{"id":27060,"date":"2021-04-27T15:34:46","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T15:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mauriziolacava.com\/?p=27060"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:46:05","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T10:46:05","slug":"business-presentation-the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-modular-and-effective-slides","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauriziolacava.com\/en\/business-presentation-the-ultimate-guide-to-creating-modular-and-effective-slides\/","title":{"rendered":"Business presentations: the ultimate guide to creating modular and effective slides"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Can you send me your business presentation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many times have you been asked this question? Business presentation has become an indispensable business card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is often called \u201cCorporate Profile\u201d, and it contains the necessary information to present your company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is an initial presentation document that often follows preliminary meetings, meetings with banks, sales opportunities and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is the business presentation so important?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For one simple reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This presentation is what your counterpart will use to decide whether they want to deal with you or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everything else is secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Also, when you’re asked to deliver a business presentation, timing is key – you can’t let days go by before you share it, otherwise it will look like your company isn’t ready to do business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A business presentation, moreover, can serve many purposes and must speak to different audiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s almost like a Swiss Army knife of presentations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can such a multifaceted presentation exist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simple, it doesn’t!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you making fun of me, Maurizio?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not at all:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Business<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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So how can you do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key word is modularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An effective business presentation must necessarily be structured in modules in order to offer maximum flexibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By breaking it down into modules, you’ll find that there are some parts that you will need to adapt to the audience and context, while others are fairly static.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the MLC Presentation Design Consulting<\/a> presentation, I worked with the PowerPoint sections that go perfectly with structuring a business presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Where do we start?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we need to figure out which sections we want to include in your business presentation and in what order to present them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lean Presentation Design teaches us that a persuasive presentation has a recurring structure, which can be traced in what is called the Lean Presentation Strategy Canvas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>A winning business presentation structure<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Thinking lean about your presentation means having the ability to strategically plan its structure before you go wild on PowerPoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a huge PowerPoint user, and I firmly believe it\u2019s the perfect presentation tool, but approaching it too early in the presentation creation process risks diverting your attention from what really matters in the first place: the storyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set aside alignments, choice of fonts, colors, and follow me carefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Lean Presentation Strategy Canvas is a cornerstone of Lean Presentation Design\u00ae and can guide you in the creation of truly impactful presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let it take the lead and prioritize the communication strategy over the practical implementation of the presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s apply the Canvas together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Understand your audience first<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every presentation must begin with a careful understanding of the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even a corporate profile business presentation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unless you want to create yet another boring presentation that will go unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You must ask yourself what your goal is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mind you, I\u2019m not asking what your business purpose is, such as: \u201csell more, increase conversions, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal to put in the Lean Presentation Strategy Canvas box is one of communicating and changing your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not hard, I\u2019ll explain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating an effective business presentation is like planting a small seed in the minds of your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe it will take some time, but sooner or later, if you\u2019ve been successful, the seed will sprout, and people will do something they wouldn\u2019t have done if they hadn\u2019t come into contact with your presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Think about the situation where you want to get in touch with a new client, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the presentation they might not know you, or even be aware of their problem, but after reading your presentation they might be ready to get in touch with you to consider buying your product or service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is your persuasion goal, what kind of awareness do you want to develop in your audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I use this nice diagram to get the point across and clear my head right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To complete this, you need to have minimal knowledge of your audience. If you don\u2019t have that then it\u2019s time to do some research or ask the right people a few questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What information should I be looking for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you can see, it is not about finding out the life story of every person in your audience, it\u2019s about knowing the factual information that allows you to chart a path to change and be their guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why might they not want to adopt the change you\u2019re proposing, what knowledge or ideas do you need to eradicate in order to instill this new awareness?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lean Presentation Strategy Canvas calls these \u201cresistances\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resistances in Lean Presentation Design are all the reasons why people shouldn\u2019t accept your idea, and they have strategic relevance in the implementation of your business presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you already guess what they will be used for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resistances are the starting point of a communication reverse engineering process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You think it\u2019s difficult? Not at all, follow me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being aware of resistances allows you to identify what information should not be missing from your presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You want to acquire a new client, but you\u2019re afraid they\u2019re not aware of all your industry expertise, so you need to showcase testimonials or reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps you are creating a presentation that aims to share your company\u2019s focus on sustainability with consumers because you know that this trend is a competitive differentiator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here you will find yourself describing the results of all the initiatives your organization has undertaken in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you clear on the dynamics of interaction between Objective \/ Audience \/ Resistance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have any doubts ask in the comments, I\u2019ll be happy to share a clarification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well then, let\u2019s move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that you\u2019re clear on audience, objective, and resistance, it\u2019s time to set up the storyline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a storyline?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s nothing more than the order in which your content<\/span> is presented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply because the order in which you present the information makes all the difference in the world. You can get one effective storyline and another boring one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s all about putting the information presented in the right order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>An effective business presentation is about people<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We are the leading company in the industry, we have years of experience and countless satisfied customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how a typical business presentation begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If yours has this structure too, then sit back and follow me closely \u2013 we have work to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Have you ever felt like you were in the spotlight during a presentation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If so, don’t feel bad, we’ve all been there. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be careful though, feeling like the center of attention can be misleading and make you feel like the star of the moment. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nothing could be further from the truth! <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good presenter has the ability to always put the audience in the spotlight. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rotate the spotlight and point it at the people who have come to listen to you, because this is the only way you will really succeed in triggering a change in them. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every good presentation has a clear objective from the beginning, such as convincing a prospect to accept a call for more information, persuading an investor to finance your startup, convincing your superiors to take one business decision over another, etc. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who is it that should come out transformed at the end of the presentation? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is it you? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not at all! <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s your audience, you’re there for them<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, a question may arise \u2013 \u201cif my audience is the star of the presentation, what role do I represent?\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You are the guide. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In <\/span>Presentation Zen<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Garr Reynolds argues that as a presenter you play the role that Master Yoda plays with Luke Skywalker<\/span> \u2013 <\/span>a wise guide who will change him forever.<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you were creating a business presentation in the style of a corporate profile of your company, you should ask yourself how your products or services could be helpful to the people to whom you send your slides<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Open your presentation from the Context and provide information that expands your audience’s vision. Give them insight, or simply a different point of view than what they are used to. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let them discover something about their world that they are not aware of – and illustrate how this is important to them.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The connection between your world and theirs is usually made through the description of the problem.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is clearly not your problem, but a problem that is relevant to your audience, to the point that they would be willing to do something they would not have done to solve it<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

See how you are getting closer to your persuasion goal<\/span>? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good, good. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution is the section where you can introduce your products and services. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be careful, though. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not a detailed ramble of all your offerings! <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The solution represents a precise closing of the circle in relation to the problem. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember: there is no solution without a problem. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem plays a key role in the storyline because it creates tension, which creates interest and curiosity about the solution. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rule is simple. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Never introduce solutions that do not address problems you have already introduced. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem\/solution interaction dynamic is the foundation of any effective storytelling. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know, I used a term that is now misused by everyone. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me clarify one thing, though:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Didn’t see that coming? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s exactly what it is<\/span>! <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The magic of stories is not in telling one, but in using the typical narrative structure of a story to recreate the attraction dynamic that stories have always had on us human beings. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You know when you’re glued to a TV series for hours and you can’t pull yourself away? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s what I’m talking about.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever the main character gets into trouble, we’re glued to the screen, anxiously waiting for the situation to improve and everything to go well. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, we would rather have a sad ending than be left hanging. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These ups and downs between problem and solution create interest and, when used correctly, are the right way to leverage storytelling in your storylines. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Evidence part is for building credibility and finally talking about your company. Here you can go wild – go ahead and include all the important information that characterizes your company and strengthens its brand. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use testimonials, past projects, customer interviews, concrete results, etc<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Evidence: Use case studies to reinforce your credibility<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Case studies are a powerful tool for showcasing your company’s experience. In fact, case studies simultaneously showcase your client’s reference, which was satisfied with the work done<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, case studies allow the potential prospect to compare your past experiences with the project they need.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you go through the client’s mind, you can read, “If you’ve done it right for someone else, you’ll be able to do it right for me.”<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you present a case study?<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I think it’s not enough to tell what you’ve done. I think you need to show the concrete results that your approach brought in the context of a particular project. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, if you were to set up a case study slide, follow this outline<\/span>: <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the diagram I have highlighted the Need \/ Intervention \/ Results triptych that concretely summarizes the experience of a project. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the right I have shown thumbnails of slides of the project but, in your case, they could also be images of the product. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visualizing it allows you to bring the idea to life and make it even more concrete. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the central band I have highlighted the customer’s photo and his words to enhance the social proof effect. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re curious about how to use the psychological principles of persuasion to make your presentations irresistible, check out my book <\/span>Lean Presentation Design \u2013 how to create an effective presentation in the blink of an eye.<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, I’ve placed your logo and the client’s logo to reinforce branding and collaboration<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Ready-to-use templates for your Business Presentation in MLC PowerPoint Add-in<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While creating Business Presentations, we all have been to the point, when we needed a Template for a graphic, timeline, agenda, etc. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could we create it ourselves? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absolutely y<\/span>es, but: How much time w<\/span>ould<\/span> it take you and w<\/span>ould<\/span> it appear as good as if you used a premade template?<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, you hesitated<\/span>\u2026<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, y<\/span>ou go and browse th<\/span>e templates<\/span>, trying to find what looks good and suits well <\/span>for<\/span> your corporate <\/span>style:<\/span> has similar colors, fonts, approach.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you will unlikely find something similar, yet good. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are the user of <\/span>MLC PowerPoint Add-in<\/span><\/a>, you know that we provide Templates for 2 important cases: Timelines and Agendas. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me show <\/span>you <\/span>how to find them and use them easily.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

MLC PowerPoint Add-in: Timelines.<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click on Graphic Assets in MLC Add-in<\/span> ribbon<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the window at the right side choose Timelines. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Browse and select the Template you like the most. Click on it and <\/span><\/span><\/span>i<\/span><\/span>t will appear in a new slide.<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our templates are made the way that absolutely everything could be modified:<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We provide you alignments, size of the text, good composition. But then it\u2019s up to you to choose the colors, the information and the font.<\/span> To create the best timeline experience, check <\/span>How to create a Timeline in PowerPoint<\/span><\/a>, where I explain everything step by step.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/span>MLC PowerPoint Add-in: <\/span><\/b>Agenda<\/span><\/b>.<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Templates for Agenda work same way: click on Graphic Assets in MLC Add-in ribbon and find Agenda in the window at the right side.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Choose the one that suits your needs, click on it and it is ready to be used!<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Keep in mind that every detail could be easily modified. You just might need to ungroup the elements for a more convenient usage.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ungroup manually:<\/span><\/b> select the template, click on the right button of the mouse, select Ungroup.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do it faster with a short<\/span><\/b>cut<\/span><\/b>:<\/span><\/b> ctrl + A (to select everything on the slide), ctrl + shift + G (to ungroup).<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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To use Agenda at <\/span>it<\/span> best, I\u2019m inviting you to have a look <\/span>at another article I wrote earlier this year: <\/span>How to create Table of Contents in PowerPoint<\/span><\/a>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Call to Action: closing a professional and concrete business presentation<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your business presentation, like all presentations, should have a clear and distinct objective from the start. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember when we first set the action you wanted your audience to perform after your presentation? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s it, I’m talking about that! <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want people to do something they wouldn’t have done, and therefore you want to influence their behavior, you’re going to have to push them to do it. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No one will act unless you explicitly ask them to. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maurizio, you mean during the <\/span>presentation?<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exactly! <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A business presentation is a path of persuasion that leads your interlocutor to take an action<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, they may want to contact you to explain a project they want to get you involved on, as is often the case with first contact business presentations. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this case, the best way to close a business presentation would be to directly invite people to contact you with a contact slide that says, “let’s talk about it”, or “let’s explore it together.” <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our business presentation, I’ve invited the reader to contact us to share their idea<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Remember, no one will do anything unless driven to do it. So, if you want to spark change in your audience, it’s up to you to take action first<\/span>.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>Modularity – a key word in any effective and efficient business presentation<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Some sections of the presentation will change, while others will be more or less the same.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s be clear. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initial storytelling is the part that speaks directly to people, and it should be built around your specific audience. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, you have the possibility to change one section and keep the others, creating different declinations of your business presentation depending on what your audience is interested in.  <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Open your business presentation by immediately creating interest in people and giving them at least one good reason to look at your slides. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This section is very variable, and it changes depending on the context and the target audience. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s structure the sections together directly in PowerPoint. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To create a new section, right-click between two slides and choose Add Section. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the popup window, just enter the name of the first section and you’re done<\/span>. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Come on, let’s do this together. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sections we need to create are<\/span>: <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n