Highlights from the world's biggest presentation conference

May 4, 2023

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3 min read

damon nofar giving keynote presentation on big stage
damon nofar giving keynote presentation on big stage

The world's biggest presentation conference

Present To Succeed 2023 is the third edition of this conference that attracts business professionals from all over the world to join in and learn more about how to present their ideas better. The two previous years have been virtual events, but this year the organizers decided to go big with a hybrid event - over 1000 people joined live in Sofia, Bulgaria and 3000+ joined virtually from all over the world.

Our founder Damon gave a virtual talk last year, and this year he was invited to give a live keynote talk on the topic of hybrid presentations. Below you can see some highlights from his talk.

Virtual presentations have changed the game

Virtual presentations have changed the game when it comes to using slides and keeping our audience hooked. When we present live, slides are usually projected on a screen behind us, while we (the speaker) take the spotlight. But now, in the virtual world, slides are front and center on people's screens during presentations. Forget being the star of the show, because most of us are just tiny faces in circles or squares. The real star? The slide, taking up a whopping 90% of the screen!

That means we've got to up our slide game big time. If we don't, people will tune out faster than you can say "boring." So, what's the secret? Well, we've got to keep the flow of slides snappy and on point. No more lingering on a single slide for ages. Nope, we've got to break up our content and spread it across multiple slides. One idea per slide, my friends. This way, we can grab the audience's attention and keep them coming back for more, instead of risking them zoning out if we stick around too long on one slide.

But it's not just about the quantity of slides; it's also about the quality and structure of your deck. A good principle for your virtual presentations is to break the pattern in your slides. You need to mix up your content to keep the attention of the viewer. Think visuals, images, videos, quotes, interesting data - all of this matters and will make a huge impact on how your slides are received. Avoid slides that all look the same, on a white background with bullet points. Mix it up! Throw in some full screen visuals where it makes sense, mix your white backgrounds with a darker shade for key slides, use big typography to highlight key messages. You get the idea.

Another thing you can do is to use build up animations. These are subtle, simple animations to bring in your points one by one, instead of showing all at once. With this tactic you can control the attention of your audience, and keep some tension for what's coming next. Try it out, you'll be surprised how well it works.

The world's biggest presentation conference

Present To Succeed 2023 is the third edition of this conference that attracts business professionals from all over the world to join in and learn more about how to present their ideas better. The two previous years have been virtual events, but this year the organizers decided to go big with a hybrid event - over 1000 people joined live in Sofia, Bulgaria and 3000+ joined virtually from all over the world.

Our founder Damon gave a virtual talk last year, and this year he was invited to give a live keynote talk on the topic of hybrid presentations. Below you can see some highlights from his talk.

Virtual presentations have changed the game

Virtual presentations have changed the game when it comes to using slides and keeping our audience hooked. When we present live, slides are usually projected on a screen behind us, while we (the speaker) take the spotlight. But now, in the virtual world, slides are front and center on people's screens during presentations. Forget being the star of the show, because most of us are just tiny faces in circles or squares. The real star? The slide, taking up a whopping 90% of the screen!

That means we've got to up our slide game big time. If we don't, people will tune out faster than you can say "boring." So, what's the secret? Well, we've got to keep the flow of slides snappy and on point. No more lingering on a single slide for ages. Nope, we've got to break up our content and spread it across multiple slides. One idea per slide, my friends. This way, we can grab the audience's attention and keep them coming back for more, instead of risking them zoning out if we stick around too long on one slide.

But it's not just about the quantity of slides; it's also about the quality and structure of your deck. A good principle for your virtual presentations is to break the pattern in your slides. You need to mix up your content to keep the attention of the viewer. Think visuals, images, videos, quotes, interesting data - all of this matters and will make a huge impact on how your slides are received. Avoid slides that all look the same, on a white background with bullet points. Mix it up! Throw in some full screen visuals where it makes sense, mix your white backgrounds with a darker shade for key slides, use big typography to highlight key messages. You get the idea.

Another thing you can do is to use build up animations. These are subtle, simple animations to bring in your points one by one, instead of showing all at once. With this tactic you can control the attention of your audience, and keep some tension for what's coming next. Try it out, you'll be surprised how well it works.

The world's biggest presentation conference

Present To Succeed 2023 is the third edition of this conference that attracts business professionals from all over the world to join in and learn more about how to present their ideas better. The two previous years have been virtual events, but this year the organizers decided to go big with a hybrid event - over 1000 people joined live in Sofia, Bulgaria and 3000+ joined virtually from all over the world.

Our founder Damon gave a virtual talk last year, and this year he was invited to give a live keynote talk on the topic of hybrid presentations. Below you can see some highlights from his talk.

Virtual presentations have changed the game

Virtual presentations have changed the game when it comes to using slides and keeping our audience hooked. When we present live, slides are usually projected on a screen behind us, while we (the speaker) take the spotlight. But now, in the virtual world, slides are front and center on people's screens during presentations. Forget being the star of the show, because most of us are just tiny faces in circles or squares. The real star? The slide, taking up a whopping 90% of the screen!

That means we've got to up our slide game big time. If we don't, people will tune out faster than you can say "boring." So, what's the secret? Well, we've got to keep the flow of slides snappy and on point. No more lingering on a single slide for ages. Nope, we've got to break up our content and spread it across multiple slides. One idea per slide, my friends. This way, we can grab the audience's attention and keep them coming back for more, instead of risking them zoning out if we stick around too long on one slide.

But it's not just about the quantity of slides; it's also about the quality and structure of your deck. A good principle for your virtual presentations is to break the pattern in your slides. You need to mix up your content to keep the attention of the viewer. Think visuals, images, videos, quotes, interesting data - all of this matters and will make a huge impact on how your slides are received. Avoid slides that all look the same, on a white background with bullet points. Mix it up! Throw in some full screen visuals where it makes sense, mix your white backgrounds with a darker shade for key slides, use big typography to highlight key messages. You get the idea.

Another thing you can do is to use build up animations. These are subtle, simple animations to bring in your points one by one, instead of showing all at once. With this tactic you can control the attention of your audience, and keep some tension for what's coming next. Try it out, you'll be surprised how well it works.

The world's biggest presentation conference

Present To Succeed 2023 is the third edition of this conference that attracts business professionals from all over the world to join in and learn more about how to present their ideas better. The two previous years have been virtual events, but this year the organizers decided to go big with a hybrid event - over 1000 people joined live in Sofia, Bulgaria and 3000+ joined virtually from all over the world.

Our founder Damon gave a virtual talk last year, and this year he was invited to give a live keynote talk on the topic of hybrid presentations. Below you can see some highlights from his talk.

Virtual presentations have changed the game

Virtual presentations have changed the game when it comes to using slides and keeping our audience hooked. When we present live, slides are usually projected on a screen behind us, while we (the speaker) take the spotlight. But now, in the virtual world, slides are front and center on people's screens during presentations. Forget being the star of the show, because most of us are just tiny faces in circles or squares. The real star? The slide, taking up a whopping 90% of the screen!

That means we've got to up our slide game big time. If we don't, people will tune out faster than you can say "boring." So, what's the secret? Well, we've got to keep the flow of slides snappy and on point. No more lingering on a single slide for ages. Nope, we've got to break up our content and spread it across multiple slides. One idea per slide, my friends. This way, we can grab the audience's attention and keep them coming back for more, instead of risking them zoning out if we stick around too long on one slide.

But it's not just about the quantity of slides; it's also about the quality and structure of your deck. A good principle for your virtual presentations is to break the pattern in your slides. You need to mix up your content to keep the attention of the viewer. Think visuals, images, videos, quotes, interesting data - all of this matters and will make a huge impact on how your slides are received. Avoid slides that all look the same, on a white background with bullet points. Mix it up! Throw in some full screen visuals where it makes sense, mix your white backgrounds with a darker shade for key slides, use big typography to highlight key messages. You get the idea.

Another thing you can do is to use build up animations. These are subtle, simple animations to bring in your points one by one, instead of showing all at once. With this tactic you can control the attention of your audience, and keep some tension for what's coming next. Try it out, you'll be surprised how well it works.

The world's biggest presentation conference

Present To Succeed 2023 is the third edition of this conference that attracts business professionals from all over the world to join in and learn more about how to present their ideas better. The two previous years have been virtual events, but this year the organizers decided to go big with a hybrid event - over 1000 people joined live in Sofia, Bulgaria and 3000+ joined virtually from all over the world.

Our founder Damon gave a virtual talk last year, and this year he was invited to give a live keynote talk on the topic of hybrid presentations. Below you can see some highlights from his talk.

Virtual presentations have changed the game

Virtual presentations have changed the game when it comes to using slides and keeping our audience hooked. When we present live, slides are usually projected on a screen behind us, while we (the speaker) take the spotlight. But now, in the virtual world, slides are front and center on people's screens during presentations. Forget being the star of the show, because most of us are just tiny faces in circles or squares. The real star? The slide, taking up a whopping 90% of the screen!

That means we've got to up our slide game big time. If we don't, people will tune out faster than you can say "boring." So, what's the secret? Well, we've got to keep the flow of slides snappy and on point. No more lingering on a single slide for ages. Nope, we've got to break up our content and spread it across multiple slides. One idea per slide, my friends. This way, we can grab the audience's attention and keep them coming back for more, instead of risking them zoning out if we stick around too long on one slide.

But it's not just about the quantity of slides; it's also about the quality and structure of your deck. A good principle for your virtual presentations is to break the pattern in your slides. You need to mix up your content to keep the attention of the viewer. Think visuals, images, videos, quotes, interesting data - all of this matters and will make a huge impact on how your slides are received. Avoid slides that all look the same, on a white background with bullet points. Mix it up! Throw in some full screen visuals where it makes sense, mix your white backgrounds with a darker shade for key slides, use big typography to highlight key messages. You get the idea.

Another thing you can do is to use build up animations. These are subtle, simple animations to bring in your points one by one, instead of showing all at once. With this tactic you can control the attention of your audience, and keep some tension for what's coming next. Try it out, you'll be surprised how well it works.

The world's biggest presentation conference

Present To Succeed 2023 is the third edition of this conference that attracts business professionals from all over the world to join in and learn more about how to present their ideas better. The two previous years have been virtual events, but this year the organizers decided to go big with a hybrid event - over 1000 people joined live in Sofia, Bulgaria and 3000+ joined virtually from all over the world.

Our founder Damon gave a virtual talk last year, and this year he was invited to give a live keynote talk on the topic of hybrid presentations. Below you can see some highlights from his talk.

Virtual presentations have changed the game

Virtual presentations have changed the game when it comes to using slides and keeping our audience hooked. When we present live, slides are usually projected on a screen behind us, while we (the speaker) take the spotlight. But now, in the virtual world, slides are front and center on people's screens during presentations. Forget being the star of the show, because most of us are just tiny faces in circles or squares. The real star? The slide, taking up a whopping 90% of the screen!

That means we've got to up our slide game big time. If we don't, people will tune out faster than you can say "boring." So, what's the secret? Well, we've got to keep the flow of slides snappy and on point. No more lingering on a single slide for ages. Nope, we've got to break up our content and spread it across multiple slides. One idea per slide, my friends. This way, we can grab the audience's attention and keep them coming back for more, instead of risking them zoning out if we stick around too long on one slide.

But it's not just about the quantity of slides; it's also about the quality and structure of your deck. A good principle for your virtual presentations is to break the pattern in your slides. You need to mix up your content to keep the attention of the viewer. Think visuals, images, videos, quotes, interesting data - all of this matters and will make a huge impact on how your slides are received. Avoid slides that all look the same, on a white background with bullet points. Mix it up! Throw in some full screen visuals where it makes sense, mix your white backgrounds with a darker shade for key slides, use big typography to highlight key messages. You get the idea.

Another thing you can do is to use build up animations. These are subtle, simple animations to bring in your points one by one, instead of showing all at once. With this tactic you can control the attention of your audience, and keep some tension for what's coming next. Try it out, you'll be surprised how well it works.

woman yawning
woman yawning
woman yawning
woman yawning
woman yawning
woman yawning

Let the audience interrupt you

When it comes to virtual presentations, engaging the audience is everything. With all the distractions we face while working from home or staring at our computer screens, it's way too easy for people to lose interest. So, how do we combat that? By actively involving them throughout the presentation and letting them interrupt us. Forget the whole idea of leaving all the questions until the end, and having people on mute while you speak for 30 minutes. That does not work online.

Here's the deal: right from the get-go, let the audience know that you're all about their questions and comments. Make it clear that their thoughts and ideas matter. We're in this together, folks! By creating an inclusive atmosphere where everyone's input is welcome, you're setting the stage for an engaging experience.

Sprinkle those "aha" moments throughout your talk. Throw in thought-provoking questions and encourage attendees to share their two cents through chat features, polls, or good old-fashioned Q&A sessions. It's like a virtual conversation where everyone gets a chance to speak up. This not only keeps things lively but also makes the audience feel like they're an integral part of the show. And let me tell you, when people feel heard and valued, they're more likely to stick around and pay attention.

Don't forget to keep an eye out for those virtual cues. Most platforms have nifty tools that let participants raise their virtual hands or use emojis to react. It's all about showing the audience some love and making them feel seen. Just like you would during a face-to-face presentation, but with a virtual twist. When you make the audience an active part of the presentation, you'll keep their attention locked in and leave a lasting impression.

Oh, and one more thing: virtual fatigue is real. So, make sure you mix things up and keep the pace in check. Break your content into bite-sized chunks and throw in some breaks or transitions to keep things fresh. Spice it up with visually appealing slides or videos that drive home your key points. Remember, variety is the name of the game in virtual presentations!

Now go out there and rock that virtual stage, my friend!