---
title: Does Your Presentation Pass the Test? How to Make Presentations More Impactful
description: What happened to powerful and impactful presentations?  Here are some ways to make your presentations memorable.
image: https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/hubfs/1743846_PSP%20Presentations%20Blog_2_1200x628_100423%20%281%29.jpg
---

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# Strategic Human Capital Insights

## [Does Your Presentation Pass the Test? How to Make Presentations More Impactful](https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/blog/2-observations-to-remember-to-keep-your-presentation-focused-impactful)

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### Where have all the powerful presentations gone?  

I have just spent two months watching presentations that are sorely lacking impact. As an audience observer of the presentation process, I decided to dissect the presentations from a professional presentation discipline – a professional skill set that I have taught and coached for many years. Here are two key observations.

**1. The Power of PowerPoint**

We have equated presentations with a PowerPoint deck. 

1. **The PowerPoint presentation is NOT the presentation** – it is merely a visual tool used as part of the presentation. 
2. **The PowerPoint presentation MUST follow presentation standards**. As an audience member – that’s not negotiable.
   
     - **There ARE best practices associated with great PowerPoint** **presentations. **They are focused on how and why the audience perceives and retains information. (*The most egregious mistake is the poor bullet that has now become a multi-line sentence – or worse, a blob-like paragraph, which is impossible to read and highly improbable that it will create the intended impact.)*
     - **Where did the format and presentation roadmap go? **The format and roadmap allow the audience to proactively accompany the presenter on the presentation journey. For the audience’s sake, let’s give them a reason and a rationale to listen. A member of your audience should never think, “Where is this going, or why am I here listening to this?”
     - **One **PowerPoint **deck is NOT fit for all purposes**. A PowerPoint deck, often used for company distribution or in an internal meeting, is likely not in a format that creates the high impact required when used as a presentation tool.

[![Read Presentation Skills Series >>](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/380864/4bd73355-16ea-4624-921a-1d9b8d68d7f1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/380864/4bd73355-16ea-4624-921a-1d9b8d68d7f1)

Over the years, the mechanical presentation tools have changed for the better. We have thankfully evolved from the overhead projector and transparencies of yesteryear. Now, we can create spectacular PowerPoint presentations With current and evolving tools.. Today, however, we commit everything to the “DECK.”  Because the deck is ubiquitous and used for everything, we have forgotten, or perhaps never learned, how to modify decks for the high-impact presentation format. ***There is a difference!***

**2. Yes, presenter multi-layered skills are required for the presentor to make a great presentation.**

Just because you are a presenter, doesn’t mean you know how to present. There are many skills involved in the process.   If you are not actively thinking about each of these skills, you are very likely not doing them. These skills range from:

- Presentation prep
- Creating great presentation visuals
- Using your physical skills
- Integrating your physical, verbal, and graphics to reinforce one message
- Delivering to your audience
- Managing your space and logistics
- Handling Q & A
- Practice, practice, and practice some more! 

Your ability to deliver a high-impact message is considered a key professional skill that will either accelerate your professional growth or cause your career to plateau.

In our [blog series on presentation skills](https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/blog/topic/presentation-skils), we focus on the elements of great presentations and provide a framework to follow that allows you to control your message so it creates the intended impact at the highest possible level. Just [click here](https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/blog/topic/presentation-skils) to read all our presentation skills blogs.

**[![Read Presentation Skills Series >>](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/380864/79e7e1c7-008e-4160-b6d1-863d0377184b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/380864/79e7e1c7-008e-4160-b6d1-863d0377184b)**

 Topics: [Presentation Skils](https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/blog/topic/presentation-skils)

Posted by [Joanne Flynn](https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/blog/author/joanne-flynn)

![Joanne Flynn](https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Joanne_Flynn.jpg?width=100&height=100&name=Joanne_Flynn.jpg)

Joanne T. Flynn heads up the human capital advisory group, Phoenix Strategic Performance, Inc. Previously, she was a Managing Director with Phoenix Group International and was Vice President / Director of Global Learning and Development at Goldman, Sachs for nine years. Joanne works with organizations as they face global growth and competitive challenges. She works with her clients to be both externally focused and internally responsive. With her unique background, she aligns competitive strategic efforts with related internal organizational leadership challenges. With the benefit of her career-long focus, Joanne contributes the unique insight of aligning strategy to internal organizational structure and process. She focuses on human capital relative to strategic initiatives, accelerated business growth, value creation, and business development. Joanne holds a Master of Arts degree in Business Management from the University of Oklahoma. In addition, she holds a double degree major in History and German from St. Elizabeth University, as well as certificates from a variety of leading universities and professional training and development organizations. Joanne has recently published her latest book, [Accelerating Business Success, The Human Asset Management Strategy](https://www.phoenixstrategicperformance.com/accelerating-business-success).

Find me on:

[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/PhoenixStrategicPerformance) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/phoenix-strategic-performance) [Twitter](https://twitter.com/PHXStrategy)

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