interview presentation no visual aids

Scott Berkun

How to present well without slides.

If you were having an important conversation with a friend at a restaurant, would you pull out a projector and put your slides on the wall? They’d think you were crazy as would the people at other tables. Rather that look into your eyes or give full attention to your words, your friend would have their minds divided between you and the images you were showing simultaneously.

Which raises the question: why use presentation slides at all? Most important conversations you will have in your lifetime happen without slides. And ask anyone who works in media: if the power went out and they could only show your slides or broadcast your voice, they’d go with your voice. Your voice, what you say and how you say it, is the most important thing. If you listen to This American Life or The Moth , it’s clear how powerful a speaker can be with their voice alone.

Look at any list of the best speeches of all time and you won’t find a single use of slides or other props. Of course slides and presentation software hadn’t been invented then so it’s unfair to make a direct comparison (For fun see The Gettysburg Address as a bad Powerpoint deck ). Yet the question is easy to ask: would these speeches have been better if they were narrated over slides?

In many cases, no. You’d have to listen carefully to figure out when ideas would be better presented visually rather than with words alone, which is the secret for thinking about your own presentations: when do you truly need a visual image to express an idea? And when would it be better simply letting your voices tell the story?

Speaking without slides seems more challenging because:

You feel naked without the familiar crutch of slides behind you
It may require a different way to prepare
It demands more thinking and refinement of your ideas

Speaking without slides is often better because:

Audiences grant you more attention and authority over the room
You have no fear of slide or A/V malfunctions
You can never become a slave to your slides
It forces you to clarify and improve your ideas, making you a better speaker

But slides do have some advantages, including:

Some concepts are best expressed visually
They can serve as a handout (but true handouts work better than slideuments )

When is it best to speak without slides?

If I’m asked to speak for 20 minutes or less I often go without slides. More than 20 minutes and the dynamics of attention are more complex and I typically use slides, though less than many speakers do. I give the same advice to others: the shorter the talk, the simpler your presentation should be.

How to prepare a slide-free presentation

In Chapter 5 of Confessions of a Public Speaker (“Do Not Eat The Microphone”) I provide a simple, well-tested method for preparing talks of any kind. In short it looks like this:

Take a strong position in the title
Think carefully about your specific audience (why are they here? what do they already know?)
Make your 4 or 5 major points concisely (from a draft outline of 10 or 12 points)
Practice making your points without a single slide.
Revise #3 and repeat #4 until done.

This approach works with or without slides, but in all cases it forces you to develop your ideas into a solid outline and practice delivering it before you’d even consider making a slide . If you want to go entirely without slides, you’re already prepared for that. And if you decide as you revise that you need slides to best make your points, then add them, but only after you’ve proven their necessity by trying to present without them.

If you want your ideas to take center stage, the slides should come late in the process so that they are used only to support what you’re saying, rather than the other way around. Even if you are a visual thinker and need something to look at to develop your ideas, develop your ideas and rehearse assuming the slide deck is scaffolding you will remove . Don’t fall into the trap of polishing your slides and tweaking fonts when you should be revising your thoughts and practicing how you’re going to express them.

Given a choice between a great talk with lousy slides, and a lousy talk with great slides, what do you think most audiences would choose? Prepare accordingly.

What do you put on the screen if presenting at a slide-dominant event?

I simply put together a slide with my name, the title of the talk and the basic contact information I want to provide. There’s an argument that only having a single slide does far more to make you accessible to an audience interested in your work as the way to contact you is visible the entire time you’re speaking, instead of just at the end. Here are two examples from two different events:

How do you get over the fear of forgetting something?

Many speakers use slides to mitigate fear. Slides used for this reason often come at the audience’s expense. It’s common to see speakers reading their own slides, or facing their slides as they present, clear signs they made their slides first, rather than constructing the presentation first and using slides to support their thoughts. Slides should be for the audience, not for you.

If you work hard to have clear points, and you practice it’s unlikely you’ll forget anything important. Even if you did forget something, only you will know. Since there are no slides, as the speaker only you know what you planned to say. You could skip an entire point or express it in a completely different way than you intended and no one will know but you. Slides can lock you in and if you are a true expert on the subject you’re speaking about you may find advantages in flexibility.

The notecard

When I speak without slides I usually have one small piece of paper listing my 5 main points. For my recent keynote at Warm Gun 2013 on The Dangers of Faith in Data , here’s what I brought with me on stage:

This notecard is short and simple. Since I’ve thought hard about this topic and have practiced the talk, all that I need the notecard to do is remind me of the next point, and the overall structure. I cheated on #5 as it has sub-bullets, but I simply found while practicing I couldn’t recall all three, so I wrote them down. Churchill and some other famous speakers used similar lightweight systems for their speeches.

You can see the notecard on the conveniently transparent lectern:

What about the handout problem?

If I prepare my talk as described above, it’s easy to write up a blog post with the same structure.

Here’s the blog post, titled The Dangers of Faith In Data , which I wrote in less than an hour while the ideas were still fresh in my mind.

Watch the actual talk based on the above

Now that you know how I prepared and practiced, you can watch the actual talk and judge for yourself. You’ll see me look down at the notecard, but it’s typically while I’m silent and trying to let the audience digest what I just said, while I collect myself to lead into the next thought.

Free Checklist For Great Talks (with or without slides)

You can download a handy, comprehensive, printable checklist for giving great presentations here (PDF) based on the bestseller Confessions of a Public Speaker .

13 Responses to “How to present well without slides”

In the case of scientific seminar talks given to expert audiences, the slides are used to show actual data. So we have no choice but to use slides and make them the focus of the presentation. Although there is a special form of slideless presentation called a “chalk talk”, which entails explaining scientific shit using only a chalkboard, and usually with intensive audience participation: ongoing chiming in with questions, comments, and criticisms. The idea is that a chalk talk reveals whether someone can think on their feet without the crutch of slides, and they are used as an interviewing tool.

I love this! I’ve been doing this for years successfully. Even won an award. I’m glad I’m not alone!

For longer talks (more than 15 minutes) I like to have LOTS of notes when I speak, mostly to keep from getting ahead of myself; I also like to have those notes large enough to read from 10 feet away, so I can move around. “Presenter mode” with the notes section just doesn’t cut it, so I carry two laptops and write two sets of slides. One set is my speaking notes: very dense, lots of words, 100% inappropriate for showing to anyone but myself. The other set is what I show the audience: pictures, graphs, or just a few words to reinforce my point; often these slides will be repeated multiple times in a row so even though I’m clicking through them at a pretty fast clip, the audience sees a new slide only every 1-3 minutes.

The “secret” is to have exactly the same number of slides in each deck, and to have two receivers listening to a single “clicker.” I get as many notes as I want, in nice big fonts with plenty of color; the audience gets a very different “show”; everyone is happy.

Thanks for sharing your method – I hadn’t heard of anyone who makes two sets of slides before.

I’ve found that from speaking so often and experimenting that the less materials I depend on while I’m speaking, the more comfortable I am, not less. But everyone is different of course.

Yes, absolutely. Back when I was doing full-time technical training I practically knew the material by heart. These days, however, I give maybe five presentations a year, only two of which are usually the same talk. Some I’ve done before but often as long as a year ago (and by then I’ve usually updated the material), but the rest are new “this time” and will likely never be given again. Also, most of my “presentations” are actually half-day tutorials, which means about three hours worth of material; I simply can’t remember that much unless I’m teaching it several times per month.

My formal presentations always include slides because I’m talking about a visual subject, but it is ALL visual: no text, and certainly no bullet points (my personal pet peeve). It’s nice to know that I can give a presentation without them too, because any day I can literally be stopped in the hallway and told that there’s a tour group coming through and I need to give a talk *now*. It took me a while to get to that place, but knowing your subject inside and out and having a crazy passion about it helps.

I have to give props to Toastmasters too. I used to have a deathly fear of public speaking, but that environment really helped. Plus, it was all talk, no slides!

Makes sense to me. There are certainly plenty of situations where slides are essential. An artist talking about their work is one of many.

[…] E început de an, deci probabil toți discutăm o strategie, un buget sau planuri pentru 2014. Ce facem când trebuie să prezentăm ceva fără ajutorul unui suport grafic? Scott Berkun, autorul Confesiunile unui vorbitor public ne oferă câteva sfaturi pentru prezentări memorabile. […]

[…] How To Present Well Without Slides […]

[…] Interesting post by Scott Berkun on not using a presentation tool. […]

[…] Secret: Presentation expert Scott Berkun writes out his 3-5 main points on an index card and keeps it in his back pocket when he speaks. […]

[…] How to present well without slides (by Scott Berkun) […]

Click here to cancel reply.

How to have Effective Communication in the Workplace

What’s the story – How to use storytelling to engage

Search Search Close this search box.

Mastering Communication

Job Interview Training

Persuasive Business Storytelling

Art Of Influence

Ditch the slides: deliver great presentations without powerpoint.

Written by Colin James
Last Updated December 2, 2023

Introduction

Have you ever sat through a boring presentation? I’m going to guess your answer is “yes”. Invariably, when we ask this question to our program participants, all hands go up.

Think back to those presentations. I’m willing to bet there was a common element: a deck of densely packed PowerPoint slides behind the speaker.

Now, I don’t know about you, but as soon as I see slides like this in a presentation, my attention immediately starts to wane. You would think that visual information, graphics and graphs would enliven and enrich a presentation. But it’s not the software itself that’s the problem – it’s how it’s being used.

So how can we communicate more effectively – without relying heavily on PowerPoint ?

In part one of our two-part video series Presenting Without Slides, I talk about why PowerPoint is such a presentation killer, and how to reframe your approach to using slide deck software in a way that is more engaging to your audience .

How to Present Without Powerpoint

01. only use slides if they add value to your presentation.

For tens of thousands of years, humans have demonstrated effective communication without PowerPoint. Global businesses have been built, wars won and lost, worlds ‘discovered’ and centuries of learning compiled and shared without the use of PowerPoint. Projected imagery itself is, of course, a modern invention.

And while there is value in visual aids, we need to start thinking of ourselves as communicators first.

If the PowerPoint deck communicates the message or is used to simply format content ideas, then hand it out for people to read and follow it with a Q&A. Presenting is foremost a spoken, auditory experience with the visuals providing support and value.

Each slide needs to be rigorously and brutally assessed with this question: “How does this slide enrich, deepen or support the message?”

While stepping away from PowerPoint might seem daunting, numerous engaging visual aids can captivate your audience. Consider utilizing:

Whiteboards or Flip Charts: Engage your audience by sketching diagrams, mind maps, or key points as you speak. This interactive approach allows for real-time interaction and visual learning.

Props and Objects: Incorporate relevant props or physical objects related to your topic. For instance, if discussing teamwork, use a puzzle or rope to illustrate your point visually.

Handouts or Infographics: Prepare concise handouts or visually appealing infographics that complement your verbal presentation. These can be distributed before or after your talk to reinforce key information.

02. Be Confident Presenting Without Props

Imagine you walk into the room – no PowerPoint presentation behind you, no notes, no visual aids, no clicker in hand. You simply stand there in front of your audience and speak with zest and authenticity.

If you do this, you convey to your audience the quality of authority . You’re saying, “I am confident enough to stand before you without the props to help me, because I am enough. What I have to share and say is enough value in and of itself.”

When you own the space, you become the powerful communicator.

Ask yourself, “If the projector exploded, or the whiteboard magically melted, could I still deliver the outcome? Would I have enough confidence in myself to articulate and convey my messages in a manner that engages and enriches my audience – and deepens their ability to apply what I have presented?”

Your answer must be “Yes!” It’s that simple. And that challenging.

Don’t believe me? Well, why not try it for yourself?

If you do get stuck try encouraging audience participation to create an immersive experience and take some the pressure off you.

These could include:

Group Activities or Exercises: Break your presentation into segments where the audience collaborates in small group discussions, activities, or problem-solving exercises. This fosters active engagement and reinforces learning.

Q&A and Discussion: Allocate time for open discussions, allowing attendees to ask questions or share opinions. This promotes dialogue and deeper understanding while keeping the presentation dynamic.

03. See Yourself as a Visual Aid

The third step to avoiding a dreary presentation is to think of yourself as a visual aid. Yes – you are the reference point! The other stuff you bring into the room is just collateral that either supports or distracts from what you have to say.

Your physiology, gestures and voice can create interest, intrigue, imagery and emphasis.

Your presence on stage is a significant visual aid itself. Consider these tips:

Body Language and Delivery: Use expressive gestures, varying tones, and impactful body language to emphasize key points. Your physical presence and energy level play a crucial role in engaging your audience.

Eye Contact and Connection: Establishing eye contact and connecting with your audience builds rapport and ensures their attention remains focused on your message.

Examples of Successful PowerPoint-Free Presentations

TED Talks: Many TED speakers deliver powerful presentations without relying heavily on slides. They use storytelling, props, and personal anecdotes to convey their messages effectively.

Live Demonstrations: Tech companies often showcase product features or concepts through live demonstrations instead of slides. These real-time examples create an engaging experience for the audience.

Remember, effective presentations rely on your confidence, communication skills, and ability to connect with your audience. PowerPoint is just one tool among many for communication. By exploring alternative methods, you can create impactful presentations that resonate long after the session ends.

Don’t shy away from experimenting with different presentation styles and tools to find what works best for you and your audience. It’s about delivering a memorable experience that leaves a lasting impression!

If you don’t feel quite up to it yet, don’t worry – we’ve got just the thing to help.

Join us at our next Public Speaking Workshop. Break the shackles of nerves and learn how to build and deliver engaging presentations to amplify your audience experience.

No more hiding behind PowerPoint slides – remember, it’s your message (and how you deliver it) that will make you a star!

The Colin James Method® Facilitators train corporate executives to improve their professional development with a proven methodology. Our highly trained Facilitators and Coaches are recognised for their experience in their fields and have worked with many individuals and organisations around the world to master the art of communication.

The 4 Types of Communication – Definitions and Examples

Practise presentation skills via virtual scenarios

Speaking With Confidence: Tips & New Training Tools

Internal Communication 101: Make Your Meetings Effective

Deliver virtual training that works

Running an effective & engaging virtual meeting

Stay in the Know

Subscribe to our newsletter.

get in touch

Submit your enquiry.

Step 1 of 2

Your information will be used to send you emails in relation to your product or resource. We will only send you relevant information and we will never pass your information on to third parties. You can of course unsubscribe at any point. By sharing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service . You can read our Terms & Conditions when making a purchase here.

Mastering Communication Online

Download a guide detailing how you can get ahead of the competition now.

Clicking download will keep you updated on Mastering Communications Online product only.

8 Surefire Ways to Nail Your Job Interview Project Presentation

The 2021 job market can be a dog-eat-dog world, and employers want to ensure they are hiring only the best and brightest candidates. Acing the interview , therefore, is one of the most vital steps toward landing that dream job.

Increasingly, it takes a lot more than a charming personality and charismatic public speaking skills to wow potential employers. Job interview presentations have become a common step in the hiring process. Job candidates are asked to deliver a short speech or presentation on a given topic.

Employers look for a variety of qualities in job interview presentations. They demonstrate if candidates possess strengths such as effective communication skills, knowledge and aptitude in the field, research skills, the ability to organize information, confidence and enthusiasm.

Most importantly, the interview presentation gives job candidates the opportunity to impress interviewers and stand apart from the competition. A great way to accomplish both of those goals is by creating a visual presentation for your job interview. While you always want to ask and be sure presenting a slide deck during your interview is permissible, the extra effort will go far in cementing a positive impression.

At the same time, your visual presentation won’t stand out from the crowd if it’s just another generic frankendeck that looks like so many others. Fortunately, there are plenty of PowerPoint alternative visual presentation software options that can help design a creative and unique slide deck.

Presenters who design their decks with Beautiful.ai can save time creating a professional-level slide show thanks to artificial intelligence— the built-in designer automatically adjusts the design and format of hundreds of smart slide templates as content is added to them.

Beautiful.ai users don’t have to worry about knowing how to prepare a job presentation for a job interview. The presentation software offers a host of presentation templates for story inspiration, as well as new themes designed to inspire colors and fonts that compliment your story.

Want to nail your job interview presentation? The following eight tips should help you to master your job interview presentation project and score that dream job:

1. Pick a winning topic

When recruiters request an interview presentation, they may or may not request a specific topic. Never assume it’s your choice, however. If job interview presentation ideas aren’t provided, be sure to ask the recruiter if the interviewers have a preference or if you should choose your own.

If you are asked to choose your own interview presentation topic , consider topics about which you are passionate but also that will be more likely to also interest your audience. Try to choose a unique or exciting angle that hasn’t been covered in thousands of interviews before yours. Interview presentation topics should also be positive, professional, and show how bringing you on board will benefit their team.

2. Know your audience

Don’t stop with researching your interview presentation topic. Be sure you also research the company, the current business strategies, and the audience to whom you’ll be presenting.

Get an idea of their levels of expertise so you can present the information at an understandable level. You definitely don’t want to bore your interviewers or even offend them by inadvertently talking down to them, but you also don’t want to present information that flies right over their heads or that holds little comprehensible value.

If you can choose a topic about which your interviewers are passionate— like how your ideas will impact the business— and present it in a unique and creative angle, all the better.

3. Research and fact check

Be sure you thoroughly research your presentation topic. After all, you’re delivering it for the utmost of professional reasons. Utilize data and statistics to reenforce both your research skills and your expertise.

However, checking and rechecking every presented fact is an absolute must. At the same time, be sure to reference the sources of your data and ensure it is all presented in your own words.

4. Grab attention

Obviously, you want your interview presentation project to grab hold of your interviewers’ attention. Nobody wants to put hiring managers to sleep. Motion is extremely effective at attracting visual attention.

After all, what happens if you see something move in the corner of your eye? No matter how intently focused you might be on something else, you’re probably going to turn and look toward the motion.

Animated presentations, therefore, are incredibly effective at grabbing that sought-after attention. Beautiful.ai users can infuse their slide decks by adding animated transitions between slides, animated infographics or even embedded video.

5. Structure your content

To ensure a clear delivery of its message, any presentation must be organized into a logical story structure that carries the topic from beginning to end. While every job interview presentation structure is unique, a good rule of thumb advises to break your presentation into three parts: beginning, middle and end— in other words, the introduction, the body and the conclusion.

The introduction is when you explain the subject of your interview project presentation and why it matters to the audience. The body, which can be divided into three or more sub-sections, contains all the data and supporting details. Finally, the conclusion restates the presentation’s primary message, summarizes the key points and leaves the audience with a lasting impression.

Beautiful.ai users don’t need to be experts at presentation design to design slide decks with effective structures. Instead, you can start with one of our curated presentation templates , ready-to-use designs that are fully customizable with just a few clicks. Presentation samples like our Creative Portfolio template or Small Business Plan template are ready to go with smart slides chosen for their ability to demonstrate specific types of processes and topics.

6. Illustrate your data

Presentation audiences are less likely to fully comprehend your data based on a list of facts and figures, and interview presentation audiences are no exception. Whether you're showing how you impacted growth at your last company, or sharing industry trends, visual aids like infographics, charts, and graphs give all of that data meaning.

Beautiful.ai users can not only choose from a variety of smart slide templates with charts and infographics, but our AI will ensure that every visual aid is simple, attractive and extremely informative. Presentation designers can even add extra pizzazz to their interview slide decks by controlling the animation of their infographics.

7. End on a high note

Obviously, you want your job interview to be memorable, and closing on a high note will help to ensure you leave a lasting, positive impression. Your visual presentation provides plenty of opportunity to close with a powerful conclusion.

Ending an interview presentation on a high note can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Some presenters choose to close with a moral to the story, an applicable joke or an inspiring quotation. Beautiful.ai’s many presentation templates feature all sorts of job interview presentation samples that users can reference for inspiration.

8. Practice and prepare

Practice makes perfect, and why would you rely on anything less when trying to land your dream job? By practicing your job interview presentation delivery, you can help ensure you customize it to the proper length, strategically control your nonverbal communication and ultimately deliver your presentation with authority.

While you want to sound confident, you don’t want to sound overly rehearsed, so create basic note cards to follow your structure, but don’t read from a script.

It’s also vital that you prepare for unexpected obstacles. After all, you rarely get a do-over when interviewing for a job. Plan ahead for what you’ll do if you should have technology failures like a malfunctioning projector, poor internet connection or lost audio feed. Be prepared for any situation, including a total loss of power. What would you do if you suddenly had to wing it?

Understanding your visual presentation software isn’t the only technical knowledge you might need in a modern job interview. Remote interviews conducted entirely in an online environment are increasingly common.

Be mindful that engaging an online audience requires different strategies than engaging an in-person audience. Before creating your slide deck, be sure you’re familiar with the communications technology you’ll be using.

Take every effort to ensure your slideshow presentation is compatible with and you can comfortably use whatever conference software the potential employer uses, whether it be Skype, Zoom, Google Meet or another service.

Samantha Pratt Lile

Samantha is an independent journalist, editor, blogger and content manager. Examples of her published work can be found at sites including the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed.

How to Deliver a Memorable Presentation without Powerpoint

Yes, you CAN deliver a memorable presentation without PowerPoint!

But will you be memorable?

ABSOLUTELY.

People spend far too much time preparing PowerPoint or Prezi slides for a presentation and not enough time thinking about how to influence audiences, so today we want to give you some tips on how you can deliver a memorable presentation without PowerPoint.

Your slides are an aid to your presentation, but they’re not the presentation itself. The more you stand side-on to an audience reading from them, the more likely you are to have zero impact.

Yes, you’ll survive. And yes, everyone will tell you were great! (No-one will want to hurt your feelings). But no-one will remember a thing you said.

Here’s another way.

Ask yourself what you want your audience to think, feel, do or believe? Are you there to educate? To motivate? To entertain? Your presentation needs a purpose. And the answer to this question gives your presentation its shape.

Once you’ve answered that question, the opening line of your presentation becomes obvious. For example:

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. My aim today is to inspire you to quit your very safe day job and pursue your dream of owning your own business.”

You’ve told them exactly why you are there and what you plan to achieve. This gives them a clear direction, and something to look forward to!

Now you’ve got their attention, take them on a journey.

Think of one, two or three reasons – no more – why people should do just that: quit their day job and start a business. These reasons will become the key messages you want the audience to remember.

My own three reasons for owning a PR consultancy are these – autonomy, job satisfaction and financial freedom.

So here’s your presentation so far.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, my aim today is to inspire you to quit your very safe day job and pursue your dream of owning your own business. I know you’ve got a dream like this. Now there are three reasons why everyone should live life without a safety net and pursue this dream. The first is autonomy – having complete control over your own life. Imagine that. The second is job satisfaction. Having your clients hug you, when they adapt your ideas and it changes their lives. I can tell you, that’s a great feeling. And the third is financial freedom. No longer just working for wages, but tasting some profit as well.”

That’s the introduction to your presentation. You’re sixty seconds in, no Power Point in sight. And you have the attention of the entire room. They’re open to the proposition you’re making, and ready to go on a journey.

Your introduction gives you the structure for your presentation. Stay with what you’ve promised and don’t introduce any other themes. You stated your purpose and key messages in the introduction. Now repeat those messages and elaborate on them. Use the same order as in the introduction.

Illustrate your key messages with personal stories or real industry case studies. The more personal and emotional the better. You won’t need Power Point, you won’t need notes and what you say will be unforgettable.

Here’s how you might unpack the first key message in your presentation.

“The first reason you should quit your very safe day job and pursue your dream of owning your own business is autonomy. If you’re a natural boss, who has been masquerading as an employee for twenty years, business ownership is for you. If you’re a parent who regrets missing out on limitless precious moments with your children, the autonomy of business ownership is for you. My drive to starting my own PR firm was a combination of these. I’ve always been the dad who purposely worked 5.00am starts in the newsroom so I could be there when my kids got home. I’ve never been able to understand the kind of reasoning that puts children as top priority in theory, but not in practice. I came from a small business family, and I’ve watched them make a success of things while I’ve been toiling away at the ABC. Not long ago, I decided it was time for a change.”

My presentations continue with the rest of my story. I highlight the autonomy I’ve enjoyed since leaving news reporting. How I’ve lost weight and felt better. The better work/life balance I’ve had, and quality time with my children.

Then I stay with the structure, deliver my second key message and illustrate that with a personal story. Likewise for the third key message.

Finally, I summarise and round things off. A good conclusion is simply the introduction restated. Don’t be afraid to use the same phrasing. It reaffirms your message.

“ So in conclusion my aim here today was to inspire you to quit your very safe day job and pursue your dream of owning your own business. How did I go? Hands up If I’ve got you thinking. Now there’s three reasons why everyone should live life without a safety net and pursue this dream. The first is autonomy. Having complete control over your own life – imagine that. The second is job satisfaction. Having your clients hug you, when they adapt your ideas and it changes their lives. And the third is financial freedom. No longer just working for wages, but tasting some profit as well. Thanks for having me.”

Stand back and enjoy the applause.

No power point, no notes, just a purpose and three key messages illustrated with personal examples.

You’ll notice that there is a lot of repetition. This is what helps your audience to remember what you say. Reaffirming things helps them resonate. Give them the same messages at the start, in the middle and at the end.

Make it emotional, tell stories and you will never be forgotten.

At Good Talent Media, we want you to be memorable in the boardroom for all of the RIGHT reasons. You can find out more about our presentation training services here .

If you’ve got some presentation stories to share, leave us a comment. Maybe it was a memorable presentation for all the wrong reasons.

Tony Nicholls

Founder and Director of Good Talent Media

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

How to Deliver a Winning Interview Presentation

Written by: Unenabasi Ekeruke

The average corporate job opening receives about 250 resumes . To find the most suitable candidates, many companies make interview presentations a decisive part of their hiring process.

Whether you're looking to switch jobs or move up the ladder in your organization, a well-crafted interview presentation might be the key to landing your next role.

Interview presentations give you a chance to pitch your skills and showcase your knowledge about the position. Delivering an exceptional presentation will put you a step ahead of other candidates.

But how do you make your interview presentation stand out?

In this article, we've rounded up the best tips for preparing and delivering a winning interview presentation that will help you stand out and land you the job.

Let's get to it.

Tired of using PowerPoint? Try Visme's presentation software for free. Tap into 1,000+ ready-made slides and templates, animation, interactivity, data visualization features, online sharing and more.

What is an interview presentation, what employers look for in an interview presentation, how to prepare for your interview presentation.

11 Interview Presentation Tips to Help You Stand Out

In many industries, interview presentations help recruiters pick the best candidate for the job.

They also help managers gauge a candidate's presentation skills, especially if the job role involves pitching to clients or top management.

Interview presentations often involve presenting formal talks about subjects that interest recruiters. These subjects could be directly related to your job role or the industry your prospective organization operates in.

Your interview presentation could potentially revolve around topics like:

Emerging trends and innovations in a particular industry
Competitive landscape and future predictions
Business, operations and marketing strategies
Improving sales and customer retention

It could also be about pitching your work experience, ideas and why you're the best fit for the role.

Let's say you're interviewing for a high-level position in the sales and marketing department. You may be asked to pitch the company's product or services to prospects or do these things:

Predict trends in the industry where the company operates
Talk about how the current market trend may affect sales for a particular line of products
Present a marketing plan for your prospective role

Below is an interview presentation template that you can edit and use.

Sometimes, prospective employers may give you specific topics in advance, giving you ample time to prepare.

At other times, you may have to make blind presentations. This means you'll get topics shortly before the presentation and may have limited time to prepare.

Whatever be the case, nailing your interview presentations will up your chances of landing your new role.

Improve your HR materials and communication with visuals

Create insights into your recruitment and talent management processes with data visualization
Keep all HR documents on-brand and beautiful, from employment contracts to company policies

Take a moment to think about your best job interview.

Why did your employer choose to hire you ahead of other candidates? You probably ticked all the right boxes in terms of skills, experiences, education, personality and other factors.

But most importantly, it's how you presented your skills, capabilities and knowledge about the role that probably blew their minds.

At every stage of the hiring process, employers look for outstanding candidates who measure up to their expectations. These expectations may differ based on the job role, industry and organizational structure.

However, on a general note, recruiters will readily opt for candidates who:

Understand the organization and its line of business
Know their job role and what's expected
Understand the company mission and will fit into the company culture
Show passion, ambition and leadership qualities
Demonstrate the ability to use their skills and experience to drive the company forward
Know how to communicate and present in front of a small or large group of people

What specific presentation skills do employers look for?

Excellent presentation skills are a must-have for most client-facing roles or high-level positions. Therefore, asking a candidate to make presentations during interviews can help companies assess whether they can deliver on the job.

Not only that, interview presentations provide deeper insight into your abilities and skills, such as:

Presentation design skills
Verbal and written communication style
The ability to hook, engage and interact with your audiences
Ability to deliver the message with clarity
Diligence and attention to details
Work experience and sector knowledge
Ability to read and interpret the mindset of listeners
Use of visual aids
Time management and organization skills

For a blind presentation, the employer may want to feel your pulse or perspective on issues or take notice of things like:

The ability to think on your feet
How you perform under pressure
How persuasive and creative you can be

Ultimately, the recruiter is also checking to see if you meet the core competencies for the job. Therefore, make sure to revisit them during the blind presentation.

Beyond landing the job, getting it right with your presentation can set the tone for further engagements with your colleagues and top management.

Preparation is one of the keys to delivering an excellent interview presentation.

Once you've received the details about the interview, don't leave your preparation till the last minute or assume you can wing it. Use the days leading up to the interview to put the necessary things in place.

Here's what you should know. Preparing for your interview presentation puts you in control and increases your chances of securing the job.

Unfortunately, knowing how to prepare for interviews may be a big challenge for many people.

But we've got you covered.

Use these tips below to get yourself interview-ready.

1. Ask the Right Questions

Whether you receive a phone call or email about your interview, ensure you're clear about the details. Rather than make sweeping assumptions, go ahead and do these things:

Find out what your prospective employers expect from you.
Ask if you'll get a topic before the presentation date or if it's a blind presentation. Also, find out if you'll be allowed to choose from a list of topics.
Find out who your audience will be (recruitment agencies, HR, supervisors, top-level management).
Ask how many people will be present at the interview.
Make sure to ask how long the presentation will last. Having a timeframe will help you decide what to add or delete from the presentation.
Find out if they have a preferred presentation style.
Ask what technical equipment and presentation tools will be available.
Find out whether there'll be provision for sound, audio and visuals.

By asking these questions, you'll know what recruiters expect from you and align your presentation to match their needs. Plus, they'll judge your suitability for the role based on how you pay attention to the finest details.

2. Research the Company and the Position Before the Interview

Now you have answers to the fundamental questions, go ahead and research the company and the position you've applied for.

That's not all. Find out the industry the company operates, the major players and where the company ranks within the industry.

Doing this will enable you to:

Structure your presentation and
Interpret your job role within the context of the industry where the company operates.

For example, if you're an accounting professional, it's not enough to understand general accounting principles.

You'll have to understand what your role entails within the context of the industry you'll be working in. It could be oil and gas, mining, tech, construction, health, finance or entertainment.

Here are other things you should find out during your research.

Company Vision, Mission and Goals

Find out the company's history, what they stand for and their area of interest. It's also a good idea to research their major competitors and how they've fared in the market.

But how do you find this valuable information?

The company's website and social media channels are good starting points. News, blogs and third-party sites can provide more information about what the company has been up to.

Having this essential info will help you:

Determine subjects relevant to the company and the area you should focus on,
Tailor your interview presentation to their needs and
Impress your potential employers.

Not only that, but it also shows you're prepared to be part of that organization's culture.

Potential Audience

Part of your research should be to find out who is going to be interviewing you. One way to get that information is by asking the company's HR or using your intuition.

For example, if you're applying for a sales and marketing position, the marketing, sales and HR managers will most likely be on the interview panel.

Next, find out their interests and job responsibilities. Platforms like LinkedIn , Meetup , Indeed and other job boards can come in handy.

You might want to take note of their experience levels.

Professionals with different experience levels have varying concerns.

For example, while top management may care about your administrative or leadership abilities, a team lead may be more interested in your technical or problem-solving skills.

If you focus on what matters most to your audience, you'll attract their interest and win them over.

3. Structure Your Interview Presentation

If you want to keep your audiences hooked to your slides, ensure your presentation is well-structured.

Doing this will keep you on track and prevent your audience from zoning out of your presentation.

Here's how to create an excellent presentation structure.

In its simplest form, a well-structured presentation should have an introduction, body and conclusion.

Compelling introduction: Your introduction should briefly sum everything about you, your presentation objectives and why it's relevant to your audience. You can ask a question, tell a story, share facts or use humor to spark interest.
Engaging body: This is where you present the main details of your topic. Make sure to back your argument with facts or a wealth of information that shows that you're the best candidate for the job. Talk about the company goals and how you'll help to achieve them.
Memorable conclusion: Here, you should present your key takeaways about the topic. Likewise, briefly reiterate your skills, experience, expertise, past achievements and why they should hire you.

You can use presenter notes to ensure you stick to the structure. Throughout your presentation, keep your message clear. Plus, make sure every part of your presentation relates to the topic.

Check out this article for more tips on how to structure your presentation .

Structure your interview presentation to make it appealing and impactful like the one below.

4. Pay Attention to Design

Remember, first impressions count. And your interview presentation isn't an exception to this rule. Excellent presentation designs help you create an impactful first impression on your interviewers.

Think of your design as the aesthetic element that etches your presentation in your viewer's minds and sways them in your favor.

Whether you're pitching the company's product or your resume , having flawless interview presentation designs will help you tell stories better.

Not only does it create a memorable impression, but it also makes your presentation pack a punch.

You can start from scratch or jumpstart your creativity with interview presentation examples like the one below.

While creating your presentation slides , here are some things you should keep in mind:

Keep It On-Brand

Try to tailor your presentation design (font, color scheme, background, image) to the company's identity and visual language. Companies like Starbucks, Skype, Spotify and Netflix provide brand guidelines on their website.

Brand guidelines generally contain a set of rules on using the company’s branding elements. If the company doesn't have a brand guide, you can use the colors on their logo or website for your slide design.

Interviewers will most likely focus on a presentation designed in their organization's brand format. And doing this will show you've done your research about the company.

Pro Tip: Use Visme's Brand Design Tool to automatically generate a branded presentation template with your employer's logo, colors and fonts. Simply enter in the URL to their website and watch the magic happen!

Create branded content & graphics with ease

Add your brand color’s hex codes for easy access
Upload or select your brand fonts
Easily incorporate brand elements into your Vismes

Use Lots of White Space

Avoid cluttering your interview presentation slides with too many ideas, text or images. This could overwhelm your audience and make your presentation a pain in the eyes.

When designing a clean and effective presentation, it's important to use lots of white space. Don't use more than six words per slide . Stick to one idea and a minimum of two images per slide.

Use High-Quality Images

Be sure to use high-quality visuals that drive an emotional appeal.

Better yet, every visual you use should have a purpose behind it. If you're presenting an overview of yourself, it makes sense to use a nice, high-quality headshot of yourself. Take a cue from the interview presentation sample to create yours.

Even if you're using stock photos to spice up your slides, make sure the images are carefully selected to balance the text on each slide and are relevant to the topic that's being discussed.

Using low-quality, irrelevant or pixelated images can not only make your presentation boring, but it can also negatively impact your image and make you come across as careless or lazy.

Make Your Slides Easy to Read

When selecting fonts and sizing them, use fonts that are readable on small and large screens. Stick a font size of 36 pixels for titles and at least 30 pixels for body text.

Additionally, to make your message pop, maintain a solid contrast between your text and background. If you use a dark background, use a white font color and vice versa. You can grab inspiration from the job interview presentation sample below.

In the template above, notice how the dark text color pops vibrantly on the white background. Additionally, the fonts are legible enough for readers to digest the message in the slide.

If you want to learn more about making your slide designs shine, read our in-depth article on how to create good presentation design .

5. Use Charts and Graphs to Visualize Data

As mentioned before, sprawling text and bullets aren't enough to drive visual appeal. You need to use visual aids to break up text and boost visual appeal.

By using a range of formats like graphs, statistics, diagrams , video clips and images, you can easily maintain audience attention and get your points across.

Notice how the job interview presentation sample below uses data visualization to present information.

Are you looking for high-resolution visuals for your interview presentations?

If the answer is yes, Visme's presentation maker has everything you need. The tool has a robust library of free and premium stock images, elegant fonts, icons, graphs, charts, infographics and other visual aids.

6. Keep Your Presentation Clear, Unique and Impactful

When it comes to making presentations or a pitch deck, less is more.

As a presenter, you want recruiters to glance at your slide, gain interest and listen to you. Hence it's best to keep your slide short and simple, aiming for ten slides or less.

Be careful not to load too much information on your slides or break off tangents that don't support your topic.

Just like you, other applicants are looking to give an impressive presentation. Make your presentation memorable and unique. This will convince your employer that you are the ideal candidate for the job.

One way to make your presentation unique is by:

Creating a simulated project or demo
Using case studies related to the company's operations
Creating a strategic plan for your intended role or department
Depicting how you would use your skills to achieve the desired project goals

If you're doing a job presentation for a marketing position, for example, you can create a detailed strategic plan that wins the heart and minds of your interviewers using the template below.

7. Practice Your Delivery

Your interview presentation is a critical stage in the recruiting process. And having an excellent delivery will solidify your chances of getting the job.

However, having a flawless delivery starts with practice, practice and more practice.

For example, Steve Jobs was one of the most phenomenal speakers of his time. His keynotes and demos were compelling and filled with passion and energy.

But if you pull back the curtain, you'll realize why presentations were magical. What seemed spontaneous took hours and hours of practice.

Here's the thing. Rehearsing your presentation beforehand will help avoid babbling or being caught off guard.

Not only that, practice will make you become confident, familiar with you presentation outline or structure and deliver your presentation smoothly.

How do you practice your interview presentation?

First off, deliver your presentation in front of a mirror and record yourself while you're at it. Repeat this as many times as possible and watch out for mistakes that could hurt your presentation.

Next, practice your presentation before your friends and ask them to take notes. Doing this will enable you to get feedback or work on areas that require improvements.

Encourage them to provide detailed feedback rather than general feedback like: "you did well" or "great design".

Before presenting his first TED Talk, author and business podcaster Tim Ferriss practiced his presentation with a group of friends and strangers. He went ahead to incorporate their feedback and suggestions in his next rehearsal.

During practice, go ahead and do these things:

Time yourself to ensure your presentation falls within the allowed time
Keep your shoulder and head high up
Maintain eye contact with your audience (friends, family or professional colleagues)
Be expressive and articulate your words with confidence.
Take deep breaths and pauses in between your presentation
Be audible and avoid speaking too fast

As you practice repeatedly, you'll have your points at your fingertips. Plus, you'll become more confident about your interview.

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor practiced her 18-minute TED Talk about 200 times before getting on stage. Her speech below, “ My Stroke of Insight,” has amassed well over 25 million views on the TED site alone.

8. Follow Presentation Guidelines

While preparing for your big day, adhere to the employer's rules for the interview presentation.

The interview rules could include:

Interview arrival time
Document required
The focus of the presentation and allotted time

For instance, if your interviewer says candidates must complete their presentation in 10 minutes, don't exceed the allocated time.

If you've not been given a time limit, keep your presentation between 10-20 minutes. Remember — people have short attention spans.

When you adhere to the guidelines, employers will believe you're reliable and can work with available resources.

9. Use the Right Presentation Tool

The tool you use to prepare your presentation is as important as the content. You'll find tons of presentation software out there, including PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, Visme, Prezi and more.

Sometimes, your potential employer may favor a particular platform for your interview presentation. But more often than not, they'll leave you to make a choice.

In this case, it's advisable to build your presentations using a tool that's not only familiar but has everything you need to make your content shine. We strongly recommend a feature-rich tool like Visme .

Whether you're a novice or expert, Visme is precisely made to help you craft beautiful presentations and nail your delivery. The tool has 500+ templates, animations, fonts, and design themes that match your style and any niche you can think of.

You can also check out our quick video on how to create beautiful and professional interview presentations in Visme.

10. Have a Backup Plan

Keep in mind that complications could arise. Having a backup plan can help you put things back on track and complete your presentation successfully.

Your employer will mainly provide a screen, laptop, USB and other equipment.

Still, it would help to bring along your laptop and USB drive. They could come in handy if you want to quickly make some adjustments to your slide or review them before the presentation.

In addition, make sure to:

Have duplicate copies of your presentation. You can save a copy on a USB stick, external drive or cloud drive.
Email the file to yourself and the interviewers.
Bring along a few printed handouts or copies of your slides, which you'll share with your audience.

Taking these steps can save the day if anything goes wrong such as computer breakdown, corrupt files, power disruption and other technical glitches.

11. Determine Follow-up Questions and Provide Answers

Now your preparation is in top gear. But wait, there's one more thing.

After creating your presentation, review the content and check for readability and spelling errors.

Then think up questions your audience might ask after your delivery. You'll want to brace up for questions that are both related and not related to the topic.

Here is a list of the common interview presentation questions that you can expect:

What solutions do you recommend in light of the current realities and trends?
Why do you recommend this solution?
What strategy do we use to solve this problem?
How do we convince investors to buy into this project?
What resources do we need to execute these projects?
What processes can we put in place to ensure the success of this project
How do you plan to minimize the risks of this project?
How does your recommendation align with the company's short-term and long-term goals?

Create a stunning presentation in less time

Hundreds of premade slides available
Add animation and interactivity to your slides
Choose from various presentation options

11 Interview Presentation Tips

You've put in the work to prepare your interview presentation. Great job! Now the day and time of your presentation have arrived.

These 11 interview presentation tips will help you win your employers over.

1. Pick the Right Outfit

There's no hard and fast rule to picking the right interview outfit. And that’s because different companies and industries have preferred dress codes.

So your best bet will be to ask the hiring manager before the interview date. This will enable you to align your attire with the company culture.

Whether the acceptable dress code is formal or casual, wear something that makes you appear smart and confident. But when in doubt, stick to formal and smart business attire.

2. Arrive Early and Settle In

Whether you have an online or physical interview or presentation, this is a no-brainer. Showing up late doesn't only leave a bad impression, but it could cost you the job.

Arriving early to your interview will give you enough time to settle your nerves and tie loose ends.

A good rule of thumb is to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before your presentation. You'll have ample time to get comfortable with the equipment and the environment.

3. Start Strong and Build Rapport

The opening part of your interview presentation is where you set the mood for the rest of the presentation.

Here, you have to draw your audience in and convince them to listen to you. So aim to make it impactful and enthralling.

Once you get on the stage, build rapport with your audience.

Start by introducing yourself, professional experience, skills and educational background. Then, highlight your career achievements, records, awards and portfolio like the example interview presentation slide below.

The goal is to impress and attract your audience's attention. This is the moment where you convince recruiters that you’re worth listening to.

When it comes to your presenting your topics, you can kick off your presentation with the following techniques:

Use captivating quotes
Mention compelling statistics about the organization, industry or subject
Tell an interesting story about yourself or the subject
Talk about a trending news topic

Not only will this help draw your interviewers in, but it will engross them and set the mood for the rest of the presentation.

4. Be Confident

You've worked so hard to get to this point. Be confident that you've got this. Projecting confidence is also as important as having an incredible resume.

Recruiters love to listen to confident candidates. And developing this mindset will help you inspire trust and build connections with your potential employer.

If you're looking to keep your confidence high, do these things:

Speak with authority and make eye contact with your audience: This is you selling yourself and reiterating that you've got all it takes to do the job.
Pay attention to your body language: That's the first thing people notice. The way you carry yourself says a lot about how confident you are. Do your best to maintain the right body posture, smile, keep your head up and appear comfortable.
Use hand gestures: Utilizing strong hand gestures adds personality to your speech and makes you expressive. For example, moving your hand in an upward motion can describe growth rate or increase. Likewise, opening or closing your hands depicts sizes.

5. Deliver Like a Pro

While making your presentation, ensure your delivery is crisp and clear.

Whether you're using your voice or microphone, command attention by enunciating words clearly and projecting them to the back of the room. Otherwise, you'll come across as timid or unsure of your assertions.

Resist the temptation to use a dull tone or communicate without facial expressions.

Instead, deliver your speech with passion and vary your pitch to convey feelings and different emotional intensities. Delivering your message with emotion and liveliness will keep your audience hooked.

Most people tend to speak fast when they're nervous. Well, if this happens, your interviewer may miss out on important points.

Thus, maintain a reasonable pace and have occasional pauses in between. This will give you time to catch your breath, collect your thoughts and let your messages sink in.

Remember your slide is supposed to support your presentation, so avoid reading your slides or notes. Doing this will bore your audience and give them the impression that you're inept on the subject.

Showcase your expertise with the help of the presentation interview template below.

6. Tell a Compelling Story

Storytelling is one the most effective ways to structure your interview presentation.

Whether you're simulating a project, discussing a technical topic or pitching your skills, storytelling is the key to winning audience interest.

Top business leaders are making the most of it. You should make it the foundation of your interview presentation.

For example, in the video below, Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx, leverages storytelling to explain how she built a successful product.

One of the reasons why Steve Jobs stood out during presentations is his ability to tell captivating stories. He used storytelling during his keynote addresses, pitches and notably during the launch of the first iPhone in 2007.

Here's the thing. Telling stories engages your audience and helps understand your points. Also, it makes your presentation more impactful and memorable.

Here's how to use storytelling during your interview presentation

Plot: Select an area of focus and make it resonate with your audiences
Characters: Highlight the major players in your story. It could be you, the company, the industry, competitors, etc.
Opposition: Present a problem and why it matters to the organization or audience
Journey: Discuss what you bring to the table regarding the solution, planning, execution, monitoring, problem-solving and management
Conclusion: End with a strong resolution

What's more? To make your presentation cohesive and well-thought-out, use practical examples.

For example, the slide below highlights current gaps or problems.

Then, the next slide suggests practical steps to address the gaps or solve the problems.

7. Use Visual Aids

We discussed this during the preparation phase. And you've got to make it count while delivering your presentation.

Adding visuals to your story is a winning formula that works all the time.

Why? Interestingly about 65% of people are visual learners. Plus, our brains are wired to pay more attention to visual content.

But those are not the only reasons you should incorporate visuals into your presentation.

Visuals attract audience attention and enhance your delivery
With visuals, your audiences can quickly understand complex ideas
They appeal to your viewer's imagination and drive an emotional connection
Visual add power to your words and keeps your speech on track

You can use video, images, infographics and symbols to describe ideas or concepts. Map charts or statistical maps can help visualize geographical information.

You can visualize numbers using graphs, line charts, pie charts, bar charts and maps like in the slide template below.

8. Use Speaker Notes

While creating your slides, you can store essential talking points in your presenter notes. These notes are visible to you but aren't visible to your audience.

They help you recall key points like quotes, stats or ideas as you present.

Visme makes it super easy to add presenter notes to your slides. You can view your notes for the current and next slides as you present.

The tool also comes with a timer that helps you stay within the allocated time. If you're pressed for time, cut out the least relevant points and move the most important ones. Ultimately make sure you don't exceed the allotted time.

9. Be Prepared To Adapt

We get it. You've practiced your presentation and put other things in the right place.

However, keep in mind that things don't always go as planned. So you have to be willing to adapt to changes.

For example, you may have prepared a 10 minute presentation for interview and you’re given less than five minutes. Also, you may have planned to deliver your presentation and then take questions. But your interview may commence with questions or ask questions while you’re presenting.

Whatever the case, be prepared to pause for questions or switch to further discussion unexpectedly.

10. Have a Strong Closing

Your conclusion is as important as the intro. It determines what your audiences will walk away with and how they will feel about you.

Generally, it should be a summary of everything you discussed earlier. Therefore you have to bring it full circle and make it connected to the rest of your presentation.

Most importantly, make it convincing and memorable.

If your interviewer can remember the key takeaways from your presentation, you'll have the edge over other candidates.

Here's how to end your interview presentation in a memorable way:

Ask your audience questions about the topic that sparks curiosity and gets them thinking.
End with key takeaways that highlight the main points of your presentation.
Double down on the problems and how you can help solve them.
Mention how your recommended solution can help the company grow and increase their competitive edge
Tie your message to an interesting quote that aligns with the company vision, mission and goals
Highlight intriguing milestones and figures you can help the company achieve like profit margins, growth rate, market valuation, increased productivity, revenue growth, etc.
Demonstrate that you are open to feedback, questions and further discussion about the topic

Use the job interview presentation example below to craft a striking conclusion that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

11. Take Questions and Feedback at the End

After you've concluded your presentation, get ready for questions and feedback from interviewers.

Keep in mind that the questions may differ from what you rehearsed. Still, make sure you answer the question with confidence and demonstrate expertise.

If the question is challenging, take a moment to compose your thoughts before responding. Also, if the question isn't clear, don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

In any case, the panel will judge your suitability for the role based on what you say, how you present yourself and how you approach questions.

Ace Your Interview Presentations with Visme

Creating an effective interview presentation can be your weapon to launch or advance your career. With a winning interview, you can outperform other candidates and convince your prospective employers that you're the right fit for the job.

But it all starts with setting aside hours to prepare for your presentations. In addition, make sure you follow all the tips we've shared for delivering your presentation.

Looking to create a presentation that will land you that new role? Then you need to use intuitive presentation software like Visme.

Whether you're a learner or an expert, Visme is easy to use. We guarantee that it will pay off more than you can imagine. The tool offers hundreds of pre-built presentation templates, built-in graphics, multimedia, design elements and more.

Beyond creating stunning presentations, you'll be able to share your presentation live. You can also embed it to your website or download it as a video or editable file formats like PDF, PPTX and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do you start an interview presentation.

There are a few great ways to start your presentation with style, immediately grabbing your audience’s attention:

Start with a provocative question or statement.
Tell a story.
Quote an influential person.
Ask a question.
Tell a joke.

What is a good presentation topic for an interview?

When creating a presentation as a part of a job interview, you want to choose a topic that will help to sell yourself and your knowledge. This might mean a prior project you worked on, some new tech in your industry, new industry trends, etc.

What is the point of an interview presentation?

An interview presentation helps potential employers understand your actual knowledge level in the industry. If you’re able to give an in-depth presentation showcasing how well you know about something related to your field, they’re much more likely to want you on their team.

How do you improve your interview presentation skills?

Looking to improve your presentation skills ? A few key interview presentation ideas and tips include:

Keep your slides short and sweet.
Practice before you present.
Don’t read off your slides.
Create a visually appealing presentation design .
Show off your personality.

Easily put together winning interview presentations in Visme

Trusted by leading brands

Create Stunning Content!

Design visual brand experiences for your business whether you are a seasoned designer or a total novice.

About the Author

Unenabasi is a content expert with many years of experience in digital marketing, business development, and strategy. He loves to help brands tell stories that drive engagement, growth, and competitive advantage. He’s adept at creating compelling content on lifestyle, marketing, business, e-commerce, and technology. When he’s not taking the content world by storm, Unenabasi enjoys playing or watching soccer.

PRESENTATION SKILLS
Working With Visual Aids

Search SkillsYouNeed:

Presentation Skills:

A - Z List of Presentation Skills
Top Tips for Effective Presentations
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
Managing a Press Conference
Attending Public Consultation Meetings
Managing a Public Consultation Meeting
Crisis Communications
Elsewhere on Skills You Need:
Communication Skills
Facilitation Skills
Teams, Groups and Meetings
Effective Speaking
Question Types

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and start improving your life in just 5 minutes a day.

You'll get our 5 free 'One Minute Life Skills' and our weekly newsletter.

We'll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Visual aids are an important part of presentations. They can help to keep your audience engaged, make your point for you—there is a reason why people say that a picture tells a thousand words—and remind you what you want to say.

However, you can also take them too far.

If good use of visual aids can make a presentation, poor use can ruin it. Who, after all, has not be subject to ‘death by PowerPoint’, in one of its many forms? This page explains more about how to use visual aids effectively in presentations and helps you to avoid being remembered for all the wrong reasons.

What Are Visual Aids?

Visual aids are exactly what they sound like: a visual support to you standing up and speaking.

They are commonly something like slides setting out your main points, or a video. They can also take the form of a handout, either of your slides, or a summary of your presentation, the use of a flip chart, or even something interesting that you have brought along to show your audience and make a point.

If visual aids are used well they will enhance a presentation by adding impact and strengthening audience involvement. They can also be a helpful to reminder to you of what you wanted to say.

You should only use visual aids if they are necessary to maintain interest and assist comprehension in your presentation.

Do not use visual aids just because you can, or to demonstrate your technological competence. Doing so may make it harder to get your messages across clearly and concisely.

For each visual aid or slide, ask yourself why you are using it. If there is no real purpose, don’t include it.

Thinking Ahead—Planning Your Visual Aids

Most visual aids will need advance preparation. You will need to know how to operate the equipment effectively.

Check beforehand what facilities are available so that you can plan your presentation accordingly.

Also check whether you need to send your presentation in advance to be loaded up, or whether you can bring it on a memory stick or similar.

You can find more about preparing a presentation in our dedicated page on the subject.

Presentation software

It is now common to use presentation software such as PowerPoint.

Indeed, few presenters would dare to attend an event without a PowerPoint file. However, it is still possible to manage without. Some of the very best lecturers and speakers do not use PowerPoint. At most, they might draw on a flip chart or whiteboard. What they have to say, and the style in which they say it, is compelling enough to hold their audience.

For most of the rest of us, PowerPoint is likely to be the way forward, however.

Top tips for using PowerPoint

Keep it simple. Use no more than three to five bullet points per slide and keep your bullet points to a line of text, if possible. Your slides should be a guide to what you are going to say, not a verbatim account.

Don’t use visual effects unless they actually add to your presentation. PowerPoint has some very nice options for adding and subtracting text, but they can be very distracting. Stay away unless you really know what you’re doing.

Keep it short. A half-hour presentation can usually be summarised into six to ten slides at most.

Don’t use the notes function. PowerPoint has a ‘notes’ function that allows you to write notes under the slides for your benefit. Don’t. You will try to read them off the screen, and stop talking to your audience. Instead, use cue cards held in your hands and focus on your audience.

Other common visual aids include:

Whiteboards and interactive whiteboards
Flip charts

Whiteboards and Interactive Whiteboards

Whiteboards are good for developing an explanation, diagrams and simple headings.

They can also be used for recording interaction with, and comments from, the audience during brainstorming sessions .

Remember that writing on a whiteboard takes time and that you will have to turn your back to the audience to do so. If using a whiteboard, you should ensure that your handwriting is legible, aligned horizontally, and is sufficiently large to be seen by all the audience. Also ensure that you use non-permanent pens (sometimes referred to as dry-wipe pens) rather than permanent markers so that your writing can be erased later.

Bear in mind that the white background of a whiteboard can cause contrast problems for people with impaired vision.

Interactive whiteboards can be used for PowerPoint presentations, and also to show videos, as well as to write on and record interactions with the audience. They are, effectively, projector screen/whiteboard combinations, with attitude. If you plan to use an interactive whiteboard, you should make sure you know how it works, and practice using it, before your presentation. It is NOT a good idea to make first use of one in a major presentation.

Flip Charts

A flip chart is a low cost, low tech solution to recording interactive meetings and brainstorming sessions.

At many venues, however, they have been replaced by interactive whiteboards.

A flip chart can be prepared in advance and is portable, it requires no power source and no technical expertise. Flip charts are ideal for collecting ideas and responses from the audience and are good for spontaneous summaries. However, if the audience is large, a flip chart will be too small to be seen by everyone.

Top tips for the effective use of a flip chart:

Arrive early and position the flip chart so that you can get to it easily when you need it.

Position the flip chart so that you can stand next to it and write while still at least half-facing your audience. Do not turn your back on your audience.

Make sure you have several marker pens that work.

Only use blue or black marker pens. It will be difficult for those at the back of the room to see any other colours. You can use red pens to accentuate blue or black.

Make your letters at least 2-3 inches tall so that everybody can see what you have written.

Draw lines in pencil on blank pages before your presentation, to help you keep your writing legible and straight.

If you are using a flip chart as an alternative to PowerPoint:

Plan out your pages as you are writing the outline for your presentation;
Write notes to yourself, in pencil, on the flip chart to remind you of the points you want to make. Your audience will not see the pencil notes.

If you have something that you want to present and then accentuate during the presentation or discussion, write out the flip chart page beforehand so that you can just flip the page to it—or just use a PowerPoint slide.

If you need to refer to something that you wrote on a page at a later point in your presentation, rip off the page and fix it to the wall.

Videos are particularly good for training purposes. Short videos can also be embedded into a PowerPoint presentation to make a point, or provide an example. This is becoming increasingly popular with the advent of YouTube, because far more videos are available. Smartphones have also made recording your own videos much easier.

However, as with any visual aid, make sure that you are using video for a purpose, not just because you can.

Handouts summarising or including the main points of a presentation are an excellent addition, but must be relevant.

Presentation software packages such as PowerPoint can automatically generate handouts from your presentation slides. You can also prepare a one-page summary of your presentation, perhaps as a diagram, if that seems more appropriate. This may be particularly useful if you are asked to do a presentation as part of an interview .

If you do provide handouts, it is worth thinking carefully about when to distribute them.

Giving out handouts at the start of a talk will take time and the audience may start to read these rather than listen to what the speaker is saying. However, if your presentation contains complex graphs or charts, the audience will appreciate receiving the handout before the presentation starts since they may find it easier to view these on paper than on the projection screen. The audience may also appreciate being able to make their own notes on the printed handout during the presentation.

Consider the best time and method to distribute any handouts, including either placing them on seats prior to the start or giving them out at the end of your presentation. You may also consider emailing copies of handouts to participants after the event. If your talk includes questions or discussion this will give to time to summarise this and communicate it back to the attendees.

A final take-away

There is no question that visual aids, used well, will enhance your presentation. They add a more visual element to the auditory aspect of you speaking. They therefore help to engage your audience on more levels, and also keep them interested.

The key to avoiding ‘death by PowerPoint’ is to focus on the purpose of each slide or visual aid, and ask yourself:

How does this add to what I am saying?

‘Adding’ may of course include ‘providing a summary’, but if your slide adds nothing to your spoken words, then do not include it.

Continue to: Managing the Presentation Event Presenting Data

See also: Preparing for a Presentation Organising the Presentation Material How You Can Improve Your Video Editing Skills Typography – It’s All About the Message in Your Slides

This topic has 44 replies, 32 voices, and was last updated 10 years ago by BigJohn .
10minute presentation …. No visual aids.

Any suggestions.

Stand and “present”?

Lean back on chair and “chat”?

To how many people? Where and what about?

Please enable JavaScript

No visual aids? Sounds like torture for everyone unless you’re a good stand-up comedian.

Is this an interview?

Yep it’s an interview.

Panel of three.

Open with a joke?

Sadly not much of a dancer :(

If you do open with a joke…don’t do “how do you get a gay man…..”.

Stand up straight, don’t mumble, eye contact.

Charades. Make them work for it…

By visual aids I presume that is the dreaded PowerPoint? What is the topic? Just get interactive and facilitative on them. I am doing a full day of training next week and won’t need the laptop…

Whats it about? For an interview I’d be careful about how wacky I’d get. Dependent on business I suppose. Involve the audience with some questions to illustrate points. Closed questions so that they don’t take you off piste. No vis aids means no power point but doesn’t mean nothing I suspect. I’ve used an orange effectively (not in a MP type of way) and a pen or phone could be a prop.

10 minute, no visual aid presentation in an interview? Sheesh…

Initial thought then, will be painful for them too.

Obviously, it depends on the brief you’ve been provided with, so if required knowledge of the industry/profession required, then make sure that’s in there.

Be imaginative & engage the interviewees – maybe comment on the fact no visual aids are allowed, so make light of it (they will probably be very sick of interviewing) and invite them to use imagination in a scenario and comment back; make it a two way thing. Make it a discussion, but not overly so though(after all, you are being interviewed, but they will welcome a break from the norm).

It’s hard though without knowing more info about what the job is and what your invitation to interview said.

“who’d like to see my impersonation of an elephant?”

7 mins chat, 3 mins summary and questions… simples.

Play them at their own game. Take in some blindfolds, make them wear them whilst you read them a story/poem complete with a box of tricks sound effects.

[quote]7 mins chat, 3 mins summary and questions… simples.[/quote]

Unless you’re very handsome/sexy/charismatic, you’ll have lost them after 20 seconds.

[quote]Take in some blindfolds, make them wear them whilst you read them a story/poem complete with a box of tricks sound effects. [/quote]

I like that!

Right now you’re focussed on what you can’t do. Now, you have to think about what you can do.

Your goal is twofold: to be convincing and engaging.

You might try using objects as the focus for your presentation – use relevant tactile aids rather than visual aids to illustrate your points…? I’ve seen this done very well on a couple of occasions.

Is visual aids worse than cat aids?

Talk for 2 minutes, remove trousers and helicopter d^ck

Usual rule is…

Tell them what you are going to tell them

Tell them it

Tell them what you just told them

And top tip – don’t be afraid of silence – the pauses add effect

what is the presentation about ? work out a structure to your resentation. My dad used to say tell them what you want to talk about talk about it , tell them what you have talked about . I saw him do it once it was excrutiating . consider some sort of structure though:-

principle / introduction

material / facts / evidence

argument / opinion

summary / conclusion / proposal

[quote]Talk for 2 minutes, remove trousers and helicopter d^ck [/quote]

How’s a helicopter duck going to help?

[img]http://www.duckology.co.uk/news/2006/20060226/0322.jpg[/img]

I once had to do a ten minute talk on the role of my department based on a random prop pulled out of a poly bag. I got a 35mm film canister!!

Take a mate to stand in. Dearth Vader suit in the corner. For no reason other than they will remember you.

[quote]Dearth Vader[/quote]

A somewhat lacking baddie?

[quote]pop larkin – Member Is visual aids worse than cat aids?

POSTED 42 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST[/quote]

Nope, it’s like Lucozade

[quote]Take in some blindfolds, make them wear them whilst you read them a story/poem complete with a box of tricks sound effects.[/quote]

Ball gags as well if the audience warrants/deserves them!

Are you allowed to do shadow puppets?

tell them what you’re going to tell them (*in summary) tell them tell them what you told them (*in summary) let them ask questions

If you can’t communicate what you need to without visual aids then either you’ve put your presentation together poorly or you struggle with presenting. I accept that some topics need a bit of visual representation, but for most, visual aids just take attention away from the presentation generally and allow people to focus on something other than what you’re trying to tell them. Powerpoint is way overused. People automatically assume, oh i’m doing a presentation, better do some slides.

I do loads of presenting and use slides less than 1/3 of the time. My scores on attendee feedback forms are always higher if I’ve not used powerpoint etc. Focuses the mind on properly communicating a difficult point, rather than just firing the complex stuff up on a slide and trying to make the audience digest it in 60 seconds. And if it’s not something that [i]has[/i] to be visualised, wtf are you putting it on a slide for anyway?

I appreciate that visual aids can help strengthen what you’re trying to say, but that’s only if they’re used appropriately/effectively, and most of the time they’re not. It’s just repetition.

People sticking up powerpoint slides which say roughly the same thing as is coming out of their mouth is one of my pet peeves :)

How often do you see the great TED presenters sticking powerpoint up?

The sermon on the mount and “I have a dream” both had to be done when they couldn’t get the powerpoint to work and they seem to have gone down quite well.

Just because there is no visual aid you can still write the presentation in the same way. A number of main topics each with 3 or 4 sub topics and a wrap up.

I was once told:

Summarise the situation Describe the 3 or 4 possible courses of action Put forward your preferred solution, with reasons.

Watch some pro’s and copy them.

[url=http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html]Ken Robinson[/url]

and other great speakers on TED ( might be some related to your job ?)

Take a guitar and do a David Brent style presentation.

[quote]The sermon on the mount and “I have a dream” both had to be done when they couldn’t get the powerpoint to work and they seem to have gone down quite well.[/quote]

Although its not alluded to directly in the gospels its thought Jesus might have used hand puppets in his sermons

“Whats that you say Sootie?…. blessed are the the who?……he says ‘Blessed are the Meek’ boys and girls”

For me – don’t try to learn a 10 min presentation verbatim – at that length if you get derailed at all you’ll never pick up again. I tend to have a 30 second ice breaker pretty much down pat and the same for a final conclusion and then in between more freeform.

Have a set of maybe a half a dozen “things” you wish to talk about in an order which best presents and then justifies your thesis and if you find yourself floundering you can just move on to the next “thing”. You may well realise what you missed and can slot it in later.

Under each of these headings you can learn a few relevant facts and citations which help make your point but don’t overburden your presentation with them, if you don’t manage to slot them into the speech you might get them into the Q&A afterwards.

If you do go down this road, try not to be overcome with relief when you get to the conclusion which you know and start rushing it. I gave a politics seminar once to someone I was terrified of and completely lost it in the last 10 seconds…

[quote]”Whats that you say Sootie?…. blessed are the the who?……he says ‘Blessed are the Meek’ boys and girls”[/quote]

Marvellous.

I would like to do a powerpoint presentation for that though. A big picture of a globe with an arrow pointing to a little meek man.

Can’t believe no one’s suggested..

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O6bWb7oEuE[/video]

though the helicopter suggestion made me smile

presentation interview are no win – impossible to tell tone required to you actually see the type of people you are presenting to. you can tell how ‘serious’ they are!

this would be toture for me, been a visual person. I’d use the stlye of the fonts and text to make it visual thing.

Alter size of text and postion and aligment.

good luck with no visual aids

Get a copy of Max Atkinson’s book ‘Lend Me Your Ears’, it’s brilliant. Can be had cheaply on Amazon.

The topic ‘10minute presentation …. No visual aids.’ is closed to new replies.

Win a Surly Grappler Trail Bike

MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TICKET DEADLINE. Draw is live tomorrow at 12:30pm

Weekly email
Martin's Blog
Deals Hunters' Blog
About the site

Oral presentation without use of computer or PowerPoint

Googlewhacker wrote: » Whats the subject?

piggybankrupt wrote: » As far as I know there is nothing available to use Aarrrgggghh!

All Categories
345.3K Banking & Borrowing
250.8K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
450.7K Spending & Discounts
237.3K Work, Benefits & Business
611.7K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
174.1K Life & Family
250.3K Travel & Transport
1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
16K Discuss & Feedback
15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Fashion retailer Ted Baker will close all remaining stores this week, after falling into administration in March this year. Below we round up what you need to know – including how to try to get your money back if you've been left out of pocket.

If you've got a Tesco Clubcard, check if you have any vouchers close to expiring, as £14 million-worth are due to run out on Saturday 31 August. Don't want to spend your vouchers yet? We've got a trick to extend their validity.

Online marketplace eBay will stop accepting American Express ('Amex') cards as a direct payment method from today (Saturday 17 August). You'll still be able to use your Amex on eBay by going through PayPal – but be wary of doing this with large purchases, as you may lose valuable Section 75 protection.

Broadband, mobile and pay TV firms will no longer be able to hit customers with inflation-linked price hikes mid-contract from January 2025, regulator Ofcom has confirmed. But, as MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis has warned, the new rules will still allow for above-inflation price rises.

Confused about the 'two-child benefit cap' and what it really means? MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis has a quick and simple video briefing to clear up some of the misinformation. It takes you through Child Benefit rules, the two-child limit for Universal Credit and the benefits cap.

Regulation of the buy now, pay later (BNPL) sector WILL go ahead, the new Government has confirmed. It means consumers will finally get much-needed safeguards on BNPL purchases, as well as protection from unsustainable borrowing – something MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) and its founder Martin Lewis have long campaigned for. Though we still don't know when any new rules will take force.

Winter Fuel Payments – a tax-free payment made to all pensioners to help with winter energy bills – are to be restricted to those on benefits and Pension Credit, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced. But MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis has urged the Government to include a wider group, and to leave no stone unturned ensuring the 800,000 eligible who miss out on Pension Credit get it.

Demands to repay Carer's Allowance overpayments are having a "shocking" impact on unpaid carers' lives, according to a new report from Carers UK. The charity has called for urgent action to prevent carers from unwittingly building up huge debts – an issue MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis has also raised with the Government.

Can online retailers refuse returns, particularly if they decide you've made too many in the past? MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis answers this question, and talks you through your rights, in a recent episode of the BBC's The Martin Lewis Podcast.

Is this how you want to be seen?

Get our free weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free.

CHICAGO AUGUST 29-30 PUBLIC SPEAKING CLASS IS ALMOST FULL! RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW

Public Speaking Classes
Corporate Presentation Training
Online Public Speaking Course
Northeast Region
Midwest Region
Southeast Region
Central Region
Western Region
Presentation Skills
101 Public Speaking Tips
Fear of Public Speaking

Visual Aid Examples for Both In-Person and Virtual Presentations

Contrarily, if you are starting your presentation design here, well, you may want to organize your thoughts first. Then, come back.

In this session, I’m going to give you a few visual aid examples. The examples include those for both in-person meetings where everyone is in the same room and virtual delivery. These mediums are actually fairly different. So, if you are using the same types of visual aids for both, this session may help you connect better with your given audience.

Visual Aid Examples for In-Person Meetings and training Sessions.

Let’s start with a few visual aid examples for in-person meetings.

PowerPoint and Digital Visual Aids.

Often today, presenters think of PowerPoint as their only visual. It is still a very important part of the presentation, so I will spend more time on this medium in the next couple of weeks.

PowerPoint has been around since the 1990s. Until recently, though, the software hadn’t changed a whole lot in that 20+ years. Prior to laptop computers, presenters used to have an ancient visual medium called the “slide projector.” It was similar to an old-timey film projector. However, this version was filled with a series of tiny photographs printed on tiny clear squares called slides.

Years later, the “overhead projector” was invented. This allowed the presenter to place paper-sized transparency onto the projector to present. Now presenters could interchange photos and/or bullet-pointed text. In addition, the presenter could write on the transparency.

So when PowerPoint came around, it was a digital version of both the slide projector and overhead projector. Presenters would digitally create “slides” with bullet points and images as examples of visual aids.

All of that changed when Prezi came on the scene. For a few years, the online software Prezi began to exert itself into the visual aid market. The concept was simple. Make the visual aid… well… visual. It uses images and a Zoom function. So instead of slides and bullet points, Prezi used a canvas and images to create visuals for the presentation. Then the software Zoomed in on the image while the presenter provided the “text.”

PowerPoint finally caught on. It now has a Zoom function which is pretty cool. Below are a few examples of what this Zoom function can do.

DOWNLOAD THE EXAMPLE POWERPOINT SLIDESHOW

Boards and posters..

Examples of Posters and Boards as Visual Aids

For example, I had a client who was preparing a sales presentation. They were competing to win a contract with a school district. In the past, they had worked with hundreds of other districts. So, they decided to create hundreds of posters mounted on boards. In fact, they made one for each district that they had previously worked for. When they started the presentation, they set up all of the boards in a U-shape around the walls of the presentation area.

As each presenter spoke, he or she would pull one of the boards from the stack that corresponded to the story. Throughout the speech, they told about six success stories about these former clients. Since there were hundreds of other posters that weren’t used, the audience naturally assumed (correctly) that there were hundreds of other success stories as well. It was a fantastic way to dramatize their experience.

Samples, Models, and Demonstrations as Visual Aid Examples.

If you are presenting about a product, then a sample can be a great visual aid. Models can be a great alternative if you are explaining a concept that hasn’t yet been made. And finally, if you are explaining a service, a demonstration might be more illustrative.

A Sample : If you ever watch the TV show Shart Tank, you will see inventors use samples as visual aids quite often. If you are presenting something physical, then giving your audience something they can see, touch, and feel adds value.
A Model : Architects, marketers, and software engineers use this visual aid a lot. If you are proposing a solution and that solution is costly to produce, a model might be a good alternative. This will help the audience create a visual image of what you are suggesting without incurring a huge expense.
A Demonstration : As a trainer, I use this one a lot. For example, if I am teaching a class on how to design presentations, I will often demonstrate the process myself. Or, if I’m teaching how to answer hostile questions, I may have the group ask me tough questions to demonstrate.

Your Handouts Are Also a Valuable Visual Aid for Your Audience.

Canva is one of my favorite tools for creating images and handouts. You can import your corporate colors and logos. Then, you can skim through hundreds of design templates to make your handouts look really professional. Don’t worry about finding a design that matches your colors. You can alter the colors of even a fully-completed document in seconds.

If you like PowerPoint, you can also create some pretty nice handouts there as well. The advantage is that you can more easily match the style of your slideshow if you are using one.

The point is, though, that if you have a bunch of content and a short time to present, don’t try to cram all the data into your presentation. Go through your speech strategically and determine what is most critical for the audience. Then use a handout as a mechanism to deliver the additional content to the audience members. This way, if the listener wants to know more, then he or she has access. If they don’t, then they will like the presentation better.

For additional reading on this subject, Take a look at How to Create the Perfect Presentation Handout. This post has additional ways to organize and create great handouts.

A Good Story or Example Is Often the Best Type of Visual Aid.

Sometimes, a visual aid isn’t visual at all. It can also be auditory. Just like when I mentioned that a demonstration of a service is a “visual aid,” sometimes a vivid description works better than an actual image. For example, a good story engages a different part of the brain than a photograph. Stories can also add emotion to your presentation delivery.

The truth is that stories are very powerful visual aids. The audience has to pay attention to create the vision in their own head. Watch how Will Smith captivates the audience with this simple story and creates an emotional impact at the same time.

Often, speakers will think things like, “Well my experiences just aren’t that interesting.” Will Smith just spent two minutes telling us how he built a brick wall. That is not a very interesting thing to talk about. However, he makes it interesting because he paints a picture for us about what he was feeling. We are experiencing the event as if we were there ourselves. You can do the same thing in your presentations.

For additional reading on this subject, Take a look at 5 Steps to Great Storytelling. This post has additional ways to creat and deliver great stories.

Visual Aid Examples for Virtual Meetings.

Your powerpoint slides should have more images and action than a typical slideshow..

People tend to have a shorter attention span on virtual meetings. Because of this, I tend to use more images and change them more frequently. This causes the audience to be engaged more.

For instance, when I am presenting in person, my slide might have three key bullet points and a single image. However, if I deliver a similar presentation through a Zoom meeting or webinar, I will likely use three images — one for each piece of text. In addition, I will often hide my bullets or text until the image appears.

Some of you may be wondering, “Why not use multiple images in the in-person meeting as well?” Well, you could do that. However, when you are in the same room with your audience, you can use your voice, gestures, and movement to keep the audience engaged. These tools are way more powerful than the visual aids, so if you are in the same room, use your gestures and voice.

No need to overdo it, by the way. The key is to add some movement every one or two minutes. If you watch a good YouTube video, the producer will use slight zooms in and out and change video angles. They do this to keep the viewer engaged.

If you are using a single webcam for your online meetings, though, you lose a lot of your tools. So adding additional images and visual aids can make up for some of this loss.

Videos or Animations without Sound Can Make Very Interactive Visual Aids.

PowerPoint and Prezi both have great animations that you can use as one of these “eye-catching” movements. So, instead of changing or adding images, you can make the images bigger as you reference them. Or, you can move them slightly or “shake” them up as you reference them. Prezi’s original “zoom” function is great for this.

However, recently, Prezi has created an entirely new platform called Prezi Video that is pretty cool. Basically, the slideshow or visuals are integrated into the speaker’s screen. So instead of sharing your screen and showing a slideshow, the visual aids appear to the side of the speaker.

In addition to Prezi, there are a number of video animation apps that either draw your images or animate them. The one that I use is Video Scribe . I use it because it was the first one that I found years ago. However, there are a number of these apps such as Doodley and Powtoon. There are a lot of these apps, though.

The way that you can use these is to add the image to your cartoon creator. Then, have the creator draw or animate the image. You can make the drawing process last as long as you want. However, five to 10 seconds usually works fine. So instead of adding a bunch of additional images, you can make the images more interesting using some of these apps.

Live Website Visits.

Don’t forget that since you are meeting online, you can always access additional information online as well. For example, when I’m meeting with a potential client, I will often answer questions for them by going https://www.fearlesspresentations.com . Instead of just quoting an expert who agrees with me, I might go to that expert’s website.

By the way, when I do this, I will have the websites open in my browser already. This way, I can just share my screen. A little trick for doing this is to click the browser tab and open it in a new window. That way, when you look at Share My Screen, that single webpage is available to share. (This makes the sharing a little cleaner and professional looking.)

Another tip here is to share videos with additional information or sometimes funny videos during session breaks. When I teach virtual or remote presentation classes, I will give the class a 10-minute break every hour or so. Sometimes, I will open up old Saturday Night Live clips that correspond to the previous or next lesson. For instance, if I am teaching about enthusiasm, I will show the old Chris Farley clip where he is pretending to be a motivational speaker.

Collaborative Shared Documents Such as Google Docs.

Spontaneity is a nice surprise in a virtual meeting. Sometimes, it is better to move away from the pre-created visual aids and use something more instant. For instance, when my team is meeting to assign instructors for upcoming sessions, we use Google Calendar. The corporate calendar is a combination of all of the instructors’ individual calendars. So, when I share my screen showing this collaborative calendar, it is unique every time.

It shows the whole group which of them are free during the time we are filling. If there are multiple instructors available, we can discuss the assignments to make the distribution more fair.

We also have reports that are created on multiple spreadsheets. As the team members insert their individual numbers, the data appears on the cumulative spreadsheet.

While this type of visual aid isn’t as fun and exciting as some of the others, it can add to collaboration very effectively.

Breakout Room Discussions Are Examples of Verbal Visual Aids.

Just as with stories and examples in the in-person meetings, discussions among the participants can replace the need for some visuals. Zoom has the ability to break the participants into breakout rooms. Participants are more likely to communicate in smaller groups. So, if you break your meeting into smaller teams and assign each new team to tackle a problem, you will get better results. Then, after a few minutes, close down the breakout rooms. Finally, have a spokesperson from each group give a summary.

This little technique fulfills the same need as I mentioned when I suggested you add more images. Instead of the entire group listening to one person for the entire meeting, they change their focus more quickly. Having multiple people present makes meetings more interactive.

If You Want More Visual Aid Examples, Let Us Know.

If you need help creating presentations or making your presentations better, invest in our virtual training. You get access to world-class public speaking coaches for hours at a time. They customize the content to your specific needs. It is a very economical way to develop presentation skills!

Podcasts | video

Get the Reddit app

Forget traditional job searching - improve your odds with good tips, tricks and tactics that help you stand out.

Interview presentation but no visual input. Help?

So I have an interview coming up for a role I really want to nail. I have been asked to do a ten minute presentation without visual aids like ppt. Never done this before — any tips? Thanks!

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

How Far Trump Would Go

D onald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice.

We’ve been talking for more than an hour on April 12 at his fever-dream palace in Palm Beach. Aides lurk around the perimeter of a gilded dining room overlooking the manicured lawn. When one nudges me to wrap up the interview, I bring up the many former Cabinet officials who refuse to endorse Trump this time. Some have publicly warned that he poses a danger to the Republic. Why should voters trust you, I ask, when some of the people who observed you most closely do not?

As always, Trump punches back, denigrating his former top advisers. But beneath the typical torrent of invective, there is a larger lesson he has taken away. “I let them quit because I have a heart. I don’t want to embarrass anybody,” Trump says. “I don’t think I’ll do that again. From now on, I’ll fire.”

Six months from the 2024 presidential election, Trump is better positioned to win the White House than at any point in either of his previous campaigns. He leads Joe Biden by slim margins in most polls, including in several of the seven swing states likely to determine the outcome. But I had not come to ask about the election, the disgrace that followed the last one, or how he has become the first former—and perhaps future—American President to face a criminal trial . I wanted to know what Trump would do if he wins a second term, to hear his vision for the nation, in his own words.

Buy your copy of this issue here

What emerged in two interviews with Trump , and conversations with more than a dozen of his closest advisers and confidants, were the outlines of an imperial presidency that would reshape America and its role in the world. To carry out a deportation operation designed to remove more than 11 million people from the country, Trump told me, he would be willing to build migrant detention camps and deploy the U.S. military, both at the border and inland. He would let red states monitor women’s pregnancies and prosecute those who violate abortion bans. He would, at his personal discretion, withhold funds appropriated by Congress, according to top advisers. He would be willing to fire a U.S. Attorney who doesn’t carry out his order to prosecute someone, breaking with a tradition of independent law enforcement that dates from America’s founding. He is weighing pardons for every one of his supporters accused of attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, more than 800 of whom have pleaded guilty or been convicted by a jury. He might not come to the aid of an attacked ally in Europe or Asia if he felt that country wasn’t paying enough for its own defense. He would gut the U.S. civil service, deploy the National Guard to American cities as he sees fit, close the White House pandemic-preparedness office, and staff his Administration with acolytes who back his false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen.

Trump remains the same guy, with the same goals and grievances. But in person, if anything, he appears more assertive and confident. “When I first got to Washington, I knew very few people,” he says. “I had to rely on people.” Now he is in charge. The arranged marriage with the timorous Republican Party stalwarts is over; the old guard is vanquished, and the people who remain are his people. Trump would enter a second term backed by a slew of policy shops staffed by loyalists who have drawn up detailed plans in service of his agenda, which would concentrate the powers of the state in the hands of a man whose appetite for power appears all but insatiable. “I don’t think it’s a big mystery what his agenda would be,” says his close adviser Kellyanne Conway. “But I think people will be surprised at the alacrity with which he will take action.”

The 2024 Election

The 7 States That Will Decide the Election
A Guide to Kamala Harris’ Views on Abortion, the Economy, and More
See the Most Memorable Looks From the Republican National Convention
Read the Full Transcripts of Donald Trump’s Interviews With TIME

The courts, the Constitution, and a Congress of unknown composition would all have a say in whether Trump’s objectives come to pass. The machinery of Washington has a range of defenses: leaks to a free press, whistle-blower protections, the oversight of inspectors general. The same deficiencies of temperament and judgment that hindered him in the past remain present. If he wins, Trump would be a lame duck—contrary to the suggestions of some supporters, he tells TIME he would not seek to overturn or ignore the Constitution’s prohibition on a third term. Public opinion would also be a powerful check. Amid a popular outcry, Trump was forced to scale back some of his most draconian first-term initiatives, including the policy of separating migrant families. As George Orwell wrote in 1945, the ability of governments to carry out their designs “depends on the general temper in the country.”

Every election is billed as a national turning point. This time that rings true. To supporters, the prospect of Trump 2.0, unconstrained and backed by a disciplined movement of true believers, offers revolutionary promise. To much of the rest of the nation and the world, it represents an alarming risk. A second Trump term could bring “the end of our democracy,” says presidential historian Douglas Brinkley, “and the birth of a new kind of authoritarian presidential order.”

Trump steps onto the patio at Mar-a-Lago near dusk. The well-heeled crowd eating Wagyu steaks and grilled branzino pauses to applaud as he takes his seat. On this gorgeous evening, the club is a MAGA mecca. Billionaire donor Steve Wynn is here. So is Speaker of the House Mike Johnson , who is dining with the former President after a joint press conference proposing legislation to prevent noncitizens from voting. Their voting in federal elections is already illegal, and extremely rare, but remains a Trumpian fixation that the embattled Speaker appeared happy to co-sign in exchange for the political cover that standing with Trump provides.

At the moment, though, Trump’s attention is elsewhere. With an index finger, he swipes through an iPad on the table to curate the restaurant’s soundtrack. The playlist veers from Sinead O’Connor to James Brown to The Phantom of the Opera. And there’s a uniquely Trump choice: a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” sung by a choir of defendants imprisoned for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, interspersed with a recording of Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. This has become a staple of his rallies, converting the ultimate symbol of national unity into a weapon of factional devotion.

The spectacle picks up where his first term left off. The events of Jan. 6 , during which a pro-Trump mob attacked the center of American democracy in an effort to subvert the peaceful transfer of power, was a profound stain on his legacy. Trump has sought to recast an insurrectionist riot as an act of patriotism. “I call them the J-6 patriots,” he says. When I ask whether he would consider pardoning every one of them, he says, “Yes, absolutely.” As Trump faces dozens of felony charges, including for election interference, conspiracy to defraud the United States, willful retention of national-security secrets, and falsifying business records to conceal hush-money payments, he has tried to turn legal peril into a badge of honor.

In a second term, Trump’s influence on American democracy would extend far beyond pardoning powers. Allies are laying the groundwork to restructure the presidency in line with a doctrine called the unitary executive theory, which holds that many of the constraints imposed on the White House by legislators and the courts should be swept away in favor of a more powerful Commander in Chief.

Read More: Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said In His Interviews With TIME

Nowhere would that power be more momentous than at the Department of Justice. Since the nation’s earliest days, Presidents have generally kept a respectful distance from Senate-confirmed law-enforcement officials to avoid exploiting for personal ends their enormous ability to curtail Americans’ freedoms. But Trump, burned in his first term by multiple investigations directed by his own appointees, is ever more vocal about imposing his will directly on the department and its far-flung investigators and prosecutors.

In our Mar-a-Lago interview, Trump says he might fire U.S. Attorneys who refuse his orders to prosecute someone: “It would depend on the situation.” He’s told supporters he would seek retribution against his enemies in a second term. Would that include Fani Willis , the Atlanta-area district attorney who charged him with election interference, or Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA in the Stormy Daniels case, who Trump has previously said should be prosecuted? Trump demurs but offers no promises. “No, I don’t want to do that,” he says, before adding, “We’re gonna look at a lot of things. What they’ve done is a terrible thing.”

Trump has also vowed to appoint a “real special prosecutor” to go after Biden. “I wouldn’t want to hurt Biden,” he tells me. “I have too much respect for the office.” Seconds later, though, he suggests Biden’s fate may be tied to an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on whether Presidents can face criminal prosecution for acts committed in office. “If they said that a President doesn’t get immunity,” says Trump, “then Biden, I am sure, will be prosecuted for all of his crimes.” (Biden has not been charged with any, and a House Republican effort to impeach him has failed to unearth evidence of any crimes or misdemeanors, high or low.)

Read More: Trump Says ‘Anti-White Feeling’ Is a Problem in the U.S .

Such moves would be potentially catastrophic for the credibility of American law enforcement, scholars and former Justice Department leaders from both parties say. “If he ordered an improper prosecution, I would expect any respectable U.S. Attorney to say no,” says Michael McConnell, a former U.S. appellate judge appointed by President George W. Bush. “If the President fired the U.S. Attorney, it would be an enormous firestorm.” McConnell, now a Stanford law professor, says the dismissal could have a cascading effect similar to the Saturday Night Massacre , when President Richard Nixon ordered top DOJ officials to remove the special counsel investigating Watergate. Presidents have the constitutional right to fire U.S. Attorneys, and typically replace their predecessors’ appointees upon taking office. But discharging one specifically for refusing a President’s order would be all but unprecedented.

Trump’s radical designs for presidential power would be felt throughout the country. A main focus is the southern border. Trump says he plans to sign orders to reinstall many of the same policies from his first term, such as the Remain in Mexico program, which requires that non-Mexican asylum seekers be sent south of the border until their court dates, and Title 42 , which allows border officials to expel migrants without letting them apply for asylum. Advisers say he plans to cite record border crossings and fentanyl- and child-trafficking as justification for reimposing the emergency measures. He would direct federal funding to resume construction of the border wall, likely by allocating money from the military budget without congressional approval. The capstone of this program, advisers say, would be a massive deportation operation that would target millions of people. Trump made similar pledges in his first term, but says he plans to be more aggressive in a second. “People need to be deported,” says Tom Homan, a top Trump adviser and former acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “No one should be off the table.”

Read More: The Story Behind TIME's 'If He Wins' Trump Cover

For an operation of that scale, Trump says he would rely mostly on the National Guard to round up and remove undocumented migrants throughout the country. “If they weren’t able to, then I’d use [other parts of] the military,” he says. When I ask if that means he would override the Posse Comitatus Act—an 1878 law that prohibits the use of military force on civilians—Trump seems unmoved by the weight of the statute. “Well, these aren’t civilians,” he says. “These are people that aren’t legally in our country.” He would also seek help from local police and says he would deny funding for jurisdictions that decline to adopt his policies. “There’s a possibility that some won’t want to participate,” Trump says, “and they won’t partake in the riches.”

As President, Trump nominated three Supreme Court Justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, and he claims credit for his role in ending a constitutional right to an abortion. At the same time, he has sought to defuse a potent campaign issue for the Democrats by saying he wouldn’t sign a federal ban. In our interview at Mar-a-Lago, he declines to commit to vetoing any additional federal restrictions if they came to his desk. More than 20 states now have full or partial abortion bans, and Trump says those policies should be left to the states to do what they want, including monitoring women’s pregnancies. “I think they might do that,” he says. When I ask whether he would be comfortable with states prosecuting women for having abortions beyond the point the laws permit, he says, “It’s irrelevant whether I’m comfortable or not. It’s totally irrelevant, because the states are going to make those decisions.” President Biden has said he would fight state anti-abortion measures in court and with regulation.

Trump’s allies don’t plan to be passive on abortion if he returns to power. The Heritage Foundation has called for enforcement of a 19th century statute that would outlaw the mailing of abortion pills. The Republican Study Committee (RSC), which includes more than 80% of the House GOP conference, included in its 2025 budget proposal the Life at Conception Act, which says the right to life extends to “the moment of fertilization.” I ask Trump if he would veto that bill if it came to his desk. “I don’t have to do anything about vetoes,” Trump says, “because we now have it back in the states.”

Presidents typically have a narrow window to pass major legislation. Trump’s team is eyeing two bills to kick off a second term: a border-security and immigration package, and an extension of his 2017 tax cuts. Many of the latter’s provisions expire early in 2025: the tax cuts on individual income brackets, 100% business expensing, the doubling of the estate-tax deduction. Trump is planning to intensify his protectionist agenda, telling me he’s considering a tariff of more than 10% on all imports, and perhaps even a 100% tariff on some Chinese goods. Trump says the tariffs will liberate the U.S. economy from being at the mercy of foreign manufacturing and spur an industrial renaissance in the U.S. When I point out that independent analysts estimate Trump’s first term tariffs on thousands of products, including steel and aluminum, solar panels, and washing machines, may have cost the U.S. $316 billion and more than 300,000 jobs, by one account, he dismisses these experts out of hand. His advisers argue that the average yearly inflation rate in his first term—under 2%—is evidence that his tariffs won’t raise prices.

Since leaving office, Trump has tried to engineer a caucus of the compliant, clearing primary fields in Senate and House races. His hope is that GOP majorities replete with MAGA diehards could rubber-stamp his legislative agenda and nominees. Representative Jim Banks of Indiana, a former RSC chairman and the GOP nominee for the state’s open Senate seat, recalls an August 2022 RSC planning meeting with Trump at his residence in Bedminster, N.J. As the group arrived, Banks recalls, news broke that Mar-a-Lago had been raided by the FBI. Banks was sure the meeting would be canceled. Moments later, Trump walked through the doors, defiant and pledging to run again. “I need allies there when I’m elected,” Banks recalls Trump saying. The difference in a second Trump term, Banks says now, “is he’s going to have the backup in Congress that he didn’t have before.”

Trump’s intention to remake America’s relations abroad may be just as consequential. Since its founding, the U.S. has sought to build and sustain alliances based on the shared values of political and economic freedom. Trump takes a much more transactional approach to international relations than his predecessors, expressing disdain for what he views as free-riding friends and appreciation for authoritarian leaders like President Xi Jinping of China, Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary, or former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil.

That’s one reason America’s traditional allies were horrified when Trump recently said at a campaign rally that Russia could “do whatever the hell they want” to a NATO country he believes doesn’t spend enough on collective defense. That wasn’t idle bluster, Trump tells me. “If you’re not going to pay, then you’re on your own,” he says. Trump has long said the alliance is ripping the U.S. off. Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg credited Trump’s first-term threat to pull out of the alliance with spurring other members to add more than $100 billion to their defense budgets.

But an insecure NATO is as likely to accrue to Russia’s benefit as it is to America’s. President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine looks to many in Europe and the U.S. like a test of his broader vision to reconstruct the Soviet empire. Under Biden and a bipartisan Congress, the U.S. has sent more than $100 billion to Ukraine to defend itself. It’s unlikely Trump would extend the same support to Kyiv. After Orban visited Mar-a-Lago in March, he said Trump “wouldn’t give a penny” to Ukraine. “I wouldn’t give unless Europe starts equalizing,” Trump hedges in our interview. “If Europe is not going to pay, why should we pay? They’re much more greatly affected. We have an ocean in between us. They don’t.” (E.U. nations have given more than $100 billion in aid to Ukraine as well.)

Read More: Read the Full Transcripts of Donald Trump's Interviews With TIME

Trump has historically been reluctant to criticize or confront Putin. He sided with the Russian autocrat over his own intelligence community when it asserted that Russia interfered in the 2016 election. Even now, Trump uses Putin as a foil for his own political purposes. When I asked Trump why he has not called for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been unjustly held on spurious charges in a Moscow prison for a year , Trump says, “I guess because I have so many other things I’m working on.” Gershkovich should be freed, he adds, but he doubts it will happen before the election. “The reporter should be released and he will be released,” Trump tells me. “I don’t know if he’s going to be released under Biden. I would get him released.”

America’s Asian allies, like its European ones, may be on their own under Trump. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister recently said aid to Ukraine was critical in deterring Xi from invading the island. Communist China’s leaders “have to understand that things like that can’t come easy,” Trump says, but he declines to say whether he would come to Taiwan’s defense.

Trump is less cryptic on current U.S. troop deployments in Asia. If South Korea doesn’t pay more to support U.S. troops there to deter Kim Jong Un’s increasingly belligerent regime to the north, Trump suggests the U.S. could withdraw its forces. “We have 40,000 troops that are in a precarious position,” he tells TIME. (The number is actually 28,500.) “Which doesn’t make any sense. Why would we defend somebody? And we’re talking about a very wealthy country.”

Transactional isolationism may be the main strain of Trump’s foreign policy, but there are limits. Trump says he would join Israel’s side in a confrontation with Iran. “If they attack Israel, yes, we would be there,” he tells me. He says he has come around to the now widespread belief in Israel that a Palestinian state existing side by side in peace is increasingly unlikely. “There was a time when I thought two-state could work,” he says. “Now I think two-state is going to be very, very tough.”

Yet even his support for Israel is not absolute. He’s criticized Israel’s handling of its war against Hamas, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and has called for the nation to “get it over with.” When I ask whether he would consider withholding U.S. military aid to Israel to push it toward winding down the war, he doesn’t say yes, but he doesn’t rule it out, either. He is sharply critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, once a close ally. “I had a bad experience with Bibi,” Trump says. In his telling, a January 2020 U.S. operation to assassinate a top Iranian general was supposed to be a joint attack until Netanyahu backed out at the last moment. “That was something I never forgot,” he says. He blames Netanyahu for failing to prevent the Oct. 7 attack, when Hamas militants infiltrated southern Israel and killed nearly 1,200 people amid acts of brutality including burning entire families alive and raping women and girls. “It happened on his watch,” Trump says.

On the second day of Trump’s New York trial on April 17, I stand behind the packed counter of the Sanaa Convenience Store on 139th Street and Broadway, waiting for Trump to drop in for a postcourt campaign stop. He chose the bodega for its history. In 2022, one of the store’s clerks fatally stabbed a customer who attacked him. Bragg, the Manhattan DA, charged the clerk with second-degree murder. (The charges were later dropped amid public outrage over video footage that appeared to show the clerk acting in self-defense.) A baseball bat behind the counter alludes to lingering security concerns. When Trump arrives, he asks the store’s co-owner, Maad Ahmed, a Yemeni immigrant, about safety. “You should be allowed to have a gun,” Trump tells Ahmed. “If you had a gun, you’d never get robbed.”

On the campaign trail, Trump uses crime as a cudgel, painting urban America as a savage hell-scape even though violent crime has declined in recent years, with homicides sinking 6% in 2022 and 13% in 2023, according to the FBI. When I point this out, Trump tells me he thinks the data, which is collected by state and local police departments, is rigged. “It’s a lie,” he says. He has pledged to send the National Guard into cities struggling with crime in a second term—possibly without the request of governors—and plans to approve Justice Department grants only to cities that adopt his preferred policing methods like stop-and-frisk.

To critics, Trump’s preoccupation with crime is a racial dog whistle. In polls, large numbers of his supporters have expressed the view that antiwhite racism now represents a greater problem in the U.S. than the systemic racism that has long afflicted Black Americans. When I ask if he agrees, Trump does not dispute this position. “There is a definite antiwhite feeling in the country,” he tells TIME, “and that can’t be allowed either.” In a second term, advisers say, a Trump Administration would rescind Biden’s Executive Orders designed to boost diversity and racial equity.

Trump’s ability to campaign for the White House in the midst of an unprecedented criminal trial is the product of a more professional campaign operation that has avoided the infighting that plagued past versions. “He has a very disciplined team around him,” says Representative Elise Stefanik of New York. “That is an indicator of how disciplined and focused a second term will be.” That control now extends to the party writ large. In 2016, the GOP establishment, having failed to derail Trump’s campaign, surrounded him with staff who sought to temper him. Today the party’s permanent class have either devoted themselves to the gospel of MAGA or given up. Trump has cleaned house at the Republican National Committee, installing handpicked leaders—including his daughter-in-law—who have reportedly imposed loyalty tests on prospective job applicants, asking whether they believe the false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen. (The RNC has denied there is a litmus test.) Trump tells me he would have trouble hiring anyone who admits Biden won: “I wouldn’t feel good about it.”

Policy groups are creating a government-in-waiting full of true believers. The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has drawn up plans for legislation and Executive Orders as it trains prospective personnel for a second Trump term. The Center for Renewing America, led by Russell Vought, Trump’s former director of the Office of Management and Budget, is dedicated to disempowering the so-called administrative state, the collection of bureaucrats with the power to control everything from drug-safety determinations to the contents of school lunches. The America First Policy Institute is a research haven of pro-Trump right-wing populists. America First Legal, led by Trump’s immigration adviser Stephen Miller, is mounting court battles against the Biden Administration.

The goal of these groups is to put Trump’s vision into action on day one. “The President never had a policy process that was designed to give him what he actually wanted and campaigned on,” says Vought. “[We are] sorting through the legal authorities, the mechanics, and providing the momentum for a future Administration.” That includes a litany of boundary-pushing right-wing policies, including slashing Department of Justice funding and cutting climate and environmental regulations.

Read More: Fact-Checking What Donald Trump Said in His 2024 Interviews With TIME

Trump’s campaign says he would be the final decision-maker on which policies suggested by these organizations would get implemented. But at the least, these advisers could form the front lines of a planned march against what Trump dubs the Deep State, marrying bureaucratic savvy to their leader’s anti-bureaucratic zeal. One weapon in Trump’s second-term “War on Washington” is a wonky one: restoring the power of impoundment, which allowed Presidents to withhold congressionally appropriated funds. Impoundment was a favorite maneuver of Nixon, who used his authority to freeze funding for subsidized housing and the Environmental Protection Agency. Trump and his allies plan to challenge a 1974 law that prohibits use of the measure, according to campaign policy advisers.

Another inside move is the enforcement of Schedule F, which allows the President to fire nonpolitical government officials and which Trump says he would embrace. “You have some people that are protected that shouldn’t be protected,” he says. A senior U.S. judge offers an example of how consequential such a move could be. Suppose there’s another pandemic, and President Trump wants to push the use of an untested drug, much as he did with hydroxychloroquine during COVID-19. Under Schedule F, if the drug’s medical reviewer at the Food and Drug Administration refuses to sign off on its use, Trump could fire them, and anyone else who doesn’t approve it. The Trump team says the President needs the power to hold bureaucrats accountable to voters. “The mere mention of Schedule F,” says Vought, “ensures that the bureaucracy moves in your direction.”

It can be hard at times to discern Trump’s true intentions. In his interviews with TIME, he often sidestepped questions or answered them in contradictory ways. There’s no telling how his ego and self-destructive behavior might hinder his objectives. And for all his norm-breaking, there are lines he says he won’t cross. When asked if he would comply with all orders upheld by the Supreme Court, Trump says he would.

But his policy preoccupations are clear and consistent. If Trump is able to carry out a fraction of his goals, the impact could prove as transformative as any presidency in more than a century. “He’s in full war mode,” says his former adviser and occasional confidant Stephen Bannon. Trump’s sense of the state of the country is “quite apocalyptic,” Bannon says. “That’s where Trump’s heart is. That’s where his obsession is.”

These obsessions could once again push the nation to the brink of crisis. Trump does not dismiss the possibility of political violence around the election. “If we don’t win, you know, it depends,” he tells TIME. “It always depends on the fairness of the election.” When I ask what he meant when he baselessly claimed on Truth Social that a stolen election “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump responded by denying he had said it. He then complained about the “Biden-inspired” court case he faces in New York and suggested that the “fascists” in America’s government were its greatest threat. “I think the enemy from within, in many cases, is much more dangerous for our country than the outside enemies of China, Russia, and various others,” he tells me.

Toward the end of our conversation at Mar-a-Lago, I ask Trump to explain another troubling comment he made: that he wants to be dictator for a day. It came during a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity, who gave Trump an opportunity to allay concerns that he would abuse power in office or seek retribution against political opponents. Trump said he would not be a dictator—“except for day one,” he added. “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

Trump says that the remark “was said in fun, in jest, sarcastically.” He compares it to an infamous moment from the 2016 campaign, when he encouraged the Russians to hack and leak Hillary Clinton’s emails. In Trump’s mind, the media sensationalized those remarks too. But the Russians weren’t joking: among many other efforts to influence the core exercise of American democracy that year, they hacked the Democratic National Committee’s servers and disseminated its emails through WikiLeaks.

Whether or not he was kidding about bringing a tyrannical end to our 248-year experiment in democracy, I ask him, Don’t you see why many Americans see such talk of dictatorship as contrary to our most cherished principles? Trump says no. Quite the opposite, he insists. “I think a lot of people like it.” — With reporting by Leslie Dickstein, Simmone Shah, and Julia Zorthian

More Must-Reads from TIME

Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
Heman Bekele Is TIME’s 2024 Kid of the Year
The Reintroduction of Kamala Harris
A Battle Over Fertility Law in China
For the Love of Savoring Sandwiches : Column
The 1 Heart-Health Habit You Should Start When You’re Young
Cuddling Might Help You Get Better Sleep
The 50 Best Romance Novels to Read Right Now

IMAGES

Free 10-minute Interview Presentation Template
Interview Presentation Kit [Figma]
Interview Presentation
creating a powerpoint for a job interview
how to create a powerpoint presentation for a job interview
10-Minute Interview Presentation Slides

COMMENTS

How to present well without slides
Make your 4 or 5 major points concisely (from a draft outline of 10 or 12 points) Practice making your points without a single slide. Revise #3 and repeat #4 until done. This approach works with or without slides, but in all cases it forces you to develop your ideas into a solid outline and practice delivering it before you'd even consider ...
Ditch The Slides: Deliver Great Presentations Without Powerpoint
How to Present Without Powerpoint. 01. Only Use Slides if They Add Value to Your Presentation. For tens of thousands of years, humans have demonstrated effective communication without PowerPoint. Global businesses have been built, wars won and lost, worlds 'discovered' and centuries of learning compiled and shared without the use of PowerPoint.
8 Surefire Ways to Nail Your Job Interview Project Presentation
Presentation audiences are less likely to fully comprehend your data based on a list of facts and figures, and interview presentation audiences are no exception. Whether you're showing how you impacted growth at your last company, or sharing industry trends, visual aids like infographics, charts, and graphs give all of that data meaning.
10 Tips for Delivering a Winning Interview Presentation
How to give a good job interview presentation. Use these tips to deliver a presentation in an interview: Ask for guidance. Know your audience. Find a focal point. Tell a compelling story. Position yourself effectively. Take a positive approach. Practice your delivery.
Interview Presentation Templates (Plus Examples)
What to include in an interview presentation template. Here are seven components you can think about when preparing your interview presentation template: 1. Type and topic of presentation. Before you begin preparing for a presentation, consider selecting a method of presentation. This can influence the type of template you create.
6 dos and don'ts for next-level slides, from a TED presentation expert
Here, he shares 6 specific tips for creating the most effective slides. ( Note: All of the examples below were taken from the actual slides of TED speakers.) 1. Do keep your slides simple and succinct. "The most common mistake I see is slides that are overcrowded. People tend to want to spell everything out and cover too much information ...
Impactful Presentations Without PowerPoint
Your slides are an aid to your presentation, but they're not the presentation itself. The more you stand side-on to an audience reading from them, the more likely you are to have zero impact. Yes, you'll survive. And yes, everyone will tell you were great! (No-one will want to hurt your feelings). But no-one will remember a thing you said.
How to Deliver a Winning Interview Presentation
Use of visual aids; Time management and organization skills; For a blind presentation, the employer may want to feel your pulse or perspective on issues or take notice of things like: ... Whether you have an online or physical interview or presentation, this is a no-brainer. Showing up late doesn't only leave a bad impression, but it could cost ...
Presentations in Interviews
Be yourself, as much in the presentation as in the interview itself. Focus on presenting you: your ideas, your plans. You will then have the best chance of getting the job if it is the right job for you. It's not uncommon to be asked to do a presentation as part of an interview. Learn more about what to expect and how to handle these ...
Seeing is Believing: The Dos and Don'ts of Using Visual Aids ...
Choose the right visual aid: Consider your topic, audience, and speaking venue when choosing a visual aid. PowerPoint slides, images, videos, and props are all great options.
Working with Visual Aids
There is no question that visual aids, used well, will enhance your presentation. They add a more visual element to the auditory aspect of you speaking. They therefore help to engage your audience on more levels, and also keep them interested. The key to avoiding 'death by PowerPoint' is to focus on the purpose of each slide or visual aid ...
10minute presentation …. No visual aids.
Just because there is no visual aid you can still write the presentation in the same way. A number of main topics each with 3 or 4 sub topics and a wrap up. I was once told: Summarise the ...
Oral presentation without use of computer or PowerPoint
Try listing out everything you can think of, group things that link together and think which 3/4 points are most vital. So, for example, a professional attitude - neat, tidy, presentable, knowledgeable etc. Reassuring - listening and communication skills, making sure that you have dealt with concerns and worries etc.
Interview presentation but no visual input. Help? : r/careeradvice
So I have an interview coming up for a role I really want to nail. I have been asked to do a ten minute presentation without visual aids like ppt.
Visual Aids That Can Be Used In-Person or in Virtual Presentations
A Model: Architects, marketers, and software engineers use this visual aid a lot. If you are proposing a solution and that solution is costly to produce, a model might be a good alternative. This will help the audience create a visual image of what you are suggesting without incurring a huge expense.
Which visual aids to use for an interview presentation? (no ...
Please note we ask that you do not use a PowerPoint Presentation for this exercise, a laptop will not be provided for you and we ask for you to consider other methods for presentation. A flipchart will be provided to you in the room. With regard to the visual aids, i'm a little unsure what to produce. My artistic skills are poor so drawing is ...
Interview presentation but no visual input. Help?
So I have an interview coming up for a role I really want to nail. I have been asked to do a ten minute presentation without visual aids like ppt…
Donald Trump on What His Second Term Would Look Like
In our Mar-a-Lago interview, Trump says he might fire U.S. Attorneys who refuse his orders to prosecute someone: "It would depend on the situation." He's told supporters he would seek ...