how to give good presentation

"However, as soon as the audience figures out that you’re reading the text, it reads ahead of you because it can read faster than you can speak. The result is that you and the audience are out of sync.”

Kawasaki goes as far as saying that many presenters use small fonts because they haven’t memorized their presentations well enough. His solution? Use a font no smaller than 30 points.

“I guarantee it will make your presentations better because it requires you to find the most salient points and to know how to explain them well,” Kawasaki writes.

Note: Using a font size of 30 and above in your slides is also beneficial for audience members who have visual impairments.

9. Show your passion.

Have you noticed that it’s quite easy to spot when someone is actually excited about the topic they’re presenting — as opposed to someone who doesn’t care?

That’s because passion can’t be faked.

You can spend months getting the outline, words, and delivery right for your speech, but if you aren’t fascinated by what you’re presenting, the audience will catch on. You can’t expect people to be enthusiastic about your presentation when you aren’t excited yourself.

Showing genuine passion for your topic fosters a sense of intimacy between you and your audience. Your listeners will catch the “excitement bug” from you and become interested in what you have to say.

Pro tip: Before you give a presentation, take awesome time to remind yourself why the topic is so fascinating to begin with. When you know why, you’ll be able to pass on that energy to your listeners.

10. Develop stage presence.

The first time I had to give a speech, I was eight years old, and the speech was directed to my elementary schoolmates. My heart was beating so fast, and my hands were shaking.

When the time came, I stood in front of the crowd, stared at some tree in the distance, and reeled off the entire speech without moving a muscle.

My stage presence was zero. Nothing.

If you’re reading this, chances are, you’re not in elementary school, and you’re about to give a serious presentation. While standing stiff as a board with your arms stuck to the sides of your body won’t cut it, you don’t need to do too much either.

In his piece, Chris Anderson, TED Talks’ curator, wrote, “Getting the words, story, and substance right is a much bigger determinant of success or failure than how you stand or whether you’re visibly nervous. And when it comes to stage presence, a little coaching can go a long way.”

According to Chris, the biggest mistake people make with their stage presence is moving their bodies too much.

"People do this naturally when they’re nervous, but it’s distracting and makes the speaker seem weak. Simply getting a person to keep his or her lower body motionless can dramatically improve stage presence.”

Pro tip: If walking around the stage comes naturally to you, you can do that. If not, it’s best to stand still (not stiffly) and rely on hand gestures for emphasis.

11. Engage with the audience.

Earlier, I mentioned that you can start off your presentation by asking your audience questions. Well, the engagement shouldn’t stop there; it should continue throughout the entire presentation, however long it is.

There are many ways to engage with your audience. The most common method is to ask questions they can easily answer. How many of you have experienced this? Can you raise your hand if you’re familiar with this situation?

You can ask direct questions to your audience members to explain a point. Or you can use a person from the audience (whose name you should know) to illustrate a situation or an idea.

12. Practice, practice, practice.

Reading your entire presentation from a slide deck is a recipe for disaster. Slide decks (and other visual aids) are meant to be complementary, which means you’ll have to memorize the bulk of your speech.

“The only way to give a relaxed talk that sounds like it isn't rehearsed is to rehearse it a lot,” says Dr. James Whitehead, the CEO of My Green Window .

“When you can relax a little and rely on muscle memory to do most of the talk for you, you will be able to enjoy the experience and build a more positive relationship with the audience through your body language and clear pronunciation.”

Dr. Whitehead is right. Practice makes perfect. After writing out your presentation speech, you’ll need to practice continually until you know the speech inside out.

There are several ways to practice your speech, including:

• In front of the mirror (it’s cliche, but it works).
• Doing mock presentations to your friends and family.
• Rehearsing your presentation with your colleagues.

Pro tip: Choose a quiet place to memorize your speech so you can concentrate. If you’re rehearsing in front of others (friends, family, colleagues, etc.), ask for honest feedback. You’ll know where to improve. You can also time your presentation so you’ll know how long it’ll take you to deliver it.

Bevy’s talk encompasses all the elements of a great presentation, starting with her opening line, “I am a late bloomer.”

This is a strong start because it’s hard to imagine that Bevy Smith, a prominent TV personality and business professional, didn’t achieve success early in life.

Throughout her presentation, Bevy shared personal anecdotes with the central idea that you can be whatever you want to be, no matter how old you are.

She spoke confidently about how, as a 38-year-old fashion advertising executive, she quit her job when she realized that she was unhappy with her life. She segued into telling uplifting stories about her 94-year-old mother, Lolly, who’d always known what she wanted and who she was at heart.

During the presentation, Bevy peppered her speech with funny quips, like calling Jay-Z a Brooklyn poet and talking about how ‘Black don’t crack’ in the segment about the literal beauty of aging. So, while she didn’t directly ask interrogative questions, Bevy still interacted with the crowd through humor.

For her closing statement, Bevy challenged the common maxim, “Be your most authentic self,” by asking thought-provoking questions like: “What if you don’t really know who you are because you’ve suppressed your inner self?”, “Who am I at my core?” and “How am I perceived — and how would I like to be perceived?”

This is the train of thought that’ll linger in the minds of the audience after Bevy’s long left the stage. That’s her call-to-action.

Throughout the entire presentation, Bevy used no slides. She didn’t move around a lot on the stage, either. Instead, she relied on the power of her voice, her gesticulations, and the substance of her speech to make the necessary impact.

And it worked superbly.

Give a Powerful and Impactful Presentation

Giving a great presentation is a daunting task, but it isn't exactly rocket science.

Quite a lot of people experience presentation jitters, but you can drastically reduce your chances of delivering a bad presentation by following the tips outlined above.

While every audience is different, a general rule is that knowing your topic in and out and practicing your speech well ahead of time will give you the confidence you need to give a great presentation.

Don’t forget to enlist the help of your friends, family, and colleagues; they can look over your slides, help you predict audience questions, and give you pointers on where to improve.

Don't forget to share this post!

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How to give a good presentation

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Anete Ezera April 27, 2023

Presenting in front of an audience, whether a small group of colleagues at work, a classroom full of students, or an audience of potential investors for your personal project, can be a nerve-wracking experience. The pressure to convey your ideas clearly, engage your audience, and make a lasting impression can feel overwhelming. However, with the right preparation and approach, you can confidently deliver a good presentation that captivates your audience and achieves your desired outcomes.

In this article, we will delve into seven key elements that are essential for giving a good presentation. These elements encompass both the preparation and delivery aspects of presenting, ensuring that you are thoroughly prepared and equipped to deliver a compelling presentation. From understanding your audience and creating a strong structure to incorporating effective design practices and storytelling techniques, we’ll provide you with practical tips and strategies to develop good presentation skills. With these key elements in your arsenal, you will be well on your way to giving a presentation that makes a lasting impact.

If you’d like to watch a video on how to give a good presentation featuring a Prezi Video presentation template , check it out here:

What makes a good presentation

Before we dive into the seven key elements of a good presentation, let’s first explore what initially makes a good presentation.

As a matter of fact, what makes a good presentation is a combination of several components. First, it should be well-prepared, with thorough research on the audience and tailored content that is relevant and engaging. A survey by the National Speakers Association revealed that 74% of audiences pay closer attention to presentations that are tailored to their needs and interests. This emphasizes the importance of researching the audience to understand their preferences, expectations, and knowledge level and creating content that aligns with these factors.

Another key element to a good presentation is a strong structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end helps to keep the presentation organized and easy to follow. The Serial Position Effect , a concept from memory research, proves this point. It indicates that people tend to remember information presented at the beginning and end of a sequence better than information presented in the middle. By structuring a presentation with a clear beginning and end, the presenter can take advantage of this effect and ensure that key points or main messages are more likely to be remembered by the audience. To learn more about how to structure your presentation effectively, watch our video on this topic:

Also, effective design practices, such as visually appealing slides and appropriate use of images and visuals, enhance the overall visual appeal of the presentation. In fact, research has shown that incorporating visual aids into presentations increases their persuasive power by 43% compared to those without visual aids. By utilizing visual aids and spatial relationships to simplify complex ideas and make them accessible, presenters can effectively capture their audience’s attention and keep them engaged throughout the entire presentation. And that’s exactly what a Prezi presentation can offer to you. This also ties in with storytelling, which is another key technique presenters use to deliver good presentations. 

Storytelling techniques, including personal anecdotes and real-life examples, can captivate the audience and make the presentation more memorable. A study by Harvard University found that presenters who use storytelling techniques in their presentations are able to capture and maintain the audience’s attention for longer periods of time, resulting in better overall comprehension and retention of information.

Lastly, practice and rehearsal are crucial for delivering a polished and confident presentation. The more a presenter practices and rehearses, the more confident they become in their presentation skills. Confidence is a key factor in delivering an effective presentation, as it helps the presenter establish credibility and engage the audience. Confidence also allows the presenter to handle unexpected situations, such as technical glitches or difficult questions, with poise and professionalism.

When all these elements come together, it results in a good presentation that leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

How to give a good presentation 

Now that we’ve established what makes a good presentation, explore how you can ensure that your next presentation is set up for success and makes a memorable impact on your audience.

Prepare for Success

Thorough preparation is essential for giving a successful presentation. Start by researching and gathering information on your topic. Dig deep into your subject matter to ensure that you have a solid understanding of the content you’ll be presenting. What you can also do is organize your thoughts and create an outline to guide you through your presentation, using a mind map that you can create on Prezi. This will help you stay focused and ensure that your presentation flows logically from one point to the next. Practice your delivery multiple times to build confidence and identify areas that may need improvement. Rehearsing will also help you manage your time effectively during the actual presentation, allowing you to stay on track and deliver your message with clarity and confidence.

Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience is a critical component of delivering a good presentation that truly resonates with them. Taking the time to thoroughly consider who your audience is and what they are interested in can greatly enhance the impact of your presentation. Start by researching and analyzing your audience demographics, such as their age, education level, professional background, and interests. Also, consider their prior knowledge and familiarity with your topic, as well as their expectations and goals for attending your presentation.

Once you have a clear understanding of your audience, tailor your content to meet their specific needs and expectations. Use language that is appropriate and understandable to your audience, avoiding jargon or technical terms that may be unfamiliar to them. Craft your message in a way that is relevant and relatable to their interests, concerns, and experiences. This will help you establish a connection with your audience and make your presentation more engaging.

In addition, incorporating relevant examples or anecdotes that your audience can relate to can be highly effective. Real-life examples, case studies, or anecdotes that are relevant to your audience can help illustrate your points and make your content more relatable and memorable. This creates a sense of connection and relevance, as your audience can see how your topic directly applies to their own lives or work.

By connecting with your audience on a personal level, you can captivate their attention and keep them engaged throughout your presentation. When your audience feels that you understand their needs, interests, and expectations, they are more likely to actively participate and remain attentive. Tailoring your content and language to your audience’s preferences and using relatable examples can create a sense of rapport and trust, which enhances the overall impact of your presentation.

Create a Strong Structure

A well-structured presentation is key to keeping your audience engaged from start to finish. Your structure should include an attention-grabbing introduction, a clear and organized body, and a strong and memorable conclusion.

Introduction

Your introduction sets the stage for your entire presentation and presents an opportunity to make a lasting impression on your audience. It’s your chance to captivate their attention right from the start and create a sense of anticipation for what’s to come. To achieve this, start with a hook that grabs their attention and piques their interest.

One effective way to hook your audience is by using a compelling statistic that is relevant to your topic. It can be a surprising fact, a startling figure, or a thought-provoking data point that immediately captures your audience’s attention. This can create a sense of intrigue and curiosity, motivating your audience to lean in and listen attentively to what you have to say. And you don’t need to outsource a data visualization tool to create a visually appealing chart or map – you can use Prezi Design and incorporate charts, graphs, and maps into your presentations like in the example below.

Another effective approach is to start with a thought-provoking question that encourages your audience to reflect and engage with your topic. It can be a rhetorical question that stimulates their curiosity or a direct question that prompts them to think about their own experiences or opinions related to your presentation. This can help establish a connection with your audience and encourage them to actively participate in your presentation.

Alternatively, you can begin your introduction with a powerful quote that is relevant to your topic. A well-chosen quote from a reputable source can instantly grab your audience’s attention and lend credibility to your presentation. It can also evoke emotions or convey a sense of urgency, compelling your audience to sit up and take notice.

In addition to using verbal hooks, visual aids or multimedia can also be effective in creating an attention-grabbing introduction. Incorporate relevant images, videos, or slides that are visually appealing and enhance your message. This can add an element of visual interest and help reinforce your key points.

However, it’s crucial to ensure that your introduction is not only attention-grabbing but also relevant to your topic and sets the tone for the rest of your presentation. It should provide a clear transition into the main content of your presentation and establish the context for what is to follow. This helps your audience understand the purpose of your presentation and sets their expectations for the remainder of your talk.

Discover more ways to start a presentation by watching this video:

Once you have successfully captured your audience’s attention with a compelling introduction, it’s crucial to deliver your main points in a clear and organized manner. This ensures that your audience can easily follow along and grasp the key messages you are conveying. 

Organizing the body of your presentation can be done in different ways, depending on your topic and audience. One common approach is to use a chronological order, where you present your ideas in a sequence that follows a timeline or a sequence of events like in the Prezi presentation below. This can be effective when you are presenting historical information, explaining a process, or discussing the progress of a project or an initiative.

Another approach is to organize your content by priority. This involves presenting your ideas in an order of importance, starting with the most critical or impactful point first and then moving on to the lesser ones. This can be useful when you are discussing a series of ideas or recommendations, and you want to emphasize the most important ones to your audience.

Alternatively, you can organize your content by theme. This involves grouping related ideas together and discussing them in a cohesive manner. This approach is useful when you are presenting different aspects or perspectives of a broader topic, and you want to highlight the connections between them.

Whichever organizational approach you choose, it’s important to use transitions between your ideas to create a smooth flow. Transitions can be in the form of verbal cues or visual aids, such as signposts, that indicate a shift from one idea to another. This helps your audience to follow along easily and understand the logical progression of your presentation.

Visual aids, such as graphs, charts, images, or videos, can be valuable tools to enhance your message and make your content more engaging. They can provide visual representations of complex information, support your key points, and make your content more memorable. However, it’s crucial to be mindful of the pacing of your presentation and avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information. Use visual aids judiciously and ensure they are relevant and supportive of your main message.

Ending your presentation with a memorable conclusion is a crucial opportunity to reinforce your main points and leave a lasting impression on your audience. By summarizing your key messages and tying them together in a cohesive manner, you can create a powerful ending that resonates with your audience.

One effective way to reinforce your main points is to concisely summarize your key messages. This can help reinforce the key takeaways from your presentation and ensure that your audience remembers the most important information. You can also use this opportunity to highlight the significance of your key messages and emphasize their relevance to your audience.

In addition to summarizing your main points, you can also include a call to action in your conclusion. This can be a specific next step that you want your audience to take after your presentation, such as signing up for a newsletter, visiting a website, or taking action on a particular issue. 

Furthermore, you can offer a final thought or reflection in your conclusion. This can be a powerful way to leave a lasting impression on your audience and encourage them to reflect on the content of your presentation. 

To make your conclusion even more impactful, consider using visual aids or multimedia. Visuals such as images, icons, stickers, GIFs, and more can add an extra layer of engagement and creativity to your conclusion, all of which you can find in Prezi’s media library. 

Use the best design practices

The visual aspect of your presentation is crucial in creating a memorable and engaging experience for your audience. Follow these best design practices to ensure that your presentation is visually appealing and effective:

Easy to read and understand

When creating your presentation, it’s essential to ensure that you use a legible font size and style. Choosing a font that is easy to read, even from a distance, can greatly enhance the clarity of your content. Additionally, leaving ample space between elements and text is crucial to avoid a cramped and cluttered appearance. This allows your audience to easily process the information without feeling overwhelmed. Opting for a clean and simple layout that logically organizes your content can further aid in comprehension. Avoid unnecessary elements or distracting visuals that may divert your audience’s attention from the main message. Clutter can hinder the audience’s ability to understand your content, so it’s best to keep the design minimalistic and focused. By following these guidelines, you can create a visually appealing and effective presentation that effectively conveys your message to your audience.

In the realm of design, the principle of “less is more” holds true. Embracing simplicity and minimalism can result in a more impactful and effective presentation. One effective strategy is to remove unnecessary design elements that don’t contribute to the main points of your content. By doing so, you can streamline your visuals and direct your audience’s attention to the key information you want to convey.

Consistency is also key in design. Choosing a harmonious color scheme that complements your content and aligns with your brand or message can enhance the visual coherence of your presentation. Avoid using too many colors or conflicting color combinations that can be distracting or overwhelming. Keeping your visual aids clean and uncluttered, with ample whitespace, can help create a sense of balance and ease of comprehension.

A simple and visually appealing design can greatly assist in conveying your message. It allows your audience to focus on the content without unnecessary distractions. A clutter-free design can also help in improving information retention, as it makes it easier for your audience to absorb and retain the key points of your presentation.

Storytelling

One effective way to elevate your presentation to the next level is by incorporating a motion-based presentation tool like Prezi. Prezi offers a unique and dynamic way to illustrate the connections between different ideas, creating a visually captivating and engaging storytelling experience. By utilizing motion, zooming, and panning effects, you can create a seamless flow of content that guides your audience through your presentation with fluidity and purpose.

A motion-based presentation can be particularly valuable when explaining complex concepts or showcasing intricate relationships between ideas. It provides a visually appealing way to showcase the relationships, patterns, and interactions between different elements, making it easier for your audience to grasp the content and retain the information. 

In addition to the visual benefits, a motion-based presentation also allows you to inject your own personal style and creativity into your presentation. You can customize the motion paths, zoom levels, and transitions to create a unique and memorable visual experience that aligns with your content and delivery style. This can help you stand out from traditional slide-based presentations and create a lasting impression on your audience.

Visual Aids

Visual aids are an invaluable tool in presentations as they can greatly enhance the impact and effectiveness of your content. Whether it’s charts, graphs, images, or videos, strategic use of visual aids can add depth and clarity to your presentation, making it more engaging and memorable for your audience.

When using visual aids, it’s essential to ensure they are relevant to your content and directly support your main message. Choose visual aids that complement your presentation goals and help clarify complex information or concepts. For example, using charts and graphs to present data can provide a visual representation that is easier to understand and interpret than raw numbers.

However, it’s important to strike a balance and avoid using too many visual aids that may overwhelm or distract your audience. Too many visuals can cause sensory overload and detract from your main message. Instead, use visual aids selectively and purposefully, focusing on those that directly support your key points and enhance audience understanding.

Engage Your Audience

Engaging your audience is critical to keeping their attention and making your presentation memorable. Use the following techniques to actively involve your audience during your presentation:

Questions and polls

By actively involving your audience in the presentation process, you can encourage their participation and keep them engaged throughout.

Asking questions can be a powerful tool to gauge your audience’s understanding of the content you are presenting. You can ask open-ended questions that require thoughtful responses or closed-ended questions that prompt quick answers. This not only allows you to assess their comprehension of the material but also encourages them to actively think about the topic and participate in the discussion.

It’s also important to create a supportive and inclusive environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions. Encourage them to ask questions, provide feedback, and actively participate in the discussion. Acknowledge and appreciate their contributions, and use their feedback to further enhance your presentation.

Interactivity

Incorporating interactive elements into your presentation can elevate your content to a whole new level by actively involving your audience in the learning process. By going beyond traditional lecture-style delivery, you can create a dynamic and engaging experience that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impression.

One effective interactive element is demonstrations. Showcasing practical examples or demonstrations of concepts, products, or processes can help your audience visualize how things work in real life. This hands-on approach allows them to see your content in action, making it more tangible and relatable. You can use props, visual aids, or multimedia tools to enhance your demonstrations and create a memorable experience for your audience.

Group activities are another powerful interactive element that promotes active participation and collaboration. Break your audience into smaller groups and assign them tasks or activities related to your content. This could include brainstorming sessions, role-plays, simulations, or problem-solving exercises.

Case studies are yet another valuable interactive element that can bring real-world relevance to your content. Presenting relevant case studies or scenarios that reflect the challenges and opportunities your audience may face can help them apply your content to practical situations. 

Incorporating interactive elements into your presentation not only makes it more engaging and relevant but also fosters active learning, enhances retention, and encourages audience participation. 

Eye contact and body language

Maintaining eye contact with your audience is a powerful communication technique that helps establish a connection and build rapport. When you make direct eye contact with individuals in your audience, you convey confidence, sincerity, and respect. It shows that you are present and attentive and that you value their attention and participation.

In addition to eye contact, your body language plays a crucial role in projecting confidence and engagement during your presentation. Stand tall and maintain a good posture, as it conveys confidence and authority. Avoid slouching or fidgeting, as it can detract from your message. Use purposeful hand gestures to emphasize key points or to illustrate concepts, as they can add dynamism and expressiveness to your presentation. If applicable, move around the stage or the room to engage with different parts of the audience and create a connection with everyone in the room.

Confident body language also includes facial expressions, tone of voice, and overall energy. Smile genuinely and use a warm and friendly tone of voice to create a positive and approachable presence. Show enthusiasm and passion for your topic through your gestures, facial expressions, and vocal intonation. Your energy and enthusiasm can be contagious and can help keep your audience engaged and attentive.

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can make your presentation more relatable and compelling to your audience. By incorporating storytelling techniques, such as sharing anecdotes, case studies, or personal experiences, you can create a narrative that resonates with your audience on an emotional level and helps them connect with your content.

When using storytelling techniques, it’s important to keep in mind the purpose and relevance of the stories you share. Ensure that your stories directly support your main message and contribute to the overall flow and coherence of your presentation. 

Manage nerves and handle questions

Managing nerves and handling questions effectively are crucial skills for a successful presentation. Here are some tips on how to not be nervous for a presentation .

Practice, practice, practice

As you devote more time to practicing, honing your skills, and refining your presentation, you will notice a tangible increase in your self-assurance. The process of rehearsing your content, timing, and delivery multiple times is essential for building a robust sense of confidence and reducing any lingering nervousness that may arise. The more effort you put into practice, the more comfortable and prepared you will feel when it comes time to deliver your presentation. So, don’t hesitate to invest ample time and energy into rehearsing, as it will undoubtedly pay off in terms of boosting your confidence and ensuring a successful presentation.

Prepare for questions

Anticipating potential questions and crafting thoughtful and concise answers is a crucial step in preparing for your presentation. By considering the possible inquiries that your audience may have, you can proactively address them, demonstrating your expertise and preparedness. 

Take the time to thoroughly research and gather information to ensure that your responses are accurate and relevant. When the time comes for questions during or after your presentation, remain open and approachable, encouraging audience participation. 

Responding with confidence and professionalism will not only showcase your knowledge but also establish your credibility as a speaker. Plus, your ability to handle questions with confidence and professionalism will leave a lasting impression on your audience and enhance the overall effectiveness of your presentation.

Stay calm and composed

Feeling nervous during a presentation is entirely normal, but there are strategies you can employ to manage those nerves and deliver a confident performance. One effective technique is to take deep breaths, allowing yourself to inhale deeply and exhale slowly to calm your nerves and regulate your breathing. Remember to breathe from your diaphragm, as this can help you relax and maintain a steady voice.

In addition to deep breathing, remind yourself that you are the expert on your topic. You have put in the time and effort to research and prepare for this presentation, and you are well-equipped to share your knowledge with your audience. Embrace the confidence that comes with being knowledgeable about your subject matter, and let that knowledge guide your delivery.

During the presentation, if you are faced with questions that catch you off guard or make you feel anxious, take a moment to pause and gather your thoughts. Don’t rush to respond, as this can result in hasty and incomplete answers. Instead, take a deep breath, maintain eye contact with the questioner, and thoughtfully compose your response. If needed, ask for clarification or repeat the question to ensure you fully understand it before responding.

If you want to learn more about how to give a good presentation without being nervous, watch the following video: 

In the event that you encounter a question during your presentation for which you do not know the answer, it’s important to prioritize honesty and transparency. Resist the urge to guess or provide inaccurate information, as this can undermine your credibility as a presenter. Instead, be upfront and candid with your audience, acknowledging that you don’t have the answer at the moment.

A professional approach in such situations is to offer to follow up later with the correct information. You can assure the questioner that you will make the effort to research and verify the accurate response after the presentation, and then provide it to them in a timely manner. This demonstrates your commitment to accuracy and your dedication to providing reliable information to your audience.

By being honest and transparent about not knowing the answer, you uphold your integrity as a presenter and maintain the trust of your audience. It’s far better to admit when you don’t have the information rather than provide incorrect or misleading answers that can lead to confusion or misinformation.

Stay Positive and Confident

Lastly, stay positive and confident throughout your presentation. Believe in your content and your ability to deliver it effectively. Keep a positive attitude, smile, and connect with your audience. Remember, confidence is contagious, and a confident and positive presenter is more likely to captivate their audience and deliver a successful presentation.

In conclusion, giving a good presentation goes beyond just having great content. It requires careful planning, understanding your audience, creating a clear structure, implementing effective design practices, engaging your audience, managing nerves, handling questions with grace, seeking feedback for improvement, and maintaining a positive and confident demeanor throughout. By incorporating these key elements into your presentation strategy, you can elevate your presentation skills and deliver memorable and impactful presentations that leave a lasting impression on your audience. Remember, preparation and practice are essential, and it’s normal to feel nervous, but with the right techniques and mindset, you can overcome those nerves and deliver a presentation that truly shines. 

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How to make a good presentation great: 8 pro tips

• 10 Jun 2019

It’s 2am.

You’ve got a huge presentation tomorrow, but you’re afraid to go to bed for fear of having an on-the-stage-in-my-skivvies level nightmare about the big day. We’ve all been there. Learning how to make a presentation (without breaking out into a cold sweat) takes practice.

In our experience, a serious case of the jitters is best fixed by a serious injection of expert wisdom.

We’ve gathered the best advice from experts like Tony Robbins, Steve Jobs, and Guy Kawasaki on how to make a good presentation great, along with insider knowledge on both designing and delivering a presentation.

Plus, as a bonus, we included our best practices for adding video to your next presentation. We also threw in a few of our favorite video presentation templates from Biteable. With Biteable’s online video making software, creating a video presentation is as simple as making a PowerPoint (and far more effective).

Content & Design

How to make a good presentation.

Making a good presentation starts with crafting the content. No matter how compelling your message is, if you don’t get it out of your brain and on to the screen in a simple way, you’ll be met with a sea of blank faces. So, where to begin?

1. Create an easy-to-follow structure

When it comes to what you have to say, break it down into three simple sections: your presentation needs an introduction, body, and conclusion.

A compelling introduction . Your introduction needs to briefly sum up what you’re going to talk about and why it’s useful or relevant to your audience.

Offer a body of evidence . The body of your presentation is where you hit ’em with the facts, quotes, and evidence to back up your main points.

Sum up with key takeaways . The conclusion is where you loop back to your original statement and give the audience some key takeaways on how they can put into practice what they’ve learned.

• No more than 10 slides in total . Who wants to sit through pages and pages of slides? No one, that’s who. By keeping your slide deck to 10 slides, even if your presentation is 30 minutes long, you’ll give the audience a chance to digest the on-screen messages in line with your talk. Using  concept maps  before structuring your slides can help keep to the point.

2. Limit the amount of copy on each slide

Less really is more, especially when it comes to making a good presentation. Too much text and the audience will just be reading the screen instead of looking at you and feeling the emotional impact of your message.

No more than six words per slide . Marketing king Seth Godin says we should have just six words per slide – that’s not a lot of copy. Choose your words carefully and rewrite until you’ve got it just right.

• Think ‘bite-size’ information . We called ourselves Biteable a reason: studies show information is retained better when it’s broken down into bite-sized chunks. Video is a great way to do this, and research suggests it’s  95% more compelling than text.  Consider adding video to your presentation strategy. But regardless, break your information up into smaller, palatable pieces.

3. Be savvy with design details

A well-thought-out design can make all the difference between a good presentation and one that falls flat. Consider these design standards as you make your presentation.

Use color sparingly . Bright colors can dazzle, but too many can be off-putting. Use the colors most relevant to your message. We’d recommend sticking with one or two (not counting black and white) for your palette so it has a consistent look and feel.

Be consistent with your font . Consistent design makes you look more professional. Don’t switch between caps and lower case, Times New Roman and Comic Sans, or 8 and 30 point text size. Stick with one font and one size throughout. You can vary the emphasis with your words later, but keep your on-screen text uniform for a more cohesive message.

• Format for perfection . A wonky line on a slide or a badly pixelated graphic will put some people off, as it will look like you haven’t tried very hard (or worse, that you just aren’t very good). Make sure your text is aligned and neat like in the example below.

4. Polish several times

Just like a pair of well-worn shoes, a good presentation often needs a few rounds of dusting before it’s shiny and sparkly.

Start Messy . Don’t be afraid to start messy. Using a non-linear writing tool like  Milanote  allows you to explore and outline your initial ideas in a flexible way before you even open up PowerPoint or Keynote. Arrange your ideas side-by-side and discover new connections that you didn’t see before.

Edit ruthlessly . At first you might have a huge amount of information and will wonder how you’re ever going get it down to six words per slide. That’s OK. Keep editing ruthlessly until you’ve pared your message down to the bare essentials.

• Get someone else to look at it . A fresh pair of eyes can work miracles when it comes to refining your presentation. Get a trusted mentor or colleague to review your work. If you don’t know anyone who can help, an online writing assistant like  ProWritingAid  or  Grammarly  can help you weed out a lot of problems.

How to give a good presentation

How you deliver your slides is as important as their content and design. Here are some quick pointers to help you get your message across with impact.

5. Have a strong opening

How you start and finish your presentation is extremely important. Audiences usually make up their minds about someone in the first seven seconds, so make those first moments count.

Be different . You’re doing a presentation about saving tree frogs in Costa Rica. You open with an amusing story about one that escaped on a  bunch of bananas  to the UK. A story like this is different and unexpected for your audience, so they’ll sit up and take notice.

Ask a question . Rhetorical questions are a great way to frame a topic and introduce ideas. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, ‘When will you be satisfied?’”

• Tailor it to your audience . How much do you know about your audience? The more you know, the better. Especially if you know their likes and dislikes. Inserting a relevant metaphor or popular culture reference. Oprah Winfrey’s Stanford commencement address spoke to the graduates about her lessons learned and how they were entering ‘the classroom of life.’

6. Be genuine

Oscar Wilde said “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” A lack of authenticity will be spotted a mile away. Whatever you’re saying, speak from the heart and don’t try to impress – there’s no need to prove yourself, just to get the point across as you see it. After all, that’s why you’re there, and you can’t do more than that.

Use humor . Humor can be great for giving a presentation, but cut it out if it feels like a stretch. Telling a humorous story can break down any barriers, make you more likeable, and make your message more memorable (and people are surprisingly generous with laughter) but the faintest whiff of desperation will kill a funny vibe.

Don’t be afraid to mess up . The fear of making a mistake can make you inordinately nervous. Relax, even the best speakers mess up or have bad luck. Theresa May, ex-Prime Minister of England, once stumbled and  coughed her way through a presentation , with someone even handing her a resignation letter. She battled through like a pro, though, and simply acknowledged it and moved on. No big deal.

• Open up and be vulnerable . Brené Brown,  a researcher whose presentations  have amassed over ten million views, says that “Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.” This means speaking your truth and daring to feel a little uncomfortable as you share a meaningful story. It will connect your audience to you like never before.

7. Have a plan for a smooth delivery

With all the prep you’re doing on the content and design of your presentation, it can be easy to overlook other variables that are within your control for a stress-free delivery.

Have a practice run-through . There’s nothing like reading it out loud to ensure your message makes sense before you actually deliver it. Try recording your presentation on video — this way you’ll be able to review with an accurate eye and notice whether your speech matches up with your slides. It’ll also help you sort out your run time.

Use a remote . A clicker or remote will help you face the audience and not have to keep turning back to your laptop. Sought-after public speaker Garr Reynolds says a remote is essential in order to pause and advance your presentation so you have time to be spontaneous and control the flow of your delivery.

Have backup material . Not everything you say is going to resonate with your audience. It’s best to be flexible enough to change the game as and when needed. Steve Jobs had standby anecdotes prepared to fill time when the technology he was using to give the presentation failed. Preparing for every eventuality will help soothe your nerves and allow you to feel more in control.

• Use a timer . When you get into the flow of your message, it’s easy to go off on a tangent or even spend too long on audience questions. Put your phone on airplane mode and set the stopwatch just as you begin speaking. A quick glance down at the table during a pause will allow you to make sure you’re not going overtime.

8. To conclude, focus on audience value

You’re coming to the end of your presentation. How do you wrap it up in a way that will be everlasting in their memories? The experts recommend you focus on the feeling you want the audience to take home.

Leave your audience with an emotional impression .”They might forget what you said, but they’ll never forget the way they made you feel” said the poet Maya Angelou. By leaving them with an emotional impression, from a piece of video with moving music to a line from a song or poem, you’ll strike that resonant chord and end on a high.

Use a pause for key takeaways . Want the audience to remember something specific? Say it slowly and leave a pause at the end. The silence will emphasize what you said and make it meaningful.

• Make your core message sing . A call-to-action is the best way to wrap up your presentation with strength and impact. What do you want your audience to do next? Tony Robbins tells a great story, moving his audience emotionally towards change.

Make your next presentation shine with one of these video templates

You’ve learned from the pros and you feel much more confident about how to make a presentation that stands out. But to really make your presentation one to remember, consider adding video into the mix.

Create a nice change of pace by  embedding a video in your PowerPoint presentation  or go out on a limb and turn your entire presentation into an engaging, thoughtful video.

Either way, make it great with one of the professionally designed video presentation templates available in Biteable.

Make a video presentation with Biteable

With Biteable, making a video presentation has never been easier.

Biteable’s  online video making software  gives you access to hundreds of brandable templates and video scenes, plus over 24 million stock clips, images, and animations all in an easy-to-use platform.

Add text to your video, include a voice over, and even record your screen without ever leaving the app. Once you’re done making video presentation magic, automatically apply your company colors and logo to your entire video with Biteable’s innovative  brand builder  feature.

Anyone can make an impactful video with Biteable. Are you ready to try?

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How-To Geek

8 tips to make the best powerpoint presentations.

Want to make your PowerPoint presentations really shine? Here's how to impress and engage your audience.

Quick Links

Table of contents, start with a goal, less is more, consider your typeface, make bullet points count, limit the use of transitions, skip text where possible, think in color, take a look from the top down, bonus: start with templates.

Slideshows are an intuitive way to share complex ideas with an audience, although they're dull and frustrating when poorly executed. Here are some tips to make your Microsoft PowerPoint presentations sing while avoiding common pitfalls.

It all starts with identifying what we're trying to achieve with the presentation. Is it informative, a showcase of data in an easy-to-understand medium? Or is it more of a pitch, something meant to persuade and convince an audience and lead them to a particular outcome?

It's here where the majority of these presentations go wrong with the inability to identify the talking points that best support our goal. Always start with a goal in mind: to entertain, to inform, or to share data in a way that's easy to understand. Use facts, figures, and images to support your conclusion while keeping structure in mind (Where are we now and where are we going?).

I've found that it's helpful to start with the ending. Once I know how to end a presentation, I know how best to get to that point. I start by identifying the takeaway---that one nugget that I want to implant before thanking everyone for their time---and I work in reverse to figure out how best to get there.

Your mileage, of course, may vary. But it's always going to be a good idea to put in the time in the beginning stages so that you aren't reworking large portions of the presentation later. And that starts with a defined goal.

A slideshow isn't supposed to include everything. It's an introduction to a topic, one that we can elaborate on with speech. Anything unnecessary is a distraction. It makes the presentation less visually appealing and less interesting, and it makes you look bad as a presenter.

This goes for text as well as images. There's nothing worse, in fact, than a series of slides where the presenter just reads them as they appear. Your audience is capable of reading, and chances are they'll be done with the slide, and browsing Reddit, long before you finish. Avoid putting the literal text on the screen, and your audience will thank you.

Related: How to Burn Your PowerPoint to DVD

Right off the bat, we're just going to come out and say that Papyrus and Comic Sans should be banned from all PowerPoint presentations, permanently. Beyond that, it's worth considering the typeface you're using and what it's saying about you, the presenter, and the presentation itself.

Consider choosing readability over aesthetics, and avoid fancy fonts that could prove to be more of a distraction than anything else. A good presentation needs two fonts: a serif and sans-serif. Use one for the headlines and one for body text, lists, and the like. Keep it simple. Veranda, Helvetica, Arial, and even Times New Roman are safe choices. Stick with the classics and it's hard to botch this one too badly.

There reaches a point where bullet points become less of a visual aid and more of a visual examination.

Bullet points should support the speaker, not overwhelm his audience. The best slides have little or no text at all, in fact. As a presenter, it's our job to talk through complex issues, but that doesn't mean that we need to highlight every talking point.

Instead, think about how you can break up large lists into three or four bullet points. Carefully consider whether you need to use more bullet points, or if you can combine multiple topics into a single point instead. And if you can't, remember that there's no one limiting the number of slides you can have in a presentation. It's always possible to break a list of 12 points down into three pages of four points each.

Animation, when used correctly, is a good idea. It breaks up slow-moving parts of a presentation and adds action to elements that require it. But it should be used judiciously.

Adding a transition that wipes left to right between every slide or that animates each bullet point in a list, for example, starts to grow taxing on those forced to endure the presentation. Viewers get bored quickly, and animations that are meant to highlight specific elements quickly become taxing.

That's not to say that you can't use animations and transitions, just that you need to pick your spots. Aim for no more than a handful of these transitions for each presentation. And use them in spots where they'll add to the demonstration, not detract from it.

Sometimes images tell a better story than text can. And as a presenter, your goal is to describe points in detail without making users do a lot of reading. In these cases, a well-designed visual, like a chart, might better convey the information you're trying to share.

The right image adds visual appeal and serves to break up longer, text-heavy sections of the presentation---but only if you're using the right images. A single high-quality image can make all the difference between a success and a dud when you're driving a specific point home.

When considering text, don't think solely in terms of bullet points and paragraphs. Tables, for example, are often unnecessary. Ask yourself whether you could present the same data in a bar or line chart instead.

Color is interesting. It evokes certain feelings and adds visual appeal to your presentation as a whole. Studies show that color also improves interest, comprehension, and retention. It should be a careful consideration, not an afterthought.

You don't have to be a graphic designer to use color well in a presentation. What I do is look for palettes I like, and then find ways to use them in the presentation. There are a number of tools for this, like Adobe Color , Coolors , and ColorHunt , just to name a few. After finding a palette you enjoy, consider how it works with the presentation you're about to give. Pastels, for example, evoke feelings of freedom and light, so they probably aren't the best choice when you're presenting quarterly earnings that missed the mark.

It's also worth mentioning that you don't need to use every color in the palette. Often, you can get by with just two or three, though you should really think through how they all work together and how readable they'll be when layered. A simple rule of thumb here is that contrast is your friend. Dark colors work well on light backgrounds, and light colors work best on dark backgrounds.

Spend some time in the Slide Sorter before you finish your presentation. By clicking the four squares at the bottom left of the presentation, you can take a look at multiple slides at once and consider how each works together. Alternatively, you can click "View" on the ribbon and select "Slide Sorter."

Are you presenting too much text at once? Move an image in. Could a series of slides benefit from a chart or summary before you move on to another point?

It's here that we have the opportunity to view the presentation from beyond the single-slide viewpoint and think in terms of how each slide fits, or if it fits at all. From this view, you can rearrange slides, add additional ones, or delete them entirely if you find that they don't advance the presentation.

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one is really all about preparation and execution. Those that respect the process and plan carefully---not only the presentation as a whole, but each slide within it---are the ones who will succeed.

This brings me to my last (half) point: When in doubt, just buy a template and use it. You can find these all over the web, though Creative Market and GraphicRiver are probably the two most popular marketplaces for this kind of thing. Not all of us are blessed with the skills needed to design and deliver an effective presentation. And while a pre-made PowerPoint template isn't going to make you a better presenter, it will ease the anxiety of creating a visually appealing slide deck.

How to Start a Presentation: 5 Templates and 90 Example Phrases

By Status.net Editorial Team on February 27, 2024 — 11 minutes to read

Starting a presentation effectively means capturing your audience’s attention from the very beginning. It’s important because it sets the tone for the entire presentation and establishes your credibility as a speaker.

Effective Openers: 5 Templates

Your presentation’s beginning sets the stage for everything that follows. So, it’s important to capture your audience’s attention right from the start. Here are some tried-and-true techniques to do just that.

1. Storytelling Approach

When you start with a story, you tap into the natural human love for narratives. It can be a personal experience, a historical event, or a fictional tale that ties back to your main point.

Example Introduction Template 1:

“Let me tell you a story about…”

Example : “Let me tell you a story about how a small idea in a garage blossomed into the global brand we know today.”

2. Quotation Strategy

Using a relevant quote can lend authority and thematic flavor to your presentation. Choose a quote that is provocative, enlightening, or humorous to resonate with your audience.

Example Introduction Template 2:

“As [Famous Person] once said…”

Example : “As Steve Jobs once said, ‘Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.'”

3. Questioning Technique

Engage your audience directly by opening with a thoughtful question. This encourages them to think and become active participants.

Example Introduction Template 3:

“Have you ever wondered…”

Example : “Have you ever wondered what it would take to reduce your carbon footprint to zero?”

4. Statistical Hook

Kick off with a startling statistic that presents a fresh perspective or underscores the importance of your topic.

Example Introduction Template 4:

“Did you know that…”

Example : “Did you know that 90% of the world’s data was generated in the last two years alone?”

5. Anecdotal Method

Share a brief, relatable incident that highlights the human aspect of your topic. It paves the way for empathy and connection.

Example Introduction Template 5:

“I want to share a quick anecdote…”

Example : “I want to share a quick anecdote about a time I experienced the customer service that went above and beyond what anyone would expect.”

How to Start a Powerpoint Presentation: 45 Example Phrases

Starting a PowerPoint presentation effectively can captivate your audience and set the tone for your message. The opening phrases you choose are important in establishing rapport and commanding attention. Whether you’re presenting to colleagues, at a conference, or in an academic setting, these phrases will help you begin with confidence and poise:

• 1. “Good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone. Thank you for joining me today.”
• 2. “Welcome, and thank you for being here. Let’s dive into our topic.”
• 3. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to present to you all about…”
• 4. “Thank you all for coming. Today, we’re going to explore…”
• 5. “Let’s begin by looking at the most important question: Why are we here today?”
• 6. “I appreciate your time today, and I promise it will be well spent as we discuss…”
• 7. “Before we get started, I want to express my gratitude for your presence here today.”
• 8. “It’s a pleasure to see so many familiar faces as we gather to talk about…”
• 9. “I’m thrilled to kick off today’s presentation on a topic that I am passionate about—…”
• 10. “Welcome to our session. I’m confident you’ll find the next few minutes informative as we cover…”
• 11. “Let’s embark on a journey through our discussion on…”
• 12. “I’m delighted to have the chance to share my insights on…”
• 13. “Thank you for the opportunity to present to such an esteemed audience on…”
• 14. “Let’s set the stage for an engaging discussion about…”
• 15. “As we begin, I’d like you to consider this:…”
• 16. “Today marks an important discussion on a subject that affects us all:…”
• 17. “Good day, and welcome to what promises to be an enlightening presentation on…”
• 18. “Hello and welcome! We’re here to delve into something truly exciting today…”
• 19. “I’m honored to present to you this comprehensive look into…”
• 20. “Without further ado, let’s get started on a journey through…”
• 21. “Thank you for carving time out of your day to join me for this presentation on…”
• 22. “It’s wonderful to see such an engaged audience ready to tackle the topic of…”
• 23. “I invite you to join me as we unpack the complexities of…”
• 24. “Today’s presentation will take us through some groundbreaking ideas about…”
• 25. “Welcome aboard! Prepare to set sail into the vast sea of knowledge on…”
• 26. “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to everyone as we focus our attention on…”
• 27. “Let’s ignite our curiosity as we begin to explore…”
• 28. “Thank you for your interest and attention as we dive into the heart of…”
• 29. “As we look ahead to the next hour, we’ll uncover the secrets of…”
• 30. “I’m eager to share with you some fascinating insights on…”
• 31. “Welcome to what I believe will be a transformative discussion on…”
• 32. “This morning/afternoon, we’ll be venturing into the world of…”
• 33. “Thank you for joining me on this exploration of…”
• 34. “I’m delighted by the turnout today as we embark on this exploration of…”
• 35. “Together, let’s navigate the intricacies of…”
• 36. “I’m looking forward to engaging with you all on the subject of…”
• 37. “Let’s kick things off with a critical look at…”
• 38. “Thank you for your presence today as we shine a light on…”
• 39. “Welcome to a comprehensive overview of…”
• 40. “It’s a privilege to discuss with you the impact of…”
• 41. “I’m glad you could join us for what promises to be a thought-provoking presentation on…”
• 42. “Today, we’re going to break down the concept of…”
• 43. “As we get started, let’s consider the significance of our topic:…”
• 44. “I’m thrilled to lead you through today’s discussion, which centers around…”
• 45. “Let’s launch into our session with an eye-opening look at…”

Starting a Presentation: 45 Examples

Connecting with the audience.

When starting a presentation, making a genuine connection with your audience sets the stage for a successful exchange of ideas. Examples:

• “I promise, by the end of this presentation, you’ll be as enthusiastic about this as I am because…”
• “The moment I learned about this, I knew it would be a game-changer and I’m thrilled to present it to you…”
• “There’s something special about this topic that I find incredibly invigorating, and I hope you will too…”
• “I get a rush every time I work on this, and I hope to transmit that energy to you today…”
• “I’m thrilled to discuss this breakthrough that could revolutionize…”
• “This project has been a labor of love, and I’m eager to walk you through…”
• “When I first encountered this challenge, I was captivated by the possibilities it presented…”
• “I can’t wait to dive into the details of this innovative approach with you today…”
• “It’s genuinely exhilarating to be at the edge of what’s possible in…”
• “My fascination with [topic] drove me to explore it further, and I’m excited to share…”
• “Nothing excites me more than talking about the future of…”
• “Seeing your faces, I know we’re going to have a lively discussion about…”
• “The potential here is incredible, and I’m looking forward to discussing it with you…”
• “Let’s embark on this journey together and explore why this is such a pivotal moment for…”
• “Your engagement in this discussion is going to make this even more exciting because…”

Building Credibility

You present with credibility when you establish your expertise and experience on the subject matter. Here’s what you can say to accomplish that:

• “With a decade of experience in this field, I’ve come to understand the intricacies of…”
• “Having led multiple successful projects, I’m excited to share my insights on…”
• “Over the years, working closely with industry experts, I’ve gleaned…”
• “I hold a degree in [your field], which has equipped me with a foundation for…”
• “I’m a certified professional in [your certification], which means I bring a certain level of expertise…”
• “Having published research on this topic, my perspective is grounded in…”
• “I’ve been a keynote speaker at several conferences, discussing…”
• “Throughout my career, I’ve contributed to groundbreaking work in…”
• “My experience as a [your previous role] has given me a unique outlook on…”
• “Endorsed by [an authority in your field], I’m here to share what we’ve achieved…”
• “The program I developed was recognized by [award], highlighting its impact in…”
• “I’ve trained professionals nationwide on this subject and witnessed…”
• “Collaborating with renowned teams, we’ve tackled challenges like…”
• “I’ve been at the forefront of this industry, navigating through…”
• “As a panelist, I’ve debated this topic with some of the brightest minds in…”

Projecting Confidence

• “I stand before you today with a deep understanding of…”
• “You can rely on the information I’m about to share, backed by thorough research and analysis…”
• “Rest assured, the strategies we’ll discuss have been tested and proven effective in…”
• “I’m certain you’ll find the data I’ll present both compelling and relevant because…”
• “I’m fully confident in the recommendations I’m providing today due to…”
• “The results speak for themselves, and I’m here to outline them clearly for you…”
• “I invite you to consider the evidence I’ll present; it’s both robust and persuasive…”
• “You’re in good hands today; I’ve navigated these waters many times and have the insights to prove it…”
• “I assure you, the journey we’ll take during this presentation will be enlightening because…”
• “Your success is important to me, which is why I’ve prepared diligently for our time together…”
• “Let’s look at the facts; they’ll show you why this approach is solid and dependable…”
• “Today, I present to you a clear path forward, grounded in solid experience and knowledge…”
• “I’m confident that what we’ll uncover today will not only inform but also inspire you because…”
• “You’ll leave here equipped with practical, proven solutions that you can trust because…”
• “The solution I’m proposing has been embraced industry-wide, and for good reason…”

Organizational Preview

Starting your presentation with a clear organizational preview can effectively guide your audience through the content. This section helps you prepare to communicate the roadmap of your presentation.

Outlining the Main Points

You should begin by briefly listing the main points you’ll cover. This lets your audience know what to expect and helps them follow along. For example, if you’re presenting on healthy eating, you might say, “Today, I’ll cover the benefits of healthy eating, essential nutrients in your diet, and simple strategies for making healthier choices.”

Setting the Tone

Your introduction sets the tone for the entire presentation. A way to do this is through a relevant story or anecdote that engages the audience. Suppose you’re talking about innovation; you might start with, “When I was a child, I was fascinated by how simple Legos could build complex structures, which is much like the innovation process.”

Explaining the Structure

Explain the structure of your presentation so that your audience can anticipate how you’ll transition from one section to the next. For instance, if your presentation includes an interactive portion, you might say, “I’ll begin with a 15-minute overview, followed by a hands-on demonstration, and we’ll wrap up with a Q&A session, where you can ask any questions.”

Practice and Preparation

Before you step onto the stage, it’s important that your preparation includes not just content research, but also rigorous practice and strategy for dealing with nerves. This approach ensures you present with confidence and clarity.

Rehearsing the Opening

Practicing your introduction aloud gives you the opportunity to refine your opening remarks. You might start by greeting the audience and sharing an interesting quote or a surprising statistic related to your topic. For example, if your presentation is about the importance of renewable energy, you could begin with a recent statistic about the growth in solar energy adoption. Record yourself and listen to the playback, focusing on your tone, pace, and clarity.

Memorizing Key Points

While you don’t need to memorize your entire presentation word for word, you should know the key points by heart. This includes main arguments, data, and any conclusions you’ll be drawing. You can use techniques such as mnemonics or the method of loci, which means associating each key point with a specific location in your mind, to help remember these details. Having them at your fingertips will make you feel more prepared and confident.

Managing Presentation Jitters

Feeling nervous before a presentation is natural, but you can manage these jitters with a few techniques. Practice deep breathing exercises or mindful meditation to calm your mind before going on stage. You can also perform a mock presentation to a group of friends or colleagues to simulate the experience and receive feedback. This will not only help you get used to speaking in front of others but also in adjusting your material based on their reactions.

Engagement Strategies

Starting a presentation on the right foot often depends on how engaged your audience is. Using certain strategies, you can grab their attention early and maintain their interest throughout your talk:

1. Encouraging Audience Participation

Opening your presentation with a question to your audience is a great way to encourage participation. This invites them to think actively about the subject matter. For instance, you might ask, “By a show of hands, how many of you have experienced…?” Additionally, integrating interactive elements like quick polls or requesting volunteers for a demonstration can make the experience more dynamic and memorable.

Using direct questions throughout your presentation ensures the audience stays alert, as they might be called upon to share their views. For example, after covering a key point, you might engage your audience with, “Does anyone have an experience to share related to this?”

2. Utilizing Pacing and Pauses

Mastering the pace of your speech helps keep your presentation lively. Quickening the pace when discussing exciting developments or slowing down when explaining complex ideas can help maintain interest. For example, when introducing a new concept, slow your pace to allow the audience to absorb the information.

Pauses are equally powerful. A well-timed pause after a key point gives the audience a moment to ponder the significance of what you’ve just said. It might feel like this: “The results of this study were groundbreaking. (pause) They completely shifted our understanding of…”. Pauses also give you a moment to collect your thoughts, adding to your overall composure and control of the room.

How should one introduce their group during a presentation?

You might say something like, “Let me introduce my amazing team: Alex, our researcher, Jamie, our designer, and Sam, the developer. Together, we’ve spent the last few months creating something truly special for you.”

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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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Who won Oscars for 2024? See the full list of Academy Award winners

By Jordan Freiman

Updated on: March 11, 2024 / 9:09 AM EDT / CBS News

"Oppenheimer" won big at the 2024 Oscars , coming in with 13 nominations and earning awards in major categories such as best director, best actor and best picture .

"Barbie," the other half of the dual box-office Barbenheimer sensation , earned eight nominations, but only got one win Sunday night for best song. 

Other big winners at the 96th Academy Awards were "Poor Things" — which won awards for hair and makeup, production design and costume design — and Cillian Murphy, who won best actor , continuing his winning streak after taking home comparable awards at the 2024 Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards for the title role in "Oppenheimer."

Emma Stone, in what some consider an upset win, took home best actress for her role in "Poor Things," beating out Lily Gladstone , who became the first Native American to be nominated for best actress for her role as Mollie Burkhart in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon."

This year's ceremony took place at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and featured its share of both hilarious and touching moments . Comedian and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel returned to host the Oscars for the second year in a row and his fourth time overall. 

The full list of this year's Oscar winners and nominees is below.

Who won the most Oscars for 2024?

"Oppenheimer" won the most Oscars at the 96th Academy Awards with seven, including some of the most coveted awards — best picture and best director. Robert Downey Jr. and Cillian Murphy won best supporting actor and best actor for their roles in the film, while the movie also took home awards for cinematography, editing and score.

Best picture

• "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• "American Fiction"
• "Anatomy of a Fall"
• "The Holdovers"
• "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• "Past Lives"
• "Poor Things"
• "The Zone of Interest"

Best supporting actress

• Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers" — Winner
• Emily Blunt, "Oppenheimer"
• Danielle Brooks, "The Color Purple"
• America Ferrera, "Barbie"
• Jodie Foster, "Nyad"

Best animated short film

• "War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko" — Winner
• "Letter to a Pig"
• "Ninety-Five Senses"
• "Our Uniform"
• "Pachyderm"

Best animated feature film

• "The Boy and the Heron" — Winner
• "Elemental"
• "Robot Dreams"
• "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse"

Best original screenplay

• "Anatomy of a Fall" — Winner
• "May December"

Best adapted screenplay

• "American Fiction" — Winner
• "Oppenheimer"

Best makeup and hairstyling

• "Poor Things" — Winner
• "Society of the Snow"

Best production design

Best costume design, best international feature film.

• "The Zone of Interest," United Kingdom — Winner
• "Io Capitano," Italy
• "Perfect Days," Japan
• "Society of the Snow," Spain
• "The Teachers' Lounge," Germany

Best supporting actor

• Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• Sterling K. Brown, "American Fiction"
• Robert De Niro, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Ryan Gosling, "Barbie"
• Mark Ruffalo, "Poor Things"

Best visual effects

• "Godzilla Minus One" — Winner
• "The Creator"
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3"
• "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One"

Best film editing

Best documentary short film.

• "The Last Repair Shop" — Winner
• "The ABCs of Book Banning"
• "The Barber of Little Rock"
• "Island in Between"
• "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó"

Best documentary feature film

• "20 Days in Mariupol" — Winner
• "Bobi Wine: The People's President"
• "The Eternal Memory"
• "Four Daughters"
• "To Kill a Tiger"

Best cinematography

Best live action short film.

• "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar" — Winner
• "The After"
• "Invincible"
• "Knight of Fortune"
• "Red, White and Blue"
• "The Zone of Interest" — Winner

Best original score

• "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"

Best original song

• "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie" — Winner
• "It Never Went Away" from "American Symphony"
• "I'm Just Ken" from "Barbie"
• "The Fire Inside" from "Flamin' Hot"
• "Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)" from "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• Bradley Cooper, "Maestro"
• Colman Domingo, "Rustin"
• Paul Giamatti, "The Holdovers"
• Jeffrey Wright, "American Fiction"

Best director

• Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer" — Winner
• Jonathan Glazer, "The Zone of Interest"
• Yorgos Lanthimos, "Poor Things"
• Martin Scorsese, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Justine Triet, "Anatomy of a Fall"

Best actress

• Emma Stone, "Poor Things" — Winner
• Annette Bening, "Nyad"
• Lily Gladstone, "Killers of the Flower Moon"
• Sandra Hüller, "Anatomy of a Fall"
• Carey Mulligan, "Maestro"

Full list of Oscars 2024 winners

• Best picture: "Oppenheimer"
• Best director: Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
• Best actress: Emma Stone, "Poor Things."
• Best actor: Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
• Best supporting actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"
• Best supporting actor: Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer"
• Best original screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, "Anatomy of a Fall"
• Best adapted screenplay: Cord Jefferson, "American Fiction"
• Best animated feature: "The Boy and the Heron"
• Best animated short: "War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John Lennon and Yoko Ono"
• Best international feature: "The Zone of Interest" (United Kingdom)
• Best documentary feature: "20 Days in Mariupol"
• Best documentary short: "The Last Repair Shop"
• Best live action short: "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar"
• Best score: Ludwig Göransson, "Oppenheimer" 
• Best original song: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell, "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie"
• Best sound: Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, "The Zone of Interest"
• Best production design: James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek, "Poor Things"
• Best cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, "Oppenheimer"
• Best makeup and hairstyling: Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, "Poor Things"
• Best costume design: Holly Waddington, "Poor Things"
• Best editing: Jennifer Lame, "Oppenheimer"
• Best visual effects: Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima, "Godzilla Minus One" 
• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
• Academy Awards

Jordan Freiman is an editor and writer for CBSNews.com. He covers breaking news, trending stories, sports and crime. Jordan has previously worked at Spin and Death and Taxes.

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The Best, Worst, and Most Memorable Moments of the 2024 Oscars

B eginning an hour earlier than usual, at 7 p.m. ET, the 96th Academy Awards kicked off with an opening monologue from four-time host Jimmy Kimmel that set the tone for the evening ahead: celebratory, politely humorous, and glam as usual. The show took off from there, with The Holdovers ' Da'Vine Joy Randolph securing the first win of the night for Best Supporting Actress.

With 13 nominations, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer went into the night with the potential to break the record of 11 wins by a single film held by 1959's Ben Hur , 1997's Titanic , and 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King . But after losing out on Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay (which went to American Fiction ) early on, its chances of even tying the record dropped significantly. It still ended the night with an impressive seven awards, including the last prize of the night, Best Picture.

The night was filled with feel-good moments, from an appearance by Anatomy of a Fall 's canine star Messi to Randolph's emotional acceptance speech (accompanied by a cutaway to her co-star Paul Giamatti weeping with joy ). There was also a completely nude John Cena and a Kentastic Ryan Gosling performance.

Here were the best and worst moments of the 2024 Oscars.

Most Acceptable Opening Monologue

After acknowledging that the show was already running five minutes behind, Kimmel wasted no time diving into his lineup of prepared jokes. He began by calling out the controversy surrounding Greta Gerwig's perceived Best Director snub. "Thanks to Greta Gerwig, who many believe deserved to be nominated for Best Director tonight," he said as many in the room applauded. "Hold on a second. I know you’re clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her, by the way."

He then launched into roasting a number of the night's biggest attendees, including Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper, and Christopher Nolan. On X, the general buzz surrounding Kimmel's monologue was that it was somewhat "annoying."

But he struck a chord by praising the IATSE members who refused to cross the picket lines during last year's SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. "We were able to make the deals because of the people who rallied beside us," he said.

jimmy kimmel is really the most non-choice you could make for a host. like yeah sure. throw that one guy up there again i guess. — carey (@brokebackstan) March 10, 2024

Most Heartfelt Speech  

After being introduced by Lupita Nyong’o, an emotional Da’Vine Joy Randolph took the stage to claim the first trophy of the night for Best Supporting Actress for her powerful breakout performance in The Holdovers . The win marked Randolph’s first Oscar, and prompted a teary speech about how far she had come and how hard she had worked to get there.

Randolph gave particular thanks to one of her drama teachers, Ron Van Lue. "When I was the only Black girl in that class. When you saw me and you told me I was enough, and when I told you, ‘I don’t see myself.’ You said, ‘That’s fine. We’re going to forge our own path. You are going to lay a trail for yourself,’” she said.

Best Music Supervision for an Award

When Anatomy of a Fall secured an early win for Best Original Screenplay, director and co-writer Justine Triet's walk to the stage to accept the award was accompanied by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band's now-infamous cover of 50 Cent's P.I.M.P , which plays a major role in the movie. Talk about a needle drop.

Are they playing PIMP by 50 Cent ?! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/6Rp5CTYN87 — Avatar Virgo!! (@PhorwardMotion_) March 10, 2024

Best Tradition Revived

For the first time since 2009, five past acting winners presented the award in their respective categories for Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, and Best Actor. The revival brought luminaries like Jamie Lee Curtis, Lupita N'yongo, Christoph Waltz, and Mahershala Ali to the stage, and added a sentimental and personal touch to the night's proceedings.

Most Passionate Plea

While accepting the Oscar for Best International Film, Zone of Interest filmmaker Jonathan Glazer drew connections between his movie—which centers on the family of a German commandant living in luxury right next door to the atrocities he's overseeing at the Auschwitz concentration camp—to Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

Jonathan Glazer’s acceptance speech for Best International Film for ‘THE ZONE OF INTEREST’ at the #Oscars pic.twitter.com/XNsMv0HDib — Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) March 11, 2024

"Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst," he said. "Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people."

Read more: The Zone of Interest Oscar Winner Jonathan Glazer Said What No One Else Dared to Say

Other Most Passionate Plea

Stating that he might be the first person on the Oscars stage to ever say, “I wish I’d never made this film,” 20 Days in Mariupol director Mstyslav Chernov gave an impassioned speech about the war in Ukraine. 

“I wish I could exchange this for Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities,” he said while accepting the award for Best Documentary Feature Film. “I cannot change history. I cannot change the past. But all together—among you, some of the most talented people in the world—we can make sure the record is set straight, and the truth will prevail…Cinema forms memories, and memories form history.”

Most Kenergy

One of the greatest musical numbers ever performed at the #Oscars #RyanGosling #ImJustKen #Barbie pic.twitter.com/RRImQCc0yH — Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) March 11, 2024

Ryan Gosling delivered a much anticipated performance of “I’m Just Ken” that saw the actor, adorned a glittering pink suit, belting out his hit song from Barbie alongside the song's co-writer Mark Ronson, with his fellow Ken co-stars dancing around him. Gosling didn’t hold back—and the high-energy act brought the house down.

Most Genuinely Shocked Winner

After hearing Michelle Yeoh announce her name as the winner of the Oscar for Best Actress, Emma Stone appeared to be totally stunned. The Poor Things star took to the stage to accept the award for her acclaimed leading role as Bella Baxter, and seemed to be a bit flustered as she delivered a speech in which she credited all her fellow nominees.

Read more: Emma Stone’s Best Actress Oscar Win Brings Mixed Feelings About Lily Gladstone’s Loss

Stone’s win may have come as a surprise to some, as Lily Gladstone had emerged as a favorite in the category for her performance in Killers of the Flower Moon . Gladstone also would have been the first Native American actress to win the award.

Most Bizarre Award Presentation

While presenting the final award of the night, the legendary Al Pacino gave a brief, somewhat chaotic spiel about the category of Best Picture before declaring the winner with little to no preamble. Although clips from the nominated films had played throughout the night, Pacino declined to remind viewers about which 10 movies were in contention.

“Best Picture…uh, I have to go to the envelope for that, “ he said while unsealing the card. “And I will. Here it comes. And my eyes see Oppenheimer ?”

Al Pacino should have given out every award tonight. — Sean Fennessey (@SeanFennessey) March 11, 2024

Indeed, Oppenheimer's producers provided fitting closure to a night on which the movie dominated, ending its long run of box office and critical success since premiering back in July.

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Oscars 2024: Oppenheimer takes best film as Al Pacino makes slip-up

It was a night of steady wins, but not a lot of surprises, with Oppenheimer taking many of the big prizes of the night including best picture.

Arts and entertainment reporter @BethanyMinelle

Monday 11 March 2024 06:54, UK

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Oppenheimer has swept this year's Oscars, winning seven gongs, including best actor, best director and best picture.

The top prize of the night was presented by The Godfather star Al Pacino - who seemed to jump the gun by announcing the winner before listing the nominees.

The movie had been widely expected to rule the night, and didn't disappoint, possibly leading the 83-year-old actor to speed up the whole announcement process, peeping into the envelope and declaring "I see Oppenheimer".

While not in the league of the great La La Land / Moonlight mix up of 2017 (when Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty announced that La La Land had taken best picture when in fact it was Moonlight), it certainly added a final frisson to the evening, even allowing it to wrap a few minutes early, rather than running late which is somewhat of an Academy Award tradition.

Read more on the Oscars: Kenergy, nudity, and Al Pacino: The Oscars best bits The full list of winning films and stars

Director Christopher Nolan - one of Britain's most commercially successful filmmakers - won his first Oscar for his three-hour epic about J Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.

He thanked his wife and producer of the film, Emma Thomas, along with its lead actor Cillian Murphy , adding, "Thank you for those who have been there for me and believed in me my whole career."

All four of the acting prizes were presented in a new way - by five former winners of each prize.

Best actor, which was presented by stars including Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage and Brendan Fraser, was won by Oppenheimer star Murphy, who called himself "a very proud Irishman" and dedicated his prize "to the peacemakers everywhere".

The 47-year-old star kissed his wife before heading to the stage, where Murphy told producers Nolan and Emma Thomas that making the film had "been the wildest, most creatively satisfying journey".

He ended his speech by speaking in Irish, saying "Go Raibh Maith Agat" which means thank you.

Best actress - presented by performers including Charlize Theron, Sally Field, Jessica Lange and Jennifer Lawrence - went to Emma Stone for her performance as Bella Baxter in Poor Things.

'I love you bigger than the whole sky'

Announcing breathlessly as she entered the stage, "My dress is broken... I think it happened during I'm Just Ken!" Stone said the win felt "overwhelming".

She said she had been previously "panicking" about "something like this happening," but was advised by the film's director Yorgos Lanthimos to "take herself out of it".

She also paid tribute to her daughter Louise Jean, who she said would be three years old in a few days, saying she loved her "bigger than the whole sky".

The first prize of the night went to Da'vine Joy Randolph, who won best supporting actress - a win that had been widely considered to be locked in thanks to Randolph's earlier wins across the awards season.

It was presented by actresses including Jamie Lee Curtis, Lupita Nyong'o, Rita Monero and Regina King.

'I just needed to be myself'

Nyong'o was tasked with summing up Randolph's performance in The Holdovers, revealing that she wore her grandmother's glasses in the film and saying: "What an honour to see the world through your eyes and hers," which drew a tear from the actress in the audience.

Accepting her prize, Randolph said: "God is so good. I didn't think I was supposed to do this as a career."

She went on: "For so long I thought I needed to be different, and I've realised I just needed to be myself."

She also talked about "being the only black girl in the class," and being forced to forge her own path, before giving a shout out to her publicist as one in a million - but forgetting to mention their name.

The best supporting actor prize was given out by actors including Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell and Mahershala Ali.

Marking the first prize of the night for Oppenheimer, the gong went to Robert Downey Jr who joked: "I'd like to thank my terrible childhood and the Academy, in that order."

'I was snarling... Now I'm here'

He went on to pay tribute to his wife, Susan Downey, saying: "I'd like to thank my veterinarian, I mean my wife, she found me a snarling rescue [pet and] you loved me back to life. That is why I'm here." He also gave a shout out to his lawyer and stylist too.

On a more serious note, the first time Oscar-winner said: "What we do is meaningful, and the stuff we decide to make is important".

It's been quite the year for the 58-year-old star, who's had a clean sweep of wins this award season, having previously won at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and Critics' Choice awards.

Achievement in cinematography, which was presented by singer and actress Zendaya, also went to Oppenheimer.

A bit of nudity to enliven the night

Poor Things took four prizes in total, as well as best actress for Stone, it took three on the trot earlier in the night - best production design, best make-up and hairstyling and best costume design.

In a night with plenty of comedy moments, the costume prize was announced with a skit referencing the 1974 Oscars which infamously saw a naked streaker run across the stage.

Wrestler John Cena was tasked with handing out the gong seemingly naked -except for the envelope containing the winner's name. He went on to be wrapped in a curtain before handing over the prize, to preserve his modesty.

Best original screenplay went to French film Anatomy Of A Fall, with director and co-writer Justine Triet joking that it would help her through her "mid-life crisis".

She said she and husband Arthur Harari came up with the idea for the film when they were stuck in the house during the pandemic and changing their children's nappies.

Best adapted screenplay went to American Fiction, a film about a Black author satirizing offensive tropes of Black entertainment in his book, and finding to his immense irritation that it's a hit with the publishers.

'Mr I-need-to-paint-my-abs-on'

Accepting the prize, writer and director Cord Jefferson thanked his collaborators on the film for "trusting a 40-year-old black guy who'd never directed anything before," and gave a shout out to the next generation of writer and directors out there striving to bring their work to the screen.

Actors Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt paired up to pay tribute to the stunt people in showbiz, with the pair enacting a mock-squabble which saw Gosling criticise Oppenheimer for "riding on the coat tails of Barbie all summer," and Blunt accuse Gosling of being "Mr I need to paint my abs on to get nominated". Their jokes were warmly received by the audience.

English film The Zone Of Interest, directed and written by Jonathan Glazer, took best international film.

'The Holocaust is being hijacked'

Referencing the themes of his unsettling holocaust drama, Glazer said: "Our film shows where dehumanization leads, at its worst."

He went on: "Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people.

"Whether the victims of October the seventh in Israel, or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims, this humanization, how do we resist?"

His comments drew a round of applause from the audience, and tears from his leading actress, Sandra Huller.

The visual effects prize - presented by odd couple Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, the stars of comedy films Twins and Junior - went to Japanese epic Godzilla Minus One.

Created by Takashi Yamazaki - who also oversaw the visual effects - it was a seeming underdog in the category thanks to its small team (35-people) and comparatively small budget ($12m which is £9.3m). They brought two mini-reptilian monsters on stage to accept their prize.

Schwarzenegger and DeVito also gave out the best editing prize, which went to Oppenheimer.

The Boy And The Heron, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, took best animated feature film.

Best live action short film went to The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar, directed by Wes Anderson.

A project inspired by the music of John and Ono Lennon - War Is Over! - took best animated short film, with Lennon's son Sean who was an executive producer on the show part of the team accepting the prize.

Stepping up to the microphone, Sean said: "My mother turned 91 today, and it's Mother's Day today in the UK, so could everyone just say 'Happy Mother's Day Yoko'".

'I will be the first director to say I wish I never made this film'

Best documentary short film went to The Last Repair Shop, a film celebrating music education in public schools across America.

Best documentary feature went to 20 Days in Mariupol, which harrowingly documents the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Accepting the prize, the film's director Mstyslav Chernov spoke movingly, saying: "This is the first Oscar in Ukrainian history. And I'm honoured. Probably I will be the first director on this stage to say I wish I'd never made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this [for] Russia never attacking Ukraine."

During the night, many ceremony attendees wore red lapel pins from Artists4Ceasefire, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Outside of the ceremony around 300-500 pro-Palestinian protesters made their way down Sunset Boulevard shouting "ceasefire now" and "free Palestine" ahead of the show.

The In Memoriam section of the night - which included a tribute to Friends star Matthew Perry - was accompanied by a rendition of Time To Say goodbye by opera singer Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo.

There were live performances on the night from all five nominated acts in the best song category - Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas got a standing ovation after singing What Was I Made For, the first performance of the evening.

There were also performances from Becky G, singing Diane Warren's The Fire Inside, from Flamin' Hot, Jon Batiste singing It Never Went Away from American Symphony, and Scott George's Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) from Killers Of The Flower Moon.

But the performance of the night was from Barbie star Ryan Gosling , who sang power ballad I'm Just Ken with backing dancers including co-stars Ncuti Gatwa , Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir, plus accompanying giant Barbie cardboard cutout heads, Mark Ronson, and a surprise cameo from Guns And Roses guitarist Slash.

Bringing the Kenergy to the Oscars

Starting out his performance from his seat in the audience, Gosling paraded onto the stage, dressed in a hot pink suit, matching gloves and absolutely nailed his performance to the delight of the audience.

After all the renditions, the original score was presented by Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and going to Oppenheimer.

Grande and Erivo followed up with another musical award, best original song, which went to Billie Eillish for What Was I Made For. It was he only win of the night for Barbie, which despite ruling in the battle of the box office (taking $1.4bn, which is £1.1bn in global ticket sales), has had limited success across awards season.

Accepting her second Oscar aged just 22, a flustered looking Eilish said: "I had a nightmare about this last night!" before thanking the film's director Greta Gerwig.

Her brother Finneas thanked the film's lead star - Margot Robbie - who wore black to today's ceremony rather than the pink hues she's adopted at most events so far, which some fans saw as a visual protest at her failure to be nominated in the best actress category despite the movie's success.

Eilish wrapped up the speech by thanking her "best friend Zoe, for playing Barbie's with me when I was little".

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