how to make your speech not boring

Ace the Presentation

BORING SPEECH? Fix These 7 Mistakes on Your Presentations

A Boring Speech is when the Speaker technically fails to address a Clear and objective message during his presentation, making the audience lose interest in what is being said or presented, specifically when the main message does not captivate them.

These seven mistakes can take away your credibility as a speaker and make your presentation a boring one; 

• Not Being Prepared

Not knowing your Audience

Not Having Clear Points

Overdependence on Visuals

Don’t Push Your Presentation

Monotonous Tone and Poor Speech Reading Skills 

Don’t Turn your back to the Audience

Highly Recommended Article:

15 Ideas to Make a Speech Unique, Memorable, and Inspiring

Not Being Prepared  

We are talking about something as naive as not preparing your presentation. Some speakers prepare themselves some minutes before the presentation; they arrive 20 or 30 minutes before, take a notepad and prepare what they are going to say to the audience. 

Yes, some people are good at this, like going to the stage and do a Decent Presentation. But what if they get prepared a little bit more?

Inexperienced speakers do not give themselves time for quick research to determine who will attend their Presentation. Why does it matter? Knowing your audience allows you to know how to address them and what kind of language to use, and it gives you more confidence in what you are going to tell them.

If you know nothing about the audience, you are on a fast lane to get them to fall asleep or tune in to their phones for the rest of your presentation. 

  In short:  You may have the BEST speech or presentation in the World, but if it’s not relevant or if it doesn’t mean anything to the audience, it’s not going to affect them. So, Know your audience.

We live in a time where people are always in a rush, and being honest here, if you speak for more than 15 minutes without being clear, concise, and straightforward, the audience WILL get bored.

 At the very beginning of your presentation, please clarify what you’re going to tell them, then explain point by point but do not lose your focus, and try to repeat or summarise all that you have to say.

You probably already heard of or witnessed this one. Some speakers turn their backs to the audience and read entire slides without even making a brief. 

 A Good presentation is when you evoke the thirst within the audience that is watching or listening to learn more.  

Although some speeches or presentations last for 2 or 3 hours (yes, some presentations take that long) due to the nature of the message, complexity, or mode of delivery, being able to do so without READING the whole time is priceless for your audience.

Audiences are looking for authenticity, and it’s not something that you improvise; it comes from the preparation, and if you are not prepared, you will end up dragging things to appeal to your audience in some aspect.

What I mean by this is that the lack of preparation and compelling, relatable, and engaging content to share will force you to make the following mistakes:

• Adding nonexistent facts or experiences to build credibility or interest
• Overdramatizing parts of your presentation forcibly.
• , without having the talent to do so
• Making simple concepts harder to understand

Proper preparation, speech outline, rehearsing, and getting someone to keep time for your presentation will help you avoid these mistakes.

Some people can get nervous when it comes to reading some words on their slide or even to speak to the audience, some start to stutter, or their voices completely change, leading to using a monotonous voice reading the slides, or a trembling and low tone voice trying to speak up.

Most often, the audience can read your slides just fine. They came to listen or watch your speech or presentation because you will bring that TEXT to life with your memorable speech.

The First step to making your reading or speech more interesting is to own that stage, to speak loud enough, and manage your tone depending on the timing and message being delivered. 

When you’re speaking with a proper and audible tone in front of other people, you show confidence and build credibility with the audience. 

If you are delivering a manuscript speech, you should also know how to read the message in a way that doesn’t sound like a lullaby. Avoid looking 100% down or up (to where the text is); rehearse before so you can read while looking at the audience.

Here is where people go wrong when reading aloud: they don’t manage their breath.  They find themselves reading something and then being like, ” Oh, I need to push some air,” so they interrupt the flow of the Speech or Text just by taking a random breath. 

Train yourself to know where the commas, question marks, etc., are and when to stop so that you know where you can take your breath. As long as you’ve got enough breath to get to the end of the sentence, that will help everybody who is listening to understand you.

Turning your back to the audience is one of the worst body language mistakes you can make, and the reason is simple: you are disconnecting yourself from the audience.

 Often we find speakers or presenters that make poor space usage planning before the speech or fail to make one altogether. One example is one of those presentations where the presenter has to turn his/her back to the audience EVERY time they click to switch pages on the slides.

If you are going to use slides, be familiar with them first so that you can quickly click through them. Know which one comes after which one and exactly what words to click on when you tell a story. 

Additionally, use the little remotes/pointers and a wireless mouse to change slides without needing to go near the notebook keypad.

Please do not turn your back on the Audience unless it’s a choice, and you are trying to make a specific sensibility or feeling in the room; otherwise, face the audience.

Further Reading

https://www.acethepresentation.com/what-makes-a-great-presenter-9-key-qualities-to-look-for/

When Boring Speeches Strike. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/218069

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HUGH CULVER

Author, speaker, coach, three easy ways to turn a dull, boring, uninspiring speech into gold.

Updated to Business on December 14, 2022.

If you’ve ever bombed as a speaker, or suffered through a dull, boring speech, you know how bad it can be. It could be the longest 60 minutes of your life.

On the other hand, it doesn’t take much to improve a bad speech, even without changing the core content.

I coach speakers, mostly on their business strategies, and occasionally with their speech (watch for a big announcement next week for an all new speaker school.) When it comes to their speech, I see the same mistakes being repeated. I can’t do much about their knowledge or arguments, but with a few small changes even an inexperienced speaker can get an audience to lean in.

Here are my top three ways to turn a dull, boring, uninspiring speech in gold:

1. Start with a problem

All presentations need to start with a reason we should listen. Don’t bore us with Thank You’s, or by telling us how excited you are to be there (that’s all about you). Instead, impress us. Make a bold claim. Tell a great story, or build an argument with findings from your research. Here’s how I think about it.

Imagine your audience is watching you with a TV clicker in their hand. At any time they can change the channel. Your job is to stop that from happening. How? 

By proving you understand their pain. 

“When you show deep empathy toward others, their defensive energy goes down, and positive energy replaces it. That’s when you can get more creative in solving problems.” Stephen Covey

Before I step on stage I’ve talked multiple times with my client, interviewed delegates, researched the company, and spent hours reworking my content. I know a lot about their pain. (get an awesome speech writing template that will literally save you hours of grief in this post “ How to design a great speech “)

The first two minutes of my speech, whether I start with a story, or not, are always, always, always about a problem they want to go away. It’s pretty simple, if I have something they want, they are pretty likely to lean in.

2. Tell a story

We remember good stories. According to Uri Hasson from Princeton when we tell a story (albeit a good one) the mind of the listener becomes synchronized with ours. The event we are retelling that had an effect on our life can have the same effect on the audience.

It’s in our DNA to communicate with stories. Tell a bunch of facts or clever how-to’s, without stories and, well….

“For as long as you’ve got your audience’s attention, they are in your mind.”  Joshua Gowin, Ph.D

The trick is to tell a sticky story. A story about how you trained really hard and then ran you fastest 10km (6 mile) race is nice. It’s also forgettable. A story about self-doubt, quitting, and then running the race, despite your rocky start, has potential. My rule is the more the audience can relate to me, the more they will lean in. The more they lean in, the more impact my lessons will have long-term. And that, ultimately, is what I get paid for.

As you rehearse your stories a great question to ask is “If I was in the audience, would I care about that?” I often tell a funny story about a Porsche driver when teaching my Windows on the World model. Once I started to ask that question, I realized parts of my set up for the story were dragging it down. Nobody needs to know how long I’ve lived in my city, or what kind of Porsche it was. After some heavy cutting, the story was better.

3. Make them work

Years ago, my wife gave me this gem: if the speaker is doing all the work, something is wrong. In other words, even if you deliver the speech of your life, I guarantee you that the audience left the room at least a half dozen times during your hour on stage. Audiences need breaks, changes of energy, and to be involved. Tossing another joke out is good – making them work is better.

“If the speaker is doing all the work, something is wrong.”

Try this. Next time you are presenting, plan to change the energy at least every 15 to 20 minutes. It could be a simple dyad (two-person) conversation, or have them journal something from your lesson. If you’re feeling really brave, go for a game, group discussion, or standing exercise. (see my post “ How to deliver a great speech “)

Let me know, in the comments, what you are going to do so your speech is gold.

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10 tips for a killer presentation (that won’t bore your audience)

You need to give a presentation. And, ideally, you need to do so without boring your audience to tears. That can be more challenging than you think.

One study indicates that a whopping 91% of professionals admit to daydreaming during presentations. Even more cringe-worthy? 39% of people confess to actually falling asleep.

Other research shares that 41% of U.S. employees would rather do their taxes or visit the dentist than endure another slideshow. With that in mind, crafting an engaging presentation that grabs, and holds, the audience’s attention is a must.

Think it’s impossible? Here’s the good news: It’s not.

We’ve pulled together ten need-to-know tips for a presentation that won’t make your audience wish they were watching paint dry.

1. Start with a bang

A strong presentation starts with a strong opening. When we speak, we have 60 seconds on average to capture people’s attention – which means the beginning of your presentation carries some serious weight.

Skip the boilerplate “Today, I’m going to talk to you about…” and challenge yourself to think of something more creative. From a story to a demonstration, there are plenty more compelling ways to begin your presentation than simply stating the obvious.

Need some inspiration to get those creative juices flowing? Check out this opening from Toastmasters World Champion, Darren LaCroix . He hooks his audience right from the start:

Read more: How to choose the best format for your presentation

2. Make your visual aids visual

This seems obvious. But, it’s far too easy to fall into the trap of filling your presentation slides with heavy blocks of text.

Remember, the goal isn’t for the audience to read the information off of your slides. You want them focused on you and what you’re saying – then you can occasionally direct their attention to a visual that’s displayed on the screen when necessary.

Some of you may be thinking: “Oh, but I can use plenty of text as long as it’s well organized with bullet points.” That’s not necessarily the case. Take Steve Jobs, for example. He was an incredibly engaging presenter – yet he never used a single bullet point . Instead, he relied on displaying carefully chosen words and phrases with plenty of impactful imagery.

It’s a strategy worth replicating, particularly when you consider the  Picture Superiority Effect – which states we learn and retain information better when it’s presented in pictures.

When creating your presentation slides, keep Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule in mind:

• You should use no more than 10 slides
• Your slides should take no longer than 20 minutes to get through
• Your font size shouldn’t go below 30-point font

And, yes, we know we just used bullets ourselves. They have their time and place.

3. Involve your audience

One surefire way to engage your audience: Rather than speaking at them, involve them in your presentation.

People don’t have the option to sit back and halfheartedly listen to your content when you actively involve them in what’s happening through things like:

• Surveys and questions
• Smaller group discussions
• Demonstrations

There are plenty more ideas you can use to make your audience members a part of the action. Just check out this TED Talk from musician Bobby McFerrin , where he uses the audience to explain the pentatonic scale and how our brains are wired.

You likely won’t have your audience singing. But, the point remains the same: Involving your audience members is sure to hold their attention far better than just rambling on in front of them.

4. Keep it short

There’s a common theme that you’ve likely noticed with all TED Talks: They’re incredibly short.

When research states that people can only focus on one subject for a finite amount of time (typically right around 10 minutes at the very most), TED decided that they would keep their own presentations under 18 minutes.

No presenter – it doesn’t matter who – is allowed to go past that 18-minute mark.

We know that feels like almost no time at all. And, there will likely be instances when you need to fill a longer presentation slot. At those times? It’s even more important to use strategies to involve your audience and split your presentation into different parts – like an opening, a small group discussion, and then a closing.

That structure and frequent changing of gears can help to hold their attention longer.

5. Rehearse (but don’t over-rehearse)

Practice makes perfect. And, that’s true – you definitely don’t want to fly by the seat of your pants when giving an important presentation.

But heed this warning: You don’t want to over-rehearse either. That can make you appear far too stiff and formal, which will only lose the focus and engagement of your audience.

Don’t read from any notecards. Instead, move around the stage, show passion and enthusiasm, and look different audience members in the eye. That’s far more compelling than watching someone white-knuckle the sides of a podium.

Look to professor Randy Pausch’s presentation at Carnegie Mellon for an example. While there’s a podium onstage, he still moves around to make it feel as if he’s having a more casual conversation with his audience:

6. Be clear on your core message

You have limited speaking time, so make sure you can answer this question definitely: What’s the message you’re trying to get across? Perhaps you’re a famous author and you want to tell them your biggest secret to finishing a novel. Or maybe you’re a marketing executive who wants to explain your top three tips to reaching a target audience.

Whoever you are, create your entire presentation — every sentence, every story — around that core message. Each minute is valuable, so you don’t want to waste any time on irrelevant content. For each part of your presentation, ask yourself, “Does this help me clearly and effectively communicate my lesson? Does it add substance, or does it add fluff?”

Take this example from Heidi Heikenfeld . From the very start, you know that she’s going to speak about the gender gap among portfolio managers in the investment community. She talks about what this gender gap means, why we should challenge it, and ties in some of her personal experiences as one of the few women in this career space. Every moment relates back to the core message: There’s a gender gap in this industry, and we need to do something about it.

7. Avoid sounding monotone

Your thoughtfully crafted presentation won’t matter one bit if you don’t keep the audience engaged. And keeping them engaged is difficult if you speak in a flat, dull voice the entire time. You might as well be a white noise machine, lulling your listeners into a deep, dark sleep.

“People who speak in a monotone voice or with inappropriate expression in their voices are perceived as untrustworthy, boring, or even shifty,” says Susan Ward , a small business expert and owner of a consulting firm.

When you practice, don’t just focus on memorization. Practice infusing your words with passion for the topic. You should be as animated as you’d be if you were telling a good friend about the dream vacation you just went on.

Here, James Veitch tells a story about a conversation he had with someone who sent him spam mail. As he winds his way through different parts of the story (such as the scam artist sending him gold — how fun!), his voice varies in intensity and volume.

8. Structure it like a story

There’s a reason why storytelling is so powerful. Stories are based on a simple structure that allows people to see the message clearly.

Your entire presentation doesn’t need to be one story (though it can be). Instead, you could start with a personal anecdote that helps introduce the topic and the problem. Either way, the most important thing is that your presentation follows this simple story arc: beginning, middle, and end.

Graham Shaw , for instance, begins by asking the audience, “Who thinks they can draw?” Turns out, most people in attendance think they can’t, and Shaw wants to prove them wrong. So he spends the middle portion of his talk — the bulk of the time — doing so. He has them grab a pen and some paper (a great example of audience involvement) and walks them through drawing a few cartoons, step by step.

And voilà everyone successfully drew the images. Sure, they probably won’t be featured in an art museum any time soon, but that’s not the point. Shaw wraps it up with the real point: that our lack of belief in ourselves is getting in our own way.

9. Don’t be afraid to admit you’re nervous

“I’m going to start by saying… I’m nervous,” Tracee Ellis Ross — actor, director, Golden Globe winner, and more — says. Those are the first words out of her mouth as she gets up on stage at Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year Summit . “I’ve been writing this speech in between trying to live my life and do a job. And I care what I say, so bear with me.”

It may seem taboo to admit you’re nervous. Aren’t you supposed to fake it until you make it? , you might be thinking. I disagree. Yes, you should prepare — a lot. Yes, you should practice a decent amount. Yes, you want to avoid “um”-ing your way through it.

But this isn’t about that. This is about the fact that, despite how ready you are, despite how much you believe in your message, you still might be nervous. Ross admitting this doesn’t invalidate what she’s saying. It makes her more relatable to the audience. And in this instance, it’s especially powerful — sometimes it’s hard to relate to someone who’s been on TV and won a shiny golden statue in front of thousands of people.

Being honest, confessing that you’re human, too, helps break down that barrier between you and the audience, making it that much easier for your message to not only be heard, but positively received.

10. Tie everything together at the end

You’ve put a lot of time and effort into deciding on a strong core method and building your presentation around it. When you get to the end, it’s time to tie it all up in a bow.

Remind your listeners why they came to hear you speak today. Reference things you talked about and how they relate to the overall message. List the key takeaways and any possible calls to action; now that they’ve got all this great information, what should they do with it?

This is the last thing your audience will hear. It’s the last chance to drive home the point you were trying to make and keep it fresh in their minds even after you leave the stage.

In his speech about what contributes to company success, Bill Gross outlines five different factors, touching on each separately. At the end, he brings them all back together again and provides his insight on which factors he believes matter the most. This says to the audience, “Here are the five things we just mentioned, in case you forgot. And going forward, here are the ones I think you should prioritize.”

Ready to engage your audience? You’ve sat through your own fair share of boring presentations, and you’d rather not be one of them. Fortunately, you don’t have to be. Put these ten key tips to work, and you’re sure to educate and engage your entire audience – yes, even those typical back-row nappers.

Related articles

How To Rescue Your Boring Presentation with 7 Simple Fixes

1. You're talking too fast

2. there's too much on your slides.

• Feature only 1-3 lines of text.
• Make use of engaging visual imagery where possible.
• Include only the key takeaways for your audience. There's no point adding a lot of detail, because nobody will remember it!

3. Your content isn't useful to the audience

• Lack of preparation. No matter how great your expertise, it takes time and hard work to write a useful presentation. Your audience will know if you try to wing it.
• Not meeting the audience's needs. Your topic needs to help solve a problem your audience has. If your content isn't relevant, why should they listen?
• Not matching the audience's knowledge level. Different crowds have different levels of education and knowledge. If you go too high brow or dumb things down, you'll lose them.
• It's old news. If the audience feels they've heard it all before, they're bound to switch off.

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4. There's too much jargon

5. it's too long.

• Repeat the same information over and over.
• Labour a point the audience already understands.
• Go off on tangents that aren't useful.

6. It's dull and drab

• Humour and jokes, especially in the opening and conclusion of your presentation when the audience is most receptive.
• Multimedia content like pictures, video and slides, which can make things more dynamic and interesting.
• A personal touch, such as sharing your own relevant experiences and difficulties. The more personality and colour you put in, the better you can engage your audience.

7. The audience doesn't trust you

• Who you are.
• Your general level of education and professional experience, if helpful.
• What makes you an expert in the topic at hand.
• If you can make a good impression with your charm and humour, even better. But the most important thing is to show that you are worth listening to.

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7 Tips To Ensure Your Presentations Are Not Boring

We have all experienced a presentation that was boring and was slowly putting us to sleep. The speaker was so focused on their content and their script that they forgot that they were speaking to a live audience.

Have you ever been that speaker? Have you ever struggled to engage your audience and keep them awake and interested in what you are saying? If so, here are 7 tips that you can use to keep your audience engaged and reduce the risk of you being seen as a boring presenter.

• Don’t read from your script

Reading from a prepared script word for word is a sure fire way of putting your audience to sleep. Rather than read from your full script, do your preparation, know your content and either use a mind map, or a one-page outline or use a page with headings and bullet points to guide you through your presentation. This will help you achieve more of a conversational speaking style.

• Don’t read from your PowerPoint slides

We have all heard of death by PowerPoint where the speaker reads from their slides, word for word, as if it is their teleprompter. Reading from your PowerPoint slides just shows that you are under-prepared. Your PowerPoint slides should be more of a visual aid than just words and a script. Your PowerPoint should enhance what you are saying – not replace what you are saying.

• Involve the audience

Rather than just speak at the audience, or lecture to them, you should try and Involve the audience. Get them doing stuff and get them thinking. I use a little Model described to me by Matt Church. Use a cycle of;  TELL  –  SHOW – ASK  – SHARE . So tell your audience something, show them a visual ( slide, flip chart, prop) ask them to think about how that might apply to their situations, get them to share with the group or the person next to them.  If you run this cycle every 10 to 15 minutes within your presentation you will keep people engaged, thinking, and applying the information to their own personal circumstances.

4.  Be passionate and excited about your topic.

Passion is everything in a presentation. You need to show that you believe in what you are saying. You must be congruent with your message and you need to want to be before your audience. Passion is the best way to demonstrate that you believe in your message. Steve Jobs always said – “What makes your heart sing”.

• Use your stories to engage the audience

Tell a story that illustrates your point effectively and takes your audience on an emotional roller coaster and you will never be boring.  More and more literature is surfacing on the importance of storytelling in public speaking and the role it has in engaging your audience. There is that famous saying, “people will not remember much of what you have said, but they will remember how you made them feel”. So tell powerful, relevant and engaging stories, take your audience on an emotional journey and you will be remembered.

• Use appropriate and congruent body language

Simply put you need to “Walk the Talk”. Your body language and your non verbal’s speak louder than the words you say. One way to always lose me and put me to sleep is when a good message is not backed up with appropriate body language.

• Show the audience that you care about them

As a speaker if you clearly demonstrate that your presentation is about the audience, for the audience, designed to help the audience, then you are less likely to be seen as boring. The term we use in public speaking is WiiFM – “What’s In It For Me”? If you demonstrate a clear WiiFM then you will be engaging and keep your audiences attention.

The next time you undertake a public speaking assignment, what are you going to do to ensure you are not seen as boring and that you engage audience.

If you would like more information on this article there is a 30 minute webinar recording that expands on the content.

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Five Tips for the Most Boring Speech of All Times

If you listen to some of the speeches shown on TV or during public events, you could think there was a competition going on. Speakers seem to outdo one another with their worn out phrases and powerless performance styles. Beginners often feel intimidated by this. They get anxious their own speeches might never reach the high level of boredom that seems to be required in business and politics these days. But don’t worry! With these five tips you too can sweep your listeners off their feet like a pack of Valium.

Tip Number 1: Pick a Dull Opener

What is true in everyday interactions also applies in public speaking: You won’t get a second chance to make a first impression. This is why you have to bore your listeners stiff right from the start.

Some of you may now think: Well, I would love to give my speech an uninteresting opener. But I don’t have boring ideas. No problem! If you want your speech to start as stale as possible, all you need to do is to ask yourself one simple question: What do your listeners find interesting? Of course, they like things that are new, surprising and funny. All this, your speech opener must do without.

Instead speak about something that your audience already knows, for example the occasion. Many of the great masters of boring rhetoric know this all too well. That is why so many speeches start something like this: “Welcome everybody to the 60 th birthday celebration of Mr. Winterbottom. I am glad that so many of you could join us here today.” This way, you start your speech with probably the only piece of information that everyone in your audience already has.

Tip Number 2: Think Simply, Speak Intricately

In order to make sure that your audience can make little or no sense of what you are saying, you shouldn’t waste too much time on preparing your speech. You better just blabber without putting any previous thought into your words.

Many famous speakers were able to achieve great success with this technique. But only few have reached such great heights as the former US president George W. Bush. His famous technique consists of the many little tricks – also known as Bushisms – that you can study and easily integrate into your own public speaking style, like the clueless stutter, the overuse of filler words like or the frequent repetition of extremely unimportant details. If you practice Bush’s public speaking tricks thoroughly enough, maybe one day your speeches will get millions of clicks on Youtube as well.

Tipp 3: Focus on a Stiff Body Language and a Monotonous Tone of Voice

Speakers who plan to bore their listeners until they faint, can not only rely on a boring speech content. At least half of the effect of a boring speech comes from an inexpressive presentation. Don’t waste this potential!

A great example for a boring body language is Angela Merkel. Only the German chancellor manages to deliver even the most important of speeches as if she was reading a vision-test at her eye doctor’s office. Of course, it takes a lot of practice to present speeches as lifeless and dull as Merkel does. But with a few simple tricks even beginners can make quick progress.

A monotonous tone of voice can easily be achieved by reading your speech off the manuscript word by word. While doing this, you should never look up and avoid eye contact with your audience at all cost. Also, you should cling to the lectern like a drowning man to a log of wood. This way you avoid emphasizing any important statements with accidental gestures. If you practice these simple techniques you have good chances to join the elite club of the world’s most boring speakers.

Tip Number 4: Overwhelm your Audience with Numbers

Boring speakers do not intend to inspire their audience. Their aim is to bore their listeners out of their minds until even the very last one of them lethargically stares out the window. The most efficient way to achieve this is to overuse numbers. Make sure that each number in your speech has at least two digits after the decimal point. Also, each number should be compared in the same sentence with an equally difficult number. The use of incomprehensible technical terms from the world of economics can also be very helpful. However, it is not important that your audience understands your calculations.

Just tell them about the such and such comma such and such million dollars that your company has earned before tax in the last quarter, and why that is namely a currency adjusted minus of such and such comma, such and such per-cent compared to the same quarter the year before, but that over a five-year horizon this means a pleasant increase of such and such comma, such and such per cent.

This will make even your most interested listeners pull out their cell phones and secretly check emails.

Tip Number 5: The Longer, the Duller

Sometimes, despite all your troubles, even the most boring speech will still contain one or two interesting points. The best way to stop your listeners from noticing them is to give a very long speech. This will make even fascinating pieces of information seep away like drops of water in the desert. Therefore, when it comes to the length of your speech, you should not be satisfied too easily. With a little effort, even the longest speech can be extended by a few sentences.

At this point you may say to yourself: How long is long enough? Well, that is easy to tell. The answer lies in the reactions of the people in front of you.

It is a good sign if your listeners are yawning, but at this point, you are nowhere near success. Even if people look at their watches with an annoyed expressions on their faces, you shouldn’t stop speaking. Only when they start shaking their wrists to see whether their watches are still working, may you relax and slowly come to the end.

Conclusion: With the right techniques, you, too, can bore your audience like the famous speakers from business and politics. If you practice them for a little while, you will soon bore any audience to tears. Look forward to rolling eyes and slow clapping. You deserve it.

Do you need support preparing your next speech? Do you want to learn the craft of speech writing? Send me an email or call me on the phone (0049 30 288 679 84). I have many years of experience working as a professional speech writer. I can provide a hand-tailored solution for any of your speech writing challenges.

5 Fool-proof Ways To Turn A Boring Topic Into An Exciting Presentation

Hrideep barot.

• Presentation , Public Speaking

To build interest in a topic in an audience which is ready to bolt out the door the second they get a chance may seem like a daunting task but what we are missing out on is the numerous possibilities and opportunities it presents us!

What is a “Boring” Topic?

Lets get this myth out of the way immediately. A topic. Any topic, can never be boring. There are only two ways that it is may seem “boring” either:

• It hasn’t been presented in the right angle.
• It is being presented to the wrong audience.

These are the only two reasons I can think of for a topic being termed as “boring.”

Think about it: A person who has taken Biology their whole life, have studied it and are doing PhD. in that respective field would find only one subject boring? Maybe if taught in a different angle, it would be one of their favourites!

In Case of Wrong Audience: For an audience homogenously established as sports fanatics, a presentation on the etymology of the word: “word” would be nothing more than a waste of time. If your don’t get to choose your topic or audience, you can choose your style of presentation. Use sports references, create games, take the presentation out in the field. Keep reading to learn how to use these techniques effectively and more!

How to Start a Presentation Effectively

At the end of the day, it is all about grabbing the audience’s attention. How do we do that right at the beginning? There are various tricks and tips that we can use, some are listed below!

You could start with a thought provoking or rhetorical question, get the audience thinking and creating their own opinions about your topic before you even begin, this could get them invested and excited about your topic as they begin to compare your presentation to their thoughts and point of view.

Here are a few other ways you can start a presentation:

• Short Story
• Audio / Video / Visual Screening – grab move their attention towards the stage.
• State a shocking or thought provoking fact
• Use powerful quotes
• Small talk – short greeting and expect a reaction from the audience viz.,. nods, gestures, verbal confirmations.

If you are looking to learn more about how to start your killer presentation with the perfect entry, you can check out our video on the same!

How to Make an Exciting Presentation

We are now following the above mentioned assumption that there is no Boring Topic.

Now that, that is out of the way, lets get to checking out the techniques to find the right angle and / or topic for your next killer presentation!

1. Establish a Theme

One major reason we tend to feel bored about a topic is because it becomes repetitive.

Once a speaker establishes a Theme – For example: Hard Work, there seems to be a lot of circling back to it and you may not realise until you hear the first snore that it is becoming a bit to repetitive.

While establishing a theme and sticking through it gives the audience a sort of connecting touch-point to your whole speech lets try to not be completely on the face about it.

1.1. Show Don’t Tell

Some of your might have heard of this technique.

Show, don’t tell is a writing technique used to guide writers to help show the readers an emotion and create an opportunity for them to empathise with the character instead of simply telling the emotion the character is feeling.

This creates a form of connection between the reader and the character and that keeps them hooked onto the story.

This is a great technique which can be used in presentations to avoid repetitiveness.

Once you’ve established a theme with the audience (our current example being: Hard work), all you need to do is show how hard work pays off.

You can do it with anecdotes, a story or just examples throughout your presentation showing the positivity that hard work brings into ones life.

Remember, since we are showing the audience what if feels like to work hard, our main goal is to avoid the word “hard work” and wield our examples, and other additions to our presentations as weapons to get the message across.

Pro Tip: Sometimes while we begin explaining things we tend to exaggerate way more than necessary and this makes our sentence too complicated to understand or follow. For Example: 1. The statue felt rough, its aged façade caked with dust and grime as I weighed it in my hand, observing its jagged curves and Fanta-coloured hue. 2. It was heavier than it looked. Some of the orange façade crumbled in my hand as I picked it up. The second sentence makes it easier to follow and gets the message across quickly – It was heavy and old.

1.2. How to Establish a Theme?

While we’ve spoken a lot on what to do after establishing a theme, lets give some time to figuring out how to establish a theme in the first place!

1. Through the Title

A great way to be clear about your theme and avoid any confusion is title your presentation in a very direct sense.

For Example: Hard Work Pays Off And Why

This gives away the theme clearly to the audience and they know what you mean whenever you try to make metaphorical jokes! Bye Bye Blank Stares!

2. In the End

Another option would be give out your theme in the end.

One perk with this is that you could build suspense try to keep the audience guessing until the very end, and once you mention the theme, everything else about your presentation suddenly clicks and the audience suddenly sees your whole presentation in a new, more relevant angle.

Or you can direct your presentation to well rounded off moral that the audience kind of sees coming and is proud when they guess correctly.

Either way, it is a win-win!

2. Storytelling

Storytelling is a great and sure – fire way to get your presentation the applause it deserves!

Storytelling is the technique which speakers use to liven up their speeches / presentations while using other public speaking techniques to add to the flare.

Storytelling could be extremely effective if your topic is one which can be turned into a moral or has a strong take home value.

There are various tools like voice modulation and tonality, body language and expressions, stage usage and so many others that play a major role in the effective delivery of a story.

Check out our video on Storytelling to get a fair idea about the same!

3. Build your Presentation Skills.

An exciting presentation needs to be structured well and appropriately organised. Lets figure out how to make a solid presentation.

3.1. How to make a good presentation?

First things, first, you need to figure out the structure of your presentation. If you have your speech ready, you can use that as an outline or work on the topics you want to cover and try to make them as systematic and chronological as possible.

Your presentation needs to be formal, yet fun, simple, yet colourful and there might be many other conditions set for an effective presentation, we are not here to remind you of that nightmare, we’re here to help. 🙂

The easiest way through this is to pick out 3-4 colours that complement each other, make sure they are soft and not extremely bright.

If you find that a template would be easier, there are multiple sites that provide you with templates for various types of presentations. Here are some popular ones:

• Slides Carnival

Once you have your colours ready you can add infographics, (templates usually have a slide dedicated to them, so do multiple sites.)

A good presentation should be both engaging and at the same time self-explanatory. Self – explanatory presentations are a great asset, because if for any reason someone needs your presentation for reference, it would be easy to understand.

Another cool feature in presentations are flow charts and other infographics. Infographics are a great tool when you need to keep things concise and to the point. You can also add avatars and other animations in your presentation if you are going to be engaging a younger crowd or will be presenting in a more informal set up.

Check out our article to work on your presentation skills!: 5 Presentation Tools To Use With Multimedia Presentations

Apart from your presentation making skills there are a few others things you should focus on while presenting.

3.2. How do I present?

Once you have your presentation ready, lets get working on your delivery.

Some accessories which I find really cool is a laser pointer and a remote to switch slides. If the organising committee is providing them, JUMP ON THAT OPPORTUNITY, or if you find them as cool as I do, you can always invest in one!

Know that all the points in your presentation while self-explanatory are still just points and the audience is relying on you to elaborate on them. Those points are only there for your reference.

DO NOT READ FROM THE SLIDE. I can’t stress on this enough, while you’re trying to make a topic interesting, it is not going to help if you simply turn your back on the audience and begin reading from the slides.

Check out this video to help you understand and work on your presentation skills:

4. Explain with Examples

Examples are an extremely important tool. They help build a connection with the topic and at the same time help us remember.

For Example:

Without Example: Companies need to be held responsible for their actions and accountable of the effect it has on its customers.

With Example: Companies need to be held responsible for their actions and accountable of the effect it has on its customers. Let’s take the McDonald’s Coffee Case. For the ones who don’t know, McDonald’s keep their coffee at an extremely high temperature to make sure they don’t go cold before someone has ordered it. The temperature is so high that a woman suffered 3rd Degree burns and was hospitalised. This is how we know that McDonald’s coffee isn’t just hot, it is unsafe to consume hot. Do you think they should be held accountable for the burns that woman faced?

Taking an example which is easy to relate to and understand helps the audience follow where you are leading them.

The sentence in itself was complete, and would’ve have been okay, but adding an example of coffee – something everyone knows about and a company that is well known piques their interest because who doesn’t love controversies and very “in the news” cases like this one?

(Bonus points if someone in the audience knows this case – this will make them more interested because it is something they already know something about and want to listen to know how that case relates to the topic.)

Apart from getting people excited and interested about your topic, you can also build engagement by asking their opinion about the example / situation.

This brings out different perspectives and opinions and keeps them interested in your presentation.

Taking breaks during presentation could be a welcome change and give you and your audience a chance to freshen up and organise thoughts.

Now hold on. I don’t mean getting up, grabbing a cup of coffee, few finger sized sandwiches and coming back. Not only would this break your flow but also affect your audience’s attention span.

Breaks could be anything from a recap, Q&A session, games and so much more, keeping you in the spotlight and focus while engaging the audience.

Take a few minutes to recap what you have said so far goes a long way when trying to deliver a technical topic. It helps you catch a breath, and mentally form a path in your head to line up the next topics.

You can even create a specific slide at intervals that show the topics covered so far!

5.2. Q&A

Having a Question and Answer session at intervals benefits both you and the audience.

They don’t have to wait until the end of your presentation and maybe forget the questions they might’ve had and you don’t need to go back all the way to that one point when a question is asked. You can time the questions so that they don’t cut into your speaking time much.

You can also fuse recaps with Q&A sessions to make sure no one gets left behind.

Showing this inclusivity might help encourage your audience to pay attention and gives a chance to those who got lost to catch up and refocus their energy!

Everyone loves games! Especially if you are in a room with a presentation going on, you could always use a break from the monotony.

Games could be quick exercises like worksheets or puzzles in their workbooks or quick quizzes to randomly jolt up the energy of the room.

I personally like maintaining a running joke and add it in intervals just to help the audience remember and come back to the present after their stroll through day-dreamland.

Examples of Games that can be played during a presentation

1. jigsaw puzzles.

This is a great idea for both virtual and offline set-ups.

If you want your audience to remember a particular image or topic, you can create a jigsaw puzzle (various sites help you with that) and simply take a break while they try to solve it.

You can create it into a competition just to liven things up!

For Example: You want to show the impact a brand has in our lives, you can take an image / logo of a well known brand (make sure it is popular among the audience’s demographic) and create a jigsaw puzzle!

A quick an easy way to make your audience remember a concept and increase their engagement.

Lets say your topic is fruits.

You can ask an audience member to choose a fruit, eg: Watermelon. The next one now needs to say the previous fruit and add their own new fruit. eg: Watermelon, Apple.

Pro Tip: To keep things interesting, you can pick people at random to make sure everyone is alert and you don’t make any section of the audience feel left out!

3. Crosswords / Find the Words

These types of games are a hit among juniors and seniors alike!

You can create your own crosswords or find the words games with various sites online and share a link on your virtual platform or print them out and send it across to the audience seated in front of you!

For Example: You are presenting the topic: Mental Health Crosswords: You can ask questions on various topics you have covered so far. Find the Words: You can mention words like Kindness, Me Time, Positivity, Calm, Zen, Anxious, Annoyed, Bored, etc., and ask them to circle the ones they find and relate to. To keep things active, you can make it a competition if your topic isn’t a sensitive one like Mental Health, where everyone needs their own space and time.

How to make virtual presentations more engaging?

The pandemic is real and as much as we can try moving on from that fact, we have shifted into a digital world and this digital audience is even more difficult to grab the attention of. However, we’ve figured out a few ways to make a topic seem interesting and your presentations more engaging!

Even in virtual platforms that limit your access to tools like stage usage and body language, you can always count on visuals and reactions to keep the audience attentive and engaged!

You could do so much! Screen videos, show images and flow charts, share itineraries, ask for feedback and reactions and with a little more exploring, this list could be endless!

2. Involve the Audience

There is nothing more engaging in getting to call the shots in someone else’s presentation while you sit and watch what effect you have made in that. I have found the following two ways to be extremely effective in getting the audience interested about your topic.

2.1. Polling

Taking a poll about any segment in your presentation and reviewing them with your audience creates an opportunity to learn not only for the audience but for you as well!

You may see some completely new perspectives and it is okay to admit that it is a new point of view to you and thank the people who have provided it, on the other hand the audience gets to see their opinion on screen and being discussed and understood.

This technique has been inspired form the children’s book: Goosebumps (giving credit where it is due always is a good practice)

The audience gets to choose what happens next. You can create your presentation to be a form of situation and then as each step / segment comes by, you can ask someone from the audience to choose what to do next and review those results and go back to the alternative and review those results as well.

This will create an immersive environment for the audience and you’ll be a hit!

Various Topic Ideas

After so many ideas being bounced about and pitched, you might be stumped about which topic to choose. Below is a list of the topics that have been considered interesting and can perk someone’s ear up at the mention of it. Hope it helps!

• The Human Brain
• The Romantic Era / English Literature
• How To Stay Productive During A Pandemic
• Gender Identity And Sexual Orientation – How They Are Different.
• The Importance Of Inclusivity
• Mental Health And How To Work On Yourself
• Pets And Your Relationship
• The History Of A Particular Topic
• Beauty Standards And Its Acceptance By All Genders
• A Detailed Presentation On A Controversy – Eg: The Illuminati

Last Words:

A boring topic doesn’t exist because what might be unamusing to A might be the most profound piece of information in existence to B.

The key here is to find your interest in the topics you present and project that interest to the audience when you deliver. The methods above are simply tools and some can not be used all the time; understand that a little bit of nervousness is good. It keeps you on your toes.

What you can do is work on yourself, hydrate, practice and know your material. Excitement and interest is contagious, use the above tools as a catalyst and you will get a positive reaction.

Good luck! 🙂

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Keep Your Cool: 8 Strategies to Control Emotions While Speaking

Feeling Loss of Words Can Cost You Opportunities: 10 Tips and Tricks

My Mind Goes Blank Mid Conversation: Why, What, and How?

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Rate Revamp: A Tool by Vinh Giang

How to Not Be Boring?

How to be more interesting? There are two key ways to improve:

• Verbal: This involves changing the content of your speech, including your choice of words, sentence structure, and paragraph organization.
• Non-verbal: This pertains to the way you deliver your message, encompassing aspects such as body language, tone, and gestures.

This tool by Vinh Giang primarily focuses on the latter aspect, as it emphasizes that how you convey your message is just as important, if not more so, than what you actually say.

To illustrate this, consider two YouTube videos with identical scripts: one is expertly edited with dynamic visuals and movement, while the other features the speaker talking continuously for 10 minutes without any visual variety.

The latter video represents communication devoid of the use of non-verbal tools.

According to communication expert Vinh Giang, the key to not be boring (or sounding boring) is to manipulate your rate of speech. This prevents the listener’s mind from identifying predictable patterns and anticipating what comes next. If you stick to a monotonous speech pace, the listener’s mind will register it as “boring.”

To become a more engaging speaker, you must vary your rate of speech . The fundamental approach involves slowing down when conveying important information and increasing your pace (or returning to your usual speech rate) when discussing less crucial topics.

The question then arises: how can you integrate this technique into your everyday life? That’s what tools by TACTICS+ is for.

How to Be More Interesting (Step by Step)?

1. begin by speaking at your regular rate of speech..

The starting point for all discussions is your natural speech pace, whether it’s fast or slow.

To illustrate these steps, let’s take the example of Neil deGrasse Tyson, who appears to have perfected this technique to avoid being boring while discussing intellectually challenging subjects.

Listen to the audio and note his typical rate of speech. Here’s the transcript:

People said “The aliens came to me, and they brought me in, and then they released me”. Do you have any footage? “No, they took my camera.” Or “No, they zapped my film.” And now there’s no image on the film, but there were countless stories. Taken from JRE #1658 w/Neil deGrasse Tyson

2. Find the Important Parts of Your Speech.

Now, let’s talk about spotting the most crucial parts of your speech. You probably already have a feeling for what’s really important. Here are some examples to help you understand better:

• Numbers and Facts: When you’re sharing numbers, statistics, or any kind of data, it’s a good idea to slow down. This gives your listeners time to understand what these numbers mean and makes sharing them less boring.
• Strong Feelings: If your speech has emotional moments that really matter, try to speak slower during those parts. It can make those feelings even more powerful.
• Quoting Others: When you’re quoting someone else, it’s advisable to slow down your delivery to ensure the quote is received with the intended credibility.
• Wrapping It Up: When you’re summing up your main points or drawing conclusions, slow down a bit. This helps your listeners follow along and absorb the information, while making you sound more interesting.
• Examples and Comparisons: When you’re giving examples or comparing things to help explain your point, speaking slowly makes it easier for people to picture what you’re saying.

By recognizing these important parts of your speech and adjusting your pace accordingly, you can make sure your message gets across clearly and effectively.

3. Reduce the Pace of Your Speech.

Now that you have a rough idea of when to slow down, the next step is simple: slow down your speech rate. Just extend the pauses between your words slightly.

Here’s how Neil deGrasse Tyson employs a slower pace in the same audio example used earlier. Focus on this part of his speech:

Well now you can stream live from your camera, anything that’s going on in front of you. Taken from JRE #1658 w/Neil deGrasse Tyson

4. Emphasize Key Words.

No answer to “how not to be boring” or “how to be interesting” will be complete without highlighting the importance of emphasis.

Emphasis is a powerful tool that can help you slow down your rate of speech, as you must deliberately pace yourself when stressing specific words or phrases.

Emphasis, in this context, means assigning special significance or weight to certain words or phrases within your speech. While you can emphasize words or phrases in any sentence, it is most effective when used for words or phrases that are genuinely more important.

You can emphasize words or phrases by:

• Enunciating it more (exaggerating the pronunciation of the word).
• Increasing your volume.
• Pausing before speaking the word or phrase.

Before we delve into an example, try to emphasize the capitalized words in the following sentences:

• He did NOT do a good job!
• He did not do a GOOD job!
• HE did not do a good job!
• He did not do a good JOB !

Notice the change in meaning as the emphasis shifts.

Now, observe how Neil deGrasse Tyson uses emphasis in the same sentence to deliberately slow down his rate of speech. Here’s the transcript (emphasized words are capitalized):

That would be INSTANTLY VIRAL ! Oh my gosh! Taken from JRE #1658 w/Neil deGrasse Tyson

5. Revert to Your Regular Speaking Pace.

To sound captivating and keep your listener engaged, it’s crucial not to let their mind anticipate your speaking pace. To achieve this, you need to introduce variations in your rate of speech.

Now, return to your usual speaking pace.

Here’s an example of how Neil does it, the transcribed part is his normal rate of speech:

You know, the stuff that goes viral is much less than that. A cat that, a kitten that jumps to the table and falls, that goes viral… Taken from JRE #1658 w/Neil deGrasse Tyson

Conclusion and Further Self-Improvement.

I highly recommend Vinh Giang’s free 3-part series on communication skills. It provides a deep dive into unique strategies for enhancing your communication abilities and charisma.

Now, let’s put this tool into action with a simple plan:

• Send a voice message to someone while experimenting with varying your rate of speech.
• Practice changing your rate of speech during phone conversations.
• Experiment with altering your speaking pace when talking to someone face to face.

Give it a try and observe whether it makes you less boring and more interesting.

Also read: 10 More Communication Tactics by Expert Vinh Giang

For more tools from the world’s best minds, click here . To receive self-improvement tools and tactics directly in your inbox, making your email more productive, subscribe to TACTICS+ below!

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• August 8, 2023

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• Delivery Techniques →

How to Engage a Bored Audience (and Make Them Excited!)

What would you do if you saw your audience yawning while you talked to them? 

Engaging a bored audience can be a headache, and this comes without saying. Imagine performing a standup comedy, and nobody laughs at your joke. Embarrassing right?

We have tips and tricks to make people laugh at your jokes instead of you. 

The success of any presentation lies in what your audience thinks about you. Therefore, never underestimate the power of your audience. Your goal should be to deliver your point while making your audience happy.

In this world of digital marketing, engaging your audience should be your strongest skill . Here is what you should do if you don’t have it. 

7 Ways to Engaged a Bored Audience

1. shock your audience.

Presenting by merely speaking, showing slides, and using visual aids , is what everyone does. There is nothing new in this, and the audience loses attention quickly. Hence, there should be something else that keeps your audience awake. 

The initial five to 10 minutes of a presentation is when you either gain your audience or lose it. Your audience is most attentive at this point. 

Hence, it is the best period to attract your audience to what you are saying. Once you hook your audience, you can easily hold their attention throughout the presentation. 

The best way to do so is to say something shocking. Intrigue your audience. Say something unexpected (though positive) that will draw your audience towards you and make them want to listen more to your words. 

Once you have all their attention, you can go on and continue your presentation or speech but never lose the audience's attention. 

2. Ask Questions

Asking your audience questions is a known technique for engaging your audience.

When you ask your audience questions, people automatically begin to think about the answer. Then, they start to volunteer answers. It increases the interaction between you and your audience. 

You perform better when you have a great connection between you and your audience. People never want to listen to someone they don't feel connected to. Hence, you must engage your audience as much as you can. 

Another way of engaging the audience is picking people out of the crowd to answer. You can ask a question and tell them you are waiting for an answer.

After some time, you can pick out a person from the crowd who seems willing to answer. This act will motivate other people in the group to stand and give their opinion on your question. 

However, do not ask too many questions. Too many questions can lead to irritation. Your audience might start getting restless when they know you will ask questions one after another.

People who do not like public speaking or are shy find it very irritating to answer publically. Hence, such an interactive environment can become troublesome for introverts.

Therefore, you need to understand that your audience does not consist of merely one type of people. You need to be equally attentive to everyone. 

3. Tell a Story 

You've heard the old saying: "A good story is like a mirror; it reflects back to you what is in your heart."

We think that's true. And when it comes to engaging an audience, we know stories are a powerful tool for getting people's attention.

People tend to listen more to the stories than anything else. It is because we, as humans, relate more to stories. Stories either strike our old memories or imaginary world; both ways, we feel relatable. 

It is the biggest tool you can use during a presentation or a speech. Start your speech by saying you have an exciting story. Otherwise, you can put it in the middle of your speech or at the end . 

Prove your point with the help of the story you are telling. Make sure your story is relatable and exciting.

A highly personal and long story without context can make your audience lose attention. The audience will start wondering why you are sharing your details with them. Hence, you need to create a balance everywhere in your speech. 

Here are some tips for telling a story to your audience. Firstly, make sure the audience understands what they're hearing; make sure they can visualize what you're describing. 

Secondly, tell stories that connect with your audience's lives—stories about things they care about or people they know (or might become). Giving dreams to your audience always wins. 

4. Work on Your Tone

Engaging your audience is essential when you're giving a presentation or writing an article. The key to doing so is how you speak: your voice and tone bring ups and downs. 

Your audience will get sleepy if you are constantly speaking in one tone. People lose attention when nothing is exciting. Hence, it is necessary that you bring the tone people will want to listen to. 

Raise your voice when you are talking about passions or something exciting. Draw the audience's attention by speaking passionately. 

Your voice should show that you are motivated and excited if you are talking about ambitions. Speaking in a low tone will make people think there is no emotional attachment behind your speech. 

When speaking about something emotional or heart-wrenching, lower your voice—speaking softly on the softer topics. Shouting about anything emotional will make people think you are insensitive.

For instance, when speaking on a topic that holds significant meaning for you or someone close to you, such as a loved one who has died, speak with a clear voice that is strong enough to be heard over the din of noise around you.

If you doubt what you are saying, speak softer so that others can also engage.

In short, you must always care what your audience thinks about you. You should always act on generating positive thoughts about yourself in your audience's head.

5. Crack Jokes

You've got a lot to say, so you'll need some way to keep your audience engaged. Engaging an audience means getting them to laugh and smile during your presentation.

It's not just about being funny--it's also essential that you're able to make your point in a way that gets them on board with the problem or solution you're proposing.

Cracking jokes will never get old or out of fashion. All types of human psychology love something to laugh at. All audiences gravitate more to people who make them laugh.

Also, they will feel more connected to you after that. Hence, always prepare some good jokes to add a humorous touch to your speech . 

It's not enough to get your point across. You want to engage your audience, and humor is a powerful tool for that.

Here is the easiest hack: Channel your inner comedian and make a list of jokes in advance. It will help you come up with ideas on the fly during your presentation and give you something funny to say when you run out of steam.

Secondly, build rapport with your audience before you deliver any punchlines. You can do this by asking questions that invite conversation and give them a chance to share personal experiences. It will help them connect with what you're saying. 

Lastly, once they're engaged in conversation, use these opportunities as teaching moments. Explain why certain things are funny or essential so that everyone gets the joke together as a team rather than just one person laughing at another person's joke.

Delivering the joke is also a key. You should deliver that joke most naturally. Do not place jokes in the middle of a conversation when they are unrelated. Turn the speech in such a way that you can naturally fix the joke. 

6. Have Some Activity 

Inducing an activity in the middle of your speech can wake up your sleeping audience. Ensure your audience is not sitting back and listening passively , like watching television instead of interacting in a conversation.

Engage your audience by starting a small exercise. For instance, give paper and pen to your audience and tell people to write their opinion about the topic. 

Such a small activity will increase audience engagement. People will start paying more attention, and those sleeping will surely get up. 

The meaning of the activity is to interact with your audience. People will start asking you questions, and this will increase your connection. Hence, it is always an excellent way to engage your bored audience by pushing them to do something. 

7. Turn Your Speech Into a Conversation

There is a huge difference between lecturing and having a conversation. People tend to get bored by lectures but find it interesting to have a conversation. You need to understand the difference between both things. 

While delivering a speech , ensure that it is more inclined towards being a conversation. 

Interaction is the key. It is crucial when explaining complex things or ideas in simple terms (e.g., using charts). Use visual aids like charts, graphs, or images that help communicate complicated concepts in an easy-to-understand way (but don't rely solely on them!). 

Prove your point while being constantly connected with your audience. Turn the speech into a conversation and give your audience chances to speak.

You can deliver your topic and ask the audience's opinion. Always respect your audience's view. If you disagree, persuade them to believe you most humbly. Pushing your opinion on the audience won't help.

Keep asking if anyone has to say anything about what you just delivered. In short, make your audience a part of your speech. Make your audience feel that it is equally welcomed into a conversation.

Listen to your audience's part of the conversation as attentively as you want your part to be listened to. It will increase their respect for you, and that's all you want. 

Key Points to Remember

Before heading out for a presentation or speech, you need to remember a few things. 

Firstly, your success lies in the heads and hands of your audience. They may not physically boo you off the stage, but you will feel the energy shift when they do not connect with what you say. Don’t be a know-it-all who can’t engage with the audience. 

Secondly, understanding your audience is essential. Do some homework on your audience. Understand your audience's demographics, and understand from what age and class it belongs. You can not use the same tactics for an audience of all ages. 

For instance, you can not engage your audience with jokes if they belong to ages seven to eight, and it is more likely that they will not understand. However, you can surely intrigue them with something exciting. You can engage them by giving out some chocolates at the beginning of your session. 

Similarly, if your audience consists of people aged 60-70, you can not help them with some chocolates. In short, understanding who you are conversing with is essential. There is always a way to excite your audience; it will just need some work and time to get them out of their not-interested zone. 

Last but not least, be natural. Deliver your speech as naturally and confidently as you can. People will always know when you are pushing or forcing things. Hence, make it look natural, and believe in yourself!

Conclusion: How to Engage a Bored Audience

It is not rare for people to ask how to engage a boring audience. It is primarily said that there is nothing such as a boring topic. Your approach to it makes it either exciting or boring, challenging or easy. 

If you do not work on pleasing your audience, no one will remember what you taught in the speech. Worse, no one will want to listen to you in the future. 

We know it can be hard to find that balance between serious and lightheartedness, especially when speaking about something serious. But we've compiled some tips for keeping your audience engaged and ensuring they don't leave feeling bored!

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How to Make Your Speeches Exciting

Let's continue the topic of becoming a more memorable speaker that I previously discussed here , here , here , and here .

Among the things I said was, the moment you strop trying to be a memorable public speaker is the moment you're able to become one . I also discussed knowing clearly what you want to share, ways to turn your passion into a powerful speech, externalizing physically what's inside you (like actors do), and "just" having a conversation with your audience.

If you speak with this level of control, you'll connect with and inspire listeners! Learn more in my new book ,  now available ,  Speak for Leadership . 

Make Your Speeches Exciting and Rewarding

Now let’s go one step further—by making your speeches exciting.

First, let’s discuss an essential component of the learning experience for anyone listening to a speech. It’s really an amplifier in terms of how your speech is received (and how you are perceived). It’s dopamine .

Want to know more about how to connect with audiences? Download my Free resource , "Great Speaking? It's About Performance Over Content."

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released in the brain when you experience a reward of some kind. If you discover something new and interesting, dopamine is released. Similarly, if you’re setting out on an adventure (as an exceptional speaker will get audience members to feel), again, dopamine is present. Thrill-seekers, gamblers, and those addicted to chemical substances crave this strong stimulus-and-reward response.

So do learners —provided that they perceive what they’re being taught as new and exciting. Those experiences then become “sticky” and therefore memorable. And conversely, where dopamine levels remain low, the experience is eminently forgettable. As neuroscientist Martha Burns tells us, “the more motivated and interested we are in an activity the more dopamine is released and the better we remember it.” She recommends the acronym NEAR to understand this response: N ew, E xciting, a nd R ewarding. 6

Here's great news: you can learn how to develop this type of strong relationship with audiences! Learn how in my Free Guide , "6 Rules of Effective Public Speaking."

Now think about this in terms of public speaking. A major reason most presentations are forgettable is because the speaker plays it safe. He or she may think, “Presentations are always done this way in my industry, and so I’m going to go along.” Basically, these speakers are hoping to get through their talk with their skin intact. Doesn’t sound like a new, exciting or rewarding approach, does it?

Hey, Wanna Have Some Fun ?

Of course, just as with financial investments, your tolerance for risk plays a part in terms of how far you as speaker are willing to go in terms of newness and creating excitement. But at least think about how you might do things differently!

For instance, do you know how to use PowerPoint effectively? Most presenters don't. Find out how in my Free cheat sheet , "5 Rules for Succeeding With PowerPoint."

If a slide deck is used in every presentation in your department, what would happen if you didn’t use one in yours? Or vice versa. Other questions to ask yourself: “What would my talk be like if it were shorter than the norm, or conversely, more comprehensive?” “Would some discussion between me and the audience be productive?” “What might happen if this became a team presentation rather than just me speaking?” “What if I invited an audience member on stage for a demonstration?”

Any of these approaches—or others you might come up with on your own—may seem like a new path forward to an audience. And that, as they say, is a good thing!

And of course, to make a presentation more exciting and rewarding, always base your approach as closely as possible on the needs of the group. Remember, your goal is always to help listeners be better off for having listened to you. The best way to be memorable isn’t to be considered a smooth talker. It is to improve your listeners’ lives in some small or big way.

And have fun! To see how being excited yourself can help make you compelling to watch, catch Hans Rosling or Benjamin Zander in their passionate TED talks.

6   Martha Burns, “Dopamine and Learning: What the Brain’s Reward Center Can Teach Educators,” Scientific Learning, September 18, 2012. https://www.scilearn.com/blog dopamine-learning-what-brain%E2%80%99s-reward-center-can-teach-educators.

The above article is excerpted from my new book,  Speak for Leadership . Click   here   or below to learn more and to get your copy !

You should follow me on Twitter   here .

Gary Genard  is an actor, author, and expert in public speaking training and overcoming speaking fear. His company, Boston-based The Genard Method offers  live 1:1 Zoom executive coaching   and  corporate group training  worldwide. In 2021 for the eighth consecutive year, Gary has been ranked by Global Gurus as  One of the World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals .  He is the author of the Amazon Best-Seller  How to Give a Speech . His second book,  Fearless Speaking ,  was named in 2019 as "One of the 100 Best Confidence Books of All Time." His handbook for presenting in videoconferences, Speaking Virtually   offers strategies and tools for developing virtual presence in online meetings. Contact Gary here.   

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How to Make a Presentation Interesting

March 14, 2023

Do you want to make an interesting presentation? You can use core presentation skills to make a boring presentation interesting.

If you talk about a dry topic in a dull manner, your audience will struggle to stay attentive., instead, to make an interesting presentation, you need to make an impact and make your presentation memorable. this can feel intimidating: some topics don’t appear to offer much scope for drama. but you can apply simple presentation skills to add interest, whatever your subject..

As our example, imagine that you need to give a talk on Customer Service in your organisation. We’ll look at five ways you could communicate the message ‘Our customer service needs to be improved’ more powerfully and turn a dull subject into an interesting presentation.

How to make your presentation interesting -11 Top Tips:

1. ditch the text heavy, number heavy slides.

We’ve all been there: slides crammed with text, leaving the audience squinting and scrambling to take notes. Fight this information overload by embracing visual storytelling .

Instead of lengthy paragraphs, make your presentation interesting using powerful images, infographics, and videos to convey your message. Remember, a picture (or video) is truly worth a thousand words.

Even better, write a brilliant report that you circulate beforehand (ideally one side of A4) and then speak to your board with no slides. It may sound radical, but it’s what all the best people do.

Remember, leaders don’t do PowerPoint.

2. An interesting presentation has a compelling narrative

People are hardwired for stories.

So, ditch the lecture and transform what you want to say into a compelling narrative . This could involve highlighting a real-world case study, sharing a personal anecdote, or even framing your presentation as a problem-solution journey.

When you speak to your audience on an emotional level, you’ll make your message far more memorable. And the drier your subject – the more important this is. The read art is to turn a dry boring presentation into something interesting.

3. In an interesting presentation, “less is more”

Don’t overwhelm your audience. Instead, focus on the key takeaways you want them to remember. Imagine your audience asking ‘So What?’ ‘What’s in it for me?’ throughout. These are the presentation topics your audience wants covered. If you can answer these two questions for them, they will see your presentation as an interesting presentation.

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4. Spark interaction, not inaction

Passive presentations are a recipe for audience disengagement. Incorporate interactive elements to keep your audience engaged.

Interactive presentation ideas include posing thought-provoking questions, conducting quick polls, or even facilitating small group discussions. Remember, your goal is to create a dialogue , not a monologue. When your audience feels involved, they will feel that you are giving an interesting presentation.

5. Use surprise to make a boring presentation interesting

“Me talking to you about improving customer service is a complete waste of time… But any of us doing something that improves our customer service is time well spent.”

A surprising phrase will make your audience pay attention, as their expectations are jolted. The second line then mirrors and twists the first. The use of personal pronouns – me, you and us – keep the sentence active and involve your audience.

6. Use a set of three to make a boring presentation interesting

“Three unanswered calls; two unhappy customers; five wasted minutes hanging onto the phone. Would you accept that from BT? So why should anyone accept that from us?”

This uses a set of three – a powerful tool in spoken language – in the first sentence. Then it connects the issue to an experience we all recognise before tying it back to the task in hand.

7. Use a story to make an interesting presentation

“This morning, Mary waited 20 rings for her call to be answered. When the phone was finally picked up by John, the CSR, he denied all knowledge of her case. He suggested she call back next week.”

Using a story structure creates the right frame of mind in your listeners. Stories convey a challenging perspective in a safe way, avoiding putting your audience on the defensive. Read about the seven ways stories can make your speeches and presentations more powerful here.

8. Use rhetorical questions to make a presentation more interesting

“What did you do today to improve your customers’ experience? And what could you have done? I want to show you three simple ideas that you can use every day to make your customers happier.”

Here, using two rhetorical questions prompts the audience to start to answer them in their heads. The second half shares up-front the benefits that listeners will get from continuing to pay attention.

9. Use rhyme to make an interesting presentation

“When the customer rings – hear them sing. When the customer moans, listen to them on the phone.”

Our brains love rhyme and rhythm, which is why we find it so easy to remember songs. If you include a rhyme you can help the audience recall the main takeaway of your talk or presentation.

10. Be Yourself, and Let Your Passion Shine Through:

There’s nothing more convincing than a speaker who is passionate about their topic . Don’t be afraid to inject your personality into your presentation and speak with genuine enthusiasm . Your passion will be contagious, and your audience will be more receptive to your message.

11. Bonus Tip: Practise, practise, practise!

The more comfortable you are with your material and delivery, the more confident and engaging you will appear to your audience. Learn how to practise your presentation like a professional.

Remember: it’s not about how much you say, but how much impact you make.

How to make your presentation more interesting

Top presentation and public speaking tips from Benjamin Ball

Each of these examples shows how small, easy-to-use presentation skills can transform a boring presentation into an interesting, engaging presentation. At first, it might feel odd to change the way you use language, but after a little practise these techniques will soon become part of your public speaking toolkit.

How to make your presentations interesting – for ever

We specialise in coaching executives to be brilliant presenters. we’ve been doing this for 15 years and are recognised as being brilliant at what we do. our tailored coaching sessions are fast, intensive and effective, we can help you to communicate clearly, confidently and with impact, in time for your next talk or presentation., call louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to find out more., understand the benefits of presentation training, about benjamin ball associates.

At Benjamin Ball Associates, we help our clients to communicate better. You get presentation coaching for executives.

Over 15+ years the award-winning BBA team has coached thousands of senior executives globally to present powerfully. You get access to a transformational toolbox of presentation skills & techniques to help you become a clear, confident communicator.

We’ll help you create a powerful first impression that hooks and engages your audience immediately, and we’ll transform you to deliver clearly, confidently and with impact.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to find out more and discuss transforming your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Or read another article..., how to present confidently- 14 step guide [2024 update].

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7 PowerPoint Tips to Banish Boring Presentations

You know it and I know it: PowerPoint is boring.

Why? Because the minute we sit down to create a PowerPoint presentation, we forget everything we know about engagement and persuasion .

How do you make a PowerPoint presentation interesting?

It starts with the realization that attention is the only currency that matters. You need to hook your audience’s attention the moment you begin—and you can’t let go for even a second.

Fortunately, it’s not as difficult as you might think. And in this post, I’ll walk you through 7 PowerPoint tips to make your presentations more effective, so you can banish boring presentations forever.

PowerPoint Tip 1: Think Visual

The #1 most common mistake in PowerPoint presentations—and the reason they’re so boring—is that that we create them for us rather than our audience.

And the temptation is real. If you’re afraid of forgetting an important point, you’ll want to put every word into your slideshow.

But your PowerPoint slides aren’t notecards to keep your presentation on track. They aren’t for you at all. They’re for your audience.

The slides are a supplement to your speech, not a transcript . Their job is to capture your viewers’ attention and clarify your points. And to do that, you need to create a slideshow that’s visual, not textual.

Here is how to make your PowerPoint presentation more visual:

Use text sparingly. You may have a slide with only 1 word, or no words at all. After all, less is more with PowerPoint presentations.

Be liberal with images and graphs. Use them as illustrations for your main points or to add another layer of meaning to your message. And don’t be afraid to let them fill up the screen—with no words at all.

Use videos for pacing and engagement. Videos are especially engaging. They can capture people’s attention at the beginning of your presentation and reengage them after a slow or boring section. They can also be used to transition from one part of your presentation to a dramatically different part, since they create a natural break.

Don’t try to be cute. Visuals should support your presentation. And yes, they may be entertaining, but they should never distract or interfere with the readability of your slides. At all costs, avoid creating slides like this :

Of course, there may be times when visuals won’t work, and that’s okay. In some video sales letters , for example, the words are your visuals.

But even in a purely text-based presentation, you need to think about how it looks. Don’t put too many words on a single slide. Provide lots of white space. Give your audience just one thought at a time, so they stay engaged.

PowerPoint Tip 2: Think “Brand”

Whether it’s your company’s brand or your personal brand, you want to have a recognizable style.

When people see your presentations, they should know it’s yours—because the color and style scream you .

Apple is a good example of this. They’re the masters of “distinctive minimalism,” and everything they do reflects that.

You can pull any 2 slides from their presentations—often even years apart—and they still look like they belong to the same presentation.

Notice the trademark simplicity in this slide from an old Steve Jobs presentation.

And here’s Tim Cook years later. The slides are almost identical.

But how do you make sure you are creating your own well-branded presentation?

Don’t copy other brands’ designs. Your brand should be distinctive. Your presentations should be too. Stick with your brand’s fonts, colors, and unique style.

Design your slides to reflect your brand’s personality. If your brand is bold, go bold in your design. If your brand is understated, go simple. The point is to stay true to your own branded look and feel.

PowerPoint Tip 3: Create a Quality Layout

To create recognizable presentations, you need to develop a high-quality layout that can become your signature style .

A good layout involves everything we’ve talked about so far. It includes the way you come across visually and your branded fonts, colors, and personality. But it’s strategic as well—because you want the layout of every slide to look like you .

To do that, you need to decide in advance how you’re going to handle different design elements, and then stay consistent.

For example, the presentation below could be laid out any number of ways. It could have a traditional layout, like this:

Here, the text primary text box is at the top of each slide, with a secondary text box at the bottom. Images are centered with a yellow border that keeps them from bleeding into the blue background.

But if your brand is more modern, you might choose a more artsy layout, like this:

Now, both of these layouts can work. While most designers would agree the second version is “better,” in reality, the right choice is the one that aligns with your brand and works with the information you’ll be presenting. Here, the image is placed in the background and text is minimized. With this layout, slides are more engaging—less predictable.

What’s more important is that you create a PowerPoint layout that’s attractive to your audience. Then stick with it—don’t jump from one style to another.

And you can do that in several ways:

Use white space to your advantage. White space is the unfilled space between elements on the page (or in this case, the slide). It keeps things from feeling crowded and helps you keep your audience focused on what matters. White space is your friend. Embrace it.

Use animated transitions and multimedia sparingly. Animations can be classy or cheesy—and overdone, they’re usually irritating. An effective use of animation is to show one sentence or bullet point at a time. Avoid garish transitions that could become distracting.

Clip art is almost always a no-no.

Please. No.

Keep your layout simple. Every slide should have just one focal point.

Use gifs sparingly. Movement attracts attention, and gifs move nonstop. The problem is, they can distract people from your main message. So if you use gifs, don’t leave them up while you’re sharing important information. Show them, then move to the next slide while you talk.

PowerPoint Tip 4: Use a Template

Once you’ve settled on a good design for your presentation, turn it into a template. Then create a few variations for the different types of information you’ll present—say, a layout for lists, another for text with an image, and yet another for charts.

For example, this presentation by Edureka! has 3 primary layouts that keep everything looking consistent.

This is the primary template, which has text above and below a graphic:

This is the template for introducing new subtopics:

And this is the template for discussions, case studies, and examples:

Templates can make your life much easier. Instead of reinventing the wheel every time you need to create a presentation, you can simply pull out your template. With the design work already done, you can focus on the content—so you’re sure your presentation will be interesting.

PowerPoint Tip 5: Create Flow

In a strong presentation, every idea leads to the next. There should be no “stops” or awkward transitions. That’s true for your speech and for your PowerPoint slides.

Every slide should bring your audience closer to your final slide—or call to action.

Of course, flow is nebulous. It’s hard to create it, but easy to spot when it’s missing. While there aren’t many hard-and-fast rules to ensure flow, there are several things you can do to make it easier.

Know your goal. It’s a lot easier to lead people to a place when you know what that place is. Every slide should bring your audience closer to your final slide—or call to action.

Edit content to fit your template. Don’t depart from your template. If an image doesn’t fit, edit the image. If your text doesn’t fit on the screen, break it up and create extra slides. To make a PowerPoint presentation attractive, you need to embrace the boundaries of your template.

Create transition slides. If you need to transition smoothly from one subtopic to another, create transition slides to bridge the gap.

PowerPoint Tip 6: Test Your Hardware

If you’re presenting live—whether on a webinar or at an event—make sure your technology will work.

Nothing’s worse than apologizing to the audience for 15 minutes because your slide show isn’t loaded and ready. Always have a back-up plan.

For presentations, have your laptop or tablet ready. Make sure your PowerPoint is already open—just in case.

For webinars, do some dry runs to make sure the internet and your hardware and software work.

PowerPoint Tip 7: Use Presenter View

Finally, use PowerPoint’s Presenter View when delivering your presentation.

Presenter View lets you to view the entire presentation—along with any notes you’ve written to yourself—while the audience sees only your finished slides.

PowerPoint’s presenter view lets you see the final slides PLUS presenter notes.

If PowerPoint doesn’t prompt you to select Presenter View when you start your slideshow, you can find the option in the “SlideShow” tab. To find it after you’ve begun the slideshow, look for 3 dots below the main slide view—you can click on them to bring it up.

Use Presenter View to write notes to yourself. This is how you can avoid using your slides as index cards. Add prompts, tips on movements or gestures, or specific stats and numbers that you didn’t want to include on your slide.

Meanwhile, your audience just sees the slides flowing seamlessly, and you look like a genius, pulling stats and figures seemingly from thin air.

Pull up the appropriate slide if someone asks a question. In many cases, questions relate to one of the slides in your presentation. When that happens, find the slide in Presenter View before you put it on the screen—rather than forcing your audience to watch as you flip through the entire stack.

Final Thoughts

PowerPoint can be your best friend or your worst enemy. So many people use it badly that it’s almost synonymous with boring.

In fact, there’s even a political party focused on removing PowerPoint from business presentations.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

With a little thought and time, you can make effective PowerPoint presentations that grab your audience’s attention.

Make PowerPoint your friend: Keep it simple. Keep it focused. Keep it visual. And people will be excited that you’re the one giving the next presentation.

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How To Make a PowerPoint Not Boring? Here Are 5 Tips To Make It Interesting

Making a PowerPoint presentation can be a daunting task, especially when you want to keep your audience engaged.

You dont want your presentation to be boring – you want to make it interesting.

But how? Look no further! Here are five tips to ensure that your PowerPoint presentation is both interesting and engaging for your audience.

Well discuss incorporating multimedia, animations, creative transitions, concise text, storytelling techniques, interactive elements, and more.

So lets get started!

Table of Contents

Short Answer

There are several ways to make a PowerPoint presentation not boring.

One way is to incorporate visuals such as images, videos, or charts in addition to text.

This will help to keep the audience engaged and allow them to take away more from the presentation.

Additionally, its important to make sure your presentation is organized and clear, so the audience can easily follow your ideas.

Finally, try to make your presentation interactive by asking questions or having the audience participate in activities.

Incorporating Multimedia into Presentations

When it comes to creating an engaging and interesting PowerPoint presentation, one of the best things you can do is incorporate multimedia into your slides.

By using videos, images, audio, and other interactive elements, you can make your presentation more dynamic and exciting.

Videos are a great way to draw in your audience and keep them engaged, while images can be used to add visual appeal to your slides.

Additionally, audio can be used to add an extra layer of interest and help bring your ideas to life.

Finally, interactive elements, such as polls and quizzes, can be used to make your presentation more engaging and help your audience retain the information you’re presenting.

With the use of multimedia, you can make sure your PowerPoint presentation is anything but boring.

Adding Animations and Creative Transitions

Adding animations and creative transitions to your PowerPoint presentation can help keep your audience engaged and make your slides more dynamic.

Animations, such as transitions between slides and effects when objects appear on the screen, can draw attention to important points.

Creative transitions can also help break up the monotony of a typical slide-by-slide presentation and make the slides more visually appealing.

When it comes to animations, there are a variety of options available in PowerPoint.

You can choose from a range of fade, wipe, zoom, and other motion effects to make your slides more dynamic.

Additionally, you can add audio effects to certain elements of your presentation to make them more engaging.

When it comes to creative transitions, the options are nearly limitless.

You can use a variety of creative techniques, such as customizing the transition between slides, adding custom animations, or using a different transition for each slide.

You can also use creative graphics, such as parallax backgrounds, to make your slides more visually appealing.

Just be sure to use these elements sparingly to avoid distracting from the content of your presentation.

Finally, dont forget to use animation and creative transitions to break up the monotony of a typical slide-by-slide presentation.

By adding animations and creative transitions, you can ensure that your presentation is engaging and visually appealing.

With these tips, you can make sure your PowerPoint presentation is anything but boring!

Keeping the Text Concise and Clear

When it comes to creating a PowerPoint presentation that is both engaging and interesting, it is important to keep the text concise and clear.

Too often, presenters attempt to cram too much information onto a single slide, making it difficult to read and digest.

Instead, focus on using fewer words to get the message across.

Consider using bullet points or short phrases to ensure that your audience can easily understand and retain the information.

Additionally, be sure to use an easy-to-read font and a consistent font size throughout the presentation.

This will help to ensure that your audience can read and understand the text without any difficulty.

Additionally, use a few visuals such as charts or graphs to help illustrate key points and break up the text.

Avoiding Too Many Bullet Points

When it comes to creating an engaging PowerPoint presentation, its important to avoid using too many bullet points.

While bullet points can be a useful tool for summarizing key points in a presentation, they can quickly become overwhelming and cause your audience to lose interest.

Instead, try to use visuals, such as charts and graphs, to highlight key points.

You can also use images and videos to illustrate concepts and create an interactive experience for your audience.

Additionally, when using bullet points, make sure they are concise and easy to understand.

Keep in mind that the more text you have on a slide, the more likely it is that your audience will become bored and disengaged.

By avoiding too many bullet points, you can create an engaging and interesting PowerPoint presentation that will captivate your audience.

Using Storytelling Techniques

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can be used to make any PowerPoint presentation interesting and engaging. By incorporating creative storytelling techniques, you can captivate your audience and make sure they stay attentive throughout your presentation. Here are some tips on how to use storytelling in your PowerPoint presentation:

1. Establish a Theme: Before you begin your presentation, decide on a theme or central idea that will anchor your story. This will help you create a cohesive narrative that your audience can easily follow and understand.

2. Use Visuals: Incorporate visuals into your presentation to help illustrate your story. Images, videos, and animations can help bring your story to life and make it easier for your audience to remember and connect with the narrative.

3. Use Dialogue: Incorporate dialogue into your presentation to keep your audience engaged. Instead of simply reading from a script, use natural-sounding dialogue to bring your story to life.

4. Use Humor: Incorporate humor into your presentation to keep your audience entertained. By adding a bit of levity to your presentation, you can ensure that your audience remains interested and engaged.

5. Keep It Concise: Make sure your story is concise and to the point. Dont include too many details that are unnecessary to the story. Keep your presentation short and sweet to keep your audience focused and engaged.

By following these tips, you can make sure your PowerPoint presentation is anything but boring.

Incorporating storytelling techniques into your presentation can help you captivate your audience and ensure that they stay attentive throughout your presentation.

Incorporating Interactive Elements

When it comes to creating an engaging and interesting PowerPoint presentation, incorporating interactive elements can go a long way.

For instance, adding video clips, audio files, and other multimedia content to your slides can help to keep your audience engaged.

Additionally, interactive elements such as polls and quizzes can help to break up the traditional slide-by-slide format and add a fun element to your presentation.

Furthermore, by incorporating interactive elements into your presentation, you can provide your audience with an immersive experience that will help them to better absorb and retain the information you are presenting.

When using interactive elements, its important to ensure that they are relevant to the topic and that they are easy to use.

Furthermore, you should make sure that the interactive elements are properly tested before launching them in a presentation.

This will help to ensure that they run smoothly and that the audience is able to interact with them without any issues.

Additionally, you should also make sure to provide instructions on how to use the interactive elements in your presentation.

This will help to ensure that the audience is able to make the most of the interactive elements and that the presentation runs smoothly.

Making the Presentation Engaging

Creating an engaging PowerPoint presentation is key to ensuring that your audience stays interested and engaged.

Rather than relying on traditional slide-by-slide presentations, incorporating multimedia elements can help to make your presentation more dynamic.

By incorporating videos, images, audio, and interactive elements, you can make your presentation more visually appealing and keep your audiences attention.

Additionally, you can use animation and creative transitions to make your slides more dynamic and engaging.

When it comes to the text of your presentation, make sure that it is concise and clear.

Avoid using too many bullet points and break up long blocks of text with images or videos.

Also, be sure to use storytelling techniques to bring your ideas to life.

Using storytelling methods can help to keep your audience engaged and can be an effective way to communicate your message.

By following these tips, you can make sure that your PowerPoint presentation is anything but boring.

Incorporating multimedia elements, animation, and creative transitions can help to make your presentation more engaging and interesting.

Additionally, using clear and concise text and storytelling techniques can help to keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

With these tips, your PowerPoint presentation will be anything but boring.

Final Thoughts

Incorporate multimedia, animations, transitions, and storytelling techniques to make it more engaging and interactive.

Keep the text concise and clear, and avoid too many bullet points.

Finally, make sure to add interactive elements to make your presentation come alive and keep your audience engaged.

With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to create a PowerPoint presentation that is both interesting and informative.

James Wilson

James Wilson has extensive knowledge in the information technology industry.His second love, besides dealing with computers, is smart home technology. He is continually updating information to better comprehend this problem and has a deep understanding of the apartment’s support system.

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Opinion If TikTok were banned, how would your life change? Readers weigh in.

Post Opinions asked readers to tell us how they use TikTok, how their lives would change if the video-sharing app were banned and how much power government should have to regulate social media. This is what they told us.

I teach social media marketing. TikTok is the platform of choice for Gen Z and a valuable part of any brand’s social portfolio. Banning TikTok is idiotic if data privacy is the concern, because another social media company would simply sell that information to the Chinese government.

We have effectively zero online privacy protections, and social media platforms are becoming more hostile to independent research; look at how much it costs to access X’s application programming interface. It’s an endemic problem across society, not one specific to TikTok.

No one would die if we “banned” TikTok, although content creators would be crushed, and we would lose some capital from that market. I would probably access TikTok through a virtual private network because I would be angry.

But it’s not the real problem. The real problem is that giant companies monetize and sell our data to everyone. The real problem is that misinformation cannot be controlled on the platforms. The real problem is that it takes a whistleblower to reveal how algorithms work to our aging legislators, many of whom wouldn’t know an algorithm if it bit them on the ankle.

The federal government should regulate social media on behalf of the public, which means increased transparency and privacy protection. If the government wants to work to make social media truly safer, lawmakers should talk to a wide range of researchers and public policy professionals and require social media companies to give these people the access they need to evaluate threats. Sinophobia can’t be the basis of these policies.

Elizabeth Marsh , North Miami, Fla.

Social media companies have far too much influence on our society, particularly on the young. My grandchildren are teens and preteens. Banning TikTok would empower parents to help them put down their phones and learn to engage more powerfully with in-person relationships. It would also protect young people from online predators.

If TikTok were banned, I would breathe a great sigh of relief.

Trudy Krisher , Columbus, Ohio

TikTok not only helps me pass time but also allows me to find books I might like, snippets to decide whether I want to read what someone has recommended and ratings from other reviewers. Thanks to TikTok, I just read 29 books in 60 days. Plus, who doesn’t love the animal videos?

I understand the need to protect us, but the government should also understand that we can protect ourselves. TikTok users are not as stupid as lawmakers seem to think we are. I am struggling to understand what they are even trying to protect us from. Banning something just because it is owned by a company from a different country? I thought we were better than this.

Alyssa Knight , Junction City, Kan.

Asking how much power the government should have to regulate social media is putting a hand on the scale. The federal government has long had a very strong role in regulating the electronic mass media. The Justice Department broke up the group of telephone companies nicknamed “Ma Bell” in the 1980s. The Federal Communications Commission dates to 1934. The federal government even stepped in to prevent Thomas Edison’s attempt to create a “movie trust” via patent controls in 1915. The old-school argument for this kind of regulation was that it was necessary and proper in no small part because “the airwaves belong to us,” and that’s true! Private rights to the electromagnetic spectrum in the United States are highly circumscribed and have been for a while.

John Anderson , Minneapolis

TikTok is my No. 1 source of education, news, entertainment and community, plain and simple. I barely watch TV or movies anymore. In addition, it gives me a platform to share personal information as well as provide some education and entertainment for others. I have been a therapist and seminar leader and am happy to contribute my knowledge and experience in areas such as women’s empowerment, relationships, aging and freedom from indoctrination. I am so grateful to have a place to share. For the first time in my life, I am interested in the news and what is going on in the world. In addition, I get to express fun and silly things and exhibit talents I might feel shy or awkward about in real life.

It appears that the government is attempting to limit our right to free speech by pretending this potential ban has something to do with security. No one buys it. People who are on social media know that our information is being shared by all the platforms we use. To me, banning TikTok feels less like a matter of safety and more like other app executives wanting to decrease competition in the context of a broader desire to inhibit information-sharing. If there were a way to stop all platforms from selling our information, now that would be good.

Barbara Yaffee , Paso Robles, Calif.

I am not opposed to social media regulation. Heavy-handed tactics such as mandatory divestment or a ban can’t be called regulation in the proper sense of the word, because they force a structural change at the company that will harm its ability to function. I work in tech, and I believe TikTok’s foreign ownership is what allows it to be more innovative, since U.S. companies tend to be filled with boring groupthink and dictums from management.

Instead of banning TikTok or forcing parent company ByteDance to sell it, Congress should consider the approach the European Union has taken with the Media Freedom Act and the Digital Markets Act, which are aimed at promoting competition and protecting journalists from censorship and harassment. In addition, algorithm transparency and mandating access to application programming interfaces would enable consumers to use third-party apps to browse major platforms the way they choose — and bring more benefits of competition to the marketplace.

Mark Jacobs , San Francisco

I have found TikTok to be a valuable source of political news. There are content creators from both parties, and I can hear both sides of a story. I like to follow creators who are part of the cosplay community. I’ve also found new music I like and new artists who interact with their followers.

I see attempts to regulate TikTok as a matter of control, not security. It’s a free-form platform that has wide appeal. Meta fails in that regard. And Twitter was destroyed when Elon Musk bought it.

If TikTok were banned, I would use a virtual private network or go on the dark web to keep accessing it. Government’s power to regulate social media should be severely limited. Any actions against a company should be considered a free-speech issue.

Alan Stanley , Anza, Calif.

I am a content creator. My following started to grow when I lived in Australia, and I moved to the United States to further my career and seize the opportunity that this country has always offered. I have a community of more than 390,000 people on TikTok. I have always had an interest in fashion and entertainment but no connections to these worlds through family. TikTok gave me a platform to pursue this career, a privilege I never thought I would have.

The loss of this platform would be a loss of not only money but also my outlet for my voice and expression, pursuits I thought were guaranteed in the United States. Under those circumstances, I would strongly consider leaving the United States. This is a slippery slope; where is the line when an app is considered a threat to national security? When it doesn’t fit within a member of government’s own political beliefs? Or when it doesn’t seek to pour money into the United States alone? When are authorities going to hold a mirror to U.S. companies responsible for and caught selling data? A TikTok ban would be the start of the end. I am a dual citizen and have moved on the basis of work before — and would consider doing so again if this ban is enacted.

It is important to regulate when there are threats evident. Child-safety measures are a great example of regulation of social media being necessary and reasonable, and I believe there should be more regulation. However, having watched hearings in Congress, I do not have faith that the decision-makers have a firm grasp on how TikTok works — or WiFi or the internet, for that matter. Lawmakers ought to have a baseline of general knowledge in order to make decisions about these things. After all, I wouldn’t trust a surgeon to operate on me if they couldn’t locate my leg.

Erika Dwyer , New York

TikTok plays a minimal role in my life, at best. I find streams of selfie videos almost as irritating as photo selfies. Now, get off my lawn!

If social media poses a national security question, the federal government should have power to regulate it. State and local governments should keep their noses out of it.

Robert Bitzan , Crystal, Minn.

Governments should have the power to ensure social media platforms are safe and responsible, focusing on protecting privacy, preventing misinformation and ensuring fairness in content moderation. However, regulations need to be balanced to avoid stifling free speech and innovation. It’s essential to find a middle ground that promotes user safety without compromising the fundamental values of openness and free expression that make social media valuable.

Javier Negrete , Los Angeles

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‘Dragon’s Dogma 2’ Is a Fun but Stagnant Throwback: Video Game Review

By George Yang

George Yang

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If you had told me that “Dragon’s Dogma 2” was a remaster or remake of the first game from 2012, I’d believe you. When I played this game, memories of my teenage years flooded back into my head. The unique side quests and fun real-time action combat were just as I remembered, but I also recalled all the problems I had with its lack of quality of life options.

One of the Capcom title’s greatest strengths is that its side quests unfold organically, often popping up when you’re just strolling through town. When I reached the beast nation of Battahl, someone greeted me as soon as I stepped into the palace. Apparently, one of the servants discovered a plot to assassinate the empress, and I agreed to try and find the killer.

To my surprise, I failed to sniff them out in time despite having a physical description, and the empress perished. Emergent moments like these add strong world building and keep you excited about what could potentially come next in your adventure.

What really wears you down, however, is the asinine amount of backtracking between different locations. The game’s main fast travel options are oxtail carts and ferrystones. The former only seems available in larger towns while the latter are consumable items that let you return to those towns from anywhere on the map — but they’re expensive.

This was exactly how it was in the first game, and while this provides a level of immersion, it gets very old, very fast, especially if you’re trying to complete side quests in smaller regions.

What makes traveling on foot incredibly frustrating is that the Arisen’s stamina meter depletes rather quickly when you’re running. Annoyingly, I would always have a brief burst of speed, followed by a period of brisk jogging while waiting for the meter to fill up again. I just wish there was some sort of improvement there from its predecessor: perhaps the stamina meter only depleting while running in combat?

There are some new Vocations as well, such as the Mystic Spearhand. This class wields a double-bladed magical spear and pulls off some cool acrobatic moves like jumping into the air and slamming the spear into the ground. It’s really fun to switch Vocations every once in a while to experiment and find one that best fits your playstyle.

The series’ Pawn system still works great too. Pawns are AI controlled teammates to accompany and fight alongside the Arisen. You get to create your own Pawn as well as recruit two others for a full party of four. Pawns can be found walking past you during the game, or you can even call upon the ones that other players have made, including your own friends’ pawns. While there’s no direct multiplayer or co-op, this mechanic is a great way to encourage camaraderie amongst other players.

Unlike the first game, Dragon’s Dogma 2 features a truly seamless world, with the only loading screens appearing when you open up your game or reload to a previous checkpoint after dying. 

The increased power from PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S definitely helped out here, but the game sometimes looks like it belongs to the previous generation of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

While there’s spectacular graphical details in a giant griffin’s wings or a dragon’s scales, as well as the pre-rendered cinematic cutscenes, the environments and character model graphics aren’t nearly as impressive as Capcom’s other recent releases like 2023’s Resident Evil 4 remake or even 2019’s Devil May Cry 5 . Sometimes, technical issues occur and textures are missing, making the game look uglier.

I do want to give a shout out to the game’s soundtrack. As a very western-inspired game, Capcom’s Japanese origins make it stand out. From soothing pianos in the main menu to energizing electric guitars and epic chants during its biggest battles, the game has a very eclectic array of songs curated by sound director Ryo Yoshi and lead composer Satoshi Hori.

“Dragon’s Dogma 2” feels stagnant in ways where I thought that I was playing a game from the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 era almost 15 years ago, not one from the current generation of consoles in 2024. Certain mechanics haven’t evolved from the first game and the graphics are sometimes disappointing. Still, the side quest structure and combat hold up after all this time. “Dragon’s Dogma 2” simultaneously kept the strongest aspects of its predecessor while failing to remedy the shortcomings.

“Dragon’s Dogma 2” launches on March 22 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

Reviewed on Xbox Series X|S

Score: 7/10

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