Informative, persuasive, demonstrative, punchline first, slides, timing, questions, ask

Business presentation

A business presentation works when it opens with the decision you want, then gives three reasons. Executives tune out during a slow build, so state the answer on slide one and spend the rest proving it.

What if the room said yes before your last slide?

Maybe later

Last reviewed

A business presentation in seven slides

This skeleton is built backward from the decision you want, so every business presentation you make with it ends where it started: with the ask. Looking for slide designs? Any presentation tool's template gallery has them; this page is about what goes on the slides and how you say it.

Your time slot
  1. The askOn the slide: the decision in one sentence.You say: "I'm asking you to approve X today." About 43 seconds
  2. Why nowOn the slide: what changes if you decide today.You say: the cost of waiting, in plain words. About 43 seconds
  3. Reason oneOn the slide: one claim, one number or picture.You say: the evidence and what it means for them. About 43 seconds
  4. Reason twoOn the slide: one claim, one visual.You say: the second piece of proof. About 43 seconds
  5. Reason threeOn the slide: one claim, or the plan in three steps.You say: how it will work. About 43 seconds
  6. Risk and answerOn the slide: the biggest objection, then your answer.You say it before they do. About 43 seconds
  7. The ask and next stepOn the slide: the decision again, plus who does what next.You say: "So, can we go ahead?" About 43 seconds

Time a run-through of this outlineGoes to the App Store or Google Play.

Key Types of Presentations

A presentation type is the job the talk does for the room. Pick it first, because it decides how much of the skeleton you keep.

Which type, and when to use it
TypeJobUse it when
InformativeExplain results, facts or a processQuarterly updates, project status, training
PersuasiveWin a decisionBudget requests, proposals, sales meetings
DemonstrativeShow how something worksProduct walk-throughs, new tools, live demos

Informative talks can drop slides 6 and 7 and end on a summary. Demonstrative talks swap slides 3 to 5 for the demo itself.

Best practices for business presentation slides

Slides support what you say; they are not the script. Three habits do most of the work.

Lead with the punchline

Put the conclusion in the slide title as a full sentence ("Moving support in-house saves time on every ticket"), not a topic label ("Support"). People who read only the titles still get the story.

Keep text short

One idea per slide and as few words as the idea allows. If you need a paragraph, it belongs in a handout or the follow-up email.

Use visuals

A chart with one highlighted bar, a before-and-after photo or a simple diagram beats a table of numbers. Label the one thing you want people to see.

Say it, don't read it

Delivery is the part templates never cover, and it is where nerves show. In 1,850 onboarding answers from people working on speaking nerves, AmberWillo found that work presentations were the biggest pressure point: 712 people named them, ahead of social situations (376) and job interviews (213). With a 2022 meeting survey reported by AmberWillo putting the average at 17.7 meetings and 18 hours a week, a business presentation is rarely a one-off.

Reading slides flattens your delivery fast; a monotone voice is the first thing a room notices.

Speak to one person per sentence, pause after each slide title, and know your first and last line by heart. O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, defines speaking as talking to others to convey information effectively; the effectively part is what rehearsal buys.

Q&A and the close

Expect the objection you put on slide 6 to come back; answer in one sentence and return to the ask. If a question needs data you don't have, say when you will send it. End by restating the ask in one breath; if you wonder how short that should be, see how long is an elevator pitch.

Related guides

If presenting at work keeps feeling hard, follow a plan for how to improve public speaking one skill at a time.

Run the deck out loud before the meeting

A business presentation that reads well can still run long or rush the ask. Confidently records a full talk of up to half an hour, or sets a random topic with a one-minute warm-up. Afterwards you see where the pace crept up, a tally of your ums, a read on your face and the lines that trailed away, with a confidence score. Recordings are private and never shared to a feed.

Record a full run-through in Confidently Free to download, including a free practice mode. Opens your app store.

Reader questions

What is a business presentation?

It is a talk to colleagues, clients or leaders, usually with slides, that informs them or asks them to decide something. Most work presentations end with a request: a budget, a yes, a next meeting.

What are the four types of presentation?

Informative, persuasive and demonstrative are the three you meet at work most. Many lists add a fourth, the inspiring or motivational talk, such as a kickoff speech.

What is the 5-5-5 rule for presentations?

It is a common rule of thumb, not a standard: roughly five lines per slide, five words per line, and no more than five text-heavy slides in a row. Treat it as a nudge to cut text.

How do you start a business presentation?

With the decision you want. One sentence on slide one, then the reasons. Skip the agenda slide unless the meeting is longer than half an hour.

What makes a good 5-minute presentation?

One ask and three reasons, about forty seconds per slide on the seven-slide skeleton. Rehearse it out loud with a timer at least twice.

Sources