Whether you’re in the comms field or not, there has more than likely been a time (or plenty of times) where your colleague, manager or friend has asked you to review a presentation pack for them. Upon opening it, you immediately realise that this person either a) has no idea what they’re doing with their content presentation, or b) simply doesn’t care about how the audience perceives the content. So, how do you go about fixing this presentation or providing feedback in a way that educates folks?

It’s not a rhetorical question, luckily, because we’ve got some strategies you can use to help others create presentations that actually work.

1. Start with the why

One of the biggest mistakes people make is dumping everything they know onto their slides without first defining their goal. Instead, ask these two essential questions:

• Who are you presenting to?

• What key messages do you want them to take away?

Fancy folks call it reverse-engineering, but ultimately it’s just finding why you’re wanting to present in the first place so that the content supports your desired outcome. Once you understand the audience, you can tailor the level of detail, anticipate their questions, and focus on what matters most to them.

2. Be logical in structure

A logical flow is essential to guide the audience toward your conclusion. Some simple structures to use include:

• What? So what? Now what? – Introduce the topic, explain why it matters, and outline the next steps.

• Past, present, future – Show where things started, where they are now, and where they need to go.

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.

Whichever structure you choose, ensure it supports a clear and logical progression of ideas. Also, use signposting language to guide the audience: “Today, we’ll cover three points...” or “To recap, our three key takeaways are...”

3. One slide has one message

A common pitfall is overcrowding slides with multiple ideas. Instead, every slide should communicate just one key message. For example:

• If a slide contains five bullet points on different topics, separate them into individual slides.

• Reduce long sentences into one or two key words per point.

Slides should support your spoken words, not replace them. This makes it easier for audiences to follow along and grasp your message.

4. Simplify, simplify, simplify

Presentations should be visually clean and easy to digest. Some quick tips:

• Use fewer words and more useful visuals.

• Replace bullet points with timelines, icons, or simple graphics.

• Avoid jargon and explain complex concepts in relatable terms.

• Keep colors, fonts, and images consistent and uncluttered.

5. One for presenting, one for reference

If your presentation will also serve as a takeaway document, create two versions:

• The live presentation: Minimal text, supporting visuals, and a focus on storytelling.

• The reference version: Includes additional details, background information, and speaker notes.

6. Be accessible

Great presentations consider all audience members, including those with disabilities. Here’s how:

• Use black text on a white background for readability.

• Choose large, clear fonts and avoid tiny text.

• Don’t overlay text on images, as it’s hard to read.

• Use alt text for images and explain visuals verbally.

• Avoid using red and green together (colorblind users may struggle to differentiate them).

• If using diagrams, describe them verbally as well.

• Avoid moving GIFs, as they can be challenging for people with visual processing difficulties.

7. Be compelling with your ask

If your presentation is seeking approval for budget, resources, or support, here are some techniques to increase your chances of success:

• Offer 2-3 options, positioning your preferred choice in the middle (the Goldilocks effect).

• Use the “door in the face” technique—start with a big request, then scale down to make the real ask seem more reasonable.

• Be concrete with figures—instead of saying “$10K to $30K,” say “$22,500.”

• Emphasise the risk of inaction. What happens if this doesn’t get funded? Frame the impact in business terms.

A well-structured, audience-focused, visually clear presentation is far more effective than a dense slide deck filled with text. So make sure your content gets cut through and focus on what the key points are - rather than on making your slides as “gif-heavy” as possible.