what are the five uses of presentation

5 Unique Types Of Presentation - Which Suits Your Purpose Best

Table of contents.

In today’s fast-paced world, effective communication has become an indispensable skill. Whether in the classroom, the boardroom, or on a global stage, the way we present our ideas can make all the difference. While traditional presentations certainly have their place, it’s essential to explore new and innovative approaches to captivate your audience and convey your message with impact.

In this blog of the art of presentation, we will journey beyond the conventional, shedding light on five types of presentations that show the way we share information, tell stories, and engage our audience. Each of these presentation types harnesses the power of creativity, technology, and human connection to leave a lasting impression and drive meaningful change.

Why Are Different Presentation Styles Needed?

Different types of presentation styles are needed because they serve diverse purposes, engage various audiences, and are suited to specific situations. Here are several reasons why various styles are necessary:

Audience Diversity

Audiences vary in terms of their interests, knowledge levels, and preferences. Some may respond better to data-driven informative presentations, while others may be more receptive to inspirational or entertaining presentations. Using different styles allows you to cater to the needs and preferences of different audience groups.

Communication Objectives

Different presentations serve different communication goals. Informative presentations aim to educate, persuasive presentations aim to convince, and motivational presentations aim to engage and inspire. Using the appropriate style aligns your presentation with your specific objectives.

Content Complexity

The complexity of the content being presented may dictate the presentation style. Complex technical information might require a demonstrative or how-to style, while a simple and emotionally charged message may be best conveyed through an inspirational or storytelling approach.

Engagement and Retention

Varied presentation types help keep audiences engaged and improve information retention. Mixing up presentation formats prevents monotony and boredom, making it more likely that your audience will stay focused and remember the key talking points.

Context and Setting

The context and setting of a presentation matter. A formal business presentation may require a more structured and data-driven approach, while a casual team meeting might benefit from interactive discussions. Adapting your style to the context enhances the effectiveness of your communication.

Audience Feedback

Presenters often adjust their styles based on audience feedback. If you notice that your audience is disengaged or confused, you may choose to switch to a different style or incorporate more interactive elements to address their concerns and create genuine interest.

Cultural and Regional Differences

Different styles can also be influenced by cultural and regional norms. What works in one culture may not be as effective in another. Being aware of these differences and adapting your style accordingly is essential for effective cross-cultural communication.

Technology and Innovation

As technology evolves, new styles and tools emerge. Virtual reality presentations, for example, have become increasingly popular for their immersive qualities. Staying up-to-date with technological advancements can open up new possibilities for engaging your audience.

Personal Style and Strengths

Every presenter has their own strengths and preferences. Some may excel at delivering data-driven presentations, while others may be more comfortable with inspirational or interactive styles. Adapting your style to your strengths can enhance your confidence and impact.

What Are The Different Types Of Presentations?

Educational/informative presentations.

The educational or informative presentation types are meant to provide the audience with new information about a topic. They aim to educate and enhance the audience’s understanding of the subject matter. These presentations often use visual aids such as charts, graphs and data to support the information being shared.

Instructional Presentations

An instructive presentation, often referred to as a how-to presentation, is a type of presentation that is designed to teach the audience a specific skill, provide step-by-step guidance on completing a task, or impact knowledge on a particular topic. The primary purpose of this presentation method is to facilitate learning and help the audience acquire new information or abilities. These are often used in training with new employees to give them a better understanding of a job they are expected to do.

Motivational Presentations

A motivational presentation aim to entertain, motivate or inspire the audience. They may include storytelling, humour, and emotional appeals to engage and uplift the audience. This inspirational presentation style is often seen in speeches with motivational speakers, at TED Talks or keynote addresses.

Persuasive Presentations

A persuasive presentation is designed to convince the audience to adopt a particular viewpoint, take specific actions, or make decisions in line with the presenter’s goals. They often involve the use of compelling arguments, emotional appeals, and persuasive techniques to sway the audience’s opinions.

Progress Presentations

The progress presentation method is a type of presentation that provides an update on the status, development or advancement of a project, task or any ongoing work. These presentations are usually delivered at regular intervals throughout the duration of a project to inform stakeholders, team members or decision makers about the current state of affairs.

What Are The Benefits To Using Different Types Of Presentations?

Using different types of presentations has several benefits, depending on the context, audience and goals of your presentation. Here are some advantages of incorporating diverse presentation styles:

Audience Engagement and Response

Varying presentation styles cater to different audience preferences. By adapting your style to the preferences of your audience, you can capture their attention more effectively, and keep the audience thinking throughout your presentation. Varied presentations types allow you to convey information from multiple angles, making it easier for the audience to grasp complex concepts. Some people may respond better to visual aids, while others prefer interactive discussions or storytelling.

Improved Quality And More Memorable

Different presentation styles can stimulate different parts of the brain, which can enhance memory retention. Engaging visuals, emotional storytelling, and interactive activities can all contribute to better recall of your message.

Having a repertoire of presentation types makes you a more versatile and adaptable communicator. You can choose the style that best fits the message, situation, and audience, increasing the chances of successful communication.

You Can Adapt To Connect With The Nature Of The Topic

Different situations require different approaches. Whether you’re giving a formal business presentation, a training workshop, or a casual team meeting, choosing the appropriate style helps you align with the context and achieve your goals effectively.

Are There Only 5 Types Of Presentation?

No, we’ve simply selected the most common types we see. The five most common types of presentations— educational/informative, instructional, motivational, persuasive, and progress—are popular because they serve fundamental communication needs and are versatile in various contexts.

These five presentation styles are the most popular because they address fundamental communication objectives and cater to diverse audience needs. Their versatility allows presenters to adapt to various situations, whether it’s delivering critical information, influencing decisions, inspiring change, teaching skills, or fostering collaboration. Additionally, these styles can be combined or customized to suit specific goals and audiences, further contributing to their widespread use and popularity.

Wrapping Things Up On Types Of Presentations

Learning and using different presentations can be a valuable skill for personal growth and professional development. It challenges you to become a more versatile and effective communicator. By choosing the right style for your message and audience, you can maximize the impact of your presentations and impactful presentations are more likely to achieve their intended goals.

In summary, the benefits of using different types of presentations lie in their ability to make your communication more effective, engaging, and adaptable. Being able to switch between styles allows you to connect with various audiences, convey your message more convincingly, and achieve better outcomes in your personal and professional endeavours.

As we conclude our journey through these versatile approaches, it becomes abundantly clear that the power of presentation lies not just in what we say, but how we say it.

Each presentation style, in its uniqueness, encapsulates a facet of the human experience—a story to tell, a lesson to learn, a cause to champion, a skill to acquire, or a problem to solve. While the styles themselves are distinct, they are not mutually exclusive; they interweave and overlap, offering a rich tapestry of communicative tools for us to master.

So, as you embark on your next presentation, remember the versatile repertoire at your disposal. Tailor your approach to your objectives, your audience, and the unique message you wish to convey. Embrace the power of creativity, technology, and human connection. For in the realm of presentations, it is not merely the words spoken or the slides displayed that matter most; it is the lasting impact etched into the hearts and minds of those who bear witness.

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If you’re looking for a design agency to take your presentations off your hands, work with the geeks at Presentation Geeks and be sure that the slide deck will exceed your expectations!

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Author:  Content Team

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Blog Beginner Guides 8 Types of Presentations You Should Know [+Examples & Tips]

8 Types of Presentations You Should Know [+Examples & Tips]

Written by: Krystle Wong Aug 11, 2023

From persuasive pitches that influence opinions to instructional demonstrations that teach skills, the different types of presentations serve a unique purpose, tailored to specific objectives and audiences.

Presentations that are tailored to its objectives and audiences are more engaging and memorable. They capture attention, maintain interest and leave a lasting impression. 

Don’t worry if you’re no designer —  Whether you need data-driven visuals, persuasive graphics or engaging design elements, Venngage can empower you to craft presentations that stand out and effectively convey your message.

Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface, extensive presentation template library and customizable design options make it a valuable tool for creating slides that align with your specific goals and target audience. 

Click to jump ahead:

8 Different types of presentations every presenter must know

How do i choose the right type of presentation for my topic or audience, types of presentation faq, 5 steps to create a presentation with venngage .

When it comes to presentations, versatility is the name of the game. Having a variety of presentation styles up your sleeve can make a world of difference in keeping your audience engaged. Here are 8 essential presentation types that every presenter should be well-acquainted with:

1. Informative presentation

Ever sat through a presentation that left you feeling enlightened? That’s the power of an informative presentation. 

This presentation style is all about sharing knowledge and shedding light on a particular topic. Whether you’re diving into the depths of quantum physics or explaining the intricacies of the latest social media trends, informative presentations aim to increase the audience’s understanding.

When delivering an informative presentation, simplify complex topics with clear visuals and relatable examples. Organize your content logically, starting with the basics and gradually delving deeper and always remember to keep jargon to a minimum and encourage questions for clarity.

Academic presentations and research presentations are great examples of informative presentations. An effective academic presentation involves having clear structure, credible evidence, engaging delivery and supporting visuals. Provide context to emphasize the topic’s significance, practice to perfect timing, and be ready to address anticipated questions. 

2. Persuasive presentation

If you’ve ever been swayed by a passionate speaker armed with compelling arguments, you’ve experienced a persuasive presentation . 

This type of presentation is like a verbal tug-of-war, aiming to convince the audience to see things from a specific perspective. Expect to encounter solid evidence, logical reasoning and a dash of emotional appeal.

With persuasive presentations, it’s important to know your audience inside out and tailor your message to their interests and concerns. Craft a compelling narrative with a strong opening, a solid argument and a memorable closing. Additionally, use visuals strategically to enhance your points.

Examples of persuasive presentations include presentations for environmental conservations, policy change, social issues and more. Here are some engaging presentation templates you can use to get started with: 

3. Demonstration or how-to presentation

A Demonstration or How-To Presentation is a type of presentation where the speaker showcases a process, technique, or procedure step by step, providing the audience with clear instructions on how to replicate the demonstrated action. 

A demonstrative presentation is particularly useful when teaching practical skills or showing how something is done in a hands-on manner.

These presentations are commonly used in various settings, including educational workshops, training sessions, cooking classes, DIY tutorials, technology demonstrations and more. Designing creative slides for your how-to presentations can heighten engagement and foster better information retention. 

Speakers can also consider breaking down the process into manageable steps, using visual aids, props and sometimes even live demonstrations to illustrate each step. The key is to provide clear and concise instructions, engage the audience with interactive elements and address any questions that may arise during the presentation.

4. Training or instructional presentation

Training presentations are geared towards imparting practical skills, procedures or concepts — think of this as the more focused cousin of the demonstration presentation. 

Whether you’re teaching a group of new employees the ins and outs of a software or enlightening budding chefs on the art of soufflé-making, training presentations are all about turning novices into experts.

To maximize the impact of your training or instructional presentation, break down complex concepts into digestible segments. Consider using real-life examples to illustrate each point and create a connection. 

You can also create an interactive presentation by incorporating elements like quizzes or group activities to reinforce understanding.

5. Sales presentation

Sales presentations are one of the many types of business presentations and the bread and butter of businesses looking to woo potential clients or customers. With a sprinkle of charm and a dash of persuasion, these presentations showcase products, services or ideas with one end goal in mind: sealing the deal.

A successful sales presentation often has key characteristics such as a clear value proposition, strong storytelling, confidence and a compelling call to action. Hence, when presenting to your clients or stakeholders, focus on benefits rather than just features. 

Anticipate and address potential objections before they arise and use storytelling to showcase how your offering solves a specific problem for your audience. Utilizing visual aids is also a great way to make your points stand out and stay memorable.

A sales presentation can be used to promote service offerings, product launches or even consultancy proposals that outline the expertise and industry experience of a business. Here are some template examples you can use for your next sales presentation:

6. Pitch presentation

Pitch presentations are your ticket to garnering the interest and support of potential investors, partners or stakeholders. Think of your pitch deck as your chance to paint a vivid picture of your business idea or proposal and secure the resources you need to bring it to life. 

Business presentations aside, individuals can also create a portfolio presentation to showcase their skills, experience and achievements to potential clients, employers or investors. 

Craft a concise and compelling narrative. Clearly define the problem your idea solves and how it stands out in the market. Anticipate questions and practice your answers. Project confidence and passion for your idea.

7. Motivational or inspirational presentation

Feeling the need for a morale boost? That’s where motivational presentations step in. These talks are designed to uplift and inspire, often featuring personal anecdotes, heartwarming stories and a generous serving of encouragement.

Form a connection with your audience by sharing personal stories that resonate with your message. Use a storytelling style with relatable anecdotes and powerful metaphors to create an emotional connection. Keep the energy high and wrap up your inspirational presentations with a clear call to action.

Inspirational talks and leadership presentations aside, a motivational or inspirational presentation can also be a simple presentation aimed at boosting confidence, a motivational speech focused on embracing change and more.

8. Status or progress report presentation

Projects and businesses are like living organisms, constantly evolving and changing. Status or progress report presentations keep everyone in the loop by providing updates on achievements, challenges and future plans. It’s like a GPS for your team, ensuring everyone stays on track.

Be transparent about achievements, challenges and future plans. Utilize infographics, charts and diagrams to present your data visually and simplify information. By visually representing data, it becomes easier to identify trends, make predictions and strategize based on evidence.

Now that you’ve learned about the different types of presentation methods and how to use them, you’re on the right track to creating a good presentation that can boost your confidence and enhance your presentation skills . 

Selecting the most suitable presentation style is akin to choosing the right outfit for an occasion – it greatly influences how your message is perceived. Here’s a more detailed guide to help you make that crucial decision:

1. Define your objectives

Begin by clarifying your presentation’s goals. Are you aiming to educate, persuade, motivate, train or perhaps sell a concept? Your objectives will guide you to the most suitable presentation type. 

For instance, if you’re aiming to inform, an informative presentation would be a natural fit. On the other hand, a persuasive presentation suits the goal of swaying opinions.

2. Know your audience

Regardless if you’re giving an in-person or a virtual presentation — delve into the characteristics of your audience. Consider factors like their expertise level, familiarity with the topic, interests and expectations. 

If your audience consists of professionals in your field, a more technical presentation might be suitable. However, if your audience is diverse and includes newcomers, an approachable and engaging style might work better.

3. Analyze your content

Reflect on the content you intend to present. Is it data-heavy, rich in personal stories or focused on practical skills? Different presentation styles serve different content types. 

For data-driven content, an informative or instructional presentation might work best. For emotional stories, a motivational presentation could be a compelling choice.

4. Consider time constraints

Evaluate the time you have at your disposal. If your presentation needs to be concise due to time limitations, opt for a presentation style that allows you to convey your key points effectively within the available timeframe. A pitch presentation, for example, often requires delivering impactful information within a short span.

5. Leverage visuals

Visual aids are powerful tools in presentations. Consider whether your content would benefit from visual representation. If your PowerPoint presentations involve step-by-step instructions or demonstrations, a how-to presentation with clear visuals would be advantageous. Conversely, if your content is more conceptual, a motivational presentation could rely more on spoken words.

6. Align with the setting

Take the presentation environment into account. Are you presenting in a formal business setting, a casual workshop or a conference? Your setting can influence the level of formality and interactivity in your presentation. For instance, a demonstration presentation might be ideal for a hands-on workshop, while a persuasive presentation is great for conferences.

7. Gauge audience interaction

Determine the level of audience engagement you want. Interactive presentations work well for training sessions, workshops and small group settings, while informative or persuasive presentations might be more one-sided.

8. Flexibility

Stay open to adjusting your presentation style on the fly. Sometimes, unexpected factors might require a change of presentation style. Be prepared to adjust on the spot if audience engagement or reactions indicate that a different approach would be more effective.

Remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and the best type of presentation may vary depending on the specific situation and your unique communication goals. By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the most effective presentation type to successfully engage and communicate with your audience.

To save time, use a presentation software or check out these presentation design and presentation background guides to create a presentation that stands out.    

What are some effective ways to begin and end a presentation?

Capture your audience’s attention from the start of your presentation by using a surprising statistic, a compelling story or a thought-provoking question related to your topic. 

To conclude your presentation , summarize your main points, reinforce your key message and leave a lasting impression with a powerful call to action or a memorable quote that resonates with your presentation’s theme.

How can I make my presentation more engaging and interactive?

To create an engaging and interactive presentation for your audience, incorporate visual elements such as images, graphs and videos to illustrate your points visually. Share relatable anecdotes or real-life examples to create a connection with your audience. 

You can also integrate interactive elements like live polls, open-ended questions or small group discussions to encourage participation and keep your audience actively engaged throughout your presentation.

Which types of presentations require special markings

Some presentation types require special markings such as how sales presentations require persuasive techniques like emphasizing benefits, addressing objections and using compelling visuals to showcase products or services. 

Demonstrations and how-to presentations on the other hand require clear markings for each step, ensuring the audience can follow along seamlessly. 

That aside, pitch presentations require highlighting unique selling points, market potential and the competitive edge of your idea, making it stand out to potential investors or partners.

Need some inspiration on how to make a presentation that will captivate an audience? Here are 120+ presentation ideas to help you get started. 

Creating a stunning and impactful presentation with Venngage is a breeze. Whether you’re crafting a business pitch, a training presentation or any other type of presentation, follow these five steps to create a professional presentation that stands out:

• Sign up and log in to Venngage to access the editor.
• Choose a presentation template that matches your topic or style.
• Customize content, colors, fonts, and background to personalize your presentation.
• Add images, icons, and charts to enhancevisual style and clarity.
• Save, export, and share your presentation as PDF or PNG files, or use Venngage’s Presentation Mode for online showcasing.

In the realm of presentations, understanding the different types of presentation formats is like having a versatile set of tools that empower you to craft compelling narratives for every occasion.

Remember, the key to a successful presentation lies not only in the content you deliver but also in the way you connect with your audience. Whether you’re informing, persuading or entertaining, tailoring your approach to the specific type of presentation you’re delivering can make all the difference.

Presentations are a powerful tool, and with practice and dedication (and a little help from Venngage), you’ll find yourself becoming a presentation pro in no time. Now, let’s get started and customize your next presentation!

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14 effective presentation tips to impress your audience

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

Anete Ezera July 15, 2022

An effective presentation can communicate key ideas and opinions, save time, and contribute to your overall success as a business, but good presentation skills don’t come naturally to everyone. In this blog post, you’ll find 14 effective presentation tips you can implement in your next presentation to make it a success. 

Whether you’re preparing for an important presentation at work or school, or you’re looking for ways to generally improve your presentation skills, you’ll find these presentation tips useful. We’ve gathered a list to help you impress your audience from the get-go. You’ll find tips for creating and presenting your slides, talking in front of an audience, and other effective presentation techniques to help you stand out. 

Most common presentation mistakes

Before we list our top effective presentation tips, let’s explore the most common presentation mistakes. If you’ve made one or more mistakes in this list, you’re not alone. Most people have made at least one mistake. However, what’s important is to be aware of these errors and try avoiding them next time.

#1 A poor start

One of the most common mistakes people make is undermining the importance of the first few minutes or seconds of their presentation. 

Let’s say you’ve practiced your key talking points meticulously and gone over your slides a million times, but when you’re in the spotlight and need to say your first line, do you know exactly what to say to wow the audience? 

The start of your presentation is crucial. Not only because how you start sets the tone for the rest of your presentation, but also because people generally require around 8 seconds to decide whether they find the subject interesting enough to keep listening. Starting your presentation with a captivating intro is even more important than you think. To ensure you start off right, read our guide on how to start your presentation . 

#2 Lack of preparation

Yes, even though it’s clear that you should prepare before giving a presentation, it’s still a common mistake amongst presenters. Preparing content and talking points is an obvious start, but there are other steps that you might be overlooking.

Before you even join a meeting or walk into a room where you’re going to present, consider the technical requirements and get familiar with the equipment. If you’re presenting online, make sure to test-run your presentation and the visual aids you’re going to use. The last thing you want is a broken video link, poor audio, or a weak connection when you’re presenting. 

Also, consider the questions your audience might want to ask you about the topic. Think about how you’d answer those questions, or do even further research to really impress the audience with your answers. 

Explore other ways to prepare for a presentation to feel even more confident when presenting.

#3 Losing track of time

It’s great to feel passionate about your topic. However, you’ll have to consider your audience’s level of interest and knowledge. Some details might seem fascinating to you, and you’d like to talk about them for hours, but for your audience, too much information will drain their energy and lose their attention. 

Therefore, make sure to keep track of time. Also, consider your audience’s interests. A concise presentation is always better than a long one with a ton of information. Plus, you’ll have a higher chance of keeping your audience’s attention throughout the presentation. 

Effective presentation tips

Now that we’ve looked at some of the most common presentation mistakes – let’s dive into effective presentation tips that’ll help you excel in future presentations. 

#1 Tell a story

Stories connect, inspire, and empower people. Telling a story can entice action, help understand an idea, and make people feel connected to the storyteller. It’s also one of the most effective presentation tips. A study by organizational psychologist Peg Neuhauser found that a well-told story is easier to remember than facts, which makes it a highly effective learning technique. 

With that in mind, telling a story when you’re presenting can engage your audience and make it a more memorable experience. You can either share a personal story or a historical event, just make sure to have a clear connection between the story and the topic you’re presenting. 

#2 Work on your body language

Body language can make a huge difference in how your presentation is perceived. It’s one of the presentation tips you definitely shouldn’t overlook. 

Body language says a lot about a person’s confidence level, emotions, state of mind, and even credibility. For the audience, it’s a way to understand what the person is saying and how interested they are in the topic. 

Therefore, work on your body language to better convey the message you’re trying to communicate. Practice in front of a mirror before your presentation and be conscious of your hand gestures and facial expressions. 

#3 Understand your audience

Before crafting your presentation, you must know who you’re speaking to. Understanding the interests, demographics, professional background, and other valuable information of your audience is crucial in making your speech successful. 

If you’re speaking at an event, contact the organizers to get more information about other speakers and the audience. If you’re presenting at work, you may already know your audience fairly well. Use this information to your advantage and create content you know they’ll resonate with.

#4 Use high-quality visuals

What’s one of the most effective presentation techniques? Use of visuals. They play a crucial role in your presentation. However, only high-quality visuals will make a good impression and effectively communicate your message. Use high-quality visuals like images, videos, graphs, maps, and others to really land your point. 

Using visuals is a great way to convey your ideas as they’re easier to process than text. If you’re not sure where to find great visuals, check out our blog post on presentation visuals for five free resources.

P.S. the Prezi library holds a variety of images, videos, GIFs, stickers, and other visuals, including different charts and maps to spice up your presentation. It’s all available in your dashboard .

#5 Use data visualizations

Do you want to showcase statistics or other datasets in your presentation? Use data visualizations to make your data stand out and impress your audience. 

There’s nothing more boring than a bunch of data presented in a flat way. If you want to tell a story with your data, use interactive infographics or slides enriched with eye-catching visuals. Showcasing data will make your ideas appear more trustworthy and credible. 

Prezi Design offers a range of templates to choose from. You can start creating data visualizations from scratch or choose a template and edit the data there. 

#6 Make it engaging with interactive elements

It’s not easy to deliver an engaging presentation. People can easily get distracted or try to multitask, especially in the virtual environment. Sometimes, it’s difficult to focus on the speaker and the written text. Other times, the content just isn’t impressive enough to hold the audience’s attention. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

You can make your presentation more engaging for everyone by including interactive content like graphs and charts. With interactive data visualizations, you’ll make the data discovery process more engaging and exciting for your audience. 

Your audience will be able to hover over data points and click on certain icons or datasets to discover information on their own. Interactive visualizations will make the presentation more memorable and impressive. 

As you can see in the example below, you can discover different data by engaging with the infographic. 

#7 Stay consistent with fonts and color styles

You want your presentation to look visually appealing and highlight essential information. To make that happen, stay consistent with font styles and color schemes throughout your presentation. 

Use one or two fonts max to make the text easy to read and understand. Also, use a carefully selected color scheme that’s not too distracting. If you’re using Prezi Design, you can easily copy and paste styles by right-clicking on your data visualizations and selecting “copy styles.” This makes it easier to stay consistent and saves time when picking matching colors. 

#8 Structure your presentation properly

Before creating your presentation, think about its structure. What’s the main idea you want to convey? Use that as your starting point, and only include information that adds value to the narrative. 

Plan out the first topics carefully to properly introduce your argument. Add the essential information in the middle part of your presentation. Lastly, close your presentation with a summary of the main points and leave your audience with an afterthought. Also, plan when you’re taking questions and for how long. 

For more insight, watch this tutorial on how to structure your presentation:

#9 Practice your public speaking skills

Public speaking may not be your forte, but you can get better with practice. Don’t decline a great opportunity to share your ideas with a larger audience just because you feel nervous speaking in front of a group of people. 

One of the best ways to improve your public speaking skills is to practice in front of your family or friends – people you feel comfortable with. Also, focus on the topic you’re presenting and get excited about the idea you want to convey. This way you’ll appear more confident and feel less nervous about public speaking. 

Explore other public speaking tips from Jessica Chen, the founder, and CEO of Soulcast Media: 

#10 Show your slides next to you on-screen

If you’re presenting on Zoom or in a virtual meeting , think twice before you share your screen. The days of hiding behind slides are over. People want to see and connect with other people, not sit through another run-of-the-mill screen share. To do that, use Prezi Video to showcase all your content right next to you in your video feed. 

As a result, your presentation will look more engaging than a traditional virtual presentation . Also, your audience will have the chance to read your body language and follow along with what you’re saying even better. 

If you already have your slides prepared, don’t worry – you can easily integrate them into Prezi. 

See Prezi Video in action and check out our video templates to get started.

#11 Calm down before presenting

Being in front of an audience can feel nerve-racking. However, there are ways to calm down before presenting that will make you feel more centered and confident. The last thing you want is all your hard work to go to waste just because of stress. 

Try breathing exercises or a five-minute guided meditation before presenting. The trick is to remove all distractions and focus on the present moment so you’re not overthinking right before starting your presentation. Also, be fully prepared and know exactly what to say and when which will help you feel more collected. If you want to discover other ways to feel and look more confident, read how not to be nervous before a presentation . 

#12 Use transitions and animations 

Add movement to your slides with transitions and animations. You’ll make your presentation more visually appealing and engaging. However, be careful not to overwhelm your audience with your choice of transitions and animations. 

Choose a transition that matches your presentation visually and use it throughout your presentation. Consider what animations will be relevant to your audience and select a few to add to your slides. Don’t overdo it. Keep the focus on the message you’re trying to convey, and use animations to only support that message. 

#13 Be enthusiastic 

When you’re in a room with a positive and enthusiastic person, you can’t help but feel uplifted as well. High-energy people have this effect on others. Most importantly, a lot of people tend to mimic people’s behavior and mirror their energy when they feel a connection or relate to them. That’s called the chameleon effect . 

When you’re presenting, you want your audience to feel curious about what you’re presenting. You may also want to leave your audience feeling uplifted, interested to know more, or inspired. To have that effect on others, try to convey those emotions when presenting. Practice your speech, slow down your narration at times, or take a pause after you’ve delivered a statement, and use different presentation techniques to present your project and really drive your points home. 

#14 End your presentation in a memorable way

The first few minutes of your presentation are crucial for captivating your audience’s attention. However, don’t underestimate the importance of ending your presentation as powerfully as you started it. 

The way you end your presentation will play a crucial part in how your audience will remember it. You want to make a memorable impression by closing your presentation with a summarizing statement, a rhetorical question, a call to action, or another impactful way. Discover 10 ways you can end your presentation in our guide.  

There are a lot of factors to consider when creating and delivering a presentation. You want your slides to look professional and visually appealing while conveying your main points. You also want to look and sound confident even if you’re nervous about public speaking. Whatever your concerns may be, remember that preparation is essential. Practice and dedication are the keys to giving a successful presentation . Make sure to follow these effective presentation tips to excel in your future presentations. If you’re interested in creating a captivating presentation with Prezi, contact us to learn more or try it for free . 

Elevating presentations with Prezi AI

Embrace the innovation of Prezi to bring your presentations to life. With its unique platform, Prezi AI offers more than just visually appealing templates; it provides an immersive narrative experience, engaging your audience with a story-driven approach. By integrating Prezi AI , our platform’s capabilities are further enhanced, offering intelligent design suggestions and optimizing content layouts to ensure your presentations are not only beautiful but impactful. This integration is a perfect example of effective presentation techniques in action, using technology to create a more engaging presentation.

Interactive elements: transforming passive listening into active engagement

Prezi revolutionizes the way information is presented by incorporating interactive elements that invite audience participation. With Prezi AI, these features become even more accessible, suggesting ways to make your presentation more engaging through clickable areas, zoomable images, and dynamic visualizations. This level of interaction encourages exploration, making your message more memorable and transforming a standard presentation into an effective presentation.

Adding a personal touch in digital presentation with video

Prezi Video stands out by seamlessly integrating your content alongside your video feed, bridging the gap between traditional presentations and personal engagement. This feature is crucial for those looking to follow presentation tips that emphasize the importance of connecting with your audience on a more personal level. Prezi AI enhances this experience, ensuring your content is displayed in the most effective way possible, making your virtual presentations feel as though you’re directly conversing with your audience.

Mastering presentation artistry with Prezi

The journey to becoming a skilled presenter involves continuously refining your approach and embracing tools that elevate your ability to communicate effectively. Prezi, enriched with Prezi AI, is one such tool that transforms ordinary presentations into captivating experiences. By leveraging these advanced features, you can deliver presentations that are successful, memorable, and truly unforgettable, embodying the essence of tips for presentation mastery.

Whether you’re an experienced speaker or preparing for your first presentation, Prezi equips you with the tools to succeed. Engage your audience, tell compelling stories, and deliver your message with confidence and creativity. Following effective presentation tips and exploring how Prezi AI can transform your next presentation is a step towards mastering the art of impactful communication. Delve into the features and begin your journey to presentation mastery today.

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Presentation

• Written By Gregg Rosenzweig
• Updated: June 4, 2024

We’re here to help you choose the most appropriate content types to fulfill your content strategy. In this series, we’re breaking down the most popular content types to their basic fundamentals so you can start with a solid foundation — simple definitions, clarity on formats, and plenty of examples.

What is a Presentation?

A communication device that relays a topic to an audience in the form of a slide show, demonstration, lecture, or speech, where words and pictures complement each other.

Why should you think of presentations as content?

The beauty of content creation is that almost anything can become a compelling piece of content . It just depends on the creativity used to convert it and the story that brings it to life.

The long and short of it

Although the length of a presentation in terms of time can depend on the overall approach (Are you talking a lot? Are you referring to the screen in detail or not?), consider the number of informational content slides when tallying the overall presentation length. For instance, don’t include title slides in your tally when conveying length to a content creator.

A general guide to presentation length:

• Short Form (5 content slides)
• Standard Form (10 content slides)
• Long Form (20+ content slides)

Popular use cases for presentations…

Let’s consider TED Talks for a minute: one of the best examples (bar none) of how words, pictures, and a narrative can make people care about something they otherwise might not.

These “talks” pre-date podcasts and blend a compelling use of language and imagery in presentation format to spread ideas in unique ways.

TED Talks have been viewed a billion-plus times worldwide (and counting) and are worth considering when it comes to how you might use video-presentation content to connect with your customers in creative, cool, new ways.

Business types:

Any company that has a pitch deck, executive summary, sales presentation, or any kind of internal document can repurpose them into external-facing content pieces — without pain.

Presentation Examples – Short Form

Here are some short-form examples with curated to help inspire you.

Presentation Examples – Standard Form

Presentation Examples – Long Form

Understanding Content Quality in Examples

Our team has rated content type examples in three degrees of quality ( Good, Better, Best ) to help you better gauge resources needed for your content plan.

In general, the degrees of content quality correspond to our three content levels ( General, Qualified, Expert ) based on the criteria below. Remember though, multiple variables determine the cost, completion time, or content level for any content piece with a perceived degree of quality.

How to Get Exceptional Content That Elevates

If you want to impress your clients, co-workers, or leadership team with your next presentation or product demonstration, to might want to consider working with proven content creators.

At ClearVoice, we have a Talent Network of 4000+ professionals across 200+ industries. That means we can find creators with the exact skill sets and expertise you need to create content that gets results.

Talk to a content specialist today to start the conversation.

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How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

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How to Give a Good Presentation: 11 Top Tips for Killer Presentations

Written by: Orana Velarde

Giving a good presentation takes practice. Not everyone is born a natural public speaker, which is  why we’re here today.

In this article, we’ll give you some of the best tips for killer presentations. These are techniques used by all the best public speakers, and yes – even they had to practice to get this good.

If you need to give a presentation for work, be it a pitch about a new project or product idea, a quarterly marketing report, a product launch or as an industry expert in a summit, we’ve got you covered.

How to Give a Good Presentation [Presentation]

To learn more about our top 11 tips for giving a killer presentation, keep reading throughout this article. But for those of you who are skimmers, feel free to browse through this presentation rounding up our top tips.

How to Give a Good Presentation

Here’s a quick look at the 11 tips on how to give a good presentation. Plus, you’ll find a bonus resource you won’t want to miss, The Visme Presentation Guru Course.

• Rehearse What You’re Planning to Say
• Prepare Mentally, Emotionally and Technically
• Start Strong
• Follow the Outline You Practiced With
• Finish With Confidence
• Use a Storytelling Technique on Your Slides
• Keep Your Slides Short
• Use Templates
• Learn From Your Mistakes
• Keep Yourself Inspired for the Future

Let’s dive in.

1 Rehearse What You’re Planning To Say

Before you even give a good presentation, you need to prepare.

This part has two steps – to rehearse what you’re going to say and to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. These two tips go hand in hand, but we’ll explain what each one is about individually.

Notice that we didn’t say “memorize your presentation.” There’s a big difference between memorizing a speech and practicing telling a story. The difference is that a memorized speech can end up sounding robot-like and practiced storytelling sounds effortless. 

You’ll be better off if you have at least a rough outline of your slides before you start rehearsing.

Section 1, Pause, Section 2, Pause, Repeat

Rehearse what you’re planning to say during your presentation by using a written outline, index cards, printed out versions of your presentation slides or whatever works for you.  

Practicing the spoken part of your Visme presentation is easy when you use the presentation notes feature . 

Separate your presentations into sections. The best way to do this is by topic. Try and keep all the sections about the same length, that way you can plan your pauses. 

Presenter’s Notes

Add presenter’s notes to your slides to help you along as you present. Visme makes this easy for you. As you go through each slide, you’re able to see the notes, what slide you’re on and what slide is next. There’s also a timer to help you pace each slide switch.

This tool will help if you can have a computer close by as you give the presentation. But if you are giving a presentation on a stage without a screen to help you, you’ll have to practice without notes. 

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How to Give A Good Presentation With Mnemonic Tools

Create some mnemonic tools into your presentation to help you remember what comes next. For some people, this comes as second nature and is easy. For others, it can become convoluted and cause you to overthink things. 

Try out a variety of different techniques until you find the one you feel the most comfortable and confident with.

Ask For Feedback

For better results and to know if you’re improving, record yourself or ask someone to watch you.  Ask them to give you honest feedback. Don’t accept feedback like “that was great.” Insist they go into the details. Offer them a pen and paper to take notes as you present.

You’ll notice as you practice and rehearse, that when you follow an outline, all the information you want to share is easier to remember. The TED talk below by Dr. Bolte Taylor was rehearsed 200 times and it’s one of the most famous TED Talks ever. 

You don’t need to practice that many times – just enough so it feels effortless. Needless to say, rehearsing is key to learning how to give a good presentation.

2 Prepare Mentally, Emotionally and Technically

It’s highly likely that you’ve already had to give presentations before, most probably at school. But let’s be honest, a classroom and a TED stage are a little different. So is an online summit via Zoom, which as you know are even more common now!

Let’s get one thing straight, though. We’re not talking about just any presentation here – we’re talking high stakes, high-quality presentations.

Preparing yourself mentally and emotionally for a weekly sales report meeting is not as important as doing so for one that will be in front of thousands of people and recorded for posterity.

This tip includes mental, emotional and technical preparation. Let’s focus on each one.

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Mental Preparation

While you’re rehearsing the outline and general speech for your presentation, notice the times when you feel like things flow and when they don’t. 

Why do you think that’s happening? 

If it flows well it’s because you feel comfortable with the content. You know what you’re talking about. You might even be passionate about it!

On the other hand, if you’re having trouble, maybe the content is still new to you. You might need to do a little more research to feel more knowledgeable about that topic. If you are unsure, you might completely forget what you had to say next during the presentation. 

That’s why rehearsing, adjusting and creating mnemonic cues will help.

Emotional Preparation

Not everyone needs to get emotionally prepared before a presentation. Conscientious rehearsing can usually be enough. But not everyone is the same. 

Many people that suffer from glossophobia or the fear of public speaking. Some have anxiety or social anxiety and just being close to that many people is difficult for them. Many successful speakers used to be riddled by fear before their first few presentations. 

Some of them still are, every single time. The difference is that they have learned how to manage their fear and lean into it. As soon as they step on the stage, the fear and anxiety melt away and all the rehearsing and practicing take over. 

To get emotionally prepared, you can try some mindfulness exercises and relaxation techniques. 

Wear clothes that make you feel powerful and confident. Try doing the power pose and high five some people before you go on stage. Sing your favorite song and have a little quick uplifting dance. 

Technical Preparation

You might be wondering what technical things you need to give a good presentation. It’s all in the details. 

Regardless if you’ll be speaking in a venue or an online summit, you have to test all technicalities.

If you’ll be speaking in a venue, visit the space and stand in the place where you’ll speak. Have a look around and pinpoint some elements or aspects that make you comfortable.

If there’s anything that bothers you, like a weird smell or a column in the middle of the room, think of ways to overcome that. 

Always ask to test the technical aspects in the room. Connect your computer or tablet to their system to check if your slides will look good with their setup. Also, test the audio. These detailed checks might not always be possible but it doesn’t hurt to ask.

If your presentation will be online, test all your tech beforehand. Locate a spot with the strongest wifi or hardwire your computer to the router.

Check your background and the lighting. Organize with housemates or family for some quiet time during the time of your presentation.

3 Start Strong

The day and time of your presentation have arrived! Now it’s time to shine.

Starting strong is a huge factor in achieving a good presentation. The first few seconds and minutes that you’re on stage will make a first impression on your audience . And yes, you can leverage that to your advantage!

How To Give A Good Presentation Through Impactful Body Language

The first thing people will notice is your body language. The way you carry yourself says a lot about how confident you are at that specific moment. If you prepared emotionally and mentally before your turn, then you’re as ready as you’ll ever be.

Watch the video below to learn about the power pose and how body language affects both you and your audience.

Make An Impressionable Statement

Starting a presentation with a joke, for example, can make the audience relate or feel more familiar with you. Letting them laugh a little will clear the air in the room and it’ll be easier to continue. 

Other opening techniques include:

• Be Provocative
• Incite Curiosity
• Shock the Audience
• Ask a Question
• Tell A Story

Use your first slide as a visual and impactful complement to start your presentation.

We have an article all about starting strong with plenty of inspiration. Check it out here – it’ll inspire you to think of new ideas for your presentation.

4 Follow The Outline You Practiced With

If you followed our tip above, you used an outline or a ‘section, pause, section’ technique to practice with. Maybe you even used some mnemonic tools or presenters’ notes. 

It’s time to put them all to use.

As long as you follow what you practiced you’re gold. This tip, as you can see, is a short one. It’s more of a reminder that the rehearsing step is more important than you might think at first. 

Only when you practice and rehearse a lot will you feel more comfortable when you present.

5 Use Props

Are you wondering how to give a good presentation with props? Good, that means you’re thinking creatively. Using props is a technique that not many consider when preparing for a presentation. 

Props can help not only to get the message across but also to serve as emotional support for the speaker! Just make sure it’s obviously a prop and not an emotional crutch.

A prop can be as small as a book, as big as a washing machine, or as weird as a preserved human brain. 

Of course, the prop must make sense with your presentation and topic. Not only that, but you must also practice with it. It’s important to be comfortable with your prop or props as you talk and switch slides. 

Actually, if you use props you might not need slides at all!

To get you inspired, watch this TED talk where Hans Rosling uses a washing machine as his prop.

6 Finish With Confidence

The end of the presentation is just as important as the beginning. You have to bring it all full circle. Knowing how to give a good presentation is like knowing how to structure a story, essay or article. The beginning and end are connected and must be relevant to each other.

For example, if you made a joke at the beginning, make the same joke but with a fun twist. If you made a provocative statement, close it up with a similar statement or question about it.

Closing Statement

Your presentation’s closing statement is a section in itself. Even if you do as we suggest above, the entire closing statement must be a conclusion of what you talked about during the entire presentation.

The last sentence you say will stay in your audience’s memory. At least until the next speaker takes the stage. If someone in your audience noted down your last sentence, you’ve hit the mark 100%.

Q and A Session – Yes or No?

Ending a presentation with a Q and A session is a bit iffy. If you ended your presentation with impact, a Q and A section can fizzle that out.

What you can do is ask the host to let the audience know that if they have questions, they can find you in the lobby for a conversation. For a digital summit, offer your Twitter handle where people can get in touch. 

In the case of webinars or instructional lectures though, Questions and Answers is a great idea. These can help familiarize you with the audience and make them more confident to work with you in the future. 

Consider the purpose of your presentation and make a decision according to what impact you’re looking to make.

Here's a great example of the chat section from Visme's webinars , where viewers make comments and ask questions throughout. In our webinars, we have someone help the presenter by gathering questions and ensuring everyone gets answers.

7 Use A Storytelling Structure

Moving on to the tips for the creation of your slides.  It’s important to remember the role your slides will play in your presentation. The audience’s attention should be on you, not your slides. These are meant to be complementary, not a crutch, nor even a text to follow.

With that said, this tip is the most important. It applies to your slides AND your spoken speech. They should both follow a storytelling structure that you and the audience will follow together.

Some of the most common storytelling structures are:

• Fact and Story – Go back and forth between facts and stories, or “what is” and “what could be.”
• The Explanation – Inform about a process or plan to fix something or to learn something new.
• The Pitch – Take your audience uphill over a hurdle and onto a positive resolution.
• The Drama – AKA “The Hero’s Journey,” this follows the plight of a main character from beginning to end.

You can also check out our quick video on how to structure a presentation like the experts to learn even more.

8 Keep Your Slides Short and Visually Balanced

There are two ways to design slides for a good presentation:

• As a standalone presentation
• As visual support, while you speak

Either way, you need to keep your slides short in text and visually impactful. For a visual support deck, the slides need even less text than a standalone presentation. 

If that idea worries you, and you have tons of information to share, you can always create a full-fledged informative PDF version of your deck to give your audience, investors or guests.

Here are some important things to remember when designing the slides for your presentation:

• The flow from start to finish
• Visual hierarchy
• Keeping the words to around 6 per slide
• Visual impact
• Balanced compositions

The 29 Best Presentation Layout Templates for 2020 [Plus Design Ideas]

9 Use Presentation Templates

Creating presentation slides doesn’t need to be difficult or a stressful affair. When you use a Visme presentation as a foundation, you’re on your way to being an expert on how to give a good presentation. 

To select a presentation template, you can either go for a topic-based template or a style based template. Both have their merits, you just need to figure out what’s easier for you. 

Topic-based templates are fully designed templates with color themes, graphics, images, icons, etc. You’d only have to adjust the content and maybe the colors and graphics. 

Style-based templates are better for those of you that need more freedom in terms of colors and visuals. The Visme slide library is full of layouts organized into categories that you can choose from. 

Presentation Templates

Ecommerce Webinar Presentation

Buyer Presentation

PixelGo Marketing Plan Presentation

Technology Presentation

Product Training Interactive Presentation

Work+Biz Pitch Deck - Presentation

Create your presentation View more templates

10 Learn From Your Mistakes

When the presentation is over and you feel like you just conquered the world, it’s not the end just yet. Celebrate the moment but remember, there will be more presentations in the future. 

If your presentation was filmed, watch the recording. If there was anyone in the audience that you can fully trust to be honest with their feedback, ask them for it. Take mental notes and the next time you’ll be even more prepared.

The secret sauce to know how to give a good presentation is to always keep learning the ways to improve.

11 Keep Yourself Inspired for Future Presentations

When you keep learning, you keep growing. This also applies to the art of giving good presentations. Follow well-known presentation experts like Nancy Duarte and Carmine Gallo. Read their book, their stories and their theories about giving good presentations. 

Watch famous speeches or TED talks to get inspired. Take notes of what you notice in those speeches that you think would suit your personality. You don’t want to copy how other people speak, but you can definitely be inspired!

Bonus: The Visme Presentation Guru Course

To top off your knowledge base for giving good presentations with killer slides, we present you with the Visme Presentation Guru Course .

How to Give a Good Presentation Every Time

As long as you’re prepared, your slides are well-balanced and your speech is rehearsed, you’re ready to give an impactful presentation.

Plus, never underestimate the power of templates! Check out the Visme slide library to visualize the possibilities. Take our presentation course and improve your abilities as a public speaker and slide creator.

Learn how to give a good presentation with all the resources Visme has in store for you. Sign up for a free Visme account today to get started.

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About the Author

Orana is a multi-faceted creative. She is a content writer, artist, and designer. She travels the world with her family and is currently in Istanbul. Find out more about her work at oranavelarde.com

Ideas and insights from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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• PRESENTATION SKILLS

Top Tips for Effective Presentations

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Presentation Skills:

• A - Z List of Presentation Skills
• General Presentation Skills
• What is a Presentation?
• Preparing for a Presentation
• Organising the Material
• Writing Your Presentation
• Deciding the Presentation Method
• Managing your Presentation Notes
• Working with Visual Aids
• Presenting Data
• Managing the Event
• Coping with Presentation Nerves
• Dealing with Questions
• How to Build Presentations Like a Consultant
• 7 Qualities of Good Speakers That Can Help You Be More Successful
• Self-Presentation in Presentations
• Specific Presentation Events
• Remote Meetings and Presentations
• Giving a Speech
• Presentations in Interviews
• Presenting to Large Groups and Conferences
• Giving Lectures and Seminars
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• Attending Public Consultation Meetings
• Managing a Public Consultation Meeting
• Crisis Communications
• Elsewhere on Skills You Need:
• Communication Skills
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• Effective Speaking
• Question Types

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How can you make a good presentation even more effective?

This page draws on published advice from expert presenters around the world, which will help to take your presentations from merely ‘good’ to ‘great’.

By bringing together advice from a wide range of people, the aim is to cover a whole range of areas.

Whether you are an experienced presenter, or just starting out, there should be ideas here to help you to improve.

1. Show your Passion and Connect with your Audience

It’s hard to be relaxed and be yourself when you’re nervous.

But time and again, the great presenters say that the most important thing is to connect with your audience, and the best way to do that is to let your passion for the subject shine through.

Be honest with the audience about what is important to you and why it matters.

Be enthusiastic and honest, and the audience will respond.

2. Focus on your Audience’s Needs

Your presentation needs to be built around what your audience is going to get out of the presentation.

As you prepare the presentation, you always need to bear in mind what the audience needs and wants to know, not what you can tell them.

While you’re giving the presentation, you also need to remain focused on your audience’s response, and react to that.

You need to make it easy for your audience to understand and respond.

3. Keep it Simple: Concentrate on your Core Message

When planning your presentation, you should always keep in mind the question:

What is the key message (or three key points) for my audience to take away?

You should be able to communicate that key message very briefly.

Some experts recommend a 30-second ‘elevator summary’, others that you can write it on the back of a business card, or say it in no more than 15 words.

Whichever rule you choose, the important thing is to keep your core message focused and brief.

And if what you are planning to say doesn’t contribute to that core message, don’t say it.

4. Smile and Make Eye Contact with your Audience

This sounds very easy, but a surprisingly large number of presenters fail to do it.

If you smile and make eye contact, you are building rapport , which helps the audience to connect with you and your subject. It also helps you to feel less nervous, because you are talking to individuals, not to a great mass of unknown people.

To help you with this, make sure that you don’t turn down all the lights so that only the slide screen is visible. Your audience needs to see you as well as your slides.

5. Start Strongly

The beginning of your presentation is crucial. You need to grab your audience’s attention and hold it.

They will give you a few minutes’ grace in which to entertain them, before they start to switch off if you’re dull. So don’t waste that on explaining who you are. Start by entertaining them.

Try a story (see tip 7 below), or an attention-grabbing (but useful) image on a slide.

6. Remember the 10-20-30 Rule for Slideshows

This is a tip from Guy Kawasaki of Apple. He suggests that slideshows should:

• Contain no more than 10 slides;
• Last no more than 20 minutes; and
• Use a font size of no less than 30 point.

This last is particularly important as it stops you trying to put too much information on any one slide. This whole approach avoids the dreaded ‘Death by PowerPoint’.

As a general rule, slides should be the sideshow to you, the presenter. A good set of slides should be no use without the presenter, and they should definitely contain less, rather than more, information, expressed simply.

If you need to provide more information, create a bespoke handout and give it out after your presentation.

7. Tell Stories

Human beings are programmed to respond to stories.

Stories help us to pay attention, and also to remember things. If you can use stories in your presentation, your audience is more likely to engage and to remember your points afterwards. It is a good idea to start with a story, but there is a wider point too: you need your presentation to act like a story.

Think about what story you are trying to tell your audience, and create your presentation to tell it.

Finding The Story Behind Your Presentation

To effectively tell a story, focus on using at least one of the two most basic storytelling mechanics in your presentation:

Focusing On Characters – People have stories; things, data, and objects do not. So ask yourself “who” is directly involved in your topic that you can use as the focal point of your story.

For example, instead of talking about cars (your company’s products), you could focus on specific characters like:

• The drivers the car is intended for – people looking for speed and adventure
• The engineers who went out of their way to design the most cost-effective car imaginable

A Changing Dynamic – A story needs something to change along the way. So ask yourself “What is not as it should be?” and answer with what you are going to do about it (or what you did about it).

For example…

• Did hazardous road conditions inspire you to build a rugged, all-terrain jeep that any family could afford?
• Did a complicated and confusing food labelling system lead you to establish a colour-coded nutritional index so that anybody could easily understand it?

To see 15 more actionable storytelling tips, see Nuts & Bolts Speed Training’s post on Storytelling Tips .

8. Use your Voice Effectively

The spoken word is actually a pretty inefficient means of communication, because it uses only one of your audience’s five senses. That’s why presenters tend to use visual aids, too. But you can help to make the spoken word better by using your voice effectively.

Varying the speed at which you talk, and emphasising changes in pitch and tone all help to make your voice more interesting and hold your audience’s attention.

For more about this, see our page on Effective Speaking .

9. Use your Body Too

It has been estimated that more than three quarters of communication is non-verbal.

That means that as well as your tone of voice, your body language is crucial to getting your message across. Make sure that you are giving the right messages: body language to avoid includes crossed arms, hands held behind your back or in your pockets, and pacing the stage.

Make your gestures open and confident, and move naturally around the stage, and among the audience too, if possible.

10. Relax, Breathe and Enjoy

If you find presenting difficult, it can be hard to be calm and relaxed about doing it.

One option is to start by concentrating on your breathing. Slow it down, and make sure that you’re breathing fully. Make sure that you continue to pause for breath occasionally during your presentation too.

For more ideas, see our page on Coping with Presentation Nerves .

If you can bring yourself to relax, you will almost certainly present better. If you can actually start to enjoy yourself, your audience will respond to that, and engage better. Your presentations will improve exponentially, and so will your confidence. It’s well worth a try.

Improve your Presentation Skills

Follow our guide to boost your presentation skills learning about preparation, delivery, questions and all other aspects of giving effective presentations.

Start with: What is a Presentation?

Continue to: How to Give a Speech Self Presentation

See also: Five Ways You Can Do Visual Marketing on a Budget Can Presentation Science Improve Your Presentation? Typography – It’s All About the Message in Your Slides

10 Types of Presentations (With The Best Tips) You Need to Know in 2024

Leah Nguyen • 04 July, 2024 • 13 min read

Benjamin Franklin has a famous quote that 'nothing can be said to be certain except for death and taxes'. Well, there's another thing we'd like to throw in...

Death by PowerPoint...

Presentations seem to follow us along in life. From children in school to suited salary people, we're expected to use different types of presentations to make presentations that delight our audiences.

Executing a well-rounded presentation is by no means an easy task. There are many things to consider, but before we head to finer details, you must know what type of presentation you should deliver to your audience so that they get the message just right .

In this article, we will explore the most common types of presentations you’ll come across in your life, plus a few helpful tips to create them.

Let’s jump in 💪

Table of Contents

• Business Presentations
• Product Presentation
• Marketing Presentation
• Data Presentation
• 5-minute Presentation
• 10-minute Presentation
• Webinar Platforms
• The 10 20 30 Rule
• The 5/5/5 Rule
• The 7x7 Rule

Business Presentation s - Types of Presentation

In the business world, you’ll undoubtedly need presentations for anything, from product launching and strategy planning , to company trend reports and many more.

Let’s take a glance at the different types of presentations you might encounter in the business world 👇

Check out our guide on 'How to Nail A Presentation Like Apple' , or tips to host a business presentation successfully.

More Tips with AhaSlides

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In different presentation styles, a product presentation is a great opportunity to show off your newly built or renovated product features to the world.

Unlike other types of business presentations, the main purpose of this presentation is either to build hype around your product with users or to outline the idea of your product to your own team and shareholders.

Tips for delivering a product presentation

• Demonstrate it live . How does the audience know what you’re talking about when all you’ve given them is some vague speech about the product? For a product presentation to reach its full potential, it’s best to demonstrate the features visually so the audience can truly believe in them.
• Present with passion . When it comes to types of presentations in business, this is not the time to instruct or educate your audience about something. You want to introduce a new thing that no one has heard about, penetrate a new segment/market and either get people to incorporate your product into their lives or convince stakeholders that it’s worth a punt. The best way to do that? Make as much noise as possible. 
• Offer a bonus at the end . Give the audience something to walk away with for a powerful ending; this can be an incentive for ordering the new product early or a bit of fun trivia to excite the crowd.

Hosting a product presentation can be big pressure. Our all-rounded guide with real-life examples can help.

Marketing Presentation - Types of Presentation

No matter how solid your product or service is, you’ll have to come up with a proper plan to make it known and sell it to your intended audience.

This is where marketing presentations come into play. They introduce how, when and where you plan to sell your product to the board of directors or other shareholders. They will decide if those strategies are good to go.

Tips for delivering a marketing presentation

• Match your theme with the audience . There’s nothing wrong with being business-boring, but if your company is selling toys for children, your audience won’t understand the fun, bubbly spirit you’re trying to convey. Try to centre the slide designs and the attitude around the target audience.
• Show real-life data . No matter what style of presentation you choose, back up your bold statements with facts. Don’t rely on a hunch or people will doubt what you’re claiming.

You’re just one step away from creating an awesome marketing presentation. Nail the talk by checking our guide .

Methods of Data Presentation - Types of Presentation

In a world where every business relies on data analysis to make a difference, turning hard digits into meaningful and understandable insights is the role of a data presentation .

Make informed decisions, see the gap, and take the risky leap; all are possible if you have the ability to make sense of your data through various visualisation methods like bar charts, line graphs, histograms, and such.

Tips for delivering a data presentation

• Communicate the numbers clearly . You’ll have to stop assuming that everyone, including your boss, knows what you’re talking about. More often than not, they don’t, and it’s not their job to dig below the surface. Explain to them what the numbers mean and why this is important before presenting any data; the audience will surely appreciate that.
• Avoid presenting too many different things on one slide . We’ve seen people tackling four to five different types of charts on a single slide and it’s not nice. It’s overwhelming to process all of the data across all the different formats, so next time, go through one thing at a time to give the audience a chance to understand and remember it.

We’ve got these 10 methods of data presentation to make your numbers as clear as day. Examples and great tips included!

Timed Presentation - Types of Presentation

Do you know that the most impactful presentations in the world never exceed 20 minutes?

Real-life cases have proven that a lengthy one-hour talk is not as effective or memorable as a shorter one. That's why more presenters are shifting to timed presentations where they are compelled to deliver concise content within a specific time block.

The most common time presentations that you often meet in business or education settings are 5-minute presentations and 10-minute presentations . They are short, and will push you to make the most out of them.

5-minute Presentation - Types of Presentation

A 5-minute presentation is made for busy people who don’t want to waste half an hour listening to someone ramble. However, this type of presentation is one of the most difficult forms of presentation to master, because being concise but also informative is harder than you think.

Tips for delivering a 5-minute presentation

• Plan the timing . There’s not much room for procrastination when you’ve only got 5 minutes, so divide what you’re going to say into different time blocks. For example, make an introduction no longer than 1 minute, then dedicate the most time to explaining the main points.
• Remember that less is more . As you have such a short timeframe, don’t cram too much information like you’re stuffing a turkey; be selective with the content you choose...Try the 5-5-5 rule if you have trouble turning your back from a maximalist lifestyle. 
• Practice flowing . If you’re stuttering or giving out spaces of prolonged silence, you’re already losing so much precious time. Set the timer, practice speaking at a normal speed and see if there are any parts in which you should speed up, consider cutting or say in another way.

Check out our comprehensive guide on how to hold a 5-minute presentation , including free topics to get you started.

10-minute Presentation - Types of Presentation

When you want to introduce a new topic, perspective, or study to your audience, a 10-minute presentation is enough to bring all the new, exciting information to the table without exhausting them.

Even though they are longer than 5-minute presentations, one can still fumble at fitting the material during the 10 minutes. However, you can get over the fear of going overtime with our tips:

Tips for delivering a 10-minute presentation

• Know your structure . Typically a 10-minute presentation format includes an introduction (1 slide) - a body (3 slides) and a conclusion (1 slide). Your presentation should contain no more than three ideas as that’s the optimal number for the audience to remember. 
• Start with a bang . In the first few seconds the audience can already decide if your presentation is worth listening to, so use any means necessary to grab their attention. It can be a provocative statement, a “what if” scenario, or a hard-hitting question that you plan to address during the talk.
• Get interactive . A 10-minute presentation exceeds the average attention span of humans, which is 7 minutes . Counter that by adding interactive activities that actively engage the audience in the talk like a fun poll, word cloud , or live Q&A session.

You can’t turn your presentation into gold without a proper topic. Check out our 50 unique topics for a 10-minute presentation .

Webinar Platforms - Types of Presentation

A webinar is an online event hosted by an individual or an organisation. The keynote speaker will give a presentation and interact with the audience entirely online.

With the shift to remote working, training and learning, webinar platforms have become a popular choice for many organisations due to their convenience. You can join virtually anytime, anywhere in just a few clicks. 

No need for costly set-up, all you need is a video conferencing platform plus the type of presentation software that ensures you get all the interaction you need.

Tips for delivering a webinar presentation

• Test out the equipment beforehand . “ Wait, I don’t know why it’s like this”; “Please wait a few minutes since we’re having minor issues” - these are phrases that turn the audience off immediately after they join. Recheck everything and have a backup plan whenever a technical issue arises.
• Define a plan to create engagement . The biggest problem with having a webinar is the audience won’t be able to engage as much as they can in a physical space. Try having an ice-breaker game as the base, with quizzes , word clouds, or open-ended questions as the icing on the cake, and wrap up with a sentiment poll or a Q&A as the cherry on top for a robust and dynamic webinar.

Check out 10 best practices for a webinar presentation that’s sure to keep people coming back for more.

The Golden Rules of Presentation - Types of Presentation

Are we implying that a successful presentation has a holy grail formula to follow? - Yes, we are!

If you are still learning the ropes of storytelling and presentation design, and have always fantasised about delivering an impeccable presentation, then these simple, easy-to-follow rules should keep you nicely on track.

The 10 20 30 rule - Types of Presentation

This may sound like a collection of gibberish numbers, but honestly, they make total sense.

The 10 20 30 rule states that your presentation should…

• Contain a maximum of 10 slides
• Be a maximum length of 20 minutes
• Have a minimum font size of 30 points

With the 10-20-30 rule, you can say goodbye to hour-long presentations that have everyone mentally checked out.

Tips for delivering a 10 20 30 rule presentation

• Follow the guide wholeheartedly . Don’t just sneakily sneak a couple more slides into the 10 presentation slides you have already; the science says that people can't process more than 10 concepts in a presentation. Go over that and the chances of you losing the crowd drastically increase.
• Mind the idea . No presentation rule in reality is going to save you if your idea is terrible. Focus on researching what piques the audience’s interest, reach out to them beforehand if necessary and let them know how you can address their big questions.

Here’s the full guide: The 10 20 30 Rule: What it is and 3 Reasons to Use it .

The 5/5/5 rule - Types of Presentation

A 5/5/5 rule is one of the types of presentation that:

• Contains no more than 5 words per line of text
• Has 5 lines of text per slide
• Has no more than 5 text-heavy slides in a row

The 5/5/5 rule is incredibly effective for people who are struggling with measuring how much text is enough. You can focus on your main points with ease and end up with more professional-looking presentations (aka make use of negative space and emphasise what really matters).

Tips for delivering a 5/5/5 rule presentation

• Use data and images to tell the story . With just a chart or line graph you can draw out so many key points and takeaways from it. Replace texts with visuals if possible since it’s a more powerful way to communicate. 
• Make use of headings, short phrases, and common abbreviations . For example, instead of writing The website’s overall click-through rate increased by 10% compared to last year , you can rephrase it to The website’s CTR ↑10% YOY (CTR: click-through rate, YOY: year-over-year, which are common abbreviations in business). You can elaborate more on the numbers in the talk, so don’t throw everything on the slide.

Here’s the full guide:​​ The 5/5/5 Rule: How and Why to Use It (With Examples) .

The 7x7 rule - Types of Presentation

The 7x7 rule is a presentation design guideline that suggests no more than 7 lines of text per slide. This can include bullet points or short phrases and no more than 7 words per line.

Why the 7x7 Rule?

• Focus:  It forces you to present the most essential information, making your slides less overwhelming for the audience.
• Clarity:  Concise text improves readability and helps your audience quickly grasp your key points.
• Memory:  People can better process and remember short bursts of information.
• Visual appeal:  Slides with less text create more space, making them cleaner and more visually engaging.

Tips for delivering a 7x7 rule presentation

• Focus on the big picture: Since you'll be limited with text, prioritise communicating the core concepts of your presentation. Use your spoken words to expand on the key points on your slides.
• Needing more tips? Here's a more detailed guide for the 7x7 rule presentation .

The Takeaway

Presentations come in all shapes and sizes, and the key to creating an outstanding experience for your audience is matching them with the right type of presentation. Once you’ve got it right, you’ve established yourself on a solid platform that can launch your successful speech🚀

The best type of presentation engages the audience and makes it memorable. Try AhaSlides today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are presentation styles important.

Presentation style is important because it helps with communication effectiveness, enhances audience engagement, shows professionalism and credibility

What is the most important in a presentation?

A presentation should deliver a message with clarity to the audience. They should know what it is about, and the actions to take after the presentation.

What are the 4 key elements of a powerful presentation?

The 4 keys of a powerful presentation are content, structure, delivery and visual aids.

Leah Nguyen

Words that convert, stories that stick. I turn complex ideas into engaging narratives - helping audiences learn, remember, and take action.

Tips to Engage with Polls & Trivia

More from AhaSlides

Presentation

8 Types of Presentation with Examples and Tips

Table of Contents

Every presentation is different, reflecting your unique business and the information you share. But, some common presentation types are used across various fields and teams. Before diving into specific slides or organization, consider the type that best suits your audience.

Here are some questions to get you started: Is your goal to inform or entertain? Who will you be speaking to: colleagues, investors, or potential customers? By thinking about these questions, you can choose the presentation format that best supports your message.

SlidesAI can help you simplify this process even further by providing descriptions of different presentation types.

Why Do We Need Different Types of Presentations?

Presentations are a great way to share ideas and information in different situations, depending on who you’re talking to. What you want to achieve with your presentation can change who it’s for and how you present it. For instance, if you’re trying to sell something, you might want a presentation that convinces people and is visually interesting. On the other hand, teaching something might require a more step-by-step approach with lots of details.

The best type of presentation depends on a few things, like what you’re trying to accomplish, the audience’s interests, and what you’re good at as a presenter. By choosing the right kind of presentation, you can get your message across clearly and achieve what you set out to do.

What are Different Types of Presentations?

1. educational presentations.

Educational presentations are a great way to introduce a new topic to people who aren’t familiar with it. They can be especially helpful when you want to explain something complex, like a process, or share important facts in a clear way. Whether you’re a teacher in a classroom or a trainer at a company, educational presentations can be a powerful tool for learning.

These presentations often use visuals like pictures or diagrams to make things easier to understand. They might also include step-by-step instructions to guide the audience through a process. Companies use them a lot to teach new employees about how things work at the company. The length of the presentation can be short or long, depending on what you’re trying to teach.

2. Instructional Presentations

Instructional presentations help people learn more about a topic and sometimes even guide them on what to do next. They’re similar to presentations used for education, but they might include some extra details or specific steps for the audience to follow.

Think of webinars or training sessions – these are examples of instructional presentations. They give people new information and help them develop new skills. For instance, if you’re in HR, you might create one to explain how employees can sign up for the new insurance plan.

Checkout Our Business Presentation Templates Download Free Business Presentation Templates Now!

3. Persuasive Presentations

Many presentations aim to convince the audience of something, like a new idea, product, or way of doing things. They often address a specific issue and use facts and figures to explain why their solution is the best. Business proposals and sales talks are common examples.

For instance, a new company seeking funding might create a presentation to convince investors to support their idea. This presentation could explain a problem they see in the market, how their company solves it, and how they plan to make money. A similar presentation could also be used to secure additional funding for growth and future plans.

4. Motivational Presentation

Motivational presentations aim to lift up the audience’s spirits and help them deal with challenges. They spark interest in a subject and share a particular perspective or message. These presentations can be useful when you want to inspire a group of people. Sometimes, they might even use a personal story to connect with the topic.

Leaders in organizations often use motivational presentations to boost employee morale and encourage them to work harder. Recruiters might also use them to showcase employee success stories and get potential hires excited about joining the company.

5. Problem-solution Presentation

Have you ever needed to present an idea to help people make a decision? Problem-solution presentations are a great way to do that. They focus on explaining a challenge or issue and then offering potential solutions for the audience to consider. While similar to persuasive presentations, the main goal here is to discuss the problem clearly and share research so decision-makers can weigh the options and choose the best path forward. These presentations can include details about the problem and a few possible solutions. They’re a handy tool for many business meetings and discussions within organizations.

6. Project Presentations

Progress presentations are a way to share how a project, campaign, or initiative is moving along. They’re similar to progress reports, but in a presentation format.

These presentations typically cover a few key points:

• Important measurements : This could include numbers or data that show how the project is doing.
• Current status : An update on where things stand at the moment.
• Potential roadblocks : Any challenges that might come up down the line.
• Tasks still to do : What needs to be completed next.

Project teams often use progress presentations to share updates on their work. This allows clients, colleagues, or other interested parties to stay informed and ask questions if needed.

7. Storytelling Presentations

Presentations that use a story format can be a great way to connect with your audience and share information in a more engaging way. This approach can be useful in many settings, from classrooms to company meetings. It can be especially helpful when you want to grab the attention of a specific group of people and make them feel involved.

Storytelling presentations might include personal stories or examples that relate directly to the main topic. For instance, if you’re in marketing, you could use a story format to present a case study to your colleagues about a competitor’s product and its success.

Checkout Our Templates for Your Product Marketing Download Marketing Presentation Templates Now!

8. Visual Presentations

Presentations come in many forms, but some rely mostly on pictures, charts, and other visuals instead of text. These are called visual presentations. They’re a good choice when you have limited time or your topic is easy to understand with pictures.

The goal of a visual presentation is to help people grasp the information quickly and keep them engaged. Businesses often use them to show what their products or services can do. For instance, a company selling shampoo might use before-and-after pictures to show the results.

Tips for Delivering an Effective Presentation

• Taking Notes: To help remember what to say during your presentation, jot down some brief notes. Keep them simple and focused on keywords or short directions. This will allow you to connect with your audience and avoid missing any important points.
• Knowing Your Audience: A little research about your audience before your presentation goes a long way. Understanding who they are and what they might be interested in helps you tailor your presentation to better address their needs and expectations.
• Planning for Interaction: Think about how much audience interaction you want based on the length, purpose, and type of information in your presentation. This may involve allocating more time for questions and discussion.
• Know yourself: Think about how comfortable you feel speaking in front of a group, especially if you don’t know everyone. Consider your strengths and weaknesses as a presenter and how you can play to your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.
• Practice Makes Perfect: Practicing your presentation beforehand, regardless of your experience level, can boost your confidence and help you identify areas for improvement. Go through each slide while talking to solidify the flow. Recording yourself can also be helpful.
• Be Prepared: Technical problems can happen, so having a plan can help you avoid delays. If it’s an in-person presentation, arriving early allows you to check the venue and ensure the equipment works properly.

How Does Slides AI Help with Presentations?

As you’ve explored, presentations come in various forms, each serving a distinct purpose and requiring a tailored approach. But regardless of the type, creating an impactful presentation can be time-consuming. This is where Slides AI steps in to streamline the process.

By leveraging SlidesAI’s functionalities – from generating outlines and suggesting designs to offering content recommendations – you can significantly reduce the time and effort invested in crafting your presentation. This frees you to focus on the finer details, like refining your message and practicing your delivery.

A well-organized and visually appealing presentation can really grab your audience’s attention and help them understand your message better. SlidesAI can help you achieve that, turning you from someone who just puts slides together into someone who can communicate confidently and leave a lasting impression.

Create presentation slides with AI in Seconds in Google Slides

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Works with Google Slides

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i grab attention at the beginning of my presentation.

There are several ways to hook your audience from the start. Try opening with a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or even a short, interesting story related to your topic.

How long should my presentation be?

Ideally, aim for a presentation between 10-20 minutes. This timeframe allows you to cover the important points without losing your audience’s attention.

What are the 5 keys to a successful presentation?

Here are 5 keys to delivering a pitch-perfect presentation:

• Know your audience
• Master your material
• Make it a conversation
• Be adaptable
• Show empathy

Which presentation software should I use?

Several popular options are available, including Microsoft PowerPoint, and Google Slides . The best choice depends on your specific needs and comfort level. Additionally, SlidesAI.io is a helpful tool for creating visually engaging presentations. Consider your needs and choose the software that best suits you.

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What are the 5 P’s of presentation skills?

When it comes to delivering a successful presentation, understanding and mastering certain key elements can make all the difference. In the world of public speaking and presentations, the 5 P’s – Preparation, Practice, Performance, Posture, and Pacing – are crucial for engaging and impacting your audience effectively. This guide will delve into each of these aspects, offering insights and tips to enhance your presentation skills.

Five P’s of Presentation Training

Preparation

Preparation is the cornerstone of any successful presentation. It involves thoroughly understanding your topic, knowing your audience, and setting clear objectives for your talk. Begin by researching your subject matter extensively to ensure you are well-versed in the content. Tailoring your presentation to fit the interests and needs of your audience is also vital. This means considering their background, expectations, and what they hope to gain from your presentation. Additionally, setting clear goals for your presentation helps in delivering a focused and impactful message.

Practice is the key to building confidence and smoothing out any rough edges in your presentation. It’s not just about memorizing your lines but also about getting comfortable with the flow and structure of your talk. Rehearse your presentation multiple times, ideally in a setting that mimics the actual environment you will be presenting in. This helps in getting used to the timing, transitions, and nuances of your speech. Remember, practice makes perfect, and the more you rehearse, the more natural and poised your delivery will become.

Performance

Performance is all about the execution of your presentation. It’s where your preparation and practice come into play. Focus on engaging with your audience through eye contact, facial expressions, and gestures. Your aim should be to convey your message with clarity and enthusiasm, keeping your audience interested and involved. Be mindful of your tone and modulation to emphasize key points. A dynamic and energetic performance can significantly enhance the impact of your presentation.

Your posture speaks volumes before you even begin your presentation. A good posture conveys confidence and helps in maintaining audience engagement. Stand tall, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and avoid slouching or leaning on the podium. Use hand gestures to emphasize points but avoid excessive movements that can be distracting. Remember, your physical presence on stage is as important as the content you are delivering.

Pacing is an often-overlooked aspect of presentations but is crucial for keeping your audience’s attention. It involves the speed at which you speak and the use of pauses. Speak clearly and at a pace that allows your audience to easily follow along. Utilize pauses effectively to emphasize points and to allow your audience time to absorb the information. A well-paced presentation helps in maintaining audience engagement and ensures that your message is conveyed effectively.

Bringing it all Together

Mastering the 5 P’s of presentation skills – Preparation, Practice, Performance, Posture, and Pacing – can elevate your public speaking and ensure your message is delivered effectively. By focusing on these key elements, you can engage your audience, convey your message with clarity and confidence, and leave a lasting impact. Remember, the art of presentation is a skill that can be continually improved, and every opportunity to present is a chance to refine and enhance your abilities.

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13+ Different Uses for PowerPoint (more than just presentations)

Last updated on July 13th, 2024

Microsoft’s PowerPoint, a component of the Office Suite, is a commercial application widely adopted by diverse sectors, including religious, corporate, and educational entities, for delivering visual presentations. By utilizing animations, graphics, and text, this software enables users to create dynamic and informative slides, typically projected on screens for various educational, training, or business presentations. Moreover, with some creativity, users can embed macros, tables, charts, and multimedia elements like videos, audio clips, and images.

Using animation, graphics, and text, this Presentation software package allows the user to make informational and dynamic slides. Further, the slides are displayed on projection screens for educational, training, or business Presentations. With a bit of creativity, you can also create macros, tables, and charts and insert videos, audio, and images as well.

The flexibility of PowerPoint extends beyond professional contexts; it can be an effective tool for both work and play. Your usage is limited only by your imagination. So, what is PowerPoint used for? Here are some diverse applications and more than 10 uses of PowerPoint in education, business and in real-life presentations.

1. Using PowerPoint to Create Tutorials

In training or educational settings, PowerPoint can facilitate the creation of worksheets, tutorials and training programs . For example, an elementary vocabulary worksheet could feature clip art images of various objects for students to label. Tutorials can be printed and distributed to individual students, enhancing their learning experience.

2. Using PowerPoint to Create a Digital Portfolio

Artists or designers aiming to compile a polished electronic portfolio can utilize PowerPoint to display their work. Each slide can contain multiple graphics and visual images, forming a comprehensive showcase of their talent. The added benefit? This electronic portfolio can be easily sent via email or published online using platforms like Behance, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, or SlideOnline if the portfolio is a PowerPoint presentation.

3. Animating with PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a resourceful tool for designing unique and captivating animations. It allows the addition of music, sound, and effects, thereby enriching the animation experience. You can animate elements from the clip art library or your own drawings. For additional resources, consider downloading a good animation background for PowerPoint from any subscription-based service like PresenterMedia .

4. PowerPoint as a Photo Slideshow

PowerPoint can help you create a personalized photo slideshow or digital album for various purposes. Whether it’s a touching tribute to a family member or a fun presentation of a newly wed couple’s childhood photos at their wedding reception, the possibilities are endless.

You can read more articles on Organizing a Presentation .

5. Using PowerPoint for Digital Storytelling

PowerPoint can be an effective tool to craft digital narratives or storybooks, using a combination of text, images, sound effects, and narration to tell a story. This can be particularly engaging in educational settings, but also in marketing and advertising.

6. Using PowerPoint for Making Interactive Quizzes

With its hyperlink functionality, PowerPoint can be used to create interactive quizzes or games. This can be a great tool for teachers in a classroom setting, or for trainers in a corporate environment to assess understanding and engagement.

7. Using PowerPoint to Make Infographics

PowerPoint’s graphic design capabilities allow you to create visually engaging infographics . You can use shapes, icons, charts, and text to represent data or information in an easy-to-understand format.

8. Using PowerPoint for Project Planning

You can use PowerPoint to create project timelines or Gantt charts. This can be a simple but effective tool for project management, allowing everyone on the team to visualize key dates and tasks. Alternatively, there is a huge collection of timeline templates for PowerPoint that you can use, if you don’t want to create a timeline from scratch.

9. Creating Brochures and Flyers in PowerPoint

With the right layout and design, PowerPoint can be used to create professional-looking brochures and flyers. This is a cost-effective alternative for small businesses and organizations that may not have access to more expensive design software.

10. Using PowerPoint for Video Creation

PowerPoint’s animation features and ability to save presentations as videos make it possible to create simple animations or explainer videos. This use of PowerPoint can be useful for product demonstrations, online tutorials, or marketing campaigns. You can also upload the finished videos to online video platforms like YouTube or Vimeo.

11. Interactive Maps in PowerPoint

You can create interactive maps in PowerPoint that allow users to click on different regions for more information. This can be used for educational purposes or for presenting region-specific data in a business context.

12. Using PowerPoint to Make Flashcards

PowerPoint slides can serve as digital flashcards for self-study or review. This can be particularly useful for students, or for anyone preparing for a test or presentation.

13. Using PowerPoint as a Resume Builder

Traditional word-processing software may limit your ability to visually distinguish your resume. However, PowerPoint provides greater flexibility for designing a eye-catching, informative, and unique resume. You can use PowerPoint to make a visually appealing resume . It enables you to play with colors, shapes, text formats, and visuals to create an outstanding document that can set you apart from the competition. Check some of the best resume templates in PowerPoint here .

Conclusions

When we started analyzing this article, we wanted to list 10 uses of PowerPoint. However, after presenting these 13 different uses of PowerPoint for presentations we understood that only thirteen reasons for using PowerPoint fall short. So, what is PowerPoint used for? There are virtually much more uses of PowerPoint hence the list started to increase.

The applications listed above merely scratch the surface of PowerPoint’s capabilities. Online research can reveal more intriguing uses for Microsoft PowerPoint, allowing you to create a presentation that capitalizes on your experience and skills. You might discover other uses of PowerPoint in educational presentations, educational games, or professional presentations crafted to secure a significant business deal. Alternatively, you can check out some of the PowerPoint topics & ideas for presentations or other some ways to use PowerPoint other than presentation.

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PowerPoint Tips  - Simple Rules for Better PowerPoint Presentations

Powerpoint tips  -, simple rules for better powerpoint presentations, powerpoint tips simple rules for better powerpoint presentations.

PowerPoint Tips: Simple Rules for Better PowerPoint Presentations

Lesson 17: simple rules for better powerpoint presentations.

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Simple rules for better PowerPoint presentations

Have you ever given a PowerPoint presentation and noticed that something about it just seemed a little … off? If you’re unfamiliar with basic PowerPoint design principles, it can be difficult to create a slide show that presents your information in the best light.

Poorly designed presentations can leave an audience feeling confused, bored, and even irritated. Review these tips to make your next presentation more engaging.

Don't read your presentation straight from the slides

If your audience can both read and hear, it’s a waste of time for you to simply read your slides aloud. Your audience will zone out and stop listening to what you’re saying, which means they won’t hear any extra information you include.

Instead of typing out your entire presentation, include only main ideas, keywords, and talking points in your slide show text. Engage your audience by sharing the details out loud.

Follow the 5/5/5 rule

To keep your audience from feeling overwhelmed, you should keep the text on each slide short and to the point. Some experts suggest using the 5/5/5 rule : no more than five words per line of text, five lines of text per slide, or five text-heavy slides in a row.

Don't forget your audience

Who will be watching your presentation? The same goofy effects and funny clip art that would entertain a classroom full of middle-school students might make you look unprofessional in front of business colleagues and clients.

Humor can lighten up a presentation, but if you use it inappropriately your audience might think you don’t know what you’re doing. Know your audience, and tailor your presentation to their tastes and expectations.

Choose readable colors and fonts

Your text should be easy to read and pleasant to look at. Large, simple fonts and theme colors are always your best bet. The best fonts and colors can vary depending on your presentation setting. Presenting in a large room? Make your text larger than usual so people in the back can read it. Presenting with the lights on? Dark text on a light background is your best bet for visibility.

Don't overload your presentation with animations

As anyone who’s sat through a presentation while every letter of every paragraph zoomed across the screen can tell you, being inundated with complicated animations and exciting slide transitions can become irritating.

Before including effects like this in your presentation, ask yourself: Would this moment in the presentation be equally strong without an added effect? Does it unnecessarily delay information? If the answer to either question is yes—or even maybe—leave out the effect.

Use animations sparingly to enhance your presentation

Don’t take the last tip to mean you should avoid animations and other effects entirely. When used sparingly, subtle effects and animations can add to your presentation. For example, having bullet points appear as you address them rather than before can help keep your audience’s attention.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you create a presentation—your audience will thank you. For more detailed information on creating a PowerPoint presentation, visit our Office tutorials .

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how to give the perfect presentation

Step-by-step – the five “w”s, the keys to planning an effective presentation.

Preparation is the perfect way to minimize nervousness and maximize confidence before a presentation. To prepare thoroughly, think in terms of the five W’s: why, who, where, when and what.

Why am I speaking?

What is your objective in this presentation? Is it to inform, persuade, motivate or explain? Are you selling a product, promoting an idea, sharing financial results, appealing to investors or training your staff? Although many professional techniques apply to every kind of presentation, the style of presenting may vary according to your purpose. Ask yourself how you will judge the success of your presentation. Do you need audience members to order a product, get excited about a proposal or acquire a skill? In other words, what is your goal in this presentation?

Who is my audience?

Ideally, your presentation should be customized to the needs of your audience members. At an individual level, each attendee has his or her own interests, values and expectations; at a group level, they are all present for a purpose, which you must fulfill. Tailor your presentation to meet their specific needs.

If you are speaking to an internal audience from your own company, you may already know the audience members. Nevertheless, check in advance who will be attending.

If you are speaking to an unknown audience, try to find out as much information as possible in order to build a strong audience profile. Take into account who will be attending in terms of gender, age, rank, profession, background, and cultural background. Such information will provide you with valuable insights to personalize your presentation, and make it less generic. Audience members can tell when you have taken the time and trouble to do so, as opposed to delivering a standard presentation with no specific effort to connect with them as human beings. Value the opportunity to make a memorable impression on your audience, at a personal and professional level.

Filling out the following audience profile will help you get started:

• What are the demographics (age, education, position, profession, culture, background) of your audience?
• What level of knowledge do they have about your topic?
• Who are the decision-makers?
• What are the key points you would like them to understand?
• What questions might they raise?
• Do they have any known objections to your proposal?
• What specific action would you like to see as a result of your presentation?

Where will I speak?

If possible, take some time to visit the location where you will be delivering your presentation. Examine the physical location and look out for any set-up issues. Check the location of electrical sockets and bring along your own extension cords, if necessary. Check and recheck all equipment beforehand. Decide whether you will need a microphone and practice using it if you are unfamiliar with doing so.

If you are traveling to the presentations site, carry your computer, presentations material and one set of handouts with you. Your baggage could be delayed or lost. In addition, send a copy of all your materials to yourself by email. If worst comes to worst, you can make copies of your handouts locally, but at least you will have them available.

When will I speak?

Before lunch, after lunch and at the end of the day are times when people are most distracted by their own physical needs. Before lunch, they are hungry; after lunch, they are full; at the end of the day, they are tired! You will need to use more interest elements to involve the audience at these times or else your audience members will be snoring!

Don’t take it personally, but do take the reality into account in a proactive way. Perhaps you can plan a more interactive session or allow participants to ask questions during your presentation. If you are scheduled to speak after other speakers, find out who they are and what they will be speaking about. If your presentation is long, or if you are going to speak after many other speakers, you need to utilize strong verbal or body language techniques to help you stand out from the crowd.

What is my message?

Having analyzed the audience, make sure you adapt the goal of your presentation to their special needs. The presentation you gave to the general manager of a company may not be the same as you need to give the technical staff. They are different people, with different backgrounds and different expectations. Even if you cannot change your visual information, you can always customize your verbal message for greater effectiveness.

I’m gonna be speaking after lunch at a conference soon. What should I do to wake up the audience?

Make your presentation as interactive as possible. Permit questions to be asked throughout rather than at the end of the presentation. Speak in a lively way rather than a monotone voice. Last, bring along a horn!

Hi Rebecca, This site is very nice, Only one fault in this site is, If you keep images for the example. Eg: for body language.

Actually, I don’t have any questions this time Rebecca but I just want to thank to you for giving me this really useful website. I’ve improved a lot after tracing this presentation pre. May God Blessing you Everywhere and Every time.

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About Presentation Prep

Being able to speak in public can change your life! Presentation Prep is your complete, free guide to delivering speeches, lectures, and presentations more successfully and confidently. Whether you're a native English-speaker who suffers from public speaking anxiety, or a non-native speaker who needs guidelines for presenting to international audiences, this site will give you everything you need. Presentation Prep is written by Rebecca Ezekiel, an experienced corporate trainer who specializes in the areas of communications, presentations, and cross-cultural skills. Her online English language training videos are watched by millions of students worldwide.

5 Uses of Powerpoint

PowerPoint often gets a bad rap: retired Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis famously proclaimed that " PowerPoint makes us stupid " due to the way it boils down complex issues into simplistic bullet points. A presentation of bullet points might be the program's best-known use, but it's not the only feature in PowerPoint 2013.

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Guided Presentations

Video of the Day

PowerPoint's headline feature collects slides of text into a slideshow used for presentations and public speaking. Used poorly, a PowerPoint presentation adds nothing to a speech, while potentially providing a distraction from the speaker. Rather than trying to cram an entire speech into bullet points, use the slideshow as an outline, keeping both the audience and yourself on track, but not stealing the stage with crowded, fast-changing slides. A good PowerPoint presentation uses images and colors to illustrate the points of the speech.

If you have two monitors available, such as a laptop plus a projector, use PowerPoint's Presenter View to display additional notes on your private screen. Presenter View helps you see additional details without overwhelming the audience with text.

Self-Running Presentations

PowerPoint can also play presentations on its own without an active speaker. Set up PowerPoint on an unattended computer at an event by setting transition times in advance. On the Slide Show tab, click Rehearse Timings to set the timings, or click Record Slide Show to record a live presentation , complete with narration. When designing a presentation to run independently, consider adding more attention-grabbing material, such as audio and video clips , through the Media section of the Insert tab.

Recorded Videos

You don't even need a copy of PowerPoint on a computer to play back a recorded presentation if you save the file as a video. In the Save As menu, click Browse (or pick a recent folder) and choose either MPEG-4 Video or Windows Media Video in the Save as Type drop-down menu. While either option works on a modern PC, MPEG-4 videos also work on Mac OS X, while Windows Media Videos work with Vista and older copies of Windows.

Several programs in Microsoft Office, including Word, offer the ability to draw shapes, but PowerPoint has the advantage of providing a blank canvas without line breaks, margins and layout options getting in the way. PowerPoint doesn't have the versatility of Adobe Illustrator , but it serves for creating clean shapes for use in art or in another program. Pick shapes from the Drawing section of the Home tab, and use the other options in the section to arrange the shapes, change colors and add effects. For more options, right-click a shape and choose Format Shape .

After creating a compound image out of several shapes, drag to select all the parts, right-click the shape and choose Group to merge the pieces into one item. Right-click the finished image and choose Save as Picture to export the drawing to another program.

PowerPoint has built-in animation tools for moving objects on the screen during a presentation. Though often used simply as a stylish touch for text, PowerPoint's animations also work to create stand-alone animations when saved as a video. Look on the Animations tab for basic effects. To design your own animations, combine multiple effects and use the Motion Paths section in the Add Animation drop-down menu to define movement. With the Custom Path Motion Path, you can draw your own path for an object to follow.

• Microsoft Office: Turn Your Presentation Into a Video

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5 gemini tricks i use to transform my google slides presentations.

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Google Slides is a go-to solution for creating presentations. While you can make a presentation from scratch or explore templates to get a head start, the latest Gemini AI integration takes the experience to the next level. You can create compelling slides, generate relevant visuals, and summarize a long presentation with a single click.

Whether you are a student looking to impress your class and professor, an educator aiming to go over key takeaways from received presentations, or a professional seeking to deliver an impactful presentation to potential customers or investors, Gemini is your secret weapon to get the job done in style. Let's check it in action.

Since Google Slides is a web solution, the trick below works on Windows desktops, MacBooks, and affordable Chromebooks .

Accessing Gemini in Google Slides: Requirements

While Google offers a free Gemini AI on the web and mobile, accessing the same in Google Workspace apps requires a paid Google One AI Premium plan . It's priced at $20 per month and offers a 30-day free trial for new subscribers.

Aside from unlocking Gemini in Google Workspace apps, the Google One AI Premium plan offers access to the next-gen Gemini AI model and 2TB of Google Drive space. After completing the sign-up process, Gemini AI appears in your Google Slides account. Let's check it in action.

Google Gemini tips and tricks: Put Google's most capable AI model to good use

Not sure what's up with Gemini? Here are the goods

1 Create a slide using Gemini

The ability to create a unique slide based on a text prompt is an effective way to explore and use Gemini in Google's presentation software. You can create a new presentation or open an existing one and select the Gemini icon in the upper-right corner to access the prompt text box. Now, type a text prompt and press Enter to generate a slide.

I entered Create a slide about buying an electric vehicle , and here is what Gemini generated. Google's AI model did a good job by adding a relevant heading, sharing the advantages of EVs, and generating a necessary image. Quite neat, right? Gemini is also smart enough to use the same text style as my existing presentation.

If you are satisfied with the results, select Insert . Or else, click Retry to give Gemini another shot. When I clicked Retry , it came up with the following:

Here are other prompts you can try with Gemini in Google Slides:

• Create a slide about the best activities in Paris Disneyland.
• Create a slide to thank my team members.
• Create a slide about a birthday party checklist.

Don't trust and use Gemini answers in your presentation. Give it a personal touch based on your requirements and preferences.

2 Generate original images

Coming up with unique images for your Google Slides presentation can be challenging. Instead of browsing the web for your images, ask Gemini to generate one.

I was stuck with a bland birthday checklist slide for one of my presentations. I ran this prompt to create an image: Generate an image of a birthday party with ballons and celebration items . Look at the results:

Gemini generates around four images. Select the image you want to use and click Insert . Gemini is good at generating images of objects and items. It doesn't create new images with people.

Be creative and descriptive with your text prompts for generating images. For example, when I ran Create an image of birthday party , Gemini didn't create and show suggestions. However, when I used the prompt above, Gemini did the job in style.

3 Brainstorm slide ideas

Aside from creating slides and images, you can use Gemini to brainstorm ideas. I was working on a wedding presentation and asked Gemini to brainstorm a list of ideas to manage a successful wedding . You can check the screenshot below for the outcome.

Gemini quickly created several headings with a detailed bullet list that I can use in my slides:

• Planning and Organization
• Guest Experience
• Ceremony and Reception
• Vendor Management
• Contingency Planning

8 ways to use Gemini in Google Sheets

Google Sheets with Gemini is guaranteed to make your day easier

4 Summarize selected slides

Gemini AI can summarize selected slides in Google Slides and enhance efficiency. You can highlight specific slides and request summaries from Gemini, receiving brief and precise overviews. You'll save time and effort when reviewing extensive content.

You can select relevant slides from the left sidebar and ask Gemini to summarize them. In my experience, Gemini did a good job extracting key points from the selected slides.

5 Generate key takeaways from a presentation

This is another time-saving Gemini feature in Google Slides. Instead of summarizing selected slides, ask Gemini to generate key takeaways from the presentation. Here are some of the prompts you can use:

• What are the key takeaways from the first section of this presentation?
• What are the key dates mentioned in this presentation?
• What are the key takeaways mentioned in this presentation?
• According to the presentation, what are the potential benefits of buying an electric vehicle?
• Show me the benefits of using a Personal Knowledge Management system according to the presentation.
• Get me the final guest list for Mr. David's ring ceremony.

The possibilities are endless. You must be specific and use the right keywords to get the required information quickly. You no longer need to switch between slides.

Supercharge your slides

Whether you want to design a presentation from scratch, add flair to your existing slides, or find the best way to convey your message, Gemini helps you with a few clicks or commands. What are you waiting for? Sign up for the Google One AI Premium free trial and try it in your workflow.

Aside from Google Slides, your active subscription unlocks the AI chatbot in other Workspace apps like Gmail and Google Drive . Refer to our detailed guide on integrating Gemini with Google's productivity applications.

• AI & Machine Learning
• Google Gemini
• Google Slides

• Open access
• Published: 28 August 2024

Perspectives of midwives on the use of Kaligutim (local oxytocin) for induction of labour among pregnant women in the government hospitals in Tamale

• Ahmad Sukerazu Alhassan 1 ,
• Shivera Dakurah 2 &
• Joseph Lasong 1  

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth volume  24 , Article number:  561 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

The use of herbal medicine and/or its products is common throughout the world. In Tamale Metropolis, pregnant women frequently use local oxytocin to induce labour, as shown by the fact that 90% of midwives reported managing patients who used kaligutim (local oxytocin) to speed up labour. Early career midwives are also aware of this and have personally observed it being used by their clients. The purpose of the study was to assess midwives’ opinions on pregnant women’s use of the well-known kaligutim (local oxytocin) for labour induction in the Tamale Metropolis.

A facility-based, quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used for the study. A total of 214 working midwives from Tamale’s three main public hospitals participated. Data for the study were gathered through a standardized questionnaire. For the analysis and presentation of the data, descriptive and analytical statistics, such as basic frequencies, percentages, Fisher’s exact test, chi square test and multivariate analysis, were employed.

According to the findings of this study, the safety, dosages, and contraindications of kaligutim during pregnancy and labour are unknown. The cessation of contractions was reported by 44 (22.4%) of the respondents whose clients used local oxytocin. The study also revealed that women in Tamale metropolis use “walgu”, a spiritual form of oxytocin, to induce and augment labour. Respondents who responded, “yes” to baby admission to the new-born care unit were 25% more likely to use kaligutim (local oxytocin) than were those who responded, “no” to baby admission to the new-born care unit (AOR = 0.25 95% CI (0.01, 0.53), P  = 0.021).

Conclusions

It can be concluded that using kaligutim to start labour has negative effects on both the mother and the foetus. Additional research is required to evaluate the efficacy, effectiveness, biochemical makeup, and safety of these herbal medicines, particularly during pregnancy and delivery, as well as the spiritual significance of kaligutim (Walgu) and its forms.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Herbal medicines, traditional treatments, and traditional practitioners are the main source of health care for many millions of people, and sometimes the only source of care [ 1 ]. Herbal medicines include herbs, herbal materials, herbal preparations and finished herbal products, that contain as active ingredients parts of plants, or other plant materials, or combinations [ 1 , 2 ]. Women in both developed and developing countries use herbal medicine before pregnancy and during pregnancy and delivery, which has several consequences [ 3 ]. The use of herbal medicine has a long history, tracing its roots back to ancient and biblical days when there was no Orthodox medicine. Currently, both developed and developing countries use herbal medicine due to the presence of many traditional medicine practitioners [ 4 ].

Many cultures worldwide use herbal medicine to induce or accelerate labour, and the incidence of labour induction to shorten the duration of labour is on the rise. Most herbal medicine users are pregnant women who have no formal education, who have a low level of income and who mostly stay far from health facilities [ 5 ]. The majority of pregnant women use herbal medicine through the oral route and have confidence in its efficacy, safety and effectiveness [ 6 ]. Herbal medicine is used by women for maternal health-related issues, such as to induce abortion and labour, to correct infertility, for the treatment of pregnancy-related issues, for breast milk secretion and for general wellbeing during pregnancy [ 5 ].

Women who use herbal medicine during pregnancy and/or labour usually have a high risk of postpartum complications [ 7 ]. The use of herbal uterotonics can lead to hyperstimulation of the uterus, foetal asphyxia and several other adverse effects of labour [ 8 ]. Moreover, traditional medicine used by pregnant women is associated with several complications, including a ruptured uterus, a fresh still birth, a macerated still birth, a caesarean section and even death [ 9 ]. These herbal medicines have both uterotonic and nonuterotonic effects on labour and delivery and are mostly used to induce or augment labour in prolonged labour or postdate or to relax or widen the pelvis for delivery [ 8 ].

Maternal and neonatal deaths are still major challenges for most developing countries, with obstetric complications, especially postpartum haemorrhage (P.P.H.) being the major cause of maternal mortality [ 10 ]. The delivery of healthcare services is still poor quality in developing nations [ 11 ]. Maternal and foetal mortality and morbidity have remained high due to inadequate health services and inadequate emergency obstetric treatment. Childbirth is accompanied by numerous customs that are subject to ethnological research and are often rooted in traditional medicine or religion. Cultural influences and sociodemographic characteristics play an important role in a woman’s decision to seek maternal and child health services.

The induction of labour is the process of artificially starting labour by stimulating the uterus with oxytocin or manually through the rupture of amniotic membranes. This process is usually not risk free, and most women find it to be uncomfortable [ 12 ]. The induction of labour is an obstetric procedure recommended when the benefits to the baby and mother outweigh the benefits of continuing the pregnancy. The procedure usually involves complications and failures and must be performed under close monitoring, proper selection of clients and good preparation [ 13 ].

Labour induction also changes the normal physiological processes that accompany childbirth and increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as postpartum haemorrhage, neonatal mortality, foetal distress, uterine rapture and premature birth [ 14 ]. Oxytocin is a natural hormone produced by the hypothalamus and is responsible for the activation of sensory nerves during labour and breastfeeding [ 15 ]. Clinically, commercially manufactured synthetic oxytocin is administered to commence or increase uterine activity to reduce the duration of labour [ 16 ].

The induction of labour is not free from risk and must be performed with caution because the procedure involves hyperstimulation of the uterus and foetal distress. Herbal medicine used by pregnant women has long-term effects on both mothers and babies [ 17 ]. Many pregnant women in the Tamale Metropolis use prepackaged herbal medicine before and during pregnancy [ 18 ]. Health-related factors such as cost, distance, access and unavailability of medications influence the utilization of herbal medicine by pregnant women [ 17 ].

All women should be given a prophylactic dose of oxytocin as soon as they give birth. If they start to haemorrhage, they should also be given a treatment dose of oxytocin, which is greater than the prophylactic dose [ 19 ]. There is also a traditional manufactured form of oxytocin (kaligutim) that pregnant women use to start labour. Kaligutim is the local name for the mixture of some special plant parts or a combination of plants prepared and given to pregnant women to start or accelerate the process of labour in the northern part of Ghana [ 17 ].

Ideally, women should take medical drugs during pregnancy (folic acid and fersolate) to help prevent birth defects and congenital malformations such as neural tube defects of the foetus and spinal bifida during pregnancy [ 20 ]. However, in recent decades, women worldwide have used herbal medications during pregnancy and labour, with some taking both herbal medicine and orthodox medicine at the same time [ 21 ]. However, little is known about the use and safety of these medicines, especially during pregnancy, and their dosages, indications and contraindications are not known [ 22 ].

There are studies on herbal medicine use by women during pregnancy and labour, but there is currently no literature on the use of Kaligutim (local oxytocin) for labour induction among pregnant women in Ghana, but similar studies have been conducted in Uganda, Malawi, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Despite the efforts of the government and other nongovernmental organizations to ensure maximum coverage of skilled delivery to help reduce maternal and neonatal mortalities, women still use locally prepared oxytocin to induce labour. Although herbal medicine is commonly used by pregnant women, healthcare providers, especially midwives, are often unprepared to communicate effectively with patients or make proper decisions concerning complementary and alternative medicine use, especially during pregnancy and labour [ 23 ].

It is well known that herbs have played a vital role since the precolonial era during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care in many parts of the country, but there are still few data on the use of herbs among pregnant women in Ghana [ 24 ]. Towards the end of pregnancy, many women are tired and eager to welcome their babies into the world. Moreover, as the expected date of delivery approaches, these women are given local oxytocin by their mothers’ in-laws, grandmothers, mothers, or TBAs or even by the women themselves to start labour at home before going to the health facility [ 25 ].

Medicinal plants that are used to hasten or speed up labour are mostly taken towards the end of pregnancy or the beginning of labour [ 26 ]. Even after delivery, these herbs may be found in small amounts in the mother’s breast, and some may cross the placental barrier and have harmful effects on the baby. The use of herbal medication by pregnant women is inevitable given that up to 80% of people who live in developing nations rely on traditional medicine for their healthcare needs [ 18 ].

The situation in Ghana, especially Northern Ghana, is not different, as pregnant women continue to use herbs despite the availability of health facilities [ 24 ]. The use of herbal medicine (kaligutim) among the Ghanaian population is alarming. Pregnant women in Tamale use herbal products at a rate of 42.5% prior to pregnancy and 52.7% during pregnancy [ 27 ]. Residents of Tamales who seek healthcare services in hospitals or herbal clinics are therefore at a greater risk of experiencing adverse consequences from drug-herb interactions [ 28 ].

Herbal product manufacturers should clearly state that pregnancy is a contraindication, and vendors should use caution when selling these items to pregnant women [ 27 ]. The use of Kaligutim (local oxytocin) by pregnant women is a maternal and child health problem. Herbal medicine used by pregnant women has long-term effects on both mothers and babies [ 17 ]. Unfortunately, maternal, and neonatal deaths may occur, and hence, there is a need to examine midwives’ perspectives on local oxytocin use during labour, its effects on the progress and outcome of labour, and the relationship between kaligutim use and birth outcomes among pregnant women in the three major government hospitals in Tamale Metropolis.

Theoretical foundation

This study adopted and adapted Andersen’s (1968) behavioural model of healthcare service utilization (use and nonuse of health services [ 29 ]. Andersen’s healthcare utilization model is a conceptual model aimed at demonstrating the factors that lead to the use/nonuse of health services [ 29 ]. This study was guided by Andersen’s behavioural model of health service use as a theoretical framework to identify the effects of Kaligutim on the progress and outcome of labour and to establish the relationship between the use of Kaligutim and nonuse of kaligutim and birth outcomes. The behavioural model is a multilevel model that incorporates both individual and contextual determinants of health service use.

Conceptual framework

Many people rely on products made from medicinal plants to maintain their health or treat illness, and current general development trends in developing and developed countries suggest that the consumption of medicinal plants is unlikely to decline in the short to medium term because of the benefits to consumers, producers, and society as a whole [ 29 ]. Therefore, there is a need to increase our understanding of what motivates the consumption of medicinal plants, despite the barriers to the establishment of solid evidence on the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines and related products [ 29 ].

This unified conceptual framework offers a step towards establishing a comprehensive approach to understanding the experiences midwives encounter when their clients use herbal medicine to induce their labour. The exposure variable in this study refers to kaligutim (local oxytocin) used by pregnant women in the three major government hospitals to induce labour through several routes, including oral, rectal, and vaginal routes, among others. When oxytocin is used by pregnant women, it can produce several results that can be immediate or late.

The results elicited on labour are termed the outcome variables, which can be immediate outcomes (the progress of labour) or outcomes after delivery (the outcome of labour). The progression of labour includes three stages: progressive dilatation of the cervix from 1 cm to 10 cm, delivery of the baby and expulsion of the placenta. Several factors can be used to determine the progress of labour (obstructed labour, prolonged labour, nature of uterine contractions, precipitated labour, foetal distress, and poor progress of labour).

The outcome of labour on the hand refers to what happens during the delivery of the baby, how the baby was delivered, foetal conditions and maternal conditions. The following factors were used for the purpose of this study to determine the outcome of labour (mode of delivery, postpartum haemorrhage, ruptured uterus, cervical tear, birth asphyxia, uterine atony, maternal mortality, and neonatal mortality). This study focused on the immediate effects of Kaligutim (on labour progress) and the effects of Kaligutim after delivery (on labour outcomes) and the relationship between the use of Kaligutim and birth outcomes.

The study was carried out in Tamale, which is the capital city of the northern region of Ghana. According to the 2021 World Urbanization Review, Tamales has an estimated population of 671,812 people. Tamale still has a blend of typical rural and urban communities, although it has attained the status of a metropolitan area. There are three major government hospitals in Tamale: Tamale Central Hospital, Tamale West Hospital and Tamale Teaching Hospital. The Tamale Teaching Hospital is the only tertiary facility in the northern region and serves as the main reference centre for the five regions of the north.

Study population

The main study population was midwives working in Tamale Metropolis. The sampling frame was all midwives practicing in the three major hospitals in Tamale Metropolis who were willing to participate in the study.

Study design

A facility-based cross-sectional research design was used for this study. A cross-sectional study is a type of observational study design carried out at one point in time or over a short period of time to estimate the prevalence of the outcome of interest for a given population for the purpose of public health planning [ 30 ]. This study adopted a quantitative research approach to obtain information.

Sampling technique

A purposive sampling technique was used for this study. Purposive sampling is a nonprobability sampling method in which participants are selected for inclusion in the sample based on their characteristics, knowledge, or experiences. This is because of the midwives’ knowledge, experiences, and objective of the study.

Sample size calculation

Total number of midwives = 458

Yamane formula (1967) was used with a confidence interval of 95% and a margin of error of 5%.

N = population size (458).

n = the sample size (?)

e = margin of error (5%).

n \(\:=\frac{N}{1\:+N\left(e\right)2}\)

n= \(\:\frac{458}{1\:+458\left(0.05\right)2}\)

n  = 214.01 = 214.

Sample size = 214 midwives.

Inclusion criteria

All midwives practicing in the three major government hospitals in Tamale Metropolis who were willing to participate in the study were included.

All midwives in the three-government hospital with experience with kaligutim use during labour were also included in the study.

Exclusion criteria

All midwives who were not practising at the three major government hospitals in Tamale Metropolis were excluded from the study.

Midwives who were practicing at the three major government hospitals in Tamale and who were not willing to participate in the study were also excluded from the study.

All midwives who did not have experience with kaligutim use for the induction of labour were excluded from the study.

Data collection instrument

The data collection tool that was used for the study was a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire was constructed by reviewing various documents, including existing questionnaires that have been used in previous research. Close-ended questions with few open-ended questions were used as the question format. It was designed in line with the objectives of the study to help obtain the necessary information needed for the study. The questionnaire was pretested with midwives before the actual data collection took place.

Data management and analysis

Data collected from the field were coded, cleaned, and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Services (SPSS) version 21.0. Descriptive and analytical statistics, including simple frequencies and percentages, were used for the analysis and presentation of the data. The relationships between predictor and outcome variables were assessed by means of bivariate (chi-square test) analysis to determine potential predictors of kaligutim (local oxytocin) at p values less than 0.05. Adjusted odds ratios were reported, and p values less than 0.05 were deemed to indicate statistical significance at the 95% confidence level after multivariate analysis.

Ethical consideration

The following ethical principles guided this study: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice for all. These principles are based on the human rights that must be protected during any research project, including the right to self-determination, privacy, anonymity, confidentiality, fair treatment and protection from discomfort and harm. First, an introductory letter was obtained from the University for Development Studies authorities. This letter was then presented to the authorities of the three major government hospitals in Tamale, namely, Tamale West Hospital (T.W.H.), Tamale Central Hospital (T.C.H.) and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH.), to seek permission to undertake the study. Ethical clearance was also obtained from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) (CHRPE/AP/332/22).

Permission was once sought through a consent form to which participants were asked to consent if they were willing to participate in the study. The participants were assured of the confidentiality of all the information they were going to provide. They were also encouraged to participate in the study as much as they could but were also made aware that the study was voluntary and that they could withdraw at any point in time during the process if needed. There was no compensation for the study participants.

The study revealed that 45% of the respondents were between the ages of 20 and 30. Most of the respondents were in their twenties or thirties. Those who were in the first half of their work life constituted 73% of the respondents, while 17% were in the second half of their working life. The majority of the respondents were diploma midwives, representing 48% of the respondents; post basic midwives, constituting 32%; and degree and master’s holders, representing 19% and 1%, respectively. Staff midwives composed the largest group of respondents, while Principal Midwifery officers composed the group with the lowest participation in the study. The lowest rank in midwifery practice in the study was staff midwives, and the highest was principal midwifery officers. This is presented in Table  1 .

The experience of using local oxytocin to induce labour

Approximately 90% of the respondents have prior knowledge or heard that some of their clients take local oxytocin at home to start labour, and only 10% of respondents have no prior knowledge of that. Approximately 63.4% of the respondents encountered local oxytocin cases more than three times every week. This is presented in Fig.  1 .

Average number of local oxytocin cases per week

Approximately 72.9% of the respondents said that their clients had ever induced labour during the previous C/S, and 59.6% of the respondents said that they met clients who also induced their labour during twin pregnancy. Another 64.5% of the respondents said that they also met clients with large babies who also induced labour using local oxytocin, while 86.2% of the respondents said that they also met clients who induced labour with local oxytocin even when they had grand multiparity. Another 11.3% of the respondents said that they met clients who used local oxytocin to induce labour during transverse lies, and 15.3% of the respondents said that they had experienced when clients with mal presentations used local oxytocin to induce labour. This is presented in Fig.  2 .

Induction of labour by clients through local oxytocin under certain conditions

The study additionally asked midwives to report on how pregnant women who had taken local oxytocin to induce labour coped during their care. Midwives were expected to respond whether the women they cared for experienced good, difficult, bad, painful, life-threatening, terrible, or normal labour. As shown in Fig.  3 , generally, the experience that pregnant women experience when they use local oxytocin to induce labour is not good. A total of 93.5% of the respondents said that the women who used local oxytocin had very bad experiences.

Experience of using local oxytocin to induce labour

The study further revealed that 15.2% of the respondents had experienced situations where some pregnant women died because of the use of local oxytocin.

Effects of local oxytocin on the progress of labour

The effects of local oxytocin (Kaligutim) on the progress of labour were diverse. The study revealed that the effects of Kaligutim on the progress of labour are negative, as it causes prolonged labour for some, obstructed labour for others, precipitated labour, and poor progress of labour for others. With obstructed labour being the leading effect of kaligutim on the progress of labour, most of the respondents chose caesarean section as the preferred delivery for most clients who used kaligutim at birth. The use of local oxytocin also has some effect on the amniotic fluid of pregnant women, as 99% of the midwives who responded to the study said that there were some levels of stain of the amniotic fluid, and only 1% said it was clear. It is evident from the study that for most pregnant women who use local oxytocin, there is hyperstimulation of the uterus, as most of the midwives confirmed this for the study. Most pregnant women who use kaligutim suffer excessive contractions, which could have an effect on both mothers and babies. Again, more than half (53.75) of the respondents also said that their foetal heart rate was above 160 bpm. The majority (77.65) of the respondents said that there was no cessation of the contractions for those who took the local oxytocin. The results are presented in Table  2 .

Impact of local oxytocin on the outcome of labour

To understand how local oxytocin impacts labour, the study went further to ask participants what the mode of delivery was for those who used Kaligutim. According to the data, caesarean section is the mode of delivery for most women (56.5%) who use local oxytocin, and most are unable to achieve spontaneous delivery. This has contributed to the increasing number of caesarean sections recorded daily. Most of the babies had an Apgar score of 4/10 to 6/10. Many babies born to mothers who used herbal oxytocin were born with moderate birth asphyxia (69.6%) and severe birth asphyxia (24%). The study also reported that 20.8% of midwives reported that hysterectomy was carried out on their clients who had used herbal preparations to induce or hasten labour. This is alarming because many women have their uterus removed as a result of herbal oxytocin (kaligutm) usage. Most clients who used Kaligutim experienced postpartum haemorrhage after delivery. It was also evident that some pregnant women (34.5%) had uterine atony, although it cannot be said that Kaligutim was the cause of uterine atony. Several pregnant women (65.3 years old) who used Kaligutim also developed a ruptured uterus. See Table  3 .

Relationship between kaligutim (local oxytocin) use and birth outcome

Table  4 shows the associations between kaligutim (local oxytocin) use and birth outcomes among the respondents. Fisher’s exact test and the chi-square test showed that several birth outcome variables were significantly associated with kaligutim (local oxytocin). Do women who go through the normal process of labour and those who use kaligutim to induce their labour have the same birth outcome? (P value = 0.021), what was the foetal wellbeing? (P value = 0.041), When do most neonates whose mothers have taken Kaligutim die? (P value = 0.038), was baby admitted at the Newborn Care Unit? (P value = 0.001), were significantly associated with kaligutim. Additionally, having recorded a maternal death because of the use of Kaligutim (p value = 0.002) was also significantly associated with kaligutim, as presented in Table  4 .

Multivariate analysis of birth outcome predictors of Kaligutim (local oxytocin) among pregnant women in three major government hospitals in Tamale metropolis

In Table  5 , three birth outcome variables strongly depicted kaligutim use among the respondents: foetal wellbeing, admission to the new-born care unit, and death of most neonates because of the use of Kaligutim by their mothers. Respondents who responded, “yes” to baby admission to the Newborn Care Unit were 25% more likely to use kaligutim (local oxytocin) than were those who responded “no” to baby admission to the Newborn Care Unit [(AOR = 0.25 95% CI (0.01, 0.53), P  = 0.021)].

Discussions

Although the respondents cut across with regard to the number of years of experience, most of the respondents were early career midwives. The fact that these early career midwives are familiar with and have experienced the use of local oxytocin by their clients shows that it is widely used by pregnant women in the Tamale metropolis. Approximately 90% of respondents were aware of the usage of kaligutim (local oxytocin) for inducing labour at home before going to the hospital for delivery. However, a study conducted in the Ashanti region of Ghana revealed that midwives and other healthcare professionals lack proper knowledge about herbal medicine usage among pregnant women, even though this information is urgently needed so that appropriate action may be taken to address the issue [ 31 ]. The study findings also demonstrated that pregnant women frequently utilize local oxytocin and that many of them are unaware of the potential negative effects that these herbs may have on them in certain circumstances. Figure  2 shows that the use of local oxytocin was not limited to only one condition. These findings further show that the use of local oxytocin by pregnant women is widespread and that pregnant women do not know the effect that local oxytocin can have on them when they have certain conditions. Additionally, pregnant women are ignorant of the fact that local oxytocin can be contraindicated under certain conditions and must be avoided. Hence, it may put the life of the pregnant mother and her baby in danger.

Although herbal medicines are natural, not all herbs are safe to use while pregnant. Thus, expectant mothers should consult their midwives for guidance before taking herbal remedies. The experience that pregnant women have when they use local oxytocin to induce labour is not a positive one. A total of 188 respondents, or 93.5% of the respondents, stated that the women who used local oxytocin had a very unpleasant experience. This is supported by additional research results showing that between 50 and 80% of pregnant women use traditional plant remedies, which could have adverse perinatal effects [ 32 ]. The statistics indicate that local oxytocin is frequently used by pregnant women in the Tamale Metropolis. Most of the midwives reported seeing these cases virtually daily. This finding supports a study conducted in Ghana’s Ashanti region (Kumasi), which revealed that knowledge of herbal medicine is widely shared and that there is evidence of an increase in the usage of herbs [ 33 ].

The study revealed that local oxytocin (Kaligutim) has a diverse range of effects on the progress of labour, including precipitating labour, prolonging labour, obstructing labour, and slowing labour. The partograph is a great tool for keeping track of labour progress and serving as a warning system for abnormalities in normal labour, which helps to prevent obstructed labour and improves maternal and foetal outcomes [ 34 ]. This is supported by the study’s findings, which indicate that using a partograph to monitor labour progress and identify any deviations is essential [ 34 ].

According to this study, most midwives, who make up 65.2% of the respondents, also claimed that pregnant women who use local oxytocin (Kaligutim) have excessive contractions, while only 71 of them, or 34.8% of the respondents, claimed that they do not notice excessive contractions in their clients. This is supported by research performed in Zambia, which revealed that these herbal medicines also elicit greater than normal uterine contractions [ 26 ].

Most pregnant women who use kaligutim experience excessive contractions, which may have an impact on both the mother and the unborn child. Similarly, other authors have also claimed that using herbal remedies during labour causes stronger and more frequent uterine contractions, which do not necessarily result in cervical dilatation [ 35 ]. This was confirmed in the study’s findings, which also noted that herbal oxytocin not only produces excessive uterine contractions but also may cause contractions to cease, as 44 (22.4%) of the respondents reported that those who took local oxytocin had a halt in contractions. Intravenous fluids such as normal saline and Ringer’s lactate are used to flush out the local oxytocin in the system and CS in the case of an emergency. Nifedipine is also given in certain circumstances to prevent contractions.

According to the study, 121 midwives, or 59.6% of the respondents, stated that caesarean sections were the preferred method of delivery for women who used kaligutim to induce labour. Both [ 36 ] in South Africa and [ 34 ] in Western Uganda reported these findings. Moderate birth asphyxia (69.6%) and severe birth asphyxia (23%) are common in newborns whose mothers utilize herbal oxytocin. According to the survey, 20.8% of midwives said they had performed hysterectomy procedures on clients who had utilized herbal induction or hastening methods to induce labour.

One of the main causes of maternal deaths worldwide, including in Ghana, is postpartum haemorrhage [ 10 ]. 91% of midwives said that when their patients use herbal oxytocin during labour, more of them suffer from postpartum haemorrhage. This is corroborated by research by Frank (2018), who found a connection between postpartum haemorrhage and the use of herbal medications during labour [ 37 ]. In contrast, other studies [ 38 ] have shown that using herbal medication during childbirth is linked to a lower risk of postpartum haemorrhage. Individuals who experienced postpartum haemorrhage were managed with uterine massage, intravenous fluids, Cytotec, repairs to tears, expulsion of retained products, blood transfusions, cervical repairs, and catheter use.

This report supports the findings of a study conducted in the Ugandan village of Kiganda, where the researcher [ 37 ] reported that the use of herbal medicines has been linked to labour induction, which can cause significant birth canal tearing, postpartum haemorrhage, uterine atony, a raptured uterus, and, if untreated, maternal mortality. Medical experts who are aware of the dangers of herbal remedies and who are obliged to advise patients against using them do so themselves. The majority of women who use herbal preparations during pregnancy have a high school education or higher, according to evidence showing that more than 57.5% of pregnant women who use herbs have a high school diploma or higher, which is consistent with findings from Saudi Arabia by [ 39 ] that show that formal education cannot even prevent women from taking herbs during pregnancy and labour.

Kaligutim also causes excessive uterine contractions, foetal discomfort, excessive uterine stimulation, uterine atony, PPH, birth hypoxia, and premature bearing down, claims this study. This is supported by the results of a study carried out in Europe, where researchers [ 40 ] found that the majority of herbal drugs taken by pregnant women have undesirable side effects. An Iranian study, however, revealed that utilizing herbal treatments during labour can lessen discomfort, speed up the process, and enhance both the quality of a woman’s delivery experience and her odds of having a healthy baby [ 41 ].

According to the study’s findings, three birth outcome variables strongly affected kaligutim (local oxytocin) use among the respondents: foetal wellbeing, admission to the newborn care unit, and death of most neonates as a result of the use of Kaligutim by their mothers. Respondents who responded, “yes to baby” and were admitted to the new-born care unit were 25% more likely to use kaligutim (local oxytocin) than were those who responded, “no to baby” and were admitted to the new-born care unit (AOR = 0.25 95% CI (0.01, 0.53), P  = 0.021). This is probably one of the effects of taking local oxytocin. These infants were hospitalized for a variety of reasons, including asphyxia, respiratory distress, and low Apgar scores.

Additionally, the study results indicated that respondents who responded that a still birth outcome affected foetal wellbeing were 1.9 times more likely to use kaligutim (local oxytocin) than those who responded no to having live births were (AOR = 1.9 95% CI (0.01, 1.21), P  = 0.047)]. This finding is consistent with findings from a sub-Saharan African study that showed that herbal medications used to speed up and induce labour have uterotonic effects and increase the risk of neonatal asphyxia attributable to uterine hyperstimulation [ 42 ]. This could be ascribed to the fact that the respondents wanted fast and easy delivery, which subsequently caused this effect.

Another interesting finding was that respondents who responded that having a birth asphyxia outcome to foetal wellbeing were 0.16 times more likely to use kaligutim (local oxytocin) than were those who responded no to having live births (AOR = 0.16, 95% CI (0.08, 3.08), P  = 0.047). This result is similar to that of [ 42 ], who conducted their study in sub-Saharan Africa. This could be a result of the effects of kaligutim on foetal well-being, which results in birth asphyxia.

Furthermore, newborns whose mothers used kaligutim during labour and who died within the first hour of birth were 3.4 times more likely to use kaligutim (local oxytocin) than those whose mothers used kaligutim during labour [AOR = 3.4 95% CI (0.74, 1.5), P  = 0.045]. In support of the findings from this study, a study on the consumption of herbal drugs among pregnant women in rural Malawi revealed that consumption was linked to pregnancy-related issues and that users had a greater risk of neonatal mortality/morbidity within the first hour of life than nonusers [ 14 ]. This could be attributed to the dangers this herb poses to the foetus during delivery.

Newborns whose mothers used kaligutim during labor and who died within the first week of life were 2.23 times more likely to use kaligutim (local oxytocin) than those whose mothers used intrauterine kaligutim [(AOR = 2.23 95% CI (0.00, 0.02), P  = 0.045)]. This is supported by findings from a Malawian study that revealed that the use of labour-inducing plants during pregnancy has negative effects on obstetric and labour outcomes, such as uterine rapture, which can cause neonatal mortality and morbidity [ 35 ]. This could be attributed to the fact that PPH, uterine rapture, cervical tear, DIC, and hypoxia were the main causes of death.

Every life matter, which is why mothers’ lives and that of their newborn babies must be safeguarded at all costs. A sufficient level of knowledge is always vital since it exacerbates doubt. Therefore, it is crucial that people are informed of their rights, their health, and the services they can utilize to maintain and improve health to have a healthy increasing population. Although herbal medicine could be effective in treating certain ailments associated with pregnancy and delivery and is easily accessible to pregnant women, especially in rural communities, the possibility of overdose, drug-herb interactions, contraindications, and the unhygienic conditions under which they are prepared may influence both maternal and neonatal conditions.

The results showed that the use of kaligutim by pregnant women in Tamale Metropolis is on the rise. This means that much needs to be done to do away with the use of kaligutim, and this must start with midwives. Pregnancies and births can be improved with a healthy and qualified midwifery care model in improving and protecting women’s and newborn health in Tamale.

It can be concluded that the use of this herbal medicine (Kaligutim) poses a greater long-term health challenge for mothers and their babies. Midwives and other healthcare workers in the Tamale Metropolis must therefore intensify their public health campaigns against the use of Kaligutim for labour induction.

Recommendations

The findings of the study have important implications for maternal and child health. The nonuse of kaligutim (local oxytocin) for the induction of labour is the best option for pregnant women. Pregnant women should visit the hospital for all their health needs during the entire pregnancy. This will help prevent adverse pregnancy and labour outcomes as well as maternal and neonatal mortalities and morbidities.

Future researchers should perform further studies on the spiritual aspects of kaligutim (Walgu) and its types. Like synthetic oxytocin, an Islamic form of oxytocin is prepared by Mallams and causes uterine contractions and dilates the cervix.

However, studies should also be conducted on the efficiency, effectiveness and biochemical composition of these herbal preparations and their safety, especially during pregnancy and delivery. Samples of these herbal preparations should be taken for laboratory investigations.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this article and its supplementary information files are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Management and Healthcare Staff of the Tamale West Hospital (T.W.H), Tamale Central Hospital (T.C.H) and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) for their support throughout the data collection process. We acknowledge the contributions of all the midwives who shared their knowledge and experiences with us, your efforts are well appreciated.

No funding was available for the study.

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Department of Population and Reproductive Health, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, P. O. Box 1883, Tamale, Northern Region, Ghana

Ahmad Sukerazu Alhassan & Joseph Lasong

Nandom Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Upper West Region, Nandom, Ghana

Shivera Dakurah

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ASA and SD conceptualised and drafted the research proposal. ASA, SD, and JL performed the statistical analysis, assisted with interpretation of the results, and co-drafted the manuscript. All authors contributed to the discussion of the paper, read, and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ahmad Sukerazu Alhassan .

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An introductory letter from the University for Development Studies was presented to the three government hospitals, Tamale West Hospital (T.W.H), Tamale Central Hospital (T.C.H) and Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) to seek for permission to undertake the study. Ethical clearance was also obtained from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) with reference number (CHRPE/AP/332/22). Permission was also sought through a consent form of which participants were asked to consent to if they were willing to participate in the study. They were assured of confidentiality of every information they were going to provide. All other methods were performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations on subject selection and participation.

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Alhassan, A.S., Dakurah, S. & Lasong, J. Perspectives of midwives on the use of Kaligutim (local oxytocin) for induction of labour among pregnant women in the government hospitals in Tamale. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 24 , 561 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06745-z

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Received : 15 April 2024

Accepted : 08 August 2024

Published : 28 August 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-024-06745-z

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