Skip to Main Content

FAST Presentation Skills

Presentation Outlines

Having an outline for your presentation can be helpful every step of the way when creating and giving your presentation. An outline can make it easier to build your materials and run the live presentation as well as to help you map out key points, consider the order of your content, plan visuals, and set an agenda for your final presentation.

How to Organize a Speech or Presentation by Communication Coach Alexander Lyon

Introduction

Note: You should spend about 10% of your presentation time on the introduction.

  • Grab your audience's attention.
  • Establish why your topic is relevant for your audience.
  • Establish your personal credibility and experience on the subject.
  • Give your thesis or "bottom line"
  • Offer a brief overview of the main points your presentation.

Body

Note: You should spend about 85% of your presentation time on the body, or the main content.

  • Organize your points in some logical fashion for your specific topic.
  • Aim for about 3 main points to keep it clear.
  • Signpost your main points by saying 1st, 2nd, 3rd (or some clear way to make each point stand out).
  • Use transition statements to signal that you're changing gears from one point to the next.

Conclusion

You should spend about 5% (or up to 10%) of you time to do the following in your conclusion:

  • Signal that you are ending, "In conclusion…"
  • Reinforce your thesis or main idea. You may also want to recap your points if that helps, but keep the summary tight.
  • Add a call to action. If you're going to ask your listeners to do something (especially in a persuasive presentation), this is the spot to do it.
  • Don't forget the clincher! End on a high note with a quick story, appropriate quotation, etc.

Presentation Outline Basics

Some helpful tips to consider when creating an outline are:

  1. Consider the goal

    Are you persuading? Educating? Selling? Consider what you want to accomplish and what your audience wants to know.

  2. List the main points

    Write out all the main points you need to speak on, then build them out with sub-points. Move them around as needed to find an order that works for you.

  3. Connect the dots

    With your main points done, begin making connections with your research, and think of how you can transition between points.

Experimenting with Presentation Structures

Curious to test out or explore different ways to structure your presentation?

Watch the video below to learn about seven presentation structures used in the best TED Talks:

Presentation Skills: 7 Presentation Structures Used by the Best TED Talks by Visme
  1. Fact and Story

    This structure is helpful if you're looking to inform or inspire! You intertwine facts into your stories to keep your audience interested. Watch The Beauty of Data Visualization [18:00] by David McCandless to see this structure in action.

  2. The Explanation

    This structure is used to inform an audience about a process, create a plan to fix a problem, or to learn something new. Watch Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are [20:45] by Amy Cuddy to understand how to best use this structure.

  3. The Pitch

    This structure involves expressing an idea to solve a problem or improve a situation. The Pitch often includes a few key elements: the Windup; the Hurdle; the Vision; the Options; the Close; and the Hook. Watch Let's Turn the High Seas into the World's Largest Nature Reserve [12:55] by Enric Sala to learn how you could use this structure.

  4. The Drama

    This structure follows a person or group of people through their trials and tribulations before finishing with an inspiring success story. Watch My Journey from Marine to Actor [17:52] by Adam Driver to see how you could leverage this structure in a presentation.

  5. Situation–Complication–Resolution

    This structure is a popular choice in the sales world! It's a simple, compelling style that introduces a situation, highlights an issue (or a complication), and then offers a clear resolution. Watch The Four Fish We're Overeating—and What to Eat Instead [14:15] by Paul Greenberg to learn how you might use this structure.

  6. Situation–Opportunity–Resolution

    This structure is similar to the previous structure, but the message tends to be more optimistic. You introduce a situation, frame the issue as an opportunity to try out or explore, and then explain how you might pursue the opportunity (i.e., the resolution). Watch How to Speak Up For Yourself [14:59] by Adam Galinsky to see how this structure is used in a presentation.

  7. Hook, Meat, and Payoff

    This structure is similar to the Drama structure as it relies heavily on storytelling. You focus on hooking your audience's attention, following with details in a list or timeline format, and then end with the payoff that references any of the stories from the start of your presentation. Watch My Stroke of Insight [18:24] by Jill Bolte Taylor to learn how to use this structure.

Activity & Tip Sheets

Complete the activity below to learn how to structure your presentation. You can also use the tip sheets below as a quick reference when you are creating future presentations.

Connect with us