Do you know, intentionally or unintentionally, we all give presentations on a daily basis? Shocked? Well, it’s the truth! Be it explaining a concept or task to your colleague, talking to a friend, expressing your thoughts to your family members, or putting forward your ideas in the office meeting; you are indulged in some sort of presentation. However, only a few of those presentations are quite important and tailored to meet some specific purpose. These purpose-led presentations need a unique and sensible approach to be delivered.
In this blog post, we have explained 5 different types of presentations with examples, when you can use them, and tips to nail them. So, read on!
Table of Contents
1.Elevator Pitch
Has it ever happened to you that during your elevator ride from the ground floor to the top floor, you were accompanied by an energetic professional who told you about himself, his company, products, and ideas quickly and that too, in an impressive manner? This unprepared and condensed pitch, delivered in a less complicated manner in a limited amount of time (usually 40 seconds), is called an elevator pitch.
The elevator pitch is the best choice if you want to capture the intended audience’s attention quickly and deliver your information in such a way that they can understand it in a short period of time.
When to use it?
This pitch is used while telling new employees about your business, introducing yourself at a conference, networking event, or on warm calls, or when your aim is to earn a second conversation.
Tips for Effective Elevator Pitch:
- Be friendly and engaging; don’t sound rigid and rehearsed.
- Keep your pitch clear and concise; however, don’t maffle or rush through it.
Example: Watch this elevator pitch, which is the winner of the 2011 University of Dayton Competition.
2.Investor Pitch
Looking forward to raising capital from investors for your new business venture or project? We do understand that winning investors and securing investment is indeed a herculean task. However, with a well-structured business proposal backed by growth projection statistics, you can nail it!
When to use it?
If you are a startup owner or entrepreneur, you can prepare investor pitch deck to woo potential investors, make them believe in your business ideas, and convince them to invest in your new venture.
Tips for Effective Investor Pitch:
- Articulate an interesting and compelling story, giving an overview of your company, the unique idea, initial traction and future projections, business and revenue model, etc.
- Keep it specific, simple, and short.
- Avoid lofty projections and a lot of jargon.
- Include visually interesting graphs, charts, and images.
Example: Watch this brightwheel Pitch as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank. What made this pitch effective was its successful business model.
3.Keynote
If you have ever attended any professional conference or event, you might have witnessed those energizing moments when a bold-faced speaker with extensive industry knowledge and expertise transformed the entire event by taking its spirit to the next level. Yes, he was the keynote speaker!
Keynote presentations are generally motivational or informative and are delivered by renowned personalities, such as celebrities or corporate executives.
When to use it?
A keynote speech is generally delivered at academic conferences, award ceremonies, political conventions, and industrial expositions to set the basic tone and tenor and sum up the most important revelation or core message of the event.
Tips for Effective Keynote:
- Make your information easy to follow for the audience by weaving it into a story.
- Make your presentation conversational and connect with your audience on a personal level.
- Prioritize your content along with the delivery to ensure that the audience gets all the information and knowledge that the event organizer promised them from your session.
Example: Watch the excerpt from the Macworld San Francisco 2007 where Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone. A great example of a perfect keynote!
4.Sales Pitch
Recall that memorable moment when a man in professional attire approached you and talked quickly, putting forward a list of points. He spoke in a manner that made you wonder if you have known him since high school. You were confused, but reluctantly compelled to agree with what he told you. And after a few minutes, you ended up shelling out money for the product that man was selling.
Well, this is called a sales pitch!
A good sales pitch identifies and acknowledges the challenges, issues, and problems the prospect is currently encountering and creates value by offering the best possible solution through the product/service. Sales pitches can be of various types: the email pitch, the phone pitch, the deck pitch, the voicemail pitch, and the follow-up pitch.
When to use it?
A sales pitch is generally used by sales representatives to persuade the prospects with a planned product/service sales presentation strategy. This customer-centric selling technique aims to close the deal by offering value with social proof.
Tips for Effective Sales Pitch:
- Keep it focused on benefits rather than features.
- Change the focus of your pitch for different types of customers.
- Add an emotional hook to reel in the prospects.
- Make it more engaging by illustrating the pain points and solutions through professionally designed slide decks.
Example: A 3-minute pitch made by Party on Demand CEO Willie Green at Startupfest 2017 is the perfect example of an enthusiastic sales pitch.
5.Webinar
A webinar is a live online presentation or conference that attendees can join virtually through their mobile or desktop over the internet. Webinars are a great way to reach maximum customers globally.
When to use it?
Business professionals use webinars to promote a product launch, build brand authority, educate employees and customers, position themselves as an expert, connect with new customers, generate leads, and for various other purposes.
Tips for Effective Webinars:
- Wrap your webinar in 60 minutes or less; long webinars may drop the participation of the audience.
- Make it interactive by including actionable content, polls, and asking questions.
- Include a call-to-action (such as signing up a mailing list, getting in touch with you, purchasing a product, etc.)
Example: Watch this webinar, in which Doug and Nicole, Duarte Executive Speaker Coaches, shared the tips to focus on empathy during virtual communication.
The Bottom Line
We have discussed some important presentation types here, but certainly, there are many other types that have different target audiences, time frames, and forms, such as informative presentations, persuasive presentations, educational presentations, etc. Remember, choosing the right presentation type for specific events is crucial to serving your purpose. So, ensure which form is best suitable for your upcoming presentations and win the heart of your audience!
Do you have knowledge of any other presentation type we have not mentioned in this blog post? Do let us know in the ‘Comment’ section below!
About Carson Derrow
