to clearly separate different parts of your presentation.
• Include a brief title for each section.

Keep text clear and concise

• Use easy-to-read fonts such as Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri.
• Avoid overly decorative fonts that can be hard to read.
• Ensure the font size is large enough to be readable from a distance.
• Titles should be at least 24-30 points, and body text should be 18-24 points.
• Use bullet points to break down information into digestible chunks.
• Keep each bullet point concise, ideally one line each.

Visual elements

• Include high-quality images, charts, and infographics to illustrate key points.
• Ensure visuals are relevant and add value to the content.
• Maintain consistency in the style and size of images and graphics.
• Align visuals properly to avoid a cluttered appearance.
• Use white space effectively to prevent slides from looking overcrowded.
• White space helps to highlight key elements and improves readability.

Multimedia and animation

• Embed short videos to demonstrate concepts or provide visual examples.
• Ensure videos are of high quality and relevant to the content.
• Use animations sparingly to emphasize important points without distracting the audience.
• Stick to simple transitions and avoid overly complex animations.

Data presentation

• Use charts and graphs to present data clearly and concisely.
• Label axes and include legends for clarity.
• Avoid overwhelming the audience with too much data.
• Highlight key data points and trends.

Final touches

• Review the presentation for spelling and grammatical errors.
• Ensure all information is accurate and up-to-date.
• Rehearse your presentation multiple times to ensure smooth delivery.
• Check the flow of slides and the timing of animations and transitions.

By following these formatting guidelines, you can create a presentation that is not only visually appealing but also effective in communicating your message. Proper formatting helps to keep the audience engaged and ensures that your key points are clearly conveyed.

Presentation tools

For those looking for an intuitive and efficient way to create professional presentations, consider using Cacoo , our online diagramming tool. Cacoo allows you to collaborate in real time, offering a variety of templates and design tools that make planning, designing, and presenting a breeze. Whether you’re working solo or with a team, Cacoo helps you streamline the presentation creation process, ensuring that your final product is polished and impactful.

Ready to take your presentations to the next level? Try Cacoo for free today and experience the difference it can make in your workflow.

This post was originally published on April 07, 2021, and updated most recently on May 24, 2024.

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Blog Business How to Create an Effective Presentation Outline: Steps & Tips

How to Create an Effective Presentation Outline: Steps & Tips

Written by: Hansika Nov 29, 2024

A strong presentation has the flow of a good story. This can be achieved with a clear presentation structure. With a defined presentation outline, you’re more likely to organize your ideas clearly, deliver your message with impact and get and hold your audience’s attention.

Whether you’re pitching a business idea, delivering a training, or motivating a group to action, a clear outline ensures your message is clear and impactful.

For a seamless presentation creation experience, try one of the presentation templates Venngage offers. 

Click to jump ahead:

What is a presentation outline?

Why is a presentation outline important, how to create an effective presentation outline (step-by-step), tips for making a presentation outline compelling, example of a presentation outline, presentation outline template, how to create presentation outlines with venngage.

A presentation outline is a structured guide or framework that shows you how to present the main ideas you want to cover in your presentation. It helps you organize the main ideas, supporting information and the overall flow of your talk.

A clear outline is important to:

• Give your audience a flow of your ideas
• Keep your audience engaged and focused 
• Put the spotlight on essential information
• Give you room for creativity and interaction

It empowers you to put forth your best ideas, making sure that your audience grasps the core message without feeling lost or confused. In essence, a well-crafted presentation outline has the potential to transform chaotic delivery into a coherent and impactful experience for everyone involved. 

A presentation outline is a map that steers both you and the audience through important ideas. By structuring these ideas into a logical and easy to follow progression, you will ensure smooth delivery and ultimately an impactful and memorable presentation. 

Clarity and focus: 

An outline helps cut down your content to only essential information, ensuring that the presentation remains focused on the key message.

By identifying the core idea, presenters can tailor content to the specific audience and their needs for that session.

Logical structure:

A well-structured outline guides the audience through the presentation, making it easier for them to follow your train of thought and enhance comprehension.

By connecting ideas and creating a clear narrative, you ensure audience comprehension and engagement.

Enhanced delivery and confidence:

An outline provides a sense of certainty, reducing anxiety and boosting the presenter’s confidence.By having a clear plan, presenters can deliver their content smoothly and confidently, without worrying about forgetting important points.

Time management:

By breaking down different sections into time slots, you can ensure to finish within the given time frame. This will also help to ensure you cover all the important points and avoid going off-topic, allowing for efficient presentation delivery. 

Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an effective presentation outline:

1. Define the purpose of your presentation

Ask yourself what is my primary goal with the presentation? Do you want to inform, persuade or entertain your audience? Based on this goal, create a brief purpose statement for yourself. This will help you keep your goal in mind and design your outline with clarity.

For instance, imagine your goal is to persuade your audience to start buying from sustainable businesses. 

Your presentation outline will include sections such as: an introduction to sustainability, its need and importance, the benefits of a sustainable lifestyle, and actionable ways to shift to sustainable living such as choosing sustainable fashion.

2. Understand your audience

Know your audience well. Study their demographics, knowledge level and what interests them. Align your content and messaging to the interests of your audience, use language and phrases that they identify with, so they are engaged throughout. 

For instance, if you are addressing a professional audience, use data and industry-specific language; for students, you might add examples that explain concepts at a fundamental level rather than require an advanced understanding.

3. Organize ideas in a logical order

How you start your presentation, sets the tone for how the rest of it will go. So remember to start your presentation with a strong opener. Depending on your audience, choose a story, statistic or pose a question. Move on to the main body where you clearly expand on your points and go from one point to the next. 

Choose a chronological order when narrating events, a problem-solving approach when necessary and a topical approach when addressing various current or trending subjects.

End with a strong conclusion that summarizes your main ideas, so that your attendees have the main takeaways at the top of their mind.

4. Add supporting elements

To make sure your presentation outline allows for an engaging presentation delivery, dedicate space to elements such as facts, statistics, stories and visuals that support your points. It’s also helpful to keep your slides concise and add bullet points for clarity and structure.

5. Incorporate a call to action (if applicable)

If your presentation requires action from your audience, be clear and specific about what you would like them to do. You could ask them to sign up for your course, or next workshop, scan a QR code, or add them to your email list. If possible, end with a memorable closing remark to leave a lasting impression.

A clear and structured outline is at the heart of an impactful presentation. Follow these tips to refine your outline.

Use bullet points and headings: 

• Simplify complex ideas into easy to understand sections.
• Create a clear flow and structure to present the information. 
• Use headings for main topics and bullet points for subtopics and actionable tips.  
• Ensure easy navigation and understanding for your audience by breaking down content into small chunks.

Include quotes, data, or testimonials: 

• Use supporting information such as data and references so your outline shows you which parts of your presentation need more substance.  
• Back up your arguments using statistics and facts from industry sources or authors.
• Don’t be afraid to add an anecdote or personal story where you can. It boosts audience connection and engagement.
• Use testimonials to add authenticity to your product offering or service quality, to inspire your audience to action.

Engage audiences with interactive elements:

• Use polls or a short quiz to keep your presentation interactive and interesting. Both these tools are excellent for gauging audience understanding on a topic. For instance, if you are giving a presentation on the latest trends in digital marketing, start with a short quiz to check your audience’s knowledge levels of the topic. 
• Add gifs or short videos where suitable for easier understanding.
• Increase audience participation with a Q/A at the end.

Optimize design and color:

• Use a consistent layout and font style.
• Add high quality images and graphics to your content.
• Enhance readability with contrasting background and text colours.

With these tips you’re prepared to create a well-defined presentation outline and ultimately a powerful presentation to delight your audience.

Let us examine a topic for a presentation and create an outline for it. For the topic ‘How to Measure AI’s Impact on Business Outcomes , ’ here is what a defined presentation outline might look like.

Introduction:

Start with a statistic about AI’s potential impact on business revenue or adoption.

Define objective: 

State the stance you are taking on this topic, and what the audience will learn from the session.  

Overview of presentation flow:

Give your audience a brief overview of the sections you will address in your presentation.

Delve into the main ideas you will discuss:

• What is AI’s impact on businesses?
• How to measure this?
• Why is measuring AI’s impact important?
• Metrics to track
• Potential challenges in tracking/measurement
• Best practices in measuring AI’s business impact

Conclusion:

• Summarize the key takeaways from the presentation
• Add a closing note with a call to action if needed

If you’re not sure of where to start with your presentation outline, use a presentation template. It helps streamline your presentation creation process while ensuring you follow a logical structure. 

Venngage offers a wide range of presentation templates which you can edit to suit your own presentation style, audience and organization style.

As we can see from this template, the outline clearly covers important sub-topics of the main topic ‘5 Stage Hospital Planning Process.’ With this outline, you will take your audience through a logical and clear flow of the hospital planning process; right from the initial stage until the implementation stage. To expedite your presentation making process, check the presentation maker tool by Venngage. The tool is suitable for users with or without design skills. 

Venngage makes it easy to get started with the presentation creation process. No more worrying about layouts or formats, when all you have to do is browse through the vast collection of presentation templates and pick one that suits your vision. The templates are easy to edit and add content to, based on the goals and objectives of your presentation.

Step 1: Log in or Sign up for Venngage

Visit venngage.com and log in to your account. If you’re new, sign up for a free account or pick from one of the premium plans for advanced features.

From the dashboard, head to the Templates section and browse options under the ‘Presentation Templates’ tab. 

Step 2: Define the purpose of your presentation

Define the purpose and objective of your presentation. Think of your audience and what they will resonate with in terms of visuals and design. This will be useful for the next step. For instance, we choose a presentation design from the ‘Group Project’ template category.

Step 3: Choose a presentation template

Select a suitable template from the wide range of pre-designed templates Venngage offers. You could pick a mind map, timeline or hierarchical structure as per your content and audience needs. 

Step 4: Structure your outline

Divide your presentation outline into sections including: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. Add bullet points to make your ideas easily digestible. Use Venngage’s formatting tools to highlight the main sections using bold fonts, icons or color coding.

Step 5: Add visual elements

Use visual elements from the library that Venngage has, and easily add them to your outline with the drag and drop option. Adding images and charts brings out your ideas more clearly and makes the content engaging for your audience. Ensure consistency in the colours and fonts you use all across your presentation.

Step 6: Fine-tune the outline

Cut down any unnecessary parts from your outline. Review and finalise content to ensure the logical flow of ideas.

Step 7: Save and export

Use the save option on Venngage so you don’t risk losing your progress. Export the outline as a PDF or PNG to include in your presentation or share with collaborators.

On Venngage it’s easy to share your designs with your team to get feedback and make changes in real time.

To enhance the effectiveness of your presentation outlines, keep them concise, use visuals strategically, test for readability and ensure smooth transitions between. By following these steps, you will create a professional and visually appealing presentation outline that serves as a solid foundation for your final slides.

Ready to design your first presentation outline? Choose from the various presentation templates Venngage offers to create a professional and engaging presentation.

• What is the format of a presentation outline? A presentation outline is a framework that uses bullet points, numbered lists or headings and subheadings to organize content you will include in your presentation.
• How can I adapt my outline for different audiences? To make your outline suitable for different audiences, tailor the content’s depth, complexity and relevance to their specific background, interests, and knowledge level. Use examples, visuals and jargon in context with your audience to increase engagement and comprehension. 
• What are the three basic parts of a presentation outline? Presentation outlines can be divided into three main sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction sets tone and purpose for the presentation. While the body highlights the main points and supporting details. Finally the conclusion is important to summarize key takeaways.
• Can a mind map be used for outlining? Yes, a mind map can be an effective tool for creating a presentation outline. They help visually organize ideas, simplify relationships between concepts and give an overview of the big picture. 
• What are some best practices for timing and flow? Practice your presentation several times to perfect your timing. Keep the content concise, maintain a steady pace and ensure you don’t spend too much or too little time on any one section.

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Create Effective Presentation Outlines: A Step-by-Step Guide with Tips & Examples

Table of Contents

What is a presentation outline.

A presentation outline is like a roadmap for organizing your thoughts and delivering your message smoothly during a presentation. It helps you structure your content logically, ensuring that your audience can follow along easily. By providing a clear framework, an outline enhances the clarity and effectiveness of your presentation.

Importance of Presentation Outline  

1. Clarity and Focus

Using an outline keeps your presentation organized and focused, preventing you from going off track. It ensures that your presentation has a clear purpose and that all the information you share is relevant to your main points.

2. Logical Structure

A well-crafted outline ensures that your presentation flows logically, guiding your audience smoothly from one point to the next. This helps your audience follow your train of thought and understand your message more easily.

3. Enhanced Delivery

Having a clear outline can boost your confidence and make your delivery smoother. With a structured plan, you’re less likely to forget important points or ramble on, resulting in a more professional presentation.

4. Time Management

An outline helps you manage your time better by estimating how long each part of your presentation will take. This ensures that you stay within the allotted timeframe, keeping your presentation on track and engaging for your audience.

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How to Build Strong Presentation Outline s?

1. Purpose of Presentation

Understanding why you’re giving your presentation is crucial for planning its structure. Identifying your goal means thinking about what you want your audience to get out of it. This clarity forms the basis of your whole presentation. There are six potential reasons you might be presenting:

• Sharing information
• Teaching something new
• Making it enjoyable
• Inspiring action
• Convincing people of something
• Motivating them

Thinking about your goal will help you make a presentation that really grabs attention. Answering these questions can help you figure out what your goal is:

• What do I want people to learn or understand from my presentation?
• How will my presentation make a difference to those listening?
• What do I want people to do after my presentation?

Once you have the answers, you’ll have a good idea of what your presentation should cover and where to start.

2. Consider Color and Design

How you present your pitch matters just as much as what you say. Take a moment to think about the fonts and colors you’ll use on your slides. Research suggests that red can convey excitement and grab your audience’s attention, while white gives off a sense of simplicity and clarity.

3. Establishing Structure: Arrange Your Ideas in a Logical Order

When crafting your presentation, it’s important to structure your ideas in a clear and logical sequence. Start with an introduction to set the stage, followed by the main body where you delve into your key points, and wrap it up with a conclusion to summarize your main ideas.

4. Engaging Your Audience

When you’re getting ready for your presentation, think about how you can start off in a way that grabs everyone’s attention. You could ask a thought-provoking question, share an interesting story, or begin with a meaningful quote. The main thing is to get your audience interested right from the beginning and set the tone for the rest of your talk.

5. Adding Visuals

Give some thought to whether you want to include pictures, videos, or other visual stuff in your presentation. Even if your outline doesn’t mention exactly what visuals to use, you can suggest where they might fit in to help explain your ideas.

6. Encouraging Action

Come up with a clear and compelling message to encourage your audience to take action. Whether it’s encouraging customers to try out a new product or inviting people to join a demo, make sure they understand what’s in it for them. And if your presentation doesn’t really need a specific call to action, just wrap up by summarizing your main points and saying thanks for listening.

Alternatively, you can skip the hassle of crafting a presentation outline manually – try SlidesAI for seamless assistance .

Strategies for Crafting an Engaging Presentation

1. Understanding Your Audience

Take some time to know your audience by researching beforehand. This helps you adjust your presentation to connect with them better.

2. Enhance with Quotes, Testimonials, or Data

Make your presentation more interesting by adding extra info like quotes, testimonials, or data. It can make your audience more engaged and reinforce your message.

3. Visualize Your Concepts

How you show your ideas matters a lot. Tools like SlidesAI can help you express your concepts clearly and effectively.

4. Highlight Key Takeaways

Figure out the most important points you want your audience to remember. This makes it easier for them to recall and understand your message.

5. Seek Feedback

Ask for feedback to improve your presentation. It’s a good way to make sure it connects better with your audience.

Presentation Outline Example

Topic: The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health

Target Audience: College students

Time Limit: 15 minutes

I. Introduction (2 minutes)

Attention Grabber : Briefly discuss a real-life example of how social media can negatively impact mental health (e.g., cyberbullying, unrealistic beauty standards).

Introduce the topic : Clearly state the topic and its significance (e.g., “Today, I’ll be talking about the increasing impact of social media on mental health, particularly among young adults like yourselves”).

Preview : Briefly outline the key points that will be covered (e.g., “We’ll explore the positive and negative aspects of social media use, discuss common mental health concerns associated with it, and offer some tips for healthy social media habits”).

II. Main Body (10 minutes)

Positive aspects of social media:

Connection and community : Highlight how social media can help people connect with friends and family, build communities based on shared interests, and combat feelings of loneliness.

Information and self-expression : Discuss how social media can be a source of information, news, and inspiration, and provide a platform for self-expression and creativity.

Negative aspects of social media:

Social comparison and envy : Explain how constant exposure to curated online profiles can lead to social comparison, feelings of inadequacy, and envy.

Cyberbullying and harassment : Discuss the prevalence of cyberbullying and online harassment, their potential to significantly impact mental health, and the importance of online safety.

Addiction and anxiety : Explain how excessive social media use can lead to addiction, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.

III. Conclusion (3 minutes)

Summary : Briefly recap the key takeaways discussed in the presentation.

Call to action : Encourage the audience to be mindful of their social media usage and offer practical tips for developing healthy habits, such as setting time limits, curating their feed, and prioritizing real-life interactions.

Question and Answer : Allocate time for audience questions and address them thoughtfully.

• No design skills required
• 3 presentations/month free
• Don’t need to learn a new software

This is just a sample outline, and you can adapt and modify it based on your specific topic, audience, and time constraints. Remember, a well-structured and engaging presentation will effectively communicate your message and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can ai help you create a presentation outline .

With the assistance of AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, crafting outlines becomes a breeze. Furthermore, you can utilize user-friendly online AI presentation tools such as SlidesAI to effortlessly generate your presentations.

Why is putting your outline on a slide a good idea?

Using a presentation outline can be helpful. It makes things clearer, boosts the speaker’s confidence, and helps manage information better. It also keeps the audience more engaged. But, if your presentation is fast-paced, casual, or focused on a specific area of expertise, you might want to keep the outline short and sweet. Just pick what works best for your situation and audience.

What is the format of the presentation outline?

There are various formats, but a common approach is using bullet points, numbered lists , or headings and subheadings. Choose the format that best suits your content and visualizes your information.

How can I adapt my presentation outline for different audiences?

Adapt your presentation outline by tailoring:

• Content : Depth, complexity, and examples based on audience expertise.
• Language : Formality, jargon, and storytelling to match audience and occasion.
• Visuals : Complexity and style to suit audience understanding.
• Delivery : Pace, volume, and even body language to audience energy.
• Focus : Highlight information most relevant to specific interests.

How long should a presentation outline be?

There’s no set rule; it depends on the complexity of your topic and presentation length.

Can I use a mind map to create a presentation outline?

Yes, mind maps can be a good way to visually brainstorm and organize presentation ideas.

What tools can I use to create a presentation outline?

You can use pen and paper, a word processing software like Microsoft Word, or dedicated outlining tools. Presentation software like PowerPoint also offers built-in outlining features.

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A comprehensive guide on creating an effective presentation outline

Master the skill of outlining presentations with these insightful tips for creating an impactful presentation structure.

Supriya Sarkar

Building presentations

Table of contents

A well-organized presentation serves as a powerful tool in the realm of effective communication. A presentation outline acts as the backbone of a successful presentation, providing a roadmap for the presenter and ensuring that key points are delivered clearly. In this article, we will examine the intricacies of presentation outlines, explore their significance, and some tips for crafting an effective outline to enhance the presentation process.

What is a Presentation Outline?

A presentation outline is a structured framework that organizes the content of a presentation by highlighting key points and supporting details. It serves as a guide for the presenter, helping to maintain a logical flow and ensuring that the audience can easily follow and understand the information being presented. Research shows that structured presentations with a clear outline led to a 40% improvement in information retention compared to unstructured presentations.

Why is it important to have a Presentation Outline?

A presentation outline serves as the backbone for a well-organized and effective presentation. Here are some key reasons why having a presentation outline is important:

Clarity and structure:

An outline provides a structured framework for your presentation, helping you organize your thoughts and ideas in a logical order.  It plays an important role in ensuring a seamless flow of information from the introduction to the conclusion. This structured approach allows you to prioritize key information, guaranteeing that your audience understands the central message of your presentation with clarity and focus.

Prevention of information overload:

A well-structured outline helps in avoiding information overload. It encourages you to prioritize essential points and discard unnecessary details, keeping your presentation focused and engaging.

Time management:

Time is of the essence in any presentation. An outline assists in managing your time effectively during the presentation. It helps you allocate appropriate time to each section, preventing you from running over the allotted time and ensuring a well-paced delivery.

Audience engagement:

With a clear and organized outline, you can maintain audience engagement more effectively. The structured format helps keep the audience's attention and makes it easier to follow and understand your presentation.

Message retention:

An outline helps your audience to retain the shared information. Its logical flow reduces your dependency on written notes as you remember the content and as a result, you establish a meaningful connection with your audience.

What to consider before working on an outline?

Before you create a presentation outline, several crucial factors must be considered to make your presentation truly impactful. These considerations will help you create a well-organized and effective outline tailored to your audience and goals:

Know your audience:

Understanding your audience is extremely important to make business communication a success. Tailor your presentation outline to the needs and expectations of your audience. To better understand your audience, consider taking these actions.

•    First, conduct thorough research on their demographics, interests, seniority level, and data consumption preferences. The more you know, the better you can tailor your messaging for a diverse audience.

•    Analyze their communication styles to identify effective approaches. Apply these insights to refine your messaging and improve your business writing skills.

•    Lastly, invest time in building personal connections with your key audience. Learn about their hobbies, interests, and unique preferences to demonstrate a genuine understanding in your written and verbal communications.

Define clear objectives:

Defining clear presentation objectives is crucial for guiding your content creation and engaging your audience effectively. These objectives outline the purpose of your presentation, whether it's to inform, persuade, educate, or inspire. Consider the following points before working on your presentation objectives:

•    Reflect on the "why" by answering questions like why the presentation matters to the audience and why they should dedicate their time and attention to it.

•    Consider what you want the audience to learn, feel, and do because of your presentation. This includes the information they gather, the emotions they experience, and the actions you hope they take afterward.

•    Keep each slide focused by including no more than three key points, promoting clarity in your presentation.

Structure content logically:

Without a well-defined structure in your presentation, there's a risk of losing your audience's attention, leading to communication breakdown and potential damage to your reputation.

Different types of structures serve different purposes, and before deciding, consider two crucial factors:

The goal of your presentation:

Your presentation objective influences the approach you take. Therefore, the structure you choose should align with your presentation's purpose, whether it's to inspire, motivate, inform, persuade, or entertain.

Your audience:

Consider your audience's needs. Those unfamiliar with your topic may require more background information, impacting the structure to ensure clarity and reinforcement of key points.

Additionally, prioritize the use of a storyline to facilitate a smooth transition from one point to another.  This ensures a cohesive and engaging presentation, enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message.

Storytelling provides a natural structure to convey information , making it more memorable and persuasive. Storytelling has five key parts- exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This approach not only engages the audience but also adds depth and impact to business presentations by providing context, direction, and value to the information.

Visual aids and data:

According to a study, visuals significantly improve information retention, with audiences recalling 65% of content from oral presentations with visuals compared to 10% from oral presentations alone. Effectively incorporating visuals into your presentation demands attention to two critical considerations:

•    Ensure that visuals are strategically placed to reinforce your arguments. Thoughtfully integrate them at key points to enhance the narrative and reinforce your key points.

•    Carefully choose visuals that align with the data you're presenting. Select the right graphs and charts that best illustrate your points.

When you correctly visualize the data you not only enhance understanding but also empower the audience to make informed decisions based on the presented data.

Choosing the right type of chart, graph, or map for data visualization depends on the nature of the information you aim to convey. When deciding on the most suitable visualization, consider the specific insights you want to present, understand, or prove. Aligning the visuals with the objectives of your presentation enhances clarity and ensures that your visual representation effectively communicates the intended message.

Effective time management is crucial for establishing yourself as a distinguished and well-versed presenter in your subject. Presentations that are either too short or too long can risk losing the audience's attention and may impact your reputation. Therefore, it's essential to determine the allocated time for your presentation and plan strategically.

Break down the time for each section of your outline to ensure comprehensive coverage of essential points without rushing or exceeding the time limit. This approach not only keeps your audience engaged but also reinforces your credibility as a skilled presenter.

Scheduling your presentation involves careful planning to ensure effective time management and audience engagement. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to schedule your presentation:

•    Capture attention at the start: Allocate a couple of minutes at the beginning of the presentation to engage and captivate your audience. This sets the tone for an attentive audience throughout your presentation.

•    Plan for a Q&A session at the end: Reserve a few minutes toward the end of your presentation to address questions from the audience. This ensures a smooth and uninterrupted flow of your main content.

•    Include a Call to Action (CTA): Dedicate about 30-40 seconds for your call to action. Communicate the desired action you want your audience to take after the presentation.

•    Divide time for each content section: Separate the remaining time into portions, allocating specific timeframes for each section of your content. This helps in maintaining a balanced and well-paced delivery.

•    Maintain a strong finish: As you approach the end, ensure a strong and memorable finish to leave a lasting impact on your audience.

Engagement strategies:

Capturing and maintaining audience attention is crucial for a successful presentation, especially considering the diminishing attention spans in our digital age. Microsoft's study on digital attention spans reveals that the average attention span of humans has declined to approximately 8 seconds . This data underscores the importance of audience engagement to overcome shorter attention spans and ensure that the audience remains captivated throughout the presentation.

Here are some of the valuable insights on how to overcome the challenge of low attention span and deliver effective communication.

Emphasize conversation: Involving the audience in a conversation right from the beginning is a key strategy. Actively engaging with your audience and incorporating their perspectives creates a shared experience. This approach demonstrates that you value their input and care about what matters to them.

Bring in your authentic self: Embrace your authentic self by acknowledging the distinct qualities you bring to the table. Understand your personal story and communicate a compelling sense of purpose that deeply connects with your

Communicate confidently: Success in communication involves three key aspects: being clear with the objective of your presentation, sharing engaging and real stories to connect with your audience, and showing confidence by actively listening and asking interesting questions. Confidence is crucial for effective communication, ensuring your message is impactful and resonates with others.

Whether you plan audience engagement through questions, interactive elements, or storytelling, incorporating engagement strategies can enhance the overall experience. Keep the above insights in mind to ensure a more engaging and impactful delivery.

How does Prezent help in an effective presentation outline?

Prezent provides innovative solutions to streamline and enhance your presentation outline process by empowering you with the following features:

In-built storylines: Prezent simplifies the storytelling process by offering built-in storylines based on diverse business themes. This saves you valuable time in creating impactful presentations.

Hyper personalize with fingerprint: Prezent's Fingerprint feature analyzes your audience's communication style and preferences. This helps you to customize your content to align seamlessly with your audience's preferences, ensuring that your presentation resonates effectively and increases its impact.

Slide library: Prezent provides an extensive library of over 35,000 pre-designed slides , thoughtfully curated for effective communication. These slides are easily customizable, ensuring that your presentations not only convey information effectively but also align seamlessly with your brand guidelines.

Experience the power of Prezent in revolutionizing presentation creation by signing up for a free trial . Alternatively, opt for a comprehensive demo to delve into the tool's features and capabilities. Take your presentations to the next level – begin your free trial with Prezent today!

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How to Write an Effective Presentation Outline

A well-structured presentation is the key to delivering your message clearly and persuasively. An effective presentation outline not only organizes your content but also ensures a smooth flow that keeps your audience engaged from start to finish. Whether you’re preparing for a sales pitch, a board meeting, or a conference talk, having a strong outline is essential.  

Here’s a guide on how to create a presentation outline, along with tips for each section and examples for different presentation scenarios.

1. Start with a Strong Opening: Grab Attention and Set the Tone

Your opening is your first impression, so it needs to grab your audience’s attention and set the stage for what’s to come. The introduction should clearly state your topic, establish your credibility, and give a preview of what the presentation will cover.

Key Components:

• Attention-Grabbing Hook: Start with a compelling story, a surprising statistic, or a thought-provoking question.
• Introduction of Topic and Purpose: Clearly define what you’ll be discussing and why it matters to your audience.
• Agenda Preview: Briefly outline the key points or sections of your presentation to give your audience a roadmap.

Example for a Sales Pitch:

• Hook: “What if I told you there’s a way to increase your sales by 30% in the next quarter with just one strategy?”
• Topic Introduction: “Today, I’m going to share how implementing targeted automation can help your sales team close more deals.”
• Agenda: “We’ll cover three main areas: why automation is critical, how to implement it effectively, and the results you can expect.”

2. Establish Context and Background: Provide Essential Information

Before diving into your main content, it’s important to set the stage by providing context or background information. This section helps your audience understand the significance of your topic and why it’s relevant.

• Background Information: Offer any necessary context, history, or definitions that your audience needs to follow your presentation.
• Problem or Opportunity Statement: Clearly identify the issue you’re addressing or the opportunity you’re highlighting.
• Audience Relevance: Explain why this issue matters to your audience and how it impacts them.

Example for a Board Meeting:

• Background: “As you know, our company has been focusing on expanding our digital presence over the last year.”
• Problem Statement: “However, recent data shows a decline in website traffic and conversion rates.”
• Audience Relevance: “This trend poses a risk to our growth targets and requires immediate action.”

3. Dive into the Main Content: Present Your Key Points Clearly

The body of your presentation is where you’ll dive into the details of your topic. Organize your content into clear, logical sections, each focused on a specific aspect of your topic. Make sure each point builds upon the last to create a cohesive narrative.

• Clear Sections: Break your content into 2-4 main sections, each with a clear headline.
• Supporting Evidence: Use data, examples, stories, or visuals to support each key point.
• Transitions: Smoothly transition between sections to maintain the flow of your presentation.

Example for a Product Launch Presentation:

• Section 1: “Market Trends: Why the Timing is Right for This Product”
• Section 2: “Product Features and Benefits: What Sets Us Apart”
• Section 3: “Go-to-Market Strategy: How We Plan to Capture Market Share”

4. Add Interactive Elements: Keep Your Audience Engaged

Audience engagement is key to retaining attention and making your presentation memorable. Incorporating interactive elements like Q&A sessions, polls, or short activities can make your presentation more dynamic and participatory.

• Questions: Pose thought-provoking questions to encourage audience participation.
• Activities or Demos: If relevant, include a quick demo or hands-on activity to illustrate your point.
• Check-ins: Periodically ask for feedback or input to ensure the audience is following along.

Example for a Training Session:

• Poll: “How many of you have already implemented this strategy? Let’s see where everyone stands.”
• Demo: “Now, I’ll walk you through a live example of how to set this up in your software.”
• Check-in: “Does everyone feel comfortable with these steps? Any questions before we move on?”

5. Address Potential Questions and Concerns: Preempt Common Objections

Anticipating and addressing potential questions or objections before the Q&A session can help reinforce your credibility and make your presentation more persuasive. This section can be woven into your content or addressed in a separate segment.

• Identify Common Questions: Think about concerns or doubts your audience might have and address them head-on.
• Provide Evidence: Use data, testimonials, or case studies to back up your points.
• Clarify Misconceptions: Address any potential misunderstandings or myths related to your topic.

Example for a Funding Pitch:

• Objection: “Some might wonder if our market is already saturated.”
• Response: “However, our research shows that demand is actually increasing, and our unique approach allows us to tap into an underserved segment.”
• Supporting Evidence: “In fact, similar companies in adjacent markets have seen a 20% growth in the past year.”

6. Conclude with Impact: Summarize and Issue a Clear Call to Action

Your conclusion should reinforce your main points, tie everything together, and leave your audience with a strong final impression. Whether you’re aiming to persuade, inform, or inspire, end with a clear call to action or key takeaway.

• Summary of Key Points: Recap the main ideas or solutions you’ve presented.
• Call to Action: Clearly state what you want your audience to do next.
• Memorable Closing Statement: End with a powerful quote, a thought-provoking statement, or a compelling vision.

Example for a Motivational Talk:

• Summary: “We’ve covered three principles that can transform your mindset and drive you toward success.”
• Call to Action: “Starting today, commit to implementing at least one of these strategies in your daily routine.”
• Closing Statement: “Remember, success is not just about reaching goals—it’s about embracing the journey.”

7. Prepare for the Q&A Session: Handle Questions Confidently

If your presentation includes a Q&A session, plan how you’ll manage it. Anticipate tough questions, and be prepared to handle them confidently while staying on topic.

• Encourage Questions: Invite your audience to ask questions and clarify any doubts.
• Stay Composed: Listen carefully to each question, and take a moment to formulate your response if needed.
• Be Honest: If you don’t know the answer, it’s better to admit it than to guess. Offer to follow up later.

Example for a Conference Presentation:

• Encouragement: “I’m happy to answer any questions you have about implementing these strategies.”
• Response Strategy: “That’s a great question—let’s dive deeper into that aspect.”
• Honesty: “I don’t have the exact figure on hand, but I can provide it to you after the session.”

A well-crafted presentation outline serves as the backbone of a successful presentation. By carefully structuring your content and considering each key section, you can guide your audience smoothly from the introduction to the conclusion while keeping them engaged and interested. Whether you’re preparing for a pitch, a seminar, or an internal meeting, following this outline template will help you deliver your message clearly, effectively, and with confidence.

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